Lip Balm Talk:
These balms are really nice. They're quite sheer, though, so be prepared for that. However they definitely add some subtle and noticeable color to your lips even still. The texture is very soft and gel-like, somewhere between a lip gelee and a cremesheen glass. They all have a subtle shimmer too, but it doesn't read as glittery or sparkly - it's more the micro type that just makes your lips look nice and full. The effect of all of these is very much like the Cremesheen + Pearl c/s/gs, like Rising Sun (which is beautiful). One thing that is rather unique about them is you can blot them down! Blotting takes away any sparkle, but leaves a nice even stain of color and a hydrated look for your lips. Unlike pretty much all glosses I can think of, blotting does not make these get crumbly or uneven. These aren't replacements for Lip Gelees, as they don't have that thick,dense pearl and sparkle at all.
I wasn't able to wear any of them long enough to see how much of a real hydrating lip treatment they are, but I certainly had been abusing my lips trying on all these pigmented matte lipsticks and when I was done, my lips were fine, not shredded, like they'd normally be. I wish they'd offered a clear one you could wear at bedtime. I do prefer these to the Tendertones, since these hardly have a fragrance (the kiwi fragrance on the TTs isn't up my alley - I don't like fruity perfumes much). Also, a tube is just so much better than a pot. Finally I like the texture better by a little bit, it's a little more cushiony feeling.
Rosy Romance: I think this will be the one everyone goes for. It looks like a dusty mid-tone rosy plum in the tube. On the lips, it gives a nice healthy deepened effect without looking too red. If you have red pigmented lips and only want to get one, I'd say this would be the easy, no-brainer one to get.
Nice & Simple: Did you love Tropical Mist lipstick? Did you want to love Tropical Mist, but it wasn't quite right for your lip color? This one will take care of you. I thought it looked great - just a slight nude canceling while also adding volume. It doesn't read overtly bronze or gold, the effect is quite subtle.
Stay Warm!: If Rosy Romance isn't the one people grab first, this will be the one they do. It looks like a very cute, milky pink in the tube, but it doesn't look milky at all on the lips. It gives only a very subtle lightening effect when tried on by itself, but it definitely balances the lipsticks in this collection to more of a pink cast when worn on top. If you have paler lips, the pink will come out more on its own, I think, than it does on my red lips.
Slightly Nude and Pure & Tender: I didn't try these on my lips, but they're both very basic and straightforward. Slightly Nude looks like a nude coral in the tube, very soft and dusky - a lot of people will love this one. Pure & Tender looks more like a straight nude, but it's not light or milky, it's nude with a very subtle taupe undertone. It should be very wearable.
I put one of each on hold, but I may cut my list down to Rosy Romance, Nice & Simple and Stay Warm!. However, I just may wind up getting them all, because they're absolutely a better-than-gloss option for your lips when you don't want to be too done up, especially if you wear them blotted down. They should have a really fantastic lasting power too, because of their blot down ability.
I've been on a gloss no-buy the past months for them so i really hope they'll be amazing. I'm also lemming Haute Altitude right now, a softer more feminine Mehr sounds truly stunning!
