I wasn't entirely sure how to categorise this post. Despite the name of this NoTS (Noble Through Skin) lip... product, Lip Shimmer Gloss, it's neither shimmery nor glossy. Ah well, it can go into the lip balm category for now.
Showing posts with label Lip Care. Show all posts
NoTS Lip Shimmer Gloss [Review]
Friday, 18 September 2015
I wasn't entirely sure how to categorise this post. Despite the name of this NoTS (Noble Through Skin) lip... product, Lip Shimmer Gloss, it's neither shimmery nor glossy. Ah well, it can go into the lip balm category for now.
Josie Maran Live Color-fully Argan Oil Collection [Review]
Thursday, 10 September 2015
This Live Color-fully Argan Oil Collection by Josie Maran Cosmetics is a limited edition set available exclusively at Sephora. For $38, you get a collection of Josie Maran products with a retail value of $59 if purchased separately.
The items are: Coconut Watercolor Cheek Gelee 2.7g (travel size, $13 if purchased on its own), Argan High Gloss Lip Quench 8ml (full size, $18), Argan Watercolor Eye Shadow 4.7ml (full size, $18) and Argan Black Oil Mascara 5ml (small size, approx $13.85).
Small Innisfree haul from Koreadepart & review
Friday, 20 December 2013
I used to visit Gmarket periodically, but for several reasons listed below, it's unlikely that I'll return in the near future.
Reasons I'm bidding farewell to the site I once adored:
Koreadepart offers registered airmail shipping, which you pay in advance, but after your order is shipped they'll automatically refund any overpayment. If your order is over 1.2kgs, they will only ship via EMS. You can just place several orders to avoid EMS though.
For someone like me who only really buys beauty products (Rilakkuma too!) and is particular about ingredients, I see little point in continuing to shop at Gmarket when I can get the same items from Koreadepart for pretty much the same price give or take a few cents.
My estimated shipping was $25, but after my package was shipped with an actual shipping cost of $13, I was automatically refunded $12 via PayPal.
My first order consisted of:
6 x Innisfree Eco Nail Colour
Innisfree Eco Safety No Sebum Sun Milk SPF 50+ PA+++ (I do love sun protection!)
Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay mask
Innisfree Color Tint Balm
Other than the Volcanic Pore Clay Mask, I've had the chance to try out these items. Read on for reviews!
Innisfree Eco Nail Colour
The six I picked were 116, 117, 120, 128, 129 and 130. For approximately $3 each, and free from DBP, formaldehyde and toluene, I figured that I couldn't really go wrong with these.
The pastel coloured 116, 117 and 120 are part of Innisfree's Macaron Nail Collection. 128, 129 and 130 are part of the Glitter Nail Collection.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get all colours from the Macaron collection as some had sold out.
116 Strawberry Macaron - A delicate baby pink, this is my favourite of the six.
117 Blueberry Macaron - Pastel purple toned blue.
120 Peach Maracon - Pastel peach.
These shades are completely opaque and look exactly as they do in the bottle. To get an even colour it's best to apply two coats. They last 2 days without chipping (haven't tried for longer than this as I prefer not to wear the same nail colour for too long)
Since I don't know the official names of the glitter polishes, I'll refer to them by their product numbers.
128 - The silver glitter itself is very pretty, but I'm really not a fan of the giant square chunks. Without them, I'd actually wear this.
129 - Glitter overload! Difficult to apply evenly, because the glitter gets dragged around by the brush, so I had to wait for the first to dry before applying a second, which ended with more unevenness, as can be seen from the photo.
130 - The glitter bits in this are huge, and I mean huge, and look like broken glass on the nails. Maybe that's the point, but I'm not a fan. And because the bottle contains so much glitter in odd shapes, they have a tendency to overlap, making the nail look bumpy and uneven. I don't like the shade of red either; it makes my nails look like they've stained. It's a complete mystery as to why I picked this...
Innisfree Eco Safety No Sebum Sun Milk SPF 50+ PA+++
Mineral based and 5 free, this is a lightweight sun milk that spreads easily, leaves no white cast or sticky residue - the consistency of Asian sun protection is simply unrivalled!
It's slightly runnier than, and doesn't feel as moisturising as Naturaglace UV Base Milk, but while you get 35ml of Naturaglace for ¥2940 (≈$28), Innisfree Sun Milk is ≈$15 (factored in shipping) for 45ml.
I'll continue using Naturaglace since I find it sits better under makup without the need for additional primer, but as far as reasonably priced everyday sun protection goes, I've reached for this several days in a row now, so I'd say that I've found a new staple.
No Sebum Sun Milk ingredients:
Innisfree Color Change Tint Balm
Slanted tip, easy to apply:
Like most "colour change" balms, this starts out very sheer, then deepens in colour, though nowhere near as pigmented as the colour shown in the tube. It has a sweet, fruity, non overpowering scent I really like.
