13 best lip oils for perfecting your pout

Combining the best parts of a lip gloss and lip oil, Vieve’s dewy formula softens and hydrates lips while adding a flattering tint (we found the shade rosa to be an understated pink while cherub and cherry are slightly more pigmented).

The cushioned doe applicator is a dream to use, covering your lips in one sweep. As for the formula, it’s infused with raspberry seed oil extract and soothing green tea extract and we found it to be pleasingly non-sticky, instantly nourishing chapped lips. Perfect for throwing into your handbag and topping up throughout the day.

A steal at less than £5, Dr Paw Paw’s lip oil seriously impressed us. Boasting a thin consistency, it glides on smoothly (a little goes a long way) with lips feeling instantly hydrated. Touted as a plumping product, we felt a very slight tingling but the plumping effect wore off relatively quickly. Luckily, its hydrating benefits did not. The clear formula left our lips feeling smooth with no sticky residue, and the formula added a nice shine. A stellar budget buy.

A do-it-all formula that’s been a staple in our make-up bag for years, Charlotte Tilbury’s magic lip oil crystal elixir cares for lips while adding a healthy, glossy sheen. The tube features a roll-on applicator and it’s instantly hydrating. Sitting nicely over lipstick thanks to the clear formula, the product isn’t sticky, leaves no residue and delivers long-lasting hydration. To help you get your money’s worth (yes, it is pricey), you can also use it overnight as a treatment and wake up with softer and more hydrated lips.

Kosas’s lip oil is packed with hero ingredients, including shea butter and avocado oil for keeping lips hydrated and shiny, while konjac root and primrose oils help protect the skin from chapping (a godsend during the colder months).

Subtly plumping and instantly smoothing, the thin applicator helps with precise application. Boasting a slightly thicker pigment and consistency than most lip oils, the formula comes in a range of shades, from deep pink to nude. Lustrous and long-lasting, it’s a your-lips-but better buy.

Rare Beauty’s gel-to-oil product gives a glowy tint to lips – there’s a range of neutral shades to choose from, including “hope” for a dewy pink look and “happy” for something a little darker.

Easily built up for a bolder lip or providing a subtle wash with a single swipe, the formula is pleasingly lightweight, making it a great alternative to thicker matte lip products. Non-sticky with no residue, it leaves lips looking healthier, fuller and smoother. Plus, the pastel-hued tube packaging is super chic.

Much loved for its honey-infused hair oil, Gisou’s lip oil is equally worthy of the hype. Packaged in a luxe curved tube, the formula has the same striking golden hue as the hair oil (don’t expect a honey scent or taste though).

Combining honey and hydrating hyaluronic acid, the product works to instantly smooth, plump and define lips while enhancing your natural colour and pout. Non-sticky and easily applied with the precision applicator, we found that Gisou’s oil absorbs quickly and sits nicely over lipstick thanks to the clear, polished finish. We’re not surprised it’s a regular sell-out.

TikTok’s favourite budget lip oil, we had high expectations for NYX’s fat lip oil and thankfully, it delivered. Adding a shimmery tint to lips, the colour is buildable and long-lasting – we love the “newsfeed” shade for an understated red lip while the “missed call” shade is a subtle your-lips-but-better hue.

The formula has a weightless and smooth feel, although we’d recommend not applying more than two coats, as the product begins to feel tacky. The big doe applicator coats lips in just one sweep while the formula is weightless and silky smooth.

Dior’s viral lip glow oil needs little introduction. A beauty editor favourite, it boasts an incredibly soft doe-foot applicator, with the product itself pleasingly lightweight. Instantly locking in moisture, it creates a high shine yet natural look and feel. Non-sticky, sheer and comfortable, the hero ingredient, cherry oil, hydrates your pout, and is present in all the colourways, from clear (great over a matte lipstick) to bolder berry. Plus, it features a nice vanilla and mint scent, while the packaging is as luxurious as you’d expect from Dior.

Another stellar budget buy, Revolution’s pro eternal rose lip oil features a non-sticky formula that delivers a high shine finish. Enhancing and smoothing your natural pout or enhancing lipstick thanks to the transparent colour, the blend of rose and jojoba oils keeps lips soft and nourished. The applicator contours your lips while the sweet rose smell gives the product its namesake. Easily rivalling more premium lip oils for a fraction of the cost, it’s the perfect pick-me-up for no-make-up days.

Bobbi Brown’s crushed lip oil is part matte lip product and part gel/ oil hybrid. Delivering a satiny finish and colour pigment that can be built up, we found it pleasingly hydrating. It glides on smoothly and is notably non-sticky (your hair on windy days will thank you). We didn’t benefit from the cited plumping effect, but the colour wash and gloss had stellar staying power, while the botanical oils left our lips smooth and conditioned with a glossy look.

Elf’s budget products impress us time after time and its lip oil is no exception. Gliding on easily, it was hydrating and smoothing on our chapped lips. Coming in a range of shades, the formula delivers a subtle wash of colour (our favourite is the pink quartz) that has impressive staying power. Plus, it’s non-sticky. Our lips felt soft and nourished for hours after application thanks to skin-loving ingredients like avocado oil and jojoba oil. The best part? It costs less than £10.

Giving a tint to lips, Merit’s shade slick lip oil has a thin consistency with stellar colour payoff and staying power. The formula contains shea butter and grapeseed oils, which work to soften the lips, while jojoba oil helps lock in moisture. Pleasingly lightweight, the small applicator helps with precise application – plus, the impressive shade range has an understated shade for every complexion and taste.

Both the packaging and formula of Hourglass’s lip oil are pure luxury. Designed to keep lips hydrated, the product works more like a serum than a gloss (you won’t see a significant difference in shine), thanks to the additions of primrose and jojoba, as well as antioxidant-rich vitamins C and E. It also promises to have anti-ageing properties owing to the rosemary, lavender and cedar oils working to reduce fine lines.

It does what it says on the tin, with lips looking smoother and plumper almost immediately. As for the applicator, it has a 24-karat gold-plated tip that spreads the product evenly across your lips, while feeling cooling and soothing.