Smooth like Honey- Clinique's Black Honey Almost Lipstick

Author: Figgy

Oh, the nightmare of finding the right shade of lipstick. Surely I can't be the only one who's bought/tried/ultimately ended up gifting tubes of lipstick that felt right at first and then looked like clown makeup on second application, right? And then just ended up buying a harmless shade of lipgloss to use instead? Story of my life.

But I want lipstick, dammit. I want to pretend to be a grown-up lay-dee applying it all sexily before the mirror, all perfect on the first go and not having to correct three or four spots like I usually--I mean, like I never do. Always perfect. So I asked my lovely, expert lady-friends for tips on a good lipstick to try out, and the almost universal choice was Clinique's Black Honey, which was supposed to be perfect for almost all skin shades.


Why not? I figured it couldn't hurt to try it. So I sauntered over to the Clinique counter at Dillard's and asked the very nice man in the white coat for some help in testing it out.

"This is Julia Roberts' favorite lipstick!" he said happily as I tried it out, all while having to control my muscles to not make a horrified face at that little factoid.

But Julia Roberts-endorsed or not, the Almost Lipstick was pretty damn amazing. Though it looked alarmingly dark on the tube, it looked very subtle (but colorful) on my lips. The lipstick is moisturizing and not thick like so many others I've tried, which usually feel goopy or hard as you apply them. I bought it immediately and decided to try it out at work.

It lasted for hours. I kept checking in the mirror and the color was still there, which was pretty impressive in my experience. It's also just a beautiful plum shade, one I realized I can use almost every day without feeling like I have a ton of goop on my lips. It's subtle and effortless, and it's amazingly easy to match with whatever makeup I'm wearing that day.

My one minor qualm is that the lid on the tube is pretty flimsy, which seems to be an unfortunate flaw in most lipsticks I've tried from Clinique. So I ended up almost losing the cap four or five times as I pulled the tube from my pocket. And if you're as absent-minded and prone to losing things as I am, you'll just want to be careful.

I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a shade that doesn't need a lot of thought put into it. It's moisturizing and lasts for hours, definitely another plus for me. It was $15--maybe a little pricey for you, but I think it's worth it, as I know I'll use it all the time. What can I say? I'm in love.

I'm giving the Black Honey Almost Lipstick 7/8 tentacles, for the gorgeous, effortless shade and moisturizing effects it has. It loses a tentacle for the easy-to-lose cap and the Julia Roberts association. Oh, I'm kidding. It's mostly just the cap.

Rating: 7/8 tentacles