Swatch:
This isn't as moisturising as dedicated lip balms, so wouldn't do much good for chapped lips. It is, however, a pretty reddish pink 2 in 1 coloured balm which leaves the lips soft and pink. At approximately $9, it's excellent value.
As Innisfree products are paraben/mineral oil free and so well priced, I'll be adding more to my shopping list! Wouldn't mind a few more (non glittery!) nail colours for $3 each...
Reasons I'm bidding farewell to the site I once adored:
- You have to pre-pay the estimated weight for your orders - sellers aren't as bad as a few years ago where they'd list the estimated weight of an eyeliner to be 1kg - and as they always overestimate, any leftover amount is "stuck" in your Gaccount until your next order. So in other words, your Gaccount balance is never zero, in effect making you return to use up the balance (and leave more funds in your account). Right now I have around $35 left in my Gmarket account and I think for me to withdraw this, it would cost around $30 in fees, so there's not much point.
- Only optimized for Internet Explorer, my least favourite browser. Navigation is still buggy with Chrome and FireFox.
- The only available shipping option is EMS which is extortionate for small orders. Also, in the UK, EMS packages are also more likely to be stopped by customs, followed by a delightful £13.50 handling fee slapped by Parcelforce regardless of the amount you get taxed, which just takes the cake when the tax itself is like £4.
- Slow to navigate (even on a 70MB fiber connection) and I always have to wait for the sellers' images to fully load.
- Site is unnecessarily complicated; even with several Gmarket orders under my belt I still can't find my way around easily. I can see plenty of ways they can simplify their site & the ordering process while maintaining functionality. One would think that with the amount of international customers they get, it would make sense to make the shopping interface more user friendly.
- Customer service takes around 2 days (pretty sure they used to be quicker) to respond to queries and I have to keep checking my account to see whether there's a reply.
Koreadepart offers registered airmail shipping, which you pay in advance, but after your order is shipped they'll automatically refund any overpayment. If your order is over 1.2kgs, they will only ship via EMS. You can just place several orders to avoid EMS though.
For someone like me who only really buys beauty products (Rilakkuma too!) and is particular about ingredients, I see little point in continuing to shop at Gmarket when I can get the same items from Koreadepart for pretty much the same price give or take a few cents.
My estimated shipping was $25, but after my package was shipped with an actual shipping cost of $13, I was automatically refunded $12 via PayPal.
My first order consisted of:
6 x Innisfree Eco Nail Colour
Innisfree Eco Safety No Sebum Sun Milk SPF 50+ PA+++ (I do love sun protection!)
Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay mask
Innisfree Color Tint Balm
Other than the Volcanic Pore Clay Mask, I've had the chance to try out these items. Read on for reviews!
Innisfree Eco Nail Colour
The six I picked were 116, 117, 120, 128, 129 and 130. For approximately $3 each, and free from DBP, formaldehyde and toluene, I figured that I couldn't really go wrong with these.
The pastel coloured 116, 117 and 120 are part of Innisfree's Macaron Nail Collection. 128, 129 and 130 are part of the Glitter Nail Collection.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get all colours from the Macaron collection as some had sold out.
116 Strawberry Macaron - A delicate baby pink, this is my favourite of the six.
117 Blueberry Macaron - Pastel purple toned blue.
120 Peach Maracon - Pastel peach.
These shades are completely opaque and look exactly as they do in the bottle. To get an even colour it's best to apply two coats. They last 2 days without chipping (haven't tried for longer than this as I prefer not to wear the same nail colour for too long)
Since I don't know the official names of the glitter polishes, I'll refer to them by their product numbers.
128 - The silver glitter itself is very pretty, but I'm really not a fan of the giant square chunks. Without them, I'd actually wear this.
129 - Glitter overload! Difficult to apply evenly, because the glitter gets dragged around by the brush, so I had to wait for the first to dry before applying a second, which ended with more unevenness, as can be seen from the photo.
130 - The glitter bits in this are huge, and I mean huge, and look like broken glass on the nails. Maybe that's the point, but I'm not a fan. And because the bottle contains so much glitter in odd shapes, they have a tendency to overlap, making the nail look bumpy and uneven. I don't like the shade of red either; it makes my nails look like they've stained. It's a complete mystery as to why I picked this...
Innisfree Eco Safety No Sebum Sun Milk SPF 50+ PA+++
Mineral based and 5 free, this is a lightweight sun milk that spreads easily, leaves no white cast or sticky residue - the consistency of Asian sun protection is simply unrivalled!
It's slightly runnier than, and doesn't feel as moisturising as Naturaglace UV Base Milk, but while you get 35ml of Naturaglace for ¥2940 (≈$28), Innisfree Sun Milk is ≈$15 (factored in shipping) for 45ml.
I'll continue using Naturaglace since I find it sits better under makup without the need for additional primer, but as far as reasonably priced everyday sun protection goes, I've reached for this several days in a row now, so I'd say that I've found a new staple.
