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Do you own the iconic shade?

It has been a difficult time for lovers of Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. Why? The lipstick (which was created over 50 years ago) has had a sudden resurgence on social media platform TikTok; 242 million views later the shade is frequently sold out and long time fans have had a hard time bagging one.

Black Honey’s social media takeover has been timely, taking place in between lockdowns during the pandemic, when our approach to makeup was becoming more low key. For Zoom meetings and occasional pops to the shop, a coat of mascara and swipe of sheer lipstick was our makeup uniform. Black Honey fitted right in.

ok i’m obsessed. take all my money. i’m going to buy three while it’s still available @Clinique #blackhoney #grwm

Rather like the Queen's favourite nail polish (which you can read all about here), Black Honey’s success lies in its suits-all buildable shade.

It’s a balm-meets-tint, which supplies a sheer wash of colour in one swipe. The translucent hue allows the natural lip shade to peek through, so it works for most skin tones. And while it doesn't last as long on the lip as a matte lipstick, it fades evenly, without patching, blotchiness or an obvious lip line.

Then there's the colour itself - a sheer, raisiny merlot. Don't be alarmed by the deep hue in the bullet; it can be built up to create opaque coverage or blotted back down into a tiny with your finger. For a single lipstick, this works harder than most!

Now it's back in stock, you can shop Black Honey, below.