Wonder Winter Berry: Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Grandest Grape

Chubby sticks attack again! Well, truth be told, November has turned out to be quite a 'stick month' here on Rocaille Writes. What can I say - make-up pencils and crayons make me feel more like an artist... that, and they're difficult to mess up. Anyway, let's take a look at my new wonderful berry (or is it grapey?) lip color: Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Grandest Grape ($17 for 0.10 oz/ 3 g).

Standard Clinique stick packaging - not much to say here. Did I ever mention how much I like Cinique make-up boxes? I have a particularly hard time parting with these, not sure why. I would quite like to own a shirt with that print... or even better, a dress.

The Chubby Stick Intense Colour Balms are the amped-up version of the regular Chubby Sticks; they pack more color in the same lightweight, hydrating formula. Personally, I think these have a perfect balance of pigmentation and softer texture: while pigmented, they don't appear too heavy on the lips and can also be sheered down if needed, and while moisturizing, these are not so slick and glossy as to immediately slide off the lips; for a balm-type formula, they're reasonably long-lasting. I feel this is particularly noteworthy in case of a statement color like this here Grandest Grape.

The shade Grandest Grape isn't by far the darkest berry in my arsenal, which in my book makes it more versatile and appropriate for both day and night time. It's quite similar to the Revlon Balm Stain in Crush (more swatches here), although it has more of a vibrant pink tone as opposed to a warmer rosey hue. This type of bold, clear berry tone lip color is one of my absolute favorite shades to wear on my pale, cool skintone, although I also can't say no to the vampier burgundy shades like Lancome Color Design lipstick in Wine Party.

L-R in both photos: Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Grandest Grape, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush, MAC Frost Lipstick in Viva Glam IV, Lancome Color Design Lipstick in Wine Party

In this going-out look, I decided to go with an overall cool-toned look: bold violet/lavender shade on the lid (Lancome Color Design Infinite 24H Eye Shadow in Evermore Lilac), blended out with a slightly warmer brown shade in the crease, medium pink blush (sorry, my camera ate it; it was Accessorize Merged Blusher in Diva) and, of course, Clinique Chubby Stick Intense on the lips, applied quite full-on. In this lighting, my hair appears to have a lot of copper tones, making this face & hair combo wonderfully clashy.

Have you tried the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Colour Balms? Or maybe you picked up a beautiful berry shade for this winter season in a different formula? Let me know in the comments, I love reading your recommendations!