Clinique Flirty Honey Almost Lipstick - Review

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a lipstick girl - I don't want to reapply anything, with the exception of lipgloss. I want to do my face once, and then be good until I'm done for the day. Lipsticks in the past always managed to wear off terribly unevenly, causing me to feel I looked ridiculous. Thus, I'll only wear them on the weekend, when I'm only going to be out and about for a few hours. Sheer lipstick/balm hybrids are nice, because they wear off rather silently. When I heard Clinique was relaunching their Almost Lipstick Line, I was curious - I had tried Black Honey, and was wondering what the other shades would be like.

 Almost Lipsticks are a thin, sheer balm with a hint of color. They are fragrance free, which means they smell sort of waxy - not super waxy or gross, but, I wish they had some fragrance to them. By hint, it is more like a brief mention. Sephora says:

Not quite a gloss, and not quite a lipstick, this transparent formula merges with the unique, natural tone of your lips to create a look that's all your own. Its sheer, emollient-rich formula glides on for easy layering. 

Clinique released 7 new shades to complement Black Honey. I selected Flirty Honey, which appeared to be a coral-pink.

In reality, it looks hot pink in the tube, and gives a soft, sheer gloss of warm pink on my lips, with a little tiny bit of coral. Not a whole lot of coral to be found. There are two swatches on my inner wrist. On the left, a single pass. On the right, several (maybe 6?). Granted, my wrist isn't the same as my lips, but, I think you get the idea of how sheer this is. Almost Lipsticks are one of those products that the manufacturer claims "becomes" your perfect shade. Well, they don't. They are the shade they are, but in the case of Almost Lipsticks, they give a satiny shine with a little color. They are very comfortible, and feel like a very light weight balm with some slip. Not like Revlon Lip Butters or MAC Slimshines which feel like a light lipstick, Almost Lipsticks are more balm than anything else.

These don't last too long on me, about 2 hours, after which I'm not able to feel that slip anymore. I haven't noticed any staining, either, which means they cleanly disappear. My lips don't feel moisturized or dried out after they wear off, just some happy medium.

These retail for $15, and are available anywhere Clinique is sold. I really like Flirty Honey, and if I actually finish it, I would definitely repurchase it.

Essence Stay With Me Longlasting Lipgloss - Review

One day, I went a little crazy at my local Fred Meyer and bought a bunch of Essence stuff, because it's cheap. Being able to pick up 4 things for less than $20 feels pretty good when you're pining away for one things that's over $40, you know? I fell in love with the color of this gloss, and for $2.29, I figured "Why not?" (I should know by now there's plenty of reasons why not to buy yet another gloss, but that's between me, myself, and I). I selected Candy Bar, a bright coral with a pink bent. This is a non-shimmery, non-glittery gloss.

According to Essence:

the name of this lipgloss could not be more appropriate: if you try it once, you'll never want to give it up again! the color-intensive texture is so wonderfully creamy and durable – without leaving a sticky feeling behind, that it's simply irresistible. the special shape of the precision applicator allows an effortless application.

These glosses come in a somewhat short, fat tube. The doe-foot/sponge applicator is interesting, because it's curvy. Really. It has an hourglass shape to it, and I'm not sure if that's a purely style-driven choice, or if there's a benefit to this style of applicator. It applies nicely, perhaps a little too thick in some areas, due to the pigmentation. In some ways, the packaging is sort of childlike, but with a price point of less than $5 for almost anything in the line, I'm probably not their target demographic. Which leads me to my next point - these don't come sealed. Very little, actually, is sold sealed. So, I had to check each tube to find one that I was positive hadn't been tested. It took 3 tubes before I found one. That's a big problem to me.

