If there’s an obvious change to notice in the beauty industry in the last few years, it has to be the popularity of “no-makeup makeup” or “natural makeup.” Some people also call it “lazy girl makeup” because of how low effort is appears. Our years cooped up inside due to the Covid-19 pandemic made us realize that less makeup is not just practical, but also way more of an impact to accentuate our natural features.
With this shift in makeup, this also meant that sheer and glossy products started become must-have’s for the everyday girl’s makeup bag. I also went through this transition into natural makeup during this time period. Let me tell you, my makeup four years ago is definitely different from what I currently use today! What started this whole change was a dabble into tinted lip balms. So, I wandered into Sephora and bought myself a balm from Jouer Cosmetics to see what the fuss was about.
Why Might a Tinted Lip Balm Be For You?
Like I mentioned earlier, natural makeup has been on the rise in recent years … and for good reason.
Remember when we were so big on matte lipsticks and liquid lipsticks? We were so fixated on those because they were full coverage and no-budge formulas. However, these formulations would usually dry our lips to the bone (yes, I still cringe at our butthole lips). Don’t forget that reapplying those lipsticks could also result in unevenness since you’re layering on top of your previous application. These lippies were good in theory, but if you’re someone like me who is just tired of putting on too much makeup, then you may be looking for an easier, low-maintenance solution.
Lip balm tints just minimize all those issues. Sure, you may have to reapply, but at least your lips will feel soft and luscious due to moisturizing ingredients like shea butter and cocoa butter. I personally love that the tints have a sheer application in a single swipe so that you can keep it natural during the day, and popping for the night. We love a little duality, right?
If you’re considering making a switch or a new addition to your hefty lippie collection, you might be curious about my Jouer lip balm haul.
Jouer Cosmetics Lip Enhancer Shine Balm
I purchased the Jouer Cosmetics’s lip balm not necessarily because of the formulation, but because of their “Dahlia” shade. It is described to be a “tinted deep berry.” Actually, I found this product right next to the cult-classic tinted lip balm, “Black Honey” by Clinique. The two balms looked pretty much the same, but I ultimately chose Jouer because it was slightly cheaper ($22 USD compared to Clinque’s $24 product) and because I love dahlia flowers.
In terms of formulation, Jouer’s formula ticks all the boxes if you’re looking for clean makeup formulas. Not only is the formulation vegan-friendly, but it is also cruelty-free, gluten-free, and paraben-free.
Now let’s go a little deeper into what to expect with this formula. Jouer emphasized that the star ingredients in their balms are jojoba seed oil and shea butter. Jojoba seed oil (otherwise known as Simmondsia Chinensis seed oil) is commonly used in products to easily moisturize and soften your skin. Shea butter (written in the ingredient list as Butyrospermum Parkii Butter) is a thicker consistency ingredient that acts as a moisture barrier so that your skin stays softer for longer.
Other ingredients to take note of that are in this product include:
- Candelilla Wax: A plant-based wax that is known to be hypoallergenic and also soothe and provide moisture to the skin. This type of wax also can melt faster in high temperatures.
- Carnauba Wax: This hypoallergenic wax is used as a hardener to raise the melting points of wax mixtures. It is a vegetable wax that can provide great shine.
- Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1: Another moisturizing ingredient that helps repair skin damage and aging by reducing the appearance of wrinkles. In the case of lip balm, this ingredient helps your lips look moisturized and plump.
- Titanium Dioxide: This ingredient is used in beauty products as a thickener and also to provide protection from UV rays. This ingredient is commonly used in lip balms and doesn’t provide any issues to your body if ingested orally and in small doses. Titanium dioxide is a possible ingredient in this product and is listed as a smaller dose, so thought I should mention it here.
The Good
Solid Packaging
First things first: I love the packaging of this product! When you open the box, the lip balm is inside a stainless steel container that is coated in baby pink and gold flowers on the cap. The design is a mix of classy and cute; it looked like a work of art.
Rosy First Impression Scent
The lip balm itself is a berry hue that has a light floral scent. It smells like roses and fades out after application. If you’re not a fan of heavy scents, I don’t think you have to worry about this product.
Melts into the Skin
In terms of first impressions, the lip balm provided immediate moisture to my lips. The lip balm would melt instantly once in contact with my lips to provide a sheer layer of moisture and pigment. The first swipe of product was perfect since it provided a flush of color that was reminiscent of the Benefit Original Lip Tint which also gives that same berry-esque hue.
Buildability
My lips turned more into a deep berry mauve upon the second coat of lip balm, so I agree that the product is very buildable. The texture of the product on my lips felt more like a lip oil since it felt more slippery.
The Bad
Instant Impact, but Doesn’t Last
In terms of wearability, I think this balm can fall flat if your lips are frequently prone to being dry and flaky. There were some instances where I noticed that my lips would feel flaky after a while of wearing the product. I would feel dry flakes around the border of my lips, which would accumulate product and make my lips look unflattering. If you touch up with the product while your lips have flaky skin, the balm will apply unevenly.
Too Much Like an Oil
Since the product is marketed as a lip balm, I personally think that the consistency of the product is too buttery if you’re considering this product for touching up your lipstick and lip liner. The transformation of building up the product from first glance is very nice. However, building up the products means a heavier layer of ingredients that easily melt upon contact with your skin. This means you can go from looking like you’re perfectly glossed to appearing like you might have some sauce around your lips.
Referring back to my previous point, the lip balm can end up accumulating to the border of your lips over time. This means more emphasis on your lipline than on the fullness of your lips. To mitigate this issue, you would have to check on your lips and maybe wipe off product to make it look even again.
Some people on Sephora also complained about the product melting easily in the packaging. So, if you plan to keep this in your bag for on-the-go use, make sure that the cap is sealed and that your bag is kept in a shaded place.
An Interesting Other Scent
Now, I saw some people on Sephora complain about the smell and I didn’t understand because I was loving the product. However, I didn’t experience the issue until I was super close to emptying the balm.
I wanted to use my lip balm to the very last drop (I’m always about making the most out of my makeup). I transferred the remaining bit of the Jouer lip balm to a twist-lid container. I thought all was good until a few days later.
The rose scent was one of my favorite parts of the product. That lovely scent was replaced by an unpleasant odor that had some sharp, sour notes. I seriously thought that my product was expired, but the quality stayed the same so I kept it around for a small period of time.
Catching that whiff of the new smell was so unpleasant, I ended up throwing the remaining bit of product so that it didn’t affect my skin or my health.
Would I Repurchase?
I seriously wanted to love this product, but I don’t think this product is something I would repurchase. It initially reached my expectations for a lip balm because it looked and felt great on my skin. However, having this product long-term and finishing it made me understand why people didn’t enjoy it.
If you use your lip balms lightly or usually don’t wear lipstick, I think you’d enjoy this one. I personally don’t think this formula works for my dry lips or my nose. It was disappointing for the scent to change and smell like it was expired, but I’m not sure if the latter was due to oxidization in my travel container or because the product scent expired. I guess we will never know.
Would you consider trying this lip balm out? Feel free to let me know your thoughts down below and check out my other product reviews.
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