Tinted lip balms are the quick-fix for dry lips you can apply without a mirror.
Far be it from us to suggest there’s a time and place for wearing a full face of makeup. If you’re feeling the desire for perfected and contoured foundation and lipstick with a robe and slippers, we’re certainly here for it!
But if your day-to-day approach involves very little added to your face, you love a natural, glowy ‘no-makeup makeup’ look, or you’re just feeling less inclined to wear as much as you once did, a tinted lip balm can be a simple pick-me-up that offers a number of benefits.
The sheer, see-through tints give just enough colour to flatter your face, and offer hydrating formulas that have been yanked up to date with advanced ingredients like hyaluronic acid, super-purified lanolin and natural oils like jojoba and monoi. Some even use fruit and vegetable pigments.
It means you can treat dry, flaky lips and plump out creased and crinkled lips, at the same time as wearing a lip colour that instantly makes you look pulled together. Huge advantage: they only take two seconds to apply.
In a useful spin on their intended purpose, many also double beautifully as a cheek tint, giving skin a luminous – and coordinated – flush of colour. Just apply a little to the back of your hand and use a finger to tap into the apples of your cheeks or simply swipe from the stick and blend.
L-R: NARS Afterglow Lip Balm, Dr. Lipp Lip Tint, Henne Organics Luxury Lip Tint and Pat McGrath Lip Fetish Astral Lip Balm.
NARS Afterglow Lip Balm, $49
With a decent hit of colour that looks like the perfect popsicle stain and a sheen of moisture that isn’t sticky, NARS range of Afterglow Lip Balms are a great low-key lipstick alternative
Dr. Lipp Lip Tint, $15
Hard to beat for the price! Formulated with only 5 ingredients including medical-grade lanolin each tint from the three options uses the pigment from either Red Radish, Elderberry or Sweet Potato to capture its natural colour.
Henne Organics Luxury Lip Tint, $38
The colours look bold but the beauty of this organic gem is that it skims over lips beautiful offering a very low-key tint plus the soft hydration coconut, jojoba and avocado oils bring.
Pat McGrath Lip Fetish Astral Lip Balm, $67
Bringing an otherworldly glow that helps create the illusion of fuller lips and packed with nourishing goodness including with lychee extract and coconut butter, this is a beautifully luxe option that comes in 6 shimmering shades.
L-R: Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm, Lanolips Tinted Lip Balm, Glow Recipe Watermelon Lip Pop and Glossier Cherry Balm Dot Com.
Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm, $14.99
The best of the original pocket-friendly balms, the formula is 100% natural and the colour is sheer enough to easily to apply without a mirror.
Lanolips Tinted Balm SPF 30, $17.50
An all-rounder that’s hard to beat, Lanolips gently cares for delicate and parched lips while protecting them from further damage with SPF. The nude shade is the perfect universal colour and has just enough plumping shine without looking too reflective and glossy.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Lip Pop, $39
The unique element here is a slightly grainy texture, thanks to coconut flower sugar that melts upon application. Along with flower derived AHAs both are intended to gently exfoliate and smooth lips while the remainder of ingredients protect and nourish dry lips.
Glossier Cherry Balm Dot Com, US$12
Hard to come by in this part of the world thanks to Glossier (still!) not shipping here. But if you can call in a favour from a friend in the UK or the US, we urge you to put this one on your shopping list. Super nourishing and the perfect crimson hue, it makes lips look incredibly kissable!
