Monday 4 September 2017

Chantecaille Lip Potion

Image from Mecca Cosmetica

Texture: Very soft.

Flavour: None.

Fragrance: Rose.

Finish: Glossy.

Lasting power: A few hours.

Colour: Light pink, not enough to be noticeable if you have pigmented lips.

Longevity: 24 months.

Size: 016 oz/4.5g

Price: $64.

Availability: Mecca Cosmetica in Australia, Chantecaille website.

Website: www.chantecaille.com

Rating: 4

If you like this, try: By Terry Baume De Rose, Vaseline Rosy Lips.

Ingredients:hydrogenated polydecene, dicalcium phosphate, hydrogenated polyisobutene, triisodecyl trimelliatate, hydrogenated styrene/isoprene, copollymer, polyethylene, disteardimonium hectorite, triisostearin, propylene carbonate, octyldodecanol, mica, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, euphorbia, candelilla wax, hydrogenated palm kernel glycerides, squalane, shea butter extract, hydrogenated rice bran wax, tocopherol, sweet almond oil, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, isopropyl myristate, caprylic/capric triglyceride, hydrogenated palm glycerides, hydrogenated castor oil, fragrance, hydrogenated vegetable oil, phytosteryl isostearate, pentaerythrityl tetra-di-t butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate, lavandula stoechas extract, aloe barbadensis leaf extract.
May contain: titanium dioxide, iron oxides, red 7 lake, citronellol, limonene, geraniol, eugenol, linalool, citral, farnesol.

This is a truly beautiful balm. It's a luxury product but worth every cent. Mine was a gift from my beautiful Emma, I used it sparingly to savour it, until the boys discovered it and fell in love. They used it up within a week!
As much as I didn't want them using my precious balm, it did wonders for Chai. He licks his lips so gets really dry, sore lips that usually take weeks to heal, even with lip balm applied every few hours. Using the Chantecaille balm his lips were healed in five days, the fastest they've ever been healed. Magic!

Rich in macadamia oil, shea butter, vitamin e and aloe, with rose and lavender flowers, Lip Potion heals and regenerates. It's one of the best healing lip balms I've ever used.

The texture is very unique, it's so soft that you'd expect it to be in a tube. It would be so much better if they did release it in a tube, the pot is bulky and the lid opens easily so you can't carry it around in your handbag. I only used mine at home, due to those factors. If it came in a squeeze tube it'd be perfect. 

If you're in the market for a luxe lip balm or searching for a present, Lip Potion is worth a look!
 

Monday 14 August 2017

The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick

Image credit

Texture: Smooth, slightly waxy but not in an unpleasant way.

Flavour: Chocolate!

Fragrance: Chocolate.

Finish: Softly shiny.

Lasting power: Three to four hours.

Colour: Clear.

Longevity: 36 months

Size: 4.2 grams

Price: No idea, it's not listed on The Body Shop website for some reason.

Availability: The Body Shop

Website: www.thebodyshop.com

Discontinued: In Australia, yes. It's still available in the US though.

Limited Edition: No.

Rating: 4.5

If you like this, try: Burt's Bees, Suraya Brazil.

Ingredients: hydrogenated coconut oil, beeswax, olive fruit oil, candelila wax, cocoa butter, flavour, sweet almond oil, tocopheryl acetate, propylene glycol, water, matricaria extract, ammonium glycyrrhizate, calendula officinalis extract, tocopherol.

Whilst living in Australia is awesome, the lip balms that aren't available here is not awesome. The Body Shop's Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick is one of the great products that we can no longer get here, I have no idea why. It's a cruel world.

If you live in the US you can still buy these balms and I suggest you do, especially if you love chocolate scented balms. It has a very light chocolate flavour and smells amazing.

Tuesday 8 August 2017

Buddha Balm Burnt Sugar Fig


Texture: Smooth and creamy

Flavour: Burnt Sugar Fig

Fragrance:  Sweet sugar

Finish: Slightly glossy

Lasting power: Two to three hours

Colour: Clear


Size: 4.25 grams

Price: $2.50

Discontinued: Yes, Buddha Balm is no longer available, apparently the company has closed down.

Limited Edition: No

Rating: 5 stars.

If you like this, try: Crazy Rumors, Ladybug Jane.

Ingredients: soybean oil, coconut oil, shea butter, lanolin oil, carnauba wax, candelila wax, beeswax, ozokerite, caprylic/capric triglyceride, vitamin e, saccharin, flavour, CI 77947 (zinc oxide), Karma Creatives Proprietary Herbal Blend.

