An open letter to brown lipstick

Before you whirled into our lives like a tornado in 2015, you were just a half-forgotten 90s trend. You were something our mothers and aunties wore on their lips in oxidized moldy photos of when they were young. (Remember when people printed out photos and kept them in physical photo albums?) You were something we only saw in old movies and magazines along with jumpers and boyish hair cuts. But Kylie Jenner changed all that with the launch of her lip kits.

Suddenly, brown was the color to die for. And we’re not talking pinks, peaches, mauves, and red with a bit of brown - we’re talking full deep browns with a variety undertones. You were made new by celebrities like Kylie in a nostalgic sort of way, as the trend harkened back to sensuous and grungy 90s culture. You were a jackpot for us Filipinos too; brown works with our warm Asian undertone in an especially flattering way. We felt seen. We felt like finally there’s a color we can own that’s sexy and demure at the same time.

Since then, so many brown lipsticks were introduced to the Philippine market and we loved how each brand had their own unique twist to you. I’ve tried dozens of versions of you and even launched a few of you in the last six years! I delighted in how you transformed (forced?) other makeup products like eyeshadow and blush to be warmer to suit you as the default lip color. I never much cared for lilacs and taupes so I’m glad that there are many more warm options for my medium yellow skin tone.

I’ll be honest though. Now, I’m tired of you. It’s not your fault, truly, I know you gave me your best. But I’m not the same person anymore. I have new dreams - specifically, juicy bright lip colors that are youthful and fresh-looking. I want berries! I want watermelons! I want to free my face from your stultifying embrace and go for something that looks a bit more cheerful. So please. It’s time for a new dominant color.