TL;DR Mrs. Bieber created a winner

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A Deeper Look

Two things I need to get out of the way immediately. First, I’m a big Belieber. (This should’ve been obvious upon reading my Rare Beauty Dewy Lip Balm review. If it wasn’t, you weren’t paying attention — or were sleep-reading, something I often do.) Ergo, I have pretty strong and positive feelings towards Hailey Bieber and was unabashedly ecstatic when I learned that she was launching a minimalist skincare line.

Of course, the enthusiasm was compounded in no small part by a) her commitment to social causes benefiting women and b) the inclusion of not one, not two, but THREE lip balms in the full collection (that’s 60% of the entire offering). If that’s not a clear indication of how much she values lip care, I don’t know what is.

The second thing I need to get out of the way is that I wasn’t completely sold on this balm upon initial usage. I loved the packaging, sure, and I thought it was beyond delicious (I ordered it in Salted Caramel, which tastes like ice cream). I also loved the glossy sheen it left on my lips with barely any sticky residue to speak of.

However, I found that the balm required several applications to achieve long-lasting hydration, at which point your lips look like they’ve been Botoxed with petroleum jelly. Though, in retrospect, that may have been her intention. I worried about how long the scant 10ml tube would last me, especially watching Hailey’s preferred manner of application on the ‘gram (read: indulgent being the operative word).

(Furthermore, if I’m being honest, years of experience have taught me to be wary of balms that can double as a gloss because their aesthetic appeal often portends a limited ability to penetrate beyond the top layer of your lips. Sometimes, it just doesn’t “feel right” and that’s the sense I got with this one.)

In a pleasant surprise, the lip balm lasted me quite a while. I used the Rhode lip treatment almost exclusively as my work balm of choice for a month and, despite having previously used up one-third of the balm last June, it kept on giving far beyond its EDD (estimated date of death). In fact, the timing worked out so well that I exhausted my original purchase just in time to restock with the limited edition Passionfruit Jelly version.

So let’s run it back.

• Taste: like a dream (and somehow the Passionfruit Jelly is even better than the Salted Caramel)
• Hydration: surprisingly effective despite its high gloss factor (which I have found to be an inverse relationship)
• Applicator: shockingly teeny tip allows for precision
• Packaging: sustainably-minded (an obvious plus for me)
• Brand values: talks the talk and walks the walk

Bottom line: Almost a Pritha’s Pick. Almost.

Important: Vegan, Cruelty-Free, Dermatologist-Developed, Allure Best of Beauty Winner