Transitioning away from the matte Instagram lip? Try this Marc Jacobs Beauty collection

The Instagram lip is over. Don’t even try to say we didn’t warn you, because we did. But have no fear, the Marc Jacobs Beauty Cream and Sugar collection might be the perfect transition product.

Before we get started with this review, a disclaimer: we know quitting the Instagram lip is tough. Matte, overlined lips — borderline passé though they may be — are just so hard to quit! The look was first popularized by Kylie Jenner during her Snapchat heyday in 2016, and is probably the best way to get a plumper appearance without hitting the needle.

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But in addition to being ubiquitous, the Instagram lip can be incredibly drying and tends to maximize the appearance of uneven lip texture. So if your lips are even the slightest bit chapped, a matte lip kit will put all the flaking and damage on blast. During the winter months especially, this is no bueno.

So if you’re not into the Instagram lip but you’re still not trying to go bare or stick to a light gloss, WTF are you supposed to do? Marc Jacobs Beauty gave us our answer this weekend.

MJB’s new Cream and Sugar collection includes these three products:

1. (P)outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in Cream & Sugar, $24

Now, this might be the most game-changing piece of this lip look.

(P)outliner is collagen-infused, which Marc Jacobs Beauty claims can help fill in the lines on your lips. So if you’re steering away from matte looks because they make your lips look dry or cracked, grab some (P)outliner.

2. Le Marc Lip Crème Lipstick in Cream & Sugar, $30

This lipstick goes on so creamy, it feels like butter. When I demoed the Cream and Sugar collection, I actually opted for a shade that’s one darker than this: Sugar and Spice. I think the Cream and Sugar color was too light for my skin tone and brought out some redness, but Sugar and Spice evened it out.

3. Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer in Cream & Sugar, $28

The final step is this lip gloss, which had my lips looking like a disco ball but in a totally casual, natural way.

This lip gloss is way longer-wearing than other ones I’ve tried recently, and it didn’t flake my lips at all.

Now, once I got all three of these products on, I was obsessed. The look was so much more natural than your typical three-step lip look, but it still gave me the umph I needed for my relatively thinner lips.

Compared to a Kylie Lip Kit or a liquid lipstick, though, the Cream and Sugar collection was not super long-lasting. I had to re-apply the lipstick and the gloss once or twice throughout the night. I didn’t really mind, though — I think a few reapplications are an okay trade-off for not looking like a Bratz doll.

Matte lip looks will definitely last longer than this collection. But this MJB trio really hit the perfect balance between looking natural and giving me the boost I crave.

Plus, it didn’t flake or dry out my lips one bit. I even went to sleep without removing my makeup (a cardinal sin, I know — but it was a fun night) and in the morning, my lips weren’t dried out or cracked at all.

If you want to give this lip look a spin, you can get all three pieces in a sample size from Sephora for $25. Keep in mind, though, that with the Cream and Sugar lipstick shade, the look is very, very light. You might want to go a little darker in the lipstick. As part of this release, Marc Jacobs Beauty has also blessed us with four more brand-new shades: Strawberry Girl, Vinyl Dream, Sugar and Spice and Shakedown. As noted, Sugar and Spice goes on a little darker than Cream and Sugar and still works perfectly with the lipliner and gloss shades.

Good luck on your continuous search for the perfect lip look (and be sure to join Galore Beauty to spill the tea on what you find).

Gimme More Beauty


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