Sally Hansen is famous for its nail-care products, but it also offers a few color cosmetics. Colorfast Tint + Moisture Balm is Sally Hansen’s entry in the increasingly crowded field of “chubby pencils” or “crayons” for lips. (Lipstick Queen seems to have started the trend, with the Chinatown collection, but Clinique popularized it with their Chubby Sticks.)

I picked one up in Happy Berry (#25), a cool medium-raspberry shade.

I like the twist-up crayon of Colorfast Tint + Moisture Balm, although I could do without its marshmallow-fluff scent. Happy Berry is an almost-bright raspberry shade. It has plenty of pigment, and it actually looks more vivid on my mouth than it does in the tube. It’s perfect for weekends, although it feels a little too “fun” for the office.

Sally Hansen describes Colorfast Tint as a “lip balm” that “smoothes and hydrates.” I’m not sure sure about that; it doesn’t feel like a balm. It’s more like a hybrid of a sheer lipstick and a gloss, with a slightly tacky feeling on the lips. It doesn’t have a drying-out effect, but I don’t think it would do much to improve lips that are already chapped or rough.

I also can’t really agree with the “Colorfast” part of the name. Although this product does have more staying power than a glossy-sheer lipstick like Clinique Butter Shine or a traditional gloss, it wears off during a snack and leaves an uneven stain. I don’t mind re-applying, but I wouldn’t promote this as a long-lasting lip color.

Basically, Colorfast Tint + Moisture balm is a glossy lip crayon with good color intensity. It’s easy to apply, and other than that sugary scent, it’s a no-problem product. It’s not going to lure me away from my Lipstick Queen or Bite Beauty or even my Silk Naturals Kisser Slickers, but for $5, it’s a handy on-the-go summer lip color.

Sally Hansen Colorfast Tint + Moisture Balm sells for about $5 at drugstores.

Product source: I purchased this product at CVS.

Images: product photo by Tinsel Creation.