I always have this with me. I can't help it. It has become a staple.
Maybelline Lip Smooth Tinted Lip Balm in Cranberry JamAlthough I've been thinking of getting another tinted lipbalm after I finished my Maybelline Lip Smooth Color Bloom Color Changing Lip Balm in Peach(which I liked), I hadn't been particularly aiming for this one. I was thinking of getting Baby Lips, or the more popular Nivea lipbalm in cherry (or was it strawberry?), but as I've mentioned in my haul here, this balm came as a quick treat from my father when we passed by the Maybelline counter. I had no time to be choosy!
Claims:
Revitalizes dry/dull lipsGives more moisturizing shineSoftens and Smoothens Lips
"Lip Smooth Color and Care helps to repair dry lips to its natural ingredients: Jojoba oil, Safflower seed oil. It also contains Vitamin E to protect your lips from external aggressions. Your lips will become more moisturized, soft and supple. Color spreads evenly and gives your lips a subtle, shiny tint. Your lips look and feel renewed, luscious, incredibly soft and smooth"
The packaging also mentioned how dry lips are usually dull, resulting in an uneven finish when colors are applied.
This spoke to me(like a poem does. haha) and I came to think about my Sansan Soleil Lippies whose colors I liked but tend to exaggerate the cracks on my lips.
The packaging of Maybelline Lip Smooth Tinted Lip Balm in Cranberry Jam is a typical lipbalm packaging. It's much sturdier than Myra E Lipbalm. I like the color and the patterns on the body. The patterns tend to fade though.
Smell is similar to Maybelline Lip Smooth Color Bloom Color Changing Lip Balm in Peach. Nothing special. and most of the time, I don't notice it. There are some reviews that says that it smells like berries and that got me thinking if I should probably get my nose checked as I can't smell that smell at all. All I can smell is that typical smell that products with spf has. But now that I think about it, it does have that slight (sweet?) smell. I think I should probably determine the smell of a particular product when I'm just starting to use it else I get immuned and the smell becomes unnoticeable.
There are really subtle specks of gold in the product itself but it's only visible in this lighting. This isn't what contributes to the shiny finish that this product promises. In real life, the product's color is similar to the packaging, a slightly dark pink which has a very mild purple undertone. The same is true with its tint, as seen in this picture:
Please don't mind the unsightly bump on my hand. Had to donate blood to some hungry mosquito.On my lips:
Bare and chapped pigmented lips.
My lips with a thin layer of the balm. You can build the color up a little. I like how moisturizing this is. It helps with my chapped lips. I know because on days when I skip this lipbalm, my lips feel much drier. Also this got me using my Sansan Soleil Lippies again, even Peach Ibriza although their colors don't much as Maybelline Lip Smooth Tinted Lip Balm in Cranberry helps them last longer on my lips and minimizes their ability to accentuate the lines and cracks on my lips.
Thick layer of balm on my lips. As you can see, as a lipbalm, it's tinted enough. I think the tint is my favorite part.What I like about it:Good color pay-off for a lipbalmCheap P89($2.1503) for 4.5g of productAvailable in most department storesHydrating and moisturizingTexture is not sticky or waxy for meI like the subtle shine it hasHas spf16Tasteless
What I don't like about it:Can't be used as a base for matte lipsticks if you want a matte finish.
Recommend?Yes. Especially for students. This is great for school!
Repurchase?Theoretically, yes. But because I'm adventurous, no. But only because I want to try other lip balms.
Final thoughts:I like this lipbalm better than the two other lip balms that I reviewed. It's more moisturizing and with better texture than my Myra E Lipbalm. It is also packaged better too. It spares me from the dilemma I have with Maybelline Lip Smooth Color Bloom Color Changing Lip Balm in Peach, whose color sticks to my lips if I build it up too much. Not to mention it's also cheaper, has more product, and more moisturizing too.
This does a good job in doing what a tinted lipbalm is supposed to do and is currently one of my favorites. However, it's still missing something and I couldn't say that I can't ask for more from this product. Don't ask me what that missing factor is as I can't name it myself. All I can say is there's no spark that could have made me fall in love with this product. In fact, even if I know that this is a necessity for my chapped lips, I still tend to lose it and forget about it. Or is it just the fate of every lipbalm to be forgettable? Probably that's what I'm looking for, something that makes a lipbalm unforgettable, and Maybelline Lip Smooth Tinted Lip Balm in Cranberry Jam doesn't have that.
Picky me. And because of that, my final rating is....
Over-all rating: 4.5/5.0
What do you think? Any magical and unforgettable lipbalm that you can recommend?
