Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain Review & Swatches

Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain ($2.99 at Walgreens) has been around for a while now but I just recently decided to pick some up.  I have a bit of a chubby lip crayon obsession so it's hard to believe I didn't have any of these, especially since Jordana is one of my favorite budget-friendly drugstore brands. Let's take a look...

Twist & Shine comes in 10 shades, but half of them were sold out at my Walgreens so I bought the five that were there. These claim to be a moisturizing balm infused with a lightweight stain that applies with a glossy finish, then transforms into a perfect flush of color.

These are retractable and never need sharpening. I've found that they never get dull because I don't use the point to apply them, I use the sides. They also don't have much of a scent at all...maybe just a hint of fruit, maybe cherry? All I know is, I'm so glad it's not mint! So many of these chubby lip pencils have that minty menthol taste and it dries my lips out like crazy. These feel super moisturizing going on and stay that way. My lips never feel dry when wearing these, even after the glossiness fades away and all that's left is the stain. I was really impressed by that!

I can get about 3+ hours out of these and then the stain sticks around for several more hours. These aren't slippery like gloss...the balm-like texture clings to your lips at first, then sinks right in. They also didn't settle into lines or accentuate dry patches either...a huge plus for me!

Nude Chic, Sweet Pink, Candied Coral, Honey Love, Gorgeous Peony

The shades are a little on the sheer side at first swipe, but can be easily built up to increase the pigmentation.

Nude Chic is a light nude with a hint of pink and some shimmer. None of the other shades I purchased has shimmer, so I was surprised when I saw that this one did.
Sweet Pink is a light candy-pink shade with cooler undertones.
Candied Coral is definitely a coral shade, but instead of leaning orange like most corals do, it has a lot of pink in it, so it's actually a cooler toned coral. It's great for fair or cooler skin-types.
Honey Love is that perfect mauve-y rosyMLBB shade. It looks a lot darker in the tube than on your lips...it's probably my favorite shade of the bunch!
Gorgeous Peony is very close to Honey Love, but it's slightly lighter and has more pink instead of mauve.

Nude Chic, Sweet Pink, Candied Coral, Honey Love, Gorgeous Peony

Here they are on my lips...sorry about these photos, it was a very minimal makeup day and I look really tired because my son is getting his 2 year old molars and kept me up a lot last night.  But I really wanted you to see what these look like on because it's hard to tell just by looking at arm swatches.

Nude Chic

Sweet Pink

Candied Coral

Honey Love

Gorgeous Peony

Overall, these are fantastic. They're about a third of the price of the Revlon Balm Stains and don't have that minty taste. Plus, they're long lasting and never make my lips feel dry. I'm so happy I found these and I definitely want to find the other 5 shades! 

To see the entire range, please visit Jordana's website, or head over to your local Walgreens.