Wait, You Need to See This Magical Color-Changing Lip Balm in Action
Being a beauty editor means spending my life answering super-easy beauty questions, like, “How do I get perfect skin if I don’t like washing my face?” or “What’s the best full-coverage foundation that looks invisible?” or “Should I get bangs?” But out of all the questions I get, the most impossible is the lip-color question: “What’s the best product that doesn’t feel like anything and isn’t too bright but definitely has color and won’t fade but is also easy to use?” You know—that easy one.
And, honestly, I never used to have an answer. Lipsticks are finicky, lip glosses are sticky, and lip stains…well, lip stains try their best. And then I discovered the magical world of color-changing lip balms—specifically, my beloved Lipstick Queen Frog Prince Lipstick (“lipstick”). It sounds gimmicky, and I was skeptical at first, too, but this green, color-changing balm is legitimately the best thing that’s ever happened to my (makeup) life, to the point where I now force it upon everyone I know.
First things first, though: WTF is color-changing balm and how does it work? Good question. Sadly, the cool, shade-shifting results are not so much the work of ~*mAgiC*~, but of straight-up chemistry. Color-changing lipsticks and balms actually contain special clear pigments that turn bright pink when they interact with moisture and your skin’s pH.
Throw those pigments in with, say, the green of my fav Frog Prince balm, or the blue of SassyLips Playing Hard to Get lip balm, and you get a sheer, yet pigmented shade that looks a little different on everyone (because, you know, we all have different lip colors), yet equally pretty against every single skin tone.
And Frog Prince is no different. The bullet is hella green, but looks almost clear when you swipe it on, with absolutely zero scent, taste, or stickiness (really, it’s fragrance-free and filled with shea butter, mango seed butter, and olive oil, so it just feels like a plain, light lip balm).
Then, over the course of a few minutes, a sheer-pink shade will gradually develop on your lips. Swipe on another layer and another, and the pink shade will grow deeper and more pigmented, until you’re left with a bright, rose-pink hue that looks like a stain but feels like a balm.
And that’s where the true “magic” lies: In its staying power. The reason why I legit only use color-changing balms anymore is because unlike lipsticks and glosses that wear off after a few hours, Frog Prince stains your lips more the more you apply it, so even though the shine and moisture may wear off after an hour, the rosy color will last upwards of 12 hours (seriously—sometimes my lips are still faintly pink after I shower). And that punchy color doesn’t transfer, bleed, or stick to your teeth, either, making it perfect for…everyone. Really.
So although, yes, the $25 price tag isn’t exactly cheap if you’re not used to spending more than $6 on a balm, I promise you it’s worth it, especially if you’re looking for a low-maintenance, high-results product that’s impossible to mess up. And, like, who isn’t?
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