Why Brown Lipstick Is the Most Flattering Comeback of the ’90s—Plus the 7 Best Shades to Shop Right Now
There's a pick for every skin tone and price point.
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we love. Promise.
For me, brown lipstick is the only '90s makeup trend that I’m interested in revisiting. You can keep your over-plucked eyebrows (I am not falling for that one), and I have no interest in the time it takes to remove a grunge-inspired eye look or the glitter that comes with frosted makeup. But brown lipstick, I can get on board with.
You know why this trend works? It’s one of the few nostalgic beauty moments that actually flatter everyone. Want to go all in on the retro look? Try a matte, cool-toned brown—think rich taupe on lighter skin or deep cocoa on deeper tones. Just dipping your toe back in? Simply choose a shade that’s one step deeper than your go-to nude. As makeup artist and beauty mogul Bobbi Brown put it when she launched the Jones Road The Classic Lip collection: “Everyone is just obsessed with the supermodel era and the ’90s lip. It’s a modern way to wear a neutral color with some strength—if it’s the right shade of brown. You need to pay attention to both your skin tone and your lip color. Make sure it’s not too gray or orange; more of a pink-brown is flattering.”
And with those wise words from the beauty legend herself...here are the 7 best brown lipsticks to shop right now:
Best Deal
MAC Cosmetics MACXIMAL SILKY MATTE LIPSTICK in BARE M A CIXIMAL
The richness of the pigment here is what makes this chocolate brown so damn good. It has no red in the base, making for a really pure hue that suits deeply-melanated skin exceptionally well. MAC naturally has a few great brown lipstick hues in this matte long-wearing formula. Iconic Photo is a mid-warm chocolate brown for medium to deep skin, and Folio is a cool, creamy beige brown that will come in clutch for paler skin tones looking for a muted brown.
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in So 90s
Tilbury describes this hue as "a buildable matte brown lipstick inspired by 90s supermodel makeup for a timelessly elegant, soft chocolate-cream pout." It’s a warm-toned brown with a hint of pink, which makes it super wearable for most. It’s perfect for olive to melanated skin tones.
Merit Beauty Signature Lip Lightweight Satin Lipstick in 1990
Another light and wearable brown is this one from Merit Beauty. 1990, a light, malted brown shade that, if it were more pigmented, would give darker skin tones ‘concealer’ lips (IYKYK), but the wash of color works across the board. It’s a cool-toned brown that perfectly suits olive-toned skin.
Lisa Eldridge Rouge Experience Refillable Lipstick in 181 Rae
To own a Lisa Eldridge is to be rich in life. The formulas are incredible, but the packaging also makes you feel like you’re applying lipstick in the Gilded Age. This hue is muted but not completely, cool-toned. It looks sublime on pale neutral skin tones as a mid-brown, but on darker skin, it works well as a nude lipstick too.
Try this lipstick and tell me you haven’t found your new fave, everyday lip color. Perfect for pale to light skin tones, this nude cool pink has a lovely hint of cool brown to hark back to the brown lipstick trend without going whole hog. If you have deep, dark skin, the shade Chocolate is an excellent brown too.
Looking to dip your toes into the trend in the easiest, wearable way? Enter Ultralip. I love this formula for a sheer wash of color on the lips. The texture feels really conditioning, and you can layer it on without it feeling like you have a mounting load of product on your lip. The brand calls this shade a ‘classic 90’s brown’ and I agree, but the fact that it’s a balm-like no-makeup makeup finish brings it right into the present day.
Not only is this brown lipstick the most affordable on our list, but it's the most long-wearing option too. The liquid formula dries down to a smudge-proof and transfer-proof finish that lasts for up to 16 hours. And even though this is a matte, it's surprisingly non-drying.
Keeks Reid is the Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. While she loves all things beauty, Keeks is a hair fanatic through and through. She started her career in beauty journalism in 2013 as editorial assistant at Blackhair and Hair magazines working her way to Acting Editor of Blackhair magazine at 23 years old. She spent much of her career working in trade hairdressing media at Hairdressers Journal, Salon International and the British Hairdressing Awards. Which is why she is a regular contributor to Cosmo's Curl Up franchise. Now, alongside her Cosmo work, she presents, creates content on social media and works with a range of beauty companies; from magazines and websites to beauty brands and salons.
Readers Also Read
8 Stunning Winter Manicure Ideas
58 Stocking Stuffers for All the Men in Your Life
The 50 Best Gift Ideas for Women, Period
66 Tasteful Gifts for the Woman Who Has Everything