No Sebum Sun Milk ingredients:
Innisfree Color Change Tint Balm
Slanted tip, easy to apply:
Like most "colour change" balms, this starts out very sheer, then deepens in colour, though nowhere near as pigmented as the colour shown in the tube. It has a sweet, fruity, non overpowering scent I really like.
Swatch:
This isn't as moisturising as dedicated lip balms, so wouldn't do much good for chapped lips. It is, however, a pretty reddish pink 2 in 1 coloured balm which leaves the lips soft and pink. At approximately $9, it's excellent value.
As Innisfree products are paraben/mineral oil free and so well priced, I'll be adding more to my shopping list! Wouldn't mind a few more (non glittery!) nail colours for $3 each...
Update & Hurraw! lip balms - Black Cherry, Chocolate, Grapefruit, Green Tea & Orange
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Can't believe it's been so long since my last post! Have been seriously busy for the past few months, but now I can relax a little and post some reviews in the mornings when I have some time.
Before I start with my first review of the year, I'd like to pay my respects to the victims of the recent disaster in Japan. I was saddened and shocked by the terrible news and wish this beautiful country the best on its way to recovery.
In January I welcomed a new addition to the family:
This is Cookie ♥ 6 month old Netherland Dwarf. He's now fully grown but compared to my other 2 bunnies he is tiny!
Now for the product review... Recently I stumbled upon an online store, Super Smoocher which sells only natural lip products with free delivery within the UK. As I love all natural and lip products, I simply had to check it out. My packages arrived quickly and were well packed in pink paper with heart shaped confetti, which was a nice touch.
I settled on some Hurraw! lip balms as I liked their oval shaped tubes, makes a nice change from the run of the mill tubes of lip balm. Hurraw balms use 100% natural ingredients, and come in a variety of 16 flavors.
I love Hurraw balms because none of the flavors smell synthetic, but very fresh & natural. They are most probably the best lip balms I have used, which is saying a lot since I've tried many! The lip balms are very smooth in texture, super moisturizing, glide on effortlessly, and give my lips a slight gloss. They don't feel heavy or like a mask on the lips either. At £3.45 each they're great value for money too.
The flavors I own are:
Black Cherry - One of two tinted balms, the other one is Cinnamon but I've never liked cinnamon so I passed on it. This smells like real cherries (yum!) Gives the lips a sheer wash of colour, great for everyday use and my overall favorite. Swatch below.
Chocolate - Smells delicious and makes me a little hungry! However it's a little on the strong side for my liking.
Grapefruit - It's light pink in colour but comes out clear. If only this had a pink tint to it, it would be my favorite Hurraw balm.
Green Tea - I chose this because I love matcha and was hoping for a similar smell, but this is a little lighter. It's not a bad scent but I don't think I'll buy this one again.
Orange - Just what it says. I use this before I go to bed to keep my lips soft and smooth.
Now I've discovered Hurraw balms I really don't know what I'd do without them, and I make sure to always have a tube nearby. These balms have a higher melting point than other handmade lip balms (from Etsy) I've tried, meaning they won't melt or go gloopy on a hot day. I think I'm going to try the Mint & Lemon flavors next, possibly Vanilla Bean too!
Before I start with my first review of the year, I'd like to pay my respects to the victims of the recent disaster in Japan. I was saddened and shocked by the terrible news and wish this beautiful country the best on its way to recovery.
In January I welcomed a new addition to the family:
Now for the product review... Recently I stumbled upon an online store, Super Smoocher which sells only natural lip products with free delivery within the UK. As I love all natural and lip products, I simply had to check it out. My packages arrived quickly and were well packed in pink paper with heart shaped confetti, which was a nice touch.
I settled on some Hurraw! lip balms as I liked their oval shaped tubes, makes a nice change from the run of the mill tubes of lip balm. Hurraw balms use 100% natural ingredients, and come in a variety of 16 flavors.
I love Hurraw balms because none of the flavors smell synthetic, but very fresh & natural. They are most probably the best lip balms I have used, which is saying a lot since I've tried many! The lip balms are very smooth in texture, super moisturizing, glide on effortlessly, and give my lips a slight gloss. They don't feel heavy or like a mask on the lips either. At £3.45 each they're great value for money too.
The flavors I own are:
Black Cherry - One of two tinted balms, the other one is Cinnamon but I've never liked cinnamon so I passed on it. This smells like real cherries (yum!) Gives the lips a sheer wash of colour, great for everyday use and my overall favorite. Swatch below.
Chocolate - Smells delicious and makes me a little hungry! However it's a little on the strong side for my liking.
Grapefruit - It's light pink in colour but comes out clear. If only this had a pink tint to it, it would be my favorite Hurraw balm.
Green Tea - I chose this because I love matcha and was hoping for a similar smell, but this is a little lighter. It's not a bad scent but I don't think I'll buy this one again.
Orange - Just what it says. I use this before I go to bed to keep my lips soft and smooth.