If I had to choose my top ten lip balms my Buddha Balm would be one of them. Unfortunately it's been discontinued and I'm down to my second last tube. Sad days.
Those of you who like super sweet lip balms will love Buddha Balm. They're still floating around the interwebs, so if you see them, grab a few whilst you can.

Monday 7 August 2017

Clinique Superbalm




Texture: Smooth and creamy.

Flavour: None.

Fragrance: None.

Finish: Glossy.

Lasting power:  Around two hours.

Colour: Clear.


Size: 0.24 fl oz/7 ml.

Price: $24.00.

Availability: Clinique counters and online.

Website: www.clinique.com.au

Discontinued: No.

Limited Edition: No.

Rating: 4

If you like this, try: Sukin Lip Treatment.

Ingredients: petrolatum, polybutene, polydecene, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, octyldodecanol, microcrystalline wax, tocopheryl acetate, polyclyceryl-2 triisostearate, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, cholesterol, barley extract, wheat germ extract, squalane, linoleic acid, retinyl palmitate, clary extract, soybean oil, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, stearyl glycyrrhetinate, birch extract, hexylene glycol, potassium sulfate, caprylyl glycol, phenoxyethanol, red 7 lake, yellow 5 lake.

This is the lip balm that I shouldn't like but I do. I say I shouldn't like it because it's all the things I don't like. Not natural, fragrance free, flavour free and contains petrolatum. That's a recipe for exactly the type of balm I don't like, yet here we are and I'm about to tell you why I like my Superbalm. 

It's a brilliant, effective, hydrating balm that keeps my lips feeling soft and hydrated. The tube is small enough to easily fit into my pocket, the slanted tip makes application a breeze and the glossy finish means it looks like I'm wearing lip gloss.

Monday 31 July 2017

Models Prefer Creme Caramel Soothing Lip Balm




Texture: Smooth and sleek.

Flavour: Creme Caramel.

Fragrance: Creme Caramel.

Finish: Slightly glossy.

Lasting power:Around two hours.

Colour: Clear.

Longevity: 12 months.

Size: 7 grams/25 ounce.

Price: $3.50

Availability: Priceline.

Website: www.priceline.com.au


Discontinued: Unsure. They aren't on the Priceline website but are still in stores. 


Rating: 4.

If you like this, try: EOS.

Ingredients: I don't have an ingredients list for this one as it was on the plastic outer wrapping which I threw away, oops. 

How cute are lip balms that come in the ball shape? I love them. I find them totally impractical to carry around so tend to use them at home, but I still love them. When the boys were little I'd keep one in my nappy bag cause it'd keep them amused for ages.

It's so difficult to find caramel flavoured lip balms so when I see one I buy it straight away. Caramel and butterscotch are two of my favourite lip balm flavours, they also happen to be two of the most difficult flavours to find. Anyhoo, enough waffling. 

I love these balms. They're quite light so wouldn't work for really dry lips, but when my lips are in good condition this makes a lovely daily balm. I keep mine in the kitchen and use it every few hours. It's a miracle I finished this one, that was only because I hid it from the boys, usually they find my ball shaped balms and steal them.

Monday 24 July 2017

Lush Strawberry Bombshell Lip Tint


Texture: Very hard and lumpy.

Flavour: Strawberry with a hint of mint.

Fragrance: Strawerry.

Finish: Matte.

Lasting power: At least six hours

Colour: Fuchsia pink.

Longevity: 14 months.

Size: 4 grams.

Price: $9.95 (AUD)

Availability: Lush stores nationally.

Website: lush.com.au


Discontinued: Yes.

Rating: 1

If you like this, try: Burt's Bees Tinted lip balm.

Ingredients: shea butter, kalahari melon oil, candelila wax, organic castor oil, organic illipe butter, extra virgin coconut oil, sunflower wax, cupacu butter, glycerine, caprylic/capric triglyceride, flavour, syntheitc flurophlogopite, organic agave syrup, fresh strawberries, silician mandarin oil, spearmint oil, ylang ylang oil, cetearyl alcohol polyvinylpyrrolidone. benzyl benzoate, citral, limonene, titanium dioxide, colour 77491, colour 45410:2.



I really wanted to love this balm but I can't, it's awful. I've held on to it and retried it for about eighteen months now but I can no longer deny the truth, it's a horrible balm. It's very hard, extremely lumpy and all round unpleasant. I tried melting it down to get rid of the lumps but it didn't work and it's basically an unusable waste of money. No wonder it's being discontinued. 

On the positive side, the colour is a beautiful bright pink that lasts for hours and it smells amazing. They had the right idea, hopefully they reformulate and bring it back bigger and better.

Monday 10 July 2017

Bourjois Baume de Nuit


Texture: Very thick and rich.

Flavour: Rose.

Fragrance: Rose.

