The 10 Best Hydrating Lipsticks

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Between bitter temperatures and blistering winds, winter can wreak serious havoc on our lips. The humidity that you shook your fist at all summer has been replaced with dry air, resulting in even drier lips. Ouch! Don’t let Old Man Winter get your lips or look down, though. These days, there’s a new generation of lipstick that adds equal amounts of moisture and color to your kisser. Below, you’ll find the 10 best lipsticks that drench your lips in both pretty shades and long-lasting hydration, whether you prefer a subtle nude shade or a pop of intense color. Now that’s something to smile about.

What should you look for in a hydrating lipstick?

When shopping for a hydrating lipstick, take a close look at the ingredients. Hydrating ingredients such as jojoba oil, olive oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E, and aloe vera will not only soften your lips but prevent dry, cracked lips.

“Look for descriptive words like ‘hydrating,’ ‘nourishing,’ and ‘moisturizing,’” says award-winning celebrity makeup artist Amanda Gabbard. “This will show you’re headed in the right direction.”

What type of lipstick is best for colder months?

Come wintertime, stick with lipsticks that tout the keywords “moisturizing” or “hydrating.” “On the contrary,” says Gabbard, “lipsticks that say ‘long-wearing,’ ‘matte,’ and’ liquid’ will certainly do their job, as they are created specifically to stay put, but rarely have any moisture level.

Lip prep is also key to a smooth lipstick application. Gabbard recommends applying a light balm before lipstick, and gently exfoliating your lips three times a week with a wet toothbrush sans toothpaste.

“Applying any type of lipstick to cracked, dry lips is a recipe for ruin,” says Gabbard. “As a die-hard lipstick lover, I want my product to stay on, smell nice, and remain as moist as it felt when putting it—not too thick, yet not too thin.”

Best Hydrating Lipsticks at a Glance

Best Overall: Valentino Spike Buttery Matte Lipstick, $48
Best Lip Crayon: Ilia Lip Sketch Hydrating Crayon, $26
Best Nude Lipstick: Kevyn Aucoin Unforgettable Lipstick, $32
Best Tinted Lip Balm: Jones Road The Lippie Stick, $22
Best Budget Option: L’Oreal Paris Glow Paradise Balm-in-Lipstick, $8
Best Clean Ingredients: Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Lipstick, $38
Best for Chapped Lips: Tower 28 LipSoftie Lip Treatment, $16
Best High Shine: Colleen Rothschild Hydrashine Lipstick Balm, $28
Best Lip Stain: RMS Beauty Legendary Serum Lipstick, $29.75 (originally $35)
Best Lip Color in a Jar: Kari Gran Lip Whip, $25

Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Valentino Beauty is a SheKnows sponsor, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Best Overall

Valentino Spike Buttery Matte Lipstick

Leave it to Valentino to create a luscious lipstick you can wear morning, noon, and night—no reapplying necessary. The brand’s Spike Buttery Matte Lipstick offers up to 10 hours of moisture-packed wear in a wide range of shades, from a hint of blush to a pow of a poppy red. The creamy matte finish makes it all-day appropriate, from the office to happy hour and beyond, and the moisturizing formula is filled with cotton oil extract that’ll have your lips saying “thank you.”

Plus, you’ll feel like a rock star busting out the studded gold metal case, which was inspired by the Valentino Garavani Studded bag, and is refillable (!) once you get to the last swipe.

Best Lip Crayon

Ilia Lip Sketch Hydrating Crayon

What if I told you a single lip crayon could not only provide enough hydration to shield against winter’s woes, but also not budge all day, including through meals? Yeah right, you’d say. That is, unless you’ve tried Ilia’s Lip Sketch Hydrating Crayon. It’s the best of both lipstick and lip liner worlds—the creaminess of a lipstick, with the precision of applying a lip liner.

Simply outline your lips, then shade them in. That’s all you need to enjoy 12-hour, bleed-resistant matte color (there’s a dozen hues to choose from) with plumping power, which only gets better with each application. A powerful combo of hyaluronic acid, rosehip oil, sea succulent, and seaweed extract strengthens the skin barrier every time you wear Lip Sketch.

Best Nude Lipstick

Kevyn Aucoin Unforgettable Lipstick

No matter what time of year it is, this Kevyn Aucoin formula is never far from my reach. I keep one in my makeup bag and another in my go-to purse. One easy-going application of the mostly nude shades of Unforgettable Lipstick and voila! Your lips are hydrated all day, no reapplying necessary. Though, if you do want to give your lips another layer, it’s easy to do so without a mirror, as the slim tube allows for precise application even if you’re—oh, I don’t know—running late to a parent/teacher conference.

It’s a choose your own adventure when it comes to Unforgettable Lipstick, which is available in creamy and shiny versions. Both feel weightless, and are packed with nourishing Vitamins A and E, to help protect and condition your precious lips, as well as beeswax, which offers anti-inflammatory benefits. There’s no going wrong with the shades, but Modern Love is my personal fave to bring my pale face back to life in the winter months.

