If you’re anything like me, you are also borderline addicted to lip products. Consequently, your TikTok For You Page and Instagram Explore page are filled with lip product content. 2023 was a significant year for lip products with Hailey Bieber releasing various versions of the Rhode Peptide Lip Treatments, Summer Fridays experiencing major success with their Lip Butter Balm, and e.l.f. Cosmetics coming after every brand imaginable with their dupes. So far, 2024 isn’t looking much different, as even more companies have hopped on the lip products bandwagon.
Keeping up with beauty trends is a confusing and expensive task. Nobody has the time, money, or energy to test a bunch of products and dislike half of them. So, how do you know what’s worth your buck? As a self-proclaimed lip product connoisseur, I’ve taken it upon myself to create a guide for all of my fellow lip gloss, stain, and stick lovers to help you find your best fit.
There are three major components to consider when selecting the best lip product for you: hydration, pigment, and affordability. In this article, I will categorize lip products based on the category they fulfill the most. To start us off, let’s look at the ultra-hydrating products.
ultra-hydrating products
In recent weeks, Topicals’ Slick Salve Mint Lip Balm has experienced immense popularity across social media platforms. This product promises customers a shine and a soothing sensation that will last. Reviews on TikTok show people raving about how it survived the ultimate challenge: their breakfast bagel and coffee. The description says that it will provide relief even to the most chapped or damaged lips. The balm is also vegan and a portion of the proceeds from Slick Salve purchases will go to Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
Up next is the viral Rhode Peptide Lip Treatments. Right now, you can buy three regular flavors straight from Bieber’s website. You can also join the waiting list for the Rhode vanilla flavor too. When this product first entered the spotlight, social media went crazy for the special edition flavors and unique extra products such as the jelly bean-shaped case for the birthday edition and the newly released phone case. Recently, some reviews on social media have reported that the peptides separate from each other after a few uses, causing a grainy texture. Luckily, this can be easily fixed by warming the product in a pot of hot water. If you don’t mind doing the extra step, you too can enjoy the long-lasting hydration this product offers.
If you think you’ll grow tired of having to reheat the Rhode treatment, look to Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balms or the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment. These are both very similar yet great lip products. Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm comes in four more flavors than the Ole Henriksen product does. Additionally, Summer Fridays’ product is bigger, but at the same time, slightly pricier than the Ole Henriksen. Both of these products are vegan, leave a subtle sheer tint once applied, and offer long-lasting hydration. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with either of these. Summer Fridays’ new limited edition flavor birthday cake is still available for purchase. If this description convinced you that the brand is worth a try, run don’t walk!
All the lip products I’ve mentioned so far leave a subtle tint after application, but what about people who want their lips to pop?! The next category I’m going to cover is pigment. Most of these names won’t surprise you as their pigment is their reputation, but some of these will. Let’s get into it.
pigment
Starting the category is the iconic Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil. This product has menthol, which leaves a minty, cooling, and regenerative feeling on your lips after applying it. It also follows in the footsteps of the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush by giving us incredible pigment. The color you see on your lips when you first apply it is the exact same color you’ll see hours later. The lip oil leaves a stain on your lips, so if you don’t find the product all that hydrating, you can go over it with a more moisturizing product without worrying about messing up the color. To top it off, the product is vegan and cruelty-free.
Another product with great pigmentation that might surprise you is the Clarins Lip Comfort Oil. While this product starts with a subtle tint, it leaves a stain once it seeps into your lips. Every reapplication intensifies the color more and more. This product also provides long-lasting hydration for those of you looking for a happy medium between pigment and moisture.
The final product in this category is the Maybelline Super Stay Vinyl Ink, whether you’re looking for a warm neutral or a bright pop of color. Despite this being a liquid lip color and not technically a true gloss, it doesn’t leave your lips feeling dry. The applicator is thin, allowing for precise application, so you don’t have to worry about finding a matching lip liner. Finding a shade match for foundation online is daunting, and finding the right shade of lip products online is no different. If you go on the Maybelline website, you’ll find a Try It On feature for every product. If you have the time, you can also check out the shades for yourself in person while you’re on your totally necessary, important, and long-overdue Target run. Priced at $12.99, this awesome pigment is also budget-friendly.
The final category is affordability. If you become obsessed with any lip product on this list, for the sake of your bank account, please let it be from this category.
affordability
Everyone knows that e.l.f. Cosmetics has been dominating the drugstore makeup industry for all of its dupes, so I won’t waste your time praising them. An underrated but affordable product that more people should pay attention to is the KIKO Milano 3D Hydra Lipgloss. Priced at $13, building a collection from their 30 shades won’t break the bank too badly. The pigment is more sheer, and the formula is hydrating. Plus, the product has unique packaging that makes it easy to toss into your bag and fun to use.
Coming in next is the Nyx Fat Oil Lip Drip. While the shade range isn’t as wide as KIKO Milano’s, Nyx still offers shades that will compliment many skin tones. Priced at only $9, this hydrating lip oil will make your lips and wallet happy. Better yet, this product is also vegan and cruelty-free.
This final product is creeping its way onto the social media landscape but hasn’t quite blown up. The Naturium Phyto-Glo Lip Balm will nourish and moisturize your lips and leave them with a glossy all for the price of $10. Looking at the ingredients list, this is a cheaper alternative to the Summer Friday’s Lip Butter Balm and the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment. Naturium’s shade range focuses more on pinks and reds, but the finishing tint is sheer, so don’t let that scare you away.
If you’ve been feeling influenced to buy new lip products, hopefully, this guide helped you decide what’s worth your money. Chapped lips are out for 2024!