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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Review: L'Oreal Colour Riche Glossy Balms in Baby Berry and Vintage Rose

Since all L'Oreal cosmetics are 40% off this week at Rite Aid (now through 8/23), I thought it would be the perfect time to share my review of two of the new Glossy Balms, in case you haven't seen them yet. I actually picked these up at Rite Aid when the display first started popping up in my area, and I've been wearing them off and on for about three weeks now. Ready for my verdict? Let's take a look...

L'Oreal Colour Riche Glossy Balms in Vintage Rose and Baby Berry
(retail: around $7.99 each, 0.09 oz)

The L'Oreal Colour Riche Glossy Balms are available in eight shades ranging from Lovely Mocha (lightest) to Deep Plum (darkest). I decided to purchase a medium-warm shade and a medium-cool shade. 


The first time I opened the tube of Vintage Rose, I gouged the tip with the lid. Don't you hate that?


In the pic above, I tried to show you that both of these shades actually contain very fine glitter flakes. Here's a close-up of Vintage Rose, where you can really see the glitter:


three light swipes of each shade on bare skin

Based on the tube colors, I was totally expecting Baby Berry to be a warm-toned red, and Vintage Rose to be a cool-toned pink. WRONG! It's actually more the other way around. Baby Berry is a cooler-toned cherry red, while Vintage Rose is a warmer-toned mauve-ish berry. I've mentioned before that, for me personally, L'Oreal lip colors are rarely what I expect them to be judging by how they look in the tube (they always seem to be different on my skin vs. the tube). Well, these are no exception! I was hoping the tube shades might be a little bit more color-accurate with this new line, but I do not find that to be the case with these two shades. At any rate, both shades work for my skintone so that's a relief!


In the store, I didn't notice the sparkle embedded in the tubes themselves (see my pics of the tubes above). I'm holding the tubes in my hand right now and, from a regular distance, I do not see the sparkle embedded in the plastic, and the labels don't give any indication that these contain glitter. I don't know if all of the shades in this range contain glitter, but just a heads-up that you'll need to look closely at the tubes themselves to give you any indication. I tried my best to enlarge the pic above but I know it's still a bit difficult to see. Baby Berry contains pink iridescent glitter, while Vintage Rose contains gold iridescent glitter. These glitter flakes are quite fine and densely-packed. They don't translate as a full-on "glitter bomb" on the lips, but the glitter is noticeable (especially in direct sunlight). More on that in a moment...

Texture and consistency: These lip colors feel very slick and light on the lips. These are not heavy, thick balms--they are so creamy that they almost cross the line from creamy to greasy. Even though they contain fine glitter, I don't feel any grittiness from either shade. These lip colors are very emollient and they have a nice, shiny finish. They're true to their name as I find these very "glossy" on the lips.

Pigmentation and staying power: These have the look of a tinted lip balm, but with the shine of a gloss. They're sheer (like a tinted lip balm) but they do pack some color and they have a shinier finish than your average tinted lip balm. You can build for more intensity, but neither shade I purchased ever becomes fully opaque like, for instance, Revlon Balm Stains. The word "stain" is not in the name of these lip colors, so don't expect incredible staying power. Due to their light, slick, balmy texture, I can get about one to two hours of wear from these colors. Neither shade leaves a stain behind, but I DO notice an abundance of very fine glitter particles on my lips after the color has faded. This surprised me a bit since the glitter doesn't have an extremely strong presence before the color starts to fade. But as the color fades, the glitter does become a lot more pronounced.

Flavor and fragrance: I detect no fragrance or flavor to these balms (rare for L'Oreal, I know!). If anything, the flavor reminds of plain Vaseline petroleum jelly, but even more mild.

FINAL VERDICT: In terms of pigmentation, color, texture and finish, the new L'Oreal Glossy Balms are exactly what you would expect them to be based on their name. What I did not expect was the color variance (from tube to lips) and the abundance of tiny glitter particles in each shade. For that reason, I'm a bit torn about the two shades I purchased. On the one hand, they feel lovely on the lips and I love both of the colors. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of residual glitter that lingers on my lips after my lip color has faded. For that reason, I don't think I'd purchase additional shades unless I knew for sure that those shades didn't contain glitter. But if you're a glitter lover and you don't mind some lingering sparkle, I think you might enjoy these if you love sheer, buildable colors with lots of shine. I really like that L'Oreal skipped both flavor and fragrance with this new line, since I know that some of you don't enjoy the signature flavor/fragrance of Colour Riche lip colors.

Do you own any L'Oreal Glossy Balms? I'd love to hear about YOUR experiences!

