Burt’s Bees New Unscented Lip Balm

Just a week or so ago I shared a brand new addition to the Burt's Bees Lip Balm collection with the Limited Edition Mint Cocoa Lip Balm, but for those who are not a fan of scented Lip Balm, and there is a few of you who ask regularly if Burt's Bees have an unscented version of their popular Lip Balm, the answer to that question is yes and here is the newest addition to that line up.

Burt's Bees New Unscented Lip Balm is infused with powerful fruit extracts alongside nourishing Shea Butter and of course responsibly sourced beeswax which come together to nourish lips which are dry, chapped, sore, cracked, dehydrated or as I have found in need of a bit of TLC before the application of lipstick to prevent it from sticking and clinging to any dry parts.

This balm, which has a moisturising matte finish, is tint free and comes packaged inside the same tube as other lip balms. Easily recognisable with the bright yellow packaging and red lettering of the brand name. 

As with all Burt's Bees Lip Balms, this one is also designed to be a protective moisture barrier which in helps to promote healing of dry lips and provide long lasting moisture. These balms are incredible value for money and in my view, you can never have too many in your hand bag and at places around the home and place of work.

Priced at just £3.99 from Burt's Bees, if Unscented is the balm you are wanting then this is the one you need.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Burt's Bees Limited Edition Mint Cocoa Lip Balm

There is two new offerings from Burt's Bees within their ever-expanding Lip Balm collection and I am lucky enough to have both of them.  Today however, I am sharing the Limited Edition Mint Cocoa Lip Balm which is just divine.

Over the past few months, there has been some amazing new releases and additions to the Burt's Bees range, products such as the Lip Shimmers and the Squeezy Lip Balms.

Enjoy the sweet, indulgent flavour of hot cocoa with a touch of mint with Burt's Bees latest limited edition lip balm, Mint Cocoa. 

This Lip Balm, as the name might suggest, has been inspired by a mug of hot chocolate and is described as being the perfect fix to keep lips soft and hydrated through the winter.

This lip balm has a 100% natural origin formula and is made using a blend of Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil and responsibly sourced beeswax which helps to moisturise and shield the lips every time you use it.  Also included within the formula you will find Sunflower Oil and Shea Butter too.

Priced at just £3.99, you can find this lip balm from Burt's Bees.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Burt's Bees Flavour Crystals Lip Balm

I absolutely love Burt's Bees lip balms and have featured them on my blog many times, such as this post. Today I have three new balms from the Flavour Crystal Collection.

The Flavour Crystal Collection are described as being: 

Like biting into a perfectly ripe piece of fruit, picked at the precise moment of peak flavour, Burt’s Bees® new Flavour Crystals™ Lip Balm captures the experience of your favourite juicy summer treat in a pocket-size burst of flavour you can enjoy year-round.

These lip balms are packed with small crystals of dried, concentrated juice and they are available in three luscious varieties: Fresh Squeezed Orange, Ripe Raspberry, and Tropical Pineapple and they smell just absolutely insane exactly like their names suggest.

As with all Burt's Bees lip balms, they are packed full of amazing ingredients which include

their tried and trusted community sourced beeswax, nourishing Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil and Vitamin E and they contain no parabens, phthalates, petrolatum or SLS.  Each balm also has an added extra ingredient too, so within the Raspberry Balm there is antioxidant rich raspberry extract, in the Tropical Pineapple Balm is antioxidant rich pineapple extract and finally in the Sweet Orange Balm we have antioxidant rich sweet orange extract.

I love how nourishing these balms are and I love that they have a matte finish which makes them a perfect base for lipstick.  Priced at £4.99 in stores such as Boots.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Julep It's Whipped v's It's Balm

It might not have escaped your notice that I am a bit of a fan of K-Beauty, it has just got me right now and it started with skincare and has moved on to makeup.  Recently launched onto QVC is Julep, a brand who has me obsessed with THIS Cleansing stick.  Whilst I am still just writing a few posts on the rest of the skincare I have been lucky enough to try from Julep, I am today switching to makeup.

