‘I Tested This TikTok-Famous Lipstick To See If It’s Actually Worth The Hype’
The search for the perfect lip product is endless. When it comes to most lip colors, if it's highly pigmented, the color comes off quickly. If it's long-lasting, it'll over-dry your lips. As a medium skin-toned woman, I also have the difficulty of finding a lip color that truly looks like a "nude" on my skin. When it came to the holy trinity of pigmentation, comfort, and long-wearing lip colors, I spent over a decade searching for perfection to no avail till I tried NYX's Shine Loud Lip Color ($12, Ulta).
The two-step lipstick quickly rose to TikTok fame for being 100 percent transfer-proof despite the high amount of pigment it has. Though there are thousands of videos out there with people putting on the gloss, then taking a sip of coffee right after to prove the color is actually transfer proof, it only took me watching one of those videos to want to try it myself. While I do believe that some TikTok-famous products can get overhyped, this one is absolutely worth it (especially considering the $12 price tag!).
It's no wonder the satin-finish, high-shine lip color is almost always out of stock, but when you do get the chance, you'll want to snag every shade you can get your hands on. Here's why it's my favorite lip product I've ever used:
It's actually transfer-proof.
Lots of lip products claim to be transfer-proof, but the second you finish your morning coffee or take a bite in to lunch, the color is either totally gone or streaky. When I first tried this, I actually quickly put it on before running out the door and forgot about it till I came home to take off my makeup several hours later.
I had grown complacent with seeing my bare lips at the end of most nights, so was shocked to see that the high pigment lip color had remained through hours of errands, dinner, drinks, and (the ultimate test!) even a make-out sesh. Below are pictures of me wearing the gloss at the beginning of the night and then at the end. There's practically no difference at all, though my lips are definitely looking a little less glossy at the end of the night.
The shades work for my medium-toned skin.
I have medium-toned skin and a mixed range of undertones from pink and blue to yellow, orange, and red. While most lip colors on the mass market cater to those with a pink or blue undertone, every single one of the shades I tried worked perfectly on my Indian skin.
Choosing a favorite would be like having to pick a favorite child, but Global Citizen, Magic Maker, Cash Flow, and Goal Crusher were my favorites for a brown-hued nude that will look great on medium to darker skin tones.
It's comfortable on my dry lips.
A self-proclaimed lip balm addict, I was nervous about this over-drying my lips as most high-pigment lip products have done in the past. But, because the two-step duo starts with a pigmented lip stain and then is sealed in with a high-shine gloss, it feels super nourishing—in fact when I first used it, I thought that it felt so buttery and smooth on my lips that there was no way it could also be so pigmented.
It turns out that the base coat is infused with natural ingredients like nourishing jojoba oil designed to keep lips looking and feeling comfortable all night. I won't lie—I did feel like I wanted some chap stick by the very end, but it wasn't unbearable in the way I've felt with a lot of lip stains in the past. You could easily get away without reapplying this for eight hours just as I did, but I think for optimal comfort and shine, you'll want to do a touch-up every five to six hours.
For the price, you have nothing to lose—be sure to snag every color that's in stock now, while you can.
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