This Effortless Lip Trend Has Basically Replaced Matte Liquid Lipsticks

If you could never get on board with dramatically over-lining your lips with matte liquid lipstick, we've got some good news: The biggest trend in lipstick right now couldn't be further from the ultra-precise, hard-edged lip look that Kylie Jenner made her millions on. Instead, we're seeing a focus on the complete opposite — softer, blurred and perfectly imperfect pouts. 

The best way to describe it is envisioning what your lips would look like after eating, say, a cherry popsicle. Your lips become naturally stained with a wash of the red color with a diffused, slightly smeared line of the color around the edges. Another description, as celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles explains, is what your lipstick-painted lips would look like after you made out with someone. "It’s carefree, a little rebellious, and very pretty when the rest of your makeup is kept unfussy and simple," she says.

You don't have to rely on a popsicle breakfast to get it, either. Nars, Chantecaille, and MAC are just a few brand who have recently launched lip powders or creamy, lightweight, mousse-like lipstick bullets that create this undone look in a single swipe. Picking up one of these new lip products is just the first step in really acing the look, though. "Lip care is extremely important," celebrity makeup artist Allan Avendaño says. "Drinking tons of water, exfoliating your lips, and moisturizing them at night really makes the difference."

After we applied lip balm, per Avendaño's advice, we decided to road-test a few of the products that were designed to give you that soft, blotted look in seconds. Keep scrolling to shop them all and see how they look IRL on five different versions on InStyle staffers. 

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