I’m back with another lipstick comparison post, and this time we’re covering every brown lipstick in my collection, old and new. I swatched over 60 brown lipsticks  and grouped them into warm, true, and pink or mauve browns.

Brown lipstick has obviously been a resurgent trend in recent years that seems to be here to stay for awhile longer, and I certainly find brown lipsticks to be my most worn shades these days. 

What’s most exciting about brown is that brown, while seemingly a very boring one-note kind of shade, varies so much. Brown by definition has some warmth to it, due to the inclusion of red, but it’s the balance of red, yellow, and black that make brown, well, brown. 

In putting together this post, I found it incredibly difficult to find a true brown lipstick, because most brown lipsticks aren’t actually a true balance of these tones. Most have more red which can help it feel more approachable and wearable as a lipstick, and there’s also an entire category of lipsticks with a purple or mauve tone – especially the ones that were popular in the 90s that are now making a comeback. I’ve categorized this post into:

• True brown – browns that have a balance of red, yellow, and black, making the overall shade a neutral shade, though some lean cool or warm
• Warm brown – browns with a distinct red, yellow, or orange tone
• Pink/purple brown – browns with pink, mauve, or purple tones. These can be on the cool, warm, or neutral side depending on the type of tone 

Cool brown lipsticks have a much more heavy infusion of black or gray, and since too much gray can make me look dull, I don’t tend to gravitate towards any truly cool brown lipsticks. 

The right brown for me instantly pulls my face together and harmonizes my whole look. It doesn’t “pop” on me, but can bring out my eyes a little more and neutralize some of the darkness in other parts of my face. Because my skintone can change so much between winter and summer, different browns will suit me differently in different parts of the year. In the winter, I’ll gravitate towards cooler and deeper browns, whereas I’ll reach for light and warmer browns in the summer. 

I categorized these lipsticks based on how they swatch on my skintone, which may make them look slightly different on you. I have light medium, slightly warm olive skin that leans more neutral in the winter and more golden in the summer. I didn’t create as detailed of a matrix as I did for my red lipstick comparison post, but the main categories should still guide you on the types of browns that work for you. I may have miscategorized a lipstick here or there because I feel like after staring at so many browns I started to confuse some of them – so if you see any that you feel like belong in a different category, let me know! 

This post also includes discontinued products in case it’s a lipstick you own and have been trying to replace with a newer shade. All discontinued products are marked with an asterisk (*). Lastly, the links for each product include affiliate links, which earn me a small commission if you make a purchase through my links. 

Let’s get into it:

True Brown Lipsticks

Starting off with true browns, or the closest to true brown as I could find in my collection. True browns have a balance of red, yellow, and black, though some might lean a little cool or warm.

Peripera Ink Mood Glowy Tint in 11 Brown Heaven – a light neutral brown glossy stain that starts off feeling and looking like a gloss, but wears for hours as a stain even after the gloss wears off. This particular shade is discontinued, but there are other brown shades in the glowy tint line.

Revlon Super Lustrous Shine in Chocolate Luster – a deep chocolate brown that leans slightly warm in a sheer glossy formula with a sheer to medium finish. The sheerness means that this blends well with any natural rosy tones of your lips. 

YSL Beauty Candy Glow Butter Balm in 6B – this sheer chocolate brown with a soft balmy formula is a great entry into brown lipsticks because it’ll just add a soft brown sheen to your lips. It’s approachable and super comfortable to wear.

Phytosurgence Calm Conditions Lip Balm in Distant Depths – this is a lip tint in a tube, and the sheerest of browns on this list – as well as one of my most worn. It initially has a stiff formula but after a few swipes it warms up and adds a soft satin kiss of color. It’s one of those balms that looks like no makeup but is the perfect my lips but browner shade with a super sheer finish. 

Phytosurgence Calm Conditions Lip Balm in Crash Cadence – this is the deeper and more pigmented alternative to Distant Depths, and I also find it slightly more cool toned. This is great if your lips are slightly more pigmented.

YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick in 14 Scenic Brown – a milky chocolate brown shade in a glossy balm formula with a buildable sheer to medium finish. One of my most worn browns.