Now I've discovered Hurraw balms I really don't know what I'd do without them, and I make sure to always have a tube nearby. These balms have a higher melting point than other handmade lip balms (from Etsy) I've tried, meaning they won't melt or go gloopy on a hot day. I think I'm going to try the Mint & Lemon flavors next, possibly Vanilla Bean too!
banila co Tint Balm 01 Clear Magic review & swatch
Saturday, 5 September 2009
I was a little surprised when I received this from Gmarket, because it looked different from what I thought I'd ordered. Upon a closer inspection I realized that in my frenzied excitement in adding stuff to basket, I'd misread the options in the drop down menu on its item page 
No big deal, I'll just save the Lip Color Balm, the one I wanted, for next time.
The Tint Balm resides a heavy frosted plastic pot which feels a bit like glass. When I unscrewed its lid I did a double take as the balm is so transparent that I thought it wasn't there - then again the shade is Clear Magic...
Balm? Where?
The second thing I did was stick my nose into the pot to have a good sniff - irritating or awful scents get big thumbs down from me! I can't tell what it smells like but it's not strong at all, great!
In the pot, the balm feels like sticky hardened jelly; it took some effort removing some product and it came out somewhat uneven in small clear blobs, but these did spread quite easily once warmed up.
Now the actual colour is interesting - it's one of those colour change lip balms which I think is supposed to give a different colour depending on your body chemistry.
It started off clear on my lips, then turned them a "just bitten" red and once the stickiness wore off it left a fresh & pretty pinkish red stain that actually looks quite nice. Unfortunately it is very sticky; I would say it's on par with Lancome Juicy Tubes if not a bit stickier, and while it doesn't dry out my lips, there's no moisturization either. I thought maybe I'd used too much, but even when a tiny amount was gently patted on to lips, it still made mine sticky.
I scooped some out using a cotton pad and it turned a fuchsia pink which is strange, but it is reacting with something at least. On the finger I used to take some product out, it left a reddish stain and my arm was a subtle flushed pink after I removed the swatch.
I'm sort of on the fence about this; I do like the packaging as with everything banila co and the balm itself is unusual, but it's just far too uncomfortably sticky (windy day = BAD) for my taste unless I apply a smooth balm on top. The stain does have amazing staying power though, it lasts hours even after lunch and several glasses of water.
It retails at 6,000KRW (just under $5/£3 current exchange rate) for 5g.
No big deal, I'll just save the Lip Color Balm, the one I wanted, for next time.
The Tint Balm resides a heavy frosted plastic pot which feels a bit like glass. When I unscrewed its lid I did a double take as the balm is so transparent that I thought it wasn't there - then again the shade is Clear Magic...
Balm? Where?In the pot, the balm feels like sticky hardened jelly; it took some effort removing some product and it came out somewhat uneven in small clear blobs, but these did spread quite easily once warmed up.
Now the actual colour is interesting - it's one of those colour change lip balms which I think is supposed to give a different colour depending on your body chemistry.
It started off clear on my lips, then turned them a "just bitten" red and once the stickiness wore off it left a fresh & pretty pinkish red stain that actually looks quite nice. Unfortunately it is very sticky; I would say it's on par with Lancome Juicy Tubes if not a bit stickier, and while it doesn't dry out my lips, there's no moisturization either. I thought maybe I'd used too much, but even when a tiny amount was gently patted on to lips, it still made mine sticky.
I scooped some out using a cotton pad and it turned a fuchsia pink which is strange, but it is reacting with something at least. On the finger I used to take some product out, it left a reddish stain and my arm was a subtle flushed pink after I removed the swatch.
I'm sort of on the fence about this; I do like the packaging as with everything banila co and the balm itself is unusual, but it's just far too uncomfortably sticky (windy day = BAD) for my taste unless I apply a smooth balm on top. The stain does have amazing staying power though, it lasts hours even after lunch and several glasses of water.
It retails at 6,000KRW (just under $5/£3 current exchange rate) for 5g.
banila co Good Night Kiss Lip Care Essence
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
I got this as part of my banila co purchase from Gmarket. There was also a Kiss Essence (for use during the day) with SPF 10 available, but I passed on it as I'm not a fan of lip products with SPF - I've yet to find one that doesn't taste funny!
Anyway this Good Night Kiss Lip Care Essence comes in a glossy black squeezy tube housing 15ml of product with a convenient slanted tip. Its main ingredient is petrolatum (petroleum/mineral oil derived cream) which is also contained in Vaseline, Kiehl's and many other lip products.
There's a faint fruity scent but it's not obtrusive, and it feels nice & moisturizing, but not sticky, on my lips.
I now use this before I go to bed and it stays on during the night so I wake up to soft, smooth lips; it has also replaced my old favourite Majolica Majorca Majex Lip Cream because I have no idea where it is right now >_<
Anyway this Good Night Kiss Lip Care Essence comes in a glossy black squeezy tube housing 15ml of product with a convenient slanted tip. Its main ingredient is petrolatum (petroleum/mineral oil derived cream) which is also contained in Vaseline, Kiehl's and many other lip products.
