Maed Beauty’s Lip Care System Will Replace Your Favorite Lip Balm

Denise Vasi is no stranger to the beauty world. After working as a fashion model and starring on the show Single Ladies, the multi-faceted star has spent so much of her career in the glam chair interacting with a diverse array of makeup artists and photographers. From this, she grew a love of all things beauty, lifestyle, and wellness, which prompted her to launch her website, Maed.co.

At one point, she had an a-ha moment: There didn’t seem to be a lip care system that addressed all of the specific needs of your pout — sort of like a skin care regimen directly targeted towards your lips. And this is how Maed Beauty was born.

Driven by the idea of ritualistic beauty practices, Vasi aims to fill an empty space with elevated products that put in work — all for the delicate skin of your lips. Her drive to get her brand to a mass audience secured her a spot in the 2024 Sephora Accelerate, a six-month program run by the makeup-selling empire that helps BIPOC beauty founders build on their business and launch with the retailer. While the products aren’t available with the beauty retailer just yet, you can now shop the whole collection of lip products on the Maed Beauty site.

Keep reading to find out more about this luxurious lip care system, plus an honest review of its efficacy.

Maed Beauty Lip Care

Maed’s three-step lip care system features a trio of products that work to smooth lip texture, brighten skin tone, and increase hydration. Step one is the Reveal Lip Polish ($26), an exfoliating scrub with self-dissolving sugar crystals that melt into a creamy consistency to rid your pout of dead skin without stripping it of moisture. As a bonus, the dissolving factor means you don’t need to wipe or lick away the buffing particles (as you do with plenty of other lip scrubs) — and it’s gentle enough to be used multiple times throughout the week.

Step two is the Reset Lip Serum ($36). This lightweight, silky formula hydrates and preps your lips for applying color, and also works to brighten your pout. Then, the final step is the Revive Day + Night Lip Balm ($32). This wearable lip treatment is definitely the star of the show: the creamy texture adds an intense layer of nourishment that easily melts into your lips and lasts all day, and it has a glossy finish that isn’t sticky — making it great for day and night wear.

Also within the collection is the Signature Lip Pigment in Ritual Red ($36). This moisturizing red liquid lipstick has a non-drying formula that won’t suck the moisture out of your lips throughout the day. With a precise applicator, you can easily line and shade in the hue, leaving you with a satin-like finish and a color that won’t budge (but is trouble-free to remove).

Key Ingredients

• Bio-Mimetic Collagen Peptides: This vegan collagen returns elasticity and fortification to the lips to promote a more plump and full pout by boosting elastin, collagen, and fibronectin.
• Ceramides: Ceramides help maintain the lip’s natural moisturizing lipids so they stay smooth and plump.
• Raspberry Stem Cell Cultures: Supporting ceramide production, raspberry stem cell cultures preserve hydration and elasticity for smoothness and a stronger skin barrier.
• Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronic Acid: A stable form of hyaluronic acid that provides long-lasting hydration.
• Squalane: This hydrating ingredient helps boost your lips’ natural moisture.
• Coffee Seed Oil: Rich in antioxidants, coffee seed oil protects the lips from dryness and supports supple skin.
• Maca Root: Maca root will intensify skin firmness and smooth the appearance of fine lines.
• Cherry Seed Oil: This natural oil softens and smooths.
• Tucuma Butter: Extracted from the Tucuma Palm tree, this element nourishes and revitalizes the skin.
• Jojoba Esters: This plant-based ingredient feeds the skin with hydration to sustain deep moisture levels.

An Honest Review

If you’ve ever been on Accutane, you’ll know that one of the biggest (and most annoying) symptoms is dry lips. I’ve been off of the medication for almost three years and still find that my lips are always thirsty for moisture, no matter the season. Plus, they often start to peel, so I have to regularly exfoliate them.

Although Aquaphor is my holy grail, I want to carry around something moisturizing but that also feels cute and luxurious — and Maed’s lip care collection has changed the game for me.

Before Maed, I only used a physical lip exfoliator, which was frustrating for two reasons. One is that it adds an extra step to my morning routine. Two is that I have to carefully do it around my makeup if I’ve already applied it. So adding the Lip Polish to my routine not only cuts down time, but delivers the same results as my older method. My lips feel smooth and my dead skin is gone. On top of that, I don’t have to wipe anything off since the crystals disintegrate into a thin, yet mighty layer of moisture. And the combination of the scrub with the Lip Serum creates the perfect base for lipstick and lip gloss — it’s hydrating without being thick or goopy.

The Lip Pigment has become my new favorite shade of red. I prefer those with a blue undertone, and this has just the right tint. The applicator also makes it really easy to apply, so I don’t need to add a liner. Typically, I love a glossy finish, so I always apply a clear oil over lipstick, but the satin finish of this one is still stunning.

Lastly, the Revive Day + Night Lip Balm is unrivaled. It has the perfect non-sticky consistency, so I can wear it morning and night without needing to constantly reapply. Plus, it adds a nice sheen to my lips on those no-makeup days — and its coffee fragrance smells good enough to eat.

The verdict? Maed’s lip care system has totally upgraded my pout.