Buy it. Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey is a sheer, balmy lipstick that looks nearly black in the tube and goes on as a soft, see-through berry that picks up your own lip color underneath. That’s why it suits such a wide range of skin tones, and why it has stayed in production for decades while louder shades came and went. It won’t give you opaque color, sharp edges, or all-day wear. It gives you a flushed, just-bitten stain you can put on without a mirror. If that’s the look you want, the original is worth owning. If you want the same wash for less, a tinted balm gets you most of the way there. And if you want that sheer berry idea in a more treatment-like formula, there’s a pricier option below.
The verdict, up front
You want a sheer berry that looks like your lips, only better, and you’ll reapply without thinking about it
You like the idea of a berry wash but don’t want to pay lipstick money to find out if it suits you
Your lips run dry and you’d rather have a tinted treatment balm than a sheer lipstick
What Clinique Black Honey actually is
Almost Lipstick is Clinique’s in-between formula. It’s slicker and more comfortable than a regular lipstick, but it comes in a proper bullet, so you get more control than you would from a gloss wand. Black Honey is the shade that made the line famous. In the tube it looks close to black, and swatched heavily on the back of your hand it’s a deep plum-brown. On lips it turns into something much quieter: a translucent berry with a little brown in it.
The “universal” reputation comes from that sheerness. There’s so little pigment that your natural lip color does a lot of the work, so it deepens pale pink lips into a rosy berry and reads as a subtle glossy stain on deeper lips. It isn’t magic and it isn’t a mood lipstick. It just doesn’t carry enough pigment to clash with much of anything.
It’s been around long enough for your mom to have owned one, and it had a viral second life online when a new generation noticed it did exactly what the “my lips but better” trend was chasing. Outliving both moments says more than the hype did.
Does it actually work?
For what it promises, yes. It gives you a sheer, flattering berry that looks natural across a wide range of lip colors, and it’s comfortable enough to wear all day with reapplication. That’s a small promise, and Black Honey keeps it better than almost anything else in the category.
Where it falls short is staying power. It wears off with coffee and lunch, and it doesn’t leave much of a stain behind once it’s gone. That’s the trade you make for a formula this comfortable. Anything that clings for eight hours tends to feel tighter or drier on the lips.
It also isn’t a moisturizing treatment, even though it feels balmy going on. If your lips are chronically dry you’ll still need a real balm underneath or overnight. And it doesn’t have SPF, so if you’re outside for long stretches, pair it with a lip sunscreen.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Sheer berry that flatters a wide range of skin tones
- Goes on without a mirror and fades evenly
- Comfortable, balmy slip in a lipstick bullet
- Buildable from a tint to a wine-stained lip
Cons
- Short wear time; gone after a meal
- Not enough pigment for a true, bold berry lip
- No SPF, and not a treatment for dry lips
- Can look waxy if you pile on too many coats
Who it’s for
Black Honey suits anyone who wants color that looks like it happened on its own. That covers the no-makeup crowd, new parents doing their face in the car, and the kind of person who owns one lipstick and wears it daily. It’s also a smart pick if bold lip colors make you feel costumed, because the sheerness takes the pressure off.
It’s the wrong buy if you want pigment. If you’re after a true berry lip that stays put through lunch, this will frustrate you, and a long-wear stain is the better tool. Our guide to long-wear lip stains covers what to reach for there.
How to use it
Straight from the bullet, no mirror. This is the whole point of it. Swipe it on like a balm and blot your lips together once. The sheerness forgives a wobbly edge.
Dab it on for a stained look. Tap it onto the center of your lips with a fingertip and press outward. You get a diffused, lived-in flush that sits somewhere near the blurred lip look without the matte powder.
Line first if you want definition. A berry or mauve liner filled in lightly underneath gives Black Honey more depth and a crisper shape, and it helps the color last. A neutral pencil close to your lip tone works best. The lip liner guide walks through matching one.
