The Best Lip & Cheek Tints
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In the world of double-duty beauty products, few are more versatile (or foolproof) than a lip and cheek tint. To ensure that they’re non-cakey and easy to blend, the best lip and cheek tints are typically infused with conditioning ingredients like shea butter, squalane, and avocado oil. Lip and cheek tints come in lots of different forms, too: Cream formulas are nice and buildable, and you’ll typically see them packaged in tiny, mirrored compacts or as retractable sticks that you can swipe directly onto your cheeks and over your lips. For something lighter weight, there are also gel creams and water gels, which may be preferable for those with oily skin (or just on hot, summer days). These days, you can even find lip and cheek tints that offer added sun protection — told you these products were versatile.
If you’re undecided about which lip and cheek tint to go with, base your pick on your budget and preferred shade; really, you can’t go wrong with any of the options featured here. From adorably packaged Korean gel tints to a cream compact designed by Kristin Stewart’s makeup artist, to a splurge-worthy stick made with all-natural ingredients, there’s something for everyone on this list.
01Editor's Pick
The Jillian Dempsey Cheek Tint is a holy-grail product for Elite Daily editor Caroline Goldstein. She says, “I pretty much don’t leave the house (or hop on a Zoom call) without dabbing this tint over my cheeks, across the bridge of my nose, and on my lids. The pigment is fresh, natural-looking, with the tiniest dewy finish, and the creamy texture blends beautifully. It just makes me look like a happier, healthier, more awake version of myself.”
- Available shades: 6
02Writer’s Pick
I didn't even know what a lip and cheek tint was until I came across Stila Convertible Color back in college, and I've kept one of these compacts in my makeup collection ever since. The mirrored compact is convenient to keep in your purse, and the formula blends like a dream, leaving behind a surprisingly impressive amount of color. In this formula, ingredients like castor seed oil and vitamin E leave skin feeling smooth (yes, even your lips, which tend to turn dry when layering on a tint). The nude-pink shade ‘Lillium’ (pictured here) is my go-to, but the peachy ‘Petunia’ color is another favorite — especially in the summer months when paired with bronzy skin.
- Available shades: 6
03Best Drugstore Lip & Cheek Stick
This lip and cheek stick has more than 8,000 five-star ratings on Amazon, and it also happens to be the least expensive product on the list. e.l.f’s Monochromatic Multi Stick applies like a cream but dries down to a powdery finish, and the cruelty-free formula is infused with shea butter and vitamin E to leave skin feeling silky smooth as it imparts a soft wash of color. And thanks to the stick's shimmery finish, you can add highlighter to its many lists of uses.
- Available shades: 2
04Best Natural Lip & Cheek Stick
Made with plant- and mineral-derived pigments and other naturally sourced ingredients — several of which are organic (like shea butter, argan oil, and coconut oil) — this best-selling multistick is the best choice for dry skin, as it’s super nourishing and easy to blend, even over flaky patches. Suitable for use on your lips, cheeks, and eyelids, the small, twist-up design makes it super portable, and it’s sold in eight stunning, buildable colors.
- Available shades: 8
05Best Korean Water Gel Tint
No one does lip and cheek tints quite like Korean beauty brands, and this Etude House Dear Darling Water Gel Tint also happens to have the cutest packaging. To mimic the popsicle-like effect you get from a lip stain, these water-gel tints come in the form of colorful mini popsicles, whose sticks house a saturated doe-foot applicator. Whether you choose a barely-there apricot or a rich berry red, all of the tints are formulated with fruit extracts to deliver lightweight moisture to your skin. For the gradient effect that's so popular in the world of Korean beauty, start by concentrating the tint on the inner side of your lips, working the color outwards as it begins to fade.
- Available shades: 7
06Best Korean Balm Tint
Another great Korean lip and cheek tint, this creamy balm, which is made with rich, nourishing shea butter, is a great choice for dry skin (or dry lips). It checks off all the right boxes when it comes to a multi-use tint: it’s buildable, non-sticky, easy to work with, and easy to blend. It also comes in a cute, squeezable pouch that takes up no room in your pocket or bag, and rings up at a reasonable $10. What’s not to love?
- Available shades: 5
07Best Lip & Cheek Tint With SPF
A great choice for sunny days (and all you beach bums out there), Colorescience’s Sunforgettable Total Protection Color Balm offers broad-spectrum SPF 50 coverage that’s water-resistant for up to 40 minutes. The shimmering, tinted sticks are noncomedogenic, oil-free, and fragrance-free, so they're also great for sensitive and acne-prone skin types. To care for and nourish your skin, these tints are formulated with moisturizers like squalane, jojoba esters, and vitamin E, which contributes to their smooth glide.
- Available shades: 3
08Best Splurge
Another amazing lip and cheek tint in stick form, ILIA’s long-lasting, cruelty-free, plant-based formula has earned it multiple beauty awards from publications like Byrdie and Allure over the years. These splurge-worthy sticks — which also come gorgeously (and sustainably) packaged — are made with certified-organic, skin-pampering ingredients derived from nature, including sunflower seed oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, and avocado oil, making it another great option for skin that’s on the dry side.
- Available shades: 7
09Honorable Mention
Super versatile and priced at just $8, this fan-favorite lip tint from Dr. Lipp is worth shouting out. Unlike the other tints on this list, which are mostly sticks or gels, this is a glossy balm that can be used on your lips, cheeks, or lids. The color is derived from plants, and the balm itself has a lanolin base — an ingredient that some people love for its moisturizing abilities, but some people are allergic to, so keep that in mind when considering this product.
- Available shades: 7
