Blue Lipstick, Worn Like a Grown-Up

Blue Lipstick, Worn Like a Grown-Up

Blue lipstick does not have to mean a costume. These are the sheer blue glosses, cool blue-reds and icy clear toppers that bring the color in quietly, plus a couple of real blues for the brave.

In 1996 a small brand called Urban Decay launched with ten lipsticks and twelve nail polishes in shades named after the grittier side of the city, like Smog and Oil Slick. Its first magazine ad asked readers, more or less, whether pink made them want to be sick. Department store counters at the time were a sea of pink, beige and red, and suddenly blue, green and purple were on the table. Blue lipstick has been coming back in waves ever since, and this fall it is back in a softer, glossier form.

The first row is for when you want real blue. The Cream Lip Stain in Very Blue is a matte lilac blue, and Funky Peacock from the same line is a deep teal that stays put all night. MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist ColorGlow in Mermaid Blue is a shimmery turquoise balm, which is a gentler way to try it. PAT McGRATH LABS LUST Gloss in Astral Moon Flower is a periwinkle with an iridescent pearl. ISAMAYA Lip Lacq in Beetle is a black gloss with blue shimmer that also plumps. Dior Addict Lip Maximizer in Bluemania is an opalescent blue, while MILK MAKEUP Odyssey in Globetrot and Too Faced Kissing Jelly in Sweet Cotton Candy are sheer, sky and mint blue lip oils.

A quick test: dab a sheer blue over your usual lipstick. If it makes the color look cooler and fresher, you are a blue person.

Floating collage of Valentino Fire Red, Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in Very Blue, Pat McGrath Labs Lust Gloss in Astral Moon Flower, Dior Addict Lip Maximizer in Bluemania, MAC Ruby Woo and Sephora Collection Glossed Icy Shine over an icy blue sky and sea
Blue Lipstick

Blue lip colors

Blue-reds, the gateway blue

If a true blue is too much, a blue-red is where most people start. These are reds with cool, blue undertones, and they make teeth look brighter and skin look clearer. They are the grown-up version of blue lipstick, and nobody will know that is what you are wearing.

MAC Macximal Silky Matte in Ruby Woo is the vivid blue-red most makeup artists carry, and it lasts for hours. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Hollywood Vixen is softer and more comfortable. MAKEUP BY MARIO SuperSatin in Tribeca is an intense blue-red with a soft sheen. Valentino Spike in Fire Red is a buttery matte that goes on in one stroke. PAT McGRATH LABS MatteTrance in Elson is the one I would wear to a holiday party, and Sarah Creal Speak For Yourself in Red V. Wade adds a luminous finish. Givenchy Le Rouge Velvet in Sculptural Red and Laura Mercier Caviar Smoothing Matte in Scarlet Velvet round out the row with blurring, long-wearing formulas.

Pairing tip: with a blue-red, wear silver jewelry and a crisp white shirt or black knit. Warm gold and camel can make the red look slightly off.

What I would skip: a blue-red on very dry lips. Matte reds find every flake. Put a thin balm on ten minutes before.

Blue-red lipsticks

Clear and icy glosses to layer

The easiest way to wear blue is to not wear it alone. A clear or blue-tinted gloss over any lipstick shifts the color cooler and adds that wet, glassy look that has been everywhere this year.

Dior Addict Lip Maximizer in Icy Blue is a sheer pastel blue that plumps as it shines. Rare Beauty Positive Light in Dazzle is a sheer blue with multicolored shimmer that looks lovely over a nude. Glossed Icy Shine in Chilled is clear with blue shimmer and stays moisturized for about ten hours. HUDA BEAUTY Faux Filler in Glassy, NARS Afterglow Lip Shine in Triple X, MAC Lipglass Clear and Kevyn Aucoin Glass Glow in Crystal Clear are all clear glosses, and I would pick based on texture: MAC is the thickest, Kevyn Aucoin the lightest. Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Ice in Cold Heart'd adds a cooling feel and a minty scent.

How to use them: dab gloss only on the center of your lower lip, then press your lips together. You get the shine without it sliding to the edges.

What I would skip: layering a blue gloss over a warm orange or coral lipstick. The two tones fight each other and the result can look gray. Save it for cool pinks, berries and blue-reds.

Clear and blue-tinted glosses

How to start with blue

Start with a clear or blue-tinted gloss over the lipstick you already own, and see if you like the cooler shift. If you do, try a blue-red from the middle row for a party. The real blues in the first row are the fun end, best on a night when you want to be the one people talk about. Blue lipstick is not about being brave, only about picking the right amount of blue for where you are going. Keep a clear gloss in your bag, since it goes over every shade here and fixes a lipstick that has worn patchy.