L'oreal Hip Balms and Milani Crystal Gloss--Budget Friendly Alternatives-Part 1

I can't help it. I am always looking for good/excellent drugstore (DS) products that can compare to some of my high end (HE) ones. I am a firm believer that higher prices doesn't necessarily mean higher quality and/ or better products. Since I love lipglosses let's star with those. I have two products to show: L'oreal HIP Jelly Balms and Milani Crystal Glosses. I have many pics for each brand discussed, so I thought it was better to divide this entry in two parts.

Let's begin with the Jelly Balms.

Product Name: L'oreal HIP Jelly Balm
Shades I bought: Pucker (pink), Savory (peachy color) and Luscious (dark plum?--I'm bad describing colors). Available in 6 shades in total.
Price: $8 - $9 USD each? I can't remember... for 0.159 OZ
Official Description: L'oreal says--> "Color: a pop of sheer shine; Texture: A light, soothing balm". They have "super-charged polymers for striking color" You can see a list of all the ingredients on the L'oreal Website.
Does it rocks my world?: Pretty much!

Ok, I'll tell you right away that I prefer the Tendertones over the Jelly Balms, I will tell you why in a moment. That said, I have to mention that I got three of these lovelies in one of those Walgreens BOGO sales -- HUGE plus. But what make it better is that this stuff is pretty good! The Jelly Balm is a soft glossy cream (duh!) with all those supposedly good-for-your-lips ingredients. It gives your lips a hint of healthy color. MAC Tendertones is the first thing that comes to mind when you see it. The smell is a sweet as candy one (not fruity like the TT) and the texture is just a bit heavier (at least for me). They have a decent staying power, for a balm anyway.

The list of ingredients specifies that this balm may contain Titanium Dioxide, but the product does not advertise as having SPF (Titanium Dioxide can be used for coloring). So no SPF---booh!!! One of the advantages of the TT.

Why I prefer MAC Tendertones? The smell (I love it), the SPF, the texture and more colors to choose from (when available, 'cause the Tendertones are LE). <--This is exactly an advantage of the HIP balms, it seems they are going to be around for a while. And again guys, for the price ($8USD compared to the Tendertones $14.50 price tag) you might want to give them a try. Oh yes, for that price you get a bit less product than the 0.2 OZ you get with the Tendertones. But I'm guessing they will last a long time. I know I bought all the shades I need, unless L'oreal release new ones. I like to buy colors that can be differentiated. All in all, I think the Jelly Balms are of great quality and a budget friendly option.

Rating: 4/5

Click on the pics for bigger versions of them.

**My lips are unlined and have no base on them.

All my JBs--Indoors


Plush--Natural Lighting


Plush--Indoors


Plush--Outdoors


Luscious--Outdoors


Luscious--Indoors


Luscious--Outdoors


Savory--Outdoors


Savory--Indoors (It disappears on my lips!!)


Savory--Outdoors

I personally like Luscious more. Savory basically just looks like clear gloss on my pigmented lips.

Hope you like this review. I'll be posting the second part soon. =)



Vivan, Rían y Amen!
(Live, Love & Laugh!)