Clinique Chubby Stick Two Ton Tomato - Yummy!

I love Clinique Chubby Sticks. They are an awesome lipstick- gloss- balm hybrid that sit on lips softly and comfortably, with just the right amount of pigment for me. And while not glossy, they aren't matte either. The texture is more of a lovely balm, which just feels lovely.

Swatched heavily & lightly

Applied without a mirror. Seriously (daylight)

And so it makes sense that my red-lippy for red-lippy shy people would come in a Chubby Stick as they are just sheer enough to add a punch of colour but not so thick that the application requires a mirror and my *cough* reading glasses. And liner. Yikes, that's where I lose interest. No need to worry though, Clinique Chubby Stick in Two Ton Tomato is a winner! It is one of their newer colours and I love it! 

Look at me! Red lips in natural light.

Clinique Chubby Sticks are available at Clinique counters for around $16.

Safe in The Sun With Baby Lips

On holiday with my family I realized I did not have a lip balm with SPF with me (first world problems....I know...) so I borrowed one of my daughters. Both girls got Maybelline Baby Lips tinted lip balms in their Christmas stocking and I was happy to discover they had brought them along. They are precious little lip balms- kitschy, bright packaging reminiscent of the 80s- with lovely noticeable tints and SPF 20. They also offer 8 hour moisture and "lip renewal". Lip renewal to me implies some kind of exfoliant and perhaps hyaluronic action as well. So smoother lips as well!

From top: Grape Vine, Pink Punch & Cherry Me (my fave)

At any rate, they are brilliant little lip balms. They do indeed offer beautiful moisture- lips feel plump and soft with regular use. The colour is not a stain, per say, but it does seem to linger and does not build up in a weird way with continued beach or poolside applications. The website says after 4 weeks of use one will see visible improvement in their lip condition, and this doesn't seem far fetched to me. There is a mild scent that matches the name but it is gone in no time flat, and I could not discern a taste of any kind.

I hate photographing my lips but here I am poolside in Cherry Me!

The younger one, Biddy (@kittybiddy), got Cherry Me, a bright cherry popsicle shade that leaves the lips a soft but bright pink, and the older one, Em (half of @BSDropouts, The Beauty School Dropouts), got Grape Vine, more of a deeper colour. Grape Vine actually reminds me of the old standby, Clinique Black Honey. If you loved Black Honey, get this Baby Lips shade asap. Once we arrived I realized I needed my very own. So I got Cherry Me as well and Em got herself Pink Punch which is more of a bright light pink- perfect for Florida as it's very Lilly Pulitzer! They also have a peachy one, called Peach Kiss, and two clear ones with different "flavours". I am totally getting a clear one as well.

Playing with my iPhone - this is my poolside view...ahhhh...

I've been using my Baby Lips non-stop for over a week and have to say, I love it. The name is a bit funny and the packaging and advertising seem to be aimed at the under 25 (under 16 even?) demographic but I think they are missing a huge market by not marketing to grown ups as well. These are lovely tinted lip balms that feel wonderful, makes your lips soft, and protect them from the sun. Oh yes, and they are under $5 where Maybelline is sold. What's not to love?