A Lip Product Hoarder's Honest Review of the Rhode Peptide Lip Tint

Yahoo

29-03-2025

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Total: 91/100
I have a confession to make: I'm addicted to buying lip products. Now, I know this sounds like an overexaggeration for a little editorial embellishment, but truly, my arsenal of lip products is hefty. From glosses to liners to masks, my lips have tried it all. Sephora's grab-and-go section has gotten me in trouble more times than I can count, and I can never leave Ulta without filling my basket with some of my drugstore faves. (Even if I promise myself I'm just perusing to see what's new on the market.) It's also become a slight occupational hazard with my downtime now spent testing dozens of beauty products—both niche and popular—for all you lovely readers. And believe me, I'm not complaining. With my vanity drawers now stuffed to the brim, buying any more lip products seems nonsensical, but when I hear whispers (more like shouts) of a lip product that has Gen-Z in an uproar, that's when I know it's time to put my beauty shopping skills to good use.
Recently, I got my hands on the peptide lip tint from clean girl-forward beauty brand Rhode Skin, owned by model-turned-mogul Hailey Bieber. After a day of light research, I reluctantly typed my card info into the Rhode site to purchase not only one, but two of their lip tints—and one already PureWow-approved pocket blush—to see if they're worth their social media street cred. Here are my thoughts—plus a few original photos to show how the lip tints fared against my dark complexion.
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3 Editors Test the Rhode Peptide Lip Shape—and Here's Our Honest Review
Rhode Skin
The peptide lip tint is a sheer-but-buildable lippie promising to hydrate and plump your lips from day to night. Made with key ingredients of shea butter, peptide, cupuaçu and babassu, the 0.3-ounce tube is filled with a mild, unscented formula meant to provide a subtle tint while nourishing and locking in moisture on the lips. You've most likely seen it out in the wild already—either on social media or slotted in a passing stranger's phone case (also from the brand), wearing it proudly as an accessory. This tint is not to be confused with Rhode's OG lip treatment, which I'll touch on more below.
Original Photos by Courtney Mason; She wears the shade "Espresso" without and with a lip liner
First impressions: The packaging was very sleek and simple, and honestly felt very true to Rhode. Each lip tint tube is coordinated to match every shade offered. I purchased espresso, which is described as a rich brown, and peach pit, which comes off as a warm peachy pink. From the box to my fingertips, the lip tint's slim profile felt perfectly sized in my hand. I would say it's around the same size as the Summer Fridays lip balm but a bit shorter in stature. Upon first swipe, the texture felt more like a chapstick, but held the sheen and shine of a lip gloss or lip oil. My lips felt softer and nourished within minutes. Espresso is more suited to my skin tone, so I only noticed a slight tint, even with an extra layer. Peach pit, which the brand no longer offers, showed up as a sheer, warm pale pink on my lips, and I would have to add a lip liner if I layered on any more. During my tests of the two shades, I actually paired them with the Rhode peptide lip shape in the shade flex, a neutral dark brown, to see the difference with and without a liner. Rhode actually recommends for customers to apply the tint over a lip liner, and I wholeheartedly agree. A bit of added dimension on the lips goes a long way.
As promised, the tint is unscented, unlike their original untinted peptide treatment, which comes in scents ranging from a cake-like vanilla to a refreshing watermelon. The one gripe I did have with the tint was hard to shake off. After days of grabbing and swiping and loving the lip tint, things took a turn. And if you already own the lippie, then you know what I'm referring to—the graininess. Yes, graininess. At first, I couldn't believe what I was feeling. It felt as if I had forgotten to wipe the post-breakfast crumbs off my lips before applying or a pesky stray hair had flown into my gloss, creating that uncomfortable feeling of chasing a ghost we all know and loathe. But after phoning a friend who also purchased the lip tint and wouldn't stop raving about it, she revealed hers was grainy as well, but it didn't deter her at all. Unfortunately, I can't relate. There are lots of things I love to pair with a great gloss, and texture isn't one of them.
According to beauty content creator Oriana (@orianasiphonoum), who the brand reached out to, Rhode reports the gritty and grainy texture is due to the waxes in the tint that can harden with temperature changes. Any odd textures should smooth out upon application. Oriana and other creators had their own fix for the grittiness by soaking the lip tint tube in warm water and massaging it as it cooled down to make it as good as new. Although, I feel like the purpose of a sleek and portable lippie is that there should be no busywork; just grab it and go. Submerging your product in heated water before use seems to diminish the point. However, after some time passing and rubbing my lips together a few times, the graininess did become an afterthought, with the moisturized feeling taking over once more.
Original Photos by Courtney Mason; She wears the shade "Peach Pit" without and with a lip liner
Overall, the Rhode peptide lip tint is a good moisturizing lip product, even with the surprise appearance of the grainy texture. While it's not my favorite peptide lip product in my collection, it still gets the job done of nourishing the lips while providing an elevated look more than the average lip balm. If you're not short on lip products like I am, I advise skipping it. But if you're looking for an everyday lip option and it's your first time shopping with the brand, it's a good choice to snag first. At $18 for 0.3 ounces, I'd also say that's not a terrible price compared to my tried-and-true peptide lip treatment from Olehenriksen, which sits at $22 for 0.4 ounces.
I will not lie, I've been hesitant to try Rhode Skin products in the past due to my feelings about the influx of celebrity beauty brands flooding the industry. But now, after trying the lip tint, the pocket blush and more recently, their peptide lip shape, I have opened myself up to trying even more from the brand. Between their highly-rated skin care and their latest berry-toned releases for spring, I'm curious to see what else the brand has up its sleeve in the future.
main ingredients: shea butter, peptide, cupuaçu, babassu
shades: 5
$18 at Rhode Skin
A Beauty Editor's Honest Review of Rhode's New Pocket Blush
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