I’ve discovered a lot of new-to-me beauty obsessions lately during this extended period of staying at home (see: face mists and bath products). I’m drawn to soothing, relaxing buys plus ways to take my skincare to the next level since I now have so much more time to experiment and play around with new finds. Even though my makeup routine has been extremely minimal as of late, there’s one product I can’t live without: tinted lip balm. I put it on every day without fail. Most of the time, it’s the only speck of makeup I wear.
Sure, before all of this, I had a vague appreciation for tinted lip balms. They added just the right amount of color and soothed chapped lips, yet I always reached for my favorite lipsticks instead. But as I attended more Zoom meetings and FaceTime hangouts with friends, I realized the sheer genius of a tinted lip balm. It was the easiest way to perk up a bare face with practically zero effort.
Of course, there are a lot benefits to the lip balms, too. My lips are constantly dry and chapped, and the balms keep them so smooth and soft with zero peeling. That’s such a win in my book since I was always struggling to exfoliate the dry skin before putting on my extra-matte lipstick. I’m not saying I’ll never go back to my tried-and-true lipsticks, but tinted balms just might be my everyday pick now.
Because they’re my newest obsession, I’ve made it a mission to try as many as I can. You know, for journalistic purposes. Below are some of my absolute favorites plus some that are on my wish list to try out.