Honestly, I just liked the color of this gloss. I wasn't expecting much for my money, so I was pleasantly surprised. It does last longer than I thought it would, and it's not really sticky. For example, I applied this gloss this morning at about 4:00 (yes, 4:00 AM... ugh). I almost immediately ate breakfast, brushed my teeth, and went to work.. I could still "feel" the gloss at 10:00 AM. It felt thin, but I could tell I had applied it, and that it was still on my lips, after all of the other things I had done. It leaves a slight stain on the lips, as well - on me it's a gorgeous pink-peach. The stain lasts all day, too. It was still on my lips at 4:30 PM.... 12 and half hours after a single application!

The texture, as mentioned previously, is pretty nice - it's not very sticky. It's also not gritty (which makes sense, of course, since it's not shimmery in any way). I really like thick, cushy feeling glosses, and this is not one of those - it's sort of thin, but thick enough to feel rather nice, if that makes sense.

The range of colors this gloss is available in is rather small. A total of seven shades are available, ranging from a berry to a nude, however, if I recall correctly, the nude looked sort of dark in the tube. The only color that really appealed to me was Candy Bar. I wonder if Essence plans to release more shades? Then again, I'd rather they invest the money in sealing their products. Both of those gripes in mind, I don't know if I'll repurchase. It's hard to want to buy something that could easily be tampered with.

NYC Liquid Lipshine Gloss - Review

I don't need more lipglosses. I've finished maybe 3 glosses in my whole life, simply because I'll use one for a week, then I'll find something new to use. At this point, I rarely buy expensive glosses (like Chanel, Dior, etc. Chanel because they're uber expensive, and I never finish them before they go bad. Dior because they're uber expensive, and I finished one in less than 2 months with daily use), and will only buy MAC lipglasses or Dazzleglasses if they're truly unique. I'm trying desperately to use up my stash of glosses. But, I'm weak. I need a glossaholic 12 step program or something.

Anyway, when picking up the new Blushable Creme Sticks, I found this gloss in the display, and decided to give their glosses a shot. I mean, NYC's cream blushes are nice, maybe they're glosses are, too. NYC's website says:

Benefits:
- Pure pigments, 3D-effect shine
- Lips feel moisturized
- Creamy and soft texture
- Non-sticky
Key Ingredients:
- Vitamin E formula provides shine and moisturizing feel

I have to ask.... what, exactly, is a "3D-effect?" My lips are three dimensional already... so.... yeah. Anyway, other than that odd claim,  the others are spot-on. My lips feel moisturized, and I'd be so bold as to claim they are moisturized by this gloss. While it's on, anyway. The texture of this gloss is really nice - it's sort of a thinner Dazzleglass. It has that cushy feel of a Dazzleglass, without the thickness. It actually reminds me of MAC's Lipglee's.  I really like it. Because this gloss isn't sticky, you may imagine it's fleeting on the lips. I'm pleased to say, it lasts a while, 2 hours or so. Compare to the last drugstore gloss I tried, that's a feat!

I selected the shade "Pink Cosmo," from the summer collection. Since it's not listed on their website, I assume that it's limited edition. It's a pretty, warm, sparkly pink shade. It's not extremely pigmented, and not glittery. Just sparkly.

I like the packaging for this gloss. Instead of being round, it's oval shaped. So, it doesn't roll off my desk, or end up in some dark corner because it rolled to where I can't find it. You'd think that more brands would recognize the utility of this shape, but I guess not (I specifically chose oval lip balm tubes for the lip balms I make, to prevent roll-age). The applicator is a strange, elongated, bendy doe-foot. I have no aversion to doe-foot applicators, and generally prefer them to brushes, since bristles can get bend backwards, or get messed up in some other way. This one isn't bad. I like that it's shaped differently, since I have fuller lips, which means the standard MAC doefoot doesn't really do a great job of applying gloss, unless I have a mirror to use. I don't really need a mirror to apply this with, because the doe foot is more than long enough to cover the surface of my lips.

When all is said and done, this is a fantastic lipgloss for $2.49. Really. My only real issue is how hard NYC is to come by. The gloss is fine, the price is great, but the availability sucks.

