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Monday, July 29, 2013

Review: Claire's French Fries & Macaroni and Cheese Flavored Lip Balms

I was originally going to title this blog post "Reviewing this so you don't have to..." but products are products, and I think that each beauty product I review here deserves a fair shake. That said, I really don't know what compelled me to buy these, but I was at a Claire's at the local outlet mall a while back and when I saw them on sale for 2/$5, I thought, "OK, I just have to know what these smell/taste like."

Just know that I'm fully prepared for the "Disgusting!", "Gross!" and "Why would you buy these?" types of comments and well, if I wasn't actually writing this review, I might be inclined to leave a comment like that here myself!

But I'm writing this review for those of you who, like me, have a mild fascination or curiosity about non-traditional lip balm flavors. So if you're curious too, hopefully this will give you some insight and either make you run for the hills, or seek these out for yourself. So let's get started!

Claire's Flavored Lip Balms in French Fries and Macaroni and Cheese
(retail: $3.50 each, 0.32 oz)


Just in case you were compelled to bite off a chunk, don't do it:


Cute or scary anthropomorphism? You decide.



Although I haven't eaten at a McDonald's in many years, I still remember what their fresh-out-of-the-fryer french fries smell like and when you open this tube of lip balm, it literally smells JUST like that. It's like opening a bag of fries and taking a big whiff. I can detect the potato, the grease and even a touch of salt here.

Flavor-wise, this one misses the mark for me. It tastes kind of like a frozen, processed waffle and there's a touch of sweetness here that just throws me off completely. Both the flavor and fragrance dissipate very quickly.



This doesn't smell so much like mac & cheese to me as it does the neon orange powder of the old-school blue box variety. I'm a sucker for that blue box so you know what? I LIKE the smell of this. There. I said it. Judge if you must.

Flavor-wise, this actually does taste like the old-school blue box mac & cheese. Incredible. I get the powdered cheese, the butter and also a hint of cooked pasta in this one. It's definitely not baked, homemade five-cheese mac & cheese but were any of us really expecting that?

Again, the flavor and fragrance dissipate rather quickly with this one (like, within five minutes of application).

And here's something interesting that I wasn't expecting:


The French Fries balm has a pretty strong yellow tint to it. I'm sad to say that this color makes me think that I'm actually applying coagulated french fry grease to my lips but, if you can let that go, and you're looking for a yellow-tinted balm, this could be a bonus for you. The Macaroni and Cheese balm has a very, very slight yellow tint to it, but it reads clear on the lips.

FINAL VERDICT: Definitely not for everyone but if you've been curious about these, well now you know! My favorite of the two (if "favorite" is the correct word here) would be Macaroni and Cheese, because it brings back memories of old school neon orange cheese powder, and the taste is pretty spot-on as well. French Fries is fun for the scent alone, but it tastes nothing like french fries on my lips. In terms of formula, these lip balms are pretty standard when it comes to generic, inexpensive lip balms--sort of greasy, a bit grainy and not really something I'd reach for if I needed any real hydration. This could be a fun gag-gift, but it's not something I'd reach for again and again, although the scents do satisfy my cravings, in a really weird way. I don't know...if you're still curious after reading this review, then these might be worth a shot. Otherwise, I think you get the general idea, right?

Do you own any "strange" lip balm flavors? If so, tell us all about them in the comments. I'd love to hear!

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
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37 comments

  1. I totally love that you reviewed these!

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  2. LOL
    this entertained me to no end XD

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  3. Ewwwwwwwwww. My stomach is literally clenched up, but I couldn't turn away from this review!

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  4. G you're awesome! Where is this Claire's outlet? Las Americas?

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    1. Haha, thank you! And yep, Las Americas. But I just found out it's not a real outlet--just a regular store (although I swear I saw stuff there I haven't seen in regular stores).

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  5. G, throwing herself on weirdly-scented grenades since 2013! ;) You're a brave woman and I salute you.

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    1. Hahahahaha!!! Omg I'm dying over here! ;)

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  6. I am in love with the smiling macaronia. Fun products!

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    1. Lol! They're both cute and scary to me. ;)

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  7. Actually, I was a bit concerned when I saw on the label "Not to be eaten". I mean, I know you shouldn't take a bite out of this, but still it IS going on your lips! And what about young girls who might think it's funny to try and eat it?!? Gross!

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    1. I think it's just said to stop someone from literally eating it because honestly, they do smell just like food! Hopefully nothing too bad would happen if someone did take a bite but I'm pretty sure you'd want to spit it right out due to the texture!

