Lip Hybrids: All-in-one Sun Protection, Lipcare & Makeup

Yay, the sun is shining again in Singapore! With the South-East Asian haze decreasing, it’s finally time to enjoy more of our time outside. Exposing ourselves to the sun, protection for the lips is often forgotten. Forget the boring, medical-looking lip balms and chapsticks; in Asia, a variety of makeup-like lipcare with SPF is available that make it too fun too to ever forget to care for your lips again.

The skin of our lips is thin, incredibly sensitive and prone to sunburn. Whereas sunscreen and sun blocks are widely available from different brands in an overwhelming amount of different product types (spray, foam, mousse, milk, gel – to mention just a few), lip care with SPF is often forgotten – both by consumers and cosmetic companies.

In sun-fearing Asia, the lipcare market comes across somewhat more developed than it seems to be in Europe, and a solid variety of basic lip balms with SPF are available. The better news however, is that in addition to these ordinary and plain, often medical looking SPF balm sticks, a type of product exists that makes wearing SPF protection more fun and attractive than ever before: a hybrid type of SPF lipcare that cares and protects, but looks like makeup – LOVE!

The principle is very simple; basically it’s just protecting lipcare that adds some colour to your lips as well. Some balms are coloured already, whereas most are ‘colour-changeable’: these products look like regular white or colourless lip balms, but provide a pinkish hue upon application on the lips. 

In Europe, I sporadically came across some pink coloured lipcare with a pearly effect, but from what I recall, these products were mainly targeted at teenage girls. The products I'm talking about here are different from anything I've seen so far - I wouldn’t know how else to describe them than a ‘hybrid’of sun protection, lipcare and makeup. Watsons’ product offer is poetically called “Sunscreen Magical Lip Balm”, whereas other brands such as Maybelline market theirs as “Baby Lips SPF 20 Balm” – pretty straight forward, apart from the additional mentioning of the colour, which is “Cherry Velvet”. Time for some testing: what is available, and what is it like?

PRODUCT REVIEWS: 

(1) Silky Girl “Silky Lips” Multi-Vitamin Lip Balm – SPF 15

Shade: 02 Candy Pink

Price: 4,90 SGD

Available at a.o. Sasa, Watsons & Guardian.

Product Promise: “A strawberry-flavoured sheer, pink-tinted lip balm enriched with multivitamins (A, B, C & E) to protect and nourish lips so that lips remain healthy, soft and supple all day. With SPF 15 to protect against damaging UV rays. Provides up to 8 hours of moisture.”

Fragrance: Strawberry…fields full of (artificial) strawberries.

Taste: Artificial Strawberry, like in tooth-achingly sweet, neon pink strawberry bubblegum. But this fades after less than 5 minutes.

Result: This is the only lip balm that is coloured from the start already, i.e. not ‘magically’ colour-changeable upon application on the lips. The pink colour is sufficiently visible on my lips, yet is not too present. It’s more matte than shiny. For me personally, this is the exact right shade of pink and I love the degree of visibility; not too little, not too much, exactly right. After a few hours, my lips still feel smooth.

I furthermore like that the shape/applicator of the stick is slim, which makes it pleasant to apply. Moreover, the product doesn’t feel greasy or sticky on my lips. Sometimes a lip balm creates  a somewhat dry feeling in my mouth, but not this one! Like!

Rating: 9/10.       

(2) Maybelline “Baby Lips” Lip Balm – SPF 20

Shade: Cherry Velvet

Price: 5,90 SGD

Available at a.o. Sasa, Watsons & Guardian.

Product Promise: 

"Tired of the same promise? Go one step further, from Maybelline New York. Adult strength care for baby soft lips.”

Furthermore, this product promises instant hydration, 12 hours of moisture, supple & smooth looking lips all day long; and as cherry on the pie, fine lines should be visibly reduced as well, and lips should feel plump…

Fragrance: Cherry, but very subtle and not too sweet. The scent fades pretty fast.

Taste: Unmistakably Cherry; very present when applying, but fades away after less than 15 minutes.

Result: The shade and shine are subtle, yet very sexy; the “je ne sais quoi” and “I’m such a natural beauty” look. After 3 hours, the colour is mostly gone and I only feel a very distant hint of balm on my lips; my lips feel good though, really moisturized and ‘cared’ for. This product is close to perfect.

Rating: 9/10.      

(3) Watsons’ “Sunscreen Magic Lip Balm” - SPF 30

Shade: N/A

Price: 5 SGD 
Available at Watsons

Product Promise:

“This Magic sunscreen lip balm protects against sun damage and thermal aging. Enriched with vitamin E, this lip balm nourishes the lips and prevents dryness caused by sun damage. Along with a magically delicious pink tint, it keeps your lips looking healthy and natural.”

Fragrance: A mix between candy (I think I smell cherry…and bubblegum) and sunscreen. It reminds me of my childhood, of a Barbie soap that I used to have when I was very little. Good memories though.

Taste: Turns out to be Raspberry; no Cherry.

Result: I like that the shape/applicator of the stick is slim, which makes it pleasant to apply. 

Before applying, the stick itself is white and shows no colour; upon application on the lips however,  

the colour transforms to a hard to miss raspberry-like dark pink. Honest hubby-feedback:

Husband:            “Are you wearing a new lipstick?”

Me:                       “No, it’s a lip care balm actually. Can you see I’m wearing it?”

Husband:            “Yeah, your lips are kind of purple.”

Me:                       “….”      

I agree with The Husband; this shade is too present and a bit too purple for me.

Rating: 5/10.

(4) Mentholatum “Perfect Lip” Essence Balm – SPF 26

Shade: Sakura Pink

Price: 6,50 SGD

Available at a.o. Watsons & Guardian.

Product Promise: 

"The treatment power of essence embodied in an innovative colour changeable lip balm.” 

“Perfect 3 benefits in one lipbalm to treat, moisturize & colour your lips all at one-go.”

“Colour changeable to a perfect sakura pink shade based on your unique lip tone.”

Fragrance: None; fragrance-free                                      

Taste: None

Result: As this balm is colour-changeable, it promises to give my lips “a perfect sakura pink shade based on my unique lip tone”. I don’t see any difference, my lips just look natural, however they do look very healthy. Maybe I already have a very unique lip tone.

Funny enough, on pictures the colour on my lips is a lot more visible…maybe this product is designed for the selfie-addicted generation? I like that it’s taste and fragrance free, which makes me forget that I’m wearing it. Not a big fan of the product packaging, that looks a bit cheap and childish in my opinion.

Rating: 7/10.                                                      

CONCLUSION:

Silky Girl and Maybelline Baby Lips are my absolute favourite lipcare meets makeup SPF lip balms. Maybelline has a higher SPF (20, vs 15 in Silky Girl) and gives a subtle sexy shine to the lips, but I love the matte pink hue of Silky Girl just as much. I’ll just keep using both, depending on what protection and effect I’m looking for. These products are keepers!