It’s nearly impossible to talk about the best lip balms without mentioning the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. The K-Beauty brand’s little pink tub has sold out multiple times since it arrived to the U.S. a few years ago and is praised for saving dry, cracked lips. So no surprise, when Glamour readers were asked to weigh in on their all-time favorite balms for this year’s Glamour Beauty Awards, this took home the crown.
As its name implies, the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a leave-on mask that soothes and moisturizes lips overnight. Which is just a fancy way of saying it’s a really thick, nutrient-rich balm that goes to work to while you’re asleep (although, it’s so good, I wear it 24/7). It’s got all the good things you want in a balm: hydrating hyaluronic acid, brightening vitamin C, and antioxidants that work together to form a barrier over your lips to lock in moisture. Plus, the flavors are incredible. It comes in vanilla, apple lime, grapefruit, and the original berry, which features a delicious-smelling blend of raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, and blueberry extracts (the latter is my fave).
The instructions ask you to apply a generous layer, which I do—and with reckless abandon. Most skin care products require “just a tiny bit,” so being able to slather on as much as I want feels like a necessary indulgence.
Despite being thick and goopy, the balm sinks into my lips within 15 or so minutes. It’s not tacky at all, and it wears off slowly as you sleep. You’re supposed to gently wipe or wash it off in the morning, but I rarely do. My desert-dry lips just soak up all of it—every night without fail.
I usually stash different lip balms in my coat pockets and bags, but the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is the one product I can actually rely on to do the work. It comes with a small applicator, which is my least favorite part about it since I find it hard to clean afterward, so I tend to use a Q-Tip instead. And actually, since our lips are relatively small compared to our faces, the tub lasts for months. (For the record, I’ve had mine for over a year.)
I’m usually to hard please when it comes to lip stuff. I need something that doesn’t dry out my lips more (I’m constantly licking them, although I know I shouldn’t), but is also low-maintenance. Bonus points if it looks pretty on my top shelf. My one gripe with other lip masks or scrubs is that it’s a whole process. You have to scoop, scrub, wipe, rinse…it’s too much. I just want something I can put on and forget about. Luckily, this is it for me.
And even though there’s no kissing happening once I have it on, the baby soft, smooth lips I get in the morning are totally worth it for me—and clearly, 13,000 other Glamour readers too.
See all 249 winners from this year’s Glamour Beauty Awards here.
