Review: E.L.F. 2 in 1 Conditioning Lip Gloss

Long time, no review -- sorry about that! I've had an inner and outer ear infection in both ears, so I've been bedridden with vertigo for the past week. If you've never had vertigo, let me tell you -- you are one lucky duck. Anyway, on to the review.

This 2 in 1 Conditioning Lip Gloss is available from E.L.F. for $3 on E.L.F.'s website and in select Target and Kmart stores. The shade that I have is Va Va Voom.

You can kind of see the separation of the two glosses - one is for color and the other for softening. From the side, you can really see this separation. I think it looks pretty cool!

Now, onto the product claims. E.L.F. claims "This 2 in 1 gloss has shimmering lip color in the inner tube and clear conditioning gloss in the outer tube for ultimate lip satisfaction. Hydrate your lips with key moisturizers and achieve sheer color perfection. Infused with Vitamins A and E, Aloe and Shea Butter for rich hydration." E.L.F. also suggests squeezing the product from the middle of the tube for best results.

Here's where things get sticky. No matter where I squeezed, all I got was clear gloss. Eventually, I managed to get some color. In the picture below, you can kind of see shimmer and the teeniest, tiniest bit of color mixed in with the clear (except the top left. That's what it looks like "fully colored.")

Though I followed directions and squeezed from the middle of the tube, all I got was clear. I then tried squeezing from the end of the tube, with better results.

Now, this sucker has an interesting tip. I've seen squeezy gloss tubes with slanted plastic tip applicators, and I kinda like those. This bad boy has a hard doe foot-type applicator, which I don't really like. I like doe foot applicators in gloss tubes, but this applicator is really hard, and it just kind of soaks up the gloss. A slanted plastic tip would've been better. You can see how the gloss has permeated the applicator in the picture below.

I'm not a makeup artist, nor do I share my products, but this just looks messy. I wouldn't feel that comfortable applying this in a public restroom mirror because it just looks unhygienic.

As for the color payoff, there isn't any to speak of. I know this is supposed to be sheer, but when applied to my lips, I got no color, even if it looks well-pigmented on the swatches I've done to my hand. My lips are not pigmented by any stretch of the imagination (and I do have a few freckles along my lipline) but this gloss was completely clear. When I look very closely, I can see a hint of shimmer, though.

The only thing this gloss added to my lips was shine, and lots of it. I found this gloss to be thick, goopy, and uncomfortable. I felt the need to wipe it off just as soon as I applied it. I'm also not a fan of super-shiny glosses, which definitely defines this product. On the positive side, my lips did feel soft and conditioned once I wiped the gloss off. The wear time on this is hard for me to determine. The gloss felt so uncomfortable on me that I only lasted an hour. But because it's so thick, I would imagine that it could last another hour or two.

Would I buy this again? No. I don't like the way it feels, it's completely translucent (this is the darkest shade!), and the applicator sucks. I will stick to my Blistex for lip conditioning.

Do you have this lip gloss? If so, do you like it? Why or why not? I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or tweet me @PaleAndLovingIt