Six suede-matte shades named after the six chess pieces — each with a personality trait printed on the bottom of the tube. Pick the colour that calls to you, flip it over, and discover who you are. Beauty and brains, combined.
The Lipstick Chess collection has been discontinued. The monochromatic black or white tube packaging with chess piece artwork boxes is distinctive and identifiable on eBay. Bishop (mauve-rose) is the most frequently listed shade — it was also the most popular in its lifetime. We recommend the alternatives below as your best ongoing options.
Lipstick Chess launched in January 2017 as Lipstick Queen's first dedicated matte collection — a deliberate step into the matte category the brand had spent much of its history working around. Unlike the Sinners (also opaque, but satin-matte) or the Rear View Mirror (explicitly anti-matte), the Chess collection committed fully to a suede-matte finish, using Silica as the primary mattifying agent in a Castor Oil and Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride base that was designed to stay hydrating despite the matte result.
The concept was Poppy King's most personality-driven. Each of the six shades was named after one of the six chess piece types, and each tube had a personality trait printed on the bottom. The "game" worked like this: you selected the colour that appealed to you most, then flipped the tube to discover the chess piece and trait it assigned to you. Makeup Most Wanted: "Pawn (Loyal) is a deep nude, Bishop (Determined) is a determined mauve, Knight (Courageous) is a dashing mocha, King (Noble) is a rich berry, Rook (Bold) is brick red and the ever famous Queen (Supreme) is ruby red." The packaging doubled down: half the tubes were black metal, half white — like a chess board — each in a cardboard box illustrated with the relevant chess piece artwork.
The Lipstick Chess collection arrived in January 2017 with a concept that was unlike anything Lipstick Queen had done before. Previous collections had drawn their themes from cinema (Metropolis via Liptropolis, Jean Queen's NYC offices, Eden's apple mythology), from cosmology (Big Bang Illusion Gloss), from fairy tales (Frog Prince), from sociology (Liptropolis's subway theory), and from motoring (Rear View Mirror). The Chess collection drew its theme from the game itself — not as a metaphor but as a direct structural framework.
Six shades, one per chess piece. Each piece had a colour logic: the Pawn, the lowest-status piece on the board, got the most understated colour (nude). The Queen, the most powerful piece, got the most commanding shade (ruby red). The King, nominally the most important piece despite its relative immobility, got a rich, imposing berry. Reallyree's review put it perfectly: "I love all these shades. I think if I had to pick a favourite it would be the mauve of Bishop which means I am determined. I like that!" The range's bestselling shade — Bishop — was the one whose personality trait resonated most with buyers: Determined.
The black and white tube design was the collection's most visually distinctive element. Half the six tubes were black metal, half white, mirroring the two-colour binary of a chess board. The cardboard boxes depicted the individual chess piece in artwork unique to each shade. The Happy Sloths described the King packaging: "The black metal case is housed in a cardboard box covered with some unique artwork depicting a king chess piece." The packaging was functional, elegant, and explicitly gamified — an unusual combination for a lipstick.
Makeup Most Wanted called the formula "smooth, moisturising, and feels like you're wearing lip balm." Spill the Beauty: "Very comfortable to wear — creamy, but not too creamy. Any time my lips felt the slightest bit dry, I'd rub my lips together and re-moisturise, and the lipstick didn't drag." The formula delivered on its "matte that doesn't dry out your lips" promise — a technically demanding task that the Silica-based mattifying system and Soybean Oil conditioning base achieved convincingly.
Each shade was named after one of the six chess piece types and assigned a personality trait on the base of the tube. Three pieces came in white tubes (Pawn, Bishop, Knight — the lighter shades), three in black (King, Rook, Queen — the deeper, bolder shades).
The personality dimension of the Chess collection was Poppy King's most game-like product concept. The mechanic was simple, tactile, and fun: each tube had its chess piece personality trait printed on the bottom, invisible until you picked up the lipstick you were drawn to and flipped it over.
Reallyree described the gifting logic well: "I think these lipsticks would make really good gifts as you could use your knowledge of someone's personality for a really thoughtful gift." British Beauty Blogger added: "Poppy's idea is that you pick the colour that appeals to you most and it will say something about your character. It's just some fun to mark out the striking collection and give it some personality." The collection demonstrated that a product concept didn't need to be functional or scientific — it could be pure play, and the result was a memorable, shareable experience built into the packaging of a conventional lipstick.
The Chess collection formula was Lipstick Queen's most mature engagement with the matte lipstick category. Unlike earlier LQ matte-adjacent formulas (the Sinner used Dimethicone and Methyl Methacrylate crosspolymer for its matte effect; the Rear View Mirror specifically avoided matte), Chess used Silica as its primary mattifying agent — the same approach used by many premium matte formulas of the period.
Silica (silicon dioxide) in lipstick formulation creates a matte surface by scattering light — its fine particle size prevents the specular reflection that produces shine. The Silica was balanced by the Castor Oil base and a specific conditioning complex unique to this formula: Lecithin and Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil. Lecithin is a phospholipid emulsifier with strong moisturising properties — it integrates into the skin's lipid barrier, providing conditioning at a structural level rather than simply coating the surface. Soybean Oil provides linoleic acid (Omega-6) and vitamin E, contributing to the formula's skin-comfort without adding visible shine.