Best Tinted Lip Balm

Jones Road The Lippie Stick

Jones Road’s Lippie Stick is a big upgrade from whatever random balm is rolling around at the bottom of your purse. Think of it as a tinted lip balm that gives you a hint of color for a no-makeup makeup look, all while locking in moisture and protecting your precious lips from a blistery winter. That’s thanks to cocoa butter and the brand’s signature blend of orange, spearmint, and lavender essential oils.

The Lippie Stick is available in a wide range of colors, from a hint-of-blush pink to a deep cocoa brown, and there’s also a clear version for the days you’re feeling colorful enough. One swipe and you’ll instantly feel put together, no effort required, with soft and nourished lips.

Best Budget Lipstick Option

L’Oreal Paris Glow Paradise Hydrating Balm-in-Lipstick

Plump up your lips without inflating your budget with L’Oreal’s Paris Glow Paradise Balm-in-Lipstick. This affordable formula gives you the oomph you’re looking for in a lipstick while providing the shine and hydration of a balm.

It’s made with pomegranate extract, a gentle formula that’s dermatologist-approved for sensitive lips. The flush of colors are on the subtle side—keep scrolling if you prefer a fire engine red or blaze orange—making it a great everyday option to throw in your purse for whenever you need a little color and hydration.

Best Clean Ingredients

Victoria Beckham Beauty Posh Lipstick

Posh, indeed! Channel Victoria Beckham’s forever cool factor with her beauty brand’s hydrating lip product called—what else?—Posh Lipstick. The nourishing formula glides on smoothly, thanks to its supremely creamy, rich texture. Only the best of the best ingredients make it past Mrs. Beckham’s desk, so Posh Lipstick includes a combination of a clean oil blend (including rosehip, coconut, and avocado oils) that provide nourishment and a natural wax blend (think candelilla, carnauba, rose flower, and sunflower waxes) to lock in that moisture.

The results? A beautiful, hydrating lipstick that fight back against winter’s harsh temperatures and winds. Choose from an array of nudes, pinks, and reds, including Posh Spice’s personal favorites: Spice and Pout.

Best for Chapped Lips

Tower 28 LipSoftie Lip Treatment

When your lips need a little TLC, turn to Tower 28’s LipSoftie Lip Treatment. This little cutie provides the hydration of a lip mask with a soft sheer tint. (Much needed to contrast against Vitamin D-deficient winter skin.) It’s made with a blend of four soothing restorative oils and lysine. Think of it like a big hug for chapped lips—one that gives you a hint of color too.

Forget the tacky lip glosses of your middle school days too. LipSoftie Lip Treatment isn’t sticky—hallelujah!—and it’s fragrance-free too, which helps avoid further drying out your lips. Other ingredients include shea butter, jojoba oil, and lysine—a powerhouse combo that smooths and softens.

Best Lipstick for High Shine

Colleen Rothschild Hydrashine Lipstick Balm

A single swipe of this lipstick-balm hybrid from Colleen Rothschild and your lips will instantly feel soft and pillowy. The best part? They’ll continue to feel like that for hours, no reapplying necessary. This formula goes on easily, and is as high shine as it is highly hydrating.

Hydrashine is packed with skin-loving ingredients that work hard to hydrate your lips, including hyaluronic acid, peptides, shea butter, and baobab seed oil. The line features five shades, from a barely-there beige to soft pinks to my personal favorite, a head-turning orangey-red called Serengeti Blaze. Nourishing pop of color, here you come.

Best Lip Stain

RMS Beauty Legendary Serum Lipstick

Part lip stain, part lip serum, and part lipstick—RMS Beauty’s Legendary Serum Lipstick is a first-of-its-kind new category of lip color. How so? The majority of the water that’s normally integral to a lipstick formula has been replaced with organic bitter cherry fruit water. That’s key to providing much-needed hydration, while simultaneously smoothing and revitalizing your lips.

The results: eight hours of hydration (which I can attest to!), a serious punch of vivid color, a subtle cooling sensation upon application, and a satiny finish. In other words, it’s perfect.

Best Lip Color in a Jar

Kari Gran Lip Whip

Consider this little glass jar from Kari Gran—a mix between a lip balm and a lipstick—like a spa day for your lips. It’s full of organic, non-GMO ingredients that pack in and seal in hydration, including Vitamins A, D, E, and organic beeswax. Lip Whip has the consistency of a dense mousse, and leaves behind a buttery texture that instantly soothes lips without feeling tacky. (Eww, nobody likes tacky.)

The color can be applied with a lip brush or, more likely, your fingertip. Each little jar of goodness is buildable in color, so a single shade can be a sheer pink with a light touch or a punchy fuchsia with another layer or two.

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