I've wanted to try out the Beauty Rush Minty Lip Shine since reading rave reviews about it, plus I love pretty much all things minty so it seemed like a perfect gloss for me. Unfortunately at the time of ordering, the only shade in stock was the orginal Clear Shine but I was more interested in Bubbleminty (listed as Pink on the VS site for some odd reason) so decided to wait.
When it finally arrived I wasted no time in tearing off the small plastic wrapper, eager to see if it lived up to my expectations. As soon as I sniffed it I was greeted by a delicious wave of minty bubblegum which was both sweet and very refreshing.
The gloss comes out a light pink with sparse shimmer but is clear & smooth when applied, very glossy, non sticky and hydrating too - pretty much everything I look for in a lipgloss. Plus the peppermint oil makes my lips feel cool (but not tingly). Best of all it even tastes like bubblegum (and makes me want to eat...)!!
I can definitely feel its breath freshening effects when I wear it, and it is quite long lasting as well, although the minty feel wears off before the actual gloss does. As it starts to wear off it doesn't leave a tacky residue like some glosses do. Although I think this is more of a gloss/balm hybrid rather than a pure gloss, I would choose a more nourishing balm just for chapped lips or as an overnight treatment.
The downside of this is that I now want other flavours as well in particular the spearmint, strawberry mint and possibly vanilla mint.
The Beauty Rush glosses are always on offer anyway - $7 each, 2 for $12 or 5 for $20 so I might just take this opportunity to add a few to my next VS order!
When the postie woke me up this morning I just knew I was expecting a parcel from Victoria's Secret; I had a few things on backorder and it was about time one arrived!
Today's surprise was a moisture mist by Naturally Victoria's Secret. The Naturally VS is a fairly new range released earlier this year. All products are free of parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum and crammed full of nature's good for you ingredients.
Scents available are: Acai Berry & Magnolia to protect and brighten Blackberry & Tonka Bean to revitalize and renew Grapefruit, Lime & Mint to purify and invigorate Honeysuckle & White Patchouli to relax and soothe Vanilla & Sandalwood to nourish and comfort
This Acai Berry & Magnolia Fragrant Moisture Mist comes in a 300ml bottle and retails for $18, but there are often 3 for 2 offers on the VS website. I also purchased Illuminating Body Scrub (review to follow later) and Illuminating Body Wash (not yet arrived) from the same scent range as part of the offer. The main ingredients are: acai berry to protect the skin, magnolia for its brightening properties, vitamins C & E and best of all it is alcohol free so does not dry out my skin when sprayed on directly.
I really love the smell; I had no idea what acai berries and/or magnolia smelt like before but I guess this is it! It's a sweet, calming scent that's not overpowering at all and can be used everyday. This is especially great for when I've been outside on a hot day such as today, as it cools, soothes and softens my skin with a few sprays.
It didn't leave a sticky/greasy residue or irritated my skin, and was absorbed super fast while providing a light veil of moisture - perfect for when I don't want to slap on body lotion.
Although I haven't noticed any differences as far as brightening goes, this is something I'll certainly be using time and time again - I love it so much I've added it to my beauty staples pile ^^
I'm also keen to try out the Grapefruit, Lime & Mint mist too!
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 NaturallyAcai 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 PinkLip 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 TwistsLip 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
in particular the spearmint, strawberry mint and possibly vanilla mint.
