Review: Sugar Tint Balm (Etude House)

I have been on a hunt lately for a dense, pigmented lip balm. As I mentioned in my haul video (and as I seem to mention all the time lately), my skin has been extremely dry from the weather and my lips are no different. Chapped lips don’t look very nice and are hard to apply lip colour on but, worst of all, they seriously hurt! Cracking lips and dry skin are the bane of my existence in this strange Australian weather.

When I first saw the Sugar Tint Balm on RoseRoseShop, I knew that I had to try them. The real difficulty though, was choosing which ones. This product comes in a range of eight colours, four of which are available on the website (at the time of writing) so I ended up going with two – a darker, berry pink (#07 Grape Jam) and a light peach shade (#05 Pink Macaroon).

As usual, Etude House impresses me with their packaging design. I usually prefer more modern, minimalist designs but Etude has a way of perfectly balancing their expressively ornate, feminine style with something fresh and still usable for a more mature audience. I love the gold foiling on these boxes as well as the simple and bold design of the tube.

The lid clicks off easily but won’t accidentally open in your bag. It’s made of a standard glossy plastic so it’s not remarkably pretty (I mean, it’s printed plastic) but is compact and easy to carry around.

This is my not so subtle attempt at  hiding my broken nail. Notice how sadly bare they are? My nails aren’t exactly weak but, since I type so much and have a tendency to be a little rough, I break them often. You’ll notice me hiding a broken thumb nail in recent photos too – and it’s going to be there for a while… T_T

As you can see from the below swatches, the colours are opaque but quite pigmented. The shape of the tube means that they’re more suited to an all over colour instead of a gradient lip (unless you use a brush) but they’re good for on the go. I would prefer if they had a more traditional lipstick bullet shape maybe, as that would give better control.

As a lip balm, I’ll have to say that it’s pretty average. So far, I have yet to find a balm that protects my lips like my good ol’ Nivea but has the colour pigmentation of a lipstick.

It is also not very long wearing, but I suppose that’s what I should expect from a balm. I find it lasts around three hours for me (unless I’m eating) and, by then, the colour has stained drier parts of my lips and I’m having to reapply. I’m sure that it will work better for less chapped and dry lips though. Maybe in summer.

My mission continues! But alas, this isn’t too bad a discovery at all.

SO WHAT IS IT?

A pigmented lip balm with a subtle scent.

THE GOOD

• Cute packaging that won’t open in your bag
• Easy to fit into your makeup bag
• Strong pigmentation with a sheer finish
• Mild and pleasant scent

THE BAD

• Hard to control without a brush
• Average moisturising level
• Leaves a stain on dry parts of the lips

WOULD I REPURCHASE?

I’m definitely not blown away by the product but I don’t hate it. The only reason I would repurchase, I think, is because I really love the Grape Jam colour. Maybe I’ll repurchase that one, but I’ll keep looking for a more hydrating coloured balm. Australian winters are too strong for this.

WHERE TO GET IT FROM

I bought mine from RoseRoseShop where it is currently on sale for USD$5.41

Please note that this product was purchased with my own money and this is not sponsored.

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