Finish: Shiny.

Lasting power: Overnight.

Colour: Clear.

Longevity: 18 months.

Size: 7 grams/0.25 ounces.

Discontinued: Yes :(


Rating: Five.

If you like this, try: Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask, Lanolips, By Terry Baume de Rose.

Ingredients: It's a mystery. They aren't listed on the pot and I couldn't find them online either. 

This is a beautiful balm and I'm so sad it was discontinued. I'm not sure it was ever available in Australia, I bought mine online from the US. It was a beautiful, rich night time lip treatment, I'd layer on a thick layer at night and wake up with soft, hydrated lips.

It's quite similar to the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask, so if you're looking for a good night time balm give that a go.

Monday 20 February 2017

Miessence Jaffa Lip Balm

Image credit

Texture: Rich and creamy

Flavour: Very light chocolate/orange.

Fragrance: Jaffa.

Finish: Soft shine.

Lasting power: Three hours.

Colour: Clear.

Longevity: 6 months.

Size: 3.5gram/0.12oz

Price: $8.95

Availability: Health shops and their website.

Website: www.miessence.com

Discontinued: No.

Limited Edition: No.

Rating: 4.5

If you like this, try: The Body Shop Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick.

Ingredients: Organic sunflower seed oil, organice shea fruit butter, organic beeswax, organic avocado fruit oil, organic sweet orange essential oil, organic vanilla CO2 extract, organic rosemary leaf CO2 extract, limonene.

Years ago I tried the Miessence Jaffa lip balm and it was a grainy, awful mess that ended up in the bin. Fast forward about ten years and I decided to give it another go. This time I was pleasantly surprised at how lovely it is. The texture is beautifully creamy, very hydrating and a pleasure to use. I love the slim tube, it fits easily in my pocket which is always a bonus. 

Monday 13 February 2017

Coco Kind Original Lip Balm

Image credit


Texture: Creamy and smooth.

Flavour: Coconut.

Fragrance: Coconut.

Finish: Soft shine.

Lasting power: Three hours.

Colour: Clear.

Longevity: Not stated.

Size: 0.15oz/4.25ml.

Price: Around $4.

Availability: I purchased mine from iHerb, I've seen it at health shops and you can purchase from the Coco Kind website.

Website: www.cocokind.com


Discontinued: No.

Limited Edition: No.

Rating: 1


Ingredients: Organic fair trade certified virgin coconut oil, organic yellow beeswax.

I really wanted to love this balm but I can't. It's so soft that it's unusable. The texture is what you'd expect for a balm that comes in a pot, not one that comes in a tube. Even in winter it's too soft to use, I end up with a thick layer of balm smeared over my lips which I have to wipe off, wasting the excess. The flavour and fragrance are beautiful as you'd expect from a coconut oil lip balm, it's just a shame about the texture. I end up applying it with my finger which is rather annoying.

Monday 6 February 2017

Rodial Glam Balm Lip


Texture: Silky smooth. 

Flavour: None.

Fragrance: Rose.

Finish: Soft shine.

Lasting power: Around three hours if I'm not eating or drinking.

Colour: Clear.

Longevity: 6 months.

Size: 10 grams.

Price: Between $26 to $29 (AUD)

Availability: ASOS, Strawberrynet, the Rodial website and numerous other online stores.

Website: rodial.com

Discontinued: No.

Limited Edition: No.

Rating: 4

If you like this, try: By Terry Baume de Rose.

Ingredients: hydrogenated polybutene, diisostearate malate, tridecyl trimellitate, castor seed oil, petrolatum, c10-30 cholesterol/lanosterol esters, synthetic wax, ethylhexyl palmitate, shea butter, rosa damascena flower extract, sunflower seed oil, flavour, benzyl alcohol, pomegranate extract, tocopherol, silica dimethyl silylate, mica, water, dehydroacetic acid, butylene glycol, caprylyl glycol, geraniol, citronellol, sodium hyaluronate, phenoxyethanol, limonene, hexylene glycol, eugenol, linalool, carrot seed oil, carrot root extract, beta-carotene, ascorbyl palmitate, titanium dioxide, carmine.

I'm obsessed with anything that smells like roses, especially lip products. Do you remember the rose scented Juicy Tube? 

Glam Balm Lip is a rose lovers heaven, it smells beautiful. If you've been lusting after By Terry's Baume de Rose but can't afford it, try Glam Balm Lip. It's not as good but it's a great alternative. 

If, like me, you wear lip balm more than lipstick or gloss, this is a great one because it has a soft, shiny finish which makes it look like you're wearing a gloss. It works really well over lip liner or lip stains too, and the top is a mirror which is ideal for touch ups on the go.