Beauty Makeup Tips

Lipstick’s Younger, Cooler Sister Has Arrived Just in Time for Fall

Rachel Lapidos

September 28, 2018

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Photo: Getty Images/Noelia Ramon-TellingLife

I know so many women—myself included—whose go-to method of taking a makeup look from day to night is by swiping on a bold lip. Nothing gives you an instant boost of confidence quite like rocking a bright shade, am I right ladies? Just ask my roommate, who, on date nights, witnesses me swipe on my go-to fuschia lip to feel exponentially more self-assured with my look and the metaphorical exclamation point that it's donning.

Here's the thing: Why can't you take that easy swipe of confidence with you throughout the day? While popping pinks and intense reds can stick with you through the night, making them last from 9-to-5 (through coffee runs and lunch and the like) can be more challenging. That's why I'm making the case for the upgraded tinted lip balm as your everyday beauty hero.

A perfect medium between your go-to lipstick and a nourishing balm, tinted lips provide a touch of color along with hydration. And while they've existed for-eh-ver, sure, they have a new twist, functioning more as makeup than treatment. They're like muted lipsticks—lipsticks with the volume dialed down a bit, if you will, whereas tinted balms of the past felt more like a Chapstick with benefits.

These aren't basic colors for the faint of heart, either—brands are making tinted lip balms in everything from your dark burgundy to coral pink, so you're sure to find one in the hue you love. And as you reap the confidence-boosting benefits of the color, your lips will enjoy the TLC that the ingredients provide. Tata Harper's tint, for instance, uses green tea seed oil and coconut fruit extract to nourish, while Origins' brand new Blooming Sheer lip balm, launching today, contains honey and essential oils (along with 12 flowers for color, NBD).