There's a faint fruity scent but it's not obtrusive, and it feels nice & moisturizing, but not sticky, on my lips.
I now use this before I go to bed and it stays on during the night so I wake up to soft, smooth lips; it has also replaced my old favourite Majolica Majorca Majex Lip Cream because I have no idea where it is right now >_<
Victoria's Secret Pink Lip Butter - organic lip treatment
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Most of the stuff in my lingerie drawers come from Victoria's Secret, along with a good part of my wardrobe (what I'm wearing today all comes from VS, lol); I pretty much stopped buying clothes from UK stores about a year ago, because to be honest I just don't like what's sold here. I especially love Pink, VS' sub brand as they just do the cutest panties and the comfiest loungewear - if I had to pick just one thing to wear it would be a Pink hoodie hands down.
It was inevitable, really, that I was to discover their range of beauty products and me being me, my eyes darted straight to the Lip Butter with natural & organic ingredients. They also have a Tinted Lip Balm (I believe this one has been around for a lot lonter) but I passed on that.
Anyway my Lip Butter arrived this morning with Victoria's Secret Naturally Acai Berry & Magnolia Illuminating Body Polish, which I'll review when the other 2 items in the range arrive. My first impression on the Lip Butter was that at 0.26oz or 7.5g it is a bit bigger than a regular sized lip balm.
Size comparision between the VS Pink Lip Butter and 2 of my lip balms
The shade I got is Fresh; according to the VS site it's pink, but to me it it's more of a nude pink.
The colour here looks slightly brighter than it is in real life
It retails for $8, or 3 for $15 including any of the Pink body products, but I got mine for $3.99 in the special offers section - only Bare (nude) and Fresh (pink) were on special. So not an expensive mistake if it did turn out to be one.
I like how the twisty part of this balm is near the cap and not at the bottom; at first glace it may seem a bit odd unusual but is actually quite convenient because you can easily twist and apply the product using just one hand.
The Lip Butter looks more pigmented than it really is, and when I tried to pack as much onto my arm as I could for the swatch, it was just not really happening and the result was a sheer wash of colour. It's totally personal preference here but I prefer my lip balms/treatment products to be either clear or sheer, and I dislike pigmented lipstick/balm hybrids in general. It lasts between 1-1.5 hours if I don't eat anything, but my lips still feel soft after it has faded.
Swatch on my arm - it was hard work achieving this! Note: if the same amount was applied to lips it would look uneven
Application wise I just love how this balm effortlessly glides on, leaving just enough product to make my lips look healthy and enhances their natural colour, but I do wish it was more pink. It doesn't taste of anything which I like and although I can't quite figure out what it smells like (faint hazelnut maybe?) the scent is very pleasant and not obtrusive; I can't smell it at all when it's on my lips anyway.
Like the rest of the range it is made with natural & organic ingredients including coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba to name but a few. Now that I'm paying more attention to what goes into the products I use, this is a very welcome addition.
Ingredient list
I really wish I'd bought more of this super lip softening tinted Lip Butter. It's not too hard that I'm scraping my lips, nor too soft that it melts to mush when the temperature increases (as nice as my Beautiful Twists Lip Conditioners are they tend to crumble when they get too warm.)
In my next VS order I plan to add Ripe (berry) and Pure (clear) to my collection :D
It was inevitable, really, that I was to discover their range of beauty products and me being me, my eyes darted straight to the Lip Butter with natural & organic ingredients. They also have a Tinted Lip Balm (I believe this one has been around for a lot lonter) but I passed on that.
Anyway my Lip Butter arrived this morning with Victoria's Secret Naturally Acai Berry & Magnolia Illuminating Body Polish, which I'll review when the other 2 items in the range arrive. My first impression on the Lip Butter was that at 0.26oz or 7.5g it is a bit bigger than a regular sized lip balm.
Size comparision between the VS Pink Lip Butter and 2 of my lip balmsThe shade I got is Fresh; according to the VS site it's pink, but to me it it's more of a nude pink.
The colour here looks slightly brighter than it is in real lifeIt retails for $8, or 3 for $15 including any of the Pink body products, but I got mine for $3.99 in the special offers section - only Bare (nude) and Fresh (pink) were on special. So not an expensive mistake if it did turn out to be one.
I like how the twisty part of this balm is near the cap and not at the bottom; at first glace it may seem a bit odd unusual but is actually quite convenient because you can easily twist and apply the product using just one hand.
The Lip Butter looks more pigmented than it really is, and when I tried to pack as much onto my arm as I could for the swatch, it was just not really happening and the result was a sheer wash of colour. It's totally personal preference here but I prefer my lip balms/treatment products to be either clear or sheer, and I dislike pigmented lipstick/balm hybrids in general. It lasts between 1-1.5 hours if I don't eat anything, but my lips still feel soft after it has faded.
