I haven’t been the greatest of fans of Almay and I partly blame their lack of riveting advertising and complimentary gifts to my lack of interest in their products. This notion has changed ever so slightly, ever since I saw their advert and read about the awesomeness of their new Care Liquid Lip Balm.

I remember seeing a very pouty Kate in my latest Cosmopolitan when I passed the Almay stand at Dischem about a month ago, I have to admit curiosity got the better of me and I found myself making an impulse purchase. I’m not a gloss or balm person and feel if I should be using any lip product it either be lipstick or my SoftLips. But I saw a beautiful shade through the glass tube and immediately knew that this was one gloss or balm that had to be tried, at R79.95 it wasn’t such a hefty investment and so I happily and eagerly picked up a bottle and headed to the tills.

This isn’t like any balm I’ve ever used before! A wonderful and unusual blend that’s a fusion of a gloss, balm and stain. It leaves lips with a subtle hint of colour which quickly develops into a long lasting shade. The colour I chose is a rosey reddish light pink that blends so well with my own lip colour. It’s romantic and soft and brings just the right amount of girly class to any look. I love using this colour during the evening for an un-expected contradiction to an edgy or punked outfit. The more layers you put on, the deeper the hue gets; it starts to build up on lips almost like a barrier of colour. In the accompanying photos I’ve used 1, 2 and 3 coats respectively.

The balm is infused with lip-loving ingredients that instantly hydrate, firm, plump, moisturize and soften lips. It’s a great blend of colour and has a subdued shine that isn’t as glaring as a gloss. The formula is not sticky or tacky but does catch straying hair and is easily transferred onto clothing and glasses. Even when the balm begins to fade, the effects of its ingredients are still felt. The balm claims that it moisturizes for 8 hours! , this I find is a bit of an understatement; I find the effects last much, much longer.

The packaging isn’t very grand but makes enough of a simple impact to get me hooked on their product. Almay have nothing to hide and are so proud of this product that there was no need to hide the product within its packaging. I love how clean, elegant and refined the circular clear glass tube is. It allows you an easy view of the colour you’re purchasing which honestly goes on exactly as you see it. The colours are rich and vibrant in the bottles and look like yummy candy on the shelf. The lids are a dark grey and house the lip applicator which is white. The right amount of balm comes off onto the applicator every time.

I especially love that there is no glitter in this! I don’t like the idea of having sparkly lips and appreciate this caring and gentle sweep of sophisticated and true colour. I will definitely be following in Almay’s ad for the balm and am going to “Flaunt my luscious side” I might even consider leaving my comfort zone and going for a bolder choice of their 10 shades. . . HHHmmmmm Kate better watch her back, I’m puckering up quite pretty myself thanks to Almay.