Brown lipstick has ridden the 90s nostalgia wave and is the shade of choice for a new generation of makeup wearers.
While many of the TikTokers leading the brown lipstick revolution were not around the first time the Nineties supers popularised the cocoa, caramel, taupe and honey hues, this hasn’t stopped Gen Z from romanticising the decade and triggering the return of many of its signature styles, from slip dresses and cargo trousers to lip gloss and frosted eye shadow.
Perfecting the pouts of 90s style icons Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford as well as Gwenyth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Aniston, the tonal spectrum of brown lipstick is vast and there’s a shade to suit all skin tones with a remarkably wearable finish. But it’s not always easy to secure the right shade.
How to wear brown lipstick
Frederic Letailleur, Northern Europe Artist & National Makeup Artist For Yves Saint Laurent Beaute UK, says “It’s all about choosing your texture and colour correctly. I love to use Rouge Pur Couture for its hydrating satin finish to ensure it provides enough life while wearing it”. He advises: “Avoid mattes and favour more satin textures for flexibility but you can also wear a brown lipstick as a statement, which is particularly good if your look includes a lot of warm tones and bronzing hues. Alternatively, choose a more burned rose brown or peach brown for a complexion lift”.
How to find the shade that suits you
Letailleur explains that to find the perfect colour, “Squeeze the tip of your finger and match the colour to your lipstick”. Then “Apply it to your lips”, he says. “A good brown should not bring out the slightly yellower pigment in the teeth, it would bring out the whiteness”.
Lastly, he recommends to “Challenge your buying habit. Always look for a shade slightly deeper than the one you feel comfortable with and would naturally reach for".
What makeup look should you pair with brown lipstick?
The makeup expert would pair brown lippie with “a highlighter on the cheeks and a focus on eye definition using a black eye pencil and mascara to provide an extra dimension to the lash”.
When it comes to your base, “Make sure to cover any shadows below the eyes using a blend of a concealer and a product like the Touche Éclat Illuminating Pen around the eyes and over any area that needs extra light”, he adds. “Finally, as it’s the festive season add a touch of warm-toned glitter or shimmer to boost the radiance and bring a frivolous touch to the face”.
Shop the best brown lipsticks below.
Best liquid lipsticks for a matte, sheer or shimmery finish to your look
Best drugstore mascaras tried and tested to give your lashes length and volume
Best matte lipsticks, from Charlotte Tilbury to NYX
Best red lipsticks of all time that will suit your skin tone
Best berry lipsticks for a very berry smile
Best long lasting lipsticks: Smudge-proof colour that lasts
Best foundations for oily skin for a flawless finish
Best glitter lip glosses to add a touch of sparkle
Best eyeshadow palettes of all time to add to your makeup collection
Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm
The Hourglass Phantom lippie was an instant classic on launch. Beyond the sleek gold bullet exterior, its extensive fan base was drawn to its hybrid formula that combines all the best parts of our lip balms, glosses and sticks to streamline your cosmetics collection.
With just this one lip product, you have an instant colour payoff, a hydrated pout thanks to the signature Hourglass Conditioning Complex and a glazed finish that Hailey Bieber would approve of.
It comes in eight shades with Trace 105 as the perfect caramel brown hue.
Buy now £35.00, Cult Beauty
Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick, NM Nu Muse
The silky-smooth texture of this lipstick from Yves Saint Laurent glides across lips and locks in place throughout the day. Every bit of the application feels like a luxurious experience, from the opulent gold exterior to the nourishment that the formula provides. It’s creamy, and hydrating and comes in this universally flattering pink-tan hue.
Buy now £35.00, John Lewis
Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Lipstick
Named after her Spice Girl persona, the Posh lipsticks offer a subtle wash of colour, designed to enhance your natural beauty. Victoria Beckham’s eponymous label has infused the formula with nourishing botanicals to treat your pout and leave a smooth perfected finish with every swipe.
Fringe is the brown in the range and is a deep copper hue that is the perfect rich but timeless tone for those still on the fence.
Buy now £37.00, Victoria Beckham Beauty
Dior Addict Hydrating Shine Lipstick
There is a reason why the Dior Addict lipstick is always featured in #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt videos. The appeal is evident. A status symbol, whip out this lippie and you’ll hear coos of excitement.
But don’t for one minute think this is a case of style over substance. The formula is almost all of natural origin with ingredients like jasmine floral wax providing hydration and shine, all while imparting intense pigment.
Honourable mention goes to the fox-red 812 tartan shade.
Buy now £37.00, Dior
MAC Lustreglass Lipstick
The name of this shade – I Deserve This – is all the reason you need to add it to basket.
Use reapplication as a reminder that you are worthy of all the good things that come your way. At the same time, you are enriching your parched pout with the moisturising properties of jojoba, raspberry seed, coconut and organic extra-virgin olive oils for luscious lips.
The chocolate brown shade is sheer and buildable.
Buy now £24.00, lookfantastic
NARS Sensual Satins Lipstick
Satin in name and satin in nature, the NARS Sensual Satins Lipstick replicates the silky finish of the fabric with this lip product. It’s not glossy, nor matte but a balance of the two that will not dry out your lips, instead infusing them with a combination of passion fruit seed oil and moragin extract. The brown tone in the collection, interestingly named Raw Seduction, has a pinky element that heightens its wearability.
Buy now £25.50, lookfantastic
Ilia Balmy Tint Hydrating Lip Balm
For those of us prone to dehydration and dryness, a balm texture may be more suitable for our parched lips.
Whether caused by winter weather or sunny rays, when it feels like our skin just can’t catch a break, you’ll want this lip product on hand. Ilia has formulated it with a combination of moisture-rich salicornia, rosehip seed oil and shea butter to nourish and quench dehydration.
There are seven tints available too where Faded leaves a subtle cocoa brown hue in its wake.
Buy now £28.00, Ilia
Maybelline New York Lip Colour SuperStay Vinyl Ink, 120 Punchy
The Maybelline New York Lip Colour packs a lot of pigment into its affordable price tag. The liquid lip may not be the easiest to apply but once you have mastered the knack, you can maximise the mirror-like vinyl finish that simply does not budge.
The shade 120 Punchy is a pink-brown hue that will adorn your pout for up to 16 hours.
Buy now £11.99, Amazon
MAKEUP BY MARIO Ultra Suede Lipstick
Velvety smooth in its texture, the Ultra Suede collection from famed makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic is a matte lipstick that has lasting power without drying out the lips – two qualities that don’t tend to go hand in hand. The pigment is powerful yet it feels weightless on application, leaning into the hugely popular blurred lip trend with its soft-focus finish. There are 20 shades with Nicole providing a rich burgundy brown.
Buy now £30.00, Sephora
Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Color
You need not sacrifice a juicy pout for pigment. Bobbi Brown’s Crushed Lip Color has a balmy texture with an effortless swipe-and-go quality that will make it a stalwart in your handbag. Cocoa is a cool brown hue that is fairly neutral to suit any occasion and any skin tone. You can build to enhance the colour payoff but no matter how many layers you apply, it holds in place for around eight hours.
Buy now £29.00, Bobbi Brown