Swatch on my arm - it was hard work achieving this! Note: if the same amount was applied to lips it would look unevenLike the rest of the range it is made with natural & organic ingredients including coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba to name but a few. Now that I'm paying more attention to what goes into the products I use, this is a very welcome addition.
Ingredient listIn my next VS order I plan to add Ripe (berry) and Pure (clear) to my collection :D
Beautiful Twists Lip Conditioners made by Ella Dean
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
elladean - Etsy shop
As a lip balm junkie, it would be a crime if I didn't purchase some of Ella Dean's natural Beautiful Twists Lip Conditioners. I've always had a strong preference of natural/organic lip balms over ones packed with artificial ingredients, because inevitably I consume lip products when I eat & drink and while it isn't harmful, I just don't like the idea of swallowing excessive amounts of preservatives or petroleum, so when possible I tend to choose natural lip products.
Ella's handmade lip balms are (according to her store) "99% natural and vegan friendly". Made with various good for you oils, butters & moisturizing ingredients, her balms are available in a huge variety of colours and flavours.
Left to right: Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream, Cat Lovers, Tooth Fairy, Gal Scout Kisses. Each contains 0.15oz / 4.25g
Tooth Fairy - Mint with fruity strawberry. This is one of my 2 favourites and smells just like strawberry mint toothpaste but not as overpowering as the real thing. I like the smell so much I'm already eyeing up its room spray counterpart. A minty strawberry room? Count me in!
Cat Lovers - While I not a fan of cats, fresh cream did appeal to me and there was just something about the tube that made me add it to cart. I'm glad I did, because the smell is so delicious and reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on, and I'll keep sniffing it until I remember. It smells sweeter than cream but not quite vanilla. I really can't decide what I like more between this and Tooth Fairy, if I had to pick one favourite I think it would depend on what mood I'm in :p
Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream - I can't really smell the vanilla in this, but at the same time it's not as strong as the pure cherry lip balms I've tried in the past so I'm guessing the vanilla has toned it down somewhat. This is the only tinted balm of the lot and gives lips a healthy red glow - it doesn't come out as scary looking as it does in the tube, but the downside is I have to apply it with a mirror. If I don't apply it with a mirror I end up looking like an incomplete clown. It also isn't as glossy and doesn't feel as lightweight as the other ones. Overall I'm not keen on this.
Gal Scout Kisses - I sent Ella a message asking if she could create a custom flavour mix, vanilla grapefruit, and the sweet lady sent this to me as my extra goodie with my order! I had wanted a smell similar to one of my favourite perfumes, Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit, which is vanilla with a hint of grapefruit. This lip conditioner is more grapefruit with a hint of vanilla - wasn't quite what I was expecting, but smells lovely nonetheless.
All in all I do like these Lip Conditioners; although not as thick or creamy as some of my overnight lip treatments, they keep my lips soft and smooth throughout the day, and are probably the most lightweight lip products I've ever used - I don't even notice that I have these on other than the wonderful smells they give my lips. The downside is that they wear off very quickly, but I don't mind reapplying often because I like to sniff the balms whenever I take them out lol.
Another issue I have with the balms is that because they are so soft, they need to be pushed back into their tubes as they won't go back down and they do have a lower melting point due to their natural ingredient goodness, but neither is a huge problem. I would think that this is more of a plus during winter when most tube balms solidify so much that you need a chisel to get some out.
And the best part? Guys can use these too!
As a lip balm junkie, it would be a crime if I didn't purchase some of Ella Dean's natural Beautiful Twists Lip Conditioners. I've always had a strong preference of natural/organic lip balms over ones packed with artificial ingredients, because inevitably I consume lip products when I eat & drink and while it isn't harmful, I just don't like the idea of swallowing excessive amounts of preservatives or petroleum, so when possible I tend to choose natural lip products.
Ella's handmade lip balms are (according to her store) "99% natural and vegan friendly". Made with various good for you oils, butters & moisturizing ingredients, her balms are available in a huge variety of colours and flavours.
Left to right: Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream, Cat Lovers, Tooth Fairy, Gal Scout Kisses. Each contains 0.15oz / 4.25gTooth Fairy - Mint with fruity strawberry. This is one of my 2 favourites and smells just like strawberry mint toothpaste but not as overpowering as the real thing. I like the smell so much I'm already eyeing up its room spray counterpart. A minty strawberry room? Count me in!
Cat Lovers - While I not a fan of cats, fresh cream did appeal to me and there was just something about the tube that made me add it to cart. I'm glad I did, because the smell is so delicious and reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on, and I'll keep sniffing it until I remember. It smells sweeter than cream but not quite vanilla. I really can't decide what I like more between this and Tooth Fairy, if I had to pick one favourite I think it would depend on what mood I'm in :p
Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream - I can't really smell the vanilla in this, but at the same time it's not as strong as the pure cherry lip balms I've tried in the past so I'm guessing the vanilla has toned it down somewhat. This is the only tinted balm of the lot and gives lips a healthy red glow - it doesn't come out as scary looking as it does in the tube, but the downside is I have to apply it with a mirror. If I don't apply it with a mirror I end up looking like an incomplete clown. It also isn't as glossy and doesn't feel as lightweight as the other ones. Overall I'm not keen on this.
