Beauty Clinique Black Honey vs e.l.f. Dupe: Best Berry Tint Pick
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey is the original icon, but e.l.f. Sheer Slick in Black Cherry claims to match it for less. The color comparison is remarkably close. Here is how they compare.
| Factor | Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey | Clinique Pop Lip and Cheek Oil in Black |
|---|---|---|
| Shade | Sheer berry-plum | Sheer berry-plum |
| Finish | Glossy sheer | Glossy sheer |
| Formula feel | Moisturizing, smooth | Moisturizing, smooth |
| Color accuracy | The original reference | Very close match |
| Price | Around 24 to 27 dollars | Around 6 to 8 dollars |
| Availability | Department stores, online | Drugstores, online |
| Best for | Purists, gift giving | Budget, trying the trend |
Our Verdict
Choose Clinique if you want the original with the exact iconic shade. It makes a great gift too. Choose e.l.f. if you want 90 percent of the look for a quarter of the price. The dupe is genuinely excellent. Most buyers will be happy with e.l.f.
More Top Picks in This Category
Not sold on either of these two? Here are more bestselling options worth considering.
Best for: Budget buyers wanting the Black Honey look for less.
e.l.f. Sheer Slick Lipstick in Black Cherry
- Top-rated Black Honey dupe
- Sheer berry-plum tint
- Moisturizing slick formula
- Fraction of the original price
Pros
- Near-identical color
- Amazing value
- Great formula
Cons
- Not the exact original shade
- Drugstore packaging
Best for: Experimenters wanting Black Honey style at the lowest price.
BAISEN Black Honey Lipstick 2-Pack
- Two Black Honey style lipsticks
- Sheer berry tint
- Moisturizing formula
- Great value pack
Pros
- Very cheap per stick
- Two-pack value
- Decent dupe color
Cons
- Lesser-known brand
- Formula less refined
Best for: Gifting or stocking up on berry tints cheaply.
BAISEN Black Honey Lipstick 3-Pack
- Three-pack of berry tint lipsticks
- Sheer Black Honey style shades
- Moisturizing
- Best per-stick price
Pros
- Lowest per-stick cost
- Multiple shades
- Good for gifting
Cons
- Generic brand
- Quality varies
Want the Full Picture?
Black Honey on Deep Skin Tones: Undertone Guidance
Shade talk stays at generic undertone level everywhere, but deep and dark skin tones deserve the depth this topic requires. Black Honey's famous universality comes from its sheer berry-plum balance: enough red to warm, enough brown to ground, sheer enough to let the natural lip color participate. On deep skin, sheer formulas like these behave differently than opaque ones, the berry tint deepens the natural lip color rather than covering it, which is why the same tube reads as a subtle tint on fair lips and a rich berry stain on deep lips.
The undertone guidance for deep skin specifically: warm deep skin should lean toward the berry-plum side where the red notes harmonize, while cool deep skin carries the plum-brown depth beautifully. The e.l.f. dupe's sheer formula is actually advantageous here, since opaque dupes can go ashy on deep skin where sheer ones cannot. Test in daylight on the lips, never the hand, because hand swatches lie most dramatically on deeper skin. Our best lip products roundup includes sheer options evaluated across skin depths, which is the context that makes universality claims testable rather than aspirational.
Sheer Berry on Thin Lips: Fullness Without Filler
Which textures add visual fullness versus flattening is the thin-lip question nobody answers with specifics. Sheer, glossy formulas like the Black Honey family are among the best textures for thin lips, because shine creates dimension: light reflects off the glossy surface and the eye reads that reflection as volume. Deep matte formulas do the opposite on thin lips, absorbing light and making the lip boundary look smaller and more severe, which is why the sheer berry tint flatters thin lips more than an opaque berry matte would.
The application tricks compound the effect. Apply the sheer tint fully through the center and let it fade naturally at the edges rather than lining precisely, since a diffused edge looks fuller than a hard line. A dab of clear gloss just in the center of the lower lip over the tint adds a final highlight point. Avoid dark liner with these sheer shades on thin lips, since the liner draws a visible boundary that shrinks the perceived size. The 2-pack and 3-pack formats make sense for thin-lip wearers who use the tint daily, since sheer formulas get used up faster than pigmented ones.
Sun Protection in Sheer Lip Color
SPF is absent from every lipstick roundup even though lips burn easily, and sheer formulas leave the lips more exposed than opaque ones simply because less pigment means less physical coverage. The lower lip burns most, being larger and more sun-facing, and chronic sun exposure thins the lips and deepens vertical lines over time. None of the Black Honey style picks above include SPF, which is typical for the category but worth stating plainly.
The practical system is layering: an SPF lip balm as the base, given five minutes to set, then the sheer berry tint over it. The balm handles protection while the tint handles color, and the sheer formula layers cleanly over balm in a way matte lipsticks do not. Reapply the SPF layer every two hours in direct sun, not just the tint. For lips already damaged from unprotected sun, the healing routine in our Aquaphor lip repair guide restores the smooth surface that sheer tints need to look their best.