I’ve been relying on Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes Effet Extension ($29) to tackle corner and bottom lashes since it launched, but now that Clinique has come-out with a $10 alternative meant specifically for bottom lashes, I’d say it’s about time to switch courses and use that $19 in savings to try out some other new things! It must be because Clinique is stocked at Sephora, which pretty much got rid of all their slightly lower priced brands to make room for their Sephora-branded products, that I forget that Clinique is actually a super affordable brand. Their packaging isn’t the swankiest, but they’re always reliable, especially for sensitive skin (one of my first beauty purchases ever was one of their acne spot treatments!). Their newbie mascara is a mini wand with a micro-mini brush, so you can easily target small and hard-to-reach lashes – way more effective than using the tip of a normal-sized brush like most women do. The formulation supposedly lasts 24 hours, but I don’t foresee any 24-hour, all-out nights anytime in my near future, so I’ll just take their word on that. I can say that the formula is flake and clump-free. It dries quickly so you don’t have to worry about smudging, and it wipes off pretty easily so you won’t loose lashes in the process (even though it’s sweat, humidity, and water-resistant). Jump to find out about the Chubby Stick below!
Chubby usually isn’t a good thing (unless of course we’re talking about a baby, in which case there’s nothing cuter!), but with Clinique Chubby refers more to multi-tasking than it does to size. The balms look kind of like crayons and their pointy tips make getting to the corners of my mouth, which sometime dry and crack, easy. What separates the Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balms ($15) from your typical gloss or balm is that they moisturize in addition to imparting color. With the weather being as dry as it is here in NYC it’s impossible to apply gloss or lipstick without applying chapstick first, but the problem is that, that often leaves my lipstick looking either a bit cake-y or it doesn’t blend into my lips smoothly. Clinique’s tinted lip balms get rid of that issue, but also – unlike many other tinted balms – impart enough color (think of them like lightly saturated lipsticks), moisture, and shine for my everyday look. They come in eight shades so odds are you’ll find one that works well with your natural lip color. Also the balms have no taste or smell in case you’re dating someone like my bf who often complains about the smell/glossy-ness of my lips!
