The great drugstore lipstick try on! I started working on this post at the end of May, ordering so many drugstore lipsticks to test and try and report back on. It has been a lot of fun.
I’ve always loved a good drugstore beauty find. Four dollars doesn’t get you much these days (maybe a small latte, if you are lucky) but it CAN get you a great lipstick. I have tried out SO many drugstore lipsticks and these are the best of the best. While they might not be as expensive (or in as pretty packaging) as higher end lipsticks, they work just as well. There are so many choices: hydrating, matte, liquid, shine… today I am breaking down the creme de la creme, the ones I loved most. I hope you enjoy (and maybe find a new favorite!).
Everything on this list has been tested and vetted but if I had to choose a favorite of the bunch (or favorites), I think it would be this liquid lipstick (it feels just like a stain), this hydrating lipstick, this tinted balm, and the drugstore classic: Super Lustrous — it really is just as good as everyone says it is!
PS – you might also like this post I wrote I wrote a while back: 12 of the best drugstore beauty products.
In doing my homework, it seems that Revlon Super Lustrous is theeeee gold standard in drugstore lipsticks. I was excited to try it (I’m wearing shade 225 Rosewine) and I GET IT. This is really hydrating, it glides on like a dream, it feels great on your lips… I love it! Also: FIVE DOLLARS, what a price point! My only complaint is that the shade range is so extensive that it was really hard to choose (there are 130+ shades!) I really love the color I chose but if you have a favorite, drop it in the comments.
I REALLY love this one. I ordered “Special Espresso” which wouldn’t be my first choice but I saw this on a friend and really love it. It’s more of a berry red than an espresso/brown. I like how light it feels on my lips and how hydrating it is. The formula is infused with all my favorite moisturizing ingredients: hyaluronic acid, coconut oil, vitamin E. It has a nice, natural shine and just enough color. I’d totally buy more of these (and friends: it is only FOUR DOLLARS! You can’t beat that price point).
I wasn’t sure if W3ll people counts as a drugstore brand (I think it does?). $16.00 is much higher in price than the other lipsticks featured here, but I wanted to include a clean brand. Besides, the brand is carried in Target, Amazon, etc. I love their optimist lipstick. It’s hydrating, it feels great on the skin, the wear is nice. I went with “Let it Go,” a pretty rosy nude (my favorite, haha). I like that it has a satin finish with just a little shine. A nice happy medium in a world of ultra matte and ultra glossy finishes.
This is a highly pigmented, non-drying matte lipstick… I was really impressed. If I had blind tested this with one of Bite Beauty’s matte lipsticks, I don’t know that I’d be able to tell the difference; except this one clocks in at just $7.11 (where do they make up these prices!). I went with 499 More Blush and loved it. It stayed on for several hours without retouching, didn’t smudge, and felt really good on my lips. Two thumbs up from me!
You know I love a lip pencil and I was impressed with this one! Color wise it was darker than I expected (the shade names weren’t very descriptive; I went with “Sultry“) but I really liked this – it’s a very pretty berry. It left my lips feeling really nice and the color wore very well throughout the day. I love that it has a matte finish but feels more like a lip balm (the formula is infused with Shea Butter, Mango & Coconut Butter).
This became an immediate new everyday favorite. It’s Balm is a moisturizing lip pencil with a really natural wash of color. I went with Vintage Mauve which is the perfect rosy nude. I like that it’s packed with good for you ingredients like sunflower butter and Vitamin E, which also make it really hydrating. It just feels good on your lips. I also love that you don’t have to sharpen it… just twist the bottom of the crayon!
I really love this one. Of all the liquid lipsticks I tried, this was my favorite. Probably because it felt less like a lipstick and more like a stain? It has a super soft finish and feels plush and velvety (not drying at all). I chose Kisses for my shade, which ended up being darker than I had wanted but I spoke on a Zoom panel (I always look so washed out on Zoom) so this wound up being perfect!
I liked but did not love this one. But I really love the color and it stayed on for ages, so I wanted to include it, especially as a long wearing lipstick option. It just felt a little bit sticky and drying to me. I got Xxpose Me which is a pretty rosy nude. If you are looking for a long wear, full coverage lipstick to last throughout the day, this is a winner (despite a slightly sticky finish). I’d categorize this as a special occasion lipstick as opposed to an everyday lipstick as my lips would get dried out wearing it more than once a week.
This is a liquid lipstick with a top coat gloss/balm. Alone, the finish is tacky… you really need to layer the balm over it. So if you are looking for a matte liquid lip, skip this one. But if you like a little shine, this is great! This is probably the most long wearing of everything. It really does stay on all day, through meals and drinks. (The balm will need to be reapplied but the color stays!). I chose mauve pink and liked the formula but did not love the color. I wish it were a little warmer.
This is an old favorite of mine — this one never disappoints. It stays on for a long time; it’s nice and matte but not drying at all. I went with Pink Soirée; an incredibly pretty pink! Would definitely recommend this.
I tried the tik-tok favorite! I like this a lot, but if I am being honest I think I prefer the regular old super lustrous. It almost feels like lip gloss in a stick. It didn’t wear quite as well as the others (it slid around a little on my lips, and despite being in an air conditioned house the finish almost felt like a lipstick that had melted in the sun — it hadn’t melted, it was just the consistency). Still, I really like this one. I love the shine, and I love that it is packed with skincare ingredients like hyaluronic acid and aloe. And as someone who does have dry skin and lips, I like how hydrating it is.
This may be cheating as this is a gloss and not a lipstick but I like it so much that I had to include it. Butter Gloss lives up to its name: it feels like butter on your lips. It’s also under $5. It’s completely non-sticky and just feels so good on your lips. I went with Tiramisu on a friend’s recommendation. It’s the perfect pink! (A weird name if you ask me, Tiramisu does not sound like a name for a pink gloss. Oh well. It’s very pretty, just trust me.)
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