| Review | Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm
Tinted liquid lip balms have been a hot trend for the past couple of years and these balms are pushing traditional lip glosses out of the way! After all, who doesn't want a nourishing and hydrating lip color? While I'm not a personal fan of the name of this product because it feels like "greenwashing", the brand has always brought out beautiful clean products. I understand them trying to push their "clean" formulations but to name a product "Squeaky Clean" is really shoving the concept down people's throats. It's a bit aggressive in my opinion. Despite the incredibly pushy name, the formula definitely piqued my curiosity and I had to try these liquid balms for myself.
The Westman Atelier Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm retails for $38.00 USD and is available at Westman Atelier, Sephora, and other retailers. The packaging is a matte black tube with a shiny twist-off top with a thin clear window to show the color inside. The tube resembles the tubes of the products from the rest of the range. It is very sleek, chic, and elegant. The lip balms come with a small black canvas pouch with drawstrings to protect the pretty packaging. The packaging has a lot of heft and weight to them even though they are quite small. This weighty packaging feels very luxurious. These liquid lip balms have a flat doe-foot applicator for easily spreading the product across the lips.
SHADES
This formula currently comes in 6 shades, all of them very wearable and soft. There aren't really any vibrant shades in the collection. Even the more vibrant shades are quite muted and soft. I can see more shades being added as the brand grows and popularity develops for this formula. The shades I purchased are:
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| Balms from left tp right: Nana, Nou Nou, Garçonne |
Nana - This shade looks like a light nude beige shade in the tube but on the lips, it is a very pale milky beige with a pink undertone.
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| Westman Atelier Nana |
Nou Nou - This shade appears to be a light peach nude shade but on the lips, this shade is a very pale milky pink shade. This shade is only barely a touch deeper and pinker than Nana.
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| Westman Atelier Nou Nou |
Garçonne - This is the lightest shade that actually contains so pigment and offers noticeable color on the lips. This shade appears to be a cool mauve in the tube but looks more like a little pinker and a bit plummier on the lips. This shade is a good my-lips-but-better shade on a medium to tan skin tone.
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| Westman Atelier Garçonne |
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| Swatches from left to right: NaNa, Nou Nou, Garçonne |
FORMULA
The pigmentation of these lip balms is extremely disappointing! The lightest shades are almost identical and they may as well be clear because the pigment is so sheer! Not only is it extremely sheer but the pigment is suspended in the balm in a weird way, where the pigment splits from the balm and sinks into lip lines, and emphasizes texture on the lips.
The texture of these reminds me of modern lip oils, which are a balmy light oil texture. This formula feels instantly smooth, creamy, and hydrating. It has this very subtle slip to it that indicates there's oil in this formula. If you take a look at the ingredients list, the majority of the formula is made up of a blend of oils. The texture is like a balmy gloss, not too thick but it isn't really a thin formula either. This texture feels really great on the lips and it's incredibly comfortable but I have tried similar products and this one isn't as hydrating as the others I have tried. Normally, I feel an instant relief to any dryness but this one doesn't have that same effect. It feels comfortable but not necessarily hydrating. It does feel more hydrating than your typical lip gloss.
This formula does hydrate your lips over time. I do notice my lips are much smoother and softer after wearing this product for over 2 hours or so. That being said, I also don't think it does anything special compared to the other tinted lip balms on the market. In fact, I think it is a disappointment when you put these up against other tinted liquid balms because the pigment is so sheer and patchy. Other brands have both the comfortable and hydrating formula with the addition of smooth and even pigment. This lip balm is not superior in either category and for the luxury price tag, that is extremely disappointing!
The finish of this balm is quite glossy and has a lip gloss shine, which is shinier than a typical liquid balm. However, the gloss is the first thing to start to fade within an hour or so of wear without eating or drinking. So, the gloss effect is more muted after one hour and continues to fade with the color afterward. I find that these wear for 1 to 3 hours, fading as time goes on. You can get up to three hours of wear with the more vibrant shades and if you aren't eating or drinking; however, realistically, it's probably more like an hour of wear. Since this isn't meant to be a long-wearing lip product, this is something I expected. This balm does have a light fruity scent that is most noticeable during application and you can kind of taste it a bit as you're wearing it. It's not offensive but it's kind of just there.
The brand recommends using this formula over lipsticks and other lip colors but, since the formula is so oil-heavy, it causes the lipstick underneath to slightly split and break apart. It isn't too apparent from a distance but you will be able to tell when you look at your lips in the mirror. It doesn't look awful but I have other comfortable gloss products in my collection that don't have this issue. If this product worked over lipsticks, it would redeem this formula in my eyes but it doesn't play well with most lip formulas. You can use this over a lip stain but only because the color goes into the lips. Lipstick or other lip colors that sit on top of the lips will not layer nicely with this formula.
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| Wetsman Atelier Nana Squeaky Clean Liquid Lip Balm applied over lipstick |
INGREDIENTS
So, the big thing that Westman Atelier is pushing for this formula is that it contains "squeaky clean" ingredients, hence the name. This seems to be the only thing that sets them apart from the competition because so many brands are coming out with a liquid balm product.
Here is the full ingredients list for this liquid balm:
Garconne, Nana, Pipsqueak, Ma Puce, Nou Nou: Diisostearoyl Polyglyceryl-3 Dimer Dilinoleate, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil / Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Octyldodecanol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil / Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil / Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Mica, Parfum / Fragrance, Tocopherol, Butyrosper- Mum Parkii Butter / Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Arcania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil / Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Limonene, Citral, Linalool, Citronellol. May Contain (+/-): Cl 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, Cl 77491 / Iron Oxides, Cl 77492 / Iron Oxides, Cl 77499 / Iron Oxides, Cl 75470 / Carmine, Cl 77742 / Manganese Violet, Cl 15850 / Red 6.
Chou Chou: Diisostearoyl Polyglyceryl-3 Dimer Dilinoleate, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil / Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Octyldodecanol, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil/ Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil / Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Mica, Parfum / Fragrance, Tocopherol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter / Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Silica, Arcania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil / Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tin Oxide, Limonene, Citral, Linalool, Citronellol. May Contain (+/-): Cl 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, Cl 77492 / Iron Oxides, Cl 75470 / Carmine, Cl 77742 / Manganese Violet.
You can see the formula is heavily composed of a combination of oils, which explains the lip oil texture on the lips. It also explains why the pigment has a tendency to split and doesn't apply very evenly on the lips. It should be noted that there is almond oil in this formula, for those who have an allergy. If you look at the ingredients, the formula is clean but these ingredients don't justify the luxury price tag. I feel like you're paying more for the packaging than the formula.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I was VERY excited about this formula but if I'm being quite honest, it's a bit of a disappointment. The formula is not only very sheer but the pigment suspended in it has a tendency to split, especially with the lighter shades, which isn't the nicest look. The biggest disappointment for me is that the price is so high and the formula feels like many other formulas I have tried for significantly less! The only selling point they have that is different from other brands is that this formula is "squeaky clean". I can now see why they push the "clean" formulation so hard because they really have nothing else to offer other than a "clean" formula to set them apart from the competition.
For the price, I can't recommend these. They are just too expensive and I have many of these liquid balms or glossy balm types of products in my collection, which I consider on par or superior to this formula. If you really want to try one, I would highly recommend picking one of the more vibrant shades because the nude shades are definitely not worth it! Overall, I don't think any of these are really worth it. I would look elsewhere for one of these liquid balms since so many brands are coming out with them. There are clean versions available other than this formula if this is a requirement for you.
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