As the weather heats up, I love swapping out my usual matte lip for something lighter and more sheer. Recently while digging through my collection I realized I've got four different sheer red shades I've been reaching for quite a lot. They range from the super cheap to super luxe, and they all give you that "I just ate a cherry popsicle" look.
The one to trigger your nostalgia | I had a major moment with the Lip Smackers Dr. Pepper Lip Balm when I was little. In fact I seem to have a faint memory of taking a bite out of the tube (I had to be about four or five years old, I swear). When I heard Lip Smackers was going out of business I grabbed one of these for old time's sake, and it actually became one of my favorites. They seem to have not gone out of business, which is great because I'm going to need to buy at least five more sticks. I'm allergic to lots of lip balms (especially from the drugstore - I'm looking at you EOS), but this isn't an issue at all. It gives the sheerest tint of red to the lips, and it smells just like Dr. Pepper. No wonder I might have taken a bite out of this when I was little.
The affordable one | I've spoken about my love for the Revlon Balm Stains before, and the shade Adore has just been so perfect. It's a deeper red with a hint of brown, and it also has some gold shimmer. Because it's so sheer, it just adds a subtle flush of color, and the shimmer only enhances the lips and doesn't appear metallic. These have the nicest formula too - they're moisturizing, balmy, and minty.
The ultra-nourishing one | You probably saw me freaking out when Glossier released new flavors/shades of their Balm Dotcom. I immediately ordered the set of three the second they came out because I will be a Glossier fangirl till I die. I've been loving the Cherry Balm Dotcom - it's still got that perfect Balm Dotcom formula that I adore, but it's got the nicest red tint and smells just like cherry candy. Can we also talk about that packaging, too? I'm obsessed.
The luxe one | Of course "the luxe one" is a YSL product. I had forgotten about my love of the Volupte Tints-In-Oil until my sister passed the shade Cherry My Cherie (5) onto me. This goes on almost clear, but the pigment develops into a more pigmented shade as time goes on. And when the glossy oil wears off, you're still left with the stain. It's a really nice product for every day. The Cherry shade is more of a pinky red than the rest of these products mentioned, but it just makes it that much prettier for spring and summer.
What are your favorite sheer lip shades?