RIP under-eye baking, intense smoky eyes and cut creases; we are well and truly in the era of what Mintel has dubbed ‘cosmetic minimalism’. How do we know? It’s just been given the Sofia Coppola stamp of approval by way of… a lip balm. That’s right – we are genuinely excited about a lip balm; a rather expensive one, mind you, but one which has already amassed thousands of searches on Google, despite a £33 price tag. Given the hype around the new Augustinus Bader x Sophia Coppola lip balm, we decided to put it to the test to see if it will usurp our current velvety lipsticks and wet-look glosses.
It’s a partnership that may seem fairly surprising but is, in fact, the result of Coppola's desire to hunt down and old favourite.
Augustinus Bader – the cult, science-backed skincare brand beloved by beauty insiders (the one celebs are happy to name-check) – received a call from the internationally-renowned film director behind The Virgin Suicides, Lost In Translation and Priscilla, asking to recreate a long-lost love; a favourite discontinued lipstick she used to get from a drugstore in Paris but in her favourite Bader formulation. There are no plot twists (it’s not really a request you turn down), the result is quite simply the perfect beauty-with-brains progeny aka Augustinus Bader x Sofia Coppola The Tinted Balm with TFC8 (‘TCF8’ being Augustinus Bader’s proprietary technology that helps to assuage environmental aggressors and activate regeneration).
It's apparently inspired by the 'perfect berry-stained lips' of Natassja Kinski in Roman Polanski’s 1979 film adaptation of Tess of the d’Urbervilles; a hyper-feminine, dreamy sensibility that has informed many of Coppola’s own films.
'The Bader lip balm is one of my favourites so I was excited when the brand agreed to collaborate on a tinted version. Shade 1 is based on a favourite sheer deep pink lipstick I hoarded after it was discontinued that’s easy and adds a brightening, subtle tint – I always keep it on me for an easy pick me up. Shade 2 is a red coral I like for summer or at the beach. Shade 3 is a burnt, earthy plum that looks like a deeper tint of your lips.'
It’s these healthy colour nods (if you must put a TikTok label on it, think ‘strawberry girl’ with a dash of ‘balletcore’ and ‘coquette’ thrown in) which are set to reign supreme this summer. Our verdict? Read it below.
Our review of the Augustinus Bader x Sofia Coppola Lip Balms:
augustinusbader.com
'I have lamented the demise of what I thought (until now) was my perfect summer lip balm by MAC. I have started stock-piling Shade 2 now as not only does it offer that perfect pop of – buildable -coral I’ve been missing, my lips genuinely feel better for me wearing it,' says Cassie Steer, acting head of beauty.
augustinusbader.com
'Stumbling upon the original some years ago was a lesson in the case for luxury lip balms - it was rich, comforting and oh so nourishing thanks to its vitamin E, candelilla wax, and patented TFC8®-infused formula. Now available in this deep, earthy plum iteration, I love how the updated hydrating hero leaves lips conditioned with a wash of perfect, universally-flatting colour,' says Sameeha Shaikh, beauty writer.
Main image: Instagram @augustinusbader, @sofiacoppola and @melodiemcdaniel
Cassie Steer is Grazia's Acting Head of Beauty where she covers all things health, beauty and wellness.