Suqqu Moisture Glaze Lipstick in 06 Hanaoboro – a milky chocolate brown that leans slightly warm but is still more neutral-toned. It has a soft balmy formula with a soft shine that is very comfortable to wear. 

Surratt Lipslique in Club Sept (discontinued) – a midtone milk chocolate brown with a smooth glossy balmy lip formula with medium pigment. This shade might be discontinued but this formula is lovely and still comes in plenty of shades! 

Gucci Velvet Matte Lipstick in 220 Suzanne Sunset – a matte midtone brown that leans cool with a slight hint of pinkness. It has a matte opaque finish but can also be blotted for a more sheer look. This is one of my favorite matte formula and is longwearing for hours.

Nabla Beyond Blurry Lipstick in Saint – a soft matte chocolate brown with a bit of warmth, but translates mostly as a true brown. It has a powdery matte finish with light-medium buildable pigment and is very comfortable for a matte formula.

Merit Signature Lips Lipstick in 1990 – the definition of the most true brown lipstick in my collection, with a balance of red and yellow and a slight translucency so that it blends with your natural lip color. It’s buildable with a soft shine satin finish and one of the most comfortable lipsticks I own. 

Glossier Ultralip in Cachet – a midtone to deep neutral brown with a buildable glossy finish. One could argue there’s a slight purple-ness to it, but it reads as a pretty true brown on me. 

Soshe Beauty Ceramide Lipstick in Rewind – a midtone to deep neutral brown that has a soft buildable formula and shiny glossy finish. It has a comfortable and balmy feel and is very smoothing on the lips, with wear time lasting a couple hours due to the balmier feel. 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Berlin – a midtone brown with slight red tones, but still has a balance of tones for me to consider it a true brown. It’s a liquid formula that feels lightweight on application and dries to a comfortable matte finish. A great drugstore option! 

Make Beauty Cream Supreme Lipstick in Catalyst – a midtone to deep brown with some slight golden tones but is otherwise quite neutral that doesn’t lean too red or too cool. Opaque with a cream satin finish and a long wear time – one of my favorite formulas for comfortable longwearing cream formula. 

Make Beauty Cream Supreme Lipstick in Dark Side – a deep true chocolate brown with an opaque cream satin finish. 

Fenty Beauty Icon Velvet Liquid Lipstick in Bread Winn’r – a deep neutral brown in an opaque velvet matte finish. This is a liquid formula that is comfortable to wear though it isn’t transferproof or longwearing. It’s best for its opaque pigment in a lightweight formula.

Warm Browns: 

Violette FR Bisou Jelly in Bonbon Caramel – sheer warm caramel brown that is warm but doesn’t look orangey on me. I love the sheer balmy formula that has a bit of shine to it, but doesn’t look too overdone. The jelly format with the pigment core also creates a really lovely blurred effect.

Opera Lip Tint in 16 Sheer Brown – a sheer warm brown that has a hint more of an orange tone to it. It has a sheer and glossy formula that sticks around longer than you’d expect for a formula like this! It sets down into a light stain. This is hard to buy online, but definitely worth checking out if you’re in Japan. 

About Face Cherry Pick Lip Color Butter in The Cranberries – a midtone to deep brown with both red and orange tones. The formula is glossy and balmy and surprisingly pigmented for this type of glossy formula, so I like to dab on a little bit at a time.  

Suqqu Comfort Lip Fluid Fog 07 – a deep warm chocolate brown with a moussey liquid formula that is longwearing. This is hard to get in the US, but if you are ever in the UK, Europe, or Asia, this formula is worth tracking down as one of the most comfortable and longwearing liquid lipsticks I own. 

Kaja Jelly Charm Glazed Lip Stain in 06 Mocha Glaze – a warm reddish brown with a glossy finish that sets into a stain. The formula is super comfortable, even after the gloss wears off and doesn’t feel drying for me at all. I find this formula to be very underrated.

Kaja Love Swipe Lip Mousse in 04 Swipe Right – this is a warm mid to deep brown with some orange tones to it. The light moussey formula is super lightweight with buildable light to medium pigment. It doesn’t feel like anything, even after the formula has set down. 

