Our year has already been filled with Euphoria-inspired eye looks and viral TikTok makeup hacks beyond our wildest dreams (your perfect lip shade is your brow pencil as a lip liner—IYKYK). Content creators and makeup artists are sharing their best tips and tricks for the perfect no-makeup makeup look every chance they can get.
We’re loving fluffy brows paired with glowy skin, cheeks donned with statement blush, and the perfect glossy lips. However, there’s a new trend piquing our interest. A twist on a once classic matte lip–something we haven’t seen in awhile! The trend in question? Something called lip mud (aka lip mousse), and it's rising in popularity and selling out products left and right. We asked celebrity makeup artist Kirin Bhatty to tell us all we need to know from what lip mud is to how to get the look ourselves.
Meet the Expert
Kirin Bhatty is a bi-costal celebrity makeup artist. Her clients include Jenny Slate, Aidy Bryant, and Freida Pinto (among many others).
What is Lip Mud?
Lip mud is the beauty industry’s newest obsession when it comes to lip makeup. It’s the perfect addition to the effortless makeup looks we’ve been loving. Originating its popularity in China, lip mud isn’t exactly what it sounds like. It’s not heavy or bold, lip mud is a very subtle way of achieving a matte lip with a very light pigment.
According to Jing Daily: “Lip mud is a cosmetic with a soft, mud-like texture that promises a lightweight, matte finish on the lip. Designed to meet the market’s sweet spot between loud, shiny lip gloss and quiet, natural lipsticks.”
While lip mud isn’t a specific product owned by a brand but rather an innovation in the makeup space and a specific look you can achieve; there is a brand that sparked the popularity. In 2020, well-known Chinese makeup brand INTO YOU COSMETICS launched their Matte Lipstick Long-Lasting Lip Mud for $15.
So What’s the Difference Between Lip Mud and Matte Lipstick?
While it may not look like it at first glance, lip mud is considered a mud because of how soft it is. Traditionally, when we think of matte lipsticks, we think of products that are very drying. But lip mud is quite the opposite, making the lips appear smooth with a velvet lip. Lip mud texture falls somewhere in between a lip tint and matte lip gloss. Bhatty describes lip mud as “a comfortable, more forgiving way to wear a matte lip.” She goes on to explain lip mud is more of a diffused matte lip that is less fussy and saturated.
INTO YOU’s founder Wen Chong told Jin Daily he realized people really wanted a smooth matte finish “but the existing products in the market that achieve the finish are usually too dry.” From there, many brands began to launch similar moisturizing lip products including PERFECT DIARY, ZENN, and UNNY CLUB.
How Can I Try the Lip Mud Trend?
Good news for you: achieving the soft look of lip mud is super easy. Plus, it is perfect for all lip shapes and isn’t limited to a certain person. It’s a universal look loved by so many. “Any lip product with a whipped formula is best,” says Bhatty. “I really like Lip Dip from SUNNIE’S FACE, the Air Matte Lip Color from NARS, and the CLE COSMETICS Melting Lip Powders.”
Bhatty recommends pressing the product onto your lips with your fingertips as it is the best way to apply and diffuse the pigment. It won’t be too intense, and it will help to achieve that soft, airbrushed look. Her favorite way to pair lip mud is with glowy highlighted skin and strong brows and lashes.
You might find the best way to achieve the lip mud look is to DIY it. If you don't feel like buying a new lip product, you could blend your favorite lip balm and matte lip product to play around with to achieve your perfect lip mud look.
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