You'll Want To Read This Before You Try This Season’s Trending Lip Colors

The shift of seasons from summer to fall doesn't just call for pulling out your favorite knits. In the way of our lip care — and lipstick — our beauty collection also gets a slight overhaul. While some lippie shades are truly perennial (like your favorite nude or pink, for example), this season has brought a quartet of fall and winter lip colors that are certainly worth a swipe. But before you lean into these cool-weather trends (more on them later!), a little prep work is in order.

Sadly, no matter how trendy its hue is, layering a lipstick over dry, cracked lips never turns out well. So I turned to Dr. Loretta Ciraldo MD FAAD, Miami-based board-certified dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta skin care, to learn how to get rid of chapped lips and prep your pout for this season’s most sought-after lipstick shades.

Follow her tips below for a smooth canvas that’s ready for this season’s most stunning lip colors — then scroll to the end to shop them all.

Bustle Shop is Bustle’s shoppable guide to editor-approved buys in fashion, beauty, wellness, and lifestyle. We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

1. Stay Hydrated

Cracked lips are a telltale sign that you’re dehydrated, according to Dr. Ciraldo. “Chapped lips happen when there is a significant amount of water loss from the lips," she shares.

Keeping the body hydrated is an age-old beauty (and just general health) must, as drinking plenty of water will keep the skin and lips hydrated from the inside out. I mean, obviously, right? (But I can’t be the only one who forgets throughout the day.)

2. Quit Lip-Licking

Time to nix this harmful habit. Absent-mindedly licking your lips throughout the day transfers salvia to your pout which can lead to loss of moisture.

Essentially, our saliva contains digestive enzymes that can break down the skin, causing perpetual, unwanted dryness. So if you’re looking for an easy way to get rid of chapped lips, start here.

3. Be Mindful Of Fragrance

Who knew that something as simple as dental floss could be the culprit behind chapped lips? Ciraldo shares that scented dental floss can adversely affect the health of the skin on and around our mouths, similar to how added fragrance in skin-care products can irritate sensitive skin.

"Read product ingredient labels to be sure that you aren't applying anything with artificial fragrance to your lips since this can cause or worsen chapping,” she explains.

With this in mind, Ciraldo recommends using only unflavored dental floss and applying the same caution to lip treatments and balms. For anyone especially sensitive to fragrance, hypoallergenic and fragrance-free formulas for everything from lip balms to lipsticks are your best bet.

Though definitely a splurge, Dr. Barbara Sturm’s lip balm is a fantastic option that uses plant-based oils, butters, and waxes in its vitamin-E-rich formula to help protect against dehydration and environmental aggressors. For a bit more bang for your buck, snag Lizush’s trio of fragrance-free, natural balms. And for some color, try Beauty Cares Naturals lipsticks; they’re formulated with antioxidant-rich jojoba, avocado, and coconut oils to moisturize while providing a beautiful wash of color.

4. Start A Nighttime Lip Care Routine

FYI: Lip care should be a part of your nightly skin-care routine — but you can keep it simple. Dr. Ciraldo recommends using an emollient ointment or lip balm every night to prevent water loss from lips. For the unfamiliar, emollients are a type of moisturizing agent that soften skin by preventing water loss. Look for ingredient lists that boast butters (like shea and cocoa butter), oils, and lipids. Try INIKA Organic’s emollient-rich lip balm that’s formulated with shea butter and coconut oil for replenishing and long-lasting hydration.

And on days when your lips could use a little exfoliation, add a sugar-based scrub to your nighttime routine to slough off dead skin. I can personally vouch for Three Ships’s shea-butter-infused lip exfoliator; it's gentle enough to use every other day and helps create a smooth palette for both matte and creamy lipstick finishes. Also check out the e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator: It effortlessly swipes on and is formulated with sugar crystals to exfoliate, plus shea butter and jojoba oil to lock in moisture — plus, it’s under $5.

Fall & Winter 2021 Trending Lip Colors

Now that your pout has been prepped, you can officially stock up on this season’s trending lip colors. Here are all the lipsticks and glosses you need in your arsenal in the coming months. Go on and swipe away.

Bustle Shop is Bustle’s shoppable guide to editor-approved buys in fashion, beauty, wellness, and lifestyle. Here, you’ll find the picks we can’t get enough of and think you’ll love, too. Best of all, you can checkout right on this page — no clicking out to multiple retailers required. We may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.

A Full-Bodied Brown

A Rose Plum

A Classic Signature Red

Dusty Rose

Bustle Shop brings you the editor-approved buys we can’t get enough of and think you’ll adore, too. Best of all, you can shop all of the products above directly on this page without visiting multiple retailers. Simply click on an item to learn more, choose your size or favorite color (if applicable), and then hit “add to cart.” When you’re done, you can click over to your cart in the top right corner of your screen to purchase all your stellar selects at once. How easy is that?

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