3-in-1 For Your Lips

Well beaute lovers I'm back (and as the proverbial saying goes "better than ever") after a very restful visit home and the unique pleasure of witnessing/participating in a very dear friend's wedding. Besides the holiday and wedding excitement, I was really looking forward to finally test driving the new Laura Mercier Hydra Tint lip product. I learned about this lip treatment from my mom (yes, mothers really do know best!) when I was in a desperate state of panic trying to replace my discontinued Prada tinted lip balm. Now my dear beaute aficionado I'm going to say something you will rarely hear me say and in the rare occasions I do use it you will know that this product is the holy grail, the big kahuna, the full monty, the big cheese (you get the picture) of the beauty. So here it goes...I absolutely coveted the Prada lip balm. I owned it in every color and stockpiled it till my drawers were full, so you can imagine my total and utter angst when I learned that my "it" product was disco'd (no it didn't go dancing it was discontinued!). When I researched the Laura Mercier Hydra Tint and realized that on paper it sounded like everything I was desperately asking the beaute gods for I thought to myself..."This is too good to be true! Hmm perhaps I should have wished to win the Mega Million instead!"

None the richer (I didn't win the $200 million) I took this gift from the beaute gods, ordered the lip balm in Mocha tint and practically tore open the Sephora package when it arrived. The Hydra Tints are multi-purpose, "do it all" product for the lips. Imagine lipstick color + lip balm conditioning + spf protection all rolled up into one. They moisturize the lips with conditioning shea butter, grape seed oil and soya oil while fighting damage caused by external aggressors with antioxidant powerhouses green tea extract and vitamin E. They further protect the very delicate and susceptible lip area with a broadspectrum sunscreen helping shield against both damaging UVA and UVB rays. Now Laura Mercier claims that these lip balms freshen the breath with mint and orange (I didn't really find that to be the case, instead these two ingredients provided a nice tingling/cooling sensorial effect) and provide all day suppleness with their exclusive lip complex which I guess from the ingredient list to be no more than safflower seed oil, aloe extract and evening primrose oil. Nice additions but nothing groundbreaking. Now I must tell you that during the day I'm not much of a lipstick wearer. I find lipsticks to be a bit drying and one-dimensional (I need my spf!) so I'm very critical on finding the perfect replacement to my fool-proof Prada tinted lip balms. My criteria for a great daily lip product is (in order of importance): great color, hydration, sun protection & long lasting. On points 1 and 3 I think the Laura Mercier did a great job. The Hydra Tints are available in 8 colors ranging from nude to pink to bronze, ensuring there is a color to meet your needs and my mind was put at ease with the UV filters. However given my drier complexion I need something that is not only more moisturizing but that provides continuous hydration throughout the day. I'm not convinced this product really can do that but in the meantime as I continue my quest for "the one" I consider myself lucky to have this stand-in. Do you have a great lip product that meets all the requisites I'm seeking? If so let me know! I want to hear from you!

Usage tip: The Hydra Tints do not have a pointed tip like lip sticks that help control the application, rather they have a more traditional flat head seen in lip balms. This makes it a bit tricky to keep the product within the lip lines so apply in front of a mirror.

The result: Pleasing color, protected lips and soothing moisture! Prada lip balms I'm no longer crying over you!