A New Addition to the BLAST Family - Are Congratulations in Order?

First Impressions
I am a sucker for packaging (just thought I should get it out in the open)! Clean lines and great design always catch my eye. I was immediately drawn to the packaging on the new ShineBlast Lip Gloss from COVERGIRL. Its sleek silver handle, tapered plastic body(revealing a glimpse of shimmery color) and compact size made it look like a seriously stylish visitor from the future.

Actually the sight of any COVERGIRL product evokes memories of my first foray into cosmetics as a teen. Then my routine consisted of COVERGIRL powder, pinkish gloss and clear mascara. Sigh, when life was simple.

Anyway, the sleek packaging serves as a showcase for the 16 high shine shades. The pearlized pigments in the gloss caught the light as I inspected each of the three tubes I was testing. When I opened the tube the sweet fragrance (think cotton candy) reached my nose. To be perfectly honest I was feeling skeptical before taking the Shineblast gloss for a test run. I haven't worn sparkly makeup since I was 15, am I going to like this gloss at all?

Application and Wear
Much ado has been made about the new patented "ShineSculpt" applicator on the ShineBlast glosses. The traditional sponge applicator has been tweaked by CG to create a more precise brush. Removing the silver top from it's casing I could see the concave applicator held a well of gloss in the center. Placing it on my lower lip I was able to quickly and precisely (without a mirror, yikes!) coat my lips. One coat of gloss was enough to give me reasonably shiny lips. Mind you that I have ridiculously thin lips, fuller lipped gals (so jealous) may require more to reach maximum shininess.

The gloss itself went on smoothly without any of the globs or stickiness associated with high shine glosses. I was a little skeptical of the pearlescent pieces, which are very apparent in the tube, but was pleasantly surprised to see that they diffuse to a light shimmer when applied. How does the ShineBlast gloss hold up as far as wear time? In truth I never expect any gloss to last a long time. The ShineBlast gloss went on at 8:00 am, faded to a slight sheen by 8:30 am and was completely gone by 9:00 am. Oh well, expect to reapply frequently. COVERGIRL recommends using lipliner in a natural shade to extend the wear of the gloss.

I tried three of the 16 shades in the ShineBlast line up. Radiate; a strawberry color, Ember; a neutral nude, and Ignite; a coral shade. Of the three I tried, I preferred Radiate which gave my lips a slight hint of pink. All the shades were flattering though, since they are tints, not full blown colors.

The Verdict
What I liked: ShineBlast did make my thin lips(I mean 1920's film star thin) appear fuller. Which is worthy of praise in and of itself. The colors which looked bright and intimidating in the package, were soft and pretty on my lips. ShineBlast's consistency was pleasingly smooth although the wear was just average for a lipgloss. The "ShineSculpt" applicator was a neat addition to the packaging, it allowed the perfect amount of product to be deposited in one swipe. Overall I like how a coat of gloss can make me feel pulled together and pretty even when I'm not wearing any other makeup.

Not so crazy about:The smell of the ShineBlast gloss, which I likened to cotton candy, while faint, is just too much fragrance for my sensitive sniffer. My lips were left feeling tight and dry after the gloss had worn off. This problem was easily remedied by applying a lip balm then the gloss. I thought that ShineBlast, which claims to use a mixture of oils, wouldn't be so drying. The taste of the gloss (no, I wasn't eating it) was also a little off-putting, probably an effect of the added fragrance.

The ShineBlast glosses, while nice, will probably not be a permanent fixture in my beauty arsenal. It is the really sweet, neatly packaged, little sister in the BLAST family, pleasant, but... leaves something to be desired. For about $8 a tube it's an affordable option for those of you who like high shine and don't mind the added fragrance (like picky me).

For more information on COVERGIRL'S Shineblast Lip Gloss go to: http://www.covergirl.com/products/product.jsp?productId=shineblast_lipgloss

Picture from COVERGIRL.COM