Gal Scout Kisses - I sent Ella a message asking if she could create a custom flavour mix, vanilla grapefruit, and the sweet lady sent this to me as my extra goodie with my order! I had wanted a smell similar to one of my favourite perfumes, Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit, which is vanilla with a hint of grapefruit. This lip conditioner is more grapefruit with a hint of vanilla - wasn't quite what I was expecting, but smells lovely nonetheless.
All in all I do like these Lip Conditioners; although not as thick or creamy as some of my overnight lip treatments, they keep my lips soft and smooth throughout the day, and are probably the most lightweight lip products I've ever used - I don't even notice that I have these on other than the wonderful smells they give my lips. The downside is that they wear off very quickly, but I don't mind reapplying often because I like to sniff the balms whenever I take them out lol.
Another issue I have with the balms is that because they are so soft, they need to be pushed back into their tubes as they won't go back down and they do have a lower melting point due to their natural ingredient goodness, but neither is a huge problem. I would think that this is more of a plus during winter when most tube balms solidify so much that you need a chisel to get some out.
And the best part? Guys can use these too!
Group review - lip balms
Saturday, 15 August 2009
I always keep several lipglosses & balms in my makeup bag, including the ones I rarely ever use - backups & backups of backups etc. So instead of doing one dedicated post for every neglected balm I'm going to pile them into one with a brief review of why I don't use them much.
Eyeko Fat Balm
Eyeko is a brand with an anime feel created in London. Most of their products are housed in pink packaging and hail themselves as "London's cutest cosmetics". However, they don't give me the "wow, how cute I must have one!" vibe. Their products are all inexpensive ranging from £3-£6 per item, and there's free worldwide shipping regardless of order amount (yes even if you order a single £3 nail polish).
Minty Fat Balm - Sweet baby pink with a minty smell and feel, gives lips a pearly pink sheen. Quite nice in general but I don't use this much because I have many balms which work better and the chunky size of this balm makes it less than ideal for applications.
Strawberry Fat Balm - Doesn't moisturize much and has an artificial strawberry smell, and like the minty version it's a bit inconvenient to use. However it does work nicely as a cheek blush and gives a sheer natural glow, and its surface area works nicely for a blush too.
Korres Quince Lip Butter
Very soft and buttery texture (mmm butter) with a healthy red tint, very hydrating without being too greasy with a pleasant smell to boot. Sounds perfect? Not quite, because this stuff clings to flakey skin like my little sister clings onto her ice cream and it ends up emphasizing any bit of dry lip skin you have. Doesn't look very nice, but is fine if you exfoliate beforehand. I do use this one now and again.
Lush Lip Balms
Whipstick - Smells great like chocolate orange but the texture is just weird; either too hard if you leave it somewhere cool, or too soft and mushy if you keep it in your pocket. Doesn't really moisturize much and just kind of sits on the surface of your lips. Packaging is unfortunately ugly too.
Lite Lip - This is one of those things that shouldn't be allowed to exist. Has a strange floral smell, feels like a small rock and does not moisturize at all. Defeats the point of it being a lip balm really... Most Lush products I've tried just don't deliver so I've banned myself from ever buying from them again.
The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter
Smells like grapefruit which I love but moisturizes like sand paper. Feels gritty (why do they call this "butter" when it has no characteristics of such??) and leaves a milky film which makes my lips look white. Thumbs down for this white paste in disguise.
The Body Shop Born Lippy Lip Balm
Satsuma - I like the smell of satsuma but this is a bit too artificial. It looks orange in the pot but comes out clear with a very faint orange tint which doesn't shows up once applied to lips, and it also has a very small amount of shimmer. This is more of a gloss than a balm because it's not that hydrating at all, but it doesn't last that long for a gloss and has a strange sweet plasticky taste. Not very pleasant.
Watermelon - This is better than the satsuma version in my opinion. Has no shimmer, comes out clear on lips and smells like sweet watermelon. Not moisturizing enough during winter, on chapped lips, or as an overnight treatment but as an everyday balm it is actually ok. I think I'd like this a lot more if I loved the smell of watermelons.
Eyeko Fat Balm
Eyeko is a brand with an anime feel created in London. Most of their products are housed in pink packaging and hail themselves as "London's cutest cosmetics". However, they don't give me the "wow, how cute I must have one!" vibe. Their products are all inexpensive ranging from £3-£6 per item, and there's free worldwide shipping regardless of order amount (yes even if you order a single £3 nail polish).
Minty Fat Balm - Sweet baby pink with a minty smell and feel, gives lips a pearly pink sheen. Quite nice in general but I don't use this much because I have many balms which work better and the chunky size of this balm makes it less than ideal for applications.
