A good lip product can make or break your overall appearance. You feel more confident when you know you look good. And you feel more comfortable when your lips are not chapped.
When it comes to lip products, I am the biggest fan of a tinted product that enhances your natural lip color without being overtly makeup-forward. That limits the type, shade, and texture of products I reach for on a daily basis. But that also means I’ve narrowed in on what works for me.
What I Look for in Lip Products
I’m always looking for a “my lips but better” vibe but for a guy. So that’s something that isn’t too glossy. And it’s something that doesn’t leave too much of a residue behind on a napkin.
I don’t like lipsticks because whether they’re matte or glossy, they just have too much pigment for me and I can always clock it from afar. It’s just too jarring for me to have this much color and not be close enough to my lips.
Lip glosses? Into it. Tinted lip balms? Into it. Tinted lip serums? Into it.
So here are my top 3 lip products from Sephora I’ve been using on a regular basis. And yes, all of them work well all alone without the need for an extra layer for moisture. Because there’s nothing I hate more than a lip product that makes your lips drier than they were before you applied. But these are all kissability test approved!
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm (Brown Sugar) - $24
You will always find a tube of Lip Butter Balm in my backpack when I go to work. It’s so dependable and truly a staple in my everyday routine. And it’s one of my recommended products for the Sephora sale!
The good
Applicator is super gentle
The silicone tip of the applicator really rubs my lips in the right way. And it smooths the product so easily. The only concern with this is people say the tip starts protruding after a lot of use, but I have not experienced that yet.
Shade is absolute perfection for my lips
The Brown Sugar shade is something else because it is honestly the same shade as my lips. It just helps add the slightest bit of definition. I truly could not have asked for a better shade!
Smells amazing
This one might not matter for that many people. But as a person who uses this throughout the day (and my eau de parfum has already worn off), I love to smell this as a little pick-me-up. It’s fun, but it doesn’t make me hungry for sugar (which is a good thing).
The not-so-good
The tube is not pocketable
This tube is crazy tall, making it more of a purse or backpack type item. If I put this in my pockets, I usually see a little bit of it peeking out from the top of my pocket.
A lot of bulk gets collected around the cap
If you’re a neat freak, you will start noticing the product accumulates around the cap as you continue to use it. That kind of bothers me because it just looks so messy. And yes, I can clean it. But also, I am lazy.
More expensive on a per-gram basis than Tower28
It’s a marginal difference, but it is slightly more expensive per unit than the Tower28 product. But I think you’re also paying for a difference in packaging experience too, which could be a contributor of the price difference.
Tower28 Beauty LipSoftie (Red Bean Mochi) - $16
LipSoftie is more of my weekend vibe because it looks like your standard “lip balm” format and applies like it too. So I can put this on without a mirror, and I know it’ll look great on my lips.
The good
Easy to apply without a mirror
The head of this product is like a little plastic dome. So you squirt the product out from the head of the product and then apply. Because it is such a large surface, I normally just try to get the product in the middle of my lips and then just smack them to spread the product across.
Super pocketable
In contrast to the super-tall Lip Butter Balm, these are super tiny and can easily fit in your pocket with keys, hand sanitizer, and whatever else you got going on.
AAPI owned
This one is important to me (as an Asian creator) because I want to help support more AAPI brands in the beauty space. And I appreciate that a lot of the products are designed with Asian cultural references, which makes it feel intentional.
The not-so-good
If you squeeze too much out, you could end up with a thick mess on (and beyond) your lips
The squeeze tip allows the product out and it sometimes struggles to “suck” the product back in if you squeezed too much out. So as you get halfway through your tube, you have to squeeze more dramatically. And that could unintentionally get more product out than you wanted. So you might be stuck putting all of that on and it will get thick on your lips.
If you’re looking for a strong flavor or taste, this isn’t it
I don’t need my products to be too strong, so this one is not as big of a deal to me. I do smell some amount of sweetness with the Red Bean Mochi, but it’s more of a vanilla scent than anything else. And the scent/flavor doesn’t really sell me on things, so I don’t mind too much that this is missing that experience.
If you want any amount of precision around the lip lines, this won’t work for you
The dome shade of the applicator is a blessing and a curse. Super easy to distribute a lot of the product onto your lips. Super easy to also get that product everywhere because there is no precision with the applicator. It’s just too wide to get any solid lines around your lip edges.
Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask (Wisteria) - $29
This Tatcha one is pretty different from the others in the list because it’s actually an overnight lip mask. But I use it both during the day and night. And the sad part is they discontinued the Wisteria shade, so now it is just a gold and a standard light pink. Womp womp, but I am glad I stocked up on the Wisteria shade before they discontinued it.
The good
Super hydrating, even overnight
The fact that this is an overnight lip mask is a testament to how good it will hydrate and moisturize your lips. I would actually say this is the most nourishing of all the products in my list here. I don’t even have to use another lip balm under this as a lip mask because it just does it all (cannot say the same about a lot of lip masks I have used over the years).
Absolutely no stickiness
This is smooth like butter, both in the jar and on your lips. You can see that it melts down so easily with my finger and that it just glides over my lips. It does automatically layer in a pretty thick amount. But it doesn’t feel suffocating and it is still easy to remove it if needed.
The most straightforward to get 100% of the product out as it empties
When it comes to getting the bulk product out of the packaging, there’s absolutely no beating a jar. You just get access to what more of the nooks and crannies than you would from a tube. The Tower28 and Summer Fridays ones would both need to be cut open to get the remainder. Tatcha, absolutely none of that nonsense.
The not-so-good
The application/format is really only suitable for at-home
Hate it or love it, a jar does not lend itself to an on-the-go moment. Remember those Carmex jars as teens? So many people would apply that in the classroom, on the bus, at the mall. I just could not stand it. Same goes for this. The Tatcha one is more of a do-it-at-home than it is an all-around-town type of product.
It doesn’t feel as sterile as a tube format
Because you’re constantly sticking your finger or the little provided spatula into the product, it doesn’t feel as sterile as the tube formats. And yes, I know the lips are one of the most nasty places when it comes to needing preservatives. But I just know the jar preservatives are working overtime compared to the tube ones.
Not as many available shades
After learning they discontinued the Wisteria shade, I was hoping they would have more shades available. They don’t. It’s just a standard clear(ish) pink gloss and a gold one. And for someone who loves a deeper shade, these 2 are just not doing it for me.
How to: My Lips but Better for Men (or Anyone…)
I’ll be honest that a lot of the misconception around lip products is based in fear of femininity. There’s TikTok trends of women showing their boyfriends applying chapstick and the contortions they make. So maybe this blog isn’t for them.
BUT for the small percentage of people (men or not) who love a good deep shade of lip balm (not lipstick), these are some of my favorite products to achieve a no-fuss, high-payoff result.
The Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm is the perfect product for those who have access to a bag to carry it and are more on-the-go oriented because you can get pretty precise with the applicator.
The Tower28 LipSoftie is more for the person who likes to carry everything in their pockets and want to hit their lips with a little moisture right in the middle and smooth it across their lips.
The Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask is for the person who wants complete access to the product when it’s running low and can rely on a mirror for application via finger or spatula.
And an honorable mention for the Makeup by Mario MoistureGlow Plumping Lip Serum because it’s got the easy turn-up format and a subtle tint. But the tingling for the plumping could be a turn-off for people, which is why it ultimately did not make my list.
But you cannot go wrong with any of these choices. They’re moisturizing to help improve your lip condition over time and they instantly make your lips look that much more defined and attractive.
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