Brown Lipstick for Fall, From Milk Chocolate to Espresso

Brown Lipstick for Fall, From Milk Chocolate to Espresso

Brown lipstick is back on every fall mood board, and it is easier to wear than its reputation. Here are the warm browns, deep chocolates and brown liners I would reach for, from a soft cinnamon to near espresso.

The brown lip everyone remembers from the 1990s did not start on a runway. As Allure has written, the dark liner with a lighter lip grew out of Black and Latina communities, where women lined their lips in brown because so few brands made liner shades for deeper skin. By the middle of the decade it was on supermodels like Naomi Campbell, and brown lipstick became the most grown-up thing you could put in a makeup bag. This fall it is back, but softer, with more shine and much kinder formulas.

The first row is the warm, wearable end. Marc Jacobs Beauty Heart On in Kinky Business is a warm brown with hyaluronic acid, so it does not feel like a 90s matte. NARS Afterglow in Voyeur is the one I would hand to a brown lipstick skeptic, sheer enough to look like a stain. TOM FORD Runway Lipstick in West Coast leans cinnamon, and the TOM FORD Lip Stylo in Honeyed Mink is the same idea in a slim matte. Gucci Velvet Matte in Eliza Ginger is a terracotta brown that looks great with a rust sweater. Westman Atelier Lip Suede in RUE was inspired by the custom lip blends Gucci Westman mixes on set. HUNG VANNGO Call My Agent is a deep peach brown, and Givenchy Brun Cuivré is a light, coppery liquid.

A quick test: hold the bullet against your bottom lip in daylight. If it disappears, go one shade deeper.

Swatch collage of Marc Jacobs Beauty Heart On Lipstick in Kinky Business, MERIT Signature Lip in 1990, MAC Lip Pencil in Chestnut and Gucci Velvet Matte Lipstick in Eliza Ginger
Brown Lipstick

Warm brown lipsticks

Deep chocolate for evenings

Deep chocolate is where brown lipstick gets dramatic, and it is my favorite choice for dinner in November. It reads darker in photos than in person, so do not be put off by a shade that looks severe in the tube.

MERIT Signature Lip in 1990 is the easy way in, a deep brown in a lightweight formula that feels like almost nothing. MAC Macximal Sleek Satin in Film Noir is a cooler brown with full coverage, while the MAC Lustreglass in I Deserve This gives the same depth as a sheer, balmy wash. Sarah Creal Speak For Yourself in Madam President is a chocolate brown with a luminous finish. MAKE UP FOR EVER Rouge Artist in Limitless Brown and Hourglass Unlocked Soft Matte in Orchid 352 are the two I would pick for a long night. Gucci Velvet Matte in Auroral Amber is a deep brown matte, and Dior Rouge Dior On Stage in Fearless Brown adds a shine finish.

Pairing tip: with a dark lip, keep everything else quiet. Brushed-up brows, a little mascara and skin that looks like skin will let the color do its job.

What I would skip: a deep brown matte with a heavy matte foundation and bronzer. All that flat texture together can look muddy. Pick a satin or sheer version, or add a touch of gloss to the center of your lip.

Deep chocolate lipsticks

The brown liners that make it work

If brown lipstick has ever looked wrong on you, it may have been the edges. Lip liners are what make brown look intentional, and they help a sheer shade last through a meal.

MAC Lip Pencil in Chestnut is the classic, an intense brown that people have been buying for decades. MAKEUP BY MARIO Ultra Suede in Travis is a milk chocolate with a sharpener on the other end. Haus Labs The Edge in Chocolate Velour is transfer-proof, so it is the one for a wedding or a long dinner. ISAMAYA Universal Lip Liner in Bean is a rich chocolate that does not smudge. MERIT Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner in Capricorn is soft enough to fill in the whole lip, and YSL Kiss Shaper in Cocoa Flirt adds coffee oil and a creamy glide. Anastasia Beverly Hills Malt is a velvety matte, and Molasses is a transfer-proof dark chocolate pencil that lasts about eight hours.

How to use them the modern way: line, then smudge the edge inward with a fingertip before you add lipstick. You keep the shape and lose the harsh outline.

What I would skip: a liner much darker than your lipstick with no blending. That stark contrast is its own look, and it takes a steady hand.

Brown lip liners

Finding your brown

If you are new to it, start with a sheer warm brown from the first row and a liner one step deeper. Wear it for a week before you move to the deep chocolates, so your eye gets used to seeing it. When you are ready for the dark end, pick a satin finish over a flat matte, and blend your liner in. Brown lipstick looks best when it looks lived in, a little blotted and softened, as if you put it on hours ago and forgot about it. Keep a liner in your coat pocket for touch-ups. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Cream and Chocolate Brown Outfits to Try This Fall and Rum Raisin Lipstick and the Brown-Berry Shades Like It.