For the last few months I have been incredibly lucky to have 7 lip products to try from the It's Whipped and the It's Balm range. The It's Whipped range was born after some extensive market research with Julep fans (known as Mavens) who help develop and shape the concept from the applicator to the shades and even the name itself.  It's Whipped is described as being "A weightless matte lip colour that lasts all day and never feels dry" and  what Julep have managed to create is a hydrating liquid lipstick that dries down matte whilst at the same time, being comfortable on the lips. Julep promise that It's Whipped will give a vibrant, lasting colour that smooths the appearance of the lips and it does so thank to the use of a blend of light-diffusing pigments and formula also contains Julep's exclusive Power Cell Complex, a blend of powerful plant oils and extracts to soothe, repair, and nourish.   

The packaging is nice and weighty with a metallic lid and I love the bulkiness to the tube, it makes it easy to find in your makeup bag because I certainly have nothing similar in there.  However, nice packaging aside, for me what makes this product amazing is the applicator, it is almost like an hourglass shape which almost hugs your lips as you apply the product and it always manages to have just the right amount of product loaded on for the application.  I should also add that I absolutely love the formula too, it is lightweight and definitely has a mousse like texture to it and on the lips it is nourishing and I like how the colour sits once it has dried down.

There shades I have the nudes which are called Bisou which is a Modern Mauve and Ooh la la which is a Sepia Taupe Matte plus the pinks which are called Pillow Talk which is a Victorian Pink Matte and Amore which is a Vivid Rose Matte. They are currently on QVC and they retail for £24 for a duo pack.  The swatches above show Pillow Talk, Ooh La La, Amore and Bisou from left to right,

Then we have It's Balm which is described as being "A full-coverage lip crayon with extra-finely milled pigments provide full coverage with a semi-gloss finish". I love a good lip crayon, they are easy to use, easy to carry and don't ever seem to make as much mess rolling around my bag as lipsticks do. It's Balm has a really hydrating feel to it and I like that that the formula glides onto the lips with no dragging and because it is enriched with sunflower butter and vitamin E as well as and nourishing botanical extracts.

Packaged inside a gun metal case, each crayon applies really smoothly and I really like that the white centre that you can see within the colour is referred to as the super-hydrating treatment core which is where you will find those nourishing ingredients. Texture wise, it definitely has that lip balm feel to it and whilst it isn't as pigmented as It's Whipped, what you do get is a slight colour pay off. I have three of the shades available which are Blossom Pink which is a Cool Rose Crème, Vintage Mauve Crème which is a Muted Mauve Crème and finally Nectar Pink Crème which is a Peach Coral Crème and all three shades are incredibly wearable. These crayons are yet to be available here in the UK but over the water in the States they are sold for $20 each.

Overall, I am really impressed with both of these offerings from Julep.  I really like It's Whipped and think the shades available are stunning and I like how even when they have dried down, my lips don't feel as though I have dipped them into cement. It's Balm offers something different altogether and I like that there is a product that looks after my lips as well as giving them a hint of colour.

Have you tried anything from Julep?

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Pixi by Petra Lip Balms and Lipsticks

There is one way to grab my attention, other than making your product bright pink in every way and that is lipstick and Lip Balms, two products I am obsessed with.  Imagine my glee when this beauty turned up from Pixi by Petra a few weeks ago!

Pixi is a brand I have got to know over the last 18 months and one I have enjoyed getting to know.  There isn't a single product which has disliked me or my skin and there are a few products which have become firm favourites within my stash.  This box contains a micture of Shea Butter Lip Balm's and Mattelustre Lipsticks and the one thing I can tell you is that I love them all,  just can't choose a favourite.

The Shea Butter Lip Balms have eight shades in total and I have got three of them which are - Ripe Raspberry, Sweet Peach and Pixi Pink. These lip balms use a unique formula is rich but lightweight and gives a gorgeous wash of colour to lips and they are packed with lip loving ingredients to hug and comfort them in times of need.  The use of both Shea Butter to nourish the skin and Vitamin E to protect make for what is three incredible balms

What I love about these balms is how they feel on the lips.  When it comes to Lip Balms, I am not a fan of sticky and tacky formulas or the kind which make your lips feel as though you have just rubbed them in some duck fat.  I like an almost nothing there feel and this is what I get from Pixi, once applied there is a lovely lightweight texture on the lips. Both Pixi Pink and Ripe Raspberry have a Pink hue and Sweet Peach is a lovely peach shade and whilst the transfer of colour is noticeable it does not give you that lipstick transference of colour.

