For years, lips were all about precision — sharply drawn liners, sculpted cupid’s bows and high-shine finishes that looked intentional. But this year, beauty has shifted in the opposite direction. Instead of crisp edges and heavy pigment, the most flattering lips right now look soft, slightly smudged and lived-in. That’s the “blurred lip” trend in a nutshell, and while recreating it with a traditional lipstick can be tricky, there’s one drugstore lip product that takes the guesswork out of nailing the look.The Hard Candy Lip Blur lipstick is designed to look soft and slightly worn-in, which is exactly what the blurred-lip trend calls for. The texture lands somewhere between a lipstick and a stain — it goes on creamy, but once it sets, it has a velvety, almost powdery finish that makes color look diffused instead of sharp. I like to dab it onto the center of my lips and move outward, letting the color fade naturally at the edges so that it looks more like a stain than a full layer of lipstick. Then, instead of using my fingers or a tissue, I use the built-in sponge to gently blur the edges. I like that the lipstick is dual-ended and includes a sponge — it makes it easy for on-the-go application and I don’t need a mirror.Instead of the classic flat or angled tip most lipstick bullets have, Hard Candy’s Lip Blur has a rounded, dome-shaped top. It feels a little unfamiliar at first if you’re used to tracing your lip line with a sharp edge, but that’s exactly the point — the shape encourages you to press and dab the color on rather than draw it on.What makes this product stand out is how forgiving it is. I don’t find that I have to be precise or worry about perfectly tracing my lip line. I’ve also never experienced it settling into the fine lines or dry patches on my lips — instead, it fades evenly throughout the day, keeping that soft, lived-in look long after I apply it. And, even though it’s designed to blur, the lipstick doesn’t hold back on color. I love that it offers intense color pay off with just one swipe, proving that you don’t have to sacrifice pigment for a blurred look.If the whole concept of this lipstick feels familiar, that’s because it taps into the same soft-definition trend that made Rhode’s Peptide Lip Shape go viral. Both are built around the idea that lips should look gently enhanced rather than sharply outlined, but while Rhode’s formula has a more cushiony feel that leans more skincare-inspired, Hard Candy’s version has a more velvety, stain-meets-matte texture that sets down. Also, Rhode includes a smooth silicone smudger to gently soften and shape the edges while Hard Candy swaps that out for a small sponge that presses the color into the lips, creating a more diffused, stain-like effect.Keep scrolling to get a few colors for yourself — you may even want to stock up and grab a couple, like this one reviewer did. Like shoppers say, it may become your “new favorite lippie” before long.Trending In ShoppingMore In Shopping