With so many different cosmetic choices for lips, it’s easy to get a little baffled about which type  product is most-suited to fit your individual needs. To help, we broke down the pros and cons of the many options.

Lip balm: This product (often known as chap stick) is the most “low-maintenance” of all the various items for lips, as it is meant to predominantly provide moisture to keep lips soft and prevent chapping. Often containing bees or carnauba wax, it is normally without pigment. While certain lines have added color, the hue is never more than a subtle tint. Lip balm is perfect for those who want to address dry or burnt lips; another appealing factor is that this type of cosmetic is significantly cheaper than many of the other categories.

Lip Gloss: Considered the most popular lip product among younger populations, lip gloss adds noticeably more color and shine than lip balm but without the intensity and thickness of other products. This cosmetic comes in a vast range of both prices and colors, and can provide multiple effects like glossy, nude lips, overt shimmer or color transformation. However, as anyone who has ever worn lip gloss can tell you, it fades fast and needs to be consistently reapplied, a process which requires little effort or procession. While it is generally cheaper than lipstick and can be worn in both formal and casual settings, be careful to pick a color and texture that is age appropriate, as many of the more sparkly lip glosses are intended for teenagers.

Lip Stick: With heavier pigmentation, it is associated with both class and sexiness. Lipstick comes in a wide array of shades and shines, and lasts longer than its gloss counterpart. As a result, it is also often slightly more pricey and should be applied with a little more care. Be aware that, with this cosmetic providing noticeable color, it is a lot easier to choose “the wrong color” of lipstick or to overwhelm your overall look. This is an ideal choice when you want to play up your lips, but if you choose to also sport dramatic eyes then consider either wearing a neutral shade or switching to lip gloss.

Lip Stain: Like lipstick, this product provide consistent, solid color. Unlike lipstick though, many lines of lip stains ultimately have a drying effect. Furthermore, more procession is needed in application, or your look will appear sloppy and uneven. Additionally, color selection is somewhat narrow as this cosmetic isn’t as popular as many others. The benefits of lip stain? It stays on longer than any other lip product, so it doesn’t smear onto glasses and other items, or need to be applied multiple times a day.

Lip Plumper: The purpose of lip plumper is to make your pout temporarily fuller. How is this achieved? By irritating the lips to increase blood flow to the area. Common components that are added to to create this effect include cinnamon, chili pepper and niacin; though many manufactures try to minimize the stinging sensation with the additives of calming ingredients, most users report experiencing slight tingling. For better or for worse, the plumping attributes or temporary.  Like lip stains, the selection in color is limited though options do range from bright red to transparent.