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Nothing ruins a full lip look like a flaky, chapped canvas. A few months ago, I took a lipstick hiatus for this very reason; despite plenty of sloughing and H2O-glugging, my lips were still winter-worn to the highest degree.
In seasons past, I’ve quelled dryness via the Laneige Overnight Lip Mask — a fan-favorite treatment used by the likes of Drew Barrymore, Kendall Jenner, Zoe Saldaña, and Kelly Ripa. This winter, however, I found myself unprepared and in immediate need of a restock. In lieu of the lip mask, I turned to the brand’s daytime balm, a spinoff of the original which I’d had lying around. The balm has since become a staple, as it’s given me a new lease on lipstick-wearing life.
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A counterpart to the brand’s overnight lip masks, the Laneige Lip Glowy Balm is a daytime lip moisturizer that softens and smooths dry, flaky lips. Like the nighttime mask, Laneige’s daytime balm boasts unbelievable butteriness. Thinner and more spreadable than that of the Overnight Lip Mask, the balm is housed in a convenient pocket-sized tube.’s Its consistency feels equally soothing, thanks to nourishing jojoba, cocoa, almond, and rose oils, which softens lips on contact and over time.
Available in five scents — including gummy bear and berry, which debuted in the overnight lip mask collection — it imparts a sheer wash of barely-there, jelly-like tint and leaves lips looking and feeling quenched. In fact, my twin sister — an officer in the U.S. Navy who’s relegated to strict workplace grooming standards — loves the subtle hue, noting that it’s more of a flattering, healthy-looking glow than an actual color.
In addition to complementing glowy, minimal makeup looks, the daytime balm proves equally perfect for full-face makeup. I typically use it as a lipstick primer, dabbing it on in the morning prior to my daily lipstick color choice. Throughout the day, I reapply as needed for perpetually smooth, flake-free lips.
Amazon shoppers share my love for the balm with more than 6,000 five-star reviews. One reviewer who also deals with chapped, painful lips in the winter says it’s their “go-to solution for a quick recovery,” calling it “one of the best lip products” they’ve used. According to another reviewer, whose love for the overnight mask spurred them to try the balm, the formula makes dry lips “super soft and moisturized.” Yet another fan of the original overnight mask, says the balm “really does hydrate,” adding that the product “did not disappoint!”
Whether you’re interested in a flattering, barely-there tint or a smoothing solution for flaky lips, the Laneige Lip Glowy Daytime Balm delivers on all accounts.