My mum has always told me, if you're in a rush and don't have time to wear makeup, just apply a slick of lipstick and you're good to go. It's simple beauty advice I've held onto all these years, especially more recently when I've deliberately chosen to let my skin breathe without too much product, or I'm simply too lazy to slap a full face of makeup before filming a late-night TikTok.
Needless to say, this means that my lipstick collection is rather impressive (shameless brag) – with a solid combination of matte and glossy products in a range of mainly pinks and browns (I'm currently obsessed with the GXVE by Gwen Stefani I’m Still Here Lightweight Longwear Matte Liquid Lipstick in 'Flannel Dusty Rose' and Revlon's Super Lustrous Lipstick in 'Plumalicious'). Over time, I've noticed nude colours or bright reds tend to wash out my complexion – but as we all know, beauty is so... personal. And perhaps I just haven't found the right ones for me yet.
Skin tones vary across South Asians, and what may suit myself may not work for another brown woman depending on their complexion and features. But what I know is a common experience for many South Asian women is the uncertainty that fills our minds when we walk into the makeup aisle, or even peruse products online.
That's why this National Lipstick Day, I've chosen to round up some lip-spiration from various brown women with different skin tones who I'm personally a huge fan of. Of course, this isn't an exhaustive list of the best lipsticks – and some lip liners for bonus value – for brown women, but hopefully a sampler of some luscious picks you could potentially add to your cart.
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Ruchi Page. Image Source: Instagram/ruchipage
Swarnaa Rajalingam. Image Source: Instagram/thelifeofasocialbutterfly
Huda Beauty Lip Pencil in 'Spice Girl' and Hourglass Unlocked Satin Creme Lipstick in 'Oasis' as seen on Neha Prasad
Image Source: Instagram/neehaaa_
L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick 550 as seen on Simone Ashley
Simone Ashley. Image Source: Instagram/babskymakeup
Dhivya Sri. Image Source: Instagram/dhivya.sri
YSL Couture Velvet Lip Cream in 209 as seen on Rowi Singh
Rowi Singh. Image Source: Instagram/rowisingh