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  8. Haha, so brave of you to try these! I might need to get a couple for gag gifts. I actually vaguely remember having a butter popcorn scented Chapstick when I was younger.

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    1. Thanks! And I vaguely remember a popcorn lip balm too! :)

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  9. i dont even know what to say but i will make no apologies for being intrigued by a lip balm that smells like mcdonalds french fries. maybe it would stop me from wanting to eat them.

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    1. Haha!! In a weird way, it kind of does!!! ;)

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  10. Hahaha, this is awesome! What's next, Popcorn flavor? Fried chicken? Ranch dressing? Haha!

    I have Chapstick in Cake Batter flavor and Bonne Belle in Birthday Cake. Both smell amazing and taste pretty good, with the Chapstick tasting a bit more authentic.

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    Replies
    1. I recall there was a popcorn lip balm a while ago!

      And yep, I reviewed the chapstick cake batter AND the red velvet cake balms a while back here on the blog and they are YUMMY! :)

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    2. Oooh I didn't know about the red velvet! Yum!

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  11. This was hilarious! Oddly enough-- I just signed up for "Loot-something" (I forget the name, it's like a geeky/nerdy/ products subscription, a la Ipsy) and looking at the "past crates" one featured a *bacon lip balm*. After this review, I now feel ready to face a product like that. ;-)

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    1. Ooh I've seen that bacon one before! If you get it, you must let me know what you think! ;)

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  12. Hahahaa, I'm loving the toothy mac that looks like he's saying "cheeeezzz!!!" Can't say these are the weirdest lip balms I've ever seen, as there is a site I came across a while ago that has flavours/scents such as. Cat Pee, Dog Poop, Monkey Fart, annnd I'm saving the best for last...Dingleberry! LOL/ewwww! On the other hand they have over 500 varities to pick from w/ an A-Z list, and they are cruelty-free. The name of the site is My Lip Stuff. I haven't placed an order (yet) but they also come in gloss form. Here's some nice sounding choices: apples + oak,boxedwine,cantaloupe,cedarwood,circus peanut(like the bright/pastel orange colour candy),funnel cake,lychee,london fog(earl tea latte)plum,rose,satsuma,violet,wedding cake, and yuzu. Ps-they also have the buttered popcorn.

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    1. re: MyLipStuff i've ordered from them a few times in the past. the overall texture of the balms is pretty nice, but most of the scents (because they're really more scented than flavoured) i got (and i got a BUNCH) were let-downs. i picked up a cheese one and it was... not good. they go bad pretty quickly, too, and get that funky almost-rancid smell. except for the occasional fun lipbalm fix, now i just stick with Eos balms.

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    2. B.B.: Ok, I thought Spam, Pickles, Bacon, et. al were wild but WOW. That site sounds like the Demeter of lip balm, with a demented twist! I'm intrigued to say the least. ;)

      P.S. Earl grey latte sounds divine.

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    3. T.T.P : aaaaw, what a bummer! I hate it when lip balms "turn" before their time. :(

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  13. Hi, I have been following your blog for awhile but this is the first time I am commenting. Thanks for this review! Like you, I am also drawn to oddly flavored/scented lip balms. If I ever see these in store, I might pick one (or both) of them up...

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    1. Hi Diana!! So happy you commented! :)

      I would LOVE to know what you think of these if you try them. That are definitely an "experience"! Haha!

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  14. This is kind of cool. Makes me wonder what kind of other odd flavors there are out there. Etsy has some odd ones, but these are probably the weirdest I've seen.

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    1. Heidi, if you want more "weird" definitely check out BubblegumBengal's comment above! I have seen Spam, Bacon and Pickles flavored lip balms before but the ones she listed take the cake! Lol! ;)

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  15. My dd got the m&c one too! She got the bacon for her dad.. The m&c one does smell/taste like cheese powder. The bacom was like maple bacon
    Kinda sweet bacon. Love this review!!!


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  16. just when I thought I couldn't love you any more..

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  17. hahaha! I loved this review. I was actually chuckling to myself as I read it :) And I love all kinds of chapstick so I'm glad you reviewed these, I am somewhat intrigued...

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  18. I am OBSESSED with a lip balm brand called For Goodness Grape. Tons of flavor/scent options to chooses from like Pizza, Beer and Bacon. My all time favorite though is Circus Peanuts! I am addicted to those orange peanut shaped blobs of sugar and the lip balm NAILS IT! If you love lip balm as much as I do, you should check out For Goodness Grape!

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  19. Thanks, Kathleen! COMPLETE lipstuffaholic here- you have me riveted!!! I'm going to check that site out now!!!

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