Love Me Tender: M.A.C Tendertones Lip Balm

I love lipgloss. I love lip balm. So the combination of the two into one product -- as with M.A.C's latest creation, Tendertones, pretty much sent me over the edge with glee. I've been excited about this collection for months -- the idea of a glossy balm complete with SPF 12 sun protection thrilled and delighted me beyond words.

Some people may have a problem with the packaging. Miniature tubs that come without brushes turn off some beauty chicks. This beauty chick is not one of them! I think there's something so satisfying about scooping up a goopy mass of product and swiping it over my lips.

The tinted balm smells subtly of strawberries and kiwi, which is so delightfully fresh for summer. It's a departure from M.A.C's signature vanilla scent, but I think for these balms it's totally worth it! The balm comes in 10 different shades, each of which add such a gorgeous hint of color and shimmer to your pout. You can choose from the following:

Deep Sigh (sheer grape brown with red pearl)
Hush, Hush (sheer gold with yellow gold pearl)
Pucker (sheer berry with red pearl)
Hot N' Saucy (soft cherry red)
Tread Gently (soft lime green with yellow pearl)
Honey Bare (sheer peach with white pearl)
Sweet Tooth (sheer coral with white pearl)
Sweet & Nice (sheer red grape with red pearl)
E-Z Baby (sheer milky pink)
Take a Hint (rosy blue pink with white and gold pearl)

My favorite is, surprisingly, Tread Gently. I was totally put off by the lime green hue at first -- I thought it would come out terribly on my lips! Instead, I was pleasantly surprised when I slicked it on, as it appeared sheer with the slightest hint of gold shimmer. It's absolutely gorgeous on its own -- it gives the tiniest touch of sheen to the lips without becoming overpowering -- but it also looks fabulous layered over pink, red and peach lipglosses and lipsticks. I can't wait to layer it over my Pixel Pink lipstick!

Unfortunately, this product is no longer available.