We Tried This New Two-Tone Lipstick To See If It's Worth The Hype

    You'll look positively gradiant.

    Lauren Han
    by Lauren Han

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    There's a new two-tone lip bar from Laneige that is designed to give your lips a gorgeous, ombré look.

    Macey J. Foronda / Via BuzzFeed

    This trend has been popular in Korea for quite a while, and now you can supposedly get your own gradient lips with these candy-like lipsticks. These are seriously the PRETTIEST lipsticks I've ever laid my eyes on, and I love the gradient look, so I knew I had to test these out for myself!

    Jolse / Via m.jolse.com

    The diagonal split is intended to promote a more blended, natural gradation of the two colors. The lighter color goes on the outsides of your lips, while the darker color goes on the insides. You'll get a I-just-ate-a-popsicle-how-cute-am-I look this way. We got our hands on two lip bars, No. 11 Juicy Pop ($20.21) and No. 4 Milk Blurring ($15.44), to try out IRL.

    Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed
    Macey J. Foronda / Via BuzzFeed

    I think ombré lips are a gorgeous trend, but I'm a little nervous for how it'll look on me. I have pretty thin lips and big teeth (every man's dream) but I'm excited to try it — especially given that it's a one-step application. My makeup routine is pretty simple, so I'm hoping it's easy enough for me to want to do again and again.

    Macey J. Foronda / Via BuzzFeed

    I am SO excited for this. I recently visited Korea where I saw literally every girl rocking the gradient lips. I wanted to try it but, because I'm a lazy piece of shit, I couldn't bring myself to find and blend two complementary colors to achieve the look. So when I heard there was a lipstick that makes it easy, I just knew I had to try it.

    Macey J. Foronda / Via BuzzFeed

    On a scale of one to Kim Kardashian, I’m a “Helga Pataki trying to impress at the sleepover” when it comes to successfully applying makeup. So hearing that there’s a lipstick that can achieve a flawless ombré with a couple of swipes feels too good to be true. I’m cautiously optimistic about it though and hopefully it turns out to be something that I can use in the future!

    Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed
    Laneige / Via laneige.com
    Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    What it should look like:

    Laneige / Via laneige.com
    Macey J. Foronda / Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    Farrah: This product seems really simple: The yellow is goes out the outside of the lips and the coral on the inside. BUT while it was easy to apply, the lighter color didn't show up very well. I really had to rub the yellow on to get it to show, and you can still barely see it compared to the coral. This gets points for easy application and smooth solution but loses points for lack of color — which is the whole purpose of the ombre.

    Farrah's Rating: 💄💄

    Macey J. Foronda / Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    Lauren: I wanted to love this. I wanted to love it so badly. But the yellow just didn't show up no matter how much I desperately tried. Just look at that forced smile. Those eyes, dead inside with quiet disappointment. I hoped my lips would look like delicious candy you'd want to eat up but unfortunately they just looked like regular lips you'd say, "Ehhh," and pass on.

    Lauren's Rating: 💄💄

    Macey J. Foronda / Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    Sandra: When I first opened the lipstick, it looked complicated. It was just two colors in one tube and already I felt overwhelmed, how was I supposed to angle it?? The actual lipstick itself looked pretty solid though, so I had high hopes for this one. But after applying, it just kind of looked like I missed half of my lips. Maybe I just didn’t apply enough or maybe the lipstick just wasn’t meant for me, but I wouldn’t try it again. On the plus side, it didn’t make my lips dry AF like 99% of them tend to!

    Sandra's Rating: 💄

    Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    What it should look like:

    Laneige / Via laneige.com
    Macey J. Foronda / Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    Farrah: The pigment quality is about the same for this one. The white isn't as vibrant as the red, and the overall look reminds me of a candy cane. I really do like the idea of this (IT'S SO EASY!) but I wish both colors would provide the same amount of pop!

    Farrah's Rating: 💄💄💄

    Macey J. Foronda / Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    Lauren: I definitely liked this one a lot more, although the white didn't show up at all. It looked like I just haphazardly colored the insides of my lips but at least it was a really beautiful, casually wearable shade of red.

    Lauren's Rating: 💄💄💄

    Macey J. Foronda / Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    Sandra: After the first lipstick, I definitely had lower expectations for this one. As I applied the lipstick, all I saw was the red show up and figured that I did it wrong. It wasn’t until I saw the model’s photo that I realized this is the intended look, the supple red center with a dewy outer shell. I ended up really loving it and as a makeup noob, I would definitely use it again.

    Sandra's Rating: 💄💄💄💄

    Charlotte Gomez / BuzzFeed

    Farrah: Would I create ombré lips if it took twelve dozen makeup brushes and a few shades of lipstick? Hell no. While this one swipe product is perfect for easy application, I wish the lighter color pigments would show more! But if you're looking for a quick way to achieve those cute ombré lips, this is your product for sure.

    Lauren: I love how flirty gradient lips look. I was hoping it would be easy to do with the lip bars, but I think I'll need to just use two products in order to do it - or practice with these some more. So, I am a little disappointed, but the lipsticks were so moisturizing I completely forgot what look I was even going for after a while just because they felt so great on.


    Sandra:     The concept is great for people like me that spend six minutes and half a thought on their makeup routine in the morning, but it definitely needs some work. I’m curious as to how the lipstick would’ve compared with a Pinterest ombré lip tutorial, but for now I’m probably best off sticking to my tinted Burt’s Bees.

    Our overall favorite: No. 4 Milk Blurring. While it didn't turn out like we expected, there are so many lip bars to choose from so if you're interested, definitely check out the other color combinations and proceed with caution.