I grabbed this on a whim while paying for gum. Didn’t expect much from a $6 tube hanging by the candy bars.
Then I put it on in the car and literally texted three people. The shine was that good — like I’d dipped my lips in glass, not wax.
It’s Burt’s Bees Glossy Lip Balm. $5.99 at Target. Claims to be a “tinted lip balm with a high-shine finish.” I call it a gloss that doesn’t ruin your life.
Zero Stick Factor
Your hair won’t get trapped in this. I tested it in a wind tunnel (okay, a crosswalk).
Sheer But Visible Color
Four shades. They’re subtle but not invisible — like you bit your lips, not like you ate a popsicle.
Lasts Through Coffee
Two hours of sipping before I needed a touch-up. For a balm, that’s basically a miracle.
Photo: Jocelyn Morales / Unsplash
No petroleum. No weird plastic shine. Just beeswax and oils doing the work. The hero is responsibly sourced beeswax — it melts at body temp so it glides, doesn’t sit on top.
- Beeswax: Makes it stick to lips, not hair
- Sunflower Oil: Absorbs in 30 seconds, no grease
- Castor Oil: That glass-like mirror finish
- Vitamin E: Keeps it from getting gritty
Photo: Rosa Rafael / Unsplash
It’s stiff straight out of the tube. Took two passes to warm up — then it turned into this slippery, shiny second skin. Smells like peppermint, tastes like nothing.
Week three and the tube is half gone. That’s fast. But I’m not mad — I’d rather use it up than have it go rancid like some clean balms do.
Photo: Alexander Grey / Unsplash
My lips stayed soft for about 4 hours. The shine faded in 90 minutes. Not a long-wear gloss, but it never dried out my lips the way most glosses do by hour two.
Photo: Tato Lopez / Unsplash
This isn’t a dupe for a $40 gloss — it’s better than most of them because it actually hydrates. Keep one in your car and one in your bag.