September 11, 2012

Drugstore lip balm showdown: Maybelline vs Revlon vs Neutrogena vs L’oreal

I’ve been wanting to do a comparison between the major drugstore brand colored lip balms, and now that I finally got my hands on the L’oreal balms, it’s finally time for a showdown :D Here are our contestants:

From left to right: Maybelline Baby Lips, Revlon Lip Butter, Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balm, and L’oreal Colour Riche Balm

Ready? May the best lip balm win!

Maybelline Baby Lips

Left to right: Cherry Me, Pink Punch, and Quenched

Packaging ♥♥♥♥♥
Very average lip balm packaging, not too great but not terrible either. I do like the clear cap, which makes finding the colors easier. The bright colors of the case and the typography also adds some pizazz to the overall product :)

Color ♥♥♥♥♥
Though they claim to have “6″ shades, 2 of these are clear, so really there are only 4. What’s great about these 4 shades is that they’re totally different: you have a red, a pink, a violet, and a peach. Though these colors sound and look bold, the wash is actually very sheer, so they’re very wearable. Though in my opinion, the colors are a bit too sheer, and you really need to layer it on to get some color.

Moisturization ♥♥♥♥♥
Baby lips is a very fitting name for the product because it does make my lips very soft :D There’s no waxy residue when applied and it actually has decent staying power! The SPF20 is great, so not only are your lips moisturized, but also protected from the sun. I’ve actually used Quenched as an evening lip treatment and it works quite well.

Revlon Lip Butters

Left to right: Sweet Tart and Tutti Frutti

Packaging ♥♥♥♥♥
Love the packaging, the frosted plastic cap with the quilted ridges/pattern makes this look like a high-end product! I love how the cap color also reflects the actual lip balm color – again, easy identification :)

Color ♥♥♥♥♥
These little babies come in 20 different shades, and the only problem with that is I want to buy them all D: The colors are extremely pigmented for what you’d expect in a tinted lip balm, and with the huge selection, it’s easy to find a shade that flatters you. I have 7 of these and plan on buying more, but just from the 7 it was difficult to pick my favorites – they’re all so gorgeous!

Moisturization ♥♥♥♥♥
For lip balms this pigmented, you’d think it’d lack in the moisture department – wrong! It applies like butter on your lips and makes them feel very soft and supple. The moisturizing element is definitely there – though it’s slightly less than what I get from Maybelline Baby Lips. It’s also a shame that these don’t have SPF :(

Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balms

Reviewed these already in a previous post. Next!

L’oreal Colour Riche Balms

Left to right: Nourishing Nude and Rose Elixir

Packaging ♥♥♥♥♥
The packaging is very similar to Revlon’s, looking more like a high end lip product than a drugstore one :) But I have a pet peeve: that little ridge at the bottom of the lipstick that has to match the hole in the cap – I always mismatching it and having to fix it -_- Since when did closing your lip balm turn into such a hassle? What a shame :(

Color ♥♥♥♥♥
These come in 8 shades, from pinks to mauves to nudes. However, these are extremely sheer, with the pigmentation level of Maybelline’s Baby Lips. It’s such a shame, because the colors look so gorgeous in the tubes, yet they barely show up on my lips :( I will most likely be returning these and buying the Colour Riche lipsticks instead.

Moisturization ♥♥♥♥♥
In terms of moisturization, it’s on par with Revlon Lip Butters, though it doesn’t feel quite as rich when applied, nor does it seem to last as long. Where it does seem to excel is it’s SPF15. Yes, even our lips need sun protection ;)

Swatches & Conclusion

1. L’oreal Rose Elixer; 2. L’oreal Nourishing Nude; 3. Neutrogena Petal Glow; 4. Revlon Tutti Frutti; 5. Revlon Sweet Tart 6. Maybelline Cherry Me; 7. Maybelline Pink Punch

See how sheer the L’oreal Colour Riche Balms are? On the other hand, look how much color the Revlon Lip Butters pack! :D

1. Maybelline Pink Punch; 2. Maybelline Cherry Me; 3.Revlon Sweet Tart; 4. Revlon Tutti Frutti; 5. L’oreal Nourishing Nude; 6. L’oreal Rose Elixer;

Again, notice how the Revlon Lip Butters just have such rich colors. The Maybelline Baby Lips leave a nice tint, but only after aggressive layering. On the other hand, the L’oreal Colour Riche Balms were hopeless, no matter how many times I applied them :(

Winner: Revlon Lip Butters
This was pretty obvious – Revlon won by a landslide for me. Have you tried any of these products before? What are your thoughts on them?

Hope you all found this review/comparison helpful! :)

9 Comments
filed in Fashion & Beauty
  • http://rachel.nu/ Rachel

    I have the Colore Riche Balm in Plush Plum and I don’t find it sheer at all, but that’s probably because it’s a much darker color. I’m not impressed with its moisturization, but it’s definitely not drying. I’ve never tried any of the others, but I had been curious to try the Lip Butters when they came out; maybe now I will. :)

    • http://geekyposh.com/ Jenny @ geekyposh.com

      Yeah, maybe the darker colors would’ve shown up better, but I was really hoping it’d be as pigmented as the Revlon’s, which bwt, I totally recommend :D

  • http://www.silent-white.com/ Cat

    I like that you compared them all! I haven’t tried any of these, but it would be nice to get a balm with color that’s actually moisturizing. I’ll have to try the Revlon ones :)

    • http://geekyposh.com/ Jenny @ geekyposh.com

      I highly recommend the Revlon ones they also have more natural shades if you don’t want such bold colors!

  • http://essencious.org/ Krystal

    I’ve been trying to find a good tinted lip balm. For everyday use I don’t really like using lipstick or gloss. I refer a simple tinted lip balm. My lips are super pale so a bit a colour helps to make me look a bit more awake.

    I’m going to try the revlon lip balm. I’ve always loved Relvon’s lip product packagings. It looks just like a high end product.

    • http://geekyposh.com/ Jenny @ geekyposh.com

      I agree, the Revlon packaging looks really nice If you have paler lips, the L’oreal ones might actually work for you. Not sure about your drugstore’s return policy, but I ended up returning mine today.

  • http://lolitium.net/ nyuu

    I have the Revlon lip butter! I think mine was in the shade of mauve-pink? I don’t remember the name, but it wasn’t a popular color since when I bought it, it was the only shade that there was an abundance of XD But I really liked it. Too bad I can’t seem to find it… =( Maybe I’ll buy a new one ^^;

    • http://geekyposh.com/ Jenny @ geekyposh.com

      Good thing none of the colors were limited editions, so it shouldn’t be hard to find it in stores :)

  • http://profiles.google.com/groovyroo Groovy Roo

    I think the only one I can bought in my country is revlon the other ones arent available. But I have dry skin and lips as well I try the nivea ones are awesome the one is cherry lip butter with sp as well and is soft and smell sooo good. You should try it.