I have collected quite a few new lip products in the past few weeks from Christmas gifts and wanting to try a few new products. Of all makeup, I always get the most excited for new lip items. I think because they tend to be more affordable, there are many colors/flavors to try, and I use something on my lips throughout each day. This newest haul features a mix of balms, as well as a brand I have been wanting to try for a while.
Revlon Kiss Balm in Apple and Cherry
I saw these popping up in a few stores around Christmas, and I was determined to try them because they seemed right up my alley in terms of color and flavor. Ulta Beauty was having a buy one, get one 1/2 off sale on Revlon products (plus I had a $5 off $10 coupon) so it seemed like a great time to try them. I picked the two colors I thought would provide a light rosy red color, which I think is the most natural and relaxed look to pair with any outfit.
Price: $4.99 (received buy one, get one 1/2 off)
Tube: The tube is similar to some of Revlon’s other lip products, as well as some more expensive balm sticks (like the Clinique chubby sticks) I have seen. The slim tube makes it easy to take with you and while it is plastic, it doesn’t feel so cheap that it will crack easily.
Scent: The red tube is apple scented and the pink is cherry scented. From the first sniff after I took the cap off, I found these so awesomely fruity and delicious. I especially love the apple scent, because it isn’t as common and is just so fragrant in this balm! Cherry is one of the most common lip balm scenes, and this cherry is very pleasant and sweet. Both scents seemed natural to me, and not plastic-y or waxy.
Texture: The lip balm goes on very smoothly, and the rounded stick makes it easy to apply. It was smooth and felt nice on my lips. It takes a few swipes to really get going, but it leaves a slight sheen and provides moisture.
Color: The color payoff isn’t huge, but it does provide a nice, natural color. Both the red and pink colors are translucent, but noticeable on the lips.
Overall: I am really pleased with these balms! I do find that they don’t stay on as long as I would like, but I do find the staying power is still better than other balms I have used over the years (like the Maybelline Baby Lips, which never worked for me in the shades I tried). I especially like the fruit scents and the color it leaves on the lips. The shine that it provides is also a plus!
ChapStick Total Hydration in Wild Acai Berry
I received this as a Valentine’s gift from my cousin, and was excited because I had been interested in this new-ish ChapStick line, but hadn’t tried one yet. I am not the biggest fan of ChapStick branded items. They aren’t terrible on my lips, but compared to my trusty Carmex or EOS, they don’t do much for me. This says it provides 3 in 1 care, meaning it “moisturizes, renews, and transforms”. I was curious if this would actually be more moisturizing than I find regular ChapSticks and was interested to see the staying power.
Price: $2.99
Tube: The tube says it is “ez-twist," and when I opened it, I found it similar to the Maybelline BabyLips containers. The twist worked well though and I had no trouble using it as I applied it onto my lips.
Scent: This scent is a Target exclusive wild acai berry. It is a pleasant smell, but nothing overly exciting or strong. I didn’t find myself excited to open it and smell it though.
Texture: The lip balm feels very moist and leaves a bit more shine than a regular ChapStick, which is probably why I like this a lot more. I found this very smooth and silky, and only required a couple swipes. It provided an instant refreshment for the lips.
Color: There is no color.
Overall: I did immediately prefer this to the regular ChapStick formula. I found it very moist, soft, and comfortable on my lips. I was dissappointed in the staying power though. I found myself feeling the need to apply quite often. Maybe because it is so hydrating at first, I noticed as soon as it wasn’t as present anymore (which seemed too soon). I felt that aspect was similar to how the Baby Lips formula worked on my lips. Since this doesn’t provide color, it is primarily for moisturizing, which I don’t want to have to reapply so often.
Burt’s Bees Flavor Crystals Lip Balm in Sweet Orange
I’ve never had much luck with Burt’s Bees balms on my lips. They just seem too stiff and non-moisturizing for me.The scents are pretty good, but the stiff, waxy feeling doesn’t really impress me. I always feel I have to put many swipes on my lips before it feels comfortable. These Flavor Crystals interested me because of the fruity scents and intriguing name. The bright packaging also looked different from their normal balms.
