Kosas Color & Light: Crème Cream Blush & Highlighter Duo
Kosas gives you the best of both worlds by packaging a cream blush and highlighter in this compact case. And because it’s Kosas—a clean beauty brand—the duo is formulated with nourishing oils and pigment to give you the skin and makeup look of your dreams.
Blush isn’t only relegated to hues found in the pink family. The Fenty Beauty cream blushes range from orange to red to violet. It’s a sheer but buildable formula that melts into the skin.
In Danessa Myricks’ world, the number one rule is to experiment. The makeup maven’s cult-favorite Colorfix is a creamy, multipurpose pigment that can be used as eyeshadow, lipstick or gloss, blush—anywhere.
LYS Beauty Higher Standard Clean Cream Blush with Vitamin E
There’s a reason this blush is flying off Sephora’s (online) shelves. Cream blushes normally don’t give an intense color payoff but LYS Beauty’s version is the exception. With six colors to choose from, the cream blush imparts a soft matte finish that can be dressed up to full glam or subtle for soft glam.
Maybelline’s Cheek Heat is the affordable cream blush that will never let you down. Thanks to its water-infused gel formula, the blush glides on your skin like butter and lasts for hours.
For those who favor barely-there makeup, Glossier Cloud Paint is the perfect product to seal the deal. Skip the brushes and use your hands for a natural flushed finish.
This blush is a dream thanks to its cream to powder formula. It’s smooth to the touch and melts into the skin. Plus, it’s whipped to perfection with vitamin E and argan oil to keep the skin moisturized.
Flushed, rosy cheeks have always been a constant in Patrick Ta’s artistry. Enter Double-Take: a blush palette with two options. One side of the palette is a cream blush, and the other side is a powder blush to complement each other.
If you’ve been sleeping on Rare Beauty, wake up! Following the brand’s commitment to enhancing what you already have, this buttery cream blush is soft, subtle, and doesn’t move.
Finding the right makeup products that won’t break you out is hard, but Honest Beauty is a start. Free of any harsh chemicals or ingredients, Honest Beauty’s Cheek Blush is a good-for-skin product packed with raspberry, blackberry, and grapefruit extract.
Instead of using your hands, Kiko packaged its blush in a stick to make the application easier and more controlled. Experiment a bit more by using the stick on other areas of your face.
For the jet setter, Milk Makeup’s Lip + Cheek blush is the two-for-one product that imparts a luscious, sheer hue on the lips as it does on the cheeks.
As the name suggests, this Nars creamy stick is designed to be applied in multiple areas on your face. The pigment is sheer, but has flecks of shimmer to add a radiant glow to wherever its applied.
Cheek Gelee is basically a stain for your cheeks, without the stubborn stiffness that comes with stain-like products. This blends like a dream with the other makeup products on your skin for a seamless, symmetric makeup look.
BeachPlease blush delivers buildable color in a luminous, second-skin finish. This silicone-free formula is made with skin-loving, plant-based ingredients like green tea extract and aloe vera extract to give skin support with every application.
This innovative powder-gel blush feels like a cream and finishes like a powder. Get the sweetest-looking glow at home and on the go with these bite-sized, cheeky confections.
This first-of-its-kind water-resistant blush combines pigments with a non-greasy blend of weightless oils and spherical powders for a natural flush you can’t mess up. The ultralightweight, liquid-like cream melts on contact and blends to a smooth, satin finish that won’t cake, crease, or clog pores.
This vibrant, yet natural-looking cheek color has a virtually powderless finish. The silky-smooth, stay-true formula is available in a range of shades for every skin tone. It makes creating that just-pinched look simply effortless.
LYS Beauty Higher Standard Satin Matte Cream Blush
Give your cheeks a kiss of color with this cream blush that delivers high payoff for all skin tones. Packed with clean, skin-loving ingredients like kaolin clay and avocado oil, this multipurpose cream leaves skin looking refreshed. Rich in pigment, this blush adds the finishing touch on any look.
Formulated with Ginseng, Aloe Vera and a unique mix of Fruit Extracts, this tinted balm provides a hint of natural colour while hydrating and conditioning skin.
Experience a perfectly diffused, soft-touch matte blush with a rush of color. Formulated with NARS’s blending and blurring Color Diffusion Complex, smoothing jojoba gel, and antioxidant-rich passion-fruit oil, this lightweight, creamy mousse transforms into a velvety powder for a skin-like finish.
