For brides, choosing a lipstick to tie your wedding make-up look together is one of the most exciting parts of the beauty planning. Will you choose a classic pink or brown nude to suit your skin tone, or make a statement with a vibrant red or vampy berry? Shade and pigment wise, there are so many options out there.
As with any make-up, it’s recommended to do a pre-wedding wear test so that you can see how it looks after one, two and even ten hours after first applying. You may love the look when it goes on, but not so much when it’s worn in. A top tip to make your lipstick last all day: line the lips with a lip liner in a similar, if not identical, shade to your lipstick. Powder over the liner with a translucent setting powder (Laura Mercier is a staple), before you apply your lipstick. If you’re going matte, you can even powder in between layers to ensure it stays put. On the quest for the best lipstick to wear on your wedding day, begin with these editor-approved formulas.
Best For: A Pinky Nude That Suits Everyone
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lipstick, £28 charlottetilbury.com
A beloved pinky nude for all occasions, Charlotte Tilbury’s iconic Pillow Talk Lipstick is the perfect, creamy texture for brides to wear on their wedding day. The best part is that no matter which shade of pink suits you best, Pillow Talk comes in a variety of hues: original, fair, medium and intense. The formula of Pillow Talk Original and Pillow Talk Medium is best described as a creamy matte, so while it won’t give you high shine, it gives a beautiful soft sheen and highly-pigmented finish. Pillow Talk Fair and Pillow Talk Intense come in Charlotte’s K.I.S.S.I.N.G formula, for more of a balmy, glossy finish. Head into a Charlotte Tilbury store or counter to be shade-matched for your perfect pout.
Best For: A Highly-Pigmented Lipstick
Tom Ford Lip Colour, £49 tomfordbeauty.co.uk
When asked to recommend a red lip, Tom Ford is always my first port of call for its staying power and pack-a-punch pigment. But the same rules apply for all 18 lip shades in the range. For brides opting for a bold red, Cherry Lush is the ultimate true-red (with blue undertones that suit neutral and pink undertones – which you are if the veins in your wrist are blue), and Wild Ginger is a great choice for olive and yellow undertones with its orange-red hue.
Best For: Nourishing And Hydrating
Victoria Beckham Posh Lipstick, £37 victoriabeckhambeauty.com
A balm-like texture in Victoria Beckham’s lipstick makes it a great choice for brides to wear on their wedding day – it’s comfortable, hydrating and lightweight, thanks to rosehip, coconut and avocado oils. Pair that with a rich pigment payoff and the result is a gorgeous satin-like sheen. Whether you go pink with Pout, vampy with Play or vibrant with Pop, Victoria Beckham’s lipstick is an ultra chic choice.
Best For: Maximum Shine
Hermès, Rouge Hermès Satin Lipstick, £62 www.hermes.com
This is one orange box you don’t need to score an appointment for. Rogue Hermès comprises 24 carefully curated lipsticks, in both matte and satin formulas. The satin formula is a sure-fire winner for soft, diffused colour that strikes the perfect balance between velvet softness and shine, and one that will work with any kind of make-up vibe. Orange Boîte is the brand’s signature colour, inspired by its iconic orange box, which would make for a fun, unusual twist on a classic bridal lip.
Best For: A Subtle, Glossy Look
Rhode Peptide Lip Tint, £18, www.rhodeskin.com
Hailey Beiber’s brand Rhode has taken the industry by storm since it launched in 2022 (and, according to one wedding make-up artist, Beiber’s make-up style is the most requested for brides on their wedding day). Its first lip product, the Peptide Lip Treatment was so popular when it launched, it built a total waitlist of 440,000. While Peptide Lip Treatments is a lip balm by nature, the pigmented Peptide Lip Tints make for a gorgeous soft, glowing lip look for a bride. Perfect for brides with more of a pared-back make-up look, or want to up the gloss-factor of your favourite lipstick.
Best For: A Lipstick That Lasts
Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink, £9.99, boots.com
If lipstick lasting all day and night is a top criteria, Maybelline’s Super Stay Matte Ink does what it says on the tin. A liquid lipstick in formula, it glides on with ultra-intense pigment, and is available in a huge variety of shades. The petal-shaped doe foot makes for easy application to define your Cupid’s bow, and even one coat will provide full-on colour and a matte finish, which promises 12-hour wear. This is a lipstick to lock in colour from ‘I do’ to dance floor.
Best For: A Lipstick Keepsake
Carolina Herrera Lipstick, from £27 For Lipstick Refill carolinaherrera.com
Carolina Herrera’s lipsticks and charms are such a fun way to accessorise your beauty stash, as well as being wedding-worthy formulas. They make great gifts for bridesmaids, too. Choose your satin or matte formula (the blur matte is my top tip for the best staying power, and can always be topped with a gloss for a boost of shine) and customisable cap and charms. How about yours and your new spouse’s initials?
Best For: A Bespoke Lipstick
Code8 Make Your Own Lipstick, £80 codeeight.com
Dreaming of a particular shade but can’t find The One? Code 8’s Lipstick Bar based in Burlington Arcade, Mayfair in London, allows brides to make a shade completely bespoke to them over a 45-minute session. It starts with picking the base undertone, mixing and testing, creating a mold and then voila! A lipstick shade completely unique to you. Could this lipstick be your Something New?
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