Remember when you’d get that rush as a kid from opening a fresh box of crayons? (Um…or was that just me?)
That’s kind of how opening one of these new $8.49 Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Sticks feels. 🙂 Suddenly, I’m in art class again, daydreaming about where these colorful sticks will take me.
Don’t they seem a lot like Clinique’s line of Chubby Sticks (which cost almost twice as much, BTW)?
Sure, they might not be all that original (they also look and feel a lot like Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balms), but I gotta say — downright stellar for the price!
Smooth, light, moisturizing and non-sticky, they leave a soft wash of shiny color that lasts from 2-3 hours.
When my lips are dry, the MoistureSmooth Color Sticks moisturize ’em, and give them a nice, sheer-to-medium tint, without drawing any unwanted attention by highlighting flakes.
My nose and taste buds also like the faint peach gummy candy flavor and scent, which fades within a few minutes…
Some of the lighter shades, like Juicy Peach 10, Fresh Papaya 20 and Sweet Watermelon 30, tend to look similar on my pigmented lips, so if you prefer a bolder look, you may want to go for one of the brighter shades, like Bright Berry 40 (my fave!), Warm Caramel 50, Soft Raspberry 60, Plum Perfect 70 or Rich Raisin 80.
PRICE: $8.49 for each 0.11-ounce stick
AVAILABILITY: Available now at drugstores, grocery stores and online
MAKEUP AND BEAUTY BLOG RATING: A
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Ruchita says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:23 amLove these! I will have to make room for these in my purse, b/c I can see myself buying multiple colors.
True confession / nerd alert – when I was a kid, I had the big box of 64 Crayola crayons and I took them all out and re-organized them so similiar colors were grouped together. I may have had too much time on my hands back then! 🙂
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:25 amSO great for days when you go to the drugstore and need some stress relief makeup shopping. 🙂 Definitely check out Bright Berry.
I loved my box of 64 Crayola crayons! Did you have a fave shade? I was all about Periwinkle.
Ruchita says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:34 amI was all about Violet. Purple is still one of my favorite colors. Crayons were my favorite when I was growing up, along with those fruit scented markers. 🙂
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 11:33 amViolet’s a good color. I liked that one too.
Oh, those fruit scented markers! We had them in class, but I never had my own set. I always wanted one though. The grape scent was to die for! 😀
Agata says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:24 amPretty. I love Revlon lip balm sticks, I will have to pick up one of those next time I am at a drugstore. But..guess what I got at Sephora yesterday? I bought the Hourglass new powder in Dim and a Nars new concealer. I am so excited to try them out 🙂 I also got a sample of the Nars Tinted Moisturizer since you always rave about it.
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:32 amHi Agata,
Sweet! Dim is my favorite out of the three I’ve tried so far. It’s really beautiful in the central panels of the face. So stoked to hear you’re going to try the NARS concealer. Will you be using it for under-eye circles? I’ve found a trick that seems to help with the whole fine lines thing — mixing in a little bit of moisturizer. I’ve tried eye creams and different oils. My fave so far has been MAC Careblends Essentials Oils, but if you’ve got something like jojoba around that would definitely work too.
You will LOVE the NARS TM, btw. I’ve gotten several of my girlfriends hooked on it. What’s your shade?
Agata says
February 28th, 2013 at 11:34 amThe reason why I got Dim is because you liked it so much and it looked gorgeous in person and my heart stopped for a second when I looked at the shelf and there were no Dims in stock. Fortunately a Sephora associate found one for me in the drawer 🙂
I will be using the concealer to cover my dark circles and when I tried it yesterday it also seemed to cover redness around my nose very well. I am really happy I bought it.
And my TM shade is Alaska. I hope I will like it!
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 12:20 pmYeah, it’s so gorgeous! Hourglass did a great job.
Glad to hear you’re liking the concealer so far. It should work perfectly with the TM. OH — NARS TM looks fantastic with Chanel’s Loose Powder!
Agata says
February 28th, 2013 at 1:27 pmIt’s a good thing that I have the loose powder 🙂 Today I am not going anywhere so there is no need to put make up on but I will try to try everything out over the weekend. Only recently I have become a fan of lighter coverage. My skin looks pretty good so why cover it all up, right? And a TM is a great option for hot summer days I think.
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 7:46 pmI here ya. When I’m out and about, I try to just use the minimal I can get away with. Pics are another story, haha!
The NARS TM holds up well when the weather gets really hot. Seriously, you’ll love it. 🙂
Christine says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:25 amHey Karen! These look amazing and you look amazing as always.
