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I'm going to be straight with you all for a minute and reveal a deep, dark secret: I'm not a big tinted-lip-balm fan. I know, I know. It's a lip balm with tint — what's not to love? Well, a few things for me. As a devout bold-lipstick champion, there's a part of my soul that dies a little bit whenever I don't have a vibrant hue on my pout.
And, it's not for lack of trying, because you better believe I've tested my fair share of color-infused lip care. My very scientific findings have shown that, for me at least, tinted lip balms fall into two categories: It feels great on the lips but provides bupkes in the color department, or it has an acceptable amount of tint but is too drying on the lips — which inevitably leads to the dreaded "white gunk around the mouth" line. Faced with those options, I'd rather just slap on a lip stain and be done with it.
I get the appeal of tinted lip balms, I really do — low-commitment color that makes your pout feel and look great — but I've never really found that it pans out like that for me in practice. That is, until I met Waxing Kara's Sweet Lips.
According to the brand, these certified-organic balms are the first on the market made with honey, which — along with vitamin E and coconut, aloe vera, and castor oils — gives them their moisturizing powers. That's all fine and dandy, but let's get to the important stuff: those colors. Available in six shimmering hues, they give lips just the right amount of pigment to make your pout look naturally flushed. And, unlike a lot of other popular tinted balms I've tested, they didn't dry out and gunk up as the day wore on.
Predictably, I'm digging the dark Berry, but I was surprised at how much I also loved the metallic sunshine Goldenrod and the icy-pink Blossom. While the tints weren't quite as Popsicle-stain vibrant as the Berry, I found they gave me a cool, multidimensional sheen that was subtle yet still eye-catching.
Add to that the bargain-basement price of $8 a pop and I'm seriously considering putting my lipsticks on hiatus for the rest of the summer in favor of this lightweight and low-maintenance (but still absolutely stunning) tinted balm.
Click through to see all six shades, up close and personal.
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