Few things change a look as fast as lipstick. A deep red for a night out, a sheer nude for every day, a bright fuchsia when the week needs a lift — the shade you reach for says something about your mood, and maybe about you. Lipstick Theory is our illustrated series that takes eight classic shades and reads them like a horoscope. It's not science. It is fun to draw.
The eight shades
Why lipstick is a joy to illustrate
A lipstick bullet is a perfect little sculpture: a sharp angled tip, a glossy cylinder and a case that tells you everything about the brand. We draw each one with a bold outline, a single highlight and flat, saturated color, so the shade itself is the hero. Because the silhouette stays constant across the series, the color differences do all the work — which is exactly what makes the set read so well on a feed or a printed card.
Using a series like this for a brand
Beauty brands use illustrated series to launch a new range, explain a color story or build a "find your shade" quiz. The same eight drawings can become packaging inserts, a social carousel, in-store shelf talkers and an email header — one illustration job, a whole launch's worth of content.
Pick the shade that matches your mood, not your outfit.
Which one are you? Tell us — and if you're launching a beauty line of your own, we'd love to draw it. See our fashion & beauty illustration.