L’Oreal Paris Infallible Sexy Balms

I heard about these a while ago and could not wait for them to launch so I could pick some up as they sounded totally up my street; balmy textures, pretty colours and a choice of sheer or bold, all at an affordable price.  I was set-up to pick some up last weekend, but a few days before I was sent a gorgeous box containing the full collection and it totally made my day!

With products like these, there’s always the risk that you build them up so much, that when you do actually try them out, they fail to live up the expectations – this has happened to me a few times – but these beauties are absolutely lovely; I don’t think I’ve warn anything else on my lips since they arrived.  There are eight shades in total – five sheer and three bold – and I’ve pretty much ignored the bold ones as the sheer ones are just dreamy.

My swatches of the sheer ones really don’t do the shades justice, as these are perfect nuances of colour that give lips that elusive, “my lips but better” finish, with a colour-leaning to suit your preference; Gossip and As If are gorgeous, slightly pinky nudes that warm the lips and complexion just enough.  Break the Rules is a little more coral in tone, Such a Babe is the perfect red if you want a sheer wash of scarlet and finally there’s Go Pretty or Go Home, which is a deep berry shade that again is ideal if you fancy trying a deeper lip colour but still want to keep it light and flattering.

Genuinely there isn’t a shade here I don’t like and I kept surprising myself with just how wearable each sheer shade is.  My favourites are Gossip, which is the pinkest of the bunch and delivers that perfect juicy nude pink that so many brands get wrong, closely followed by As If which is more nude, but still utterly lovely.  The big surprises were Such a Babe and Go Pretty or Go Home, both of which, as I mentioned above, are ideal for a splash of gentle colour that’s perfect for the warmer months.

I’ll confess that the bold shades have been totally overshadowed by the glorious sheers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve plenty of credit for delivering a strong pop of colour in a lovely, comfortable formula that nourishes the lips and leaves a little stain as the initial layer wears off.  Of course the bolds have the sheers beat in longevity, so it all depends on what you want from them.

The three bold shades are Adventure – bright, blue-leaning pink; Yala Yolo which is another blue-leaning shade, but in a deep red and finally Never Stop, which is a warm coral shade. Colour-wise I prefer Never Stop, although it’s pretty orange in finish which is a tricky colour for me to pull off.  As you can hopefully see in the swatches, these are seriously bright and work really well with the classic and low maintenance “liner and lips” make-up look.

The design of the lipstick bullets are brilliant too, as they’re shaped to make it really easy to get a tidy finish, which is especially handy for such a slippery product that can slide all over the place if presented in a tricky applicator.  The flavour/scent is also very nice – I want to say fruity – and the hydration aspect means that after a day of wear, lips feel really soft and hydrated.  These are a total steal at £4.99 a pop, and they’re currently on 3for2 at Boots.  Find the L’Oreal Paris Infallible Sexy Balms here.

*PR Samples