December 19, 2019

Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick Review & Swatches

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.
2 stars out of 5

Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick ($7.99) are a new Spring 2020 hydrating tinted lip oil that hydrates lips and gives them a sheer wash of color with a shiny finish. If you had a sense of déjà vu when you saw these that might be because you’re thinking of the Revlon Kiss Balm that launched back in 2016 or even Maybelline Baby Lips Color Balm Crayon. They kind of look the same don’t they? I wasn’t a huge fan of the Kiss Balm formula but I’m all about trying something new so I purchased two shades of Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick for $7.99 each at Harmon’s. I’d like to say that I find the price absolutely obscene. Revlon’s Kiss Balm are 0.09 oz and $5 each where as Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick are the same size yet nearly $8 each. Granted, places like Walmart will likely have a cheaper price on these but imagine when they hit CVS or Walgreens where drugstore makeup notoriously higher in price? That being said, I wouldn’t mind paying the price if these were say as good as Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Quench Lip Rescue Balm which is a whooping $19 at 0.10 oz. I mean, Tarte’s formula is outstanding and well worth that $19 bucks. So, if Almay gave me something along those lines I likely wouldn’t rant at the price. However, Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick are just a meh for me. As far as I’m concerned nothing could be better than Almay’s Smart Shade Butter Kiss Lipstick!

Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick arrive in pretty nifty packaging. It definitely draws the eye and looks very slick. The barrel is lightweight with an metallic ombre design and the top you can look down into to see the shade inside. The balm swivels up from the bottom and has a dome shape that fits the contour of lips quite nicely. There are six shades available total and all of them have very refined flecks of glitter.

As I said above I’m sort of meh on the formula. When you throw oil around in the name I get excited because I’m thinking slick, hydrating, shiny……I also think I sent up myself for disappointment as I was hoping this formula would be like Tarte’s.

The formula is thicker and I wouldn’t say oily by any means. The texture is a thicker, creamier, hydrating balm. I detected no flavor nor fragrance in this formula. I disliked the way this formula set on my lips as it looked like it was falling into my natural lip lines giving it a uneven and less than smooth finish. In the formula’s defense I will say my lips are chapped at the moment so that might be why it isn’t quite looking as nicely as it should. It does have a hint of shine but the color was very, very sheer (I’m wearing Sweet Escape in my photo below but Dolce de Leche looks exactly the same so I only posted the one picture) but I did select the two lightest shades from the six available so if you select a pink or a red you might find it more pigmented than the light orange and nude that I selected. The refined glitter I mentioned doesn’t quite translate to the finish here and I didn’t really notice it on my lips! I did think they provided nice hydration and kept my lips pleasantly moist for about two or three hours after application.

Almay Dulce De Leche Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick

Almay Sweet Escape Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick

Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick Swatches (Sweet Escape and Dolce de Leche)

Wearing Sweet Escape

I dunno, these were just a meh for me. They are nicely hydrating but the lack of pigment, heavier texture, and small amount of shine they provided just disappointed me a bit. It’s an ok product but I’ve seen better.

Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick are available on Amazon and should be popping up soon at other online retailers.

Where to buy

Amazon

Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick is a new hydrating lip balm launching for Spring 2020 in six shades that provide hydration with a hint of tint. I wasn’t really keen on these. I felt like the texture was a bit heavier for a balm and looked less than smooth on my lips. They apply very sheer with very little color with a hint of shine but not a lot of color. They had a nice hydrating feel and kept my lips pleasantly moist but I wasn’t terribly keen on the texture overall. They had no flavor nor fragrance.

Pros

  • Cute packaging.
  • Nicely hydrating.
  • No flavor nor fragrance.

Cons

  • Heavier texture.
  • Bit expensive.
  • Very sheer, provides very little color.

Who

Almay Color & Care Lip Oil-in-Stick might be a nice pick if you have drier lips but the lack of color and the heavier formula made me feel like there were better options out there!

I purchased this item and I receive a small commission if you shop using the links in this post.

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

  • Adrienne

    These might be a pass for me. Thanks for the review. I’m surprised you found something new at Harmons, they are at 25% off at my BBB and said they were or getting any new cosmetics or nail polish.

    • Isabella Muse

      I heard BBB was going to stop selling beauty/makeup/etc…! I haven’t been to BBB in a while but last time I was there they were clearing a lot out which was sad 🙁

  • Kristin

    Almay seems to have an identity crisis; every few years they seem to revamp the line.
    (And there’s no doubt they probably just took the Kiss Balm formula and tweaked it a bit. After all, they did it with the Lip Butters…)

  • Kish

    Tarte’s Lip Quench is my absolute favorite formula ever. I just got Pink Sands, so now I have all of them. Thanks for the review on these, I’ll definitely save my money.

  • Tina

    I purchased this in the color Dulce de Leche, as I love both the dessert and the color! I’m a big fan of soft browns and nudes and this looked like it would provide me just a bit of color without going overboard. Plus the formula claimed to be hydrating.

    For the price, I don’t think this is worth it. Next time I’ll save my money and splurge on a better product that actually does what it claims. Like you, I felt that the product settled into my lip lines. And I know this doesn’t make sense, but I felt that the product flaked and broke up. I didn’t feel that it was hydrating at all. I have super chapped and dry lips, so I was hoping that this would help, but I don’t feel like it did. If anything, I feel like it made that worse. Maybe that’s because I’m inexperienced with makeup

    Glitter is pretty but I didn’t want glitter on my lips, I wanted a wash of color.

  • Sandra

    I got the Cake Walk and I like that it’s light because I can wear it like a gloss or what I tend to do is wear it over a dark color, like a deep red and the combo is perfect. I agree on the price, though. I also like the packaging.

    Happy I found your page!