Tinted Balm Battle: Fresh Sugar Rose vs Burt Bee's Tinted Lip Balm

Vee

This winter I decided to step away from my usual lip liner + gloss formula and try something a little softer, a little gentler and a little less likely to leave lip prints on my wine glass. Tinted balm seemed just the ticket. Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm had good buzz (ba dum dum) in the beauty community, and I'd just gotten Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose from Sephora for my birthday so the time was perfect for a head to head match up.

Burt Bees Tinted Lip Balm

I picked up some Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus and Tiger Lily from my local drugstore. The tube looks like any other BB lip balm, but comes in a cute cardboard package. The formula is standard lip balm, a little waxy but moisturizing. My main complaint with the lip treatments is the way they taste. There is a sort of floral taste that I couldn't put my finger on, but that I definitely didn't like. I've had this problem before with BB, so maybe I'm one of the few who hates their lip product scent/flavoring.

The color payoff was minimal in the Tiger Lily because it was too close to my natural lip color, but looked good on a lighter-lipped coworker. The Hibiscus color made my lips a bit rosier without looking "made up". Overall, I didn't hate it, but I'd never buy it again based on the flavor.

Rating: 4/8 Tentacles.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose

There is very little I don't love about how the Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose performs. Firstly, the tube is metal and has a screw on top. How fantastic is that? No more losing the cap in your makeup bag! The balm goes on slick and smooth and isn't the least bit waxy. It also has SPF 15, without tasting gross. In fact, the flavor of the balm is a nice sweet flavor that's not overpowering.

As to color, the Rose Lip Treatment is an extremely sheer red/pink. It won't give you the look of a "done" lip, but more of a healthy glow. The only negative I can say about the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment is the price. At $22.50, this is a luxery lip treatment that I don't think I'd invest in, despite how fantastic the product is. For me, there are better inexpensive lip balms (hello, Eos!) and for the minimal color pay-off, I don't think I'd drop the cash. If this product was in the $10 - $15 range, it's be one of the Vee's Beauty Essentials.

Rating: 6/8 Tentacles.

So who wins the Tinted Balm Battle? With a 2 Tentacle lead, the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Rose takes the cake.