Battle of the Tinted Lip Balms

by Priya Mukhopadhyay – Follow @PriyaMooky

As the weather warms up and the layers start shedding, the same goes for our makeup.  No one wants to be caked up and melting in the warm weather — it is not an attractive look!  Lucky for us, many companies have a great collection of warm weather and light makeup appropriate products.  This spring and summer, try swapping your fully opaque lipsticks for a nice juicy swipe of color from a tinted lip balm or lip butter.  Almost every drugstore company has one and I have tried out a few of them and hit the jackpot with some, women of color appropriate shades!  A lot of us brown complexioned ladies tend to stay away from sheer colors because of the natural pigmentation on our lips but trust me girls, we have hope!

 Maybelline Baby Lips

I love the formulation of these and the yummy scents but most of the colors are not flattering on my skin and also don’t show up on my lips (I have very pigmented lips).  I did, however, find 2 that worked kind of well after getting acclimated to them.  The pink one (Fruit Punch) and the peachy/nude one (Peach) looked pretty decent on my lips.  I tended to use the pink one on top of matte pink lipsticks to make them more wearable and less chalky.  The peach one was a very nice kiss of nude shine.  It did have some shimmer which I am not a fan of but the gorgeous formula and the smell made up for it.  Baby lips are really good because they have SPF and also glide on so beautifully. If you are not a fan of color, Baby Lips also has a deliciously scented clear shade that you can look to.

 Revlon Lip Butters

I am in LOVE with this product.  I wish they smelled a little better and had SPF but other than that I have no complaints.  Since my lips are dark and I am dark, I had a little trouble choosing colors that worked but I ended up finding 3 that look gorgeous on darker skin tones.  Creme Brulee, Brown Sugar, and Pink Truffle.  (Swatches to follow). These glide on really smooth but I would recommend exfoliating your lips before hand to make sure they are not flaky and catch the product in the grooves.  I’ve noticed that for Creme Brulee especially, I have to apply it with a very heavy hand to get it the way I like it and this makes them run out really easily.  If you are scared to try out a nude and are around an NC 44 in MAC foundation, I HIGHLY recommend Brulee.  It’s even greater because the color is build able so if you are reluctant at first to go full on, you can work with the product until you are comfortable.  If you are looking for a more subtle, less chalky nude and are darker than NC 44, Brown Sugar is the color for you!  It is absolutely gorgeous.  I haven’t tried Red Velvet, Raspberry Pie, and Fig Jam but I have heard and seen swatches on darker skin tones and they look beautiful!

 Almay Liquid Lip Balm

I recently got one to try as a Klout perk and I must say I like it.  This product looks and feels like a lip gloss but feels a little more nourishing.  The color I got was Cantaloupe Cream.  The color doesn’t really show up on my lips but I love using this as a part of a lip combo.  It’s not sticky at all and smells good!  It also offers a nice coral tint that I like to use to make nudes more wearable.  If you are afraid of colors and want more of a clear glossy shine with some nourishment to the lips, I suggest trying this product out!  (Swatched).