15 Lip Oils That Will Have You Reconsidering Lipstick

Of the early aughts trends that has come rearing back with a vengeance, lip gloss is the one that I had the most apprehension about. Don't get me wrong, I live for the plumped and smooth juiciness of a slick of peachy lip gloss. But anyone who survive 1999-2005 will tell you sometimes that pouty perfection came with a side order of sticky gloop. Think of me as the goldilocks of lip products. I am eschewing the overly matte. I don't want sticky. I certainly don't want my lips to be dry. So where is a girl to turn? Do I want to wear a lip gloss or go for a lip balm? The former can be, as we well know, sticky, the latter, doesn't have enough oomph. What's a woman to do when she wants to hydrate her lips, get a nice sheen—or perhaps wants a nice tint—and neither gloss, nor balm appeals? Lip oil. The miracle hybrid product that I cannot and will not live without.

The emollient but not too slick, sometimes glossy, but always hydrating lippie is on the rise and the perfect best-of-both-worlds of what you want to put on your kisser. Here, some of our favorites, from a sheer hint to a pigmented tint.