Westman Atelier’s New HydroBalm Tinted Lipstick is the Most Low-Maintenance Lip I’ve Worn in Years

If you’ve ever been privy to the luxury that is Westman Atelier Beauty, you likely know the drill: The Face Trace Contour sculpts with that signature buttery texture; Baby Cheeks blush delivers a flushed-from-within glow without ever lifting what’s underneath. And the Super Loaded Highlighter? It has an impossible-to-match texture that leaves a luxe sheen on the high points of my face. The brand has built its reputation on textures that melt into skin and feel like they're an extension of your natural glow. So I naturally expected the new HydroBalm Tinted Lipsticks to meet the same standard.

Gucci Westman—the celebrity makeup artist who graces the faces of Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway—has always been about polished makeup that never feels overdone. She designed the HydroBalm Tinted Lipstick to mimic a lip balm’s cushiony feel, but to look like a lipstick once applied, with a juicy wash of color that’s not quite as saturated as the Lip Suede Matte Lipstick.

After testing most of the shades for full days of wear alongside the rest of Team Beauty, it’s safe to say we’re in unanimous agreement that this latest launch is set to be a constant in our rotations.

The Formula

The texture feels very consistent with Westman’s other stick formulas: creamy and cushiony. The brand calls it “HydroBalm Technology,” which essentially means it’s built to hold onto moisture. There’s hyaluronic acid to draw in hydration and peptides to support a subtly fuller lip look over time.

This formula also delivers what I’d call the mature skin trifecta: hydration, gentle volume, and a smoothing effect that softens the look of fine lines. It doesn’t cling to texture or settle into lip lines. Instead, it almost blurs them, the way a really good balm does, just with the added benefit of color.

There’s also a subtle cooling sensation that feels fresh but not minty or irritating. Add in seaweed extract, ceramides, and rich butters like kokum and shea—all ingredients known for supporting the barrier and locking in moisture—and it starts to feel closer to a lip treatment than traditional lipstick. My lips genuinely felt more comfortable at the end of the day than when I first applied it.

The Wear

What made me love this formula is how easy it is, in both the application and wear. You can pair it with liner if you want more shape (and I often do), but you absolutely don’t need to. You can swipe it on without a mirror, as the brand says, and trust that it’ll still look good. Because the color is sheer, it fades softly instead of leaving a harsh outline. And even when the tint wears down, the hydration sticks around. It also layers smoothly every time without getting thick or patchy.

The Shades

There are 12 shades across nudes, pinks, reds, and berries. Even though I’m not typically a red lipstick person, Pippi—a sheer poppy red—surprised me. It gives that slightly blurred, just-bitten effect. My everyday shade, though, is Ballerine, a cool peony that mirrors the beloved Petal in Baby Cheeks. Wearing Petal on my cheeks and Ballerine on my lips is super cohesive without looking overly coordinated, and on my neutral light-to-medium skin tone, it’s simply beautiful.

Overall, nothing skews too extreme, which makes them easy to wear. And because the finish is sheer, you can shift the tone with whatever liner you pair it with—deeper brown for contrast, rosy nude for softness, or something brighter if you want more of a statement for a night out or a sexy date.

The Takeaway

I am very aware that it’s hard to reinvent lipstick at this point. There are so many launches, and so many claims, and so many “hybrid” formulas, but HydroBalm feels like a natural extension of what Westman Atelier does best: polished, skin-forward makeup that never looks heavy.

HydroBalm is the kind of lipstick you keep in all of your bags because it’s the one you apply without thinking and the one that imparts a healthy, gorgeous sheen every single time.

Shop My Other Westman Atelier Favorites

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