Pritha O.

LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask

TL;DR luscious, but still overhyped

LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask in Original (Berry)

Quick Scores

  • Effectiveness: 4 (out of 5)
  • Taste: 5
  • Smell: 5
  • Packaging: 5
  • Value: 5

Price: $22.00

Available At: LANEIGE or Sephora

A Deeper Look

Preamble: You’ve all been waiting for this; I know.

When I launched this blog back in May, I could not mention my endeavor without being begged to try this product. Everyone who has ever stepped into a Sephora or thought about lip balm in their 20s recommended the LANEIGE sleeping mask to me. I couldn’t escape it.

I resisted purchasing it, knowing that a) I did not understand the need for a lip “mask” and likely never would and b) applying anything out of a tin is anathema to me (intensified by the fact that touching your face during these COVID times is basically tantamount to drinking bleach).

I kept it on my Sephora “loves” list for months and, every time I filled my cart, left it on that list — to be purchased “next time.”

This endless avoidance finally became moot a month ago, when a thoughtful friend gifted me the cult beauty favorite, knowing that it was time.

Time for me to finally understand what all of my friends, #skinstagram peers and Facebook acquaintances were raving about. Time for me to put my lip balm reviewing bona fides to the ultimate test.

Two weeks and fourteen nightly applications later, I feel that I’ve given LANEIGE a fair and considered try. And guess what? It’s good.

Not great, not life-changing, not earth-shattering. But good.

Let’s start with the highlights. It smells incredible (like berries after a rainstorm!). It feels like cotton packets of moisture, hugging your lips with hyaluronic luxury. At $20ish, it’s an absolute steal for the amount of product in the tin (i.e., I’ll probably still be working on it well after quarantine ends). The ultra-soft applicator (no face-touching necessary!) could by itself probably command a price comparable to the best makeup brushes out there.

What didn’t work for me? I feel like I was promised an experience that didn’t line up with my reality. Were my lips soft in the morning? Yes. But were they softer? No. Did they seem “refreshed?” No. Did my morning-after lips feel distinctly different using LANEIGE vs. my standard eos? No.

Let me caveat the above criticism by saying that I may not be the ideal candidate for a lip mask. My lips are heavily moisturized, at all times. (No reader of this blog should be surprised.) I don’t have any “fine lines” or “wrinkles” (yet!) that need to be reduced. My lips are never chapped.

In sum, LANEIGE didn’t rock my world. But it could still rock yours.

Final thought: Probably don’t start your journey with their new “Gummy Bear” flavor.

Important: Allure Best of Beauty Winner 2019, Contains Hyaluronic Acid, Paraben-Free