My New Favorite Lip Product

So you may or may not have noticed by following me on social media, le blog or just being my friend IRL, I don't like to wear any sort of lipstick or gloss that isn't a "My Lips But Better" or nude shade. I'm just not that adventurous when it comes to lip products and I find on the rare occasion I am, it's a pain in the ass to maintain. Few things are more sloppy looking than a dark lip or a red lip that are smudged. (I was truly scarred when I wore a super dark lip to a holiday party on year and an hour in, went to pee and looked in the mirror and my lip had smudged EVERYWHERE. It also took me a good 7 minutes to redo it and there was a line of people waiting for me. And yes I wore a lip liner, which was supposed to ensure the non smudging). And I also cannot handle the dryness of a matte lip creme, so please do not even try and suggest that. Lastly, I find bold or dark colors really age me.

So that said, I'm always on the hunt for a really great lipgloss or balm that feels comfortable on my lips but also turn up the "I wanna look polished" dial.

I recently got a sample from Sephora of Clinique's new lip product, it's called the Pep Start Perfecting Balm. And it is real real good, guys. First, the consistency is truly a balm, which is super smooth and surprisingly healing! Not Bag Balm status, but it's up there. Second, the color that I received, was a cool toned pink, which I prefer over warmer pinks, for my neutral skin tone. I'm wearing it below but you'll see the sheen has gone away and it just leaves a nice stain.

So I went to Sephora the following weekend, super excited to purchase the full size and went to the Clinique...space? Whatever those things are called and I couldn't find it. Then I went into the skincare section because I got distracted and found the balms in the Clinique(...space?) in the skincare section.

Anyway, turns out they have a few more colors. A clear balm, a warmer pink almost coral color (called Tangerine) and a red (called Cherry). I think the deepest color might be too much color for my comfort level but that coral color is in my cart.

Here's the cool pink color:

The coral color:

And the deepest color:

At $17.50 a pop, they're not exactly cheap, but they're no $37 YSL Lip stain, either. And I'm super picky about the consistency of my lip products so the fact that they feel amazing, give the perfect tint of color and actually hydrate and heal my lips? I'll take it.

Have you guys tried these? If not, what ones do you love? Let me know in le comments!