Dry and peeling lips are my summer's bane. The lack of moisture in the air and the fact that I don't drink enough water cause them alligator lips but that's where tinted balms come to the rescue! I always have a couple in my bag for rushed days and the ones I have been reaching for a ton are the L'Oreal Colour Riche Balms. I have three colors, Rose Elixir, Plush Plum and Heavenly Berry. Let's get into the review, shall we?
{THE BREAKDOWN}
 |
| From left to right: Rose Elixir, Plush Plum and Heavenly Berry |
First of all, I love the rectangular packaging. These don't roll around when I set them on the table and they store easier than round tubes. The gold packaging with color coordinated tops look luxurious and convenient if you have a lot like I do. These swivel up easily with one hand and have a solid click to let you know it's securely closed.
These balms claim to hydrate for a continuous 8 hours plus an additional 2.5 hours after removal. While I do think these feel great over peeling lips, I don't think they hydrate for 10.5 hours. In actuality, I can feel the hydration for 3 hours tops, and that's without eating or drinking. My lips don't start feeling dry until 5 hours post-application so nix the 10 hour claim. Like I mentioned before, when my lips are cracked and peeling, I like using these tinted balms because they provide color that doesn't bunch or emphasize the dryness as well as hydration. After slapping on a generous amount and waiting an hour, I'll use a tissue to remove the flakes. This works better with lip gloss but I hate wearing lip gloss out and about.
While these feel like water on the lips, there isn't any water in this formula. Instead, there's tons of waxes and oils for that emollient yet not thick texture. Most people prefer a more solid texture but I prefer a more slick, watery texture as it disguises dry areas and feels lighter on the lips, especially when it's already feeling raw and gross. Even with all these emollients, I haven't had a problem with these balms melting in my bag. These lip balms also contain octinoxate 7.5% and octisalate 3% for some sun protection--HUGELY important for those harsh summer rays in the Northern Hemisphere!
If I had to compare these to something else I've tried, I'd say they resemble the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. Fresh is not as slick but the thinner texture, hint of color, and SPF is comparable to the L'Oreal. I actually prefer the L'Oreal because the packaging is much simpler and doesn't melt in my bag or a hot car...my fault, yes but still! Each tube contains 0.10oz of product for $7.99usd ($79.90usd per oz) whereas the Fresh is $22.50usd for 0.15oz ($150usd per oz). L'Oreal contains 8 shades, compared to Fresh's 14.
{THE SWATCH}
 |
| From left to right: Rose Elixir, Plush Plum and Heavenly Berry |
Rose Elixir is the lightest in the tube and doesn't show up on my pigmented lips. The swatch above took about 5 or more swatches but that was as much color as I could get. Plush Plum is a sheer plum with a hint of shimmer. This one can be built up to a deeper color, especially on my pigmented lips. The shimmers don't show up on the lips as chunky. Rather, they give me a plump lip look. Heavenly Berry looked like it would have higher pigmentation than Rose Elixir but essentially shows up clear on me. If I really built it up and look closely, I'd see a slight pink tint but yeah, not much color. I use Rose Elixir mostly as a clear balm over my matte lips throughout th day as it doesn't alter the lip color underneath. Plush Plum is for makeup days as the color is a bit stark on my bare face.Heavenly Berry is a nice medium between the previous two; worn sheerly, it can be a topper but built up, I can wear it with a bare face without looking done up.
{THE BOTTOM LINE}
I highly recommend these! Not many lip balms contain spf and color so these are a great, everyday staple! I had another one in Caring Coral that started this craze and I would like to pick up more.
{WHERE TO BUY}
What are some of your favorite tinted balms?
I'm always looking for the next best thing!
XOXO,
MWAH ♥
XOXO,
No comments