This Color-Changing Lipstick Is My Only Beauty Essential

It's like a mood ring for your lips — and it actually looks great.

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Regular ol' lipstick gets the job done, but hey — everyone loves a little unexpected surprise to liven up an otherwise ho-hum day.

Rachel Ellison

Remember Squand? At 10 years old, didn’t Magic Pens give you an unbeatable high?

Well, here’s one that grown-up you probably didn't see coming: a green lipstick that turns bright pink upon application AND — plot twist! — actually looks flattering.

Kiki Color-Changing Lipstick is like a '90s toy for adults — but more importantly, it’s my favorite beauty product ever.

amazon.com

Yeah, ever. I discovered color-changing lipstick four years ago when a friend handed me a green tube and insisted I try. "It’s from overseas," she urged, and I marveled as she swiped the green wax across her lips.

I’ve defaulted to calling it “my green lip stuff,” and it functions as a stain that dyes lips a vibrant pink, often lasting upwards of 12 hours. Did you hear that? IT LASTS ALL DAY! The exact hue varies based on your natural coloring and skin’s moisture, but to break it down for you, shortly and sweetly: It looks like you’ve been kissed by an angel.

I’ve tried different versions of the green hue, but had never dabbled in other colors altogether, so I was curious when I ordered a three-pack of the Kiki lipstick on Amazon (for just $7.99!), which includes both an orange and blue shade in addition to the classic green.

Rachel Ellison

I've seen color-changing lipstick boasting varying names of similar whimsy, from “Lipstick Queen Frog Prince” to “Magic Hare Moroccan Lipstick,” sold by an assortment of retailers — but plenty of reviewers have attested to this brand, in particular, outlasting others, and it's the one I use regularly.

Promising review: "I bought this as kind of a joke. I usually spend a lot of money for lipstick — now this ls the only lipstick I wear. I put it on and then put on ChapStick (Avalon Organics — which is the best in the world) — go to work, drink coffee, eat lunch, and my lips look like natural pink lips — if I remember I reapply it after lunch." —Dianne

I’m with Dianne in that I like to apply some type of lip balm or Vaseline after the color. The lipstick isn’t drying, but it’s not super moisturizing either (though if I were to lean one way I’d say it adds a tiny bit of moisture), so the added product helps the color last.

Here's how the three colors turned out when I applied them.

Rachel Ellison

The green (left) looked as rosy and vibrant as ever, clinging to my lips so seamlessly that it — more than once — elicited the question, “Is that natural?”

The orange tube (top right) turned to a reddish-coral tone when applied, which I really liked, albeit not for an everyday look.

The blue (bottom right) was my least favorite, turning into a pinkish-plum that harkened back to '80s glam. The shade didn’t complement my skin tone, IMO, but I can imagine it would look amazing if placed in the right hands, and subsequently on the right lips.

(Interestingly, Dior recently launched a version of the lipstick as well, which I’ve read is a carbon copy of the stuff with a luxury spin.)

And if you're curious...

AMC

...after I did some digging I was able to debunk the lipstick's mythical qualities and uncover the science behind the green-to-pink transformation. While many versions claim to react to your “unique body chemistry” and provide a tone that adjusts to you, it’s much less fine-tuned than that. The active ingredient is Red 27, a dye that’s colorless if dissolved in a waterless base. Upon exposure to moisture (i.e., from waxy stick to your skin), it turns the bright berry hue that you see on my lips. Ta-da.

Regardless of the science, this much is true: I’ll be restocking my green lipstick for the foreseeable future.

Get the three-pack of Kiki color-changing lipstick from Amazon for $7.99.

The review in this post has been edited for length and clarity.