GRWM Lip Couture Review: A Refillable Matte Lipstick for the Practical Lipstick Lover

Sustainability and customizability in makeup are not new concepts for GRWM Cosmetics, as seen in the Face Card Palette system launched in 2024. That system let users build their own palettes by swapping pans in and out, so you only buy the shades you'll actually use instead of a fixed set where half the pans go untouched. The brand is now applying these same concepts to lip products with the release of its first-ever refillable lipstick, just in time for GRWM's fifth anniversary. It's a practical move, too: once you have the case, you only need to repurchase the bullet, which means less packaging waste and less guilt about finishing (or not finishing) a shade.

The GRWM Lip Couture (P499, lipstick + refillable case) is a creamy matte lipstick that supposedly glides silky smooth on the lips and leaves an intense, high-pigment color. It's packed with shea butter, avocado oil, castor seed oil, vitamin E, grapeseed oil, and sodium hyaluronate to ensure a comfortable, non-drying wear. The actual lipstick comes in an aluminum tube with a rotating plastic mechanism that can then be inserted into a refillable case with a magnetic closure. The refills can be purchased separately for P299 each. They shared a short video on IG showing how to refill the case, and depending on your mood, you can switch between four case options: Luster, Noir Metal, Rosé Metal, and Bronze Umber.

The refill comes in 20 shades composed of five reds, seven pinks, three mauves, and five browns. The reds are Kamille, Love, Scarlet, Elizabeth, and Isabelle; the pinks are Hera, Amelia, Avery, Aaliyah, Mayumi, Summer Eloise, and Elle; the mauves are Freya, Marienne, and Rae; and the browns are Jamé, Hiraya, Felicity, Margarita, and Constance.

It's a solid spread for a first outing, and it's telling that the lineup leans heavily on pinks, mauves, and browns, the everyday MLBB territory most of us actually reach for, rather than statement shades you'd only wear twice a year. That range also makes the refill system less of a gimmick and more of a genuine value play: at P299 per bullet, collecting a rotation of two or three shades for one case is cheaper than buying separate full-priced lipsticks would usually be.

They also published a shade guide that matches the colors with your skin tone. If you want to match your undertone instead, there are nine shades with warm undertones, nine with neutral undertones, and two with cool undertones. They even have a color chart that shows where each shade lands on the cool-to-warm and light-to-dark spectrum. It's the kind of legwork brands don't always bother with, so if you tend to agonize over shade selection when buying lipstick online, this takes a lot of the guesswork out. Cool-toned girlies might feel a bit shortchanged with only two options, though, so here's hoping future drops even that out.

Here are arm swatches of all 20 shades:

My favorites, Hera, Freya, and Rae to name a few, come from the neutral and cool undertone line-up as they suit me the most. I also like some of the warm releases since the shade range is quite extensive and wearable for a range of skin tones. The refillable cases give off a luxurious feel in terms of weight and finishing. I especially like both Metals in Noir and Rosé.

In terms of longevity when worn, this wears like a typical matte lipstick with a decent stain. What stands out to me is the soft, almost blurring effect that I maximize by also using the lipstick as an on-the-go blush. I can also wear it sheer by patting it on like a stain for that blotted effect, or full-on for strong pigmentation. I like this lipstick for offering flexibility with its versatile finish.

Aside from the GRWM Lip Couture launch, the brand also released a new collaboration with Pawssion Project, the GRWM Cosmetics x Pawssion Project Collection, which commits 100% of net proceeds to Pawssion Project's efforts to build a shelter for rescued animals. The collection contains a limited-edition Palette of Pawsibilities (P599), a special version of the brand's Face Card six-pan palette case, and a Power Gloss in the shade Cleo (P399). This new shade adds to the previously released Power Gloss line-up earlier this summer.

If you're interested in celebrating GRWM's anniversary and supporting Pawssion Project's causes, these products are available online at Shopee, Lazada,TikTok, and their official website. A store locator at the GRWM website can lead you to offline retail locations.

GRWM Lip Couture Ingredients:

Tridecyl Trimellitate, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Synthetic Wax, Silica, Microcrystalline Wax, Polyglyceryl-2 Isostearate, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter Extract, Persea Gratissima Oil, Vegetable Oil, Tocopherol, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol. May contain +/-: CI 77891, Ci 77492, CI 77491, CI 77742, CI 77499, CI 15850, CI 16035, CI 42090, CI 15985