Max Factor Xperience Boutique Sheer Gloss Balm Review and Lip Swatches

As you know by now, lipsticks with sheer coverage are huge for SS2011, you can get one pretty much from every high end brand: Chanel, Dior, Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent and others. But what if you can’t afford getting all those lipsticks but want to get a balm/gel like lipstick, too?!

I’ve found a great variant  – Max Factor Xperience Boutique Sheer Gloss Balm( £7.99). Which are described as “sheer colour of a gloss, combined with the soft feel of a balm.”

These come in 3 shades: Coral, Pink Oys Shell and Pink Opal. And I was given 2 shades to try and, as I liked them  a lot – I want to share with you.

First of all I have to say that I like the  design and the fact that it’s a slim lipstick as I love  slim lipsticks, they always look chic and elegant to me. It is easy to apply the product as it glides on and leaves the lips moisturized and shiny.

I love both shades which I have, 02 Coral is a light shimmering pink which is just  my kind of colour, it gives a sheer coverage and you can apply it on the go without a mirror as it is very subtle.

As for the 07 Pink Oys Shell, it is a warm reddish rosewood. It gives a bright but not opaque colour, which is for those who love more definition.

Here they are swatched with 1  and  several layers: Coral and Pink Oyster

In general, I think that these are a great alternative to those more expensive lip products and you can get all 3 for £24  only, while the high-end lipsticks are around  £22 each.

Pink Oyster looks more pigmented in real life, it is a bit washed out on the photo. Both lipsticks are applied straight from the bullet but I guess you can use a lip brush for the darker shade and the liner if you wish. But I like it this way, after all these are sheer lipsticks.

After I’ve tried these two and liked them a lot, I wanted to get a third shade which is 08 Pink Opal but I couldn’t find it at any Max Factor counter near me. I hope I will find it the future.