January 9, 2013

Cover Girl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm Review & Swatches

Cover Girl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm have recently launched as part of Covergirl’s Spring 2013 Collection. These are a chubby tinted balm pencil that gives lips a kiss of color and is available in sixteen shades.

The glossy balm pencil has really mad a huge dent in the lip market. There are a good deal of brands releasing these types of pencils lately every since Clinique broke the market with their own chubby pencils. Soon after drugstores started catching up and releasing their own version. Spring seems to be getting a mighty push for this type of pencil as I see a good deal of brands launching them including Neutrogena.

Cover Girl has the chance to rule the market though since there gloss balm pencil has a good deal of variety backing it. Revlon also has a nice shade selection to take advantage of. I think variety of shades can definitely be a tip off in the right direction.

How’s the formula though?

These are pretty much your standard chubby pencil design housing .13 oz of product with a swivel up design. The swivel up design means you won’t need a sharpener.

Mauve Twist, Scarlett Twist, Coral Twist, Apricot Twist

The pencils are easy to use on the go and travel very friendly-like for touch ups. They offer sheer to medium color pay off depending how much you apply with a balm-y texture that isn’t as dry as Revlon’s Kissable Balm Stain and not as moisturizing as Tarte’s LipSurgence or Clinique Chubby Balm. The balm-like texture is a little heavier on my lips and does accentuate dryness and flaky areas so be sure to prep well prior to application to avoid a less than smooth lip look. I didn’t love the texture on my lips to be honest, they felt a little too heavy and they looked less than smooth.� Plus they had no real shine or glossiness to them which was disappointing.� They do provide quite good color but I actually prefer Revlon’s version of this pencil since the colors have more vibrancy to them and these have more of a cream finish that I find unflattering.


Coral Twist

Mauve Twist

Apricot Twist

Scarlett Twist

On the upside they do keep lips pleasantly moisturized through the wear and provide a good deal of color.

I’m trying to find reasons why I can’t rave them but it’s hard to say. Pigment is here, some hydration, easy to travel with, convenient to use, price very good ($7.99-$8.99 per pencil sometimes cheaper in the case of BOGO offers)…..they aren’t lacking anything. I think perhaps I’m just a little meh on the color selection. All four shades I tried I wasn’t happy with. They all had unflattering cream finishes that looked very mod on my lips. I also felt a little disappointed at how they seem to accentuate even the smallest amount of dryness on my lips and amp it up to 150. Even if my lips weren’t dry they gave the appearance of being dry.

Scarlett Twist
Apricot Twist
Mauve Twist
In the end I think Cover Girl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm are something you’ll have to try for yourself. You might love them, you might just feel there uneventful, that’s how I felt.

As for me, I think I’ll stick with the Tarte, Clinique, and Revlon’s versions.

If you tried ’em I would LOVE to hear your thoughts.

Available now at drugstores.

I purchased this item.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Alex

    I love these!!! I find the Tarte LipSurgences INSANELY drying and I actually can’t even wear them.

  • Christina

    Muse, I have to disagree on the moisture part – I think that these not only looked matte and dry, but they also felt super dry on me. I had a hard time keeping them on, and kept on wishing I should wipe it off and reapply chapstickx1010101324081204. I found Revlon’s Just Bitten Balms pretty moisturizing though, so I’m not sure what happened with this. Thanks for the review!

    • the Muse

      christina I also found the revlon one’s ok in the moisture department…these are ok for moisture, I mean they have a balm-ness that makes lips feel comfortable through the wear for me but yeah, I guess they do kinda go dry after a while, it’s an odd finish that I really didn’t love….the color seems to sit unnaturally on top of my lips. I thought they were uneventful overall…:-/ I was kinda blaming it on the cream finish but maybe it’s just dryness I’m experiencing :-/

  • blueraccoon

    I picked up two of these and I’m very meh on them. They’re not *bad* per se but I prefer the Revlon or the Clinique crayons (loving the chubby stick intense!) or even the Tarte. I feel like I don’t get enough color payoff out of the Cover Girl crayons plus they just don’t feel as moisturizing as others. It’s not a bad product but I have others I prefer.

    • the Muse

      same here blue…about my thoughts exactly….I just prefer others over these…they aren’t really the best formula I tried in the chubby pencil department.

  • Angela

    I really like the one I have, it’s the berry shade. It feels really nice on my lips and I really liked the color. I will pick up other colors for sure.

  • kimmwc03

    I’m kinda meh on the one I have, watermelon twist. I prefer the Clinique ones. The Revlon and Tarte ones are too minty for my liking. I’d rather just have every color of the Clinique and Clinque Intense ones! 🙂

    • the Muse

      i prefer the clinique as well but also love my revlon/tarte ;-D I don’t mind the mint!

    • RabbitwithFangs

      I hope we get these in Australia, because as kimmwc03 says, the mint in the Revlon is insanely drying! I really like the Mauve on you.

