It still feels like winter in my part of the world, and March has indeed come in like a lion. At the same time, I’ve been looking at spring makeup in my usual glossy magazines and I spotted a photo of these funny little products from the drugstore line NYC (New York Color).

I ended up purchasing an Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm in Apple Blossom on my next trip to CVS, and I’ve been using it almost every day.  

Of course, the eye-catching thing about this product is its “Big Apple”-themed design: each balm is two-toned, with a lighter, apple-shaped core surrounded by a deeper or brighter color. Apple Blossom is a medium berry shade with a shimmery pale pink center. The moisturizing formula features shea butter, jojoba, and avocado oil—as well as a number of non-natural ingredients, I’m sure. (I’ve lost the printed label that listed the contents.) Still, you couldn’t really do better for $3.

This product has a scent like sour-apple hard candies, which doesn’t thrill me, but  at least it’s not overpoweringly strong. The formula feels like a medium-weight balm and applies easily without turning slippery. Apple Blossom sounds like it should be a light pink, but it’s actually a cool-toned berry. It has a sheer consistency on my mouth, but since it’s advertised as a tinted balm, that’s just right.

Applelicious doesn’t have the pigment payoff of sheer lipsticks like Revlon’s Colorburst Lip Butters or L’Oreal’s Colour Caresse, but it could hold its own against Clinique’s Almost Lipstick, for a fraction of the price. I’ve been wearing my Applelicious balm alone when I’m just doing errands in my neighborhood, under lipstick when it’s the first balm I grab out of my bag, and over lipstick for a little extra moisture and sheen.

All in all: a good cheap thrill with a New York twist!

Product source: I purchased NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm at CVS.

Images: Screen grab from the New York Color website; bottom product photo by Tinsel Creation.