Clinique Chubby Sticks Are Getting a New Look for 2026—So We Took Them for a Spin
The nostalgia of it all!
Some things feel like rites of passage on your way to adulthood. Stealing your older sibling’s clothes. Sneaking a bit of your mom’s perfume. Even the strangely monumental feeling of shaving your legs for the first time. My version of this, you ask? Using Clinique Chubby Sticks for the first time.
After opting for extremely cheap (but affordable) makeup when I first became interested in beauty, anything from a department store felt like the epitome of luxury—I’m talking very “I’m a part of the one percent” energy. So you can imagine my glee when I finally got the chance to try Clinique Chubby Sticks. The product practically took over my makeup bag, and I always had one of the tinted lip balms on me.
Fast forward years later, and today, January 5, the brand is reviving the iconic product line and expanding the number of offerings across all SKUs. The Lip Color Balms will have seven new shades added to the existing lineup; the Cheek Color Balms will have five; the Sculpting Contour will have two, and so will the Sculpting Highlight. Prices range from $25 to $32, and the products will be available exclusively on Clinique's website as well as in Ulta Beauty stores and online.
"Clinique makes makeup easy to use and joyful to wear," Christie Sclater, the brand's senior vice president of global marketing, tells me. "Chubby Sticks are a perfect expression of this—swipe-on color that lets everyone play with makeup, no mirror required."
This expansion comes just in time, as searches for minimal makeup have slowly been increasing over the past 30 days, with specific search terms like “minimal makeup tutorial” seeing a 350 percent increase in search volume, according to Google Trends. I’m happy to report that the Chubby Sticks still provide that sheer wash of color on the face that we all know and love, perfect for someone who loves easy-to-use makeup that practically applies and blends itself. To see how the Marie Claire team has been incorporating the nostalgic makeup products into our routines, keep reading.
Ariel Baker, Beauty Writer
“Clinique Chubby Sticks were some of the first ‘fancy’ makeup products that I used, and I can’t get over how nostalgic this revamped launch is making me feel. As for the products, I’ve been reaching for the contour stick in the shade ‘Really Rich’ constantly. This may sound a little intimidating, but it actually pulls quite warm on my skin, so I’ve been using it as a quick everyday bronzer and have been loving the results. Additionally, the highlighter in the shade Dazzling Dusk is a dream to use, and it leaves behind that beautiful, glassy, editorial glow that I have been obsessed with recently. It’s the perfect addition to my makeup bag right now, especially as I do my best to manifest a quick start to the spring season.”
Julia Marzovilla, E-Commerce Editor
“I was an OG Chubby Sticks fan. They were some of the first makeup finds I ever bought, so using them felt like a major nostalgia trip. The 2025 iterations felt just as easy to use and creamier than I remember. The contour stick was too warm for me to use as is, so I applied it like I would a bronzer, and it gave me the most healthy-looking glow. The blush stick had such a lovely sheen to it (without being sparkly), so I now look like I’m fresh off a beach vacay.”
Hannah Baxter, Beauty Director
Clinique is the most nostalgic beauty brand for me. I distinctly remember learning about the three-step skincare system when I was a pimple-ridden teenager, and now, 20 years later, here we are! So I was more than happy to throw the Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balm into my work bag for easy color, sans mirror. I will say, given that my lips are naturally pretty pale, I prefer for my tinted lip balms to provide a bit more color than the shades I tried—it was a always super subtle wash of pink or rose—but the formula itself is soft and lovely. I appreciate that it was easy to manuever around my prominent cupid's bow, and my lips managed to feel cushion-y soft an hour or two later (which is impressive for a balm). This is one type of millennial nostalgia I'm happy to get behind.
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