The 9 Best Lipsticks, According to Mindy Kaling
In my opinion, Mindy Kaling is one of the best celebrities to follow on Instagram. Not only does she show off her signature sense of humor, but she consistently posts outfit photos complete with all the brands tagged—now that's serviceable content. As I dedicated a whole story to earlier this year, Kaling has amazing taste, so when she recently did a super-informative IGTV video on her favorite lipsticks for dark-skinned women, I simply had to watch the whole thing.
"One of the things about having dark skin is that it's really hard to find really pretty lip colors that flatter your skin," Kaling says in her Instagram video. "Either they're too chalky or too light. Sometimes the models they use are too light-skinned, so you can't really gauge. So what I thought I'd do is show you all of my favorite lip colors for all of us dark-skinned girls out there. … I think [they] will also look good on you if you have light-colored skin." In the video, Kaling wears her nine favorite lipsticks, so you can see how they all look compared to one another. She also explains exactly why each one of them is a winner. Scroll down to watch her video and shop every single lipstick Kaling mentions.
"You don't have to break the bank to have awesome red lips," Kaling says on her IGTV. "What's great about this is whenever I've worn this, it lasts for hours and hours and doesn't leave a ring around the outside when the inside is naked after eating. I love this stuff, and it's really cheap."
"My lips, like a lot of dark-skinned women's lips, have like six different colors in it," Kaling says in the video. "It starts very pink in the inside and gets darker as it goes to the outer edge of my lip. When I want to not look that makeup-y, I'll use this Kat Von D Lolita lipstick. It's good for that no-makeup look when you just want your lips to be all one color."
"When you are going on a date and you want to project 'I like you, I'd like to kiss you,' the classic red for dark-skinned girls is Cruella [by Nars]. It's very red, it's very out-there, so for me, I feel a little vulnerable wearing it. But for a photo shoot or something, I really like it."
"I was so excited about this YSL lipstick in this glittery packaging," Kaling told her Instagram followers. "This is actually Zoë Kravtiz's collaboration. This color is 126. What's cool about it is that it's more of an orange-red. I usually like blue-reds because my skin tone is yellow-brown. But this is an orange-red I really like. It's very moist. Everything is so matte now, but I kind of like that this one is a little shinier."
Next, 11 universally flattering lipsticks to try this winter.
Erin got her start as aBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing intern over 14 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she currently holds the title of Associate Director of Fashion News (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Kate and Meghan stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible.
-
Doechii's Nail Artist Just Told Me These 10 Products Are the Secret to Any Great Nail Look
And her favorite looks she's ever created.
-
Sabrina Carpenter and Addison Rae Love This TikTok-Famous Eye Shadow, so I Put It to the Test
Spoiler alert: I'm obsessed.
-
You'll Never Guess How Hailey Bieber Uses Rhode's Lip Shape in Her 3-Step Get-Ready Routine
Talk about multitasking.
-
I've Wanted to Know Chad Michael Murray's Scent Since 2001—Now I Know It's This French Hair Perfume
Hint: It's a Parfums de Marly fragrance…
-
Sofia Richie Grainge Swears By a $7 Anti-Acne Bar Soap and This "Holy Grail" French Pharmacy Cream
"It's the only thing that doesn't break me out."
-
Doe-Eyed '70s Makeup Has Never Been "Out," But a Celeb MUA Taught Us How to Upgrade It for 2025
Groovy, baby.
-
Jasmine Tookes Revealed Her Lip Combo on IG—This Scandi-Girl Lip Liner Is Key
It's so underrated.
-
Whoa, Lindsay Lohan's Skin Looks Practically Airbrushed—See the Camera-Ready Skincare-Makeup Hybrid Responsible
Exclusive details on her premiere princess look.