Clinique Lip Pop Colour + Primer in Cherry Pop and Nude Pop Review

Lately I have been wearing Clinque's Lip Pop Colour + Primer and they're a welcome break from wearing matte liquid lipsticks which tend to dry out my lips. Clinique Lip Pop Colour + Primer lipsticks combine a smoothing lip primer with bold pigment for saturated colour in a 'luxurious yet weightless formula.' Clinique say these lipsticks 'glide on effortlessly to a modern-velvet finish. Colour stays true, keeps lips comfortably moisturized for 8 hours.' These lipsticks are fragrance free and allergy tested. Clinique Lip Pops don't have a smell and they do taste fairly neutral but a touch plastic. The oblong lipstick case stands out and is very practical because it won't be rolling off any surfaces. The colour indicator on the case is pretty accurate as far as far as these two lipsticks go.

There didn't seem to be much slip when applying Clinques Lip Pop Lipsticks but once on they are very smooth and moisturising and you need to take care with Cherry Pop that the lipstick doesn't slip over the lip line. They're very comfortable to wear. They aren't as moisturisng as Clinique's chubby sticks (tinted lip balms) which I wouldn't expect them to be or as mositurising as Essence Long Lasting lipsticks.

Cherry Pop is blue toned red which could probably suit almost anyone. Cherry Pop seemed to have a thicker consistency than Nude Pop and the formula seemed thicker than other lipsticks I've used in the past except Bobbi Brown's Creamy Lip Color which are now discontinued (not BB mattes.) I didn't mind this and it felt like the lipstick had more substance. The colour is vibrant and saturated as Clinqiue claims and has a slightly glossy velvet finish. It does transfer a little on to cups and glasses and will need reapplying after eating.

I was worried that Nude Pop might wash me out as I have a tanned/olive skin tone (NC15/NC 20) but it suits me giving a My Lips But Better look. It has shimmer particles to make the lips glisten, but it doesn't feel gritty on the lips. It doesn't look frosted and the formula feels lightweight on the lips. However it doesn't last long and hasn't got the full whack of pigment as suggested by the marketing claims. (Yes I know it's a nude lipstick but still there are pigmented ones out there.)

There's definitely a difference in formula between Nude Pop and Cherry Pop and the marketing claims they meet. Nude Pop has shimmer, is lightweight (as claimed) but not especially pigmented as it's marketed to be. Cherry Pop is heavier (not lightweight) the colour is richer and lasted longer. Because of the lack of pigment and staying power of Nude Pop i'm not sure if it's worth the full price. However the shades are the same in the bullet and on the lips so the colour 'stays true' as Clinique claims.

I think the primer part of this lipstick is to smooth lips and glide over wrinkles rather than extending the life of the lipstick. The colours are smooth but if your lips have wrinkles due to age I don't think these will help much, if anything Cherry Pop will probably bleed into lines unless worn with a wax lip liner that prevents this. If your lips are wrinkly because of dehydration or wearing lots of liquid lipsticks then this will glide over without emphasising them and be more comfortable to wear. It is mositurising but if you have dry lips already you will need the help of a lip balm to alleviate dryness (it's not a chubby stick of lipbalm plus colour.) On Clinique's website they recommend using their Quickliner For Lips before this applying lipstick, but Clinique's Lip Pops are supposed to be a primer and a long lasting lipstick so they shouldn't need any help. However maybe using the Quickliner For Lips will make these lipsticks last longer? Since I didn't have a Clinique Quickliner I wore Clinique's Lip Pop Colour + Primer with a matching lip liner underneath. For Cherry Pop I wore No.7 lip liner in Fire but it didn't really make a difference in prolonging the time it stayed on the lips. Half of it disappeared after eating a non oily meal and it transferred onto cups and glasses just the same. It will basically last as long as the length between application and a few drinks or your next meal and will need re-applying. For Nude Pop I used Essence lip liner in 05 Lovely Frappuccino which is a bit darker than the lipstick. It did help the lipstick stay on a little longer after transferring from cups and glasses but after eating it disappeared.

Clinique's Lip Pop Colur + Primer lipsticks are supposed to be long wearing but there's no way these last 8 hours. I really like these lipsticks for the colours and the fact that they are so comfortable to wear. There always seems to be a trade off between moisturising and longevity and I'm afraid despite Clinqiue's claims these lipsticks are not very long lasting which is supposed to be it's USP.  These are lovely lipsticks just marketed wrongly. The pros of these lipsticks are the oblong case which won't roll away, the fact that they're moisturising, taste and fragrance free and that they're pigmented depending on the shade you pick (the bold colours are the best bet.) Disadvantages are that they're not long lasting, paler shades probably have less pigment and they're priced towards the higher end at £17. I'm glad I have these lipsticks in my collection but my advice would be to swatch them first to see how pigmented they are and be aware that they're not long lasting.

Clinique Lip Pop Colour + Primer is available at Clinique Online £17
Debenhams  & Boots £17