After Years of Searching, I Finally Found the Pitch-Perfect Everyday Lipstick

A perfect lipstick is much like a perfect pair of pants. It can be thrown on at any time of day or night, instantly elevating any ensemble with minimal effort. And, of course, it’s nearly impossible to find. As someone whose job it is to trial the latest beauty innovations, I can attest that I’ve smeared hundreds, if not thousands, of crayons, lacquers, liners, and tints onto my palm and pout in search of the consummate “your lips, but better” pigment.

And then, just as I was beginning to accept defeat, I happened upon Chanel’s Rouge Coco in Antoinette. Imparting a buildable russet hue in one fell swoop, it was nothing short of a eureka moment. “It is a great universal tawny brown, with delicate gold flecks, which I find flattering on pretty much everyone,” makeup whiz Fara Homidi says when I call her up to find out what gives. Cyndle Komarovski, known for a less-is-more touch seen in the campaigns of Khaite and Frame, agrees. “It feels very sophisticated, with a touch of Carolyn Bessette,” she adds, noting that the creamy formula goes the extra mile: “The shine from the lipstick gives your face a perfect boost of freshness.”

In other words, it’s not just me who has fallen hard for the hue—vaccinated friends of mine have stolen swipes (a post-COVID-19 luxury!) and it’s instantly lit up their complexions too—but what I love most about it is that it feels like it’s mine, just like the silver-tubed powdery pink coral from Clinique that never left my grandmother’s side. Even when masks were a must, I kept it in my purse, alongside a few other essentials; just knowing that its glossy black-and-gold case was there gave me a small thrill, like a gold anklet hidden under a pair of trousers or beautiful lingerie covered by a billowing button-down. Now, when I need a touch-up (of the color or confidence sort), I will unearth it, smoothing the bullet over my mouth and dotting the excess onto my lids and cheeks, before clicking it back into place and tucking it away once again. Just like that, I have a new signature. 

Courtesy of brand

Chanel Rouge Coco Ultra Hydrating Lip Colour in Antoinette

$40

at CHANEL