No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil (Tinted)

The formula is supposed to be an "advanced anti-aging treatment" that "conditions lips" and "boost moisture levels, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and improve the appearance of lip shape, volume, and softness" (it contains Saliporine-8, VOlulip, and Viamerine, per the brand). Unless it's something worn exclusively and for an extended period of time, it is hard to really measure (and even then... we're always talking minor improvements!) those anti-aging claims.

I have been a long-time fan of Hourglass' original (clear) Lip Oil and have found it to be an ultra-hydrating and conditioning formula. It has been one I reach for after a long lip-swatch-athon when I need the extra TLC. The tinted version feels exactly the same: plush, smooth, lightweight, and non-sticky. It is not the longest wearing lip balm I have in my arsenal (the tacky ones always last the best), but it does last for several hours while sleeping.

The tinted versions offers a noticeable tint that's semi-sheer to medium in coverage but translucent, so the natural lip color comes through. Some shades go on quite nicely with an even, smooth delivery of color while others settled into my lip lines. They don't leave a stain behind, and the wear time ranged from four to five hours, depending on how much drinking was done.

But let's take a moment to speak on a product that retails for $49 a pop--that makes it one of the more expensive formulas on the market--and the fact that of the six shades, the packaging is extremely unreliable. Three of the six shades required a lot of fussing, such as removing the packaging, banging the tube on the side of a tabletop, pressing and pressing, holding and jabbing the interior mechanism down, etc. to get the applicator to actually dispense product.

Luckily, I was able to, eventually, get product to dispense normally from all six shades but per user reviews on various retailer websites... this is not an infrequent issue (being unable to dispense product). I had the most success by removing the gold applicator, pulling and gently trying to twist the interior dispensing mechanism, and then trying to dispense product. You'll know if it's working at all by looking in the window on the tube, as you'll see the product move up slightly.

I'm not a huge fan of the applicator; I don't find it that useful for actual applicator, though it's better than a flocked doe-foot applicator, which can get pretty gross over time as it absorbs product (this one can be wiped down if desired).