As the temperature drops and the air starts to feel dry, your lips definitely deserve a little extra attention. If you’re already noticing the seasonal shift and that chapped, slightly flaky feeling — it’s time to reach for a lip balm that hydrates, nourishes, and keeps your lips looking effortlessly plump and juicy.
And let’s be honest: Real girl math is having a car lip balm, a work lip balm, a bedside lip balm, and at least one floating somewhere in your handbag at all times. From cult-favourite sleep masks to glossy everyday staples, here are the lip balms that deserve a permanent spot in your car-purse-office-bedside lip balm rotation this season.
OleHenriksen Pout Preserve Lip Treatment
OleHenriksen’s Pout Preserve Lip Treatment is by far the internet’s most loved lip balm, by everyone from your favourite influencers to top beauty editors. Brightening, smoothing, and deeply moisturising — this award-winning formula filled with skin-strengthening peptides, kokum and mango seed butter, and cloudberry oil will instantly plump your lips with intense hydration and leave your lips looking visibly fuller. If you can manage to get your hands on it, try their newest and most requested shade: Vanilla Bonbon.
Best for: Anyone looking for the perfect pout
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
This K-beauty bestseller works while you sleep, drenching your lips in a blend of shea butter, vitamin C, and murumuru butter. By the time you wake up, the sleep mask will have your lips feeling ultrahydrated. A must-have for dry climates, long-haul flights, or anyone waking up with chronically dry lips.
Best for: Intense overnight hydration
Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment
Rhode’s signature lip treatment went mega-viral, and for good reason. Packed with peptides and shea butter, it leaves lips plump, glassy, and insanely soft without feeling too heavy or sticky. Try the peptide treatment in shade Espresso for the perfect winter brown or Lemontini for the perfect pop of shimmer for your holiday glam. Extra bonus points if you pair it with the must-have accessory of the season: the Rhode phone case!
Best for: The girl on-the-go
Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm
If you’re into a balmy-glossy hybrid that looks luxe but feels effortless, you need to try the Summer Fridays lip butter balm. The buttery texture melts in without stickiness, and the plant-based butters lock in moisture all day. It’s the perfect lip balm for those minimalist days when you’re rocking the clean-girl aesthetic.
Best for: The ‘clean girl’ aesthetic
Eadem Le Chouchou Lip Softening Balm
This lip balm is THAT girl. Formulated specifically with melanin-rich skin in mind, Eadem’s Le Chouchou lip softening balm combines the exfoliation of a lip peel, the hydration of a lip mask, with the tint and sheen of a lip gloss. The shade Burnt Malai and the newly launched shade Pain Au Chocolat are perfect to bring together your winter makeup looks, and the formula is completely vegan and cruelty free.
Best for: Melanin-rich skin
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Levres
Lightweight, non-sticky, and deeply calming, this French-pharmacy staple is perfect for inflamed, over-exfoliated, or hypersensitive lips. It repairs and restores without any fragrance or fuss — a true everyday essential. All La Roche-Posay products are clinically tested, so you can never go wrong here.
Best for: Sensitive lips + fragrance-free hydration
Dior Addict Lip Glow Balm
If you want hydration with a hint of couture, this is it. This lip balm is the perfect blend of makeup and skincare. Not only is Dior’s Lip Glow infused with cherry extract and shea butter for maximum hydration and plumpness, its innovative hydrating formula adapts to the pH of your lips to reveal custom colour with a natural-looking glow!
Best for: A luxe wash of colour + hydration
Topicals Slick Salve Lip Balm
Topicals brings its skincare-first philosophy to lips with the slick salve lip balm. Packed with ceramides and shea butter, this balm strengthens the lip barrier while delivering long-lasting shine. Ideal for anyone dealing with chapped, irritated, or chronically dry lips.
Best for: Strengthening the lip barrier + repairing dryness
Once you got the perfect base, read The 10 Best Blue Lipstick Colors For Your Skin Tone to start experimenting!