Gray Lipstick Doesn’t Look Good Just on Gigi Hadid

Red carpet glamour is a separate category of bold makeup. Celebrities often sport bold makeup, including the brightest highlighters, eyeliner and lipsticks. It’s not unusual to see celebrities debuting a new look. Gigi Hadid wore gray lipstick to the 2022 CFDA Awards carpet. Patrick Ta, makeup artist, made gray lipstick look so wearable that it was almost neutral. It made me wonder if gray lipstick is for everyone.

The idea of a cool-toned lip color can be intimidating. Kelli Anne Sewell, a makeup artist, says that gray lipstick can be worn every day if you keep the rest of your makeup simple. She says, «Let the gray lipstick become the focal point of your face.» Balance it with fresh skin, bold mascara, and blush. Sewell recommends a cool shade that has blue undertones. Anything too warm will make it look mauve.

I was curious to see if this theory holds true. To test it, I bought the exact shade of gray Hadid wore, Maybelline SuperStay matte lipstick in Huntress. It came with Sephora Collection’s #Lipstories Lipstick (with a metallic finish), and NYX Lip Lingerie (a classic matte). This was a departure from our usual neutrals, pinks and reds.

Jennifer Hussein anticipated to hate it, even though she is more playful with her day-today beauty looks. After swiping on the Sephora and Maybelline lipsticks, Hussein was able to see a different perspective. «Sephora’s shimmery shade Backstage wasn’t all that dramatic and Maybelline’s liquid lipstick had an opaque finishing.» Hussein paired both with a bold, color-blocked look. It’s perfect to have staying power because it has a pigmented formula (smudges, feathering don’t look cute), as she discovered in the Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick. It won’t budge, trust me. Hussein stated that it remained on the skin for eight hours, even after lunch. It took two makeup wipes just to get it out.

Sara Talias, a makeup artist, recommends that you use the gray lipstick as a guide to your overall color palette. She says, «It is best to keep the whole look monochromatic by pairing gray lipstick with a simple smokey eyes.» Sarah Hoffmann, a Commerce producer, did exactly that with the Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Lipstick. Hoffman liked the intense color with her fair skin. But, Hoffmann added contour and blush to make it more costume-y.

NYX Lip Lingerie was the first thing I tried. It was just as intense as the packaging said. I added clear gloss to the shade and it was a great choice for a vampy look. The Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink Lipstick was too cool for my skin. I have found that a gray shade that is more purple-y than blue works well on darker skin tones.

Rachael Edwards initially thought that gray lipstick would make her lips appear ashy. But it wasn’t as scary to her as I thought. Edwards explained that she used MAC’s Chestnut lip pencil to outline her lips and then applied the Sephora lipstick in the shade Metal’ directly on top. To achieve her desired look, she applied three layers. However, the metallic shade can be built up and can be layered to create a more opaque effect. She says, «I’m not unhappy with the results.» «I’m trying to relive my emo girl era — Rachael, 14 years old, would be proud.»

The final verdict? Gray lipstick can be worn even on a Tuesday with the help of some support products, such as lip liner and rosy blush.