Hit List: Best Vampy Lipstick

What’s the Best Vampy Lipstick that you’ve tried?

Share your pick!  And don’t forget to share why 🙂

NARS Train Bleu is one of the best that I’ve come across. I also like MAC’s satin/mattes, but most are LE.

Thanks to Monica for today’s topic!

82 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Emily Avatar

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Copenhagen. It’s such a gorgeous color (slightly darker than MAC Rebel), it can be very drying but the staying power is amazing, it doesn’t transfer once it dries, and it costs like 5 bucks. Now I just need to pick up Transylvania!

Laurica Avatar

Mac’s “Punk Couture” is EVERYTHING! It is one of my favorite colors ever and a perfect vampy purple for winter. Unfortunately, it was limited edition and I hate that I wasn’t able to grab a backup. But it is gorgeous. I really hope that MAC re-releases it some time soon.

Sunny Avatar

Ha, I actually don’t have anything of that caliber! I’ve tried a lot of lipsticks that LOOK really dark in the tubes, but pull a lot lighter on me. I’ve been told it’s the natural pigmentation of my lips interfering with them. Although now come to think of it, I do really like MAC Fashion Revival, if that counts… (probably not)

Lee Avatar

I’ve got the opposite problem, a lot of stuff that looks moderate on other people, looks super dark on me, maybe ’cause I’m pretty pale.

I don’t wear vampy that often ’cause I think it looks to stark on me but I need a good vampy lipstick for Halloween. I tried Heroine thise morning and it’s a good vampy dark purple on me.

beka Avatar

i love rouge d’armani 609 and tom ford black orchid. gigolo is pretty intense on me-especially a few layers. i have a few more, but i can’t remember the names off hand. i think i have a problem with dark vampy shades-i LOVE them.

Molly D Avatar

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Cassis is AMAZING. Not drying at all, actually good for your lips, and I get compliments every single time. I also love NARS Fire Down Below (does that count?) and Scarlet Empress. Some cheapies I’ve been playing with are the new NYX Simply Vamp lip cremes that come in chubby sticks.

kjh Avatar

give my age away, but Fire DB is one of my all time favorites + SE is superlative. Got so many compliments on FDB, that i had to give it as a present to at least 5 people. Shanghai Express is another good one. Nobody, but nobody does that color family like M. Francois. They don’t look vampy on me, but rather brown-toned reds. (To me, Vamps are dark brown toned purples, more purple than brown. Purply-puce) The original Nars makes the Audacious (like! like!) look overblown. I’m desperately afraid that with 2 new formulas, M. Francois will discontinue his originals. I’d need a back up of 8-10. Please, no! The original Nars vamp, to me, was Times Square, which seems to have been replaced with the Train Bleue pencil.

BeauBlooms Avatar

Sephora Rouge R24 is BY FAR the vampiest I own! It is a rich, dark, blackened purple-plum cream that is not too slippery. It’s not marked on the tube, but if I remember correctly, it’s called Grape. Unfortunately, it is now discontinued. I actually got this for $5 at the time! If I knew then what I know now, I probably would have bought 5 for that price. I just checked my stash and MAC’s Smoked Purple is almost an exact color match, although it is a matte lipstick. I prefer the Sephora version because I find Smoked Purple harder to apply on the lips.

Sara Avatar

I have pretty pigmented lips, so a lot of vampy shades look really dark on me. Not a good look. So I reach for chanel rouge coco shine in 92 emotion. It’s really pretty, and doesn’t pull too dark.

kjh Avatar

And there’s a pissah blush, too, that doesn’t go bad as quickly as the l/s. it’s the original, the one that coined the color family ‘Vamp.’ I love Train Bleu + like the new Nyx vamp i got (but the packaging is VERY squiffy…) Old Nars Times Sq. + some of the 90s Poppys are pretty swell, too. 90s brown came back + if Nyx is any indicator, so might Vamp! Yay! oh, yay!

Ginny Avatar

Always been a fan of MAC Diva. I just bought MAC Living Legend, and I like it and it’s the darkest lip color I own now. Nars has a few in the Pure Matte Lipstick line (Terre de Fue and Volga). Revlon Black Cherry is a good option, just needs a liner, and also can double as a stain.

Karla Avatar

I love Nars train bleu, and Mac Rebel. I also have a maybelline lipstick in midnight… Something I forget the shade name. But it’s a black purple. Why are good dark colors always limited edition 🙁

Karla Avatar

Yes Thanks! I can never remember names, and I’m too lazy to go digging around sometimes. Haha! I love that color, and the matching lipgloss 😛

Terry Avatar

Just to throw in another low-end lipstick – NYC Ultra Moist in Mahogony is soooo good! It can build up from a sheer wine/cherry color to a rich deep brownish red. It’s $1 and it’s the best!

