Beauty DIY: Ultra-Moisturizing Lip Tint

Those who know me well know that I'm a skincare and lip product fanatic. I started my skincare routine around 12 or 13 years old -- my first skincare product was around 6 actually, my grandma bought me a toy to play with and it actually has skincare inside. My first lip product was a Nivea Lipbalm when I was around 7 or 8 years old. My first actual colour lip product was a Cover Girl Lip Gloss in a bubblegum colour when I was around 14 years old, it was a gift from an aunt.

My love for skincare and lip products never died off, as I am sure is the same with many of you out there.

Through my years exploring the cosmetic world, I have tried a lot of lip products and collected a lot of them, however, my search for "the" lip product never stopped. I have my favourites in various categories, but about 3 years ago, I thought to myself "if I were to only use two lip products for the rest of my life, have I found it?" Of course, the answer was a simple no.

Throughout the last 3 years, I have been trying various products from various brands, ranging from Vaseline to luxury brands, I have tried most of the highly praised ones... Yet, I still was not able to find the perfect one.

Then, just a few days back I thought to myself, "if I can't find them, why don't I just make them?"

So, I began my journey of making my own lip balm and lip stain.

Okay, so for the product to be perfect, it must be safe for ingestion, super ultra-hydrating and moisturizing, and the lip tint must be long-lasting.

Yes, those criteria don't look so hard but believe me when I say I have looked very hard to find the right product and have yet been able to, believe me.

The reason it must be safe for ingestion because the product is on our lips and lip biting is a habitual behaviour, it must be ingestable. Therefore, I will use food-grade ingredients and ingredients safe for ingestion. My other reason behind this was if I were to make a bunch and give them away as gifts, moms can feel safe to let their daughters play with it.

The products must be super ultra-hydrating and moisturizing because extreme Canadian weather definitely calls for the need for ultra hydration. I hate it when my lips feel dry and definitely especially hate it when it cracks, gosh... the pain. Therefore, super-ultra hydration and perhaps a reparative property would be nice.

Lastly, in terms of the lip tint, it must be long-lasting, if it is long-lasting then I wouldn't have to worry about needing to touch-up from time to time.

After trying multiple times, wasting a few batches and depleting most of my supplies, I finally found the perfect recipe for my "use for the rest of my life" lip balm and lip stain. I am sure I will probably upgrade the ingredients as I go, but I have found my "the" product. I have only made one colour so far in terms of the stain, I call it "Candy Apple Red", as in-person it looks just like you have just eaten candy apple.

It is actually super easy and quick to make, the only problem is making sure you have all the ingredients and containers to put them in.

The lip balm and lip stain use the same base, with the difference of adding food colouring.

Ingredients:

- Petroleum Jelly

- Mineral Oil

- Ceresin Wax

- Lanolin

- Glycerin

- Vitamin E Oil

- Food Colouring*

*If you'd like to make lip stains.

If you'd like an easier version, you can replace the first 3 or 4 ingredients with Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment, which contains: petrolatum, mineral oil, Ceresin, Lanolin Alcohol, Panthenol, Glycerin, Bisabolol. I personally prefer adding in the ingredients individually so I can control how much of each goes in. If you choose to use Eucerin Aquaphor Healing Ointment instead of the first 3-4 ingredients, for extra hydration, I would still suggest adding the extra Glycerin.

Follow is a little information on the reason why the ingredients are added

Petroleum Jelly: "it is an ingredient that is able to seal water into the skin. It can help any skin-beneficial ingredients to work better. It can also ease inflammation and keep the skin moisturized. It is an ingredient that can be used on a baby's skin about 3 weeks after they're born. It can protect your skin against wind and cold." If you don't like petroleum jelly, you can choose to switch this to shea butter, cocoa butter, or coconut oil; but I personally don't mind petroleum jelly and find it the most hydrating and with the best mouthfeel.

Mineral Oil: "help reduce skin's water loss and keeping it moisturized. It is non-comedogenic" and I chose to use a food-grade version, which is an ingredient that can be "found in some gummy candies and sweets to prevent them from sticking to each other".

Ceresin: "it keeps emulsions from separating into oil and liquid." Can be replaced with beeswax.

Lanolin Alcohol: "prevents the evaporation of water from the skin and helps the skin heal." I chose lanolin alcohol as it has a smoother feel than lanolin, however, if you prefer avoiding lanolin alcohol, you can opt for lanolin or beeswax.

Glycerin: a humectant that helps hydrating and bringing hydration from air to skin, while keeping the hydration in the skin. I opted for vegetable glycerin, which is usually made from soy, coconut or palm oil. Applying glycerin may gradually improve its smoothness and suppleness, as using it may increase skin's hydration in as few as 10 days.

Vitamin E Oil: an antioxidant that helps fight against skin cell damage, thus an ingredient that is able to help heal, restore, and anti-age.

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Resources

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/ss/slideshow-petroleum-jelly-uses

https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/mineral-oil/

https://cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/ceresin

https://www.dermstore.com/blog/is-lanolin-safe/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vegetable-glycerin

https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/lip-care/tips/vitamin-e-soothe-lips.htm