The structural wax system — Ozokerite, Microcrystalline Wax, and Carnauba Wax — provided the suede-like texture. Disteardimonium Hectorite was the rheology modifier, controlling the formula's consistency and dispensing characteristics. Glyceryl Rosinate (a rosin ester) provided adhesion to the lips, contributing to the reported six-hour wear. The formula was designed to deliver what the category most often failed to deliver: a matte result without dryness. Makeup Most Wanted confirmed: "All the lipsticks are matte and apply extremely smoothly... feels like you're just wearing lip balm." Fragrance-free and flavour-free — confirmed by Musings of a Muse.
As confirmed by Lookfantastic and Nigel Beauty (consistent across all six shades; pigment composition varies):
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Octyldodecanol, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Silica, Ozokerite, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina/Cire Microcristalline), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Coco-Caprylate, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Cera Carnauba/Cire De Carnauba), Disteardimonium Hectorite, Glyceryl Rosinate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Lecithin, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil. [Pigments vary by shade — confirmed combinations include: Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 30 Lake (CI 73360), Red 6 (CI 15850), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 19140).]
Highlighted ingredients are key actives or structurally distinctive components. Silica is the primary mattifying agent — fine silicon dioxide particles that scatter light to eliminate shine without drying. Glyceryl Rosinate is a rosin ester that provides adhesion to the lip surface, contributing to the six-hour wear time. Lecithin is a phospholipid with conditioning and barrier-integration properties — unusual in a matte formula, where it counteracts the drying tendency of the Silica system. Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil provides Omega-6 linoleic acid and Vitamin E for skin comfort. Disteardimonium Hectorite is the clay-based rheology modifier controlling formula consistency and suede-texture delivery. Isononyl Isononanoate is a lightweight, non-greasy emollient ester providing slip. Coco-Caprylate is another lightweight emollient from coconut oil derivatives. Tocopherol (not Tocopheryl Acetate) is the direct-form Vitamin E antioxidant. Fragrance-free; flavour-free.
Three matte lipsticks that capture the Chess collection's core virtues — the suede-matte finish that doesn't dry the lips, the bold full-coverage payoff, and the range from mauve-rose to ruby red.
For fans of the Chess collection's core promise — a velvety matte that is full-coverage without being drying — Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution is the most direct premium equivalent. The formula sits in the same "suede-matte" texture category, the shade range covers the same nude-to-red-to-berry spectrum that Chess covered, and reviewers consistently note the same quality Chess fans praised: it feels moisturising throughout wear rather than becoming progressively drier. The Pillow Talk Intense and Glastonbury positions map directly onto Bishop and King respectively.
For fans of the Chess collection's King and Queen — the darkest, most imposing shades in the range — Pat McGrath MatteTrance is the premium benchmark for exactly this territory. The formula sits in the same hydrating suede-matte category, delivers comparable full coverage in one pass, and the shade Deep Wyne and Opera are the most precise current equivalents to King and Queen's berry-to-ruby positions. The Amazon reviewer who bought five backups of Bishop would find MatteTrance's Elson an equivalent commitment-worthy shade in the same mauve-rose family.
For fans of the Chess collection's Knight — the mocha brown that reviewers loved for its distinctive, '90s-forward quality — NARS Audacious provides the most sophisticated current equivalent in that warm brown-to-berry-to-mocha territory. NARS Audacious sits in the same "bold but wearable" formula position as the Chess collection — more pigmented than a sheer, with a satin finish that reads as almost-matte and wears for comparable time. The shade Lana and adjacent warm nudes map precisely onto the Knight's "Dashing Mocha" position.
"Bishop is silky smooth, mostly matte, and incredibly flattering on olive tone skin. I bought five backups because I never want to be without my favourite again. No aroma or taste. Good colour, texture, and staying power."
This was my second-favourite lipstick in an entirely too large collection. My absolute favourite was made by Becca, who went out of business, and I didn't know it until I had to replace it — so I decided to buy five of Lipstick Queen's Bishop because I never want to be without my favourite again. It's silky smooth, mostly matte, doesn't withstand kisses or drinking from glasses but doesn't look cakey if you reapply regularly, and is incredibly flattering on olive tone skin. I hope they never stop making it!
"I was initially drawn to Bishop but there isn't a single shade that isn't flattering on me. All the lipsticks are matte and apply extremely smoothly. They are not transfer-proof but are really moisturising — feel like you're wearing lip balm."
Lipstick Queen really thought of everything for the Chess collection's packaging. The boxes have the game pieces on them and half the lipsticks are in white tubes and the other half in black. Just like the game. Pawn is a deep nude, Bishop is a determined mauve, Knight is a dashing mocha, King is a rich berry, Rook is brick red and the Queen is ruby red. Every shade is flattering. I actually have a really hard time picking a favourite. This is one of Lipstick Queen's most accessible and gifting-friendly collections.
"The formula tugged a lot out of the box and clung to drier areas — exfoliating first is important. After the formula warms up you get a light creaminess and smooth finish. Pigmented and opaque on a single pass. No flavour or fragrance. Wears six hours."
If I'm honest, I wouldn't say Lipstick Queen Chess is a standout collection from an otherwise flawless brand. I've tried creamier mattes with better finishes that I didn't have to work for. If you like mattes, if you like Lipstick Queen, if you like chess, maybe you'll feel compelled to try these — but keep in mind they aren't Lipstick Queen's best in show. That said, the packaging concept is genuinely fun and the shade range covers everything you could want from a matte collection. Bishop is the must-buy.