Helene Avatar

I think it can be a Chanel, the one made to suit the Rouge Noir nailpolish, I think it’s called Vamp or something like that as well.
Unfortunately I don’t have the lipstick anymore as it got bad, but it was a good shade.
Now I have a lot of dark red ones that might be considered vampy, a lot of purple ones as well, but I guess my only lip product from cheap brand MUA Lip BOOM in LMK is the vampiest I’ve got right now.

Rachel R. Avatar

OCC Lip Tar in Black Metal Dahlia. My son calls it my “sexy vampire” look. I think it’s amazing.

Honorable mentions to the Regular Black Dahlia, Performance Colors Rose and Max Factor Hipster.

Jennifer Avatar

I’m very pale so anything darker then a classic red is vampy on me, lol. MAC Rebel, the discontinued Shiro Three Wolf Moon, and Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stain in Crush are the ones most frequently in my rotation. I find OCC lip tars fussy (super dry lips) but Strumpet and Vintage are both lovely vamps on me.

My altime favorite vampy lip is Inglot Freedom System Lipstick in #49. Formula, staying power, and color. All wins!

Nikki Avatar

I think Strumpet is one of the most underrated Lip Tar colors. The metallics wear better on me than the “matte” ones and feel less greasy-then-drying but even so the COLOR IS SO PRETTY.

Sarah Avatar

Maybelline Midnight Plum is nice, I can either make it a little more sheer or build it up. I believe that one was LE, though, I bought it last fall. Sephora Luster Mattre in Deep Plum is a nice formula, doesn’t really budge! AND finally, Sephora Cream Stain in 07 – Dark Berry. Everyone online loves it, it’s ALWAYS sold out in Sephora.

Pasheeda Morris Avatar

I’m dating myself when I say this. The best “vampiest” of vampy lipstick I’ve ever tried is Nars lipstick in Times Square. I used to rock this color in my twenties. The deep purplish red is reminiscent of a what a silent screen actress would swipe on her lips. It’s been since discontinued. Now, I only wear matte lipsticks in neutral shades of nude which meshes with my skin tone, Make Up For Ever Artist Rouge Lipstick in M3-Matte Caramel and reddish brown lipstick that I can dress up and down which is Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Amsterdam.

Marieke Avatar

I’m loving MAC Viva Glam III this season. It’s unusually brown, but also every awesome. Vampy but not reaaally dark is Seventeen Rule Breaker.

Tilla Avatar

My all time favorite has to be Mac’s Prince Noir. It’s got that perfect cherry red with really bloody undertones that I love. I like that it doesn’t veer towards plum/purple like Instigator either. A close second it’s Sephora’s cream lip stain in Dark Berry because it has gold shimmer to it. They are my staples!

Helena Avatar

Vampy lipstick is my go-to everyday shade. My favourite is Tom Ford Black Orchid, mostly for the extravagance of it , but as I only have one and it’s discontinued I don’t wear it that often. Mac Heart Hangover and Soulfully Rich are great, but LE. Diva is pretty nice too. I love my Illamasquas, although I think Kontrol (and Disciple if navy counts) are my vampy favourites. The absolute best lipliner I currently own is Sleek’s Eau La Liner in Raisin, perfect for Black Orchid and also a really great eyeliner. For cheap lipsticks, Wet N Wild’s Cherry Bomb is great and Vamp It Up is lovely too. My most worn is probably Chanel Vamp, I think the new Allure one (although I can’t remember) which is absolutely gorgeous.

Also I have gone through the comments googling everything recommended to see what I need to buy next, no shame.

Nikki Avatar

So many! MUFE 45 is a perfect blue-red to me. OCC Black Metal Dahlia is amazing, as are MAC VG III and I. MAC Herione is a little more funky, but I think I look mean (in a good, intimidating way) when I wear it. lol

Lotus Avatar

Since when were vamps really dark and purple? If I had it, I’d say Guerlain Rouge G Garconne! Sirens, vamps, twilight fan fiction, gothic, cyberpunk.. Categorically distinguishing this is important as all are quite different! I’m Imagining the greats rolling in their graves as we loosely toss terms they inspired.

Sue Avatar

UD’s shame! Just got it yesterday and love it- on me it’s a red leaning purple that makes my green eyes vivid and gorgeous; must try for green eyed ladies!

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!