One stick, all the versatility. This cream-to-powder stick works overtime as an eyeshadow, lipstick, and blush, delivering a gorgeous hint of color wherever you want it. The nourishing formula glides on and blends seamlessly, melting into your skin for a fresh and flattering finish.
This blush is easy to use and impossible to overdo in a lineup of shades designed to enhance every complexion with a youthful glow. Created by Rihanna, these shades are sheer, buildable, and melt into skin. The sweat- and water-resistant formula smooths over skin without feeling sticky or greasy.
Soft and flexible, this balm blush glides on beautifully. Micro-fine pigment powders deposit a touch of color without covering up the skin’s natural texture. Made with low-weight emollients that won’t clog pores, the formula has a light, balmy finish for a long-lasting glow that’s never cakey.
Achieve your best natural look with this sheer, easy-to-blend cream blush formula to bring out a dewy and healthy glow. Keep this in your makeup bag for an instant pop of color whenever you’re on the go and want to bring out that natural glow!
Burt’s Bees® blush makeup comes in a cream blush form with a lightweight, luxuriously creamy formula that applies smoothly and blends easily across your cheeks for a seamless, radiant pop of colour.
In the over-the-counter battle against breakouts, there are a few key players you should know about, and salicylic acid is at the top of that list. Simply speaking, salicylic acid is one of acne’s biggest enemies. You reach for a product within the second you see a zit invading your face. You slather it on a pimple overnight and oftentimes, you wake up in the morning with a pimple that is dried up and much less noticeable. But, what exactly does salicylic acid do, and what are the best ways to reap its benefits?
What is salicylic acid?
First off, let’s establish what salicylic acid is. It’s a little complicated, but the exact structure of salicylic acid is important in explaining why (and how) it works so well. When it comes to skin-care products, there are two classes of acids you’ll see often: beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs).
“Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid,” says cosmetic chemist Randy Schueller. “[This] means the hydroxy part of the molecule is separated from the acid part by two carbon atoms, as opposed to an alpha hydroxy acid where they’re separated by one carbon atom.”
Furthermore, salicylic acid is actually derived from willow bark, says cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson, and it belongs to a class of ingredients called salicylates. Are you still with me? Good, because this is where it gets fun. “This structure is important because it makes salicylic acid more oil-soluble so it can penetrate into the pores of the skin,” Schueller says.
Both alpha and beta hydroxy acids exfoliate the skin, but AHAs are water-soluble, while BHAs are oil-soluble, explains New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Sejal Shah. Examples of AHAs, for reference, include glycolic and lactic acids.
“Generally, oil-soluble ingredients penetrate through the lipid layers between the skin cells more readily,” Shah explains. In other words, oil-soluble ingredients can penetrate the skin at a deeper level than their water-soluble counterparts.
Robinson sums up their differences succinctly. “AHAs work well on the skin’s surface to loosen old, dead skin and reveal fresh newer skin,” he says. “Salicylic acid works deeper [and is] able to penetrate into the pores to unclog them.”
What does salicylic acid do for the skin?
What all of this means is that salicylic acid can get deep into your skin to do its job. This quality is precisely what makes salicylic acid such a potent ingredient for targeting acne — especially for blackheads and whiteheads.
Once it penetrates the skin, salicylic acid “dissolves skin debris that clogs pores, [acts] as an anti-inflammatory and also helps red inflamed pimples and pustules go away faster,” explains Naissan O. Wesley, a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles.
The ingredient can penetrate so deeply into skin that actually breaks down the connections between skin cells, according to Schueller and Wesley. “Once it has penetrated the skin, the acid part of the molecule can dissolve some of the intracellular ‘glue’ that holds skin cells together,” says Schueller.
Salicylic acid is also an exfoliant.
This breaking down of skin cells also promotes exfoliation. Salicylic acid is considered a keratolytic medication, which means that it’s perfect for supreme exfoliation. “Keratolytic medications cause softening and sloughing of the top layer of skin cells,” says Rachel Nazarian, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.
Salicylic acid also loosens and breaks apart desmosomes (attachments between cells in the outer layer of skin). “This ‘desmolytic’ action encourages exfoliation of skin and unclogging of pores,” says Sue Ann Wee, a dermatologist in New York City.