Price: $3.99
Tube: The tube was more cheap feeling then I expected. It again reminded me of the Baby Lips tubes. The twist applicator seems a little loose and may not hold up with lots of wear and tear. I found when I pushed the balm on my lips, it started to twist back down.
Scent: The sweet orange scent is wonderfully fragrant and bright. It feels like an orange juice splash on your lips (although, when I accidentally licked it a bit on my lips, it did not taste good at all).
Texture: The lip balm is a bit gritty because of the “flavor crystals”. It feels a little bit rough going on the lips, almost acting like a lip scrub. There isn’t much moisture overall, and leaves no shine.
Color: There is no color.
Overall: While I’m still not overly crazy about the texture and feeling of regular Burt’s Bees balms on my lips, I do like that the flavor crystals act like a lip scrub. Before buying, I actually assumed that the flavor crystals were more of a burst of moisture than an actual grainy texture. The texture may not be for everyone, and I did find that it didn’t really stay on for too long. I had to rub it on my lips for quite a bit to really get going and loosen up the stiff balm. This does seem perfect for applying before a gloss or lipstick to add a bit of refreshment and flavor, but not really to give any moisture to chapped lips. When I had the balm on my lips by itself, but lips felt like it needed something on top of it.
ColourPop Ultra Metallic Lip in Kween and Man Eater
I received these lip products for Christmas, after having heard many positive things about ColourPop. I chose this set, called “For Fox Sake," which was filled with rose golds and mauves. I primarily chose this set over the others available because it had four types of textures; matte, satin, gloss, and metallic (the other sets in this style were all matte). I thought it would be nice to try a wide variety to get an idea of the products and also thought the colors were more tame and natural. Although, in the end I wish there maybe would have been a bit more color variety, because once I tried them all, the colors seemed a bit too similar for me. First up, I tried the metallic look!
Price: $6 per tube (bought in set of 5 for $25, and received “Kween” for free after reaching a minimum number purchased)
Tube: The tube is a pretty basic lip-gloss style tube, but seems quite sturdy. The tube itself is not a cheap plastic, so it feels like it can withstand a bit more. The wand to apply the product looks on the cheap side though, and some of the bristles look a bit unruly.
Scent: There is no scent.
Texture: The texture is a bit thicker than I would like, especially on the red color. I figured this would be just a metallic lip-gloss, but it is a bit drying because of there isn’t much moisture in the formula, so it does have a texture of something more matte once on the lips. The glitter inside is not gritty though, which is a plus. After the product is rubbed off, glitter remains on the lips.
Color: The colors are not necessarily my go-to, but still nice options to have. Metallic can be a little hit or miss, and maybe not perfect for all occasions, but both are bold and fun. I especially like the red color because the metallic adds a unique touch to a common color. Both seemed to stay on well and did not need to be applied often.
Overall: I did find the red color to be really pretty, but too thick, especially when compared to the gold color’s formula. The gold one had more liquid, so it went over the lips more smoothly and feels more comfortable. I like the red color more, but just wish it wasn’t so clumpy coming out of the tube (I also noticed that after only a few uses, I can tell that there isn’t loads of product in the tube). Maybe that is why it was free? Since these are both the metallic formula though, I found the consistency between the two a bit odd. These won’t become my most used products in my collection, but I think they will pair with some outfits well.
ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip in Bleeper and Trap
I was most curious to try the matte lip colors because of how popular they are. As much as I like the look of matte lips on most people though, I wasn’t confident I would be fond of it on my own lips. Since I like moisture on my lips and something smooth that I don’t really notice is actually on my lips, I felt that I wouldn’t be overly fond of the formula.
Price: $6 per tube (bought in set of 5 for $25)
Tube: The tube is a pretty basic lip-gloss style tube, but seems quite sturdy. The tube itself is not a cheap plastic, so it feels like it can withstand a bit more. The wand to apply the product looks better on these than the metallic, maybe because the formula looked creamier and covered the brush nicer.
