Key takeaways
- MAC's updated matte formula combines full opacity with comfort through nourishing butters and oils, delivering eight-hour wear without dryness.
- Hybrid products like Kaja's dual stain-blush and Clinique's almost-lipstick offer efficient color solutions for those who don't always need maximum coverage.
- Modern glosses and precision liners prove that new textures and application innovations continue to evolve the lip category across multiple price points.
Ulta Beauty’s National Lipstick Week Sale, running from July 26 through August 1, extends 40% savings across a category that has fundamentally expanded beyond traditional lipsticks. The event now encompasses glosses, oils, stains, liners, and volumizing treatments from powerhouse brands including MAC, Clinique, Nyx Professional Makeup, Charlotte Tilbury, Kaja, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Too Faced, Lancôme, Maybelline New York, L’Oréal Paris, Nars, and Sacheu. This breadth reflects a major shift in how contemporary consumers approach lip color—rather than relying on a single product to deliver both opacity and longevity, many now layer complementary formulas to achieve textures and effects that no single application can produce.
The Comfort Revolution in Matte Lipstick
One of the most persistent challenges in lip makeup has been the matte finish: how to achieve full-coverage opacity and staying power without condemning lips to dryness that demands constant hydration.
Nourishing Formulas That Hold Color
MAC’s MACximal Silky Matte Lipstick in 617 Velvet Teddy tackles this directly, updating the brand’s iconic matte formula with coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter to deliver comfort that lasts up to eight hours. The reformulation produces a velvety finish without the brittleness associated with traditional matte products. Contributors who tested the shade found that the texture surprised them—the creaminess was unexpected enough that many initially doubted whether the formula was actually matte, yet it held color with genuine staying power.
Nars approaches the same problem through different chemistry with its Powermatte Lipstick, employing a cream-to-matte base that begins with the yielding comfort of a balm before transforming into a transfer-resistant finish. The brand’s proprietary Power Pigment Complex supplies bold, full-coverage color that maintains a surprisingly lightweight feel despite the pigment load. With ten-hour wear, this formula solves a common problem: the need to choose between initial comfort and midday reapplication.
Liquid Formulas Reimagined
Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Matte Lip Blur Liquid Lipstick represents a major evolution in the liquid lipstick category. Earlier liquid formulas became notorious during the mid-2010s for stiffness and feathering around the lips. This version pairs hyaluronic acid with powder-blur technology, creating a soft-focus matte finish with an unexpectedly lightweight feel rather than the laden sensation that characterized previous-generation products.
Products That Work Harder
Not every lip moment demands opacity or extended wear. Clinique’s Almost Lipstick, a Readers’ Choice Award winner, fills a specific gap for those seeking color without weight.
The Hybrid Advantage
Available in three shades including the universally flattering Black Honey, Almost Lipstick sits precisely between traditional lipstick and tinted gloss. The formula delivers an effortless wash of color with smooth application and buildable pigment, allowing wearers to dial coverage from sheer to deeper depending on occasion. Editors found that the light application makes this product ideal for moments when color matters but texture does not.
Dual-Duty Formulas
Kaja’s Jelly Charm Glazed Lip Stain & Blush in Peach Fizz capitalizes on the monochromatic makeup trend by functioning as both lip color and cream blush in one product. The buildable, juicy formula incorporates squalane and antioxidant-rich raspberry, strawberry, and cranberry extracts, addressing both color and hydration. The clever keychain packaging solves a practical problem many face—maintaining color touch-ups throughout the day. Editors remarked that the glazed formula delivers weightlessness without the sticky feel typically associated with glazed products.
Skincare-First Lip Formulas
Lancôme’s L’Absolu Rouge Cream Lipstick blurs the line between color product and treatment by infusing rose extracts and rose oil for conditioning, hyaluronic acid for moisture binding, and ceramides to reinforce the lip barrier. This approach transforms routine lipstick application into a continuous hydration step, a meaningful distinction for those prone to dryness.
The plumping category introduces another skincare angle. Too Faced’s Lip Injection Maximum Plump Extra Strength Lip Plumper Gloss uses blood-flow-boosting ingredients alongside nourishing oils and vitamin E to enhance perceived volume while prioritizing comfort. L’Oréal Paris’s Plump Ambition Hyaluron Lip Oil employs hyaluronic acid and tripeptide for hydration and smoothness that creates a naturally fuller appearance, with a subtle menthol-driven cooling effect that refreshes rather than burns.
Modern Gloss: Beyond Sticky
Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Universal Luminous Tinted Lip Gloss answers what contemporary gloss consumers actually want: glassy shine without the tackiness of older formulas. The lightweight, cushioned texture maintains comfort while a sheer color wash combines with soft, light-catching shimmer—not chunky sparkle—to produce a polished rather than overdone finish.
Precision Application and Lasting Stains
Nyx Professional Makeup’s Lip Lingerie Lip Liner Stain removes the intimidation factor from lip liner application through its ultra-skinny ballpoint tip, which hugs every contour of the lips. Even those without liner expertise find the application straightforward. Despite being waterproof and smudge-proof, the formula allows a brief window for blending before setting into an all-day stain that resists feathering and bleeding.
Sacheu’s Peel Off Lip Liner Stay-N inverts the formula concept by delivering personalized color through a peeling technique. The blue-tinted formula is applied like a traditional liner, then peeled away after eight minutes to reveal a custom stain calibrated to each wearer’s lip tone. Editors testing this product emphasized the remarkable longevity—lip definition remained intact hours later without migration or fading.
Texture and Hydration
Maybelline New York’s Lifter Gel Lip Oil-in-Gel combines practical design with product performance. The click-pen dispenser, which twists to release the optimal amount of product, brings satisfaction to routine application. The oil-gel formula infuses squalane, passion fruit seed oil, and sodium hyaluronate for juicy hydration, while peppermint and menthol deliver a subtle cooling sensation that feels refreshing immediately upon application.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the dates for Ulta's National Lipstick Week Sale 2026?
The sale runs from July 26 through August 1, 2026, featuring up to 40% off on hundreds of lip products from major beauty brands.
What makes MAC's MACximal Silky Matte Lipstick different from traditional matte formulas?
MAC's formula combines coconut oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter with its matte finish to deliver eight-hour comfort without the dryness typically associated with matte lipsticks.
How does Sacheu's Peel Off Lip Liner Stay-N work?
The blue-tinted formula is applied like a traditional lip liner and peels away after eight minutes to reveal a personalized stain calibrated to each wearer's natural lip tone, providing lasting color for hours without migration.
