Another day, another drugstore session. It's a little therapeutic, being able to explore your inner Veruca Salt. I walk in and I'm thinking, “I could have anything I want. I can ask for the most expensive, rarest thing in this Walgreens and pay for it. In cash.” It must be how Kanye feels at everywhere. It's nice to be a young, self-made thousandaire, and sometimes I deserve off-brand iPod earphones and a Revlon ColorBurst Lacquer Balm.
Yes, so the Revlon ColorBurst Lacquer Balm—FYI, there's an old wives' tale that if you don't refer to a beauty product by its full title, you'll go infertile—is one of the many chunky, Chubby Sticks-esque drugstore lip colors out there. All of these promise to hydrate, are more pigmented than your standard tinted lip balms (which places them comfortably into the lip stick category), and come in similar packaging: a twist-up plastic tube that's trying to fool you into believing it's an actual pencil.
I'd say the biggest difference between the Chubby Stick and Revlon's version is that the Lacquer Balm (I don't really want kids) is better if your end-game is a glossier, more pigmented, sparklier mouth. (Chubby Sticks are for those looking for something more sheer, with a creamy, silken texture.) I honestly think that the Lacquer Balm is the same formula as Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter—I like both products because they come in bright colors and smudge and fade perfectly. I know these last two qualities usually count as negatives in the La La Land of makeup chatter, but I find that, realistically speaking, they're unavoidable when wearing lipstick. Or worse: the color will flake, or smudge without fading, so you end up with bright red smears all over your face. And many are quite drying. The Lacquer Balm and Lip Butters die down to a stain that still feels hydrated/hydrating. And as they wear, the edges fade to a soft line that looks natural and girly.
It'll be around $7. Unless you use a coupon, in which case you're not fully letting yourself get in touch with your inner Veruca. And that's a shame.
—Annie Kreighbaum
Photos by Mathea Millman.