Scent: There is no scent.
Texture: The texture is light, creamy, and liquid-y as it comes out of the tube. I really liked the way it glided on the lips and the feel of it as it went on. Once it dries on the lips though to create the matte look, it is quite drying because all the moisture leaves to create the matte look.
Color: The colors are both nice and smooth, providing a bold nude look. I don’t think “Trap” quite works with my skin, and almost looks like a gray/purple/tan mixture. I quite like the color of “Beeper” though, which is a bit darker brown on my lips. The product stayed on the lips for quite a while, even though I desperately wanted to add some moisture on top.
Overall: Because I am not used to wearing matte, I really do feel it on my lips in an odd way, and want to put some Carmex or other gloss on top. I think if I begin to use it more, and make sure to have a balm underneath, I could get more used to the feeling, but so far I haven’t been reaching for it. I like the feel of it going on my lips, although I feel like I have to be careful to keep it inside my lips (I didn’t use a lip liner), so it isn’t something I can just swipe on without a mirror. I like the look, but I just don’t think it is for me in terms of comfort. The formula was nice and definitely did the job of providing a matte look.
ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip in Echo Park
I was interested in this satin lip more than any of the others because I didn’t know what that would feel like. After trying the matte, I wondered if it would be quite similar, or if it would be a bit more creamy on the lips once dried.
Price: $6 per tube (bought in set of 5 for $25)
Tube: The tube is a pretty basic lip-gloss style tube, but seems quite sturdy. The tube itself is not a cheap plastic, so it feels like it can withstand a bit more. The wand worked well.
Scent: There is no scent.
Texture: The satin texture is more pleasant on my lips when compared to the metallic and matte. It seems a bit more thin than overly thick and felt so smooth as I applied. This also left a small shine on the lips and felt more comfortable after it dried.
Color: The color is a nice medium nude. Not too light or dark, so very usable with many outfits. This didn’t stay on as long as the matte, but it was more comfortable and I felt easier to just glide on without looking.
Overall: I think I actually like the satin lip the most of the textures in this set, which is a shame I guess, since I only received one tube of it. I like the color and feel on the lips, so I think this will be the one I go to most of all the styles. It still isn’t super moisturizing, but it creates a nice look in between a gloss and a matte. I would be interested in trying this formula in another color.
ColourPop Ultra Glossy Lip in My Jam
I figured this would be the most safe of the set, but was interested how it stacked up against all the lip glosses out there and how long it would stay on the lips, or if it would be sticky.
Price: $6 per tube (bought in set of 5 for $25)
Tube: The tube is a pretty basic lip-gloss style tube, but seems quite sturdy. The tube itself is not a cheap plastic, so it feels like it can withstand a bit more. The wand didn’t seem to hold much of the product at a time though, when compared to some of the other formulas.
Scent: There is no scent.
Texture: The texture is glossy, shiny, and smooth. It feels comfortable on the lips and very soft. My lips felt like they had liquid on them, giving off a very polished vibe, but it did not feel heavy or awkward. It also was not sticky!
Color: The color is a very shiny, almost metallic, gold. I didn’t think it looked great on me, but it was much more moisturizing than the actual metallic formula, while giving a similar pop of shiny color. The shine is very noticeable though, so those who don’t like the super shiny look wouldn’t like this.
Overall: I quite liked the feeling of this gloss on my lips, but just didn’t care much for the color. I think I can still use it over a lipstick, or maybe even over the matte products, to utilize it more and add a little shine. I would definitely try this formula again in a different color.
After using these lip products over the past few weeks, the product I have been going to the most are the Revlon Kiss Balms. I would absolutely buy more of them, and hope they keep them in their line for a while. The apple-scented balm is one of my favorite items right now and I find myself reaching for it whenever I go out to put in my purse.
I would like to try other ColourPop products (I also received a cream eyeshadow and highlighter for Christmas, which I have been liking), but haven’t found myself using the lip items as much as I had thought I would. I would order the satin or gloss again though, and would also like to try their Lippie Stix.
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