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If you are breathing and occasionally use the internet, you've likely heard that Kylie Jenner's next makeup offering will be a trio of metallic matte liquid lipsticks created in honor of Coachella. Basically, flash tats for your mouth.
Metallic lips are not a new phenomenon. I have a theory, and it could be controversial. Ready? I think "metallic" is just another word for "frosted." Sure, the pigments may be more finely milled and the colors more modern and metal-like than those of the hot pink '80s, but it's still lipstick with a shimmery sheen. Feel free to disagree with me, but obviously the illuminati (or someone) is attempting to make frosted happen — and it's working.
Kylie's last two lip launches, the matte liquid lipstick and lip gloss, exist in dozens of iterations elsewhere and it's pretty easy to find duplicates at other brands that were producing them long before she was. While there are quite a few brands that make traditional bullet lipsticks in metallic/frosted shades and finishes, there aren't many that produce a metallic liquid lipstick. So while it's harder to find metallic liquid lipsticks now, it's not impossible. So no, she did not "start" them. (Unlike wigs.)
It's not clear when exactly the new lipsticks will launch, but since they're tied to Cocahella and she's teasing them heavily on social media, I'd guess this week. There are three "metal matte" colors: Reign is copper, King is gold, and Heir is rose gold.
In this swatch the colors look pretty opaque, but the two lighter colors seem slightly less opaque and allow a bit of the person's actual lip color to come through. She notes that King is "like highlighter for the lips." (FROSTY.)
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King on left, Reign on right
It's an admittedly fun look, a welcome departure from the flat, matte lip color that's recently ruled. And it also doesn't make you look like you've been making out with C-3PO. But in light of how difficult it is to actually obtain Kylie's products, not to mention this TMZ report from yesterday which noted that customers' personal information had been leaked on her site due to a "glitch," I've gathered a few ways to get this look without selling your soul (and credit rating) to the Kardashian-Jenner industrial complex.
Here's Khloe wearing Heir (EVEN FROSTIER):
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, fondly called OCC, has several metallic versions in its Lip Tar forumula, which is arguably the OG long-wearing liquid lipstick. Try Artifact, Synth, or Hollywood ($16) to get approximate duplicates of Kylie's. There are also olive gold, turquoise gold, mauve silver, and blue metallic options if you really want to go for a metal mouth.
Ofra Cosmetics, a brand that has been around for over a decade and recently become a darling of the Instagram set, also offers several metallics in a long-wear formula. While none seem to be exact duplicates, the colors Times Square (silver) and Fifth Avenue (gold, both $19.90 but you can find 30% off codes on the brand's Instagram page) offer an even better alternative. They are both long-wearing but sheer, and meant to be worn on top of other colors so you can turn any existing lipstick you have into a matte metallic.
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