Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick - Pink Toffee

This lipstick has had a nearly permanent spot in my purse for the last few months – this is a major rarity for me. And more importantly, I never wish I had something else instead - I never doubt the shade or formula, and have already worn it down to a nub.

Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick in Pink Toffee is such a no-brainer that every girl under the sun could own it and it would serve a purpose. When they talk about "universal," this might be what they are referring to, and whatever brilliant marketing executive branded NARS Orgasm Blush as a universal shade obviously had not encountered Pink Toffee. Clinique shares some of the blame. They are forever pushing the over-hyped Black Honey - it really is much ado about nothing (I get the same effect with Cover Girl TruShine Lipstick in Berry Shine, and Lipstick Queen's Saint - Berry). Pink Toffee is one of those shades that suffers from a million, been-there, done-that descriptions - pinky-brown, neutral pink, My-Lips-But-Better, pink-nude, nude berry, mauvey-pink (but not mauve - or pink), dark rose with burnt-toffee undertones, reddish burgundy - the list seriously goes on.

I'm not saying that this is God's gift to lipstick-mankind or that it will complement every look (although it probably will). All I'm saying is that whether you are 20 or 50, you can keep this lipstick in your purse for weeks without replacement. Other shades that I've tried and loved do come very close to Pink Toffee, but the exact tone of this pink and the Butter Shine formula keep it fresh, versatile, and on the list of repurchases. This actually beats out my beloved Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Plum Sable (Revlon's Rum Raisin runs a close second), which could use some oomph with gloss or balm. The Butter Shine formula, a creamy gloss with the feel of a lip balm, takes care of that. It is the lipstick for non-lipstick wearers and the gloss for non-gloss wearers, which makes it particularly suitable for warm-weather wear. Quite a feat for this underrated, $14 tube of goodness. (Note to darker-skinned girls - if you choose Rum Kiss in favor of this, return it. Rum Kiss is certainly a neutral, but a rather drab one at that. Pink Toffee is the way to go).