    • the Muse

      smart in my opinion, just didn’t feel they were all that great…!

  • Lulle

    Tried them and loved them! I hated the Revlon version because it was terribly drying on my lips, while these deliver the same amount of moisture and balm-iness as the original Chubby Stick for me. I just wish the shade selection was a little better!

  • Quinctia

    I got this in coral, and I think I actually lucked out that it was slightly less vibrant…just because a couple of those Revlon ones are insanely bright, and I didn’t want a coral that bright.

    Totally personal preference, though!

  • dina

    awww disappointed! thank you for saving me $$, i was ready for all in on these….

  • Simone

    I actually wasn’t looking forward to these. I heard through the grapevine that they’d be sheer, and for me Personally, if I’m going sheer, I’d rather be wearing a real lip balm with a tinted gloss on top.
    Plus, I Lurveeee my Revlon Lip Stains!!

    I picked one up at Target, however, out of simple curiosity… And u know, it’s hard for a beauty junkie to pass on a brand new product popping out at u at an end cap display!

    I turned out pleasantly surprised! Maybe because I had such low expectations…
    But the color I picked out (cocoa twist) works perfectly as a mlbb shade, just fixing any darkish pigmentation on my lips, and evening it out to one literally perfect match to my natural lip shade (cool! Lol)

    So for my no make up, make up days, I have a feeling this will be my new go to shade!

    I will be picking up, rose twist, and mauve twist.

    & to anybody wondering whether to pick one of these up… I’d suggest getting a shade similar to your own lips, since they’re so sheer anyway. Maybe you’ll find your new mlbb lippie!

    • the Muse

      hey simone! I’m glad you like them ;-D I didn’t try cocoa twist…I was going to grab that one but ended up with a few brighter shades, which I didn’t love, perhaps cocoa twist might be better for me ;-D

  • PristinePurity

    These were dry for me…balm should have meant something super moisturising, rite? For me Neutrogena sticks did THE thing…loved them…wanna own all 8…they r soffffttt…color payoff is cool…try them to really know the difference…Thank you Muse.

  • melanie

    Boy I found these to be so dry. I picked up a few from Cover Girl and Revlon. Seems the ones I do enjoy are the ones from neutrogena some what moisturizing and that of a lip balm. the other 2 brands I found heavy, dry and needed to apply a clear lip gloss over. Do these company test there product before putting it on the market?? YET nothing compares to Cliniques chubby sticks.

  • Fröken Frodig

    Ooh, they look lovely! Revlon might be too drying for me, and I love Clinique Chubby sticks… creamy and not glossy is right up my alley. Not as pricey as Clinique either (they will set you back $31 over here). But as a lot of brands I want to try; not available in Sweden.

  • Randi

    I have to say that I think the Cover Girl new lip balm/gloss looks great on your lips Muse.

  • Jules

    Just picked one up in watermelon twist at Walgreens to get some points with my Walgreens card. I opened it immediately in the car, swiped some on and was immediately disappointed. The color was good, bright but not too much, but the texture, smell, and taste was not good at all. I will definitely be sticking with my revlon just bitten balm, which I had in my cart before I saw the points offered with the covergirl. Looks like I will be returning it, thank goodness for a great return policy!

  • Judy

    Hey Muse, so sorry to hear that this didn’t work out ok on you !
    These are only just become available in Australia and I thought a lot about it before I decided to buy (A$15 ea). I picked coral twist and you know what I actually liked it a lot!!! Its super comfy on my lips not drying and I do like the semi-cream finish.
    The only thing I had to complain about is the smell. It tastes like crayon …ewwww

  • Kim

    I’m a bit late to the party on these, but I want to point something out and I’m wondering if it’s just me. I just purchased Ballet Twist, Blush Twist, and Watermelon Twist. I love the first two, but I’ve found with the Watermelon Twist that once it wears off I’m left with this weird glitter layer on my lips. It’s not flattering at all. Has anyone else experienced this?

  • Kayla

    I completely agree with you. I actually liked the product at first, it was very moisturizing and smooth on my lips. But after and hour, it felt soo heavy to the point where I wanted to take it off! 🙁 I definitely prefer Revlon’s version. I actually just reviewed this product in the shade Berry Twist on my blog! 🙂

  • Randie

    The Smoochies are much better ( more color not as sheer,and not drying at all)than The Cover Girl Jumbo Lip perfection Gloss Balm was so sheer( the color was nice and good for my skin tone,Apricot Twist) it didn’t even hardly show up on my lips and was drying on my lips which many other women who have used it said the same things .Luckily I got mine with a free Cover Girl coupon the company sent me and I threw the balm out.

    The Jordana Twist and Shine Lip Balm Stains are very good though as you and many others have said,and the new NYC Twistable Intense Lip Color is very good too,it’s not a balm stain though it’s more of a creamy lipstick type of formula and the color Canal St Coral is really beautiful.