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Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Review: Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks in Berry Bright and Soft Raspberry

These new jumbo lip pencils from Neutrogena have been getting lots and lots of raves across the internet, and if you think this review is just going to add to the chorus, you're right! No suspense here, my lovelies. These lip colors are fan-freaking-tastic. I purchased two shades a few weeks ago at Rite Aid, and I'm beyond pleased with both. Take a look:

Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks in Berry Bright and Soft Raspberry
(retail: around $8.99 each, 0.11 oz)
From the Ulta website:
Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks instantly moisturize lips, while continuously conditioning them so they are softer and smoother in just 3 days with nothing on them. Made with fruit extracts along with mango and shea butter, the balm-like formula glides on easily, providing a sheer wash of moisturizing color that lasts for hours. In addition, the twist up package allows for perfect application each time with no sharpener needed.

  • Twist-up color; no sharpener needed
  • Lips feel moisturized for hours; Dermatologist tested
  • Ingredients: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Phenyl Trimethicone, Polybutene, Petrolatum, Hydrogenated Lanolin, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Ozokerite Cetyl Lactate, Myristyl Myristate, Polyethylene, Bis-Behenyl/Isostearyl/Phytosteryl Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Silica, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Flavor, Stearoxymethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Silica Silylate, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Tribehenin, Maltodextrin, Sorbitan Isostearate, Lactic Acid, Punica Granatum Pericarp Extract, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide. May Contain: Mica, Synthetic Wax, Titanium Dioxide, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Iron Oxides, Red 7 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Red 6, Red 33 Lake, Isopropyl Titanium Triisostearate, Blue 1 Lake, Tin Oxide, Yellow 6 Lake, Carmine.
    Keep reading for my full review...

    Berry Bright


    Berry Bright is a little chameleon and at first you'll think it's a cool-toned berry shade but once it's on the lips, you'll see that there's a bit of a warm undertone to this one. If you usually can't pull off cooler pink/berry shades, I think this one might work out quite well for you. This shade contains fine shimmer.

    Soft Raspberry


    Whenever I buy a shade that looks mauve in the tube, I'm always a little bit scared to try it on. Mauves can be super cool and make my lips look blue sometimes. Thankfully, Soft Raspberry is more of a plummy mauve, and it has just enough warmth to it to make it look like a nice nudish-pinky-brown on my lips. Just like Bright Berry, this shade also contains fine shimmer.


    Bright Berry

    Soft Raspberry

    Texture and consistency: These lip colors definitely have a balm-y feel to them. They're smooth and creamy and a tiny bit slick. They feel nice and light on the lips, although not so light that they feel like they're going to disappear in ten minutes. There's no grittiness to these and they feel quite comfortable from beginning to end.

    Pigmentation and shine: I find the pigmentation to be impressive (much better than I was expecting). I'd say the pigmentation is just a notch or two below Revlon Balm Stains (at least the two colors I purchased). They don't have crazy eye-searing pigmentation on the first swipe, but they build beautifully without having to go over your lips a dozen times. There isn't an intense shine to these (at least the shades I purchased) but they do have a subtle shine--they're definitely not matte.

    Staying power and moisturization: Let me put it to you this way. I was testing a lip color recently that was quite drying, and a few hours after that lip color wore off, my lips felt parched and I could feel little flakes starting to form. I decide to apply Soft Raspberry to my lips and by the time that wore off, I was shocked to find that my lips felt smooth and hydrated with no flakes. This happens every time I wear these--I'm always so pleasantly surprised to find my lips smoother and softer than they were before. Seriously, these have to be the most moisturizing lip colors I've purchased from the drugstore in quite some time. I know for a fact I have actual lip balms that deliver less hydration than these lip colors. Staying power is not stellar, but since these are so hydrating and creamy on the lips, I kind of expected to get about two hours of wear from and that's exactly what I usually get.

    Flavor and fragrance: Both the flavor and fragrance remind me of peaches with maybe just a touch of watermelon or cantaloupe. It's a fun fragrance and the flavor is peachy-melon-ish too, although it's not sugary sweet.

    FINAL VERDICT: If you're looking for a lip color that you can wear as a sheer wash and also easily build for more intensity, and you also want that lip color to be moisturizing and come in shades that are super easy to wear, I think you might be quite pleased with Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks. I absolutely love the two shades that I purchased (although I tend to favor Soft Raspberry because it's so wearable with my usual earthtone eye looks) and I will definitely be purchasing more of them. The only downside I can think of when it comes to these lip colors is that the staying power in no way compares to Revlon Balm Stains. I can only get about two hours of wear from MoistureSmooth Color Sticks, but I personally find that an acceptable trade-off considering their hydration. Combine that with the fun fragrance and flavor and I actually find myself looking forward to reapplying these babies. I can't say that for a lot of lip colors I own, but these are kind of amazing. I highly recommend them.

