If, like me, your lips are the first to suffer in a cold snap, you might like to check out some of these new lip fixes. Think balm with added benefits, taking lip care to new levels. Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint, Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfecting Base and Clinique Sweet Pots all hit counters this month, so I thought I'd highlight the differences and share my thoughts on each one.
If you're after a no fuss luxe fix then Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint is hard to beat. Olive oil complex, vitamins E & C and Babassu palm seed oil combine to moisturise and smooth lips with a silky, ultra comfortable finish. A natural looking pink stain leaves my lips with a subtle pink hue and will look slightly different on everyone, depending on your own base colour. My lips don't look as if I'm wearing a product, just healthier and prettier. This doesn't have as much colour as Dior Addict Lip Glow, for example. In a nutshell, Extra Lip Tint makes lips look prettier and feel better with long lasting effects. PS if you're not familiar with Bobbi Brown's Extra skincare range in which this sits, I highly recommend trying it out.
Bobbi Brown Extra Lip Tint (Limited Edition), RRP £25 is available now as part of the Bobbi Glow Collection.
If your lipstick rarely lasts past breakfast, check out Clarins new Instant Light Lip Perfecting Base. With similar nourishing powers to the Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors released this time last year, this transparent balm also claims to hold lipstick in place for up to 6 hours. Enriched with plant extracts including shea butter and smoothing botanical pearls, the formula contains a mimosa wax complex to trap moisture as well as plumping peptides. It leaves a whitish hue on first application and feels like balm, yet has a semi matte finish. While it does add some staying power, I think this will be affected by which product you're wearing on top; a satin or matte lipstick will of course last longer than a sheer one. A big plus for me is that this definitely gives lips a smoother finish, helps lipstick grip better (like a primer) and prevents colour bleeding at the edges... particularly useful for women of a certain age *cough*. Probably not a must-have but a definite treat in your makeup bag!
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| Clinique Sweet Pots in Black Honey, Candied Cassis and Sweet Rose |
And finally, the fairest of them all, Clinique Sweet Pots Sugar Scrub & Lip Balm is a dual product with a fine sugar exfoliator on one side and tinted balm on the other, all wrapped up in cute macaron style packaging. The bottom half contains the scrub while the top is balm; the two held together by a silver band in the middle (see above). Too cute.
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| Clinique Sweet Pot in Black Honey. Left: Balm; Right: Scrub |
The scrub side contains a cocktail of natural ingredients to buff away flakies, with beet sugar granules, jojoba seed oil, shea butter, avocado and grapeseed oils. I'd prefer this side not to be tinted, as I have to be careful not to use it over the lip line or things could get a bit messy! I do however like that the texture is super fine, so it doesn't feel like it's tugging at lips and removes dry bits very gently. (You're supposed to tissue off before adding the balm, though I did a taste test in the name of research... and yes, I approve!)
The balm side is all about smoothing and moisturising with a whisper of tint. Aloe leaf extract, coconut oil, shea and murumuru seed butters really do leave lips feeling extra soft and while the tint is visible, it's very subtle. My favourite is the darkest, Black Honey, which is also the most noticeable, but wear the balm over lipstick if you want more colour. These are super cute and fun - and they work. I imagine they will attract a new younger customer to Clinique, though am sure they'll be loved by all ages!
Clinique Sweet Pots Sugar Scrub & Lip Balm, RRP £15 launch this Friday, 15 January.
What's your favourite cold weather lip fix? After such a mild December this brrrr-ness is a bit of a shock to my system... every year I forgot how cold the cold actually feels (!!!) until it happens - and then am always taken aback!