The Best Everyday Lipsticks, According to Marie Claire Editors and Makeup Experts

For work and for the weekend.

woman wearing red lipstick
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The best everyday lipsticks perform a high-wire beauty balancing act. They’re long-wearing and low-maintenance (to last through an entire day at the office), and they bring a pop of color to your makeup routine (for a weekday morning confidence boost). Lipsticks worth wearing daily also support your lips’ overall health—and they definitely don’t feather, bleed, or rub off after the first sip of coffee.

Marie Claire editors have tested dozens of products to find the lipsticks we wear (nearly) every day to the office. The ones we now call our favorites range from reds to peaches and mattes to satins, with long-lasting color and a moisturizing effect in common. Their most important feature? When we put our best everyday lipsticks on, we feel ready to tackle whatever the work day will bring. In some cases, we've made them our beauty signature beyond of the office.

Ahead, editors with different skin tones, makeup routines, and personal styles share their best everyday lipsticks for any occasion. Because even our picks can’t cover every single base, professional makeup artist Andrea DiSabatino chimed in with her expert advice and a few additional picks. You’ll find a lipstick you'll wear as often as Marie Claire editors do in the upcoming edit.

What to Look for

Color

As with any highly pigmented form of makeup, color is key in the best everyday lipsticks.

"Opt for versatile shades that complement your skin tone and maybe work well with different outfits," says DiSabatino.

Everyday lipsticks should also be versatile. (It's what their names imply, after all.) "Select a lipstick that can transition easily from casual to more formal settings," the expert adds.

Ease of Application

"A lipstick with a user-friendly applicator or packaging can enhance the overall experience," DiSabatino advises, especially when you're looking for a lipstick you can wear day after day.

For a full eight hours (or longer) at work, reapplying lipsticks every few minutes isn't ideal. DiSabatino recommends keeping an eye out for long-wearing formulas with color that lasts throughout the day.

Hydration

Finally, as with all makeup and skincare, it's important to take care of yourself while looking glam. An everyday lipstick might be a personal beauty signature, but swiping one on day after day can dehydrate your lips.

To combat dryness before it starts, DiSabatino recommends comfortable formulas with moisturizing ingredients. "Opt for lipsticks with moisturizing ingredients like shea butter, hyaluronic acid, or vitamin E," she suggests. "If you notice your lips are on the dryer side, reserve matte lipsticks for special occasions, as they can be more drying than creamy or satin formulations."

For hydrated, happy lips, "lip prep is key," DiSabatino says. Applying a hydrating balm before your makeup will create a moisturizing, protective barrier between your lips and a potentially drying formula.

Even so-called everyday lipsticks shouldn't be worn literally every day. Just like your skin needs rest from heavy foundation and powder, your lips will also appreciate a lipstick time-out. For some TLC, DiSabatino recommends lip masks to replenish moisture and regular exfoliation to remove dry skin.

The Best Everyday Lipsticks

Meet the Expert

Andrea DiSabatino
Andrea DiSabatino

Andrea DiSabatino is a professional hair and makeup artist and graduate of the Carsten Aveda Institute. She has worked extensively in the editorial space and on music videos, and is currently based in New York City.

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Gabrielle Ulubay
Beauty Writer

Gabrielle Ulubay is a Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. She has also written about sexual wellness, politics, culture, and fashion at Marie Claire and at publications including The New York Times, HuffPost Personal, Bustle, Alma, Muskrat Magazine, O'Bheal, and elsewhere. Her personal essay in The New York Times' Modern Love column kickstarted her professional writing career in 2018, and that piece has since been printed in the 2019 revised edition of the Modern Love book. Having studied history, international relations, and film, she has made films on politics and gender equity in addition to writing about cinema for Film Ireland, University College Cork, and on her personal blog, gabrielleulubay.medium.com. Before working with Marie Claire, Gabrielle worked in local government, higher education, and sales, and has resided in four countries and counting. She has worked extensively in the e-commerce and sales spaces since 2020, and spent two years at Drizly, where she developed an expertise in finding the best, highest quality goods and experiences money can buy.

Deeply political, she believes that skincare, haircare, and sexual wellness are central tenets to one's overall health and fights for them to be taken seriously, especially for people of color. She also loves studying makeup as a means of artistic expression, drawing on her experience as an artist in her analysis of beauty trends. She's based in New York City, where she can be found watching movies or running her art business when she isn't writing. Find her on Twitter at @GabrielleUlubay or on Instagram at @gabrielle.ulubay, or follow her art at @suburban.graffiti.art