Strawberry Fat Balm - Doesn't moisturize much and has an artificial strawberry smell, and like the minty version it's a bit inconvenient to use. However it does work nicely as a cheek blush and gives a sheer natural glow, and its surface area works nicely for a blush too.
Korres Quince Lip Butter
Very soft and buttery texture (mmm butter) with a healthy red tint, very hydrating without being too greasy with a pleasant smell to boot. Sounds perfect? Not quite, because this stuff clings to flakey skin like my little sister clings onto her ice cream and it ends up emphasizing any bit of dry lip skin you have. Doesn't look very nice, but is fine if you exfoliate beforehand. I do use this one now and again.
Lush Lip Balms
Whipstick - Smells great like chocolate orange but the texture is just weird; either too hard if you leave it somewhere cool, or too soft and mushy if you keep it in your pocket. Doesn't really moisturize much and just kind of sits on the surface of your lips. Packaging is unfortunately ugly too.
Lite Lip - This is one of those things that shouldn't be allowed to exist. Has a strange floral smell, feels like a small rock and does not moisturize at all. Defeats the point of it being a lip balm really... Most Lush products I've tried just don't deliver so I've banned myself from ever buying from them again.
The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter
Smells like grapefruit which I love but moisturizes like sand paper. Feels gritty (why do they call this "butter" when it has no characteristics of such??) and leaves a milky film which makes my lips look white. Thumbs down for this white paste in disguise.
The Body Shop Born Lippy Lip Balm
Satsuma - I like the smell of satsuma but this is a bit too artificial. It looks orange in the pot but comes out clear with a very faint orange tint which doesn't shows up once applied to lips, and it also has a very small amount of shimmer. This is more of a gloss than a balm because it's not that hydrating at all, but it doesn't last that long for a gloss and has a strange sweet plasticky taste. Not very pleasant.
Watermelon - This is better than the satsuma version in my opinion. Has no shimmer, comes out clear on lips and smells like sweet watermelon. Not moisturizing enough during winter, on chapped lips, or as an overnight treatment but as an everyday balm it is actually ok. I think I'd like this a lot more if I loved the smell of watermelons.
Review - Love Clover Lip Treatment Butter
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Love Clover is a Japanese drugstore brand under B&C Laboratories Inc. which I believe is co-owned by Sony. Their products have a very girly look (awesome for me!) Lip Treatment Butter is the only lip care product they have at the moment.
I purchased mine from Ichibankao when buying some skincare stuff. I think it was the word "butter" that spurred me on to adding this little jar to my cart.
Whenever I think of butter, I think of luscious, soft awesomeness that insta-melts upon touch. I want my lip balms to be the same, minus the greasiness & calories of course, and I don't have lip balms on toast. The packaging is a cute little jar with pretty pink patterns on its gold lid, housing 8.5g of lip butter.
I absolutely love that the Lip Treatment Butter comes with a small spatula in its own plastic sleeve (Western makeup brands take note!) so you don't need to stick your finger in the balm, making it more hygienic. Except I'll probably end up misplacing the spatula and using my fingers anyway, since unless I snap it in half the spatula won't fit in the jar.
One small scoop of super creamy lip butter is enough to cover my lips and it literally melts upon application which I absolutely adore. After a while you can feel a slight cooling tingle that lingers and the taste is a very faint menthol - really quite pleasant. It gives my lips a healthy glossy look and sinks in making them smooth and supple; I'll definitely be using this as an overnight treatment and throughout the day too, it's also an awesome remedy for chapped lips.
Although this is a very nice lip care product, I probably won't repurchase as I simply have so many different balms within reach at the moment, and I'm constantly discovering new ones as they're released (I don't buy them all - not that crazy lol!)
I purchased mine from Ichibankao when buying some skincare stuff. I think it was the word "butter" that spurred me on to adding this little jar to my cart.Whenever I think of butter, I think of luscious, soft awesomeness that insta-melts upon touch. I want my lip balms to be the same, minus the greasiness & calories of course, and I don't have lip balms on toast. The packaging is a cute little jar with pretty pink patterns on its gold lid, housing 8.5g of lip butter.
I absolutely love that the Lip Treatment Butter comes with a small spatula in its own plastic sleeve (Western makeup brands take note!) so you don't need to stick your finger in the balm, making it more hygienic. Except I'll probably end up misplacing the spatula and using my fingers anyway, since unless I snap it in half the spatula won't fit in the jar.
One small scoop of super creamy lip butter is enough to cover my lips and it literally melts upon application which I absolutely adore. After a while you can feel a slight cooling tingle that lingers and the taste is a very faint menthol - really quite pleasant. It gives my lips a healthy glossy look and sinks in making them smooth and supple; I'll definitely be using this as an overnight treatment and throughout the day too, it's also an awesome remedy for chapped lips.Although this is a very nice lip care product, I probably won't repurchase as I simply have so many different balms within reach at the moment, and I'm constantly discovering new ones as they're released (I don't buy them all - not that crazy lol!)
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