Lipstick That Feels Like Lip Balm: Maybelline Serum and More

Lipstick That Feels Like Lip Balm: Maybelline Serum and More

A lipstick that feels like lip balm, such as the Maybelline Serum Lipstick, puts hyaluronic acid and a blend of oils inside a classic bullet. I go through serum and balm lipsticks, sheer shiny ones, and lip oils and tinted balms.

Maybelline began in 1915, when a young chemist named Tom Lyle Williams watched his sister Mabel darken her lashes with a mix of petroleum jelly and coal dust, and named the company after her. More than a century later the brand is still good at taking an idea from the prestige counter and making it simple. The Maybelline Serum Lipstick is that kind of product. It looks like a normal bullet, but the formula carries hyaluronic acid and an oil blend with marula, moringa, avocado and jojoba oils, and it comes in eight matte and eight satin shades. Maybe It's, the one in this edit, is a warm terracotta matte that reads like a deeper version of your own lips.

The rest of the row is built on the same promise: lipstick that behaves like lip care. Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss in Pillowtalk is the easy pink nude. Westman Atelier HydroBalm in English Rose adds peptides and a juicy sheen. The m.ph Lip Ciggy in Crush is a tiny berry-rose stick that lives in a coat pocket, and ISAMAYA Lips Balm in Justice gives an icy glaze. Sarah Creal The Adults Are Talking, MAKE Beauty Serum Balm Intense and the VIOLETTE_FR Bisou Balm round out the balm side.

A small trick: swipe once, then press your lips together and blot on the back of your hand. The color stays, the extra slip goes.

Swatch collage of Maybelline Moisturizing Serum Lipstick in Maybe It's, Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic Happikiss in Pillowtalk, m.ph Lip Ciggy in Crush and NARS Afterglow Sensual Shine Lipstick in Aragon
Maybelline Serum Lipstick

Serum and balm lipsticks

Sheer lipsticks with real shine

If a serum lipstick is still too much color for a Tuesday, a sheer shine lipstick is the next step down. These give you a wash of color and a wet-looking finish without the dryness some bold lipsticks bring by afternoon.

Kosas Wet Stick in Tropic Bliss is a cool rosy mauve with ceramides and squalane, so it feels like balm. MAC Lustreglass in Alone Time is a soft gray mauve that goes with everything in a fall closet. VIOLETTE_FR Bisou Jelly in Bonbon à la Rose has a pigmented core inside a jelly layer, which is clever and very pretty. NARS Afterglow in Aragon is a red chestnut and the one I would pick for a first date. Gucci Glow & Care Shine in Abbie Maroon Red is a cherry red for anyone who wants a real color moment. Dior Addict Shine in Diormania is a rosewood that suits almost everyone. The Chanel Rouge Coco Flash in Moment and the Lancôme Lip Idôle Butterglow in Pink Ôh La La finish the row.

Pairing tip: these look their best with bare, glowy skin and a little mascara. Heavy matte foundation makes the shine look accidental.

What I would skip: sheer shine lipsticks on badly chapped lips. They sit in every flake. Exfoliate gently first or reach for a balm below.

Sheer hydrating lipsticks

Lip oils and tinted balms

Lip oils and tinted balms are the most forgiving products here, and they are what I would pack for travel, a long flight or a cold weekend outside. You can apply them without a mirror and nobody can tell.

Givenchy Rose Perfecto Shine Serum Lip Oil Stick in Milky Nude is oil in stick form, so no wand and no mess. By Terry Baume de Rose Lip Oil Serum is the rosy, soothing one. Summer Fridays Dream Lip Oil in Midnight Berry gives a semi-sheer warm berry that looks great with a camel coat. Chanel Rouge Coco Baume in Fall For Me is a tinted balm with a softer wash of color. Anastasia Beverly Hills Kiss Theory in Charm is a gel balm with more pigment than you expect. Tower 28 Lipsoftie in SOS is the gentlest. MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist ColorGlow in Boundless Berry adds hyaluronic acid and peptides, and the Olio E Osso Lip and Cheek Balm in Netto works on cheeks too.

A useful test: if you reapply your lip product more than four times a day, switch to one of these. It means your lips want care more than color.

What I would skip: lip oils under a mask or a big wool scarf. They transfer everywhere. A tinted balm stays put.

Lip oils and tinted balms

How I would wear them

Start with the serum lipstick if you like a clear, defined color, and pick a sheer shine stick if you prefer something you can swipe on without a mirror. Keep one tinted balm or lip oil in your coat for the moments in between. That is a complete lip wardrobe for fall, and every piece of it feels like care rather than makeup. When the weather turns properly cold, move the balms to the front of the line. Put the serum lipstick on over a thin layer of balm on the worst days, and it will still look neat by dinner. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together NARS Powermatte Lipstick and Chanel Lip Balm and a Lipstick Story That Starts in 1924.