“One thought etiology of acne is that the skin cells do not behave normally, and rather than sloughing off through a healthy skin cell cycle, they stick together and clog the pores, creating cysts and blackheads,” says Nazarian. “Salicylic acid aids in removing and loosening these skin cells and helps to dissolve the blackheads.”
Salicylic acid works best on blackheads and whiteheads.
Schueller says there are three factors that contribute to acne: an abnormal sloughing off of skin cells, excessive oiliness, and the action of P. acnes bacteria. “Salicylic acid helps with the first cause by dissolving the type of skin debris that clogs pores and causes acne,” he says.
Therefore, the best acne to treat with salicylic acid are blackheads and whiteheads. “Salicylic acid can directly dissolve the keratin plugs and regulate the skin cells,” says Nazarian. “It does have some effectiveness against cystic acne due to its antibacterial activity, but less so than the classic blackheads and whiteheads.”
Who should avoid using salicylic acid?
You can actually use too much salicylic acid, which can become a problem. “The primary negative side effect of salicylic acid is its ability to irritate and dry skin in those that are very sensitive or those who overuse it,” says Nazarian.
“Depending on the concentration and the number of applications, some people may experience dryness, peeling, redness, and some skin irritation,” says Schueller. For this reason, those with skin that’s already severely dry or sensitive should consider avoiding SA altogether. It’s also not the best choice if you are pregnant or taking certain medications, including blood thinners.
What’s more serious: “Applying salicylic acid or any salicylate to very large portions of your body can lead to salicylate poisoning.” So just don’t apply a layer of it all over — stick to only acne-prone areas.
What are the best salicylic acid-containing skincare products to use for acne?
As with many things in life, the answer to this question depends largely on the individual. “Depending on the severity of their acne, I may recommend an [SA-containing] acne wash, such as SkinCeuticals LHA Cleanser, which contains a blend of salicylic acids,” says Wesley. “For mild acne that just occurs every so often, an acne spot treatment can be helpful, especially when applied early.”
As far as concentrations go, the Food and Drug Administration allows manufacturers to make acne-fighting claims for salicylic acid-containing products if they use it at levels between 0.5 percent and 2 percent, so that is the full range you’ll find in over the counter skin-care products. For chemical peels performed at the dermatologist’s office, the concentration may be as high as 20 to 30 percent, Wesley says.
Salicylic acid isn’t just for blackheads, according to experts. “At lower levels, salicylic acid can speed up the desquamation process and aid in conditions such as dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis, which are caused by a slowing down of skin cells sloughing off,” says Schueller. Pretty cool.
Danessa Myricks’ eponymous makeup brand kicks off a partnership that’s been a year in the making. You can shop nine product categories, including the Best of Beauty-winning Colorfix, on Sephora’s virtual shelves for glowing, professional-tier looks.
Welcome to Artist Spotlight #42 series on my blog.
Although most of us aren’t wearing makeup as often as we used to, experimenting with makeup and carving out that time for myself has become a major solace for me throughout the past year.
Danessa Myricks Beauty exclusively revealed to Allure that the iconic brand is partnering up with Sephora to launch most of its products on sephora.com. The giant beauty retailer has been watching the brand’s growth for quite a while, and founder Danessa Myricks says the “official courtship” lasted around a year. “From the very beginning, [Sephora has] demonstrated a deep commitment to my long-term success,” Myricks adds. “They’ve followed my journey, knew of all my products, attended my master classes, and were actual customers of the brand.”
Last year was a long-overdue time of retail reckoning spurred by Sharon Chuter’s #PullUpOrShutUp challenge. In addition to sharing statistics on Black employees (especially in leadership positions), major retailers also committed to filling their shelves with more Black-owned brands and partnering with experts in the space to achieve diversity-centric goals with a conscience.
As a small-business owner and Black entrepreneur, Myricks went into initial discussions with Sephora with a certain, necessary level of precaution — but, as you can probably tell, both sides were able to make it work. “I never felt like a box checked off on a quota,” she says. “[Sephora was] thoughtful and present when it was time to have difficult conversations around inclusion and diversity and were mindful of the commitment it takes for a small brand like mine to scale at this level.”
These initiatives go beyond her own brand, too. “What excited me the most about this partnership is not only will this be possible for Danessa Myricks Beauty, but Sephora has also committed to creating this same opportunity for more female-founded, Black-owned brands as well,” Myricks shares.
