If you’ve been reading the Who What Wear beauty pages for a while, you’ll know that despite being a beauty director, I really speak for the masses when it comes to my relationship with makeup. I don’t particularly love applying it, and I want my finished look to be natural-looking and almost undetectable. And when it comes to lipstick, this is particularly true. My chronically dry lips mean I always favour lightweight, sheer finishes with a balmy texture. While lip oils and tinted lip balms are commonplace in my handbag, lipstick is certainly not.
There is, however, one exception to this: Clinique Almost Lipstick. This sheer lip product has been a bestselling classic beauty product for decades (it launched all the way back in 1971), thanks to its natural-looking, low-fuss finish. The most iconic shade, Black Honey, had a somewhat recent resurgence on TikTok thanks to its versatility. The berry-toned hue has become famed for looking great on anybody and everybody, regardless of skin tone, lip shape and formula preference. In 2023, Clinique added to the Almost Lipstick line with Pink Honey, a soft but still sheer shade of light pink. And now, I’m pleased to announce that the brand has finally introduced a nude iteration—Clinique Almost Lipstick Nude Honey is here.
Clinique
Almost Lipstick in Nude Honey
Pros
- Buildable to work on different skin tones
- Comforting and hydrating on lips
- A neutral tone that goes with everything
- The ultimate everyday lip product
Cons
- Like the other Almost Lipstick shades, it doesn’t hold much longevity
Like its predecessors, the formula of Nude Honey sits somewhere between a lipstick, a lip gloss and a tinted lip balm. The finish is silky, soft and possesses a slight sheen. And the truth is, while I have long adored Black Honey, the deeper, purple hue isn’t the sort of shade I like to wear every single day. I’m a nude girl through and through, so the news of Nude Honey launching excited me a great deal.
And because I know a whole bunch of people out there feel as passionately about Almost Lipstick as I do, I wanted to make sure my review was as thorough and unbiased as possible. So, I decided to wear Clinique Nude Honey Almost Lipstick every single day for a week to judge its wear, as well as its versatility. This is everything I think you should know before buying…
The Shade
If Black Honey is berry-toned and Pink Honey is candied, Nude Honey is the ultimate midway point. One swipe delivers a super-sheer veil of a warm-toned nude that works in tandem with the natural colour of your lips. If you want to build it up and apply more coats, you’re going to be met with an almost chocolatey nude that is entirely void of the terracotta shades of oranges I dislike in a lipstick. Not rosy, not brown, not purple and certainly not orange, Nude Honey is, in my opinion, the ultimate neutral nude.
The Application
Like all of the Almost Lipsticks, the joy of wearing Nude Honey starts with the application. While the formula in the bullet looks deep and highly pigmented, the initial swipe onto the lips showcases its hydrating, glossy attributes. It glides over the lips and makes light work of nourishing any patches of dryness. As you build up the finish with more layers, none of the pigment clings to unwanted areas—it leaves lips feeling and looking smooth, soft and nourished beyond compare.
But I know all too well that first impressions don’t always hold true. Plus, I also know all too well that the beauty of Almost Lipstick is in its versatility. So, to ensure Nude Honey ticks all of the boxes, I wore it for a whole week. This is how I got on.
MONDAY
For the first day of wear, I wanted to try the Nude Honey Almost Lipstick out in its purest form. I applied it to totally bare lips. After the first coat, I didn’t feel as if there was quite enough pigment, so the picture shows around four coatings. I spent the day working from home and topped up before logging onto video calls every couple of hours. One thing to note is that I didn’t have to apply lip balm all day—something I usually have to do at least five times.
TUESDAY
Tuesday was spent attending meetings and launches in London, a day that would usually involve me wearing more makeup than usual. However, I had a facial booked in over lunch, so didn’t want to wear anything too intense, only for it all to be rinsed away. A slick of brow gel, a coating of mascara and one layer of Nude Honey delivered the ultimate no-makeup-makeup look.
WEDNESDAY
On Wednesday evening, I was meeting my friend for a drink after work. Because the sun was shining, I wanted to go for a slightly sun-kissed, bronzy vibe. I dabbed Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Blush Healthy Glow Stick in Berry Glow onto my cheeks and wanted something a little sandier in hue from Nude Honey for my look. To achieve this, I dabbed a tiny bit of my berry-toned blusher onto the centre of my lips and swiped two coatings of Nude Honey over the top. I was super pleased with the result.
THURSDAY
I wouldn’t consider myself someone who switches up her makeup look at all, but by Thursday I wanted to try something new. This time, I applied a lip liner (Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk) and applied several coats of Nude Honey over the top. The result was a deep, dusty rose finish, and I was quite obsessed.
FRIDAY
Another work-from-home day rolled around, and I wanted to see what Nude Honey would look like with a slightly cleaner beauty aesthetic. At the start of the day, my hair was scraped back into a slick bun, but by the time my 3PM meeting rolled around, things were a little more dishevelled. The constant, though? Nude Honey still looked every bit as great on my lips with only a couple of reapplications.
SATURDAY
On Saturday, I was meeting a group of friends at the pub, so now was my time to try something a little bolder. I applied my beloved Merit Beauty Signature Lip Liner in Mayfair, a deep, purple-toned rose shade, and applied heaps of Nude Honey over the top. The number of compliments I received on my lips that day was truly staggering. My only gripe? The combination of two glossy lip products meant smudges and signs of wear were aplenty.
SUNDAY
If I’m being honest, wearing makeup on a Sunday is not my style, especially considering I spent the day on the sofa watching Glastonbury highlights and eating hummus. However, Sunday is very much a day of self-care for me, so a small application of makeup occurred, firstly, to make me feel good about myself and, secondly, to round off this week of research. I found myself reaching for Nude Honey as more of a lip balm, and truthfully, I haven’t stopped doing so since.
My Verdict
I’ll go as far as to say that Nude Honey is my favourite Almost Lipstick shade—even overtaking the iconic Black Honey. It suits my affinity for nude makeup more than either of its predecessors, and I think its versatility is second-to-none. Sure, the wear time isn’t great, but it’s no different from Black Honey or Pink Honey in that sense. If you want a sheer, balmy lip, longevity is never going to be on your side. All in all, if I were only allowed to own one lipstick, I wouldn’t be mad about it now that Nude Honey exists.
Shop Clinique Almost Lipstick
Clinique
Almost Lipstick in Nude Honey
Clinique
Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
Clinique
Almost Lipstick in Pink Honey
