Meet the Newest Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil Shade And Find Out Whether Lip Oils Are For You!

We’ve heard of facial cleansing oils, moisturizing and anti-aging facial oils, frizz-taming and softening hair oils, and firming and revitalizing body oils, and now we’re smooching up to pout-comforting lip oils. Greasy lips could never be sexy or alluring, of course, so the key to developing a perfect lip oil lies in mastering a formula that’s lightweight, non-sticky, and which soothes and enhances the natural voluptuousness of your pout. With all these goals in mind, Clarins developed its Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil ($25 each at Clarinsusa.com) — and, this summer, the lip treatment is available in a brand new shade: Red Berry.

So what makes the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil unique? Well, for starters, it’s a true oil-based product and has a distinct consistency that’s strikingly different from that of the traditional balms and salves to which we’ve grown accustomed. Second, it gives the pout a very soft, sheer veil of color (more on that later!). Third, it features a shiny finish reminiscent of a lip gloss, making it a nice skincare-and-makeup hybrid.

All of the Clarins Instant Light Lip Oils — including the first two shades, Honey and Raspberry —are formulated with jojoba seed oil, which is rich in nourishing fatty acids and is touted for its wound-healing abilities and its quick absorption rate, which ensure that no greasy residue is left behind. Another ingredient present in the lip oils is  hazelnut seed oil, which is known as an astringent because it contains flavonoids that control sebum production and help clarify the skin and reduce the appearance of pores. Interestingly, however, hazelnut seed oil is also an excellent moisturizer because it has a high content of oleic acid and vitamin B. Whether you have dry or oily skin, then, this nut oil will help your skin attain the ideal moisture balance. Its vitamin E quotient, meanwhile, offers free radical protection. Now, the Honey and Raspberry shades are also formulated with raspberry oil, which is extremely rich in vitamin C and therefore helps to stimulate collagen and elastin production, making it an anti-aging powerhouse, and to boost radiance.

Oddly enough, while studying the ingredients in the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil in Red Berry, I noticed that while jojoba seed oil and hazelnut seed oil were listed, raspberry seed oil was not. Instead, this particular iteration, includes: sunflower seed oil, known to be rich in antioxidants and offer protection against UV rays; soybean oil, which has a molecular structure that enables it to quickly penetrate the epidermis and which contains vitamin E, phytosterols that help to strengthen the skin’s barrier function and lock in moisture, and isoflavones that improve skin elasticity and heighten its water-retention capabilities; and achiote (otherwise known as “annato”) seed oil, which contains tocotrienols (which belong to the vitamin E family) that protect sun-induced skin discolorations and even wards off photo-aging.

I can’t say for certain why the Red Berry shade has a slightly different formulation than its predecessors, but it’s definitely a curious detail. The other major difference I noted, aside from the color, was the smell: whereas the Raspberry lip oil has a vanilla raspberry aroma, the Red Berry lip oil has a slightly different scent. There’s still touches of vanilla present in this aromatic composition, the fruity notes don’t seem quite as bright and juicy. It’s a very slight difference, but one worth noting.

Now, let’s talk about the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil in Red Berry as a whole in terms of its feel on the lips, texture, color pay-off, and hydrating effects. For some odd reason, this member of the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil family feels markedly heavier than its sister shades. I was not moved by how it felt on my lips: the texture was a bit too unctuous, too viscous. While it’s not greasy per se, there is a stickiness to it that I found jarring. With a creamy lip balm, you can press your lips together and spread the product all over your pout. Even with the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil in Raspberry, I could press my lips together and move them from side to side comfortably since the oil created a nice slippery surface. And yet, when I tried to replicate the motion with the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil in Red Berry, I found that my top and bottom lip would stick together and it took a bit of effort to dislodge them. Also, my lips didn’t feel as instantly soothed as they did with the Raspberry shade. Again, this seems like an oddity, but I can only surmise that it’s due to the ingredient alterations made for this shade.

That said, if your lips are already at the stage where they’re chapped, red, cracked, and aching, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil (in Red Berry, Honey, or Raspberry) but, instead, I’d advise you use a very creamy product like the Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment. The Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil is a really great product to apply before an airplane flight, when you know your skin is going to need a moisture boost, or to use daily to keep lips from reaching that SOS stage, but it’s not the best alternative once lips are already parched and sore.

Now, for the good news. Like its predecessors, it’s easy to apply thanks to the curved, sponge-tip applicator. And it does make the pout appear slightly fuller — without the horribly unpleasant tingling sensation that tends to accompany lip enhancers. Also, the nice sheen it leaves on lips can rival that of a gloss and yet the emollients in the formula will provide a protection from the sun’s UV rays that most lip glosses simply cannot.

As for the color pay-off, it’s minimal by design. The idea is to enhance the appearance of your lips and give them a touch of color, but it’s definitely not meant to deliver a pigment punch. Here are some swatches to give you an idea.

First, here’s a photo of the Red Berry and Raspberry shades after I brushed them onto my skin using the applicator. As you can see instantly, the Raspberry shade is a translucent, cool-toned pink shade, whereas the Red Berry is a deeper hue with more of a tawny, guava–like hue.

Now check both of them out after they were dispersed a bit (as they would be on lips). The Red Berry shade is still deeper, of course, but you can see how sheer it becomes once it’s distributed more evenly.

If I had to pick between these two, I’d still go for the Raspberry shade for all of the aforementioned reasons (a lighter texture, more fun-loving aroma, etc.), but again, I wouldn’t use these if my lips were already chapped. I did so one time and, in the end, the pigments in the formula adhered to those chapped and almost scale-y sections of my lips, bringing more unwanted attention to my dry pout. At the very least, exfoliate before applying!

That said, if your lips are in solid shape but you want to prevent them from getting dehydrated, this is a fun way to do so while enjoying that nice glossy finish.