Review: Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balms SPF20

I've had my eye on Maybelline Baby Lips lip balms for months now, so I was thrilled to receive all six shades for review recently. I have been testing these out for a few weeks and I'd love to share my thoughts with you in case you have yet to try these yourself.

Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm SPF20

(retail: around $3.50 each, 0.15 oz)

According to the Maybelline website, these balms are described as follows:

No more basic lip balm
Lip renew formula and 8-hr hydration for visibly renewed lips in 4 weeks.
Clinical care for baby-soft lips.

There is no denying that the packaging of these lip balms is ADORABLE:

I also appreciate that the sticks fully retract into the tubes:

It's hard to tell from my pics, but one of the shades, Peach Kiss, has some shimmer to it. The rest of the shades do not contain any shimmer. 

Pigmentation: These are not heavily-pigmented lip balms in the vein of Revlon Lip Butters. These are more like traditional tinted lip balms that deliver a sheer wash of color to the lips. On my lips, the two most pigmented shades are Peach Kiss and Pink Punch. Peach Kiss is a shimmery nude that borders on frosty. Pink Punch is a cool-toned pink that is big on color and, on my lips, almost appears as an orchid pink rather than a bubblegum pink. It's much more lovely on the lips than I expected. Both Quenched and Peppermint are clear. Grape Vine is a purple-ish wine shade and Cherry Me, the one I was expecting to love the most, is a warm pink that doesn't quite look like the sheer cherry red I was hoping it would be. With the exception of Peach Kiss, which is shimmery/frosty and more on the opaque side, these balms are sheer and  do not contain any shimmer.

Texture: These balms glide on the lips pretty effortlessly. The consistency is not heavy, thick or waxy; they are thinner balms that feel slick on the lips yet they do not feel greasy.  I've heard a few people say that they thought these balms just "sat" on their lips without actually penetrating. I can understand how someone might feel that way, especially if they did not apply a generous amount. If you tend to be delicate with application, I'm not sure if you would feel a significant amount of protection or moisturization from these lip balms. However, I tend to be a bit more heavy-handed with my lip balms and perhaps because of that, they tend to coat my lips and provide some nice protection and moisturization for me personally. I have not been using these products for four weeks (the amount of time Maybelline states will provide visible results) so I can't comment on that. However, I can comment that the "8-hr hydration" is more like 3-4 hours for me. After about three hours, I do feel the need to reapply this product.

Flavor/fragrance: All in all, I think these balms have a nice, soft fragrance to them, and the flavor level tends to vary from shade to shade (some have stronger flavors than others). For the most part, the flavor and fragrance match the name of each shade (Pink Punch smells and tastes like pink punch, and so forth), however Quenched (one of the clear shades) is a bit different and it's actually my favorite of the bunch (in terms of flavor and fragrance). If you remember my original post about Baby Lips last summer, then you might recall that Elle.com first broke the news about this collection in their Big Reveal. At that time, they said that one of the flavors would be Lemon Basil. Well I didn't equate the name "Quenched" with lemon basil at first, but after using it I quickly discovered the wonderful lemon note to this balm. While I can't quite pick out the basil note, I do detect a tiny bit of earthiness to both the fragrance and flavor, and the combination is absolutely wonderful to me.

FINAL VERDICT: While I don't think these lip balms are revolutionary, I do think they have some nice things going for them. The packaging is adorable, the fragrances and flavors are soft yet fun, and Pink Punch in particular delivers some very nice pigmentation. If you're looking for a lovely lemon-scented balm, I would check out Quenched for sure. I think these balms feel nice and light on the lips, deliver a lovely wash of color and they also provide some nice moisturization and protection for me personally (and I REALLY love that they're SPF20). I also appreciate that they're paraben-free and contain shea butter. For around $3, I think they're a fun new addition to the beauty aisle.

Do you already own any Baby Lips lip balms? If so, what shades do you own and how do you like them?

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.