The Best Lipstick for Every Kind of Day

The Best Lipstick for Every Kind of Day

The best lipstick depends on the day you are having, not on one magic bullet. Here are the satin, matte and sheer lipsticks I would pick for the office, a long dinner and a lazy weekend.

In the early 2000s, Leonard Lauder of Estée Lauder noticed that people kept reaching for lipstick even when times were uncertain, and the idea became known as the lipstick index. Whether or not it holds up as economics, it says something true about lipstick. It is the smallest change that makes the biggest difference to how you feel. So the best lipstick is really the one that suits your day. A satin for work, a matte for a long night, a sheer shine for Sunday. Once you have those three, you rarely need anything else.

The first row is satin, which is where I would start. Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G in Pillow Talk Fair is the soft pink nude so many people know. Kosas Weightless Lip Color in Deep Talks is a nourishing satin. PAT McGRATH LABS SatinAllure in Divine Rose is a rose with a dewy finish. MERIT Signature Lip in Baby is a neutral pink that feels like nothing on. Hourglass Unlocked Satin Crème in Lotus 314 is a deep neutral rose. The Bobbi Brown hydrating lipstick in Neutral Rose is a pinky rose that suits almost everyone. The Satin Hydrating Lipstick in Push The Limit is a pink nude, and MAKEUP BY MARIO SuperSatin in Midtown is a light neutral pink.

A quick test: wear a satin shade from morning to lunch. If it still looks even, it will work as your everyday lipstick.

Loved lately collage of six pinned cards on brushed metal: Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Fair, MERIT Signature Lip in Baby, MAC Macximal Silky Matte in Mehr, Glossier Ultralip in Portrait, NARS Powermatte in Killer Queen and NARS Afterglow in Devotion
Best Lipstick

Satin lipsticks

Matte lipsticks for long days

Matte lipstick is the one for long days, weddings and dinners where you do not want to think about touch-ups. The newer formulas are much more comfortable than the old flat mattes.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in Pillow Talk is the matte version of the famous nude. Westman Atelier Lip Suede in Rose was inspired by the lip blends Gucci Westman mixes on set. CHANEL Rouge Allure Velvet Intense in Essentielle is a soft, long-wearing color. MAC Macximal Silky Matte in Mehr is a mid-tone mauve pink with up to twelve hours of wear. NARS Powermatte in Killer Queen is a rose brown that is transfer-resistant. Prada Monochrome Soft Matte in Tiepolo is a soft nude pink in a refillable case. Freck Makeout Club in Muse has a soft blur, and HUNG VANNGO Limitless Sky is a medium pink berry.

Pairing tip: put a thin layer of lip balm on first, blot it, then apply the matte. It sits better and does not cling to dry patches.

What I would skip: reapplying a matte lipstick over itself all day. Layers build up and start to crack. Blot and tidy the edges instead, or wipe and start fresh.

Matte lipsticks

Sheer and shiny lipsticks for weekends

Sheer and shiny lipsticks are for weekends, errands and the days you want to look nice without trying. They feel like balm and give a soft wash of color.

Dior Addict Shine in Chérie is a pink rosewood in a refillable case. The Gucci Voile Sheer Lipstick gives a light, glossy wash of color. Kosas Wet Stick in Malibu is a cool mauve pink with ceramides and squalane. Glossier Ultralip in Portrait is a cherry blossom pink with hyaluronic acid. NARS Afterglow in Devotion is a mauve rose with dimensional shine. CHANEL Rouge Coco Flash in Live is a bright, shiny color. Marc Jacobs Beauty Heart On in Lips Don't Lie is a cool light brown beige, and MAC Lustreglass in See Sheer is a grapefruit pink.

How to use them: swipe straight from the bullet without a mirror. These are forgiving, so you do not need to be precise.

What I would skip: a sheer lipstick for a long event. It fades within a couple of hours. Keep it for easy days and choose a matte when you need color that lasts.

Sheer and high-shine lipsticks

Choosing your everyday three

If you are building a lipstick wardrobe from scratch, pick one of each finish in a shade close to your natural lip color. A satin for work, a matte for evenings and a sheer shine for weekends. That covers almost every day of the year. After that, add a bolder color only if you really want it. The best lipstick is the one you reach for without thinking, so choose shades that look like you on a good day, and keep one in your coat pocket and one in your bag.