Found! Beyonce’s no-budge lip gloss is a $10 drugstore diamond

When a beauty product gets the Beyoncé stamp of approval, you better believe that I take heed. And when said beauty product costs less than a tricked-out smoothie, well, the first thing I do is run out and test it for myself.

At a L’Oreal Paris launch event this morning, Bey’s makeup artist, Sir John, revealed the go-to lip product he uses when he wants to give the #queen a long-lasting finish. The “best he’s ever had”? L’Oreal Rouge Signature Lightweight Matte Colored Ink ($10). “When I know I’m not going to see my client again, and I know there’s going to be no touch-up and they’re going to put something on and go, this is my jam,” he told a group of beauty editors. “I know when it hits the carpet, I know if she eats—I know it’s not going to dry, it’s not going to get crusty, and she’s going to feel good.” He shared that he recently used the shade “I Create,” a pink-y brown, on the singer when she went to accept her GLAAAD award a few weeks ago, and he was right—based on the photos, that stuff really did stay on all night.

Per Bey’s recommendation, I swiped my own lips with a coat of L’Oreal Rouge, and in the words of Beyoncé herself, it was f-l-a-w-l-e-s-s. Unlike most matte glosses, it didn’t look dry or cakey on my mouth, and didn’t leave behind a single one of those weird, flaky, crusty things that the rest of them do. Instead, it was moisturizing with just the right amount of shine to give my pout the perfect finish—like my own lips, but better. The gloss looked gorgeous on its own, and also when topped with a clear lip balm for a little extra juiciness over the stain. All it took was a single coat of the stuff, and I basically felt like Beyoncé… with slightly less money and swagger, that is.

“When it comes to lips, it’s like your wardrobe—you want as many options as possible,” says Sir John. So consider this product—which can carry you from work to happy hour to date night without a single reapplication—the Beyoncé-approved “little black dress” of your makeup drawer.

For some other lip glosses we love, check out our favorite shades for spring and summer.  And here’s why your lip gloss should actually never be clear.