The best lipstick of all time is, of course, a matter of personal preference. For some, it’s a bold red lipstick; for others, a your-lips-but-better nude. But being subjective doesn’t discredit the thousands of five-star reviews many of these lipsticks have at Sephora. I’m always wary of pushing readers toward only the best-sellers (niche brands can be just as good!), but the truth is, many fan favorites really do live up to the hype.
To help you uncover your new favorite lipstick, I spent longer than I’d like to admit on Sephora’s website, filtering its lipstick category by only four stars and up, and then checking which ones of those have 1,000 (or more) five-star reviews. The lineup I came up with includes top-sellers from celebrity-born brands such as Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, formulas that range from matte to slick and glossy and a mix of oldies and newbies.
Ahead, I’ve rounded up the 11 best lipsticks with 1,000+ five-star reviews at Sephora, including options from familiar brands such as Urban Decay and NARS to luxe beauty brands such as Dior and Tom Ford.
1 / 11
Scrolling through the reviews for this lipstick is like reading love letter after love letter. As promised by its name, it applies silkily and leaves a hydrating, satin-like finish thanks to nourishing ingredients like apple seed oil, and it stays put on your lips with the help of a smoothing wax blend. Reviewers also rave about the pigmentation, how buildable it is and how it smells like apples.
2 / 11
You can’t go wrong with a classic. The lore behind Black Honey, specifically, is that it started as part of a six-shade lip gloss line-up called “The Honeys” in 1971, and in 1989, the brand reimagined it as the Almost Lipstick format we know (and love) today. It’s like a lip balm and a lipstick in one, with nourishing castor oil for a glossy, dewy finish, vitamin E to condition lips and a touch of wax to keep it from feeling too slippery.
3 / 11
Celebrity makeup artist-turned-beloved beauty brand founder Charlotte Tilbury’s lineup has accolades galore across all of its beauty categories, but including one of its lipsticks is a must. The winner, per the reviews, is this matte option, which stays put thanks to a lightweight, film-forming ingredient, while nourishing oils keep lips soft instead of dried out and it comes in a wide range of colors.
If you’re curious about why the bullet is in a square shape, it’s to help with an ultra-precise application.
4 / 11
For the glassy shine of a gloss without the stickiness, look no further than this luxury favorite. It’s made of 90-percent oils for the ultimate glassy lip look and hyaluronic acid to temporarily (yet visibly) plump your lips. As for staying power, you have a lightweight resin to thank that forms an invisible layer over your lips to help lock the color in place.
Editor’s note: The lipstick comes in a silver mirrored case by default. If you want to upgrade, Dior also offers three refillable couture cases, each with its own chic design, all featuring Dior’s signature Oblique monogram print.
5 / 11
TOM FORD’s Runway Lipstick Color is the priciest on my list, but justly so: its INCI list is as luxurious as its gold, shiny packaging, loaded with skin-care ingredients including squalane, ceramide, lanolin, tsubaki oil and murumuru butter—all of which take it to the next level of hydration and comfort. Reviewers call it “luxury in a tube,” and they’re not wrong.
6 / 11
“Buttery matte” sounds like an oxymoron (matte lipsticks are often the opposite), but Valentino’s Spike Valentino Matte Lipstick actually earns the name. It gets around dryness and matte flatness by using comforting oils (namely, cotton seed and jojoba) plus light-diffusing particles (glass beads and mica) for dimension.
Bonus: The studded case means you’ll have no problem finding it by feel at the bottom of your bag.
7 / 11
This one’s technically a lip gloss stick, but rightfully featured in Sephor’s lipstick section—with more than 2,000 five-star ratings to boot—so here we are. Unlike many lipsticks, this one has water in its formula, which gives it the “jelly,” “bouncy” texture it markets itself with.
It’s also got a dose of hyaluronic acid (plus buttery mango oil and antioxidant-rich pomegranate extract) to keep lips plump and hydrated, sheer, buildable pigment, and a glassy, high-shine finish that lives up to the “glaze” name.
8 / 11
Rihanna chose richness with her Gloss Bomb Stick. It has an emollient base of oils, butters and waxes that wears like a lip balm but with serious pigment. As advised by the brand, you can either tap it onto your lips to keep it sheer or use a swiping motion for an opaque finish.
9 / 11
For a blurred, soft-focus finish, see: this top-selling liquid lipstick from Anastasia Beverly Hills. Its formula uses silk powder to give it a second-skin-like feel, mingled with esters that give it slip and thus keep its wear comfortable.
10 / 11
If you want to wear lipstick without feeling like you’re wearing lipstick, Merit has your back (or, should we say your lips? I know, eye roll). The formula uses lightweight oils and soft waxes (instead of heavier, denser ingredients like mineral oil or beeswax that can make some lipsticks feel thick or cakey), plus hyaluronic acid for moisture. As for application, it’s buildable with a soft, satiny finish. In other words: polished but not trying too hard.
11 / 11
Liquid lipstick tends to skew matte, so a glossy formula stands out. It’s just one of the reasons this long-wearing option from Urban Decay has become a fan favorite. Fans go as far as calling it “magical” for how well it holds up, even through eating, drinking and more.
