Balmi // Blackcurrant

Blackcurrant scented anything would get my vote anyway, but this lip cube from Balmi smells absolutely divine.

It's different from your regular chapstick for a couple of reasons. The first is how it looks; the cube packaging isn't like any other brand I've seen. The gist of it reminds me a bit of the EOS lip balm, but even the balm itself is a different shape.
The point (heh!) of the cone shaped applicator allows for easy application and certainly beats the usual sticky finger situation if you're using balm from a tin or pot.

In terms of wearability it's completely transparent so there's no white residue and it lasts for a couple of hours even through drinking / eating etc.

This is definitely something I'll have in my bag, and as I'm gathering bits for holidays and festivals I will be taking this with me when I can.

Have you tried any Balmi balms? You can pick them up for around £5 from Boots here (!) and check out the information on the Balmi website here (!)

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Lip Smacker Lip Balms // Disney Collection

LiP SMACKER are a complete blast from the past for me. Reminding me of the days on the school bus with my best friend where we would sit there putting layers upon layers of lip balm before we got to school. You just have to look at my school photos from 1997 onwards to see that it would have taken more than a shiny layer of balm to get me looking picture perfect but alas, I digress!

I received these in the post and I've had the Minnie one in my handbag since the second I tried it out.

This Minnie tube is Cutie Pie scented and Cinderella is Vanilla Sparkle. You can just about see from the picture above that Minnie is a sheer fuchsia pink and the Cinderella balm is a frosted light blue/white, but it barely shows up on the lips.

Minnie is my absolute favourite of the two as it's sweet and leaves a light gloss in its wake. It's not overpowering at all and is just nice as a little sweep of pink alone or with make-up.

These have an RRP of £2.50(*) which is an absolute steal if you ask me. You can find them in Claire's, Topshop or Accessorize this Autumn, just in time for some little stocking filler ideas on the run up to Christmas!

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(*) I was sent these products for review purposes. All views are my own and are completely honest.

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm & new product photos!

Look! Just look at the new Burt's Bees range of Natural Lip Colours. The shade selection is gorgeous and it's all right up my alley with the shades of pink.
The glosses in the bottom right photo are so smooth and non-sticky. My favourite is the one at the bottom, Wink. It's the perfect shade of milkshake pink.

I've got a couple of swatches photographed however I don't have the whole range because..... I'm doing a giveaway! And I don't want to open a bunch of lip glosses if they're for someone else because that's kind of gross of me.

Inside the little circular cardboard tubes there's a lip balm - the swatch is of the shade Rose. It's tinted and smells absolutely gorgeous - fruity and floral!

It's really pigmented, especially for a lip tint. It's hydrating and leaves a slight stain as well so even if you don't top up for a while the stain remains on your lips.

These lip tints are £5.99 and you can view the whole colour range here (click!) - there are so many pinks that I don't know which to choose!

I'll be posting about the giveaway this week so keep an eye on twitter for the links to the details when it's live.

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Revlon Lip Butter - Cotton Candy

Amongst my Boots & Superdrug purchases last week was this little lip butter by Revlon. I was sucked in by the hype I had seen on twitter and YouTube and wanted to give it a go myself.

It's very basic packaging, a translucent pink plastic lid with a quilted effect and a squared off silver twist base like most lipsticks.

This is a shiny pink lip colour that needs two or three swipes to become noticeable. For me it's got too much of a sheen to it, it looks a little golden when I apply it so I haven't got much use out of it recently. Maybe a different shade would have suited me better so I don't think it's a bad product at all, the colour just wasn't for me.

I feel like this is a less expensive alternative to the No7 Sheer Temptation Lipstick which I reviewed here (click!). It's possible that the Revlon range is aimed at a slightly younger audience if these two products were to be compared both aesthetically and in terms of the product's colour payoff.

Do you have one of these Revlon lip butters? Which shade should I try next?

Maybelline Baby Lips in Mint Fresh

Released in the UK earlier this week I didn't think I stood a chance of picking one up any time soon but alas, I was wrong! This one was the last one left on the shelf so I thought I'd buy it and see what all the fuss is about.

These seem to be a staple handbag or cosmetics bag item for tweens, teens and young adults across America and on YouTube so I was expecting a lot from this little lip balm stick.
The packaging colours vary between the different scents or flavours of these lip balms but they all have a see through plastic cap with Baby Lips written it and a block colour twisty tube containing the balm.
As you can see my packaging is purple and green on the Mint Fresh flavour.
It's pretty simple and doesn't pretend to be something it's not - for £2.99 I'm not really bothered what it looks like if it rehydrates my lips when I use it.