The MatteLustre Lipsticks are described as being multi-tasking demi-matte lipstick which has a long lasting formula that conditions, plumps, and protects while depositing a vivid colour onto the lips.  I have three shades again from the collection - Rose Naturelle which is a beautiful nude shade and it has brown undertones, Plum Berry has a subtle pink undertone and whilst it isn't a deep berry shade, it is still a beautiful shade and finally Bitten Rose which is a warm rose pink and just stunning.

I adore these lipsticks and they are packed full of ingredients such as Peptides, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins C and E help to create that smoother and fuller looking lip. When applying they do so like a dream, no dragging or pulling across the lip and I adore the creamy texture.  All three lipsticks are demi-matte, so if you are not a matte lipstick fan but also don't like the overly glossy lip, these do sit somewhere in the middle.   Rose Naturelle has been in my collection for some time now as the lovely Amanda said it would look fab, she was of course right (she is also amazing) and it I love it.

So there you have my little box of lip loving Pixi treats and again, I have been wowed by just how good they are.

I would love to know if you have tried any of these products from Pixi or whether or not you have a favourite Pixi product.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page here

Bring Back the Bees with Burt's Bees

Regular readers of my blog will know that I am a huge fan of Burt's Bees, amazing products at affordable prices and have bee around for over 30 years. Their new campaign to #BringBackTheBees highlights the plight of not only how important these amazing creatures are but also that they are disappearing and we all need to do something about it.

Many people I know will see a bee and run a mile, fearful that this little creature will sting them. Did you know that Bee's pollinate about a third of the food we eat and this amazing graphic (here) from Burt's Bees drives home just how important they are to us and the planets eco system and if they begin to struggle and do disappear, there is big trouble on the horizon.

So what can you do to help?  The wonderful people over at Burt's Bees have launched their #BringBackTheBees campaign and for just £3.99 you can purchase the fantastic Coconut & Pear Lip Balm which has had a spring makeover and has been repackaged in this beautiful lime green box.  For every one sold 5000 bee-friendly wildflower seeds will be planted, in partnership with the British Beekeepers Association, through its adopt a Beehive scheme in selected areas around the UK. Plus you can also take to social media by sharing a selfie and adding some flowers to it and then head to this site (here) and share it across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or Snapchat using the hashtags #SelflessSelfie and #BringBackTheBees and a further 5000 bee-friendly wildflower seeds will be sown.

You can also do your bit at home too by planting a good selection of wildflowers in your garden, on your balcony or as I have done in pots which are on my terrace top help keep bees busy.

The lip balm itself is really moisturising and it combines the juicy extract of vitamin-rich pear with creamy, hydrating coconut oil. The formula, which also contains shea butter leaves your lips feeling soft and moisturised. It is also 100% natural and contains no phthalates, parabens, petrolatum or SLS. The Burt's Bees Limited Edition Coconut & Pear Lip Balm retails for just £3.99 and is available from Boots, Amazon and Burt's bees.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Balmi Metallic Lip Balms

I absolutely love Balmi lipbalms and am lucky to have quite a few in my collection, which I have mentioned here.

Getting ready for the festive season, Balmi have launched three new lip balms to add to their collection but with an added bit of pizzazz, they have gone metallic with the design and they do look pretty good!  Within the collection there is a brand new scent Roseberry which you will find inside this Metallic Copper cube and it smells absolutely delightful.  The two other scents are Cherry which is metallic red and Blackcurrant which is Metallic Purple.

The lip balm maintains its conical shape and is really easy to apply.  Not only are they all SPF15, which gets a huge thumbs up from me, they also contain antioxidant-rich Vitamin E, soothing Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil to help leave your lips moisturised, soft and super smooth.

To purchase they are priced at £4.99 each and can be found in Boots, Urban Outfitters and Superdrug.

Do you own a Balmi?

I Love Cosmetics Moisture Tint Lip balms

I am a big fan of the brand I Love Cosmetics and have featured them a few times here on my blog. Today I have a new product to share with you from the range, one which is cute, a little bit quirky and more pigmented than I was expecting and that is the Moisture Tint Lip Balms.

I have three from the range right now and they are quite similar in style to many Lip Crayons that you can find out there on the highstreet, but there is one difference with these and it is the cute nib covers which are in the shape of a heart with the word 'Love' written on them.

