In March, Rare Beauty announced the release of their new tinted lip oils.
Selena wrote on Instagram, “Meet my new Rare Beauty Soft Tinted Lip Oil. It’s not your traditional lip oil – it’s an innovative lip jelly that transforms into a lightweight oil giving your lips the perfect pinch of color and shine. I love how comfy it feels – it’s never sticky.” She mentioned in another instance, “This lip oil is long-wearing and leaves lips with a soft stain for all-day wear, it doesn’t budge — even through a meal.”
In an interview with Elle.com, she said that the Soft Pinch Tinted lip oil was two years in the making given its unique texture and the array of shades. It was very important to get the formula right. The two main ingredients are jojoba and sunflower seed oil. Both of these oils are meant to act as a protective barrier, keeping the moisture locked in.
I previously tried the Rare Beauty Lip Souffle Matte Cream lipsticks, but I wasn’t that impressed by them. So, when I read that the formula for the lip oils was inspired by the Soft Pinch Liquid blush (the best cream blush), I had to get my hands on it!
Because I know how highly sought out Rare Beauty is, I got mine on Sephora’s presale two days before it was in stores. The pictures do a good job in matching the shades with different skin tones. I ended up buying the shade Wonder, a rose mauve color that looked very complimentary on medium skin.
Fast-forward to 2 days later, my Soft Pinch Tinted lip oil promptly arrived. The first thing I noticed upon application was the color. “This was not the shade I thought it would be”, I thought to myself. When I first applied it, it had a thick consistency and the color was off. It was a dusty rose color very similar to Dolce Vita by Nars. Then, a few minutes later, the gel-like texture transformed into an oil and my lips turned into a beautiful berry reddish color.
For the first 15 minutes, I could feel the slight tingling sensation from the oils doing their job, but this dissipated within the hour.
Like Selena said on Instagram, the lip oil is not sticky. It feels like you’re wearing a highly hydrating lip balm with emollients. Did it transfer? I tested this by kissing the back of my hand. There was a very thin layer of gloss with no color and no smell either.
After a few hours that included me eating and drinking, the shine was gone, but the color was still there! Selena wasn’t kidding about the longevity of the color. When I took my makeup off, I had to really scrub my lips with cleanser to take it completely off.
If you’re new to lip stains, these are meant to be absorbed by your lips. When the Soft Pinch Tinted lip oil dried, the stain looked so natural that you could say the shade I was wearing (Wonder) was my natural lip color. Lipsticks on the other hand, sit on top of your lips so they rub off easily. The pigment is not meant to be absorbed.
Two hours later
Five hours later
Final thoughts
I love that I didn’t have to worry about reapplying it because the color stays on. Usually when I eat, my lipstick is completely gone right after. I didn’t have to worry about that with the Soft Pinch Tinted lip oil.
You can do a full face of makeup and the lip oil will double as a lipstick and a shiny gloss, but with the added hydrating benefits.
Very lightweight and zero stickiness.
I read online that although these are advertised as lip oils, they’re actually glossy lip stains, a cross between a lip stain and a lip gloss. Koreans have been using lip stains for years and they’re really big in the Kbeauty community. The Korean gradient lips is another trend, where the aim is to get a diffused color effect on the lips.
On the Sephora website, there are a few 1-star reviews complaining about the fact that the shine goes away. This is what it’s supposed to do! If your main concern is gloss and shine, then stick to lip gloss! A lot of people in the video reviews talk about pigment, but remember that the aim of this product is the stained lip effect. Your lips are only going to look like Rare Beauty’s promo pictures for about 30-40 minutes. You can always add a layer of lip gloss once it dries!
When I first tried it, I put on about 3 coats. I’ve also seen people do this on Instagram. You’re supposed to apply a thin layer and wait for it to dry down. Remember that the lip color stain will not show up right away like it would with lipstick.
Shortly after I received my Soft Pinch Tinted lip oil in the mail, I ran some errands and stopped by Sephora on a Friday afternoon. I was stunned to see the amount of people gathering at the Rare Beauty display section, hovering over the lip oils. About 15 minutes later, a large group of high schoolers marched in and made a beeline towards Rare Beauty. When I was about to leave, I saw them in a very long line, each of them holding the coveted Soft Pinch Tinted lip oil.
Whenever I walk into a Sephora, it’s almost impossible to see the Rare Beauty display section fully stocked. Everything they release turns into gold!
Get your Soft Pinch Tinted lip oil through Rare Beauty’s website or Sephora.
Rare Beauty: Website and Instagram