Elf Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen Swatches and Review

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What they are: Elf Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pens are sheer balmy lip products that lie somewhere between a lip balm and a lip gloss. None of them have any shimmer or glitter and they have a lightly minty tingle. They are supposed to plump but I don’t get much of a plumping effect. They are hydrating and I feel that helps to give the lips a smoother appearance.

Price/Quantity: $8 for 0.07 oz / 2.0 grams

Availability: Elf, Walmart

Shade Range: 8 shades

Packaging: Slim, plastic click up pen. It has a button on the bottom of the pen in a color matching the shade inside. I have to press the button 3 or 4 times to push the product up enough to swipe over the lips. Once I push product up, it cannot be retracted back into the pen like with a twist-up style lip product. The lip product itself is very soft and melts easily so this kind of packaging works well. The lid snaps off and on with a good amount of tension. It doesn’t feel like it will fall off easily but isn’t too difficult to remove either. The names of each shade are on the pens on the bottom of the button but the lettering is so tiny and so thin, it’s nearly impossible to see without the help of a magnifying glass. The white label I’m showing on the lid below is just how I decided to make my life easier so I know the name of each shade as I grab for them.

Smell/Fragrance: These have a light scent that reminds me of coconut oil (which is not listed in the ingredients) and a very faint sweetness. It doesn’t seem to me that these were made to smell intentionally fragranced as the scent I do pick up on is barely there. They do have a cooling minty sensation that is a bit more noticeable than the mintiness that was in the Elf Glow Reviver Lip Oils (review). There is no minty scent though.

Expiration/Shelf Life: 12 months after opening.

Ingredients:

These are the ingredients for the shade In The Clear. The other shades have very similar ingredients listed and the “MAY CONTAIN” section varies a bit for each shade.

Bis-Behenyl/Isostearyl/Phytosteryl Dimer Dilinoleyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Diisostearyl Malate, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Synthetic Wax, Polyglyceryl-2 Triisostearate, Menthone Glycerin Acetal, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Passiflora Edulis Seed Oil, Microcrystalline Wax (Cera Microcristallina), Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Fragrance (Parfum), Tocopherol, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Water (Aqua), Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol; MAY CONTAIN: Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)
elfcosmetics.com

Performance

Shade Selection: None of the shades contain any shimmer or glitter and I LOVE that there is a completely clear option in a formula like this. I often apply a lip balm or lip mask when I start doing my makeup so that if I feel like wearing a lipstick at the end, my lips are all prepped. The clear one is perfect for this.

The shades are all different enough from each other to tell them apart once they are on the lips. Just Peachy and Pinky Out look too similar when swatched but Just Peachy is noticeably much lighter on the lips. Bust A Mauve and Wicked Cherry are pretty close but Wicked Cherry is more red.

Application: These apply about as one would expect — just swipe across the lips like a lipstick. A couple of passes very easily transfers product and color. For some of the deeper shades, I found it helpful to have a lip brush nearby to smooth out the edges of my lips. Because the product is so melty it’s not hard to lose precision. That meltiness also makes me feel like I’m using a lot product each time I apply one of the shades, and could quickly run through an entire pen.

Texture/Consistency/Finish: These melt easily when they come in contact with the skin. They feel like a cross between very thick lip gloss and a very melty lip balm. Pressing my lips together, the product doesn’t feel like it is too thick or heavy and it is not sticky or goopy at all. They feel soothing and protective like a nice lip balm. Swatching these wasn’t the easiest thing because a lot of product would come off in patches as I moved it over my skin, leaving a thick uneven looking swatch. I smoothed over pretty much every swatch with a brush but here is how it swatches without me messing with them and how the product looks in the tube afterward.

Pigmentation/Color Payoff: I can get sheer but noticeable color from these. They can be applied a bit more lightly for a pretty natural look or I can layer them up to get the color to pop more. I feel like I have a good amount of wiggle room for layering these before they start to look too thick or uneven on the lips, but they do have a limit. The midtone and deeper shades are easier to apply more heavily but the lighter shades like Just Peachy and Pinky Out start to look goopy on me if I apply too much.

Longevity: These are thick enough and stay on for a few hours if not touched. They don’t absorb or evaporate or seem to disappear on their own. If I eat or drink they do easily transfer but even then, they still hold on pretty well. I wore one to work and drank water throughout my shift. After a couple of hours, I could tell the product had worn away from the center of my lips but was still holding on around the edges of my lips. Where it was still holding on, it maintained its comfortable balmy feel.

Pros and Cons

Things I like:

The clear one is nice as a lip balm alternative or lip treatment before makeup.
Minty feel.
No shimmer.
Feels really comfortable and smooth. More moisturizing and soothing than a waxy lip balm and thicker than a lip gloss or lip oil.
Good price.

Drawbacks and other considerations:

It seems like I could use them up quickly.
The lighter shades don’t build up as well as the deeper ones and can easily look goopy.
I don’t really see plumping from these. They help fight dryness and keep my lips moisturized which helps them to look a little more smooth.

Do I Recommend Them?

I definitely recommend the clear one for anyone as an alternative to a lip balm. For the ones with color, maybe go for shades that are a bit deeper than your natural lip color (just based on how the lighter ones applied on me). If you actually want them for plumping though, you’ll probably not get what you’re hoping for.

Swatches

In The Clear

In The Clear is a totally clear, shimmer and sparkle free shade with shine nearly like that of a lip gloss. It doesn’t have the same wet, glassy effect of a gloss, but has more reflect than a lip balm.

Just Peachy

Just Peachy is a super pale peach. This one is surprisingly too light for me. The arm swatch is heavier than the lip swatch. I can see this one settling into my lip lines and it become more obvious the more I build it up. Out of all the shades, I enjoyed this one the least.

Pinky Out

Pinky Out is a light warm pink. This one is a bit better for me than Just Peachy for a natural/neutral looking color but can also look heavy/goopy if I apply it too heavily on the lips. I don’t notice it settling into my lip lines as much probably because it’s just deep enough of a color.

Toasted

Toasted is a light peachy caramel. It’s not too orange and not too brown and not too light lol. If you’re into brownish shades, this is an interesting one. On my lips, it pulls a bit more pink because of the shade is sheer and my natural lip color kind of skews the overall effect. I can go a little more heavy handed with application starting with this shade as well as the rest below without it looking bad on the lips.