Victoria Beckham Posh Lipstick in Spice – a light ginger nude brown with a soft shine finish and a gel-cream formula. It is one of my favorite lipstick formulas for how comfortable and seamless the formula looks.

Merit Signature Lips Lipstick in Slip – a light and sheer brown with a slight warmth and peachy tones. The sheerness and lightness makes this a great “my lips but warmer” type of nude shade that is versatile and wearable. This is a little bit more neutral than Spice, which makes this the preferred shade for me out of these 2 similar shades. 

MAC Powder Kiss Lipstick in Impulsive – a light warm brown with slight yellow-orange undertones. Despite the unappealing shade description, it translates as a warm nude lipstick on me that actually looks pretty natural. The powder kiss formula is a light powdery matte formula that is lightweight and comfortable to wear. 

Merit Signature Lip in Tiger – a midtone brown with red tones in one of my all time favorite light, balmy, buildable lip formulas. It is buildable from sheer to more opaque, and this shade is particularly flattering for olive skintones. 

Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Luminous Lip Color in 212 Caractere – midtone to deep warm chestnut brown with a hint of red. Creamy opaque formula that feels lightweight and comfortable with longlasting pigment. One of my top lipstick formulas!

Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Luminous Lip Color in 209 Alter Ego – a midtone hazelnut brown with more yellow caramel tones than orange or red. 

YSL Rouge Pur Couture in 144 Shoreditch Walk – a deep warm brown with muted red tones. I love the more muted tone overall and am so sad this is discontinued! Compared to Caractere, which a similar warm brown with red, Shoreditch Walk is more muted and a little deeper. 

PMG Luxtrance Lipstick in Leatherette – a deep warm red brown with a creamy opaque formula and a satin finish. Discontinued.

Hourglass Unlocked Satin Cream Lipstick in Shore – a warm midtone brown with a slight caramel warmth, medium-full pigment, and satin finish. Very comfortable to wear and lasts for several hours. It’s one of my most worn brown lipsticks

Shiseido VisionAiry Gel Lipstick in Woodblock – a milky warm, almost coppery brown with a shine finish that sets down into a satin. This had a beautiful gel cream formula that feels very light and sets down for a longwearing finish, though it is sadly discontinued.

Nars Powermatte Lip Pigment in Slow Ride – a warm peachy, almost copper brown in a thin liquid lip formula. They have a matte finish that don’t suck the life out of my lips and last for several hours without fading. While it’s not completely transferproof, it sticks around for awhile while feeling weightless. 

Merit Signature Lip Matte in Equestrian – a warm midtone to deep brown with red-orange tones. This is an ideal warm brown for me, especially since it is a lightweight matte formula that feels balmy but has a couple hours of wear. It feels like almost nothing on my lips and doesn’t dry my lips out. Although it looks similar to Slow Ride in the photo, Slow Ride has some more obvious copper tones. 

Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Lipstick in Fringe – a deep warm copper brown that has a little more orange than red. One of my favorite formulas and a beautiful autumn shade. 

Propa Beauty Luminous Satin Lipstick in Profits – a coral-orange brown with a satin finish with a rich creamy formula that is comfortable and hydrating. 

Propa Beauty Luminous Satin Lipstick in Victress – a warm peach brown with a hint of pink though it still pulls warm on me. I believe this shade is discontinued

Pink, Mauve, or Purple Browns

I generally find this category to be the most wearable shades of brown, since they can mesh well with the natural pink in my lips.

Excel Glaze Balm in 08 Secret Mocha – a glossy lipstick in a deep plum-brown shade. I love this light glossy and balmy formula though it seems difficult to get outside of Japan.

Opera Lip Tint in 10 Bordeaux Brown – a sheer burgundy brown with a glossy finish that sets down into a soft stain.

Jones Road Beauty Lip Tint in Cocoa Rose – a cool-leaning purple brown with buildable sheer to medium pigment and a lightly glossy finish with a balmy formula. The formula feels light but isn’t slippy so it lasts for a couple hours before wearing off 

Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Balm in Rouse – a sheer reddish brown chestnut brown with a melty balmy glossy finish. These only last about an hour on their own but give a beautifully juicy look with an almost watery feel. There is a slightly minty feel but no tingling. 

