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The entire point of a tinted lip balm is casual color. These aren't the beauty products that you carefully apply with a well-lit makeup mirror , nor are they ones that demand a thorough lip scrub or a hydrating mask to glide on like butter. That's why the very best tinted lip balms — ones that deftly moisturize and lightly tint the lips — are the lip products that our WWD Shop editors will willingly sideline our go-to lipsticks and glosses to wear.
We saw lip oils and hybrid products (think serum-textured potions like Rhode's Peptide Lip Treatments) trend in the past few years, however a recent report from Daash Intelligence points to lip balms as the formula du jour. And while the tinted lip balm category is aflush with new launches, our testing panel agrees that this is a segment of lip products where the classics really shine.
During 18 months of testing, products you may already know and love — think Burt's Bees' Pomegranate Lip Balm or Clinique's Almost Lipstick in Black Honey — beat out the majority of newer releases in their ability to hydrate the lips and impart a flattering tint that fades evenly.
Our extended testing period spanned all four seasons on the East Coast, plus trips overseas and long flights where parched lips are par for the course. Our testing panel paid close attention to all the finer details, ranging from functional packaging to inclusive shade ranges to nourishing ingredients, as well as how the color fades. Throughout the process, we evaluated a total of 52 tinted lip balms — these nine beat out the rest.
For a good tinted lip balm that enhances your lip color with a hefty dose of sheen, Nars' Afterglow Tinted Lip Balm is bar none. It's available in shades that range from bronze to vivid red, but the shimmery pink Orgasm tone won over our testers (and is the colorway of choice for A-listers like Meghan Markle and Emma Stone).
Our testing panel was wowed by the texture of the formula, which errs on the firm side but slightly melts as you swipe it on the lips. This gives you great control when applying the balm, eliminating any messy excess product that warrants a mirror for touch ups. Ingredients like coconut oil and squalane help to condition lips for the duration you wear the product, and give it a good glide when you swipe it on.
Price upon publish date of this article: $28
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