I am relatively impartial to this lip balm if I'm completely honest. It doesn't give the full 8hrs of moisturisation that the packaging claims it can, I would say probably an hour or two if you're eating, drinking or probably if you're talking too. But then I talk a lot so maybe that's just me....

This is the kind of product that I'm glad I bought because I never have enough lip balm but I think I prefer my EOS Smooth Sphere if I'm rummaging through my supplies for a specific product. Baby Lips lip balms appear to serve their purpose pretty well - they do the job for a short period of time. I think this is probably a school girl's staple item because it's cute, all your friends have one and it works pretty well. This is one of those things that I'd always want to try if I hadn't bought it - and for £2.99 I'm glad I did because it's a good product, it's just not what everyone seems to make it out to be! It has a little bit more going on in the "trendy" stakes than your average tin of Vaseline or Carmex but I think it's aimed at people slightly younger than myself.

When this runs out I imagine I'll be buying another one since lip balm is one of those things that I spread around every single hand bag!

EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm

Evolution of Smooth or EOS as you may know them is a brand aiming to provide lovers of lip balm, hand creams and perfectly hydrated skin with little balls, pods and sticks of love. They're organic and natural
I received this for my birthday and I have used it non-stop since Saturday! It's so smooth and soft and this one smells like Strawberry Sorbet - yum.

It's wider than the usual chapstick or lip balm stick but the spherical shape doesn't make a difference to the application in a negative way, in fact it allows for application to the top and bottom lips at the same time.

These balms are gluten-free, paraben-free petrolathum free and phthalate free. AND they're 95% organic (and they withstand any belated birthday cake nibbling that may happen.....).

These seem to have take the beauty world by storm and I can totally see why! You can buy your own from the official website here (click!) or from CuteCosmetics here (click!) for £5.95

Figs & Rouge Coco-Rose 100% Natural Lip Balm

June's Glossybox offerings were pleasantly surprising and amongst other items included this Figs & Rouge natural lip balm. After unpacking my box and having a little play I'd put this in one of my make-up drawers choosing to wait for the right time to try it out. After being away in the forest for a few days and then taking a day trip out to visit my university friends I found myself wanting to get back into trying some of the products I have stored away and it just so happened that this caught my eye as I was choosing my make-up for the day.

As you can see it comes in a squeezable tube with a screw top lid. The packaging is beautiful with little flamingos all over it! I like the simple fonts and that the packaging doesn't play this item up to be something that it isn't - what you see is what you get. Boasting 100% natural ingredients this is perfect for those of us with sensitive skin... There's nothing threatening in the ingredients and it contains anti-oxidants and fatty acids that sink into the skin's surface to leave your lips feeling soft and nourished.

The lip balm is a beautiful "blush pink" shade - I was a little apprehensive that it might be brown after seeing the coco part of the product title but it's a shimmering pink that leaves a light gloss after application. There's little colour transfer but I prefer this to a heavily tinted balm - if you prefer balms with more colour then this might not be for you but I love it.

This is definitely a new favourite product - it's not sticky and doesn't leave a tacky residue like some shimmery balms can and could be worn alone or lightly over a lip stain to give a glossier effect.

Once this tube runs out I'll be purchasing my own one for sure. You can look at more product details here (click!) or buy your own from here (click!) with free delivery! This product retails for around £4.95 for 12.5ml of lip balm.

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer

A couple of weeks ago I received these lip shimmers by Burt's Bees. As you can see from the pictures one's a dark, shimmery red and the other is a lighter, toffee coloured balm. On the bottom / left is "Raisin" and the top / right is "Caramel". This lip shimmer comes in 9 shades ranging from "Champagne" - a pearlescent pinky shade to "Cocoa"a dark, shimmery brown shade. The two in this post are two of the most pigmented colours but they would suit most skin tones.

Of the two shimmer sticks Raisin is more pigmented with its cherry red swatch below, but Caramel is perfect for a slick of shine with a hint of a neutral toffee shade.
They're both very moisturising with small pearlescent particles embedded in the balm stick.

Containing beeswax, vitamin E, coconut oil and sunflower oil these natural, cruelty free balms leave a pleasant tingling sensation upon application. Altogether these lip shimmers will leave your pout perfectly tinted with a pearly shine that lasts roughly 2 - 4 hours.

