MAC Mineralize Lip Balm ($19.50 for 0.33 fl. oz.) is a new lip formula that is supposed to give a tint of color with “mirror-like shine” that is also hydrating and moisturizing. It is available in five shades: Nice & Simple (bronzy gold with multi-dimensional pearl), Pure & Tender (plummy creamy nude), Rosy Romance (bluish plum with subtle pink pearl), Slightly Nude (nude coral and subtle pink pearl), and Stay Warm (creamy light pink).
Nice & Simple is a sheer, warm, yellowed orange with golden orange shimmer. This one gives a noticeable tint and shimmer to the lips. Bobbi Brown Canary has a lot more golden shimmer/sparkle. NARS Luster is similar.
Pure & Tender is a sheer, light-medium rosy beige. On my lips, it really just adds a glossy shine and helps to even out the natural coloring, but it doesn’t impart much color. There are a number of sheer glosses that have a similar effect (color-wise).
Rosy Romance is a darkened fuchsia pink with a dusting of pink micro-shimmer. This is the most pigmented shade of the five, and it noticeably tints lips to a darker pink. MAC Astral is more opaque. Urban Decay Jilted is lighter.
Slightly Nude is a yellowed orange. It is like Nice & Simple without the shimmer. This adds some warmth and a tinge of tangerine to my lips when I applied it. Any yellow-tinted sheer gloss will be similar.
Stay Warm is a light-medium, yellow-toned pink. This shade was a bit milky, and it lightened the natural lip color noticeably, but because of the milkiness, it did not apply as evenly as the other four shades. Tarte Darling is similar but has some shimmer. Chanel Imaginaire is a touch brighter.
The consistency of the balm is lightweight, mostly non-sticky (it develops a slight tackiness after three to four hours), and almost gel-like when applied, then creamier as it wears. The formula is very comfortable to wear, somewhat moisturizing, and wears a solid three to four hours. I tried Nice & Simple, Rosy Romance, and Stay Warm for wear, and each wore four, four, and there hours respectively. They come in a squeeze-tube with a slanted-tip applicator, and they have the same vanilla scent as MAC glosses and lipsticks have, though this seemed a little stronger. They’re reminiscent of MAC’s Lip Gelee formula, only this is not as thick and wears a bit longer. They are only moisturizing so long as you wear them; about a half hour after it’s mostly faded away, I need to apply more balm.
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
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This shade yielded semi-opaque color coverage; there was enough translucency that my natural lip color was still a bit visible, and my lip freckle was very much visible still (always a good measure of opacity!). This shade wore exceptionally well–five hours–and it left a soft stain behind. It was hydrating both during wear, as well as even as it wore off and a couple of hours afterward–my lips were in better shape after I wore it than when I initially applied it. The consistency was creamy, balm-like, and applied easily.
Great semi-opaque color coverage that applies evenly, smoothly, and lasts for hours while still being comfortable to wear and infusing lips with hydration.
Product
10/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
9.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
This winter, Clinique launched a more pigmented version of their Chubby Sticks, which are supposed to be a moisturizing lip balm. This richer version is described as a “nourishing tinted balm halfway between sheer and opaque.” The color of Heftiest Hibiscus is mostly opaque with some translucency where the natural lip color comes through–if you have naturally redder lips, this will turn redder on you as a result. It has a creamy, balm-like consistency that enables easy glide-on application and feels comfortable to wear. This shade lasted four hours on me, and it was hydrating while worn. What I like best about the Chubby Sticks, both these and the original ones, is the twist-up packaging–no sharpening required (so, no waste).
It's fairly opaque, rather than the "happy medium" Clinique described the opacity as, which can be easily overlooked by those eager for richer color payoff from their Chubby Sticks.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
9/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
Grr! Korres says this is sheer, but it’s so very not sheer at all. It’s very nearly opaque with the barest translucency, and I think it makes the product look incredibly lush and juicy on the lips, but it’s not as described! The texture is very slick, not quite a gloss but thicker and shinier than the traditional lip balm. It’s very movable on the lips as you wear it, but it always remains non-sticky and has a sweet, vanilla scent.
