Rhode Deserves Its Hype: Honest Review Of The Viral Lip Tints
By Ju Yi Wong
In the past decade, the beauty industry saw an increased influx of celebrity makeup ventures, with many brands that have proven to be favourable (Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, Haus Labs by Lady Gaga – this one, I absolutely love) and not so favourable.
Rhode Skin made big news when it landed in 2022, thanks to their tightly curated advertising & genius marketing tactics. You simply couldn’t scroll past Instagram or Tik Tok without seeing aesthetically pleasing it-girl flatlays with intentional inserts of Rhode products. Just look at the tagged photos on Rhode’s 1.5-million followers Instagram account.
Of course, there’s also much discourse due to the A-tier celebrity name behind it: Hailey Bieber herself. Having popularized terms like “glazed donut skin” and “strawberry girl makeup” online, her celebrity social media presence of 51 million followers on Instagram is heavily and directly associated to the success of the brand, and that has extended more mixed reviews of whether the brand is actually good or not.
I’m not one to shy away from trying new products, and with all the hype & noise around miss Hailey’s brand, I decided to give Rhode a try and here are my honest thoughts.
Contents
Rhode Peptide Lip Tint: What Is It?
The Rhode Peptide Lip Tint is a restorative lip treatment that promise naturally plump, hydrated and nourished-from-within lips. According to the website, it is a fragrance-free formula that melts onto the lips effortlessly – leaving it looking luscious and juicy.
Its key ingredients include shea butter, peptides, cupuacu and babassu – all of which help with hydrating, moisturizing, visibly plumping and maintaining skin elasticity. They are also unscented, cruelty-free, vegan and dermatologist-tested, and is also packaged in upcycled post-consumer (PCR) materials.
In September last year, a splash of creamy beiges, deep raspberries and rich chocolates hit phone screens as Rhode teased the launch of their signature Peptide Lip Tints in multiple colours.
Retailing for $16 per tube, the product now boasts four shades to choose from:
- Ribbon – a sheer, Barbie-esque pink
- Toast – a rosey, almost my-lips-but-better taupe
- Espresso – a rich, chocolatey brown
- Raspberry Jelly – a deep, crushed berry
Rhode Peptide Lip Tint: Wear Test & Thoughts
At first glance and impression, one might think that product being squeezed out of a tube would be the stuff of messy nightmares, but that isn’t the case. I do think the tube opening is shaped in a way which permits small suction of excess, unused product from the outside. This would be similar to Summer Friday’s lip balms.
As for the formula, it’s very much like a thick lip gloss. You can sheer it out for a more tinted, MLBB effect or build up a few pumps for a fuller, richer effect. Hailey often shares videos of her pairing them with lip liners to create a bolder look.
It applies pretty easily, though you might need to work your hand a little with smoothening out the pigment to look even on the lips. I mean it packs colour, especially the ones in darker shades (Raspberry and Espresso) and they’re really shiny too.
It does sit really comfortably on the lips and makes them feel nourished, hydrated and juicy. It also wears well over a few hours and can be easily reapplied if the occasion calls for it.
Rhode Peptide Lip Tint in Espresso
As I do with all chocolatey brown glosses, I gravitated towards the Espresso shade instantly.
At first glance, it can come off a bit intimidating for those with fairer skin but the product actually applies way more sheer than how dark it looks in the tube. I’m in the beige, light-medium skin group and on me, it looks more cool toned while giving off an edgy, almost moody-autumn vibe.
I think Espresso could pass as the perfect MLBB shade for those with darker complexions. For those who are fairer, this shade can definitely imprint a more serious tone to one’s outfit or overall makeup look. It’s sexy, a bit mysterious and was my favourite lip product on rotation for a few months – up until I gave Raspberry Jelly a try.
Rhode Peptide Lip Tint in Raspberry Jelly
I’ll be honest: I’m not much of a raspberry girl and it’s not a colour I gravitate to at all. But when I gave Raspberry Jelly a try, it quite literally became my jam.
I thought Espresso would be the most pigmented one in the basket but this shade takes the cake. It is so pigmented, only a little goes a long way for a full deep-berry statement lip. You can sheer it out (like the rest of the other shades) but there’s just something about Raspberry Jelly that’s so fun and colourful that it almost doesn’t make sense not to make full use of its bold pigment.
Because it’s so bold, I think this shade would work really well on both dark and fair skin. However, I do think it’s most flattering when paired with a full makeup beat as the product on its own might look a little odd. Unlike Espresso and the other lighter shades, this one isn’t MLBB and is intended to show colour vividly.
Final Verdict: Is Rhode Actually Good Or Just Hype?
In short: the peptide lip tints are great and get a solid 8/10 rating for me, but I would want to try the lighter shades next just to see how they wear.
I’d also want to invest in Rhode’s other skin-focused products instead like the new Pineapple Refresh Daily Cleanser and the Peptide Glazing Fluid just to see how effective they are. I for one, have the Glazing Milk and it’s incredibly good. I’ve sworn on it multiple times to friends and plan to repurchase soon.
From my experience as a consumer, I truly believe that a good amount of research, leg work and planning has gone into Rhode – not only as a skincare & beauty brand, but as an “effortless” lifestyle aspiration. It’s the no-effort effort approach to the entire brand DNA that is executed so seamlessly by her team and through her name, which only makes me like Bieber as an entrepreneur too.
Paired with her laidback, preppy (and clearly curated) persona, I think Rhode is the epitome of what a celebrity beauty brand should be: a direct touch of star capacity, vigorous approach to marketing strategy and unpretentiously honest product efficacy.
With a limited inventory of products and new releases only 1-2 times a year (Hailey has teased the release of a blusher coming soon), I foresee Rhode doing exponentially well even in the years to come if this remains a huge passion project for her. & I will continue being a Rhode supporter as long as the products deliver their purpose.