I’m personally stover excited about the prospect of more makeup enthusiasts catching wind of Danessa Myricks Beauty and trying out the line for themselves. Read on to learn about every DMB product that became available at sephora.com as of their launch date, February 26.
Colorfix 24-Hour Cream Color ($18)
These multipurpose cream pigments allow you to create some seriously vibrant, out-of-the-world looks (see above for proof). And the best of news of all: The brand has confirmed that all 83 shades and finishes — Creams, Mattes, Foils, Glazes, Neons, and Nudes — will be eventually be available to shop on Sephora. (For the initial launch, there are 30 shades to dive in on.)
If you don’t know where to start, Myricks recommends a monochromatic look. “With just one drop, you can take your favorite shade and add it to your lips, cheeks, and eyelids,” she says. (Just look at your favorite celebrities, such as Yara Shahidi, for inspiration.) The intense pigmentation works on every skin tone and lasts all day, Myricks adds.
“I think the number-one unexpected way Colorfix is used is as a complexion product,” Myricks says. Colorfix in shades like Phoenix (matte bright orange) and Carrot Top (neon orange) are crease-proof fixes for dark circles and hyperpigmentation. “The tiniest drop immediately neutralizes darkness and sets without bleeding into foundation or concealer,” she adds.
Vision Cream Cover ($28)
Sephora is known to offer tons of product exclusives in the form of jumbo sizes, pop-culture collaborations, and holiday gift sets, so it’s no surprise that Danessa Myricks Beauty is kicking off its Sephora partnership with an exclusive of its own: a value-size version of the Vision Cream Cover for $22 (normally $28).
“With over 20 years of experience as a makeup artist, one thing I know for sure is everyone wants to look natural, regardless of their coverage needs,” Myricks says. This foundation-concealer hybrid has easily adjustable, sheer-to-full coverage available in 23 shades and six color transformer/additive colors for further customization (i.e. peach to neutralize redness). Infused with moisture-boosting squalane and soothing vitamin E, it glides onto skin like a dream and leaves behind a silky-smooth finish.
You only need one drop of the creamy formula for full-face coverage or a half-drop if you’re using it as a concealer, Myricks says. You can also sheer out the Vision Cream Cover with a hydrating lotion or lightweight oil. As far as application goes, you can play with it however you like. “It’s so finger-friendly but also works beautifully with a sponge or a brush,” she adds.
Dew Wet Balm ($22)
If you’re looking for an instant “glass skin” finish on the fly, Dew Wet Balm will dew that with a single swipe. Available in five luminescent colors (including translucent, rose gold, and bronze), this highlighting balm sinks into skin, rather than simply sitting atop of it. That effect is due to the formula’s hydrating jojoba oil, which lends skin a natural glow. You could say it’s the highlight of 2021 makeup trends.
Vision Flush ($20)
Similar to Colorfix, Vision Flush can also be applied all over the eyes, lips, and cheeks for a subtle, satin-matte wash of color. Choose from 12 shades — including corals, plums, and browns — and sweep the diamond-shaped reservoir tip applicator across your lips or dab onto your lids and cheekbones. Voilà, radiance in a pinch.
Illuminating Veil ($22)
Tap the Illuminating Veil for backup if you want to add major glimmer to your face or body. Whether you wear it on its own or mix it in with your favourite liquid foundation for a dewy finish, this water-based highlighter makes all skin tones glow in no time at all. If you’re short on time, you can effortlessly blend in any of the 12 bronzey, golden, silver, and lavender shades in with your fingers.
Power Bronzer ($26)
An alternative to cakey powder bronzers, the Power Bronzer is a long-wearing cream bronzer that’s impossibly easy to blend and adds a dimensional dose of warmth to your face. All three shades (Deep, Medium, and Light) are perfect for achieving a summery glow — even when you’re stuck indoors all winter long.
Evolution Powder ($24)
Designed with the harshness of flash photography and TV/film lighting in mind, the Evolution Powder blurs the appearance of texture and fine lines with light-diffusing spheres. Dust on a layer of the translucent setting powder or any of the eight tinted shades (including yellow, peach, tan, and bronze) to set your makeup with ease and guard against mid-day shine.
Hot tip: Sweep the powder in only the areas you experience excess oil with a small makeup brush (aka, precision powdering) if you don’t want to lose your all-over glow.
