Obvs, the packaging.
Like, what are these? From the front they kinda look like jewelry to me, like you could wear one as an earring or a statement necklace (a statement pendant?), and from the side, they look like, I dunno…Saturn? Or perhaps a doughnut with a jelly center.
Mmm, doughnuts…
OK, so these aren’t jewelry, doughnuts or Saturn. They’re actually lip balms! They’re the new $22 The Estée Edit Cocobalms, and The Estée Edit is a relatively new makeup line from Estée Lauder that splashed on the scene at Sephora a few months ago.
It’s like the younger, hipper, more casual branch of Estée Lauder because, you know, Estée Lauder has a bit of a rep among many makeup lovers for being more stately, mature and refined.
The Estée Edit is their shout-out to risk takers and rule breakers, like the girl who goes to brunch wearing a flower crown, a flowing Free People tee, tassled shorts and gladiator shoes.
The Estée Edit recently released these new coconut-infused Cocobalms ($22 each) — lip balms infused with coconut oil — and there are one, two, three, four, five of them (extra points if you read that sequence like The Count from Seasame Street).
They vary in intensity, with the sheerest ones being mostly just pure shine with very little pigment.
I’ve been using three of ’em — Coco Peach, Coco Blush and Coco Berry — and texture-wise, finish-wise and performance-wise, they’re all pretty much the same.
The formula feels thick, slightly sticky and hangs around for a few hours, so before I give Connor a snuggle and a kiss while wearing one, I have to remind myself to wipe it off, and I also have to remember to use some elbow grease when I do it, because these take some effort to remove. They really cling to the lips.
Oh, and yes, they do have a coconut scent, but it’s very faint. I can barely smell it, but it’s there. I don’t really detect a flavor, though.
About the packaging, did I mention how they work? You lift the silver top, then squeeze the colorful center part, and gloss comes out of a tiny applicator. Seems pretty innovative, but they aren’t the easiest glosses to use when I’m on the move.
