When your lips are dry, they can feel like they've spent three business days stranded on a desert island: tight, rough, flaky – and very much in need of rescue!
A lip mask is an intensive lip-care treatment that delivers hydration and helps soften dry, flaky-feeling lips. That’s where our Smushy SOS Hydrating Tinted Lip Mask, or Save Our Smooch, comes in – because sometimes, dry lips deserve their own emergency hotline. With a glossy, non-sticky finish and sheer, buildable colour, it can be your lip treatment, tinted gloss, and overnight lip mask, all rolled into one.
Below, we explain exactly what a lip mask does, how to use one, when to apply it, and which ingredients to look for when your lips need a life raft.
What is a lip mask?
A lip mask is a moisturising treatment that delivers more intensive, longer-lasting hydration than everyday lip colour. It usually has a richer, cushiony texture that coats the lips and helps hold onto moisture.
Our Smushy SOS Hydrating Tinted Lip Mask provides up to 12 hours of hydration in a lightweight, non-sticky formula with a glossy finish. Unlike a traditional clear overnight treatment, it also delivers sheer, buildable colour, so you can wear it as a daytime lip product, as well as apply it as an overnight lip mask.
What do lip masks do?
When your lips are feeling dry and rough (or a little too personally attacked by winter), Smushy SOS Hydrating Tinted Lip Mask helps:
- Hydrate dry lips with hyaluronic acid, which attracts and retains moisture for up to 12 hours.
- Support the lip moisture barrier with sugar ceramides to help lips stay hydrated for longer.
- Create a smoother base for lip colour with sheer, buildable tint and a glossy, non-sticky finish.
- Soften rough, flaky-feeling lips with jojoba and mango oils for a cushiony, more comfortable feel.
When should you apply a lip mask?
Whenever your lips need a little extra hydration. Smushy SOS works day or night, so you can wear it as a glossy tinted lip product on the go or leave it on as an overnight lip mask.
Read on to find out how to use a lip mask for the softest lips of your life.
Wear it during the day
Reach for Smushy SOS when you want sheer colour, glossy shine, and all-day hydration. Wear it alone for a soft wash of colour and a juicy-looking finish, or layer it to build the colour up. For a more defined lip combo, start with Lip Lingerie Lip Liner Stain, then apply Smushy SOS over the top. Try these shade pairings:
- Guava Glaze with Cuff Me for a soft pink-on-pink lip combo.
- Rose Recharge with Send Nudes for deeper rose colour with rosewood definition.
- Red-y 2 Chill with Up All Night for a deeper, more dimensional red lip.
- Coconut Calm with Up to No Good for a cool-toned brown lip combo.
Not sure what colour to go with? Use our guide on how to choose a lip colour for your skin tone and undertone.
Wear it as an overnight lip mask
Apply Smushy SOS as the final step in your skincare routine, using it as an overnight lip mask to give dry lips a dose of hydration while you sleep. Its non-sticky formula coats lips to help lock in moisture overnight, so you can wake up to softer, smoother, plumper-looking lips, without feeling like you have gone to bed wearing a full face of gloss.
For a more subtle bedtime option, try shades like:
- Green Sereni-Tea for a clear, high-shine finish,
- Shea So Smooth for a sheer nude gloss
What should you look for in a hydrating lip mask?
The best lip mask for you depends on what your lips need and how you want to use it. For dry lips, choose a formula with hydrating ingredients that help soften rough texture, support the lip moisture barrier, and leave lips feeling more supple.
Good lip masks for dry lips often include:
- Hyaluronic acid to attract and retain moisture.
- Ceramides to support the lip moisture barrier.
- Jojoba oil to nourish and soften dry lips.
- Mango oil and other emollient oils to smooth rough, flaky-feeling texture.
And would you look at that – Smushy SOS Hydrating Tinted Lip Mask has all of the above. Hyaluronic acid, sugar ceramides, jojoba oil, and mango oil, all in one tube, giving lips a generous dose of hydration for a softer, glossier finish.
Funny, that. Almost like we formulated it to tick every box!
How often should you use a lip mask?
You can use a lip mask as often as your lips need it. Wear Smushy SOS daily as a glossy lip treatment or save it for the moments your lips are giving dry, rough and flaky – post-flight, post-festival, post-three-days-of-aircon.
Lip mask: sorted. Next on the syllabus? The difference between a lipstick, a lip stain and a lip tint, so you know exactly which one you're reaching for.
