Oil Tints Review - Innisfree Treatment Lip Tint and The Saem Tint in Oil

Edit 2017.01.31 : This post contains affiliate links (additionally marked with an * asterisk in the blog post), meaning I will make a small commission from anything you buy. View my 'About' page for the full disclaimer and my review policy! All products are purchased by me.

Oil tints are a huge question mark in my life. (Really.) I'm not sure if I should make a detour around them and wait for the next new thing in lip products (because there will be a next wave) or buy every single one my budget allows me to.

On one hand they sound icky, way too close to lip glosses: Sticky, gooey, oily. On the other hand? I love shiny, glowing finishes and my lips are terribly dry, so in theory, these should be perfect for me.

Well, guess what, I went and bought some, or else we wouldn't be having this review.

Both products are on the lower end of the pigmentation scale, so I'll be showing some ways I use these mixed with some old lip sticks to create shiny new ones! (because I'm cheap like that)

So I'm posting this with the theme of the ABSEE blog party in mind: "New!"

Join the blog party! :D

INNISFREE TREATMENT LIP TINT - REVIEW

I did grab the Innisfree Treatment Lip Tint (*) back when it first came out, because winter wasn't kind to my lips at all. I got shade No.1 (of two available choices, the second one being an orange) which is called 'Cherry submerged/flooded in Honey' literally, but I'd go with just 'Cherry in Honey'. These retail for 10000 won in Korea, as do most of Innisfree's lip tints. Slightly less expensive than their lipstick lines, but more expensive than their lip balms or Eco Flower line.

I'd expected it to be a nice pink for daily wear with the added bonus of moisture.

Well, the color didn't live up to my expectations at all.

Innisfree Treatment Lip Tint in #1.
Just take the 'Tint' out of the name, please.

There. That's it. A slight hint of rosy color.

Disappointed, I kind of let this one sink to the bottom of my pouch, but oh boy, did I change my mind about the product over the following few days:

I was in Seoul at the time and had forgotten to bring any chap stick with me, and Seoul's winter is just brutal. Dry, windy, chilly temperatures. I used the Treatment Lip Tint out of sheer desperation and it actually moisturized them better than any chap stick or lip balm I'd tried before, in that the effect was long-lasting. When using lip balms, I have to reapply them often, but this treatment tint actually seems to sink into my lips while still leaving a moisturizing film on top for extra protection and shine.

Despite my initial disappointment in the 'lip tint' part of the Treatment Lip Tint, it's since become a staple for daily use, since it works so well with a bare face/sunscreen face, or on top of drying lip products like water-based tints or matte lipsticks (more on that farther down).

It just makes my lips look as if they're naturally that rosy and healthy.

I really like the applicator for the Treatment Lip Tint - a little knob is the best description I can come up with. Or maybe a balled fist that will box the lip product onto your face?

The applicator works really well with the sticky texture of the product, because sticky it is! It feels like liquid honey, so while I'm reviewing it as an oil tint (because in its function, it is exactly that) it doesn't really feel oily. 

When the stickiness gets in the way of my life (aka eating and drinking, but sometimes I just leave it on as it actually adheres to the lips quite well) I'll just dab it away using my fingers or a tissue - the moisturizing effect and slight tint stay behind.

The packaging does allow for a little bit of leaking, so be careful if you're like me and throw this around in your bag! Since I discovered the slight leakage, I just keep it standing on my desk instead of taking it along with me when I go out.

THE SAEM ECO SOUL TINT IN OIL OR02 - REVIEW

Left: Innisfree Treatment Lip Tint in #1 Cherry
Right: The Saem Eco Soul Tint in Oil OR02

The second oil tint product that I got is a recent purchase. I'd heard good things about The Saem's lip products in general and REALLY like their concealer, so when I had to re-buy the latter I grabbed one of their Eco Soul Tint in Oil products, too.