Light Work Palette I & II ($42)
The Light Work Palettes allow you to layer various highlighting shades so you obtain the exact level of brilliance you desire. Both palettes have six creamy powder shades each, but the “I” edition has cooler rose gold, champagne, gold, and soft white shades, while “II” has a warmer color scheme that incorporates yellow gold, terracotta bronze, cocoa bronze hues. Both, however, contain micro-light-refracting particles that add eye-catching dimension to your face.
Beauty Oil ($30)
Even though it’s spiked with deeply hydrating jojoba, sunflower, and walnut oils, you’ll find the Beauty Oil still manages to be lightweight to the touch. The clear, gold-flecked liquid sinks into skin within seconds to reveal your skin’s natural radiance when it’s worn alone as a skin-care product, underneath complexion products, and mixed with your foundation of choice (just two to three drops will do). It’s especially handy for mature skin.
What are you waiting for? Stock up on all things Danessa Myricks at sephora.com (and in-stores on April 9), and keep your eyes peeled for new and special drops.
Just as Harris Reed’s clothing offers an important voice in the conversation around the way we define masculinity and gender identity in fashion, a limited-edition collaboration with MAC Cosmetics created by the 24-year-old British-American designer is set to redefine the way we approach makeup.
Welcome to Artist Spotlight #37 series on my blog.
“Beauty is fluid, beauty is for everyone and I can’t wait to see how people are going to use this collection to show their version of self-expression and fluidity,” Harris toldVogue, practically shrieking down the phone with excitement. “That’s what I’m super excited about.”
“My first experiences with makeup were with my friends at a MAC store getting ready for prom and it was the brand that I first saw putting make-up on ‘boys’’, they explain, citing MAC as the perfect partner. “For it to even trust me, and take on my strong-ass message of fighting for fluidity, I have to say, has just felt like the most beautiful partnership.”
One of Harris’s personal highlights to come from the collaboration is that it will enable their hundreds of thousands of followers the opportunity to own their own part of the Harris Reed brand and feel included in its wider message. “It’s such an emotional thing for me. I’ve been so incredibly lucky that millions of people have seen the things I’ve worked on and have been a part of, but have maybe until now they’ve not been able to buy into it. This is now something that anyone can get their hands on and be a part of. It doesn’t feel real, it feels crazy.”
The millennial-pink packaged collection is made up of four products, each of which offers a plethora of possibilities to play around with. A smudge of one shade into your hairline could work mixed with another swept over your eyelids for a trip to the shop – just as Harris did when creating the palettes. Though MAC has a history of being used by professionals, this collection has a level of tactility to it that the least acquainted with makeup can become quickly familiar with. The fact that there are no application brushes is deliberate – Harris prefers the human touch.
“It is very much about a playfulness and the joy of makeup,” Harris continues. “As someone who makes clothes that take a couple of weeks to produce, if I want to make a statement with makeup, it literally takes me seconds with a good lipstick or eyeshadow. As I have pushed this idea of a more fluid space in a more fluid world, I’ve really loved that makeup can always be that gorgeous icing on top. It doesn’t only complete the look but, it also completes the message, acting as that extra ounce of light to help radiate what I stand for.”
Much like their clothing, the inspiration behind the colours and products is a major meeting of eras and aesthetics, resulting in an overall “glam-luxe romanticism gone non-binary,” they say. “It is a mix between Studio 54 and rococo, but also think a full renaissance party. You can start with this very beautiful, very whimsical approach and then by the end you can end up with this Studio-54-inspired gold eyeshadow all over your face, even pushing up to the hairline.” Their hero product? A trio of lipsticks called ‘From Harris, With Love’ that reminds them of their first forays into makeup and looking at lipsticks with their mum as a child. “I know those are the ones that I will keep on me at a party, applying, applying and applying.”
Harris’s own approach to beauty and using makeup for themselves has shifted as their sense of self has grown — most notably after they started at Central Saint Martins, emerged in London’s creative scene. Yet they weren’t always so comfortable and forthcoming with using products for themselves. “Being around fabulously flamboyant people really pushed me in the way that I wanted to express myself in terms of my gender identity and being creative across so many areas,” they said.
“[Wearing makeup] has made me have a much more honest approach to my identity. Like anything, it can be scary if you’re not familiar with it. The minute I thought of makeup as a tool to use to send a message and spark a story, was when I started having a way more playful approach. It gave me a space to feel that everything was okay. It definitely was a journey and now I realise that you write your own rulebook.”