Prep dry lips. It’s comfortable, but it isn’t a treatment. On flaky lips any tinted formula settles into the cracks, so balm first and give it a minute to sink in.
The dupe: Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia
Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia isn’t the same shade, and we won’t pretend it is. It leans a little redder and a little less brown. What it copies well is the behavior: a sheer wash of deep color that lets your natural lip show through, applied straight from the stick without a mirror.
The formula is waxier and more balm-like than Almost Lipstick with a beeswax feel. The slip is a touch firmer, so it doesn’t glide quite as smoothly, and the finish has less sheen. It also wears off at about the same pace. It’s a tinted balm you can lose in a coat pocket without caring.
If what you love about Black Honey is that brown-berry depth, the dupe gets you the mood rather than the exact color. Wishing it were browner is your sign to buy the original.
The splurge: Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint in Bare Raspberry
Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint in Bare Raspberry comes at the same idea from the skincare side. It’s a sheer tinted balm with a cushier, more conditioning feel, and Bare Raspberry lands in a similar sheer berry family to Black Honey, a touch pinker and brighter.
This isn’t a better Black Honey. It’s a different product for a different lip. If your lips run dry and you’ve always put a balm under your Clinique anyway, Extra Lip Tint rolls both steps into one. The payoff is even softer, so it’s more of a healthy flush than a stain, and the finish is glossier.
What you give up is Black Honey’s brown depth and its ability to build into something moodier. Three coats of Extra Lip Tint still reads as a tinted balm.
FAQ
Does Black Honey really suit everyone?
It suits a very wide range, because it’s sheer enough to adapt to your natural lip color. On very fair skin with pale lips it can look faint, and on deeper lips it may read more as a gloss than as color. Neither is a problem if you know what to expect.
Is Black Honey drying?
It shouldn’t feel drying. The formula is balmy and comfortable. It just isn’t a treatment, so lips that are already dry and flaky will still show it. Balm underneath fixes that.
Does it transfer?
Yes, a little. It’s an emollient formula, so it leaves a faint mark on cups and wears off as you eat. Blotting once after applying helps.
Can I wear it over lip liner?
Absolutely, and it’s one of the best ways to make it last longer. A berry or mauve liner filled in underneath gives the sheer color more depth and something to cling to.
If I Were You
If you’ve never worn a sheer berry before, start with the Burt’s Bees. It costs very little and tells you whether this look suits your face before you commit to a lipstick.
If you have deeper or more pigmented lips, buy Black Honey. The sheerness lets your natural lip color come through, so it reads as a glossy, deepened version of your own shade rather than sitting on top.
If your lips are dry most of the year, get the Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint, or keep Black Honey and use a real balm under it. A tinted formula won’t fix dehydrated lips on its own.
If you want a berry lip that lasts through dinner, none of these are your answer. Line and fill with a berry pencil, or use a long-wear stain and tap Black Honey over the top for shine.
If you’re packing for a trip and want one lip product, bring Black Honey. It works for daytime at one coat and for evening at three, and our guide to matching your lip to the occasion has more ideas for stretching one shade.
How we picked
A Black Honey dupe has to copy the behavior before the color: sheer enough to let your lip through, easy to apply blind, and fading evenly. Red Dahlia does all three, even if the shade runs redder. The splurge had to be a different product from a different line and cost more, and it had to earn that by doing something Black Honey can’t, which is condition dry lips while it tints. Wear reports across a range of skin tones outweighed brand copy.
Bottom line
Buy Black Honey if you want an easy, flattering berry you can apply blind and wear with almost anything. It’s been around this long because it keeps its small promise. Dupe it with Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia if you want to test the look first or keep a spare in every bag. Splurge on Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint in Bare Raspberry if dry lips are your bigger problem and you’d rather have a tinted treatment than a lipstick.
It loses half a point for short wear and no SPF. More honest verdicts live in our Buy, Dupe, or Splurge archive, and the rest of our lip coverage sits in Makeup.
