The 6 Best Drugstore Liquid Lipsticks & 3 to Splurge On

Liquid lipsticks are one of my favorite beauty innovations. Usually long lasting and ultra pigmented, they’re perfect for busy days and low maintenance looks. Over the past few years, more variations have been popping up from top brands, both drugstore and high end. From mattes, to glossy, to metallic and everything in between— there’s a liquid lipstick for any trend you’re hot on. For a while, you had to pay good money for one that performed really well, but no longer! These are some of my favorite drugstore liquid lipsticks, and three that are worth splurging on.

 

 1 // Milani Lip Intense Liquid Color (Violet Addict)
2 // L’Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color (Ruby Opera, Coral Encore)
3 // Maybelline Color Elixir (Mauve Mystique, Intoxicating Spice)
4 // NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream (Copenhagen, Transylvania, Abu Dhabi)
5 // Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer (Apocaliptic, Luna, Light Year)
6 // L.A. Girl Glazed Lip Paint (Blushing, Pin-Up)
7 // Lime Crime Velvetine (Red Velvet)
8 // Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick (Fig, Ruby)
9 // OCC Lip Tar (Authentic, Digitalis, Black Dahlia)

 

The Milani Lip Intense Liquid Colors ($7) apply with a cushy consistency, and stay feeling moisturizing while they dries down. You get full opacity in just one swipe with color that lasts for hours.

The L’Oreal Colour Riche Extraordinaire Lip Color ($10) and Maybelline Color Elixirs ($9) have very similar formulas that are a fusion of balm, gloss, and lipstick. They stay glossy and comfortable throughout wear time as they hug the lips, and aren’t sticky in the slightest. Since these don’t dry down like standard liquid lipsticks, they are more prone to transferring and so will need to be retouched after a few hours for full color payoff.

The NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams ($6) are a recent discovery/obsession of mine. They first go on as a mousse texture but soon dry to a satin-matte, giving full coverage color with a thin layer. They have a similar look and feel to the Lime Crime Velvetines ($20), but the Velvetines dry down to be completely matte and last longer. Both need balm underneath to avoid a dry feeling throughout the day.

Rimmel’s Show Off Lip Lacquers ($5.50) have all the pigmentation of a high-powered lipstick and all the shine of a luxe gloss. My favorite part, besides the strong color, is the doe foot applicator that has a pocket to hold a reservoir of product for easy application and no double dipping!

L.A. Girl Glazed Lip Paints ($3.50) gained popularity for their clear similarity in packaging to the Too Faced Melted Lipsticks ($21). While the formulas are very different, they are equally satisfying. Both extremely pigmented, the Glazed Lip Paints are more glossy while the Melted Lipsticks stay creamy from application to the end of the day.

Finally, OCC Lip Tars ($18) are what I would consider the O.G. liquid lipsticks. These babies have been around forever, and dominate the scene with their intense color and budge-proof wear time. These are entirely worth the price, because you hardly need half of a pea-sized amount to drench your lips in your shade of choice. They come in a large variety of finishes, and are amazing to mix with each other to create custom colors.