The four-piece collection is a small but mighty push for us all to rethink how we use and approach makeup. Harris doesn’t see using cosmetics any differently to employing a fabulous fashion accessory when putting an outfit together. “I think if I, and this collection, can be of any influence to make people look at makeup as a tool to be who you want to be, then that’s job done,” they said.
“Try and not think of makeup as something that makes you look ‘pretty’ and try and not look at it as something that you use to make yourself better, but to explore and enhance something within you. Use makeup as a tool to be your most authentic self.”
Liquid eye shadows are among the trendiest makeup formulas right now, with new versions dropping from a variety of brands seemingly every week. Devotees favor them for their ease of use, blendability and intense color payoff. But there are a few key tricks to finding the right formula and applying it like a pro.
“When it comes to these formulas, a little goes a long way,” says makeup artist Beau Nelson. “The best way is to use a synthetic brush, apply thin layers and use the brush to buff edges for a clean transition.” Makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes agrees, nothing that fingers are fine in a pinch, but “the oils in your fingers can often break up the oils in the product.” One major benefit of using a liquid shadow is that it doesn’t require the use of a primer: They “basically act as primers with color. They work well amazingly on their own, or even as a base for powder shadows,” explains Hughes.
Liquid eye shadows are also the unsung heroes of the makeup bag because of their versatility. Both makeup artists we consulted agree that the multi-tasking capabilities of these formulas are particularly impressive. “Metallic, pale and medium shades can look best as highlights. They can also act as blush — just mix a tiny bit of foundation to extend the product’s dry-down time,” says Nelson.
Now that you know how to apply them like a pro, here are the best expert-recommended liquid eye shadows to add to your collection. Read on to see (and shop) them all.
Danessa Myricks Beauty 24-Hour Cream ColorFix
Channel your inner artist with Danessa Myricks Beauty ColorFix 24-Hour Cream Color Matte. This ultra-long-wearing cream color can be safely used on lips, eyes, face, and body. ColorFix’s unique silicone-polymer base can be mixed to create custom colors and finishes.
Powder-finish formula (that doesn’t feel powdery) smooths on with a doe foot applicator. Silky, blendable color melts into skin, creating a pretty, diffused effect that lasts. A little bit adds some depth to the eye area; add more for a refined, modern wash of color. Comes in seven shades inspired by dreamy Southwest landscapes.
Illuminate your eyes with Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow by Stila Cosmetics. This lightweight and water-infused formula provides long-lasting coverage, without ever flaking. Boosted with mica, this highly-pigmented formula reflects the light around you, revealing a glowing appearance.
These super sparkly liquid eyeshadows are the best way to amplify your eyes. With its smooth, lightweight feel and quick dry-down, you’ll achieve shimmery color in a flash.
Creates a sheer veil of color that locks onto lids without creasing (so no need for primer). Ultrafine pigments are enveloped in a buttery base for a silky, blendable formula that swipes on easily. Comes in six shimmery, long-wearing shades.
This gel-based formula is long-lasting, quick-drying and 100% eye-catching! Formulated for comfortable wear and minimal fall out, this opaque liquid eyeshadow delivers high-impact, multi-dimensional glitters and pearls in a quick-drying gel base.
Smith & Cult Glitterbaby Metallic-Shift Eye Shadow
Next level liquid glitter eyeshadow. Smith & Cult’s Glitterbaby Metallic-Shift Eyeshadow features black micronized pigments that transform to a deeper metallic as you blend. Build color intensity and depth. Wear as a sparkling metallic or smudge for a smoky look.
T’is the season of flaky, chapped lips… which is why we keep our pockets, purses, and nightstands stocked with an arsenal of positively conditioning lip treatments. And you can trust I’ve tried every product under the sun: medicated balms, do-it-all salves, SPF spiked tubes, tasty, all-natural scrubs — I’ve even slapped on sheet masks made just for the mouth.
Here are some of mine, and ALLURE editors’ picks for this season:
Lanolips 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm
Don’t let the millennial-friendly packaging fool you: Lanolips 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm is widely loved for a reason. Not only does it work wonders on dry, cracked lips — as well as chapped areas anywhere on the body — but it’s also lightweight, non-sticky, and leaves behind a silky sheen that doesn’t disappear after an hour. You can’t go wrong with this one.