About Face Cherry Pick Lip Color Butter in Kiwi Fuzz – a warm pink brown with a glossy finish and medium to opaque pigmentation. The formula is also a great balance between feeling like a balmy gloss while still being lightweight.

Chanel Rouge Coco Flash in Moment – sheer muted brown with slight warm pink tones, and a slightly glossy finish. One of my most worn browns as it almost functions as a my lips but better and slightly more defined kind of shade, and the buildable sheer finish makes this an easy everyday lipstick to reach for. 

Rouje Le Baume in BB – a sheer light to medium brown nude with slight pink tones with a smooth, slightly powdery balmy formula that looks super natural with an almost matte satin finish. Great for minimal makeup lovers. 

MAC Matte Lipstick in Whirl – a cooler toned rose-mauve brown with a matte finish. The shade has since been reformulated from the tube I have, but I hear the new matte formula is even better.

MAC Matte Lipstick in Taupe – a reddish taupe brown that leans slightly warm with a matte finish. One of the more unique brown lipstick shades in my collection, and the red-taupe tones almost make it not even a brown lipstick. The mix of tones is really flattering for olive skintones. The shade has since been reformulated.

Nars Explicit Satin Lipstick in Body Heat – described as a “tea brown”, and it has a mix of caramelized red and orange. This could arguably belong more in the warm brown category but it also has a pinkness to it. 

Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Luminous Lip Color in Inattendu – a slightly warm brown with deep red, almost purple tones in a medium to full coverage formula with a satin finish. This is my holy grail lipstick and formula, as the shade never fails to pull my looks together for both day and night, and the formula is one of the smoothest and most hydrating longwear formulas in a cream bullet format. 

Kulfi Heirloom Satin Lipstick in Ma’s Misra – a midtone to deep neutral pink brown with a satin finish. One of my favorite everyday lipstick formulas with a creamy, but not too creamy feel, and soft shine. 

Merit Signature Lip in Bespoke – a midtone pink-brown with a buildable medium pigment and soft satin balmy finish. A beautiful everyday shade that was unfortunately limited edition, though this formula is one of my all time favorite formulas.

Chanel Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue in Light Brown – a longwear brown with some mauve tones that can be applied more sheerly or layered for more coverage. This has a dual step longwear formula with a matte color base with a setting gloss and the 2 steps make this a transferproof lip product for a good 5-6 hours for me. 

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Very Victoria – a light brown nude with pink tones that leans slightly cool with a soft matte finish. A beautiful nude option that doesn’t wash me out and also a great lighter option for fairer skintones.

Vieve Satin Slip Lipstick in Kink – a cool rosy brown with a satin finish. This is a beautiful creamy formula that isn’t too melty or buttery, but glides on to the lips in an even layer with a soft satin finish that is hydrating and longwearing. A very underrated lip formula in my opinion. 

Maybelline Color Sensational Matte Lipstick in Nude Nuance – a warm midtone pink-brown with a creamy matte finish. A drugstore gem that is flattering on olive skintones. 

Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in 1993 – a cool taupe brown with slight mauvey undertones. This is an older version of the Urban Decay lipsticks and even though the shade still exists in the current Vice line, the current shade looks warmer than the version I have.

Laura Mercier Caviar Smoothing Matte Lipstick in Brown Suede – a cool purple brown with a hint of gray that makes the shade much more muted. The finish is a powdery matte finish with an opaque long wearing formula.

LYS Speak Love Moisture Matte Lipstick in Moody – a midtone mauve brown that leans warm with a soft matte finish in a hydrating formula. This is a beautiful soft matte formula that is very hydrating and comfortable to wear and great for a matte lip look that doesn’t look too matte.

Revlon Lustrous Matte Lipstick in Spiced Cocoa – a neutral brown with pink and purple tones that give it an almost muted dusty finish, especially with the soft powdery matte finish. This seems to be discontinued now. 

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in So 90s (was Birkin Brown) – a deeper plum brown that has a hint of red to it, but still has enough purple to keep in this category. It has a soft matte finish and an almost powdery matte formula that is very comfortable to wear. 

Rare Beauty Kind Words Matte Lipstick in Wise – a midtone to deep purple brown that leans slightly cool, and has slightly more brown than purple, making this a very approachable deeper brown shade. It has a matte finish that isn’t drying on me, but also isn’t the most hydrating matte lipstick I own.

