Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm - Crystal Red

I wanted this for a while but the £15.50 price tag put me off a little....that is a lot for a lip balm isn't it? I ended up getting it from someone as a gift which was pretty lucky for me (and very generous, thank you)! So now, instead of saving my Boots points for one of these, they're being saved towards a YSL Rouge Volupte.

In "real life" it doesn't look quite as much like a Push Pop (remember those!), in the grey old Manchester weather it looked more like this - I was really surprised when I first opened it because it looked more like an opaque, browny/red lipstick. In bright light it looks more jelly-like though. The unique see-through lipstick was the real reason I wanted it (I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a sucker for a gimmick).

My first impression was that it was heavier and a bit larger than a normal lipstick (or a MAC sized one anyway), and then that it didn't look as sheer as I thought it would.

It smells nice, it tastes quite nice and slides on easily leaving lips feeling moisturised. Apparently the red one is the most pigmented one but to be honest I don't think this makes a difference to the colour of my lips, it leaves it with a sheer sheen like any other lipbalm would. The moisturising feeling does last ages though and doesn't feel sticky/gritty/gloopy.

But in conclusion, nice product, nice to carry around in your bag or to have on your dressing table as it looks so fancy but not really worth the £15 price tag when it comes to the actual product. I won't be repurchasing I'm afraid. Apparently this is/was limited edition (according to the SA), so maybe I couldn't anyway!