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There’s nothing like a swipe of lip color to make us feel like we can conquer anything the day throws at us. And while there’s a time and place for a bold lip or an ultra-shiny gloss, sitting in my home office isn’t always it. What I want from my lip products on a daily basis is a hazy, soft wash of color—more specifically a natural-looking “just bitten” look.
What is a “just bitten” look?
A “just bitten” lip look is that effortless, somewhat-blurred, natural-looking hue that flushes lips, well, when you bite them. It’s not richly pigmented or sharply lined, nor is it sheer—it’s soft and matte with noticeable color.
After one swipe of Violette_FR Bisou Balmin Bêtiste
After three swipes of Violette_FR Bisou Balm in Bêtiste
What kind of lip products can I use to get the look?
Lipsticks, stains and tints are the most common products used to achieve the “just bitten” lip look.
Will these products dry out my lips?
Lip stains especially have a bad rep for drying out lips, but luckily today’s formulas are much more hydrating than previous versions. If dry lips are a concern, prep them with a trusted lip balm and then apply your color—it may be shiny at first, but the color should settle into a blurred wash over time.
Leave it to the French to perfect “bouche mordue” or “just bitten lips.” Bisou Balm is the first time I truly loved a lipstick. (I currently own three shades.) It glides on like velvet and subtly blurs, truly delivering a your-lips-but-better result. It’s just as flattering whether your wear one coat or more (see above) and there’s no expertise required because it’s meant to look slightly undone.
For those who love a minimal makeup routine, this cheek and lip tint delivers a hydrating, flattering flush for your face. Made with hyaluronic acid, orange blossom and shea butter, its creamy formula and color pigments melt into cheeks and lips for a natural-looking, seamless makeup look.
It’s in the name. For the “bitten” bit of color with a little more precision, you may like this weightless formula from Victoria Beckham Beauty. The gelée texture enhances your natural lip tone with a hydrating, sheer veil of just-been-kissed color. Bonus: you can also use it on your cheeks.
For a bolder look with a silky finish, shoppers love this K-Beauty lip tint. Super-intense pigment with a mousse-like texture stains lips for smooth, soft and comfortable color that dries with a mattified, blurred effect. With over 20 shades to choose from, it’s one of the most expansive shades on the list. If you love the blurry lip look, but don’t want to sacrifice vivid color, this is the one for you.
Lip gloss stans, this is your time to shine. FLOWER Beauty’s version of “just bitten” lips goes on like a gloss and then settles into lips (and stays put) like a stain. Its unique, water-based formula and gel-like texture ensures lips stay hydrated even after the glossiness dries. It’s gorgeous as a sheer color, but also builds beautifully to a more opaque look if you just can’t get enough.
Benetint is the OG lip stain (and a Nicole Kidman favorite) for good reason: it gives the perfect amount of just-bitten color, amplifies the look of lips (and cheeks) and is buildable (although you won’t need much). Shoppers swear by it for the most natural, warm and ultra-flattering flush.
This clean matte lipstick is a great choice for those who like options. It’s designed to be super buildable so whether you prefer a dab, a swipe, or several coats, this lipstick delivers. Made with hyaluronic acid, olive oil, jojoba esters and berry fruit wax, its formula promotes hydrated, softly blurred and shine-free lips.
Raspberry water and aloe vera blend together in this hydrating gel-like lip stain that can take lips from “just bitten” to high-voltage pigment in seconds. It’s also formulated with Clarins’ exclusive Anti-Pollution Complex to help minimize damage to the lips from environmental pollution that leads to premature signs of aging.
This lipstick was inspired by the makeup artist trick of blotting lipstick after application, according to the brand. The sheer-matte formula is a foolproof way to get the soft-edge lip look with perfectly diffused color. It glides on silky-smooth and wears so comfortably, thanks to sunflower seed, sodium hyaluronate, blue agave extract, vitamin E and soft-focused elasto-powder.
While all the lip products on this list boast blurring effects, this pick from Charlotte Tilbury goes a step further with an “airbrushed” finish. It’s a matte-meets-moisturizing liquid lipstick that blurs and hydrates without ever settling into fine lines or creasing. Pro tip: for a blurred effect, use your fingertips and press into lips instead of using the applicator.
As the name suggests, this lipstick was born out of what lips look like after a round of kissing. Think flushed, soft and plump. Its medium-to-full-coverage formula comes in seven shades that are long-lasting with a feather-free finish.
For a creamy lipstick with blurred-focused matte finish, grab ColourPop’s Blotted Lipsticks. The sheer-to-medium coverage formula delivers supple, “just blotted” lips from argan, cocoa, shea and superfruit butters, plus a punch of moisturizing vegan collagen.
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