Chubbymania

Since Clinique launched the original chubby stick, we now have chubbys for eyes as well as cheeks and lips, and every self respecting brand has joined in and come up with their own version of it. Initially I wasn't actually that keen on the format, but that was before I had tried any of them, and now I'm completely bitten, smitten and can't get enough of them. When the time came for me to update my lip colors for this season there were so many new releases of the lip chubby that I ended of with quite a selection of shades from different brands.  

Let's start with the product that really ignited this passion for the lip chubby for me, the Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon (£7.99). I've mentioned the Bourjois Lip Crayons and how much I love them soooo many times before so I'll try not to go on too much about these, but they have an amazingly moisturising formula that feels so light and lovely to wear. Regardless of which color you get (and I know since I have the entire range now), the finish is smooth, highly pigmented and glossy without being sticky and it's very long lasting and in the evening the lips feel nourished and soft. I bought both of the new shades for the season and the first one is Prune - a dark plummy purple red. This is much darker than I would usually wear, and I was a bit sceptical to start with, but it actually works really well with a fairly bare eye for a "Russian princess in the winter" kind of look and it's not too vampy or gothic either. The second Bourjois shade is in Rouge, which is a creamy, smooth rich venetian red that is very glamorous and I like to wear this with neutral brown eye makeup for a vibrant statement lip. A beautiful shade for the Christmas season!

 

From left to right (Indoors in artificial light):

Bourjois Colour Boost - Prune

17 Lip Crayon - Heartbreaker

Bourjois Colour Boost - Rouge

Rimmel Colour Rush Balm - Not an illusion

 Isadora Twist Up Lipstick - Sugar Crush

From left to right (Indoors in natural light):

Bourjois Colour Boost - Prune

17 Lip Crayon - Heartbreaker

Bourjois Colour Boost - Rouge

Rimmel Colour Rush Balm - Not an illusion

 Isadora Twist Up Lipstick - Sugar Crush

Next up is a 17 Lip Crayon (£4.99) in the shade Heartbreaker. I bought this because the description made it seem very similar to the Bourjois Lip crayon, and I was curious to compare the two. This is also very moisturising, it feels lovely on the lips and it gives a lovely natural shine. The main difference is that the 17 Lip Crayon isn't as pigmented as the Bourjois ones, so you need to apply quite a lot to get a good coverage. Another thing that set them apart is that the 17 product doesn't wear or fade very well, and while the Bourjois fades evenly this one leaves more of a patchy look after a few hrs of wear and tear. Saying that though, the shades in the range are lovely e.g. Heartbreaker is a beautiful muted burgundy red that looks gorgeous on, and since it's not strongly pigmented the finish is much more wearable and subtle than it looks in the crayon. I really like the shade and would definitely recommend the 17 Lip Crayon as a purse friendly option.

Another chubby newbie (at least for me) is the Rimmel Colour Rush Balm and I have the admit that the reason I got this was because of this gorgeous shade called Not an illusion. Rimmel have an amazing range of high quality lip products so I'm not at all surprised that they also have a wonderful lip chubby. It hydrates the lips, is barely noticeable on the lips, has long lasting wear and the pigmentation is great. This shade is a nice warm dusky rose shade that is so wearable and works with most looks and outfits.

The last chubby today in my growing collection is one I reviewed previously at the start of November - the Isadora Twist Up Gloss Stick. Similarly to the others the formula is very moisturising and plumping, however it doesn't have the same great coverage as some of the others, although it wears well and it gives a lovely natural and glossy finish. The shade Sugar Crush is completely different from the others in that it's a much more delicate, and I guess in a way, summery shade. It's a warm, sheer and slightly shimmery salmon pink with a slight blue undertone that looks lovely with a heavy, smokey eye. 

All of these products are wonderfully moisturising and long lasting, and most of them have great pigmentation to create a lovely satin look and as you can see you can see there's a wide range of shades available. Clinique may be the original chubby stick, but as there are so many great quality budget friendly options available, there's no need to splurge unless you really want to.