Bringing Back the ’90s With MAC Tendertalk Lip Balm

These MAC Tendertalk Lip Balms 100% sent me on a trip down memory lane. 🙂 They’re meant to react to your natural pH level to give you a perfect lip tint. Now all I need is a mood ring and I’m set!

Please tell me I’m not the only one totally reminiscing about those Hypercolor T-shirts that changed color with your body heat!! Lightweight but super hydrating, the Tendertalks are available now in five sheer shades at Nordstrom for $20 each.

Candy Wrapped, Play With Me, Pretty Me Up, Side Dish and Teddy Pink adjust and intensify ever-so slightly after being applied to give you a very natural flush, but to me the best thing about them is how incredibly moisturizing and shiny they are without feeling heavy or sticky at all. They also work great as bases under liquid lipsticks because they provide lots of slip but don’t affect the wear time or the look of matte liquid lipsticks.

Right when I apply these on my lips they’re extremely sheer, but with some generous layering and a little patience, the color gradually becomes more visible. I’d say it takes about two minutes for them to change to the colors you see in the pictures below.

I’ve tried similar products in the past, like the Acure Lip Glosses and Palladio Lip Balms, which are nice, but I have to say that these MAC Tendertalk balms are the most comfortable and easy to wear of them all. They’re straight-up lip balms, but with a little glam, thanks to their sheer colors and sleek chrome tubes (they also have a light vanilla scent).

They’re perfect for wearing on weekends or to go to the gym when you want some shine but can’t be bothered with a sticky lipgloss, and they all show on my pigmented lips except for the very sheer Candy Wrapper.

The sheer wash of color + shine reminds me of the Lancome Juicy Shakers I recently reviewed, with the main difference being that the Juicy Shakers have a definite glossy look and feel, while the MAC Tendertalks have more of a sheen.  Also, since the Tendertalks are more solid, they last longer on my lips. 

Both are moisturizing and come in their own sleek packaging (although the Juicy Shakers win on that front for me), so it’s really just a matter of preference in choosing between the two.

I actually took these photos toward the end of a long workweek, so my makeup is pretty simple, and here’s what I’m wearing:

NARS Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna mixed with Dior Diorskin Nude BB Creme in 004 (I’m in between shades and also trying to finish these tubes so that I can buy something new with a clear conscience!) // Amaretto blush topped with Champagne Pop + Prosecco Pop from the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection Face Palette (also mentioned in this post) // Chaney Stylo Eyeshadow in Laurier Rose // Dior Diorshow Lash Extension Effect Volume Mascara in 088 (mentioned in this post here) // Glossier Boy Brow in Black (also used in this tutorial).

What do you like to keep nearby to give your lips a little somethin’-somethin’?