Maybelline Baby Lips Balm Ball Review

Earlier this week, I spotted the new Maybelline Baby Lips Balm Ball ($3.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond) and they looked so much like the Baby Skin blushes that launched over the summer, I almost passed them by. When I took a second look and realized they were actually Baby Lips balms, I grabbed all four shades to try and review. I love the original Baby Lips formula most of the time, even though they usually aren't enough moisture for me in the winter, so I was excited to see if these are the same or possibly a new formula. Also, I was happy to see this cute packaging return as a lip balm this time...I felt like it was wasted on the blushes, since I didn't care for them at all. 

Let's take a closer look! 

The Baby Lips Balm Ball claims to be a "tinted creamy lip balm" that "leaves lips smooth with a subtle flush of color". When I compared the ingredient list to the original Baby Lips, I found that there are quite a few differences in the formulas. The one that stood out most to me is that the original Baby Lips contains shea butter as a moisturizing ingredient, but it's absent in the new Balm Ball. This version contains Capric/Caprylic Triglyceride (fatty acids from coconut oil) and castor seed oil, which are definitely moisturizers... but for my dry lips, they don't beat the power of shea butter. Plus, I don't find the original Baby Lips to be the most moisturizing balm anyway, so removing the shea butter for this new formula concerned me a bit.

The packaging is definitely cute and eye-catching, with bright colors and a chubby ball tip similar to the Eos lip balms. It's not the easiest applicator if you're trying to stay inside the lines, but these are pretty sheer so it doesn't matter too much...anything that gets outside your lip line can easily be wiped away. They don't have any visible shimmer, at least to my eye, but they do go on super shiny. They feel very lightweight, smooth and slick as you're applying them and feel nice on the lips at first.

The bad news is, these wear off pretty quickly, leaving my lips feeling just as dry as if I hadn't applied them at all. I wouldn't say that they actually dry out my lips...they just don't leave a lasting moisturizing effect. Compared to the original Baby Lips, I think that these are slightly less hydrating but they do have a similar lightweight, slick feel. Another thing to note is that my lips are pretty chapped right now and the color did cling to dry flakes a little bit.
I also wanted to mention that they have a slightly fruity scent, in case you're sensitive to fragrance.

When I first started swatching these, I was disappointed in how sheer they were. The swatches below on my arm took a good 5-7 swipes back and forth just to produce the color you see here. The good news is, the more I swatched these, the more the pigment came out, so maybe there's a bit of a top layer that needs to come off first.

On my lips, the colors seemed to show up a lot better, but it's likely because the color is layered over the natural pigment that's already present there, unlike on my arm. I really like the shine and color these give...they look naturally pretty. They just don't last very long at all...then again, they are lip balms so it's common to have a shorter wear time.

Overall, I like the new Maybelline Baby Lips Balm Ball, but I don't love them. Maybe it's because my lips are so dry right now and these just aren't giving me the hydration I need, so I'll have to see how I like them as the weather warms up and the condition of my lips improves. 

Have you seen these in stores yet? What are your thoughts?