It’s 2016, and the Kylie Lip Kit you camped out for is finally in your hands. You line your lips, swipe on the colour for the first time, and pause to admire yourself in the mirror—it complements your smokey cut crease just as you’d imagined it. It even stays on through your meal, and looks good with the Snapchat dog filter.
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If you remember it all too well, you can come out of hiding now. Lip oils, glosses and balms have been having their moment everywhere, but there’s just something about a matte lip that transcends time. Our favourite ‘90s icons were always wearing it: you’d spot Drew Barrymore in a vampy brown, or Gwen Stefani in an arresting brick red. In the 2000s, everyone from Rihanna to Paris Hilton was rocking a concealer lip. Then, the King Kylie era; every decade or so, we find ourselves coming back to the matte lip.
So maybe it’s nostalgia, or simply a desire for something different—regardless, fwee launched their pudding pots and they flew off the shelves. Moussey in texture, with an accompanying silicone brush for a blotted application, they found a way to marry Eastern gradient lips with Western pigments. Ever since then, matte lip products have been sneaking their way into the gondolas again, which begs the question: are matte lips officially back?
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To Sahur Saleim—pro make-up artist and founder of Sahur’s Art—the answer is yes. “People want new colours, more pigmentation, and to have their lip products last longer on their face,” she explains. In fact, matte lips have been the wedding day go-to for Saleim’s clients, thanks to its subtle ability to elevate any look.
2016 may have given us the liquid lipstick, but innovation has reinterpreted it in new forms and textures. Gone are the days that we are looking only for opaque, budge-proof pigment in one swipe—the versatility of the matte lip has extended to multi-use products that double as blush. Velvety soft and nourished with moisturising ingredients, the 2026 matte lip is more forgiving on the pout than they used to be. Below, see Vogue Singapore’s round-up of the matte lips that are making a convincing case for the comeback.
1 / 5
VIOLETTE_FR Bisou Balm
Designed to emulate the classic French ‘bouche mordue’ look, otherwise known as just-bitten lips, the Bisou Balm delivers a soft swipe of colour with the comfort of a lip balm. The shade Bêtise got its name from a striped candy, and translates onto the lips as a reddish pink flush that will instantly brighten your complexion.
2 / 5
M.A.C Powder Kiss Lip + Cheek Mousse
Yes, you read that right—this is a matte lip product that truly multitasks. Its airy, whipped texture glides onto the lips with ease, and blends out just as effortlessly on the cheeks with the tap of a finger. As its name suggests, the creamy formula eventually settles into a soft-focus powder finish that will blur lip wrinkles and smooth over pores. For a foolproof entry point—or simply to emulate the muted lips trend—try an understated brown, like the shade Taken.
3 / 5
Sahur’s Art Chérie Lip Velvet
There’s no need to worry about anything cracking with this bullet. Enriched with squalane and shea butter, the Chérie Lip Velvet smooths over the lips for a blotted effect. A tip from the founder? Pair with a lipliner to control the colour pay-off, before applying the lipstick in dabbing motions across the lips.
4 / 5
Glossier Generation G
A bullet lipstick that’s ahead of its time, Glossier’s Generation G lipstick is the kind that you can swipe on without a mirror. It goes on sheer, builds in pigment with each swipe and feels weightless. Its powder-like formulation also adheres to the lips for a mess-free pout.
5 / 5
CLIO Volumate Blur Tint
The other benefit of a matte? The illusion of fuller lips. CLIO’s cloud-like formulation delivers a diffused tint to the lips, which will fade evenly throughout the day. Its tapered doe-foot applicator also hugs the cupid’s bow for the perfect swipe.
