Juicy, kissable jam lips are the best food-related make-up trend I've seen in *ages*

Vampy, but with a summery twist

Jam lips
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Another day, another food-related make-up trend, it seems, but jam lips has me in a chokehold. We've seen everything from latte make-up to Hailey Bieber's now ubiquitous glazed doughnut nails, and while these trends have a time and a place, I do think that jam lips is the most editorial of the bunch.

Chances are, you won't be too unfamiliar with it already. Picture stained berry-coloured lips, but even more softened and blurred—it's like the person in question has just been macking on a punnet of fresh berries. Or if you err, historical, this look isn't too dissimilar from what we've seen in historical epics like Dracula or the more recent Nosferatu, starring Lily-Rose Depp—it's bitten in nature but ever so gently.

Colour is important here too. This isn't a look that skews pink or even red—it's more of a grape-like burgundy that crosses over to brown in some angles. And it's likely not worn with any gloss—here it's largely matte, but you can incorporate a subtle balmy sheen for comfort.

It's an altogether more transitional take on the classic berry lip that has long been associated with the autumn/winter season. Here, it's kept fresh thanks to steering clear of thick gloss on top and opting for a more pressed-in approach to application.

This is the method that make-up artists used at Annie's Ibiza's autumn/winter 2025 runway show. Similarly, at Rachel Comey, models wore a very light jammy lip, where the pigment was more concentrated right in the centre. A very light balm on top completed the look.

I like to get the look by pairing a burgundy-toned lip liner with a bit of berry lipstick or gloss in the middle, before wiping away the excess. Clinique's infamous Black Honey is great here, as is the Wonderskin lip stain—I'd just refrain from over-applying, and top with a slightly paler or clear coloured balm.

MC approved products for jam lips

Nessa Humayun
Junior Beauty Editor

Nessa Humayun is the Junior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK. With over eight years of editorial experience across lifestyle sectors, Nessa was previously the Editorial Lead of HUNGER Magazine, and has bylines in British Vogue, Dazed, and Cosmopolitan. A self-confessed human guinea pig, Nessa covers everything from product must-haves to long-reads about the industry writ large. Her beauty ethos is all about using products that work hard, so you don't have to.