LIPSTICKS - Jordana Twist & Shine

This is kind of a blast from the past for me. Jordana was a brand I was into when I was in middle school. I often wore their nude lipstick and topped it off with their clear lip gloss. Up until a couple of years ago, I had completely forgotten about Jordana. Not too surprising since they don't promote as heavily as their other drugstore counterparts like L'Oreal, Maybelline, and Revlon. I don't think Jordana is as widely available as before. You can find permanent fixtures now at Walgreens and Kmart. I happened to stumble upon them the first time in years at a local nail supply store. I saw they had a line of balm stains very similar to Revlon's Balm Stains called Twist & Shine. They were only $2.99 and I ended up taking three shades home with me.

L to R Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains: 03 Tropical Frenzy, 06 Cranberry Crush, 07 Rock N Rouge

I was pleasantly surprised to discover how smooth and pigmented the lip balm stains were. Especially at that price! Brands that don't promote heavily like Jordana are able to keep costs down due to much lower overhead. So don't let the low price tag deter you from trying their stuff. There's a lot of gems there! I thought after all this time, Jordana would have started manufacturing from China to keep costs down, but that wasn't the case! Their products are mostly made in the US, which is great! A handful are made in Italy, like their Best Lash Extreme mascara.

Top to Bottom Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains: 03 Tropical Frenzy, 06 Cranberry Crush, 07 Rock N Rouge

All shades can be found at JordanaCosmetics.com and in stores at Walgreens and Kmart. I have three shades: Tropical Frenzy, Cranberry Crush, and Rock N Rouge.

I love the twist-up style of these. They're exactly the same as the Revlon Balm Stains and Clinique Chubby Sticks.

L to R Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains: 03 Tropical Frenzy, 06 Cranberry Crush, 07 Rock N Rouge

L to R Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stains: 03 Tropical Frenzy, 06 Cranberry Crush, 07 Rock N Rouge

Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain 03 Tropical Frenzy

Tropical Frenzy is a fun pink shade for summer. I don't think it leans too warm or too cool.

Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain 03 Tropical Frenzy

Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain 06 Cranberry Crush

Cranberry Crush is "so me". I love these kinds of berry shades. I think it's more of a raspberry shade than a cranberry one, though.

Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain 06 Cranberry Crush

Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain 07 Rock N Rouge

Rock N Rouge is a warm-leaning red. I think this is the boldest and most pigmented of all the shades. Not ones of my faves since I'm sensing something kind of off about this shade on me and brings out quite a bit of redness in my face. I'll have to try this again when I'm paler in the Wintertime.

Jordana Twist & Shine Balm Stain 07 Rock N Rouge

How do these compare to Revlon and Clinique?

Jordana's leaves a light stain on the lips, but Revlon definitely has the stronger stain and is the least emollient of the three. Clinique is in the middle in terms of intensity of staining and doesn't have as much slip as Jordana.

I'm so happy to find that Jordana is still very much alive and well. They're definitely an underrated brand in the drugstore beauty world. I'm glad that during times like these, we easily can share these gems with others.

I have a few more Jordana finds that I want to share in upcoming posts.

Formula:
The formula feels quite hydrating and has a good amount of slip. They leave as much of a stain as a regular lipstick does. Not quite to the same level as the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. This may be a plus for those with drier lips if you found the Revlon ones to be uncomfortable.

There's a bit of a sweet scent to these that doesn't bother me, but I don't love it either. I'm pretty neutral on this one and I don't consider myself a gourmand when it comes to scented beauty products. I actually prefer the minty scent of the Revlon ones.

Packaging:
The packaging is very cute as most crayon-inspired products are. The caps seem to stay on very well so no need to worry about your lippie rolling around in purse lint! The color of the tubes are not exact matches of the color inside but they're good enough to distinguish one from the other if you have multiples.

Favorites:
I really love Cranberry Crush. If you don't already know, I love berry tones! Rock N Rouge may be a little too warm for me.

Is It Worth Your While?:
If you want lip colors in a crayon-style packaging, then these are a great option for you if the Revlon ones aren't catching your eye. I feel like the Jordana ones are a bit more hydrating than the Revlon ones. I personally would've preferred if it stained more, but this may be a good sign if you have really dry lips. They only cost $2.99 so it'll be easy on your wallet if you want to get a few shades to try.

Have you tried Jordana Twist & Shine before? How about the crayon-style lippies by Revlon and Clinique? Let me know in the comments below!