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).

Chapped lips? This'll do the trick

...the Dior Crème de Rose lip balm.

Like anything that ACTUALLY works, it won't immediately sort you out. Need a couple of uses or...even more! As the lips heal.

 Mine were in a terrible state the first time I used it. Almost bleeding, cracking, one big blister waiting to happen (if I smiled too widely in a wayward wind. Winsomely).
First use...okay, softer, smooth, shiny...shininess doesn't distract me from the scraggly bits underneath. Is this just a veneer with no benefits? Are you just humouring me, having successfully conned me out of a substantial amount of money that could have gone towards Perfection Personified's diaper fund?????

Second application...hmm, what happened to those flaking bits? Third...better, better. Fourth...why am I using this again?

Better than every commercial lip balm I've tried, not better than pure lanolin.

 However, while lanolin gives great immediate effect, it doesn't soothe or heal--my lips seem to get worse with every use. With this, their rehabilitation is gradual. But that lovely soothing layer seems to absorb better and last longer. Unless you have a Yummy Young'un, too, with sparkling eyes, in which case all the hugs and kisses will mean you'd have to reapply every hour or so. Worth it.
(BABY ATED PIZZA TODAY!
 IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE MASHED, HE HELD IT AND BIT CHUNKS OFF LIKE A REGULAR BASEBALL FAN!!)

 Comes in a white container which wouldn't look out of place on a Rococo dressing table.
Sweet pastel rose tint (barely discernible once on), soft rose scent, good good good. I LOVE the texture. It's supposedly "smoothing and plumping"--well-moisturized and wrapped in this creamy cushion, of course they will look fatter.

Absorbs well, but not so well that your lips are left vulnerable and shivering. Neither too heavy nor too light. Not greasy. Makes a good base for lipsticks that tend to deflate and shrivel yon...lips. It's a bore to say "lips" so many times in a row. Let's break it up a bit. Jack jumped o'er the candlestick.

This Dior __ balm is indispensable for L'HIVER (OMGGG, MUN... I REMEMBERED MORE FRENCH), so swing by the counters and buy it already. IT'S ALMOST NOVEMBER PEOPLE.

Oh, a good cheapie tip I heard from Bobbi Brown once: to use eye cream on lips as an overnight treatment. (BB no believe in lip balm, nor unicorns.) Which I've done, in moments of desperation. (Doesn't work. I'm a hard case). Of course, eye cream is usually tres ka-ching, plus WHAT IF YOU INGEST NASTIES?!?!? (Can't be worse than Coca Cola, mutters a wise man).

Oh by the way it has chemical SPF, so if you're allergic to that, avoid and do a honey facial, not sparing the lips. Will moisturize them. Somewhat. For a whole three minutes.