Q & A | Lip Balm, Conditioner or Gloss? What’s the Difference?

Q: Hi, I'm a make-up newbie - my daily morning routine consists of Vaseline on the lips and mascara on the eyelashes (when I want to be "fancy"!). I'm trying to venture more into the world of make-up, but there's so much stuff out there!!! What's the diff between a lip balm, a lip conditioner and a lip gloss?

A: Both lip balm and lip conditioner are built to lock in moisture for the lips and protect the lips from the external environment. Once applied, they both provide minimal to sheer coverage. Depending on the formula, you can also have moderate to wet-looking shine from either product.

Gloss is primarily more of a cosmetic product, rather than a maintenance product like lip balm and lip conditioner. Gloss can be clear, sheer, or opaque. It can have moisturizing ingredients, or be purely intended for a shiny aesthetic with a sticky like feel. You can build up gloss more than you can a balm and conditioner, and the look is more finished overall versus when you use just a balm.

Now, which to choose? It's good to always have a lip balm/conditioner handy to help maintain soft and supple lips. Remember, make-up always starts with a good base and any lip products you apply will look better on moisturized, non-chapped lips! Yet, nothing beats the look of a high-shine gloss: light-reflecting effects can create the illusion of larger lips and an instant glamourous look.

Go to your local drugstore to score deals on lip balms (i.e. you don't have to spend much on a balm - think Chapstick, Carmex). Save the majority of your pretty pennies for lovely lip glosses - great finds are available both at the drug store and department store level.

(Yes, choose both!)