5 Best Drugstore Tinted Lip Balms

As much as I love a punchy lip color, I’m also a sucker for a great tinted lip balm. In a world obsessed with matte liquid lipsticks, tinted lip balms are what I gravitate toward when I want a quick wash of color with a side of moisture. Lately, that’s been a lot more often as they’re the perfect way to top off the fresh faced looks I’ve been wearing nonstop.

But no two tinted lip balms are quite alike, and some may suit you better than others when it comes to color payoff, packaging and formula. Today I’m rounding up the five best drugstore tinted lip balms available now that are all unique in their own way.

1. Physicians Formula Tinted Lip Treatment ($6.84)

The Physicians Formula Tinted Lip Treatments feature a super moisturizing formula containing Organic Shea Butter, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Antioxidants and Vitamin E. For tinted lip balms, they actually have decent pigment to them and can be built up for a more opaque lipstick look if you want both moisture and stronger color. One downside to these is the large and flat shape of the balm, which doesn’t give you a lot of control if you want to be precise with color.

2. Pixi Lip Glow ($16)

Pixi is one of those brand that always get moisturizing products right. The Lip Glows are their newest launch, and they’re a perfect middle-of-the-road tinted lip balm. The color is sheer but buildable, and the consistency is balmy but not too slippery. The formula contains Shea Butter & Mango to nourish, soothe and hydrate. The flat edge of the balm makes it easy to glide over your lips and get precise with your lip line. The Lip Glows do have fragrance listed in the ingredients, but I really have a hard time picking up any scent at all with the product held directly under my nose!

3. Honest Beauty Lip Crayon in Demi Matte or Lush Sheer ($12.99)

The Lip Crayons from Honest Beauty are low maintenance, and easy-to-apply (even without a mirror). What I love about this line is that you actually have options depending on the look you prefer. The Demi-Matte shades give you a stronger color payoff while maintaining the lip conditioning benefits of the coconut oil, murumuru butter and shea butter in the formula. On the other hand, the Lush Sheer shades are a much truer “tint” product. The Lush Sheer version actually feels a bit stiffer while applying, it doesn’t glide as smoothly as the other products on this list. However, for being such a light wash of color, the pigment lasts a while and gives you a nice stained appearance. I like the pointed tip on these as you can get more precise about application and shaping your lips.

4. Jordana Lip Colorstax ($7.99)

The Jordana Lip Colorstax are great for on-the-go as well as switching up your look from day to night. The packaging has four lip formulas stacked on top of each other, and you can access each individually by twisting at a different point on the tube. The top layer is the tinted lip balm, which is very light— the least pigmented out of this entire list. The second layer is a shimmer lipstick, the third a shiny cream lipstick and the bottom layer a very pigmented matte. These are great if you want to keep it neutral for daytime and add more color to a nighttime look while out and about. These have an added fragrance that is lightly sweet, and not heavy.

5. Physicians Formula Butter Lip Creams ($8.49)

While these aren’t necessarily labeled as tinted lip balms, I wanted to include them due to their general feel and performance being pretty much just that. The Butter Lip Creams have a very slick balm consistency with a formula containing Murumuru Butter, Cupuaçu Butter and Tucuma Butter. In comparison to the Tinted Lip Treatments, they are much softer and almost have a melty feel as you apply them.Plus, you get SPF 15 to help protect your lips from the sun, which I love. Out of this entire list, these look the best applied over dry lips. The color doesn’t bunch or catch on dry patches, but instead smoothes over them to give an even and healthy lip look.