Covergirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm - Swatch & Review!

Today's post is about a new lip product release from Covergirl that was announced a few months ago. I found this on a new end-cap display last week while browsing leisurely at London Drugs and I thought I would pick one up for review! It is the Covergirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm and I chose the shade 225 Rose Twist.

Looks like Covergirl is one of the latecomers when it comes to releasing some form of "jumbo lip" product, as it's preceded, already, by numerous products like LipSurgence by Tarte, Chubby Sticks by Clinique, Lip Gloss Stick by Pur Minerals, and (most recently, i.e. summer 2012) Revlon JustBitten Kissable Balm Stain. All these products share similar packaging - a chubby pencil case with a cap and a twist-up bottom for the lip colour. Here is the CG gloss beside the Revlon Balm Stain:

Doesn't it look so similar? Haha! Covergirl gloss balm also appears to be a little bit shorter than Revlon's Balm Stain but actually, CG offers 3.8gm of products where as Revlon only offers 2.7gm, so CG wins this round for generosity.

As previously mentioned, the shade I chose was 255 Rose Twist, which compared to the others on the rest of the display, appeared to be the most natural and wearable shade. Seemed like a good tester products that's more on the safe side. The shade name is printed on the wrapper, but once that is removed, no where else on the packaging are you able to located the name anymore. This is one of my pet peeves...I'm likely to forget this name if I didn't take this picture! On a (small) plus side, there is a small sticker on the bottle of the pencil that has the number printed, so at least it's not ALL gone.

The tip of the product is nicely tapered to a point, and twists up from the bottom - no sharpening!

Swatched - 5 swipes across

The claim of the product is printed right on the tube, concise and precise - "sheer color, soft shine". I couldn't agree more. The claim is neither under-spoken nor exaggerated; it is quite an accurate description of what Covergirl's LipPerfection Jumbo Lip Gloss Balm will do for your lips. The colour is indeed on the sheer side - it's kind of like 40% lip balm, 25% lipstick, and 25% lip gloss, if you get what I mean. It's moisturizing on the lips, but it looks even better with an actual lip balm as the base layer first. That being said, my lips did not dry out after applying, which is always a plus :) The colour payoff is not the strongest amongst other similar lip products, Revlon's JustBitten Kissable Balm Stain is indeed the stronger contender in this department. CG Gloss Sticks are also NOT a stain, therefore it doesn't leave any lasting colour behind after it fades. This may be preferable to those who loves to change lip colours several times a day, and likewise not as desirable to those who enjoy minimal reapplication of lip products through the course of a day. The shine that it gives is quite noticeable upon initial application on the lips, bit wears off relatively soon. However, the colour definitely lingers longer.

The CG Gloss Balm is minimally scented; what little scent/taste it has is very similar to a typical lipstick. That is something that stuck me as odd, as I was half-expecting to find a minty scent similar to the Revlon JustBitten Kissable Balm Stains (likely because I've been using that for so long now!).

Wear-time is moderate, the color lasted through about 2 hours of chatting and drinking. I pretty much didn't remember I had on any lip colour until I wiped my lips with a tissue to prepare for the main course! The gloss balm has a very light-weight feeling on the lips, which is quite nice.

Lip close-up!

All in all, I think this is a nice little product to have, especially for those who are just venturing in the the lip products category, it's easy to apply and is pretty much fool proof. If you are looking for a product that has better lasting power and a stronger colour payoff right from the start, then a better candidate would be the Revlon JustBitten Kissable Balm Stains. I paid $8.99 + tax for this at London Drugs, it was not on sale, and in my honest opinion I don't think it's really worth that price tag. However, if I spot it on sale next, I think I will try one more of the bolder colours and see how it performs! :)

Until next time,
Joanne