    Do you own any Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks? I would absolutely love the hear what you think of them!
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    29 comments

    1. I just bought some for the first time at Ulta this last week after Emily of Beauty Broadcast talked about them in one of her videos. The only 2 colors that had left at Ulta were Warm Caramel & Plum Perfect. I was really wanting the Sweet Watermelon color. The Plum Perfect is fantastic, but the Warm Caramel barely showed up on my lips. I can't wait to try some more colors!

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      Replies
      1. Glad to hear Emily likes them too! Sorry to hear the lighter shade didn't show up on your lips though. Good to know--I hate it when that happens. :(

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      2. Omg Emily got me hooked on these as well! I watched her one brand tutorial on neutrogena and in the end when she talked about these I was like I have to try those. Now I am in love with them<3 They really are extremely moisturizing and I love how wearable they are and they smell so good:D

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    2. Are there any shades without all the fine shimmer? My lip size + shimmer = clownish lips. I love Soft Raspberry on you though!

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      Replies
      1. I'm not 100% sure but I think they all contain shimmer, though it may be more dominant in certain shades.

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    3. I really really want to love these, but the scent/taste gives me a headache and makes me faintly queasy. I hate scented makeup, and while I can sometimes deal on higher-end products, scented drugstore products usually mean I can't use it. I'm too sensitive to perfumes in general (I can't wear it and people wearing it around me can make me ill depending on how strong it is) and this just...ugh. I'll stick to my Clinique chubby stick intenses - they're more expensive, but they don't make me sick.

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      Replies
      1. Sorry to hear that. :( I love the scent of these, but I can certainly understand that it you're sensitive to fragrance, these could be a bit much.

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      2. Thanks for posting rebecca. I'm super sensitive to fragrance also (note the "Welcome to my fragrance free home" greeting on my front door) and had to return the new PF lip gloss due to smell. Guess I can skip these as well, sigh...

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    4. Got sweet watermelon. Smells like grapefruit. Niiiiiiiiiiiice.

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    5. I first heard these when Beauty Broadcast raved about them, but I hadn't heard about it anywhere else. So intriguing! I think I need to try these myself! Thanks for the review!

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    6. I absolutely loved the way these feel on my lips, but as a WOC with darker lips, I couldn't build these up to an acceptable level of intensity. I do, however sleep in them because they feel that great! Just wish the color payoff was better because the formula is fantastic!

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      1. Siz, I would love to know which shades you tried. Bright Berry seems like it would work well for WOC, but I would love to know if i'm off the mark about that one. Thanks!

        Oh, and i'm so happy you find these hydrating too--at least the ones you got weren't a total bust!

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    7. After this review I'm going to have to get every one of them. My lips crave moisture and I refuse to wear anything that will dry them out further. I've tossed so many new lip products that was nothing more than parchment in a tube and am fed up with false claims of moisturization. These seem quite promising! Thx for the awesome review.

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      Replies
      1. You're so welcome! I really hope you find them as moisturizing as I do! Keep me posted? :)

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    8. I cursed Neutrogena for not selling makeup in Canada, first for their liquid foundation, now this :(

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      Replies
      1. Haha! I'll trade you some of these for some Annabelle goodies. ;)

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    9. How do these compare with Clinique Chubby Sticks? I absolutely love mine, so I'm wondering if these are a dupe. x

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      Replies
      1. They aren't quite the same. I find these more moisturizing. They also contain shimmer, which the chubby sticks don't.

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      2. Sadly, I don't own any of those (crazy, I know!) so I couldn't tell you. They do feel similar to Tarte Lipsurgence, but Tarte has better staying power.

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    10. These sound interesting, but do they have any without shimmer? I've never been a fan of it.

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      Replies
      1. I'm not completely sure, but I THINK they all have shimmer. Although it seems more apparent in certain shades.

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    11. I have bright berry and love it, but I think the lighter colors are way too frosty- the papaya one was, had to return it. Why did they have to put shimmer in all of these??

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      1. Hey G! So they DO all contain shimmer then? I thought that was the case, but like I mentioned in the comments above, the shimmer seems more dominant in certain shades. And judging by what you said, the lighter shades seem more shimmer-laden than the deeper shades. I prefer my lighter shades shimmer-free or at least very subtle, so that's a bummer!

        Glad to hear you like Bright Berry too though!

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      2. As far as I can tell, all have shimmer - that's going on appearance, but it looked quite strongly that way.

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    12. I got 3 of these and love them. I got the watermelon, raspberry, and peach ones. They feel so good on the lips. I'm not usually a huge fan of shimmer but it doesn't bother me much with these. I really like them.

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    13. I would rather not have the shimmer, but these sound so nice to wear that I just might have to consider them. It would be nice to have something a little less formal for everyday use--lol right now all I own in the lip department is one tube of classic red lipstick!

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    14. I have these in Bright Berry and Fresh Papaya. I agree with G - super moisturizing, great color and finish, though the color fades somewhat quickly. I have also used the Chubby Sticks and I like these better for moisture and shine.

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