In this Issue No. 12 - The Glopstil

I have a love/hate affair with "all the rage" products spreads like this Elle "It List" monthly feature. This is because even when I am casually and noncommittally perusing a magazine, these sorts of lists always - and I do mean always - halt me in my tracks and make me actually pay close attention to what I see on the pages. These pages that claim to play host to the latest and greatest products arriving (or just having arrived) on the market (perfumes, eye creams, nail polish, oh my!) suck me in with their dazzling, artistically displayed wares. And then, even after I've attempted to languidly start flipping through the magazine again, I've lost my rhythm due to one - or sometimes a myriad of - the items that continue to taunt me from the "It List' page. Instead of accepting the fact that there will always be a steady stream of new things coming out to tantalize consumers, it's like I unintentionally create mission for myself to discern whether a new product is actually better than anything I have at home on my own vanity. Because I'm always on the lookout for those Holy Grail items, you see.

Elle magazine's March 2011 issue, which I picked up to reread, featured in its "It List" two Clinique Chubby Sticks (and can we take a moment to appreciate the way I penciled in a tiny, self-defeated arrow at the products because as much as I regret admitting it, I was sucked in). These were vibrantly hued lipcolor hybrids - a lip gloss, pencil and lipstick in one well-rounded, glossy package. They were glopstils, lipstlosses, penglosticks...these hybrids possessed no common moniker as of yet. And look! There was also a self-dispensing turnstile attached to the bottom of the stick that released more product when it wore down from use. I wanted from the spread the pink Chubby Stick that was halfway hidden behind Mr. Red displayed prominently in front of it. 

It was brilliant. It was shiny. It was glossy, colorful, moisturizing (I'm sure it would be, anyway), convenient and pretty. I had to have it.

However, even after moseying to the nearest Clinique counter to check out there selection, I could never find quite what I was looking for. Sure, the moisturizing, glossy element was there, but none of the colors looked quite natural against my skin. They looked a bit garish, in fact. Somewhat disappointed, I left the store.

But don't worry, it gets better.

A few days later as I was browsing (casually, noncommittally - remember?) through a Sephora catalogue, it happened again. Another spread caught my eye, one in which a half dozen red lip products were displayed atop a millieu of women all of whom each embodied exceedingly different facial features. And yet, these various women were all wearing red lipstick as though to assert, "Hey you, reader! Yes, even you can pull off a bright red lip because you, no doubt, look a little bit like at least one of us on this page, and we're all pulling off the red lips with aplomb. No excuses from you, now! Go buy!"

After I weighed the pros and cons of a stark red lip, I noticed that the product listed fourth on the page reminded me of the Clinique Chubby Stick. It was Tarte's LipSurgence natural lip luster. It was a new glopstil (I'm keeping that word)!

After checking out the shades at Sephora, I went with a glimmery pink glitter-infused color called Adored. After performing the, "Does this make me look like a 12-year-old because of the sparkles and the pink?" check and passing with flying colors, I knew it was a go.