Does Pink Sugar Lip Balm Give a Noticeable Tint?

Summer Fridays Pink Sugar Lip Butter Balm gives a sheer pink tint with a glossy finish. Choose it if you want a little color and you like the look of shine with your outfit. To see how much pink it adds, compare your lips before and after in diffuse daylight. Turn your head so the reflection moves, then look for color in the area the highlight leaves behind.

Summer Fridays describes the shade as sheer pink. Beauty editor Eleanor Vousden saw a glossy finish and a very subtle tint on her own lips. Since a sheer balm lets your lip color show through, compare it with your bare lips to see what changes. For a visual reference, see the Pink Sugar swatch in her review.

Look for pink in diffuse daylight

Stand near a window out of direct sun. Look at your bare lips, then apply the balm as you normally would. Keep your position and the light the same for both looks. Pick an area just beside the brightest spot and see whether it looks pinker than it did before. If the only area that looks different is the bright spot, check again with the light coming from the side.

Turn your head slightly and see where the bright spot goes. If you still see a pink shift in the area it just left, the tint is visible there. Now back away from the mirror to about conversation distance. A shade that reads pink up close may mostly read as shine from farther away. Use the distance that matters to you when you decide how much color you want.

Compare the shine with your neckline

Put on the outfit you mean to wear and keep your earrings and other makeup the same. For a Soft Natural look, start with an open neckline and see how the fabric falls from your shoulders. A wide, gently curved opening can already frame your face. Leave that shape in place while you decide whether a little light on the lips picks it up or pulls your eye away from it.

With a washed cotton shirt, open the collar so it lies softly and wide. A glossy lip can supply a small point of light against a matte fabric. Look at your face and shoulders together. If you first notice the sweep of the collar, a little gloss can sit within that shape. If the neckline feels crowded beneath a cardigan, adjust the neckline under an open cardigan and look again before changing your lip color.

A softly draped satin V-neck gives you a different comparison. Move under the light where you will wear it and see where the folds catch. Under an overhead lamp, for example, look for a bright band on the satin near the edge of the neckline. If the reflection at your lips catches your eye first, ask which you want to notice first. When you want the drape to lead, try a quieter lip finish in a similar shade.

Choose what you want the lip to add

Think about which change you would miss if you took the balm off. Use the comparison to choose a finish for the outfit.

• Keep Pink Sugar when the faint pink and the shine both contribute to the look.
• Choose clear balm when you like the shine and the pink makes little difference.
• Choose a more pigmented lip color when you want the hue to stay visible as you turn.
• Choose a quieter finish when the light on your lips competes with the folds at your neckline.

If you have a more pigmented lip color in a finish you already like, compare it with Pink Sugar while wearing the same top. For example, if you want color to show beside a muted cotton shirt, keep the collar open and see which shade still reads from a few steps back. You can use that same comparison to choose a more visible pink with less shine for satin.

Check the shade before ordering

The option pictured is Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Pink Sugar, 0.5 oz. Check that Pink Sugar is still selected when you open the listing, then check the current offer and delivery options for your address. If you already own a clear balm, use it as a reference with the same shirt and light. If the pink disappears at the distance you care about and your clear balm gives you enough shine, you have your answer.