Rock & Republic Luxe Lip Gloss in Drama Queen - Review

I am a lip gloss fan. I love glosses, because I like the moisture, and the ease of application (I prefer glosses I can apply without a mirror). I also seem to prefer products that I can actually see that I've used them. Glosses are, well, awesome. But some are more awesome than others.
I may never own a pair of Rock & Republic jeans, but I own a number of their cosmetic items - and they are fantastic! Their lipgoss is no different - good pigmentation, great formula, and a generous amount of product. I have the shade "Drama Queen" - a warm peachy-pink hue.

The applicator is a doe foot, which I greatly prefer to a brush (the bristles can get bend backwards or can be cut all wonky or any number of other annoyances). The tube is physically fairly large, and really reminds me of a test tube, for fairly obvious reasons. For $26, you get 0.11 fl oz of glossy-goodness. This line seems to frequent sample-sale websites like Haute Look and Gilt Group, however, so you may not need to pay full price. Quality-wise, I'd easily place this product with Chanel Glossimers, so the price is justified (Glossimers retail at $28.50 for 0.19 fl oz, so they win in the quantity category, however.)

Generally speaking, I usually gravitate towards thicker glosses, but I'll make an exception for Drama Queen. It has good pigmentation, no scent or taste that I notice, and actually feels like it's hydrating (which doesn't happen with some glosses). It does have a thinner consistency and feel, similar to the Dior Addict Ultra lipglosses. I'd say the wear time is 1 - 2 hours max, but due to the pigmentation, after the glossiness is gone, the color faintly remains.

In some ways, I wish the tube were a bit smaller. On the other hand, however, it's super easy to find in my purse. I also wish Rock and Repulic cosmetics were still available in stores like Nordstrom, where I'd have a chance to swatch them on me to see what colors I wanted (like I need more lipgloss). If you like the Dior Addict glosses, I think you'll really like these. If you like thicker glossess, though, I'd pass on these, since they seem fairly thin.

Cover Girl NatureLuxe Lip Balm - Review

I'll admit it. I love a good lip balm - I mean, who doesn't? So when I heard about Cover Girl's new line of "Natural" cosmetics, and the balm, I was really interested. I was really hoping they'd partner with Bzzagent and I'd be able to try this line for free, but that didn't happen. Since I had a fairly good coupon, however, I bit the bullet and purchased two different colors at my local Target, Marble (#255) and Coral (#230).

Cover Girl says: "Get the sheer color and shine of a gloss with the soft, lightweight fee of SPF Balm. Fortified with mango and shea butter, this feel-good formula leaves your lips feeling decadent and delicious." I should've read this a little closer, as I'll explain in a bit.

We'll start things on a positive note - these don't cost much. I believe they retail for $5.99 at Target, and drugstore.com. The packaging is nice - a soft minty pearlized green tube, and a clear top with a soft wavey-green design. The part of the tube where the balm lives is clear, so you get the idea there may be a lot of product here (you'd be wrong, though).

Looking carefully, you'll see right above the light green a bit of clear plastic, which is the bottom of the balm. Yeah, not a ton of product there. 0.07 oz, according to the label. Although, I suppose this isn't a bad thing, since this product is pretty poor.


As a balm, this fails miserably. It feels gritty on my lips, which thankfully only lasts about 5 minutes, which is how long this balm stays. Who wants a balm that short-lived? When I think of a lip balm, I think of a balm that is thick, moisturizing, and the feeling of protecting my lips (ie, Labello's Good Night Kiss, or the Philosophy Very Emollient Balms).



Maybe you were thinking - "hey, the colors are pretty, right?" Well, in a word, no.

Cover Girl knows exactly what sheer means - although maybe transparent would've been a better adjective. Marble, which is a pretty pink in the tube, is essentially clear on my inner wrist (and my lips are a bit more pigmented than that). Coral is marginally better, however this is probably half a dozen swipes to get that little color. Considering these wear off extremely quickly, the lack of pigmentation is really the least of my concerns.


These *look* good, but they are a poor product. I won't repurchase, and am at a loss as to what I should do with these.