I’m going to start off by saying how hard it is for me to wear lip products. I have terribly dry lips due to overusing lip balm and becoming addicted to it. I constantly reapply lip balm, so even if I find a hydrating lip color, the balm will smudge it off easily. Because of this, I would say my ideal lip product would be moisturizing, give me a good amount of color, and stain my lips a little so the color holds on after applying lip balm. Now that you know how picky I am, you can truly appreciate it when I say that the It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush ($20) is one of the best lip products I have ever come across.

Vitality Lip Flush claims to be a 4-in-1 product; a lipstick, conditioning lip balm, ultra-hydrating lip gloss, and lip stain. I would definitely agree with all of these claims. It is the most hydrating and comfortable lipstick OR lip balm (take that Burt’s Bees) that I have ever used – it feels so creamy and soft when applied that I don’t feel the need to use a separate lip balm for the first time in my life.

The way it deposits color is really interesting. The color I tested, Je Ne Sais Quoi, looks like a translucent pink balm in the tube. When applied, it takes a few minutes for the color to develop on your lips and you are left with a lovely medium pink tint that isn’t going anywhere. When the moisture wears away after several hours, the color remains and you can either reapply the product or apply the lip balm of your choice.

Let’s talk about ingredients. Vitality Lip Flush contains all natural ingredients most of which sound good enough to eat (it is going near your mouth after all). Hydrating and nourishing ingredients include plum and cherry oils (perhaps contributing to its subtle cherry scent), shea butter, argan oil, and jojoba and anti-aging antioxidants include vitamins and green and white tea. Working together, these ingredients claim to help minimize the appearance of lip lines and wrinkles. I’m not yet at an age where lines and wrinkles are a concern but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be prepared!

Overall, I am happy to say that Vitality Lip Flush is my Holy Grail lip product – it is everything and more I want in a lipstick. I can’t wait to try the other three colors and I hope It Cosmetics releases more soon.

Ingredients: Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil; Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil; Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter); Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride; Beeswax; Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax; Jojoba Esters; Sorbitan Sesquioleate; Cetyl Alcohol; Silica; Ethylhexyl Palmitate; Tribehenin; Sorbitan Isostearate; Palmitoyl Oligopeptide; Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil; Tocopherol; Prunus Domestica Seed Oil; Prunus Cerasus (Bitter Cherry) Seed Oil; Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil; Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Extract; Camellia Oleifera (Green Tea) Leaf Extract; Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract; Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Extract; Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract; Cholesteryl Oleyl Carbonate; Cholesteryl Nonanoate; Cholesteryl Chloride; Butylene Glycol; Silica Dimethyl Silylate; Hyaluronic Acid; Tocopheryl Acetate; Retinyl Palmitate; Ascorbyl Palmitate; Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract; Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract; Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil. May contain: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891); Iron Oxides (CI 77492); Iron Oxides (CI 77491); Iron Oxides (CI 77499); Red 7 Lake (CI 15850:1); Red 27 Lake (CI 45410:1)