Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss

When it comes to makeup recommendations, I usually like to write a chunky big block of a post, encompassing several of my favourites. You get more for your (much appreciated) time that way. However, this item is superb enough to have its very own rave right here.

Lipglosses seem an easy-breezy enough purchase. But, I think, Ye Old Reliable, one to pull out and use with any and every look, is anything but.

A saleslady with a keen eye, remarkably well-versed in gloss, led me to this. Her name was Sakurina. I am forever indebted.

The genius of this, is in what it LACKS: stickiness, a slobby feeling of grease (which inevitably dries the lips out over time), fragrance, flavor, too much colour (can go blotchy after a bit, y'know), ostentatious packaging, sunscreen.

(Sunscreen?? I hear you cry. But! Surely! Come now, dear girl! etc. Look, sunscreen is nice, but with control. I don't want to be eating that stuff, 24/7, am also slightly allergic. I like to apply lip balm with 'screen when, and only when, I am exposed to the sun. Le soleil. Sooraj.)

'Tis simplicity itself. I can't rave ENOUGH! Look, neither Clinique nor this particular item, have much buzz about them. This isn't new, trendy, and the asking price is not obnoxiously "aspirational" either... but this season, it is the savior of my lips (<guess how often you'll be seeing that word)!

Of course am using a dedicated lip balm as part of my skincare routine at least once a day, but this lipgloss is keeping that hydration going strong, for every cold winter's day. It almost seems to morph, from gloss sitting on top of your lips, to a kind of mild treatment, which keeps working throughout the day.

Aesthetics, now! The tube is simplicity itself, and the slanted applicator is not annoying as wand/sponge ones can be, it's practical. The colour? It comes in a variety of sheers. I own "apricot" but it reads as clear. That SLIGHT tint, makes it blend easily into the natural lip colour, so it is more natural looking than clear gloss, which can look too glassy.

It makes every lipstick sit better and appear juicy (not OTT, mind), even if, deep down, in its cold, brutal heart, that lipstick sucks.
Previously impractical ones, become fine, even for a chilly Canuck winter.

I used it under the superbly long-lasting, and therefore, drying, Cover Girl Lip Perfection (Hot Passion) the other day. Result, excellent.
I've used it with NYC lipsticks, Elizabeth Arden, Dior, Chanel, everything in between. It's only been a few weeks, but I think it'll make the rounds with every other lipstick in my stash. The colours don't bleed out, and they seem to "hold" better.

So! Lip primer, conditioner, and gloss in one? Can it be? Ah, but it is.

Basically, you could use many lipsticks in your stash, that you nearly discarded for being dehydrating. You could pick out drugstore lippies based on colour alone, knowing your handy dandy Clinique Superbalm Gloss will make any cheap formula work. Therefore, this little staple WILL save you money!

(Obvious point is obvious: matte lovers need not apply).