The OR02 'Pure Orange" Tint in Oil looks very orange (even slightly yellow) in their official swatches, but the real-life result is a more toned-down orange-coral. While it is more pigmented compared to the Treatment Lip Tint, I'm still let down by the color payoff, since the difference when compared to the official swatches is just so stark. Even when I apply several layers, the pigmentation doesn't go above this:

Two layers of the Saem's Eco Seoul Tint in Oil for maximum (?) color (???)

It does leave a tiny bit of a stain behind, but in general it has the same effect as the Treatment Lip Tint: Making my lips look natural and shiny, with an added punch of color.

The moisturizing effect of this one is more of a surface level thing - I'd not consider it as an actual replacement for a good lip balm, but it does work wonderfully on top of chapped lips, hiding the unsightly edges.

This actually does feel oily and more slippery (where the Innisfree one is more on the sticky side), so I absolutely have to wipe off the oily film before drinking or eating or I'll just feel gross.

The color is beautiful, but really looks more coral-rosy than orange on me, which makes me sad. I'd definitely consider getting another color from the Oil in Tint line, since once I take away my orange-color-sadness, I like the product very much.

The applicator for this one is a classical doe-foot one, which works well with the more liquid oil texture. (You see that orange-yellow oil? That's what I wanted!)

The packaging all in all feels very luxurious - hoping that this won't have any leakage problems, though I have yet to put it to the rigorous travelling-and-handbag test.

MIXING OIL TINTS WITH LIPSTICKS: 

I use both the Innisfree and the Saem one on their own a lot, but I've also found that they work well on top of other lip products.

Don't try to layer them on top of creamy or glossy lip products, since everything will just be a huge mess. But to freshen up a dried tint stain or blend out a matte/dry lipstick? Workin' great!

As for examples, I've put the Innisfree Treatment Lip Tint on top of my Innisfree Real Fit Lipstick in Rosy Latte - a combination I've been using a lot this spring. The Real Fit lipsticks sometimes accentuate my dry lips, so I like to apply a sloppy layer on the inner part of my lips and then blend it out with the Treatment Lip Tint.

Since the Treatment Lip Tint doesn't have a lot of pigmentation going on, it works on top of nearly every shade. I've combined it with corals, pinks and reds, and it just adds a bit of a rosy hue to each while still allowing the original shade to shine through.

While I sometimes love bright matte lips, this makes for a great way to use those colors on lazy makeup days, with reduced maintenance and more moisture.

The other example, this time with the The Saem Eco Soul Tint in Oil:

Very sloppy layer with my Mamonde Creamy Tint Intense #12 Matte Pop Orange...
Love the color, but oh boy is it hard to apply on less-than-perfectly moisturized lips.

And the Tint in Oil on top.

The Innisfree Treatment Lip Tint actually picks up the color of lipsticks applied previously and mixes them into one shiny new lip color. The Saem's Eco Soul Tint in Oil is more slippery, so instead of getting all mixed up it applies as a separate layer on top, so it works better for a gradient look.

With dried lip tint stains, both oil tints give a great gradient lip - just really need to wait until the tint has dried down or the applicator will get messy.

INNISFREE TREATMENT LIP TINT VS THE SAEM TINT IN OIL -COMPARISON:

Oil tints seem to work really well for me, both on their own as moisturizers-with-benefits and as a way of recycling old lip color favorites. I'll probably dry a darker shade of the Saem's Tint in Oil to see if the pigmentation of those holds up better.

Innisfree's Treatment Lip Tint:

- Very moisturizing
- Sticky like honey
- Very low pigmentation
- No staining power, but lips still look better than normal after all the product is gone
- Moisture sinks into lips instead of only working on surface level
- Mixes well with other products
- Only two shades available

The Saem's Eco Soul Tint in Oil

- Moisturizing
- Oily and slippery, transfers very obviously
- Low pigmentation, buildable
- Stains lips slightly
- Official color swatches seem inaccurate...?
- 5 shades available


Thank you for reading! :D