Nuxe Paris’s Reve De Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm is a classic French pharmacy favorite that’s beloved by bloggers, YouTubers, and beauty editors alike. While it has a thick, balm-like consistency thanks to its beeswax base, the formula never feels greasy or chunky on your lips. Instead, it dries down to a subtle matte texture and restores moisture within minutes.
Kosasport’s LipFuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm glides on smoothly with zero stickiness, yet moisturizes like an overnight mask, thanks to heavy-duty hydrators, such as hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, and konjac root. For anyone unfamiliar with the latter ingredient, it works by creating a gel-like barrier between the lips and outside aggressors that affect dryness. Choose between two shades (cool pink and dusty rose) and one clear option.
A 2019 Allure of Beauty winner, Laneige’s Lip Sleeping Mask works overtime to ensure lips are moisturized, supple, and smooth-as-silk by morning. Infused with berry-derived antioxidants and vitamin C, as well as its proprietary “moisture wrap” technology, you’ll notice a visible difference in dryness after just one use. The intoxicating fruity scent doesn’t hurt either, though if that’s not your jam, it also comes in vanilla and apple lime.
A word from Allure beauty editor Paige Stables: “Even though it’s designed to use as an overnight mask, I also love it during the day,” she says. “A thin layer of the antioxidant-rich balm adds the prettiest subtle sheen to lips, and it layers nicely with lipstick, too.”
Loaded with antioxidants and vitamins — including A, C, and E — Dr. Pawpaw’s Multipurpose Soothing Balm delivers an intense dose of nourishment to the lips, as well as anywhere else on the body that could use some T.L.C. Additionally, its main ingredient, plant-derived fermented pawpaw, is lauded for soothing dry, irritated lips on contact. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s also fragrance-free and vegan-friendly, making it suitable for so many different people.
Shiseido’s Sun Protection Lip Treatment SPF 35 is everything you’d expect from a brand that takes sun protection so seriously. This sleek little tube contains a whopping SPF 35, thanks to a mixture of both chemical and physical protection. Amazingly, it doesn’t taste the least bit like sunscreen, though it can leave a subtle white cast (but it’s nothing a little bit of lipstick layering can’t fix).
Editors are obsessed with Glossier’s Balm Dotcom for its chic packaging and its ability to soothe dry, chapped anything — lips, cuticles, elbows, heels, you name it.
Fresh’s Sugar Tinted Lip Treatments are a beauty editor staple, and it isn’t hard to understand why. They feel rich and moisturizing on lips, and depending on swipe strength, the color can range from a sheer tint to a juicier, more saturated sheen.
Sun Bum’s SPF 30 Mineral Lip Balm is zinc-based and made of minerals that soften and smooth lips. Additionally: skin-smoothing cocoa butter and SPF 30 protection — with a dash of vitamin E provide sun protection. Not to mention, this packaging is undeniably adorable.
By Terry’s Baume de Rose Balm is formulated with ceramides and shea butter that help repair lips’ natural moisture barrier, addressing the problem for the long term instead of just temporarily. It also layers well with lipstick, keeping lips moisturized without causing it to slip and slide around.
Yes to Coconut’s Lip Oil is a Best of Beauty award winner — and for good reason. The silky oil won’t disappear from lips the way other balms do. Instead, it leaves them pampered and glossy with a healthy, stick-free shine.
As far as we’re concerned, the only thing better than a lip balm is a tinted lip balm. Kiehl’s Butterstick Lip Treatment comes in five hues (plus one clear option). Add a side of protection — SPF 25 and antioxidants from lemon peel — and consider all your bases covered.
Dry lips, listen up. Coola’s Liplux SPF 30 Organic Lip Sunscreen contains pretty much every skin-softening ingredient imaginable: aloe, beeswax, coconut oil, raspberry seed oil, and jojoba seed oil. Not to mention, the aqua tube reminds us of days spent by the pool.
Clarins’ Instant Light Lip Oil is one of those products that we could keep smearing on our lips all day because it feels slick, smells like vanilla, and makes lips super shiny while hydrating them at the same time.
“Malin + Goetz’s Mojito Lip Balm is as shiny as a gloss, so it’s great as a last step in your makeup routine. Not only is it really nourishing, but it’s also incredibly slippery, which feels awesome on dry, parched lips.” — Sophia Panych, former digital deputy beauty director
Hourglass’s No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil is so good that you can slather it on before bed and still feel it on your lips the next morning. It’s a little sticky, so we find nighttime is the safest time of day to apply it without added mess. Plus, the gold applicator tip looks incredibly fancy.
