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Rave Review: Clinique Chubby Sticks for Lips

Since the season of dry skin (and therefore chapped lips!) is upon us, I find my obsession with 'chubby sticks' of every variety completely justified. In my opinion, the ones that blow all of the others out of the water are Clinique's. They are creamy and dreamy, and have a surprisingly good colour payoff despite being quite sheer. I have yet to try the 'Intense' range that Clinique has released, but that is mostly because I prefer a softer colour on the lips for everyday wear rather than louder hues.

From left to right: 06 Woppin' Watermelon, 07 Super Strawberry, 05 Chunky Cherry, 11 Two Ton Tomato

I love wearing these year round because of their amazing moisturizing capabilities, but they are especially nice to have around during the winter. I've been using the shade 'Super Strawberry' for a while and it is a beautiful pinky rose colour that goes with pretty much everything. I've recently purchased the three other shades shown above and I am beyond glad! These have got to be the most perfect lip colours ever! I skip using a lip brush and apply mine straight from the tube, which works just perfectly. Since the colours are pretty sheer, you don't have to worry about a perfect application. I love bringing them to work with me because they are super easy to reapply sans a mirror, if need be.

Woppin' Watermelon

Super Strawberry

Chunky Cherry

Two Ton Tomato

Just check out those sweet colours! I find that wearing Clinique's Chubby Sticks give me confidence to explore lip colour more than I usually would. Often times, I find lipsticks looks so unnatural and precise on myself and unless I feel its the perfect shade for a fancy event, I won't ever wear it out. These are a great way to start branching out your colour palette without feeling too overdone or obvious. These chubby sticks also come in a huge variety of lovely nudes, browns, honeys and even a few plummy purple shades too. Check them out on Sephora's page right here! These are definitely a cult classic beauty product!

Death Before Overdone Black Nails! How About Blue Instead?

There is an effortlessly chic older lady who lives in the same town I live in, who shops at the same shop I work at. The other day, I caught a glimpse of her strikingly dark blue perfectly manicured nails and instantly fell in love. Rocking the inky blue mani for the winter months is the perfect way to wear a darker colour, but still keep things a little more interesting than opting for the usual black (its 2014 and therefore long overdone) or other dark hues that can come off as a bit matronly and childish at the same time (anything with a yucky 'satin' finish or a garish sparkle).

The final result!

For the spring and summer this past year, I have been absolutely loving muted and understated cool pastels like minks, creamy grays, milky lilacs and high sky blues, which are great colours for a huge variety of skin tones. Now that the winter has arrived here in Canada and the holidays have come and gone, I found myself looking for a colour that was seasonal but not festive. A gorgeous ink pot blue is elegant, understated, adds a bit of interest and I knew it was perfect the moment I saw it.

I will say that I looked in several places before I found the perfect shade. Many brands have infused their dark blue nail polishes with silver glitter or a strange green iridescence which makes me think of reptiles. Although glitter and duo-chrome are not necessarily bad things, I just personally have never liked the look of them and prefer a flat colour. Coincidently, flat colours from high quality brands paint on delightfully well and you can almost get away with just one coat (though I doubt I will ever be able to not paint on two). I looked in Sephora's 'Formula X' nail polish selection in store and although they were sold out, the shade 'Centigrade' seemed to be perfect; a dark arctic blue sans any pearl effects. The following day, I went to Winners and happened upon a bottle of 'Rituals'(a great Dutch brand) nail polish in the shade 'Sky Line' and it is PERFECT! You can buy your own bottle here.

Though matching your nails to the season of the year is to some people a 'rule', I have absolutely no qualms about breaking tradition and going for an airy pastel even when its a-snowing outside. Here are some honourable mentions which are all fantastic!

From left to right: Sally Hansen 'Complete Salon Manicure' in ' I Lilac You', Essie Nail Lacquer in 'Mint Candy Apple', Ciate Paint Pots in 'Cream Soda', L'Oreal Nail Color in 'Royally Yours' and Nicole by OPI in 'Stand By Your Manny'.

All in all, nail colour does not matter too much, but it sure is fun. And its especially fun when you have nails that are a totally bangin' colour for a few days. I'm sure 'Sky Line' will get a lot of use in 2014 and my collection of blue polishes continues to grow.