Lips + Lipstick Hub
Lipstick, gloss, lip oil, lip balm, every lip product guide.
How GLOW reviews lip products
Lip products are easy to buy badly. A formula that photographs beautifully can drag over dry patches, feather within an hour, or leave lips drier than they started. GLOW's lip reviews are built around what you only learn from a full day of wear: how a lipstick applies over real lips rather than a swatch card, how it survives coffee and conversation, and what it leaves behind as it fades.
Everything in this hub is assessed independently, with no paid placements. Our current lipstick ranking is led by Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey on a GLOW score of 9.2, with MAC's Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo just behind on 9.1. Both sit around the $40 mark, which tells you something useful about the category: the strongest performers are mid-priced classics that have earned decades of repurchases, not whichever launch is loudest this season.
Before you buy, be honest about how you actually wear lip colour. A bold matte you reapply carefully after lunch is a different purchase from a sheer tint you swipe on in the car.
- Match the finish to your lip condition. Mattes cling to dry patches, so buff and balm first, or choose a sheer, glossy formula instead.
- Long-wear usually trades comfort for staying power. If your lips run dry, a tint or oil you can reapply beats a transfer-proof matte.
- Blue-toned reds tend to make teeth look brighter; orange-leaning shades can do the opposite.
- Sheer, buildable shades like Black Honey are the safest online buys, because exact shade matching matters far less.
- Australian sun reaches your lips too. A balm with SPF is a sensible daytime layer under or between colour.
Start with our full best lipstick in Australia ranking, which we update as new formulas are tested.