Lipstick Library — Volume 1
Lipstick in the City. A collectible book of three New York neighbourhood shades — Soho, Central Park, Upper East — in silver tubes, inspired by Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Poppy King's subway theory.
Both the Liptropolis set and the three individual shades have been discontinued. The book-format packaging is one of the most distinctive in the entire LQ range and is identifiable on eBay and Poshmark. Individual silver-tubed shades also surface. Upper East is the most frequently listed shade individually. We recommend the alternatives below as your best ongoing options.
Liptropolis launched in 2012 as the first entry in what Poppy King billed as the "Lipstick Library" — a collectible series of lipstick trios packaged as literal books. The product was a book that opened to reveal three full-size lipsticks in silver tubes, nestled in the silver interior of the case. It was, as Smoonstyle put it, "a gorgeous collector's item that is a sight for sore eyes." Normally I always throw away the packaging, but this time I just couldn't.
The concept layered two inspirations. Fritz Lang's 1927 silent film Metropolis provided the name and the visual language — the art-deco city-of-the-future aesthetic, the silver metallic tubes matching the book's silver interior, the urban sophistication of the whole. Poppy King's own New York subway theory provided the shade logic: "I have often said I can tell if a New York subway train is going uptown or downtown by the passengers' lip colour — so I decided to put my money where my mouth is and create a trio of lipsticks inspired by the different neighbourhoods of New York City." The three shades — Soho, Central Park, Upper East — were each a neighbourhood's character translated into colour.
Liptropolis launched in May 2012 at Barneys New York — exclusively at first, then at SpaceNK and Ulta — as the inaugural entry in what Poppy King described as the "Lipstick Library": a planned series of collectible lipstick trio sets, each packaged as a book, each with a distinct city or theme. The product was positioned as both a cosmetic purchase and a collector's object. The book itself was described by virtually every reviewer as too beautiful to throw away — an unusual quality for makeup packaging.
The Fritz Lang inspiration was precise. Metropolis (1927) — the expressionist science-fiction film set in a dystopian future city — was the visual and conceptual referent. The silver tubes, the silver book interior, the art-deco typographic quality of the packaging, and the name itself (Liptropolis = lipstick + Metropolis) all drew from Lang's aesthetic. But where Lang's Metropolis was divided into the privileged elite above and the labouring workers below, Poppy King's version was divided into Manhattan neighbourhoods — a gentler and more democratic reading of the city-as-metaphor.
The shades were subsequently made available individually — "due to popular demand," as the brand noted — but the full set retained value as a collector's item even after the single tubes became available. Smoonstyle: "I am glad that I got the set, because Soho turned out to be my favourite of the three." The book format meant the set photographed differently from any other LQ product, and its silver interior gave it a distinctive presence on the vanity.
The Liptropolis formula sat between the Saints (10% pigment, sheer) and Sinners (90% pigment, opaque matte) — more saturated and wear-resistant than a Saint, less aggressive in coverage than a Sinner, with a slight shine rather than the Sinner's matte finish. Get Lippie described it as "rather more pigmented than the Saints, and less matte than the Sinners."
A note on colour accuracy: virtually every reviewer found the shades brighter and more saturated in person than the promotional photography suggested. Lipstickqueenbrand.com: "the key word to describe these colors is obviously 'bright.' They are all happy, light-up-your-face colors." The Liptropolis formula's greater pigmentation vs the Saints meant these were genuinely vivid rather than the washed-out pastels the nude/peach descriptions might suggest.
The Liptropolis formula was deliberately positioned as a third point on Lipstick Queen's existing Saint–Sinner axis: more pigmented and longer-wearing than the Saints' 10% pigment sheer formula, but with a shine (rather than the Sinners' matte finish) and a more hydrating, skin-comfortable application. Get Lippie's description was precise: "somewhere between the Saints and Sinners formula — rather more pigmented than the Saints, and less matte than the Sinners." This gave the Liptropolis lipsticks a midday-to-evening versatility that neither extreme of the existing range had.
The formula base was Castor Seed Oil and Polyisobutene — with Polyisobutene providing the specific textural quality (lightweight, non-sticky, with a slight cushion) that distinguished the Liptropolis formula from the conventional wax-heavy Sinner base. Hydrogenated Castor Oil Laurate added slip and emollience. The nourishing complex included Avocado Oil (Persea Gratissima) — a rich, oleic-acid-heavy oil with Vitamin E, B vitamins, and skin-barrier lipids — Jojoba Seed Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis), and Shea Butter Extract. Vitamin E (Tocopheryl Acetate) completed the antioxidant protection. The formula was fragrance-free and tasteless — consistent with Lipstick Queen's range-wide policy.
As confirmed by lipstickqueenbrand.com (official retailer) for all three shades:
Upper East (Elegant Nude)
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Polyisobutene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Candelilla Cera/Cire De Candelilla), Hydrogenated Castor Oil Laurate, Octyldodecanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Extract, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Cera Carnauba/Cire De Carnauba), Ozokerite, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Beeswax (Cera Alba/Cire D'Abeille), Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sorbic Acid, Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).
