- Hi! Long time no see! How are y'all?
- Happy New Year! 2016 is here, and I'm still wondering how it got here so quickly.
- This product was sent to me for consideration from CoverGirl via Influenster. I'm not receiving monetary compensation for this, nor would I ever for a favorable review. I keep it 100, especially with PR products because I don't like lying at the expense of you guys for some free stuff - that just isn't me.
- Sheer, but intense color
- Works well to condition the lips
- Scent and flavor isn't overwhelming
- (Personal) There is an irritating ingredient in here for me
- The formula is a little gritty
- $9 is a bit much for the drugstore in my opinion
Now back on topic!
CoverGirl has launched a ton of new stuff in 2016, and these Colourlicious Oh Sugar! Vitamin Infused Balms happen to be one of them. They look pretty similar to their regular lipsticks, except they've got this bright metallic cap that corresponds with the shade and a white encapsulated base and tube. Each of the shades has a sugary treat themed name, and the one that I happened to get is "Soda".
The little blurb that came with the PR products reads as so:
Pamper your lips with an indulgent lip balm, Oh Sugar! made with ultra-rich ingredents such as grapeseed oil, avocado butter and Vitamins C &E and leaves your lips with a hint of tint. We dare you to compare to a $20 balm.I'm assuming that the product you're supposed to compare them to is the Sugar brand lip product, which I'm not a fan of to begin with - personally they irritate my throat, have an unpleasant texture since I like thicker balms, and are vastly overpriced.
To some degree, these balms do the same thing, but they're not as unpleasant. I don't know what it is about this or the Sugar balms, but it's either something in the colorant or scent/flavoring, but as soon as I swipe it on my lips, they start to feel a little chapped and I get this tickle near my tonsils. I'm sure that this is just a personal thing, and that if you can tolerate the Sugar lip balms you'll be fine with these.
In terms of scent and taste, this really reminded me of the Lip Smackers Dr. Pepper or Cherry Cola, but a bit more subdued. The texture isn't super slippy, in fact there is a fine grit to it that I wasn't expecting. Like I said, there is something in the formula that irritates my lips while it is on, but once it wears off, my lips are left feeling really nice and moisturized.
I've gotta confess that I was a bit disappointed after swatching this, but only because in the tube it looks like a dark cherry cola shade, but ends up being a plummy berry shade. The coverage has a really good amount of color to it while still maintaining it's sheer finish (it's magic, I swear). It is a little bit buildable, but don't expect full opacity. Overall, I like the shade and finish because it looks natural, but enhanced.
Now, there's the problem of the price. It's $9. Nine. Dollars. For. A. Balm. I'm definitely a cheap, chapstick kind of gal when it comes to balms, so that kinda knocked the air out of me, especially for being a drugstore product. I personally can't justify shelling out almost $10 for this, partially because of the irritants I reacted to, but if you like Sugar lip products, this may sound like a steal because they're SUPER similar.
TL;DR section:
Price: $9
Size: unknown
Availability: Ulta, Drugstores, and wherever CoverGirl is sold
Pros:
Cons:
Cruelty free: Nope
Final thoughts: If you like the Sugar lip balms, I think you'll like these for a fraction of the price, but the lip feel isn't as slick. I do really like the nice wash of color and natural looking finish, but I think they're a bit overpriced for drugstore balms and I unfortunately have a negative reaction to some ingredient in here.
More information about this product HERE.
The color and scent, based on what you described, sounds just like the Sephora Kiss Me balm in Soda Pop. I wonder if CoverGirl was trying to channel this shade minus the sphere packaging.
ReplyDeleteOops! I forgot to add that I really like your review and I understand what it's like to be sensitive to lip balm.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Renee! I'm glad that you liked it. :) I thought I was the only freak that had issues with balms, haha. Also, I've never tried the Sephora balms, but after looking them up I totally get what you mean.
DeleteI managed to get a trio of them on sale for $13 at a Sephora inside of JC Penney's. I don't know if you would be able to find them, but I recommend it if you do.
DeleteI not only have sensitivities, but also allgeries to certain lip balms. It kind of sucks, but I know what to avoid.
What do you need to avoid? I should probably test that out.
DeleteSPF, certain dyes, and probably other stuff I'm not aware of.
DeleteCovergirl is honestly getting out of hand with their pricing. Like..did they forget that they're Covergirl?
ReplyDeleteIt's probably because we're paying for all of the excess packaging... like, no. Like a man on the subway, you take up too much space.
Delete