Tips for Choosing the Best Lip Product for You
A prominent debate in the beauty world is whether lipstick or lip gloss is better. Let’s explore and see if we can come to a conclusion by the end of this article!
Both products are used to add color, shine, and hydration to your lips while also accentuating your pout.
The answer to whether you should use lipstick or lip gloss doesn’t have a right or wrong answer. It depends on what your goal is for using the product and how safe the ingredients are.
We’ll provide all of the information necessary so that you can determine which product will work best for you and avoid any toxins frequently found in traditional lip products.
First, Lipstick
Lipstick is a time-honored classic. Perhaps you recall sitting transfixed as an older family member or friend applied it when you were just a tot.
But lipstick does more than simply provide color to your lips; many varieties also offer beneficial treatments like hydration or extended wearability.
Components
Though lipstick typically contains waxes, oils, and pigments, where these materials come from varies significantly between brands. Most regular companies don’t care about how safe or poisonous their ingredients might be.
In the United States, there are very few regulations surrounding cosmetics, which is alarming to many people.
Companies can insert harmful ingredients into products without customers knowing. For example, lead was recently found in over 33 brands of lipstick.
More and more frequently, you’ll find that lipsticks are packed with parabens. Parabens are synthetic ingredients added as preservatives to prolong a product’s shelf life. However, they act as endocrine disruptors and carcinogens.
By wearing lipstick with parabens, you’re giving them direct access into your body through ingestion because some of the color will inevitably rub off on your skin while you talk throughout the day.
Unsafe Ingredients To Avoid
The reality is, most people don’t need ingredients that are full of chemicals. Nature provides enough plant botanicals and oils to add hydration and color to lipstick without any added fillers.
Unfortunately, it can be tricky to determine whether or not your lipstick contains unwanted ingredients just by reading the label.
The best way to shop for natural cosmetics is with a brand you trust that discloses all their ingredients upfront.
Natural cosmetic brands are known for having some of the highest quality and strictest ingredient standards in the industry.
Different Types of Lipstick
There are many types of lipstick, from matte to satin, sheer to frosted. Lipstick usually isn’t glossy or sticky like lip gloss. Even if a lipstick is said to be satin or shiny, it won’t have the same type of shine as lip gloss.
Lip Gloss
Lip gloss was designed to make lips feel softer and look more hydrated. Early versions of lipstick lacked oil, resulting in dryness.
Lip gloss has a lighter pigment than lipstick but provides a substantial amount of shine.
Components
Lip gloss contains more oil than lipstick does, which means it will usually do a better job at keeping your lips hydrated. However, many lip glosses use petroleum to make your lips look shiny instead.
Petroleum is a term we hear often, but it’s not something that should be in our homes. This known carcinogen is a byproduct of the coal-mining industry and closely related to the gas you put in your car. In other words, it doesn’t belong anywhere near your mouth.
How Can You Avoid Cosmetics With Unsafe Ingredients?
It can be tricky to avoid harmful ingredients in your lipstick unless you’re aware of the standards set by the brand.
More often than not, traditional brands add unappetizing substances to their lip glosses to produce the sticky, goopy texture we’ve come accustomed to.
The great news is that you don’t have to deal with opacity or stickiness. Natural oils and waxes can moisturize lips while also providing hours of shine—no need for reapplication!
Different Types of Lip Glosses
The principle difference between lip balm and lip gloss is that balms are formulated to hydrate your lips while preventing dryness, cracking, and peeling. They may also offer sun protection.
On the other hand, lip glosses aim to add shine and give your lips a glossy finish without being sticky. Even matte variants still don’t dry out or caking like traditional matte lipsticks.
Formula-wise, they’re usually lighter than lipstick as well as providing more shine and hydration than their counterparts.
Not only does lip gloss provide hydration, but it can also makes your lips look fuller by temporarily adding chemicals that increase blood flow.
Most of the time, however, the color will be much lighter than lipstick. You can find different types oflip gloss, such as those with glitter or sheer tints.
The Differences Between Lipstick and Lip Gloss
It’s tough to determine which is better, lipstick or lip gloss, because it really comes down to what you need and which product can deliver on that.
We’ll compare the two based on pigment, hydration, comfort, lasting color, shine, and ease of application.
Pigment
Wearing lipstick is an excellent way to make a statement. If you want rich pigment and true color, then lipstick is the product for you. Lipstick usually has better pigment than lip gloss, so it provides a truer color without your natural lip color changing the shade of the hue.
Keep your lips hydrated throughout the day with lipsticks that contains beauty Oil, to prevent bleeding, fading, and feathering.
Hydration
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to rely solely on lip glosses for hydration. In fact, many lipstick formulas use natural, plant-based ingredients that can actually keep your lips more hydrated than some glosses.
This kind of product is a mix of lipstick and lip gloss that provides intense hydration. The delicate pigments are always in perfect harmony, so you can get your ideal level of color every time.
For a Comfortable Experience
In this category, it can be hard to find a good middle ground. If you get a lipstick that has strong pigmentation, it might not hydrate your lips well, and they’ll feel dry quickly.
Lip gloss is usually very goopy, and then you spend the day picking things out of your teeth and hair.
Formulate your lipsticks and lip glosses with natural, plant-based oils such as buriti oil, sustainable jojoba oil, and coconut oil for a more comfortable experience.
Colors That Stay Put
For those of us that DISLIKE the idea of having to reapply our lip product several times throughout the day, we want a color that can last from our morning coffee all the way until our afternoon tea.
Unfortunately, some ingredients commonly used in these long-wearing formulas aren’t safe for use.
For example, you’ll often find formaldehyde in lipstick. Even though manufacturers don’t usually add it directly, other chemicals used to make lip color last longer can end up releasing formaldehyde when mixed together.
We suggest choosing a plant-based lip stain with natural ingredients that will keep your lips hydrated and feeling good, while also providing long-lasting color. You’ll love how Lip to Cheek products stay put for hours!
Shine
Glossy lips are always in style because they look healthy and make your pucker appear hydrated. If you want the shiniest lips imaginable, go for a lip gloss; however, steer clear of thick and clumpy formulas.
Choose a tinted lip formula that contains natural, hydrating buriti oil and a subtle pigment that will leave your lips moisturized and with the perfect amount of color.
Effortless Application
A lip pencil can help you easily and precisely apply both lipstick and lip gloss, as well as provide a way to keep your color in place.
If you’re not interested in the clear gloss look that was popular in the early 2000s, consider using a colored lip liner with coordinating colored gloss instead for a more natural aesthetic.
Mixing Both!
Not sure if you should go for a lipstick or lip gloss? Why not try both!
If you want to layer your products, choose complementary shades of lipstick and gloss. Start with your chosen lipstick shade and add a sheer sweep of subtlecolor over the top to enhance shine and hydration.
You Are Now Prepared!
Lipstick and lip gloss both have their place in your beauty bag. Lip gloss is great for natural looks and applies easily and quickly, while lipstick can create glamorous looks with its completely-changing pigmentation and style options.
So don’t debate which is better—just grab them both!