Battle of the Balms: Tarte, Clinique, Revlon and Cover Girl

[All purchased by me or gifted by friends, not companies]


Lip products seem to be the most susceptible to trends and fads.  After we got over the onslaught of lip "butter" type products, the chubby lip pencil kind of took off soon after.  These are easy to use, twist up balms that impart anywhere from sheer to opaque color that are more solid yet more moisturizing than their classic lipstick counterparts.  I'd say that out of all the brands I'm reviewing today, Tarte was the first to launch these but Clinique and Revlon were the ones to really get the craze started.  Cover Girl kind of added on their version soon after and lost some of that "first-mover advantage" (marketing terms, anyone?).  Though these all follow the same concept, I think that they're all quite different and worth checking out across the board.  

L to R: Tarte Lipsurgence matte lip tint in Fiery, CoverGirl jumbo gloss balm in Watermelon Crush, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart, Revlon JBKBS in Honey, Revlon JBKBS in Cherish, Tarte Lipsurgence in Moody and Clinique Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry

Tarte:
I have these in both the original "natural" formula and the "matte" version.  These two were given to me by a friend, and the matte is the full size and the original one is the little travel size one.  Since they are two pretty different formulas, it's probably better I separate them out.

Matte:  This formula is super opaque and smooth with a true matte finish.  I think that although this is non-drying, you should moisturize your lips beforehand because a matte finish can be very unforgiving.  I think it's impressive how these balm type products can have a very solid feel in the packaging, but glide on easily and manage to not dry out the lips.  I think this is one of the only matte twist-up balm options on the market, and I recommend it if you're looking for a comfortable, easy to use matte lip color.  The staying power of this is comparable to a matte lipstick, and stains the lips similar to one.  This has a minty taste.

Natural: I would say that this is the glossiest finish that any of the twist-up balms offer.  This color is a deep wine (as you'll see in the swatch) but it looks like I put some kind of gloss over it when I wear it.  This cuts down the wear time to that of any other tinted lip balm but the finish kind of sets it apart in my opinion.  It's almost a bit of a "jelly" look.  This tastes minty and is very comfortable on the lips.  

Revlon:
I think people will be most familiar with this formula so I'll try to be succinct.  These are a balm formula that is supposed to stain the lips, but I find only the darker/brighter colors do.  It is the least moisturizing of all the lip balms featured in this post and has a minty taste.   Maybe because it is the least moisturizing, but the staying power is very good for even the lighter colors that don't really leave behind a lasting stain.  Out of the three that I have, the only one I really wear is Honey as the other two colors pull too cool on my skin tone.  That being said, I'd recommend this for Honey alone since it's a really pretty dusty rose/mauve shade.

CoverGirl:
I was impressed by how moisturizing and comfortable this is.  It really glides on like a balm and never feels drying.  This doesn't have much of a smell and in fact I believe it's fragrance free because it smells a bit like the Clinique one and all Clinique products are fragrance free.  Because of how comfortable this is to wear, I think this is a really great option for those of you who like sheerer, balmy lipstick formulas as this is a really good bridge between a balm and a lipstick.  For anyone who thought the Revlon version was too drying and wants another drugstore option, this is a good one to go for.

Clinique:
This is arguably my favorite of the bunch.  It's kind of neutral across the board and hits on all the things that I want in this kind of formula:  light moisture, medium pigmentation, decent lasting power and flattering shade selection (although that is kind of subjective).  It doesn't have the staying power of the matte Tarte version or the Revlon stains and isn't as moisturizing as the Cover Girl one, but it somehow sits comfortably in the middle and pulls all the good traits of the other ones I've tried.  There's no fragrance in this but it definitely has a scent that's kind of synthetic-y and not exactly super appealing but that's just what happens when there's no masking fragrance involved.

Top Row: Tarte matte in Fiery, Tarte natural in Moody, Cover Girl Watermelon Crush and Clinique Super Strawberry
Bottom Row: Revlon in Honey, Revlon in Cherish and Revlon in Sweetheart

Bottom line:  Tarte makes a great, easy to wear matte formula as well as a glossier option for people who want to combine a balm and a gloss finish.  Cover Girl offers the most moisturizing formula at an appealing price.  Go with Clinique if you want a balm that hits on all the high points of this kind of formula.  Revlon makes the ones with the best staying power but be willing to give up on some moisturization.  

Lip Stain Crazy: Make Up For Ever Aqua Rouge and The Face Shop

[All purchased by yours truly]

I think that warmer weather causes me to get more into the light texture/high impact lip thing in a  big way.  That, or I am lazy and can't be bothered to retouch my makeup very often throughout the day.  Whatever reason it may be, I bought a few lip stains that I thought were different and interesting enough to warrant a post. 

From The Face Shop I got two lip stains that are very different: Lovely Me:Ex Aqua Tint in 01 Juicy Cherry and the Lovely Me:Ex Milky Tint in 02 Baby Peach.   From Make Up For Ever (MUFE) I got the Aqua Rouge in 18 which is called "Coral" even though I know MUFE has a habit of not naming their shades. 

Face Shop Juicy Cherry, Baby Peach and MUFE 18 Coral

Per special request, I have been on the hunt for a Korean lip stain that rivals Benefit's Benetint.  Since this Juicy Cherry shade is the first that I've tried, I don't know yet if anything else is comparable but it is a very nice stain on its own.  With a doe-foot applicator and a very thin watery consistency, the stain is easy to apply and feels very comfortable on the lips.  There's no extra "layer" of product feeling on the lips and the result is a bold easy to wear red.  My biggest complaint with this product is the taste.  Anyone who has worn lip stains like this knows that they can taste very artificial and chemically.  I haven't used this on the cheeks because rosy flushes always make me think of cold weather.  If you can get past the taste, this is a really good budget lip stain choice!

I already own one of The Face Shop's Milky Tints (check it out in an earlier post on my Spring Edit) in the pink shade.  I thought I would like the orange shade in the range better but this peach one really caught my attention.  It's a light pinky-orange shade that looks natural.  In fact, I sometimes think that this is a little too natural and needs to be built up on my lips for better pigmentation.  I think that is the biggest drawback for this formula.  The Milky Tints lack the boldness of the Aqua Tints because they have a bit of a milky opaqueness that is the trait of most non-red stains.  This one doesn't have as much of a strange taste and I prefer to wear this on my cheeks for an easy shade that is very light and very natural.  

I think reading beauty blogs really pushed me into wanting a MUFE Aqua Rouge because otherwise I am not very interested in these long-wearing formulas from any brand.  After the storm of posts on this product when MUFE launched and sent their PR samples out, I was pretty sold on the formula but in particular, this color.  I am a sucker for coral as I have said and this looked so pretty I had to have it.  On me, this reads a little bit light and more orange than pink.  I have a certain affection for pinky corals so this one is a bit out of my comfort zone but I love the shade nonetheless.  The paler base of this shade makes it pop a bit more than an average coral so it isn't necessarily a neutral shade.  As regards to the formula, I think that this is very long-wearing but still not an "all-day" kind of thing.  It's very drying and emphasizes any flaking/dryness your lips are suffering so exfoliating and heavy duty lip balm is needed.  You really have to use the gloss that comes with it or else your lips feel like they're being vacuumed of moisture when this dries or "sets".  Overall, I like that I finally have a coral lip color that actually lasts (albeit not through a meal) but I don't see myself rushing out to get other shades in this formula.