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Nostalgia for the ’90s is creeping into every crevice of beauty and fashion today. There’s denim maxi skirts, low-rise women’s jeans, slinky slip dresses, and a certain sheer raisin lip color — Clinique’s Black Honey Almost Lipstick. After selling out at Ulta, Sephora, and Amazon multiple times in the past year, we decided it was time to write an honest testing review of the celebrity-loved Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick.
Our current craving for all things aughts has earned #CliniqueBlackHoney over 304 million views on TikTok, with girls and guys raving about the lipstick’s ability to flatter any skin tone, leaving your lips looking wine-stained and subtly shiny. Celebrities are on the bandwagon, too, with Emilia Clarke (an ambassador for the brand) calling it “yummy,” and explaining that “every coat adds a lil more drama” in an Instagram post. Zooey Deschanel reportedly wore Black Honey while filming “New Girl.”
But before Clinique Black Honey gained popularity on TikTok, it was the Y2K ‘It’ lip color seen on stars like Drew Barrymore and Courteney Cox during the ’90s. The shade had many an on-screen moment, notably when Molly Ringwald slipped it into her cleavage for a party-trick approach to applying the lipstick in “The Breakfast Club.” Liv Tyler wore it in “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” and Julia Roberts can be seen passing the tube to her step daughter in the film “Step Mom.”
Ally Sheedy and Molly Ringwald, wearing Clinique Black Honey, in a scene from the film ‘The Breakfast Club’, 1985.
Photo by Universal Pictures/Getty Images
The lip color’s enduring popularity spiked after a slew of TikTok-viral videos in recent years, putting this iconic lip product back in the limelight. It’s sold out numerous times in the past two years, and more recently was a top-shopped gift for women during 2024’s holiday season.
I’ve been wearing Clinique Black Honey lipstick on and off for over a decade — it’s that good. Read on for my honest testing review after much experience with this cult-favorite lipstick.
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How We Tested Clinique Black Honey Lipstick
- Product tested: Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick
- Period of testing: 10+ years
- Key ingredients: Castor seed oil, candelilla wax, and glycerin
- Pros:
- Flattering on all skin tones
- Buildable color
- Deeply hydrating
- Slim bullet allows for easy application on cupid’s bow and corners of lips
- Cons:
- Requires frequent reapplication for a darker lip look
- Color tends to transfer after application
- Editor testing and review notes: “Clinique Black Honey is one of the best lip color shades I keep on hand. One coat adds oomph to my natural lip color for daytime wear, and it’s easy to build up with a few layers for a deeper, richer berry lip. I love that it gives me the look of a lip stain with the feel of an ultra-emollient lip balm. The shade feels has a cool undertone to it that makes my teeth look whiter and brighter, too. It’s everything an everyday lip color should be: comfortable, hydrating, and mirror-free ease of application.”
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
Price upon publish date of this article: $21.25
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey – Editor Testing Review
With the feel of an amazing lip balm and the look of a glossy lip stain, the easiest way to describe Clinique Black Honey is as a lip enhancer. True lipsticks fully mask the tone of your natural lips, and while there’s a time and place for that full-coverage color payoff, Clinique Black Honey goes on ultra-sheer, like watercolor pigments. The berry shade looks dark in the tube (think: a rich berry-red lipstick), but as you apply it you’ll notice that the color payoff is barely-there in a beautiful way.
I’ve worn Clinique Black Honey for about a decade, first testing it out in my early 20s when I hadn’t figured out what colors look best with my fair skin that reads cool during the winter and warm during the summer. The lip balm was described to me as flattering for all, and after testing Clinique Black Honey in the years since, I can attest to that: Everyone who I recommend it to, no matter their skin tone, gets hooked.
When I need to look polished for a long day at the office with dinner plans after work, Clinique Black Honey is always in my shoulder bag. The beauty of this formula is how versatile it is to wear: During the day, I’ll do one to two coats for a little oomph, and for a night out, I’ll layer on two to three coats over lip liner for a bolder berry lip. I always find myself wanting to reapply it for moisture throughout the day, and I love that I can count on it to look flawless even if I’m not applying it near a mirror. It tends to transfer onto my coffee mugs or glasses if I’m sipping right after swiping it on, but other than that, it’s a flawless pick.
WWD Shop editor Claire Sullivan tests Clinique Black Honey lipstick in our New York City office. Captured with the Leica Q3 Camera.
WWD/ Adam Mansuroglu
About Clinique Black Honey Lipstick
Clinique launched the Black Honey shade in 1971, originally formulated as a gooey gloss sold in little glass pots. The pigment looked like a nearly-black mulberry shade in the pot — the antithesis of the flashy makeup colors popular at the time. But the magic of Black Honey is that it sheers out as soon as you apply it, enriching the color of your natural lips and imparting shine.
By the ’90s, Clinique reformulated the shade into the Almost Lipstick format, designed for easier application. As the name suggests, the Almost Lipstick formula puts the jammy shade in a lip product that’s a cross between a lip balm and a great lipstick. The updated packaging made the beloved lip color easier to apply on the go — it’s so sheer that you don’t need makeup mirrors to swipe it on. The updated packaging reinforced Clinique’s Black Honey as a veritable sensation. According to Clinique, seven tubes are sold every minute.
Where to Shop Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick is available to shop online at various retailers, including Nordstrom, Ulta, and Sephora. Clinique recently launched in Amazon’s Premium Beauty Store with benefits for Amazon Prime members, including two-day shipping and access to flash deals throughout the year. Due to popularity on TikTok, Clinique’s Black Honey lipstick frequently sells out, so consider yourself lucky to get your hands on this lip balm when it’s in stock.
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
Price upon publish date of this article: $21.25
More Editor-tested Clinique Black Honey Makeup Finds to Shop
Clinique Pop Plush Creamy Lip Gloss in Black Honey Pop
Editor testing and review notes: “The original Clinique Black Honey shade in the Almost Lipstick formula has a sheen to it — think something to the effect of the look you get after swiping on a hydrating lip balm. The lip gloss iteration of the iconic shade goes big on shine. I love that it has a sheer finish to it that you can layer over a pink lipstick or a nude lip liner for more depth and richness.” — Sullivan
Price upon publish date of this article: $25
Clinique All About Shadow Eye Shadow Palette
Editor testing and review notes: “I didn’t have a Black Honey eyeshadow palette on bingo card for 2024. However, I was bowled over when I first laid my eyes on it. The eight-pan palette doesn’t include a single shade that mimics the original Black Honey tone; instead, it offers a multitude of options to paint your lids in sheer neutral and mauve tones. This gives the same you-but-better effect as Almost Lipstick, but for your eyes.” — Sullivan
Price upon publish date of this article: $48
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Editor testing and review notes: “Black mascara tends to read a little stark on my fair complexion and blonde hair, so I usually go with a black-brown tone for daytime wear. I was already a fan of Clinique’s High Impact mascara before I swiped on the Almost Honey iteration of it — the bristles deftly coat each lash without clumps. The Black Honey shade reads as a brown mascara with a little intrigue to it, and it looks stellar when you team it with the Black Honey eyeshadow palette.” — Sullivan
Price upon publish date of this article: $26
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Meet the Author
Claire Sullivan is the Senior Beauty and Lifestyle Commerce Editor for Footwear News and WWD, where she writes and edits beauty, fashion and lifestyle stories. She has over six years of experience as a writer and editor for national media outlets including Martha Stewart Living, Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle, and Byrdie. She keeps her finger on the pulse of all things related to beauty and wellness, as well as the latest shopping trends and clothing brands. Sullivan has worn Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick for a decade, using her extensive experience testing the product to write this review.
