Beyond Lip Glow, Dior has a small family of balms, and I use them for different jobs. Rouge Dior Lip Balm is refillable and contains up to 95 percent natural-origin ingredients, with red peony and pomegranate flower. It can be worn alone or as a primer under Rouge Dior lipstick. 000 Diornatural is a brightening sheer shade, and 001 Diormidnight is a red-black shade that boosts pigmentation.

Lip Glow Butter is where balm meets gloss. It has a buttery texture with a peptide and ceramide duo, and Dior says it hydrates for up to 24 hours. 104 Black Cherry is a brownish red, 103 Toffee is a nude beige, and 105 Lychee is a luminous fuchsia. Dior also suggests a thick coat before bed as an overnight lip mask.

Lip Glow Oil is the shinier one, made with cherry oil, and it reacts to the pH of your lips like the balm. 081 Latte has a glaze finish and 012 Rosewood has a juicy finish. The Dior instructions suggest prepping with the Lip Glow balm first, then smoothing the oil on top.

Le Baume Original is a different animal: a lip, body and hand balm with centella asiatica, hyaluronic acid and shea butter. I keep this kind in a bag for dry patches beyond the mouth.

What I would skip: the oil over a heavy layer of butter. Pick the one that matches the finish you want.

Tinted balms from other houses are a good way to see how differently a balm can behave. Guerlain Kiss Kiss Bee Glow in 258 Rose Glow is a delicate pink, made with honey, propolis and beeswax, and it can be worn alone or as a primer. Givenchy Rose Perfecto in 001 Pink Irresistible is a transparent pink that is custom to your pH, with pink pepper and vitamin C. YSL Candy Glow in 10B Lavender Blaze is a sheer lavender pink butter balm with maracuja oil and pH-adjusting pigments. Prada's Hydrating Lip Balm in U001 Astral Pink is a glowy pink, pH reactive, with jojoba oil and bifidus extract.

Augustinus Bader The Tinted Lip Balm in Shade 1 is a sheer, deep pink, developed with Sofia Coppola from the brand's clear balm. TOM FORD Soleil Lip Balm in 01 Rendezvous is a pink balm with hyaluronic acid, shea butter and jojoba oil, scented with the coco de mer accord. Hourglass Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm in Invite 80 is a rosy brown with gold pearl, with a cooling sensation from menthyl lactate. Chanel Rouge Coco Baume in 912 Dreamy White is here too, and I can only tell you it is a Chanel balm in a shade named Dreamy White.

A quick test: put two balms on opposite hands and compare how they melt before you commit to one.

What I would skip: the Hourglass on lips that dislike a cooling tingle. Choose a gentler balm instead.

Choose the balm by the job. If you want your own color revealed, Dior Addict Lip Glow, Givenchy Rose Perfecto or Prada are pH-reactive. If you want shine with care, Lip Glow Butter and YSL Candy Glow feel richer. If you just want a clear balm under lipstick, 100 Universal Clear or Rouge Dior 000 Diornatural does the job. Try one shade for a week before adding another, because the color will look slightly different on you than on anyone else. I keep one balm by the bed and one in my bag, and that is really all it takes.