Soho and Central Park
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Polyisobutene, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Candelilla Cera/Cire De Candelilla), Hydrogenated Castor Oil Laurate, Octyldodecanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter Extract. [Pigments and remaining waxes vary by shade; Carnauba Wax, Ozokerite, Jojoba, Avocado, Beeswax confirmed in Upper East; Soho and Central Park use a similar base with red-range pigments.]
Highlighted ingredients are key actives. Polyisobutene (not Polybutene) distinguishes the Liptropolis base from most other LQ formulas — it provides a lightweight, cushioned, non-sticky texture different from the heavier Castor Oil-dominant Saints/Sinners base. Hydrogenated Castor Oil Laurate is the formula's most unusual structural ingredient — a lauric acid ester of hydrogenated castor oil, providing slip and emollience with a light texture. Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil is the formula's premium conditioning active — unusually rich in oleic acid, Vitamin E, B vitamins, and phytosterols. Jojoba Seed Oil provides lightweight conditioning. Sorbic Acid is a preservative active. Fragrance-free; tasteless. Pigments vary by shade.
Liptropolis was explicitly positioned as "Volume 1" of a planned ongoing series — the Lipstick Library. The concept was that each volume would be a self-contained book of three lipsticks, each with a distinct theme, city, cultural reference, or narrative. The book-format packaging meant each set would function as both a cosmetic purchase and a collector's object on the vanity or bookshelf.
Refinery29 described Liptropolis at launch as "the first set in the Lipstick Library series, a lipstick storybook collection." The enthusiasm for the format — Refinery29 called it "the kind of cliffhanger that we could get used to" — validated the concept, though the Library series was ultimately discontinued along with the rest of the Lipstick Queen range. Reviewers consistently noted the book as "a real thing of beauty in a cluttered makeup collection" (Get Lippie) and the silver tube finish as elegant and distinctive against the brand's usual coloured metal cases.
Three lipsticks that capture the spirit of the Liptropolis trio — the wearable-bright colour family, the mid-opacity formula between sheer and full-coverage, and the "light up your face" energy of the NYC neighbourhood concept.
For Upper East fans who loved the elegant nude — and who want the most refined, sophisticated version of that shade at a comparable formula quality — Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk Intense delivers the deeper, more everyday-wearable version of the nude-to-dusty-rose palette. The formula sits in a similar position between sheer and opaque, and the finish (a soft matte rather than the Liptropolis slight shine) provides the "understated elegance" quality the Upper East Side shade was named for. As the single most-recommended "elegant nude" in the current market, it captures the intent of the shade more precisely than any other alternative.
For Soho fans who loved the fashionable red — the slightly blue-pulling clear red that Get Lippie called "a great dramatic shade" — MAC Cremesheen in Brave Red sits in the same cool-red, fashion-forward territory with a comparable mid-opacity, slight-shine finish. The Cremesheen formula specifically (rather than MAC's Matte or Satin) replicates the Liptropolis formula position — more pigmented than a sheer, less opaque and flat than a full-coverage matte, with a comfortable creamy texture and slight luminosity. Brave Red's cool-leaning hue matches Soho's on-lip behaviour most precisely.
For Central Park fans who loved the refined peach-coral — and who want a comparable mid-opacity, hydrating formula with the same "bright but wearable, lights up the face" quality — NARS Audacious in Charlotte (or the adjacent coral shades in the range) replicates the Central Park position: a vivid warm peach-coral that is bolder than most people expect from the description but genuinely flattering across a wide range of skin tones. The Audacious formula matches the Liptropolis formula position well: more pigmented than a sheer, with a satiny finish rather than flat matte.
"The book is to die for. Normally I always throw away the packaging, but this time I just couldn't. The formula is very hydrating — in between sheer and opaque. No scent, tasteless. Soho turned out my favourite."
Liptropolis is a gorgeous collector's item that is a sight for sore eyes. I fell in love when I swatched Central Park and had to buy the whole set to get that one — but Soho won me over once I had all three in hand. The formula sits beautifully between the Saints and Sinners, which is exactly what I wanted. Not too sheer to feel invisible, not so opaque I need a steady hand. The silver tubes inside the silver book — the whole thing is genuinely beautiful as an object.
"It's a real thing of beauty in a cluttered makeup collection. Upper East is much easier to wear than expected — not a beige nude that makes you look dead. Central Park is a bright coral and my favourite."
Soho looks stunning in the tube as a pure clear red. On my skin it pulls a little more blue than expected but on the lips it's a great dramatic shade. Upper East is peach and I like it much more for being peach — it's a lot easier to wear than I was expecting. And Central Park is a bright coral that suits my skin perfectly. The formula is somewhere between the Saints and Sinners — rather more pigmented than the Saints, and less matte than the Sinners. No scent, which I love Poppy for.
"Upper East is a gorgeous dusty rose with a hint of rust that flatters peachy-pink tones perfectly. The formula is relatively opaque with just a touch of shine. Not as sheer as Saints, not as full as Sinners."
This collection is inspired by the many neighbourhoods of New York City and is a tribute to fashionable women in cities everywhere. Upper East is available individually at Ulta and is worth seeking out. The formula has become an every-day favourite over the past few months. The silver tube is elegant and very different from anything else in the Lipstick Queen range. Very hydrating, comfortable to wear all day. The book packaging is one of the most beautiful pieces of cosmetic packaging I own.