NYX Cold Brew vs The OG Brew: What's the Difference?
NYX’s Cold Brew and The OG Brew are frequently compared because many longtime Cold Brew wearers felt the original shade behavior changed over time. The OG Brew was later introduced as a deeper alternative inspired by the earlier Cold Brew people remembered, which naturally led users to compare the two directly.
Even though the shades sit in a similar muted brown family, they do not behave identically once applied. Both lean more rosy, plum, or berry-toned than a classic neutral espresso brown, but The OG Brew generally appears deeper, cooler, and more muted overall.
Depending on skin tone and lip pigmentation, both shades can also pull noticeably berry, red-purple, or plum once applied.
For a complete overview of brown lip liners, browse our brown lip liners guide. If you want to place Cold Brew against a more traditional brown, see NYX Cold Brew vs NYX Brown. For another NYX comparison in the same family, see NYX Espresso vs NYX Cold Brew.
Cold Brew: softer rosy brown
Cold Brew is the softer and rosier option of the two.
Even though it is technically a brown liner, it carries a muted mauve-pink undertone that can make it appear softer and more dimensional than a traditional warm brown liner.
On some wearers, especially deeper skin tones, the shade may also pull more berry or red-purple than expected.
Because it is not extremely deep, it works especially well as a softer nude liner or blended lip contour rather than a very high-contrast liner. If you want to compare that softer behavior with another muted option, see NYX Cold Brew vs NYX Los Angeles. If you are looking for a similar cross-brand softness in a more classic brown direction, read NYX Cold Brew vs Rimmel Cappuccino.
The OG Brew: deeper muted plum-brown
The OG Brew sits slightly deeper and cooler compared to Cold Brew.
The shade has more muted plum and gray-brown influence, giving it a stronger cool-toned effect overall.
While it provides somewhat more contrast and definition than Cold Brew, some deeper wearers have also found that it pulls more red-purple or plum than expected once applied. If you want an even stronger-definition comparison point, see NYX Cold Brew vs Rimmel Brownie Pie. If you want to compare Cold Brew with another berry-plum brown inside NYX, read NYX Cold Brew vs NYX Club Hopper.
It behaves more like a muted rosy-brown liner than a classic neutral espresso brown.
How they compare
- Cold Brew — softer rosy brown
- The OG Brew — deeper muted plum-brown
- Cold Brew appears slightly softer and pinker
- The OG Brew provides somewhat more contrast and depth
- Both shades lean more berry/plum than classic neutral brown liners
Which one should you choose?
- If you prefer softer everyday brown definition: Cold Brew
- If you want slightly more depth and contrast: The OG Brew
- If warm browns pull orange: either shade may work well because of the cooler muted undertones
- If you want a true neutral espresso brown: neither shade is especially neutral — both lean berry/plum
- If you prefer cooler muted tones: The OG Brew
Bottom line
While Cold Brew and The OG Brew look similar at first glance, they do not behave identically.
Cold Brew leans softer and rosier, while The OG Brew reads deeper, cooler, and more muted.
Both shades sit closer to muted rosy-browns than classic neutral espresso browns, which helps explain why some wearers experience more red, plum, or purple tones once the shades are applied to the lips.