P.S. I’ve been trying to put a lid on my makeup obsession as of late, so I haven’t been by here in a while, but I thought of you yesterday because I re-watched The Avengers and swooned over Jeremy Renner. Just wanted you to know 🙂
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:29 amHi Christine,
GURL. Were you thinking “ARMS, ARMS, ARMS!” throughout The Avengers? I know I was, LOL!
BooBooNinja says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:29 amBright Berry is also my pick! Wishing Neutogena cosmetics were available here…
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:34 amHey BooBooNinja,
Such a fun color! Imagine it with bright pink cheeks and some cat liner. And maybe a real cat. LOL
Trisha says
February 28th, 2013 at 11:04 amThese look awesome! I especially like how Soft Raspberry looks on you. May need to make a trip to the store…
Trisha recently posted … Nails of the Day: Mod Duo Manicure in Brown and Blue
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 11:29 amHi Trisha,
They’re awesome! I hope you like them. 🙂
Ankita@corallista says
February 28th, 2013 at 11:49 amI need Bright Berry!
Ankita@corallista recently posted … Adele Oscars 2013 Inspired Makeup Look
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 12:18 pmYes you do!
Penelope says
February 28th, 2013 at 11:51 amThank you for featuring an affordable lip colour! Those colors look amazing on you. I’m always on the lookout for department store quality lip colours with a drugstore price tag! 😉
Penelope recently posted … How To Get Smaller Pores in 10 Minutes
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 12:17 pmHi Penelope,
You’re welcome. If you like budget lip shades try Milani’s lippies sometime. They’re lovely too!
Marisa Anderson says
February 28th, 2013 at 11:56 amOhh wow love all these colors. The Bright Pink shade looks amazing on you.
Marisa Anderson recently posted … To Blush Or Not To Blush
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 12:17 pmHi Marisa,
Hope you give it a try! It’s a fun color.
Kiss & Make-up says
February 28th, 2013 at 12:04 pmOh they look very pretty, I like them all! And even though I can’t see much of it, I think I like your top too 🙂
Kiss & Make-up recently posted … Beauty spotlight: my favorite MAC eyeshadow (Part II)
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 7:47 pmThanks, friend! It’s a dress by BCBG. I like it because I don’t have to iron it. 🙂
Staysss says
February 28th, 2013 at 1:45 pmHi Karen, Your hair looks amazing AND loving the lips 🙂
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 7:47 pmAww, Staysss! I parted it down the center. Thanks for noticing. 🙂
Chelsea says
February 28th, 2013 at 2:24 pmI have Juicy Peach, but it doesn’t quite work on my lips – my lips are pretty pigmented on their own, and the Juicy peach is lighter, and looks kinda of funky. The scent was a little much, but it does fade. The texture was great though!
My go-to everyday lip colors are the Burt’s Bees tinted balms you mentioned. I like that there’s no real scent, and Hibiscus is perfect for me (although I keep Rose and Caramel Daisy around too)
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 7:49 pmHi Chelsea,
I HEART those Burt’s Bees balms. Always have one with me…always.
Hmm, have you tried layering your Juicy Peach with a darker lip liner? I do that sometimes with funky shades that are too light for my lips.
Chelsea says
February 28th, 2013 at 8:33 pmThat sounds like more effort than I’m willing to put forth too often, LOL!
I only own a couple lipliners, actually.
I’m sitting here with a sheet face mask on, Jiji seemed a little scared!
Karen says
February 28th, 2013 at 9:54 pmI here ya. Hey, at least it was only $8 and not $16, right? #brightside
I did a mask today too. I’m kind of obsessed with them at the moment. 🙂 Which one did you use? I had a sample packet from Sisley for their Black Rose Cream Mask, and ohmigosh! — so moisturizing.
Chelsea says
March 1st, 2013 at 6:01 amYeah, it was definitely a bargain!
Mine was a Green Tea mask from Missha, it was very relaxing and soothing!
Karen says
March 1st, 2013 at 11:40 amNice. Did it smell good? I love green tea scents.
Chelsea says
March 1st, 2013 at 11:41 amYes, it was heavenly! Green tea is one of my favorite scents too, but I haven’t found a perfume that really captures it perfectly (I need to look more!)
Karen says
March 1st, 2013 at 11:43 amElizabeth Arden has a green tea with lavender that I absolutely love. It’s very soothing…so nice for stressful days. 🙂
Hope you’re having a great Friday so far! What are your plans for the weekend? I need to work out! I feel off the wagon this week.