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

  1. Ick, residual glitter on lips is not my thing...especially since on rounds with hot doctors ;) But the colors are pretty! ^_^

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    1. Lol! Yeah, the glitter is very fine, but when i look in the mirror I can definitely see it there after the color has faded. :(

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  2. I hate when they add glitter, they must be trying to attract teenagers? Really, how many adult women want a glitterfest on their face for everyday? I have a couple of the lighter colors that I love, but did not notice glitter if there is any, will have to look. Nude Chic by Jordana is one of my faves but it leaves too much glitter when the glossy part wears off, such a disappointment.

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    1. I would LOVE to know if you notice any glitter in the shades you own (after you give them a closer look). Sounds like good news so far, since you didn't notice any!

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  3. That's weird. Your review sound like what I thought about Revlon Lacquer balms, which definitely left a noticeable ring of glitter around my lips when the color faded. Luckily I was only testing it out at home and returned it the next day. Anyway, I just took a look at my L'oreal Vintage Rose and could not find any glitter, not even mircro glitter. I applied it and again, no glitter is to be found. The same for the shades Ginger Candy and My Babydoll.

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    1. How weird is that?? There's definitely glitter in my Vintage Rose, and I especially see the gold particles on my lips after it has faded! What's up with that? Maybe I should exchange it and see if it was only in a certain batch?? Hum...

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    2. All right, so I took several looks at Vintage Rose under different types of lights. I was finally able to spot glitter! However, the size is so miniscule that I wasn't able to see it without the aid of magnification nor can I feel it on my lips. All I can detect is a shiny and sheer color. Wow, I am honestly baffled! I might have to take advantage of the sale at RA to pick up another Vintage Rose to see if the amount of glitter is consistent.

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    3. Interesting! Well as I mentioned in my review, these don't look like glitter bombs on my lips, but I do see sparkle when the light catches my lips. It's really when the color has faded that the glitter really comes out for me. If you could, I would love if you'd look at your lips (in sunlight) after the color is gone. I'm so curious if you notice the residual glitter too! If you don't, then I'll be convinced that these vary from batch to batch! Lol! :)

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    4. So, I applied it in sunlight and did notice itty-bitty, teeny tiny flecks of glitter/shimmer. It just blended in so well that it gave an even shine to my lips. I was worried that after an hour or so I'd look like I was starting a new trend of glitter lined bare lips. Luckily, once the color faded, there was no residual glitter to be found.

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  4. Vintage Rose looks beautiful, but it does not look like anything I'd expect from the tube. I may grab that one but I'm torn. Never been a fan of glitter. I wish these companies would label their lipsticks and eyeshadows to let buyers know if they're shimmery, metallic, glittery, etc.

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    1. Looking at these comments, you may not find glitter in yours! I would give it a shot while they're on sale but of course keep your receipt! :)

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    2. If I find that shade on sale I'm sure I'll snag it. That swatch you shared is gorgeous. If it's shimmery I can probably live with that, but if it's crazy-glittery, it'll go back!

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  5. How do these compare to the Neutrogena or Cover Girl gloss sticks? Those are two of my favorites of this type of lip product.

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    1. I think the Neutrogena ones are creamier because they're a bit thicker, while these are thinner and almost greasy in consistency. Also, the Neutrogena ones all contain shimmer, whereas these don't have shimmer. I haven't tried the CGs yet, but I do own some CG Queen Collection shades, and I think the CG Queen balms are a little less pigmented than these, but a similar texture. Hope that helps!

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  6. Aw, sorry, G! That stinks when lippies throw you off like that ={

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  7. I picked up the Baby Berry last week and to be honest, I don't see the glitter on the lips. I think these are my second favorite lip pencils, behind the Neutrogena ones.

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    1. That's great news, but how weird is that?? I was wearing Baby Berry the other day and when I looked in my rearview mirror, my lips were covered with fine pink glitter (after the color had faded), I mentioned above that maybe there's a difference between batches? So strange!

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    2. Really weird! That's one of the reasons I stopped using the Revlon lip butter in peah parfait. Left a ton of gold glitter on my lips...I looked like a crazed showgirl!

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  8. I got Lovely Mocha and Innocent Coral. Both are creams to me. I like Lovely Mocha a lot as a neutral, MLBB shade. I don't have many shades like this one.

    These are easy to apply and they have some shine to them, but they don't last long especially after some eating/drinking. I don't know if I want to get other shades since the shades aren't that special.

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  9. Seems I am in the minority here. I love a good glittery lip and I don't mind residual on my lips, I usually just swipe on some Carmex lip balm and let the glitter shine on! Once I looked at the photos I decided that I will want to check these out and the fact that they don't smell like regular L'Oreal lipstick sold me further! I cannot tolerate the scent at all!
    I am going to Rite Aid today to stock up on NYC Grand Central Station, so I plan to take a look at the shades! Great review G.!

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  10. I picked these two shades, and I see no glitter in mine. If there's any in there it's super fine. I love these, though. Very nice and moisturizing. The rose shade is MLBB and the berry one has a nice shine and pigment.

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  11. I loved these! But I absolutely hate the scent :(

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