Monika Blunder Kissen Lipstick Crayon in Romy – a deep purple brown with a rich buttery formula and a satin finish. I love this one blotted on for a more sheer look, and the thick pencil is easy to apply more precisely. 

Make Beauty Cream Supreme Lipstick in Simulation – a deep red brown that leans slightly more of a cooler purple brown on me. I love the rich and saturated formula of these lipsticks with intense pigmentation and a satin finish. They also wear for several hours and are comfortable throughout the weartime. 

Makeup by Mario SuperSatin Lipstick in Central Park – a deep raisin-brown lipstick that is almost burgundy, but has enough brown to still classify it as a brown. The raisin tones make this a slightly deeper shade than Simulation or Romy. A rich and pigmented lipstick with a satin finish. This is such an underrated smoothing and hydrating formula with rich color payoff!

Sephora Matte Velvet Lipstick in Risk it All – a cool toned deep brown with slight plum tones with a matte finish. This is a pigmented formula with a lightweight feel, but has a long weartime. It can be slightly drying if I’m having a dry lip day but it’s still a comfortable formula to wear as long as my lips are prepped.

My Essential Brown Lipsticks

Although I have an ongoing rotation of 15-20 brown lipsticks at all times, these 8 are my most worn and most flattering browns for me. It’s not surprising that many of these fall into the mauve or pink brown territory, with some warm browns mixed in! 

1. Holy Grail Brown: Chanel Rouge Allure Intense Luminous Lip Color in Inattendu – this is a brown that isn’t really obviously BROWN. The mauve tones make this a flattering lipstick and more wearable for a range of skintones, plus the longwearing hydrating formula is one of the best I’ve tried. It’s deep enough for an evening lip but can easily be applied more lightly for a more subtle everyday look for me. 
2. Best Long-wear formula: Chanel Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue in Light Brown – the best long-wearing formula that still keeps my lips hydrated. Light Brown also has a bit of pink in it so it can be an easy everyday lip that is low maintenance. 
3. Everyday brown: Kulfi Heirloom Satin Lipstick in Ma’s Misra – kind of a my lips but better and browner lipstick. It pulls my face together instantly because it’s not too light and not too deep. I can wear this with minimal makeup or as a more subtle lip with heavier makeup. The comfortable satin formula also just melds with my lip color and lightly smooths over any fine lines. 
4. Everyday brown (2): Chanel Rouge Coco Flash in Moment – one of my most worn lipsticks for its easy sheer glossy formula, and the shade has a bit of chestnut red that makes this so flattering with everything I wear. 
5. Sheer brown: Phytosurgence Calm Conditions Lip Balm in Distant Depths – the best sheer balm formula, and the sheerness of this brown makes this the most wearable brown. It’s barely tinted, so it will just kind of smooth out the rosiness or pink in my lips into something slightly more neutral and brown. The formula is also hydrating as a balm (the clear is one of my favorite stick lip balms!)
6. Glossy brown: YSL Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick in 14 Scenic Brown – this is already one of my favorite lipstick formulas for its ultra glossy finish and thick hydrating formula, but Scenic Brown is that perfect chocolate glaze shade. I like to blot it on for a more sheer look, but when its built up to its full intensity, it’s just like a gorgeous liquid chocolate shade.
7. Matte Brown: Merit Signature Lip Matte in Equestrian – a stunning balm like matte formula that doesn’t feel like a matte lipstick. This warm brown is also not too warm since i has a slight hint of red rather than an overpowering orange tone, making this an easy brown to wear for many skintones.
8. Warm Brown: Hourglass Unlocked Satin Cream Lipstick in Shore – a true warmer brown and a comfortable creamy formula that reminds me of Chanel. This is an elevated lipstick without the high Chanel price tag, and this is what I reach for when I want to wear a brown but don’t want to be too fussy. 

All of these shades can also be found in ShopMy in the True Brown, Warm Brown, and Pink/Purple Brown collections. 

Tell me what your favorite brown lipsticks are, which ones I still need to try, and any other questions you have about all things brown! 

As always, thanks for reading.