theBalm Girls Lipstick [In Our Makeup Bag]

By Alex K.

What It Is: theBalm Girls Lipstick in Mia Moore and Ima Goodkisser

Why This Should Be in Your Bag:

I love a good lipstick and will never turn the chance to try a new one, especially from a brand I adore!

theBalm is a great brand and I always appreciate their quirky approach. These lipsticks are modeled after a James Bond theme and are named accordingly. The tube design is even supposed to mimic a sleek bullet! theBalm says “These double agents provide your pucker with amazing pigment and rich conditioners”, which is slightly vague, but let’s see how they go!

How To Use It:

Ima Goodkisser (the coral shade) is easy to apply straight from the tube, but I definitely needed a lip brush for Mia Moore (the red shade). These are very pigmented and thick and may drag a bit when applying, but other than that, they apply like normal lipsticks!

(Ima Goodkisser, Mia Moore)

CC Rating: B+

theBalm Girls Lipstick are hyper-pigmented; seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such opaque lipsticks. They don’t include this as part of the product’s claims, but they really should highlight this awesome feature! They also feature a light, minty scent that I find refreshing. As for wear-time, Mia Moore stayed put for a good 5-6 hours, while Ima Goodkisser faded after 3-4. I’m also notorious for eating and drinking throughout the day and noticed that Mia Moore was able to make it through a tea or light snack with relatively little fading.

I liked the formula, I really did, but I don’t think I can say that I love it. At a $17 price point, that’s more than MAC and almost as much as MUFE’s Rouge Artist ranges, however theBalm’s lippie has considerably more product (0.14 oz to MAC’s 0.1 and MUFE’s 0.12). I just didn’t see anything particularly “stand out” about these; they are nice products but didn’t blow me away. In fact, I found Mia Moore to be slightly drying and requiring a balm mid-way through the day. I would almost rather rate these two shades separately and extrapolate that the lighter shades are your best bet with this range.

If you’re intrigued and love the clever James Bond theme, these lipsticks are available for $17 on theBalm’s website.

[Need some new makeup but not sure what to buy? Check out Alex's other beauty reviews here.]