Makeup
The Lip Combo Era Is Here—And The Cosmo Beauty Club Gave Their Unfiltered Take On 4 Bestsellers
Published on Sep 9, 2025
If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that nothing beats the confidence boost of a perfectly lined lip topped with the right lipstick and a juicy gloss. Welcome to the Lip Combo Era, where the holy trinity of liner + lippie + gloss is officially back in everyone's kikay kits.
To get the lowdown on which products are actually worth adding to cart, we gathered 13 members of the Cosmo Vibe Tribe—a.k.a. our group of beauty-obsessed creators—for a focus group discussion at Odd Café in Ortigas. The café's spacious, artsy decor and interiors were the perfect backdrop for the group's beauty talk: part market research, part catch-up session with the girlies. 🙂↕️
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PHOTO: Belle Dinglasa.
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PHOTO: Belle Dinglasa.
We asked them to road-test some local heroes: Vice Cosmetics Perfect Kizz Lip Liner, Detail Cosmetics Lip Trace, EB Daily Dose Peptide Lip Care, and Lucky Beauty Lip Sweetener. For the lippie in the middle of the combo, they used their own go-tos—because LBR, lipstick loyalty runs deep and is on another level.
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PHOTO: Belle Dinglasa.
The Cosmo Beauty Club Reviews Local Lip Combo Products
Vice Cosmetics Perfect Kizz Lip Liner
In the FGD, Vice Cosmetics' Perfect Kizz Lip Liner emerged as the undisputed favorite. Eleven out of 13 participants rated it a perfect 5/5 for quality and value, highlighting its smooth application, pigmentation, and lasting power. Even those who hadn't tried it in-session vouched for its reputation—a sign of strong brand equity and word-of-mouth reach.
In a TikTok era where lip liners are slowly (re)gaining popularity thanks to the lip combo trend, Vice Cosmetics' accessible pricing at P245 gives it an edge. For a generation used to seeing MAC Whirl or Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk constantly trending, Vice offers a local alternative that feels just as effective—but without the premium cost.
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Detail Cosmetics Lip Trace
Detail Cosmetics' Lip Trace received more mixed feedback, though it does have solid fans among the group, with some of them sharing that they already repurchased it multiple times. While some participants named it a personal favorite and praised its affordability (priced at P199), others flagged its limited shade range. Three respondents out of 13 rated it 1 out of 5, citing that the colors skewed too safe and lacked the bold tones that are v popular on TikTok.
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PHOTO: Belle Dinglasa.
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Lucky Beauty Lip Sweetener
Lucky Beauty's Lip Sweetener scored points for being moisturizing and non-sticky, with packaging that attendees described as "anik-anik chic"—functional yet still cute enough to lug around, thanks to its keyring feature. However, its higher price point (P349) divided the group: while some rated it 5/5, others gave it 1/5, questioning if the value justified the cost.
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EB Daily Dose Peptide Lip Care
EB Daily Dose's Peptide Lip Care was praised for its "super hydrating" and reliable formula, which aligns with TikTok's current obsession with peptide lip treatments. Still, many mentioned its packaging as an area for improvement—proof that beyond performance, the girlies place importance on both formula and aesthetics.
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PHOTO: Belle Dinglasa.
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What Gen Z Beauty Consumers Expect
This generation knows exactly what their hard-earned money's worth, and they'll keep coming back to products that deliver quality without the steep price tag. Vice Cosmetics' lip liner proved this, earning near-universal praise for being both affordable and high-performing. One thing was clear among our Beauty Besties:
But—and this is a big but!—performance isn't everything. Today's beauty shoppers also look for packaging that feels aspirational yet accessible, and branding that mirrors their values—whether that's inclusivity, sustainability, or simply a campaign that resonates on social media.
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PHOTO: Belle Dinglasa.
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The Bigger Picture in Beauty
The lip combo trend isn't just another viral beauty hack. It's a nod to the bold AF lip liners of the '90s, layers them with today's lipsticks that prioritize comfort, and tops it all off with the glossy, glazed aesthetic that TikTok is obsessed with.
For local beauty brands, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Vice Cosmetics shows how one product can win loyalty. Detail Cosmetics highlights the need for risk-taking shade ranges. EB and Lucky Beauty remind us that packaging, price, and performance must all align to earn a permanent spot in consumers' kikay kits.
More than a layering technique, the lip combo trend is a snapshot of what Gen Z beauty stands for: practical yet aspirational, trend-driven yet deeply personal. But ultimately, this trend is bigger than the sum of its parts—it's about how a product makes its wearer feel: polished, empowered, and ready to take up space, both online and offline.
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READ HERECheska is Cosmo's Lifestyle Editor. She loves hoarding blushes, oversharing in drafts, and pretending impulse buys are "for work." Follow her on IG: @cheskasntg