Six tinted lip treatments worth keeping in your bag

A rosy balm with a glossy finish

By Terry's Baume de Rose Glow opens the edit in a small tube made for a handbag and a quick top-up. Its hydrating, plumping formula combines rose flower essential wax, shea butter and vitamin E in a texture that borrows from lip balm as much as from gloss. The finish is shiny but described as non-sticky, so it dresses the lips without that heavy, coated feeling. Pick it if you want a bright rose colour and everyday comfort without stepping up to a fully opaque lipstick.

To apply, a thin layer tapped onto the centre of the lips is enough, then blend the colour out with a fingertip so it doesn't pile up. Used as a top-up after eating, it revives both colour and shine without any need to start over with make-up remover. The compact size makes it genuinely portable, but it does need to be kept properly closed in your bag to avoid leaks.

Baume de Rose Glow by By Terry

A blackberry balm for dry lips

Korres's Tinted Lip Balm — Hydrate, Nourish, Repair — follows with a more nourishing formula based on sweet almond oil, shea butter and vitamin E. Its blackberry scent and melting texture make it the one to reach for when lips are dry or chapped by cold weather. The colour stays subtle, which sets it apart from the By Terry balm — that one is glossier and closer to a make-up step.

Apply a thin layer in the morning, then go back over just the areas that feel tight during the day. If you like scented skincare, the fruity note turns application into a small ritual; if you prefer fragrance-free formulas, it won't be for you. Sold online, it rounds out the edit nicely for daily wear when you're not after intense colour.

Korres tinted lip balms

An everyday balm with a whisper of colour

Sephora's Tinted Daily Lip Balm plays a different card: an ultra-hydrating, softening tinted balm with a sheer, natural-looking wash of colour that can be built to something a little more pigmented. The just-bitten effect stays subtle, which makes it an easy one to wear when you don't want an obvious red. Next to the Korres balm it reads as the everyday, affordable option — the one that lives in your bag for touch-ups.

The trick is to tap it on with your fingertips rather than sweeping it back and forth, so the colour stays diffused. You can also wear it alone on bare-skin days, or layer it over a lip pencil if you want a bit more definition. Available from Sephora, it's the one for you if you want a natural finish in a straightforward format that's easy to carry.

tinted balm — SEPHORA

Clear, glossy oil with no shimmer

Le Rouge Français's Bio & Glossy Clear Lip Oil brings the sheer note to the edit. Barely tinted and free of shimmer, it goes for a glossy finish and a nourishing plant-based formula. It differs from the Korres and Sephora balms in texture: less colour, more shine, and the option of wearing it alone as a light veil of gloss.

For a natural effect, apply a thin layer onto the centre of the lips and stretch it out towards the corners. If you want to soften a lip pencil or a tinted balm, it also works as a final layer that adds shine without weighing anything down. From Le Rouge Français, this oil is for you if you like simple gestures, formulas presented as organic and very light wet-look finishes.

A glossy lipstick that doubles as a treatment

YSL Loveshine, from Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, nudges the edit towards make-up. This glossy lipstick-cum-treatment has an ultra-melting texture that turns to oil on contact with the lips, leaving a nourishing film, light colour and a wet-look shine. It sits clearly apart from the balms and the clear oil: here the colour is more present, and the lips are properly made up rather than simply veiled.

Apply one coat for a luminous, comfortable finish, then go back over it lightly if you want more colour. In the evening it can stand in for a classic gloss when you want your lips done without a heavy texture. From YSL Beauté, it's aimed at anyone who likes hybrid lipsticks that sit between skincare and make-up shine.

Loveshine — Yves Saint Laurent / YSL Beauté

A balm-and-blush duo for your bag

Les Petits Prödiges' Duo Baume Magique & Teinté closes the edit with a multi-tasking option. It pairs a nourishing balm for skin, body and hair with a tinted lip balm in a natural cherry shade, in formulas based on natural-origin ingredients with no added fragrance. The buildable colour can be applied to the lips and to the cheeks as a solid blush, which sets it apart from the other pieces here that are strictly for the lips.

Take a small amount, tap it onto the cheeks first and then go over the lips, adding a second layer if you want more colour. The duo format is handy for your bag, provided you don't mind a slightly more hands-on application than a gloss or an oil. From Les Petits Prödiges, it will appeal if you want natural colour and a two-in-one treatment you can carry around.

What it costs

The price range here is genuinely wide, and it's worth knowing that before you click. A tinted balm from a mainstream brand — the Sephora everyday balm or the Korres treatment — tends to land somewhere between £12 and £22. A plant-based lip oil such as Le Rouge Français's is more like £20 to £35; a department-store gloss-balm like By Terry's sits around £35 to £45; and the YSL Loveshine, which is more make-up than skincare, comes in at roughly £30 to £40. The multi-use balm-and-blush duo from Les Petits Prödiges sits around £15 to £25.

What moves the price: the size (a small tube runs out faster than a standard balm), where the brand positions itself, how rich the formula is, the packaging, and the sales channel — department store, high street or online. Expect to find these across a mix of retailers, from Sephora and brand websites to online marketplaces; availability in the UK varies, and the smaller French brands are easiest to track down online, sometimes with shipping from France. Prices are indicative only and worth checking on the product page on the day, as they change. Some links on this site may be affiliate links.