Reviews + Advice

Turn Heads With This Green-to-Pink Lip Crayon

by Wendy Gould

You may associate color-changing lipsticks with decades long gone. For example, in 1974 Avon debuted their popular line of Color Matcher lipsticks, and the ‘80s and ‘90s saw plenty more of the same from numerous brands. You may even recall that Claire’s—yes, the accessories store everyone had in their local mall—sold the stuff in bulk alongside their roll-on glitter and infinite supply of earrings.

Even though the latter decades of the 20th century have come and gone, the “Surprise! I’m actually pink!” lip game is still going strong as we settle into the 21st century. You’ve got Smashbox’s O-Gloss Intuitive Lip Gloss, Dior’s Dior Addict Lip Glow Color Reviver Balm and inexpensive NYX Mood Lip Glosses, considered dupes for the above. That’s just a small sample list, of course.

Korean cosmetic brands, known for their whimsical spirit, have played along with this fun trend, too. Take Son & Park’s Watermelon Lip Tint, for example. It’s a bright, juicy green lip crayon that transforms into the prettiest shade of pink you’ve ever seen once it hits your lips. Seriously—it’s the ideal shade for that naturally flushed glow thing we all strive for. Add to that fact that it smells divinely fruity and you’ve got a serious winner on your hands (and lips…)

The crayon does look funky in all its green glory, so plan for some surprised looks if you add it to your arsenal of lip goods. I’ll tell you that it’s definitely earned me some head turns when I pull it out of my purse. Talk about a conversation starter!

Now for a mini beauty science sidebar: The secret behind the enchanting color transformation in all of these color changing lippies is an ingredient called Red 27. Sounds simple enough, right? But how does it work? It’s a colorless pigment while sitting in the waxy base of a gloss or lipstick, but once it hits the warmth and moisture of your lips, the dye brightens into a perfectly pleasing, flattering shade of pink. This is a chemical reaction in which the dye reacts to the pH level of your lips. Everyone pretty much has the same pH level, so don’t expect a huge color variance from one person to another. However, the color will vary slightly depending on how light or dark your lips already are.