Pomegranate lasted three hours on me, and after wearing it for a full day, it is definitely a hydrating formula. If you struggle with dry lips in the winter but still want to wear color on your lips, this is something to consider. The slick consistency means this can slide around easily, but I did not have trouble with the color bunching up or looking uneven with this shade.
I still highly recommend this product, because it's incredibly hydrating, wears long given how slick the consistency is, and makes lips look very plump and juicy. So long as you don't mind more opaque color, it is worth a look!
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
10/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
The Lip Butter Glaze formula is described as a “line-smoothing, butter lip glaze in a tube” with a “lightweight” texture that yields “vibrant and shiny color.” It has a slick, gel-gloss hybrid-like texture that glides onto the lips easily and remains movable while you wear it. It is non-sticky, yields semi-sheer to semi-opaque color, and smells of sweet vanilla (think MAC lipglosses).
The finish has a high-gloss shine–it’s really a balm-like gloss overall–which lasts for about two hours, while the product itself seems to last right around the three-hour mark. It’s hydrating while worn, and I’ve been using it after a lip-swatching-session, and it’s done a good job restoring hydration and making my lips feel whole again. The biggest downside is that because of the really slick consistency, it can look uneven and bunch up on itself if you’re wearing too much or press your lips together.
It's hydrating, is comfortable to wear, and imparts some color--it delivers on just about all aspects that it advertises, which is fantastic! The only negative is that it can apply unevenly and be hard to get to stay even because it slides around a lot.
Product
9.5/10
Pigmentation
10/10
Texture
9.5/10
Longevity
8.5/10
Application
4.5/5
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Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
MAC Suntints SPF 20 Liquid Lip Balm ($16.00 for 0.33 fl. oz.) comes in three limited edition shades: Abalone (see-through hot pink with no pearl), Au Rose (poppy coraly pink with gold pearl), and Sea Mist (peachy nude with multi-dimensional pearl). Like the name suggests, this product is designed to be incredibly moisturizing while giving a soft tint of color.
Abalone is a pale light-medium pink with a cool undertone. It darkens my natural lip color a bit and adds a lot of shine. Any pink-tinged gloss without shimmer will be very similar.
Au Rose is a light-medium pink with gold shimmer. This is the most “pigmented” shade out of the three. It adds noticeable shimmer and a very subtle pink tint. There are numerous possible dupes, because it is a really sheer shade.
Sea Mist is a sheer pale beige with white shimmer. It adds glossiness and white shimmer. Again, so many dupes available, because there aren’t any nuances to the color as there isn’t much color!
I’m not a fan of the Suntints. I find that they’re so sheer that they’re virtually colorless on, but the worst part is that they’re not very moisturizing. In the past, they tend to lock in moisture while you’re wearing them but do not provide any real hydration after they wear away. I tested Au Rose, and it was actually drying. The texture is a bit like jelly; a little thick, glides on easily, but it gets very tacky after about ten minutes. Au Rose lasted about an hour and a half on my lips before it had worn away to the point where it was a thin layer of tackiness and some remaining shimmer.
If they were actually hydrating, these would be worth checking out, but with their short wear time and barely moisturizing (or, in the case of Au Rose, actually drying!), these are something to skip.
Product
6/10
Pigmentation
7/10
Texture
8.5/10
Longevity
6/10
Application
4/5
Login or Register to be able to add this to your Vanity or Wishlist! Plus rate and review!
Where to Buy
This product can be purchased at the following retailers:
Sometimes products are discontinued or limited edition, which means that a product may no longer be available at one or more retailers so you may need to shop around for those hard-to-find shades! We try to update products as they become discontinued, and if you discover a product has been discontinued, please help us help others by letting us know.
Disclosure: Temptalia uses affiliate links, which give us a small commission when you make a purchase (given to us by the retailer, at no cost to you). Your purchases help to support the site!
