Why every beauty brand is releasing a blue lip balm this season …
Let’s be honest, it’s the least likely colour for lips. Blue is the colour of coldness, and makes us think of Kate Winslet shivering on the raft in Titanic. So why is every beauty brand doing a take on blue lip balm this season?
Chanel’s recent sellout Denim Collection was one of the first to champion a blue balm for your lips: Rouge Coco Flash in Baby Blue might look cold as ice, but on lips it’s a glossy, shiny, pale rose-pink. No wonder it has inspired a raft of followers.
One of the key considerations, of course, is Insta-beauty – a blue balm is eye-catching in pictures. But it’s also a nod to customisation – these are generally sheer balms that work with the pH of your lips and adapt to your own natural lip colour, enhancing and moisturising. I remember a great brand called Lipstick Queen, in the late 1990s, doing a lip balm called Green Frog, a green balm that turned pink on your lips (some of founder Poppy King’s original formulas are still available – try Witch Princess). I feel that this new blue mood is championing a similar idea.
The Big Chill: 6 Blue Lip Balms We Love
1 THE LIP OIL Clarins’ latest collection is Summer: Ice & Fire. It includes a blue Lip Comfort Oil, Cryo (€29), joining the line-up permanently, and also Lip Oil Balm Cryo, €33, a limited edition. Our tip: try Clarins’ beautifully cooling Cryo-Flash Cream Mask (€67) to go with it – it’s the same chilled blue colour, and ideal for warmer days, and hormonal temperature rises. At stockists nationwide and clarins.ie soon.
2 THE LIP PLUMPER Dior Addict Lip Maximiser in Icy Blue, €45; dior.com and counters nationwide.
4 THE REFILLABLE BALM Prada Refillable Lip Balm in Astral Pink, €46; lookfantastic.ie.
5 THE SMOOTHING ONE Estee Lauder Futurist HydraPlump Tinted Lip Balm, currently €28 at Brown Thomas, contains hyaluronic acid to boost moisture in the lips.
6 THE NEW LIMITED-EDITION The Summer Sculpt Collection by Nars includes Afterglow Lip Balm in limited-edition Midnight Swim, a sheer blue with a hint of shimmer, €33. At Brown Thomas and Cult Beauty from May 15, nationwide from May 29.