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers are available online here (click!) for the RRP of £5.99* per stick.

*This product was sent to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own honest thoughts.

Click here for my full disclaimer.

Nivea Lip Butter - Raspberry Rose

This has to be one of the yummiest lip balms I've ever used, or should I say lip butters. It's creamy and soft just like butter, it's not something I've come across before. In terms of it's appearance it leaves a very pale sheen after application, I like it but don't smother it on too heavily or it looks a little milky! It contains both shea butter and almond oil for long lasting care, according to the Nivea information. I pop it on before bed and my lips feel really moisturised until the morning. As you can see from the photos it's a tin so it's the kind you need to apply with your fingers - some people will love it, some will hate it but it's not sticky on your hands at all. The balm has a really fruity, raspberry scent to it so if you don't like strong smells then I'd avoid it but personally I love it. It's sweet and perfectly pink!

This tin retails from £1.99 at Superdrug (click!), £2.25 at Boots (click!) and £2.50 on the Nivea website (click!). There are 4 scents to choose from, Raspberry Rose, Caramel Cream, Vanilla and Macadamia or Original. I can't wait to pick up the other scents!

Have you got any of these??

Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm

Burt's Bees are notorious for their range of natural cosmetics ranging from skin care to hair care. This month I've been particularly concerned with my lips. After going on holiday and getting a little burnt shortly to be followed by getting sinusitus and having to sit on an eleven hour flight, my lips needed a lot of TLC.
I grabbed this for a couple of dollars in a convenience store and it's become one of my staple products!

It contains pomegranate oil which gives it the lovely pinky red colour, but also a host of other natural ingredients including beeswax, sunflower oil and coconut oil - all there to soften and nourish your lips whilst adding a faint shine.

I found there wasn't much of a colour deposit on my lips but they were perfectly moisturised for at least two hours, if not longer before needing another application. 

hello mouth. 

I love Burt's Bees as a brand as every single product is natural and cruelty free, all displaying the Leaping Bunny logo. 

You can grab your Burt's Bees lip balm online here and also in John Lewis amongst other retailers for an RRP of £3.69 

Love, 

ELF favourites - Studio Lip Balm & Volume Plumping Mascara

A couple of weeks ago I had an emergency splurge on ELF (there was no emergency..I just wanted to buy stuff). Amongst all the goodies online I decided on a select few pieces to add to my make-up bag. In this post I want to show you their SPF 15 Studio Lip Balm and the Volume Plumping Mascara. Both of these products are from ELF's Studio range, designed to give a more professional finish than their basic range.

"Relieves and soothes lips with a drench of moisture. SPF 15 helps to shield lips from harmful sun rays. Softens lips to prevent and temporarily protect against chapped, cracked or chafed lips."  

I bought the Studio Lip Balm in the shade "Pink. It retails for £3.50 on their website and for that price I think everybody should buy one!

It's super moisturising and has a lovely minty scent when applied. I've always been one to reach for the Vaseline but this ELF lip balm has truly taken over. It adds a little hint of colour but nothing too offensive if you wear other lip products after a slick of balm. For me this lasted for around 3-4 hours which was perfect.

I'm definitely going to buy a couple more shades of this to take away with me over summer!

"Create lush and bold lashes with our Volume Plumping Mascara. The oversized brush fully coats lashes from root to tip for an intense and dramatic effect. The Vitamin B rich formula conditions and strengthens for visibly healthier looking lashes."

This mascara was also £3.50, possibly the cheapest mascara I own! I don't fully agree with the description, for me this is more of an everyday mascara rather than making them look "lush and bold". It doesn't particularly plump my lashes but I have noticed that my lashes are fully coated, even when they haven't been curled before using the mascara. The brush isn't so big that coating the lower lashes is impossible which I have found with so many other mascaras! I can evenly coat my lower lashes in the corners without them clumping together and without marking my skin with excess mascara. One of the best things about this mascara is that it doesn't crumble off through the day. With some mascaras this means that it's a nightmare to get off, but not this one. It is easily removable with a face wipe, eye make-up remover or my favourite choice - the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanse & Polish.

So, out of the items I ordered these were my favourites but I will be posting a review of a couple of the other bits and pieces as well.

Do you use ELF for any of your make-up needs? I need recommendations!

Love,