Chelsea says
March 1st, 2013 at 11:58 amMy fiance’s best friend is coming down for the weekend to visit, so that should be fun. Luckily, my friends are having a girls’ night on Saturday so I can escape from them for a while though (It’s at my girlfriend Lisa’s apartment which is referred to as the “Girl Cave” [instead of a man cave!]) The theme is painting this time, we’re supposed to bring canvases!
I have all next week off from work and school (Spring Break!) so I’ll probably take it easy. I’ve been good at working out! I want to head to the rec center at campus because they have a treadwall (a moving rock climbing wall) that I want to play on.
Karen says
March 1st, 2013 at 2:18 pmThat sounds like so much fun. Can you paint? I’ve tried it and think it’s fun, but I’m terrible at it.
Hmm, if I had a “Girl Cave” I’d have a freezer stocked with pints of my favorite flavors of ice cream, lots of comfy couches, and a DVD collection with all chick flick classics.
Chelsea says
March 1st, 2013 at 3:25 pmI’m actually a pretty good painter (or at least I used to be!) I took AP Art in High School, and have some pretty decent things I’ve done.
This Girl Cave has lots of Crazy Cat Lady Paraphernalia (Lisa is another Filipina with an affinity for felines!) and Ryan Gosling memorabilia. You’d fit right in.
And re: Green Tea Perfume – I just hit up the L’Occitane store they just put in at the local mall, and their green tea EDT is off the chain. I’m going to have to make sure it doesn’t give him a migraine first (the hardest part of buying perfume), but I love it.
Becca @ The Beauty Sample says
February 28th, 2013 at 2:30 pmYay! SO happy to hear that they are every bit as amazing as I thought they’d be! Now I’m kinda glad I never splurged on the Clinique ones that I was lemming for SO dang long! 😛 I am going to buy these suckers up…every single one!! 😀
Becca @ The Beauty Sample recently posted … The Sample: TATCHA Original Aburatorigami Japanese Beauty Papers Review & Pictures
LauraA says
February 28th, 2013 at 6:04 pmI love chubby lip pencils–and these look fabulous! Warm caramel will be purchased tomorrow. 🙂
Oneo says
February 28th, 2013 at 7:02 pmYou’re so gorgeous! I’ve been debating getting these and your review has been super helpful. Thank you!
Lisa @ Lisa Living Well says
February 28th, 2013 at 7:29 pmLove these and totally am going to buy one or two over the weekend! They look so pretty on you, especially the bright berry. I’m thinking I will go for the soft raspberry though since I am much more fair than you.
Julia Alkaseltzer says
February 28th, 2013 at 10:40 pmI’ve been trying to look for a good alternative for Clinique’s Chubby Sticks (Super Strawberry was my favorite shade) and Bright Berry looks like something I’d love!
Whenever there is crayon talk, I always mention my whole collection of crayons stored in an old briefcase from my mom when I was little. I don’t know where my mom put it since then, and sometimes, even while I’m still in my 20’s, I have the urge to color and wonder whatever happened to that briefcase..
Lorraine says
March 1st, 2013 at 9:26 amThese look a lot more color saturated than the Chubby Sticks, which never seemed to have enough color pay-off. Might give the darker shades a go. they show up well on you- my faves are soft raspberry, rich raisin, bright berry and plum perfect. and I am with you on the Crayola high. It would be perfect if they had that waxy fresh opened box of crayons scent. 🙂
Karen says
March 1st, 2013 at 11:35 amHi Lorraine,
You know what I loved? That very first moment when you opened up a fresh box of crayons and saw all the tips looking perfect! That was the best.
Happy Friday!
camille says
March 1st, 2013 at 10:05 amthanks for this post, karen! i just ordered one, in juicy peach, from ulta. yes, i could have just walked over to my local CVS and bought it right away, but i wanted some cash back with online shopping. 🙂 which one is your favourite colour?
Karen says
March 1st, 2013 at 11:33 amHi Camille,
Yay! My fave is Bright Berry. It’s one of the bolder shades. Juicy Peach is pretty, too. A good everyday sorta color.
artemis says
March 1st, 2013 at 11:12 amVery pretty shades and I love their texture on your lips <3 wish they were available in romania…only some of their skincare line is available here..and not the best. 🙁
Karen says
March 1st, 2013 at 11:29 amHi Artemis,
Bummer that you only have access to certain products. What have you tried?
Maryann says
July 24th, 2014 at 10:22 amOh, wow!! This post was SO HELPFUL!! Great idea to show photos of yourself with each of the colors on!! That helped so much!!! (And you look gorgeous, btw!!) I normally would still be on the fence about what color to get, but after this great write-up with the photos, I know what I’m heading out to buy: Bright Berry!! Thank you SO much!!!