10 Luxe Products You Need to Create Every Lip Look

3 weeks ago 5

Published on July 11, 2025 at 5:43 PM

Photo-Illustration: Clara Shader-SeavePhoto-Illustration: Clara Shader-Seave

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Allow us to break the bad news first: we may have hit peak lipstick. Over the past few years, a surge of innovative launches has meant new, category-bending options that deliver more benefits than ever: conditioning lip balms that also color like lipstick; mess-free lip oils that adhere like a balm; low-viscosity, non-sticky glosses that bring the luster of a thick lip glass; non-drying matte lipsticks that soothe like a lip treatment, the list goes on. With so many solutions for one-time pain points (dryness, gloopy textures, tacky feel), we can't imagine the lip color category getting better than this — or more difficult to navigate due to the sheer volume of products available.

But here's the good news: with National Lipstick Day approaching July 29, Bloomingdale's is helping to streamline the approach by highlighting an edit of bestsellers made to outperform some of your longtime-favorite lip products. Ahead, find some of the most impressive of the lot — you'll be blown away by all they can do.

For a Plumping Effect That Won’t Sting

DIOR Dior Addict Lip Glow Butter ($42)

From phones to designer bags (see: Dior's own Lady Dior style), it seems nothing these days is fully dressed without a charm. Fittingly, the tube of this lip balm is pierced with the cutest hardwear logo. Just as au courant is what's inside: a super cushiony, deeply protective lip treatment that delivers grip, a sheer wash of color, high-shine finish, and an ever-so-slight minty sensation to make lips look and feel more plump.

For Blurred Lips

Yves Saint Laurent Beauty Rouge Pur Couture The Slim Matte Lipstick ($48)

Inspired by the diffused lip look that's so popular in Seoul? This lipstick can make the look. Tap it onto lips, then blend with fingers to create a burred edge or apply with more pressure for a more saturated matte look. Either way, the cross polymers and silicones within bypass the drying effect that plagues conventional mattes and make it feel like nothing on the lips.

For a Glossy Lip That's Grownup

Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss 2.0 ($43)

This lip shine was made for those with an aversion to thick, sticky glosses: it's ultra-lightweight with zero tackiness, applies evenly, and is buildable. Instead of delivering a thick, high-gloss glaze, it imparts a touch of shine that lasts. Think of it as gloss's sophisticated — and versatile — sister: it's perfect for layering over lipstick.

For a Satin-Finish Color That’s Made to Travel

Sisley Paris Phyto-Lip Twist ($62)

This crayon makes mirror-free lipstick application a no-brainer: lining lips is easy with its pointed tip, filling in is achieved in one swipe by turning the applicator flat against the lips, and a twist-up mechanism eradicates the need for a sharpener. It also happens to deliver your-lips-but-better color in the finish of a satin lipstick, but with the texture and comfort of a featherweight balm.

For Saturated Color That’s Cushioned

Valentino Rosso Valentino Lightweight Satin Lipstick ($45)

If we had our heads buried in our phones while a makeup artist applied this lipstick, we would swear we had just been hit with a buttery balm — and with vitamin E and bergamot oil inside, it's no wonder. But one look at the color payoff and there's no doubt that this formula has the chops to go up against the most pigmented lip products out there.

For Lip Oil Without the Mess

Prada Light Glowing Lip Oil Stick ($50)

Lip oils get major points for delivering nutrients to the lips in a low-viscosity format. But many liquid formulas aren't exactly mess free. Fashioned like a traditional stick balm, this solid lip oil melts into lips like a liquid formulation, while delivering all the soothing moisture we expect (thanks, in part, to passion fruit oil and bifidus extract inside).

For Gloss Without the Goop

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre Luxe Color-Lasting Lip Lacquer ($26)

Charlotte Tilbury is not messing around in calling this gloss a lacquer. Just like your favorite nail lacquer, it delivers mega-shine from a super-thin application. But the real genius is the applicator, which picks up a judicious amount of product, so you never end up with a goopy mess.

For Major Color Payoff

MAC M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick ($25)

Few things in this world are guaranteed, but MAC Cosmetics's ability to deliver a strong color payoff is one of them. So when the brand opted to reformulate its famous matte lipstick line last year, fans became understandably nervous. It turns out, the only thing to go was the product's drying effect. Thanks to the inclusion of cocoa butter, shea butter, and coconut oil, the bullet still delivers vibrant, opaque color, but with a more comfortable glide upon application.

For a Baby Lips Effect

Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm ($38)

An old Hollywood trick to make streets seem bigger? Make them appear wet. The same principle applies to lips: cover them in a glossy slick and they appear bigger than they actually are. This mildly minty gloss-balm hybrid does that and then some — it blurs out lip lines and deposits a wash of natural color for a baby lips effect.

For Your-Lips-But-Better Pink

Guerlain KissKiss Bee Glow Pearly Lip Balm ($40)

This bestselling balm taps an adaptive technology that mimics your own lip pigments and is infused with fine-pearl shimmer to produce a plumped look. It's also loaded with propolis, honey, and beeswax to nourish lips, impart glide, and kick out a just-like-honey scent that's fresh, not overpowering.