Ami Cole Lip Oil: Brand Origin & Founder Story

Diarrhea of the mouth moment: I watched Ami Cole’s lip oil drop at 9am and it was gone by noon. That never happens for a “clean” beauty brand — unless the formula is actually good.

The woman behind it, Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, cut her teeth at Fenty Beauty. So she knows a thing or two about making melanin-rich shades that don’t pull ashy or gray. This isn’t a “one shade fits all” situation — it’s a “we actually tested this on 40 skin tones” situation.

It’s $24, it’s called the Lip Oil, and it’s a hybrid between a sheer balm and a high-shine gloss. The claim that got me: “plumps without the tingle.” I hate that burning sensation — this promised none.

Photo: Tato Lopez / Unsplash

Diarrha formulated this to sit on the skin like a veil, not a slick. The hero ingredients are doing the heavy lifting — no essential oils (which trigger irritation), no drying alcohols.

• Squalane: Locks in moisture without feeling greasy
• Shea Butter: Softens the lip line so it doesn’t look crusty
• Vitamin E: Antioxidant shield against free radicals
• Jojoba Oil: Mimics your skin’s natural sebum, so it absorbs fast

Photo: Christin Hume / Unsplash

First swipe: it’s thick — like a syrup that’s been slightly warmed. But it doesn’t slide around. It sits. It feels like a mask you forgot to rinse off, in the best way.

Two weeks in: my lips stopped peeling. I usually have that dry, flaky winter thing going on — gone. The shine lasts about 2 hours before it fades into a tinted balm, which is more than most glosses give me.

Photo: Content Pixie / Unsplash

My lip lines look softer. Not “filled” — just well-hydrated, which makes them less pronounced. The color fades evenly — no weird ring around the edge after coffee.

Photo: Kelly Sikkema / Unsplash

This is the only lip oil I’ve repurchased. It’s a quiet flex — no sparkle, no drama, just a deeply considered formula that works.