The Best Lip Balms at MECCA Right Now
January 1 | 3 minute read
Words by Kerri Gordon and Arabella Roden
Originally published on | July 17
Luckily, when it comes to lip balms, more is always more – in the car, at your desk, in your work bag, your weekend bag and your gym bag, that clutch, this crossbody. It’s the beauty product we most often misplace, too, so it’s worth having a back-up or 10.
For those times when the elements conspire to dry out your lips to the nth degree, you crave a nourishing base before swiping on a lipstick, or just need an ‘emotional support’ lip balm you can rely on, take your pick from the best and most-loved lip balms on our shelves right now.
It’s the balm on the desks of almost everyone at MECCA HQ. The sleek, magnetised case opens up to a no-fuss stick of lush shea butter, vitamin E and hyaluronic filling spheres, hydrating, plumping and protecting lips with a sheer, barely-there tint. For those who don’t love applying balm with their fingertips, this one’s for you.
Packed with conditioning vitamin E and delicate rose, this MECCA-favourite lip balm is famous for its decadent texture and ability to instantly relieve parched lips. Concentrated with floral-derived vitamins and waxes, the sheer pink contents of this cult-loved pot leave lips smooth and plump with a subtle, non-sticky shine.
Convinced your super dry, chapped lips will never recover? Think again! This ultra-rich, intensely moisturising jelly mask has earned rave reviews from MECCA beauty lovers for its transformative powers. Japanese peach extract, rose and camellia oil combine to not only replenish flaky, parched lips, but also plump fine lines and calm irritation. More than a balm, this is a luxurious treat for your lips.
After a brief retirement, and possibly a brief foray into golf or pottery, the original formulation of Glossier’s iconic Balm Dotcom is back by fan demand. This all-purpose balm is packed with beeswax, castor seed oil and lanolin to restore dry lips (and cuticles) into the ultimate beacons of hydration. Each one is also deliciously flavoured too, from wild fig (that you don’t have to pluck off your neighbour’s tree) to refreshing mint. Collect them all!
MECCA HQ can’t get enough of this ultra-hydrating balm, and we’re not alone – it has more than 60 million views on TikTok, and counting. Even Hailey Bieber doesn’t leave the house without one! These vegan balms use seed butters that lock in moisture and restore parched, chapped lips to their former supple, plump glory. And with the addition of Summer Fridays’ newly launched, Iced Coffee flavour, it would be rude not to add another to our collection.
Learn from the French ‘It’ girl and celebrated makeup artist Violette with the VIOLETTE_FR Bisou Balm. A lipstick-balm hybrid with a never-been-done-before moisturising matte finish, this little wand of colour consists of a unique formula that mimics the true texture of your lips and gives you that chic bouche mordue (translation: ‘just-bitten lips’) look. Swipe onto bare lips, just above the lip line, and layer up to three times to intensify and personalise the pigment.
This is the OG do-it-all balm – reach for it if your lips are dry, chapped and desperate for deep nourishment. Lanolips formulas are based on lanolin (did the name give it away?), a conditioning waxy oil naturally found on sheep’s wool, that nourishes skin and helps form a barrier against moisture loss. Beyond the lips, you can use the 101 Ointment on cuticles, brittle nails, cracked heels and windburn – because when it comes to delicate skin, this one doesn’t play favourites.
They’re known for the iconic Cheirosa ’62 scent – the divine pistachio-meets-caramel fragrance of the bestselling Brazilian Bum Bum Cream – and when it comes to lip balms, Sol de Janeiro have done it again! Not only does this nourish, smooth and soften lips, it smells like a combination of buttered popcorn and dulce de leche. And you can use it on your cuticles, face and elbows, too!
