Your guide to soft, nourished, and beautifully tinted lips.
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A lip balm helps keep your lips soft, smooth, and hydrated, while a lip tint adds a natural hint of colour that lasts longer through the day. Knowing the difference can make it easier to pick what works best for you. To help you decide, here are five top picks worth trying.
Ever found yourself wondering whether you need a lip balm or a lip tint? You’re not alone. While both are everyday essentials, they serve very different purposes.
A lip balm is all about hydration and care, keeping your lips soft and smooth, while a lip tint adds a natural flush of colour that lasts for hours. Choosing the right one depends on what your lips need at the moment. To make it easier, here are top picks that cover both care and colour. But first, let’s understand the difference between the two.
Difference between lip balm and lip tints
A lip balm is mainly used to keep your lips moisturised and protected. It works more like a skincare product than a makeup item. Most lip balms contain ingredients like beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil, or petroleum jelly that help lock in moisture and prevent dryness. Some also include SPF to protect your lips from sun damage.
They are especially helpful for dry, chapped, or cracked lips, as they soothe and repair the skin. While some lip balms may have a light tint or shine, their main purpose is to keep your lips hydrated. They are also great to use in cold weather or dry conditions.
Revlon Kiss Lip Balm Berry Burst
The Revlon Kiss Lip Balm Berry Burst is a hydrating lip balm that keeps your lips soft, smooth, and nourished throughout the day. Infused with moisturising ingredients, it helps prevent dryness while adding a subtle shine. With SPF 20, it also offers protection against sun damage, making it a great everyday essential.
It’s a hydrating lip balm with SPF for soft and protected lips.
Laneige Lip Glow Balm
Enriched with shea butter and murumuru seed butter, the Laneige Lip Glowy Balm helps lock in moisture while giving your lips a smooth, glossy finish. This balm also comes with a sheer tint, making it perfect for everyday use. Its compact size makes it easy to carry, and it can be used on its own or layered over lipstick for added shine.
It’s a lightweight lip balm that hydrates while adding a soft glossy shine.
Foxtale SPF 30 Brightening Lip Balm
If you need to hydrate, protect, and improve the overall look of your lips The Foxtale SPF 30 Brightening Lip Balm is a must try. Enriched with vitamin C, it helps reduce pigmentation and promote a more even lip tone over time.
With SPF 30, it protects your lips from harmful sun exposure, while hyaluronic acid keeps them moisturised and plump. Peptides help smooth fine lines, leaving your lips soft and healthy-looking. The lightweight formula also adds a glossy finish and comes in multiple tinted shades for a natural touch of colour.
It’s a brightening lip balm with SPF that hydrates and protects.
What is a Lip Tint?
Lip tints are all about giving your lips a natural pop of colour that lasts. Unlike traditional lipsticks, they’re lightweight, often in liquid or gel form, and leave a subtle stain that enhances your natural lip tone.
They create a fresh, “no-makeup” look and are perfect for those who like subtle, effortless lip color. Lip tints also last for hours without frequent touch-ups. However, because they aren’t mainly moisturising, some formulas can feel a bit drying on already dry lips.
Maybelline New York Superstay Teddy Tint
Get a plush, long-lasting lip look with the Maybelline Superstay Teddy Tint. Designed to deliver up to 12 hours of blurred matte colour, it feels light, soft, and comfortable on the lips thanks to its unique Teddy Fluff Technology.
Whether you want a subtle gradient, a full matte pout, or even a hint of colour on your cheeks, this versatile tint does it all. Its smudge-proof, transfer-proof, and kiss-proof formula keeps your look flawless throughout the day. Available in 21 shades, from nudes to pinks and reds, there’s a perfect shade for every mood and occasion.
Maybelline Superstay Teddy Tint is available in 21 blendable shades.
RENEE Tip Tip Water Tint
The RENEE Tip Tip Water Tint is a lightweight, water-based lip tint that gives your lips a natural, soft colour. Infused with vitamin C and hyaluronic acid, it keeps lips hydrated and radiant. Waterproof and long-lasting, it stays vibrant throughout the day and can also be used on cheeks for a subtle, natural pop of colour.
It provides a long-lasting finish that stays vibrant throughout the day.
Q: What are the key differences between lip balm and lip tint?
Lip balm primarily focuses on hydration and protection, using ingredients like beeswax and shea butter to moisturize and soothe lips, often with added SPF. Lip tint, on the other hand, adds a natural pop of colour that lasts for hours, typically in a lightweight, liquid or gel form. While tints enhance lip color, they usually lack strong moisturizing properties.
Q: Can I use lip tint if my lips are dry or chapped?
If your lips are dry or chapped, lip balm is recommended as the initial care product because it hydrates and repairs the skin. Some lip tints might feel drying since they are not formulated mainly for moisture. To prevent dryness, you can layer a hydrating lip balm, like Laneige Lip Glow Balm or Foxtale SPF 30 Brightening Lip Balm, underneath a lip tint.
Q: How do ingredients like SPF and Vitamin C benefit my lips in lip balms?
SPF in lip balms, such as the Revlon Kiss Lip Balm with SPF 20 or Foxtale SPF 30 Brightening Lip Balm, protects lips from harmful sun damage, reducing risks of pigmentation and aging. Vitamin C, found in products like Foxtale lip balm and RENEE Tip Tip Water Tint, helps reduce pigmentation and promotes a more even and brightened lip tone over time.
Q: Which lasts longer throughout the day: lip balm or lip tint?
Lip tints generally last longer than lip balms because they leave a subtle stain on the lips that can stay vibrant for hours without frequent touch-ups. For example, Maybelline Superstay Teddy Tint offers up to 12 hours of wear, while lip balms mainly provide hydration and require reapplication to maintain moisture and protection throughout the day.
Q: Are tinted lip balms a good middle ground between hydration and color?
Yes, tinted lip balms like Laneige Lip Glow Balm and Foxtale SPF 30 Brightening Lip Balm provide hydration with a hint of color and shine. They are ideal for those seeking both moisture and a natural tint, often suitable for everyday use and layering with other lip products.
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