The Marathon Trainee Putting TikTok’s Buzziest Lip Treatments to the Test
Clare Dumont's quest for the ultimate race-day lip product has captured the attention of millions online.
At any given moment, Clare Dumont can most likely be found running with makeup on.
At least, that’s what the 27-year-old Brooklyn resident’s TikTok bio says — and a scroll through her page indicates as much.
During the last few weeks, Dumont has taken to the app to document her search for the quintessential race-day lip treatment as she prepares for the Brooklyn Half Marathon next month and, ultimately, November’s New York Marathon.
“I come from a running family,” said Dumont, who works in ed-tech by day and whose marathon training marks her own return to the sport following a years-long hiatus.
“I was actually having trouble sticking to my training plan before I started this lip series,” joked Dumont, whose inaugural, mid-February video testing the longevity of Summer Fridays’ lip butter balm during a six-mile run quickly racked up more than a million views — and a slew of requests regarding which lip offerings she should next put to the test.
Two weeks and countless trips to
Sephora in SoHo later, Dumont is giving the people what they want, making her usual circuit through Brooklyn Bridge Park sporting Rhode’s Peptide Lip Treatment one day, Laneige Glowy Balm another and — if she can get her hands on it — Topicals’ Slick Salve Lip Balm next. After all, how else is a girl to weed her way through the everproliferating lip balm/treatment/oil space?
Here, Dumont discusses the status of her training-turned-public-service, and TikTok‘s reception to the unlikely hero series.
Describe your typical running makeup look.
Claire Dumont: I always try to wear something that has SPF in it — a tinted sunscreen or something light since
I’m going to be sweating. I also do my eyebrows using ByEllie gel and then fill them in with the Nyx Lift & Snatch Brow Pen — that’s my non-negotiable, I just feel more put together when I do that. Then I’ll use some blush; I’ve been into the Undone Beauty Water Blush; a long-wearing mascara, a lip product and a setting spray — I’m pretty loyal to the One/Size spray. I ran 7.6 miles the other day and my makeup was literally still cemented to my face.
What lip products have people most requested that you try?
C.D.: I have this huge list in the notes app on my phone. The Rhode lip treatment was super-requested; so was OleHenriksen’s Pout Preserve, Topicals’ Slick Salve — which has been sold out in-stores so I haven’t been able to get my hands on it — and another is the Cay Skin lip balm SPF. I’ve also gotten a ton of requests to try the Jack Black Lip Balm — girls are literally in my comments section saying word-for-word, “men’s products are always better.” My boyfriend is running the half-marathon with me, so I’m planning on filming a test with him, too, soon.
How are you defining “success” among the lip products you try?
C.D.: Definitely longevity — I’m going to be focused on running so I don’t want to be re-applying a lip product constantly, but also, I love the look of juicy, plump, shiny lips — so it’s not just about the hydration for me.
What has been the average lip product “milespan” thus far?
C.D.: Normally around the three- to fourmile mark, I’ve noticed, is when most will need reapplication.
What are your top contenders for your race-day lip?
C.D.: I still feel like I haven’t tried enough to be sure yet, but the Summer Fridays balm lasted so long — like 6.2 miles — and I love the product, so that’s up there. Rhode I love, but it can get a little grainy after a few miles, and I don’t want to have that feeling on my lips during the race. I’ve definitely been surprised to see the amount of people who have said, “this is how we want to see beauty products tested” — because of March Madness, I’m planning to do a full bracket of all the products I’ve tried, just to really go for it.