The first time I ever used a brown lipstick was during my early teens. I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup then so I hurriedly bought a medium reddish brown lipstick, snuck it in my pocket, and secretly applied it on my lips in the bathroom. You guys, I freaked out as soon as i saw myself in the mirror LOL! Not only was my lipstick very messy cos of my inexperienced hands, but I looked like I aged 10 years! I’m not sure why but that scared the hell out of me (age conscious since the beginning haha!). I immediately removed the lipstick and threw it in the trash.

Fast forward to today when brown lipsticks are in trend thanks to Kylie Jenner. I gave this matronly shade another go and surprisingly found brown lipsticks that look good on me from brands like MAC, Maybelline, and L’Oreal. Some of the shades still make me look more mature but they do it gracefully, like JLo. Let me give you an overview on L’Oreals Color Riche “Browns” — a collection of sophisticated brown lipstick shades in both creamy (semi-gloss) and matte. 

The Creamy Browns lipsticks are pigmented, they last for about 4 hours before they start to fade, and can make the lips look bigger and more luscious cos of its semi-gloss finish — which i ended up really liking btw. The main con i have with these are their floral-perfumey-musky scent, which sadly i’m not a big fan of (i prefer subtle scents or unscented lipsticks). The scent fades away after awhile but if you have a sensitive nose like I do, this could still bother you sometimes.

Spiced Cider is a warm brick brown shade, while Divine Wine is Spiced Cider’s cooler and pinker counterpart. Cinnamon Toast is a medium warm orange brown shade, which surprisingly looks good on me compared to other orangey lipsticks i’ve tried. Natures Blush is my #1 fave, and also a crowd fave for its subtle medium rosey brown shade (this is the shade I wore on the #BrownsNow campaign intro photo above). Spice is a deep brown shade, and Raisin Rapture is a beautiful cherry brown color. 

Loreal’s Matte Browns lipsticks are less pigmented than the Creamy Browns. You can build up the color up to a certain density close to the swatch posted above. What i like most about this lipstick range is the pillow soft lips effect (and texture) they give out, and they are unscented! They last for about 3 hours before they start to fade — darker shades last a bit longer. 

I feel like most people are going to love Maple Mocha cos it’s easily flattering, its an MLBB medium warm brown. Some may find Chocolate Rouge a bit harder to work with (like i did) cos of its orange brown tone. Lastly, Rose Fondu (what a cute name!) is a beautiful light rosey brown, that has the least pigmentation among these three lipsticks.

My top three picks and recommendations are Nature’s Blush, Raisin Rapture, and Maple Mocha. I feel like they are the safest and most flattering brown shades from this collection. Have you guys tried these lipsticks yet?