LipIce lip balm review

This story is brought to you by Mentholatum LipCare.

Photography by Perkin Gotohio.

Just as we care for the skin on our face and body, our lips shouldn’t be taken for granted even if they are covered with masks. In fact, I’ve noticed that mask-wearing sometimes parches and dries out my lips and throat. Hence, even without statement lips, I’ve appreciated lip balms more as this helps to hydrate. I’m always on the lookout for lip balms that actually do its job of moisturizing the lips rather than just coat it with a waxy coating which doesn’t do much.

When I was introduced to Mentholatum’s LipIce Magic Lip Color, I was intrigued that it’s a lip balm that’s originally clear on the tube but leaves a nice tint once worn. This concept reminded me of those mood lipsticks and rings we had during the 90s, that according to packaging, changes according to your mood (but we all know eventually that these rings and lipsticks change color according to your temperature or surrounding temperature).

This product comes in three variants – Fragrance-Free (for those sensitive to scents), Strawberry, and Pink Mixberry.

As the product itself is clear on the tube, (in the case of the Fragrance-Free and Strawberry), the color magically changes from clear to a pretty sheer pink I-just-ate a popsicle shade. This color change occurs when you apply the product on your lips. There’s also a color change when you apply the product at the back of your hand or even a piece of tissue.

Although it looks bright on the tissue, the tint is very subtle on the lips and skin, just adding a bit of color to your natural lip color. It’s not like an MLBB (My-Lips-But-Better) lipstick as with LipIce, lip texture shows through as seen in the photos. I like that the shine is just right and makes lips look healthy. n fact, I could even use a bit of this for a male grooming shoot and it won’t be super obvious that the male model or talent is wearing a tinted lip product. I discovered that it also helps with dark pigmentation on the lips caused by smoking or wearing dark lipsticks.

The “flavors” Pink Mixberry and Strawberry are not actually flavors but scents. There is no flavor in the actual product. However, the smell of the product is really sweet, sort of like the candies we asked our parents to buy when we were kids. Strawberry is my favorite because I loved this flavor as a kid (candies, ice cream, milk, etc) and even up to now. It smells like strawberry hard candies or cotton candy. If you were an 80s or 90s kid, it smells like strawberry-flavored Bubble Yum or strawberry Blow Pop. Pink Mix Berry actually is more of a citrusy-fruity. It has the berry sweetness but with a bit more tart to it, sort of like fruit punch ice drink. The sweet candy-like scents are great mood lifters when you have at-home Zoom meetings you need to power through. 

Texture-wise, this product glides on like butter and does its job of moisturizing the lips. It can be used as base for liquid lipsticks, which can be a bit drying.  It also helps very matte lipsticks glide better. It didn’t have the waxy residue some lip balms have.

It isn’t mask-proof though since it’s a lip balm so if you are wearing this when you go out, you might want to use a mask that doesn’t touch your lips like a KN95 or K94. The color also isn’t very long-lasting so you may need to reapply during the course of your day. But even if the color doesn’t stay, I had hydrated lips for 10 hours.

If you want to add a bit of fun with your makeup and skincare routine, you can avail of this LipIce Magic Color in drugstores or if you want to shop online, they are available on Shopee for only Php 150.