Monday, April 1, 2013

CoverGirl "Ballet Twist" Jumbo Gloss Balm Swatch + Review

After receiving a decent amount of hype on the internet, I finally went out and purchased one of the new CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balms. I picked up two shades--"Ballet Twist" and "Watermelon Twist". From the color of the cap I assumed that "Ballet Twist" would be a subtle baby pink color but as I would find out after swatching it on my hand and then my lips, it is actually more of a shimmery nude.

Many people have been comparing this product to the Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stains or the Tarte LipSurgance Lip Tints (because they look similar) but these comparisons couldn't be more misleading. The Revlon Stains are just that--stains. They are smooth and pigmented and last for hours. These CoverGirl Balms are not meant to stain the skin and have a much shorter wear time (1-2 hours). The Tarte LipSurgance Lip Tints are highly pigmented and uber moisturizing. They also have a longer wear time than the CoverGirl Balms but their luxurious quality is heavily reflected in the price tag. If you are expecting your CoverGirl Balm to be similar to either of these products, you will be disappointed.

CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in "Ballet Twist" 
Here is the color swatched on my hand. It is almost impossible to see. I have a light-medium complexion and  I don't think the color would be very flattering (or show up) on skin tones much darker than mine.

The CoverGirl packaging is getting a thumbs down from me. It is packaged very similarly to the Clinique Chubby Sticks, Tarte LipSurgance Lip Tints, and the Revlon Just Bitten Balm Stains but I find that the dark purple/black color scheme isn't very flattering. It looks and feels cheap. I've also read a lot of reviews on the internet with consumers having problems with the product breaking and falling out the tube. I dropped my Jumbo Gloss Balm on the bathroom floor mat one morning and the same thing happened to me. I originally thought it was just an accident but after reading about so many other women having similar experiences, I'm beginning to believe it might be a design flaw on the part of CoverGirl.


CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in "Ballet Twist" 
Here is the color swatched on my lips. "Ballet Twist" is averagely pigmented. It is not very buildable but it does make my lips a lovely shimmer nude color. Even after three weeks of testing out this lip color, I am still a bit torn. I like the way it looks on my lips. It is more lightweight than my other nude lipsticks (Revlon "Nude Attitude" or MAC "Myth") and it also has a subtle sheen (and thus I don't feel like I have to wear a lip gloss every time).

But at the same time this isn't the product that I thought I was buying from CoverGirl. This is not a gloss or a balm. It feels like any other moisturizing drugstore lipstick (although maybe a tad bit lighter) and while it does have a sheen to it, the end result is more similar to a luster finish lipstick than anything else. Maybe my expectations were too high ( I was hoping for a drugstore equivalent to the Tarte LipSurgance LIp Tints) but I was doomed to be disappointed. It is a nice product (I'm not trying to say that it is horrible and no one should buy it) but I'm disappointed that CoverGirl is not making it easier for their consumers to pick out makeup products by naming them appropriately. These probably should have been called CoverGirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Luster Lipstick Pencils--or something like that. I'm not in marketing or advertising, so please don't judge too harshly.

In conclusion, the CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in "Ballet Twist" is an okay product. It is not a true balm or a true gloss but it is a nice nude lipstick for everyday wear (although, beware, it can look a little frosty in certain light). It isn't very buildable and as a result might not show up on people with darker skin tones. 

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