Shea butter fans, listen up: Supergooop’s Açai Fusion Lip Balm contains the hydrating ingredient, plus a dose of SPF 30. Initially, the formula is a pale pink, but it sheers out to a nice, neutral glisten.
Carmex Lip Balm is an oldie but a goodie. The iconic formula (which contains petrolatum, menthol, and camphor) has been soothing cracked lips for almost 80 years. One application, and it’s no surprise why we keep going back to it every winter.
There’s no denying the brand’s expertise in lip care, and Chapstick’s Total Hydration 3 in 1 Lip Care feels silkier and lasts even longer than the original.
There’s a chance that Marc Jacobs’ Lip Lock SPF Lip Balm is the chicest lip balm we’ve ever laid eyes on — but it’s more than just a pretty face. It’s spiked with shea butter, avocado oil, and a sweet, minty flavor. Add the fact that it contains SPF 18 (not the recommended SPF 30, but still SPF, nonetheless), and you have yourself a balm that’s both sexy and smart.
Korres’s Lip Butter is as rich and creamy as the name suggests, which is precisely what makes this a coveted editor favorite. That, and the fact the gorgeous tints provide the perfect dose of color without skimping on moisture.
This cocoa butter–infused version of its Lip Therapy has slightly more heft than just straight-up Vaseline, and it doesn’t melt down and feel oily the way the original version does.
We’re big fans of Bite Beauty’s Agave Lip Mask — it’s heavy-duty enough that you can put some on before bed and lips will still be nice and moisturized come morning.
“Makeup artists love this balm for their male clients because it’s exceptionally hydrating but doesn’t leave any shine behind. After hearing that, I had to give it a try, and of course now I’m hooked. I use it when I’m wearing a bold lipstick. I put it on before I start my makeup and let it settle as I apply base, blush, and eye makeup. Once I’m ready for lipstick, my mouth is perfectly prepped.” — Sophia Panych
In addition to being insanely hydrating, Smith’s Rosebud Salve has the slightest hint of pink, making it one of the easiest way to boost your natural lip color if you’re going for a no-makeup makeup look. Makeup artist Diane Kendal keeps tins of the stuff in her kit at all times.
Almost every Allure editor has Aquaphor’s Healing Ointment floating around their houses. It’s great for every dry patch — elbows and knees in the winter, itchy skin in the summer — and takes off the most stubborn eye makeup. But we particularly love it best as a lip balm. It’s not the sexiest, but it really soaks into chapped skin.
Blistex’s Lip Medex is no-frills, but so legit. One light swipe is the perfect lipstick primer, but you can pile it on thick for protection from harsh winter winds and freezing temperatures.
RMS’s Beauty Lip & Skin Balm was created by makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift, whose celebrity clientele includes a lineup of former Victoria’s Secret bombshells (Gisele Bündchen, Miranda Kerr, Karolina Kurkova). It can’t exactly promise Angel status, but the organic coconut oil balm will keep parched lips soft and supple all day long.
La Mer’s The Lip Balm is a bit extravagant for an everyday lip product ($60, to be exact), but the marine extracts do a heck of a job healing severely parched lips in record time. Reserve the little pot as a nighttime treatment and lips will be soft and lush by morning — and remain that way all day long.
Drunk Elephant’s Lippe Lip Balm is short and squat, so the shape is more like a glue stick than a typical lip balm. The natural formula contains peptides, along with a bunch of moisturizing oils, so in theory, it should also ward off signs of aging in addition to keeping lips hydrated. It’s also lightweight and fairly matte, so your lips don’t end up looking overly glossy.
The formula may be as hardworking as a medicated balm, but the dusty rose tint of Jane Iredale’s Lipdrink Lip Balm is as pretty and pigmented as some of our favorite sheer lipsticks.
One of the most popular Kevyn Aucoin products is the Neo-Bronzer, which is a gradient face palette that provides a shimmery highlighter, flowing into blush, then bronzer. This product is great for spring and summer looks when we all want that healthy glow.
A dupe for the Neo-Bronzers is the KISS Ombre Radiance palettes, it’s impeccable how similar they are! I have two of them in my collection, which you can see in the photos.
Kassy Rose Makeup Artistry 