Sassy Review: Clinique Almost Lipsticks

I’m sure you have got used to me sporting all sorts of weird and wonderful colours on behalf of Sassy (purple lipstick… not my best look!) but believe it or not, outside of being your very own beauty guinea pig, I generally favour a more au naturel look in the lip department! Well, this is a review for all you au naturel girls… let me introduce you to Clinique Almost Lipsticks.

I’ve been a big fan of Clinique for years thanks to their skincare products, which are scent-free, hypoallergenic and great for sensitive skin, but their make-up range tends to fly under the radar. This is a shame as they have some amazing items (their cream eyeliner is one of my holy grail products) and these new Almost Lipsticks definitely deserve some recognition too!

Almost Lipsticks deliver a wash of sheer colour with a super-soft, moisturising texture; in fact, they look and feel almost like a lip balm. Because it’s just a light tint, as opposed to a vivid blast, of colour, they’re practically fool-proof – perfect for days when you just want a reliable wash of colour that goes with anything and can be slung in your handbag for quick and easy on-the-go reapplications.

The clever thing? Because they are sheer, the colour blends in with your own natural lip colour, so each shade will be subtly different and flattering on everyone – it’s the very definition of that elusive ‘my lips but better’ colour that many of us are obsessed with!

I tried Shy Honey, a pretty pale pink (top), and Luscious Honey, a lovely warm red (below). On me, Shy Honey was so sheer, to the point of being not really worth bothering with – good luck spotting it on my hand! However, it does give a quite nice extremely subtle shine, so if you are in the market for a barely-there lip tint, this might work for you. However, this is by far the lightest colour of the whole range, so all the other red, browns and violets are bound to have more colour pay-off than this one.

I was far more enamoured with Luscious Honey. On my skin, it turned into a light pinky-red that looked really gorgeous but natural on the lips, delivering a flush of colour that instantly made me look a bit more alive on a Monday morning! But my favourite thing about these really is the texture – light, soft and moisturising, just like a lip balm, it really doesn’t feel like you are wearing anything at all!

Of course, being sheer, don’t expect wear-time to be amazing (a couple of hours at best) but the fact that the Almost Lipsticks have such a lovely non-drying formula and are sheer enough to put on without much precision, means that re-application isn’t too much of a hassle either.

So if you are looking for a nice au naturel lipstick to see you through the days where you really can’t be bothered, Clinique’s Almost Lipsticks are a definite handbag staple!

Clinique Almost Lipsticks, $140

Clinique, Shop 1077, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, Hong Kong, 3188 1112. See all other Clinique locations in Hong Kong here.