Earlier this year YSL launched a new lipstick called the Volupte Tint-In-Balm ($34 each for 0.12 oz/3.5 g, made in France). There have been numerous teasers on social but have been nearly impossible to find for quite some time. Shades kept selling out and going on back-order and as a makeup junkie I’ve been trying to track them down for weeks. They’ve finally arrived at most retailers. I ordered three from Nordstrom as seen/swatched in my Spring Makeup Bag post. I stopped by Sephora recently and picked up a few more shades and have 8 of the 12 to review for you today. The Volupte Tint-In-Balms appear to have replaced the Volupte Sheer Candy formula. They have a very similar feel in terms of having a glossy texture, sheer pigment, moisturizing feel and grapefruit scent (although YSL calls it pomegranate). These have the cutest little lip-shaped centers which runs from the top to bottom throughout the core – these have moisturizing ingredients like apricot butter and jojoba oil.
I really love these balms. They have a nourishing emollient feel and are super easy to apply. If you like products like the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines or even the YSL Volupte Shine Oil in Stick I suspect you will like these YSL Volupte Tint-In-Balms. I would say by comparison the YSL runs a bit more sheer with a jelly-like slightly transparent finish. Your natural lip color will show through. The YSL also has a more emollient balmy feel by comparison to the Chanel.
Many of you might wonder how these compare to the Tom Ford Clutch-Sized Lip Balms from the Summer Soleil collection (reviewed here). I would say the YSL has a softer more glossy texture. It has a more emollient feel while the Tom Ford balms are a bit harder. The Tom Ford balms feel like they adhere a bit more to my lips while the YSL has more slip. I can’t say one is better than the other, but for months where the weather is hot and humid I think I’m going to prefer the Tom Ford.
A quick note on Fresh Sugar tinted lip balms since I know many of you have asked me to compare. I had quite a few before but they kept breaking on me so I stopped buying them. I don’t know if they’ve changed the formula or packaging but mine always broke on me. Texture/pigment I find the Fresh balms to be a lot thicker but with slightly more pigment.
Due to the sheerness of pigment these will look different on you depending on your natural lip tone. The Sephora website has them swatched on two skintones, fair and deep. I am somewhere in the middle so none of the swatches on the chart resemble what the colors look like on me, but it does give you a good idea on the difference in undertone.
The shades I purchased:
- 1 Dream My Nude is a nude pink with mauve tones
- 2 Tease Me Pink is a soft pink
- 3 Call Me Rose is a pale baby pink
- 4 Desire Me Pink is a bright watermelon color
- 7 Flirt Me Coral is a medium peach
- 9 Tempt Me Pink is a hot bright pink
- 10 Seduce Me Pink is a pink berry
- 12 Try Me Berry is a bright pink with plum tones
I love every single shade, although on me brighter pinks tend to look the same on my lips. I don’t test testers on myself at the store (I only hand swatch them), so it was impossible for me to tell that some of them would look nearly identical on me. If I were able to do it over, I would have opted for #5 Dare Me Plum instead of #12 Try Me Berry. I would have also picked #4 Desire Me Pink, #9 Tempt Me Pink or #10 Seduce Me Pink (not all three).
Here’s what they look on me below. They were swatched over a few different days, but I’m wearing the same foundation in all the photos which is the Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation in Bisque (although in the past week I’ve gotten a bit more color and probably should be wearing Natural or Sable instead).
Swatches as always are on bare lips, no liner or foundation or concealer as a base:
One last look, top row is: 1, 2, 3, 4 and the bottom row is 7, 9, 10, 12
As a neutral lip lover, my favorites are 1 Dream Me Nude, 2 Tease Me Pink, 3 Call Me Rose and 7 Flirt Me Coral. I love that the brighter ones give a healthy wash of color without feeling overdone. As a lipstick and lip balm junkie I think these are great. They’re nice to throw in the purse for a bit of color that will go with any look or occasion. Lasting power of course isn’t going to be as long as a lipstick or liquid lipstick. I am able to get a decent amount of wear without fading but these days I’m trying to better about drinking more liquids to stay hydrated so the constant sipping has impacted the lasting power of lip products. For some reason since my husband and I have moved to Florida our skin has felt significantly more dry even though we thought the opposite would happen with the warm humid weather. We’re switching up our skincare and body care so stay tuned for a spring skincare update soon.
Bottom line, I love these. I think everyone should check out at least one color. That being said if you don’t like sheer and want visible color, check out the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-in-Stick instead (I still swear by #47 Beige Blouse).
You can find the YSL Volupte Tint-in-Balm at all counters now. Some stores may be sold out of shades as I’ve found they keep selling out. You can also find them online at Sephora, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and YSL Beauty.
Have you checked these out yet? What did you think?
