Finally: A Matte Lipstick ‘Blur’ That Looks Gorgeous on My Mature Lips

I admit I have a thing for lipsticks. Just like switching up flats for stilettos can take an ensemble from casual to glam in seconds, a swath of color on your lips is the perfect quick-change, mood-reflecting accessory for the face: A neutral pale lip gives off a different vibe than a shiny, hot pink gloss or a vibrant, come-hither red.

While my bathroom counter overfloweth with a lineup of glosses, tints, and frosts, there’s one notable absence: Matte lipsticks. In the past, mattes have always left my lips dry, cracked, and accentuated any tiny lip lines. I’m a big fan of the Charlotte Tilbury brand, so when I heard the innovative U.K. glamour queen was launching a new matte-meets-moisture Airbrush Flawless Lip Blur ($35) liquid lipstick, I wondered if this might be my ticket to finally embracing the ultra-trendy matte lip.

Lip Blur is the first color product in Charlotte Tilbury’s cult-fave Airbrush Flawless franchise of foundations and other complexion products. Tilbury and her team—known for working magic on famous faces for runways, premieres, and awards shows—lent their backstage beauty secrets to create the smoothing, blur-filter effects of the Airbrush Flawless line. The new Lip Blur combines powder-blur technology for a smooth, soft-focus look with hydrating hyaluronic acid to plump and prevent dryness—and promises to deliver color that lasts all day.

Charlotte Tilbury, Airbrush Flawless Lip Blur — $35.00

Comes in seven shades: Honey Blur (a warm peach neutral), Nude Blur (a “true nude”), Pillow Talk Blur (a neutral pink), Pillow Talk Medium Blur (a berry pink), Ruby Blur (a true red), Flame Blur (an orange), Walk of No Shame Blur (a berry red), and Rose Blur (a rose pink). 

How to use Charlotte Tilbury Lip Blur

What’s really unique is you can use Lip Blur’s diamond-tip applicator (designed to deliver precise application like a lip brush) to achieve two different looks—blurred or bold—with one lipstick. To get the looks, the brand’s makeup artists give these tips:

For a blurred look

To create a subtle finish, concentrate on applying color in the center of the lip, gently moving outwards. Use your fingertip to lightly press color into the lip, blurring the edges to create a soft, pillowy look.

For a bold look

Glide the applicator smoothly across the lips (don’t blend with your fingers) to deliver a more dialed-up appearance.

What happened when I tried Charlotte Tilbury Lip Blur

Lip Blur has already graced the faces of supermodel (and face of the campaign) Bella Hadid, and models in the Oscar De La Renta pre-spring 2024 lookbook, and now it was my turn.

Charlotte Tilbury’s new app has a Lip Blur Pro Colour Match Tool to find your perfect matches from the line’s eight shades in only seconds. (I received a pink, berry, and red match.) My pink match happened to be the line’s signature Pillow Talk Blur shade (which also comes in a medium tone). I liked the light pop of color and found it just right for a low-key look. My red match of Ruby Blur was just what a scarlet lip color should be—bold, vibrant, and worthy of a Taylor Swift concert.

Pillow Talk Blur

Ruby Blur

Thanks to the angled applicator, I was able to skip the lip liner. The product glides on smoothly, without stickiness, and after a couple of tries, I really got the blur technique down. (Fair warning: the red shade took some effort to get off my fingers.). and it was easy to take the blur look bold just by adding another swipe or two of color. The smooth finish really does last hours without fading, and even after having the lipstick on all day, there was no hint of dryness or caking—if anything my lips felt moisturized.

Lipstick has always been one of my favorite ways to dial things up or down, and I love that Lip Blur lets me do that with one product. Looks like the glosses, tints, and frosts on my counter will have company, because thanks to Lip Blur, matte has finally won a place in my heart—and on my lips.