They come in three different shades and scents.  Grape is the darkest of the three and if you have ever had a Jolly Rancher Grape Soda, then it smells exactly like the drink.  Scent aside, it is lovely bright vibrant purple shade. Then we have Dark Cherry which smells like Cherry Coca Cola and is a really lovely bright red shade.  Finally there is Strawberry which reminds me of Strawberry Laces and it is a really lovely dark pink shade.

All three lip balms glide onto the lips to give a really good colour, the pigmentation, as I have mentioned is really good and they last on my lips just as long as any other high-street brand does and naturally it does depend on how much you eat and drink when it comes to re-applying, but you shold get a few hours wear from them.

They are moisturising and work well on their own or with lip gloss.  I sometimes add them over the top of my lipstick for a little extra colour and for £2.99 they are amazing value for money.

What do you think to these balms?

Bee Good Raspberry & White Chocolate Lip Balm

You may remember some months ago that I posted here about a competition the fabulous Bee Good were hosting for one lucky blogger to come up with their dream lip balm which was won by Beauty Vlogger Joseph Harwood with his Raspberry and White Chocolate idea. Over 5000 people voted for this lip balm and here it is in all its glory.

Described as being a rich, deeply replenishing lip balm to repair, intensively condition and soothe dry chapped lips, it uses subtle, fruity raspberry notes which are balanced perfectly by the sweetness of the white chocolate. Not forgetting of course the inclusion of British beeswax, natural source vitamin E, British borage oil; a rich source of skin strengthening essential fatty acids and British echium oil to replenish dry skin.

So the lipbalm is encased in this raspberry shade tube, quite fitting for the product I feel and it has the slanted applicator which makes it really easy to use.  The balm glides onto the lips and almost immediately absorbs itself, it works really well as a primer before adding your lipstick too.  it is definitely moisturising and hydrating, something our lips are definitely going to need in these colder months.  The balm is also clear, so there is no hint of colour left on the lips and when it comes to the scent, it reminds me of those white chocolate mice you once got in a pick'n'mix with the red gooey middle, which I have to admit, I do really like.

This lipbalm launches later this month and will be priced at £4.75 which is an absolute bargain and you can find more about it right here. 

The Bee Good next Great British lip balm competition!

Those of you who read my blog regularly will know that I am a huge fan of the brand Bee Good and have featured many of their products. One of my favourites from the range is the Vanilla lip balm which is intensely conditioning and soothing, especially for chapped lips. So I was delighted when an email dropped into my inbox with the question:

Do you dream of designing your own beauty product? 

Would you love to see your name on-shelf across the UK? 

Well yes I do, who doesn't? It would be a dream come true! Well the team at Bee Good are on a mission to find the next Great British Lip Balm and they need your help to create the next flavour! 

Beauty bloggers have been an integral part of the Bee Good success story to date, so as a thank you for the supportive reviews and help with new product testing, Bee Good want to give something back! Everyone at Bee Good values the expert opinion of a beauty blogger, so who better to work with for such an exciting project?! 

All you need to do is use your imagination to generate an idea for the next Bee Good lip balm. Following on from the best-selling Vanilla & Honey Lip Balm, your new idea will need to be creative, yet appeal to the masses as the winning flavour will potentially be on-shelf at not only Waitrose, but also retailed online on the Bee Good website and hopefully in Bee Good's other stockists including LoveLula and Urban Outfitters.

Here are our top reasons to enter Bee Good’s competition to design the next Great British Lip Balm which will be launching before Christmas!

• Every beauty blogger that takes part will be provided with artwork and badges for their blog site to encourage votes… use your loyal following to secure support in the final public vote! 
• You will be profiled on Bee Good communication channels throughout the competition, including a feature in the e-newsletter and if chosen as a finalist, on the online voting portal! 
• Five semi-finalists will be invited to Waitrose HQ to present their lip balm to the Waitrose beauty buyer and the Bee Good team (Bee Good will cover your expenses to and from the venue.)
• Three finalists, determined from the judging day, will receive lab samples of their creation to give to family, friends or lucky blog followers.
• The winner, voted by Bee Good customers, will have their blog name printed on the packaging design!
• The winning product will be retailed on the Bee Good website, plus potentially in Waitrose and Bee Good online retailers including Urban Outfitters and LoveLula.

If you’re interested, all you have to do is drop an email to 

info@babushkacommunications.com and we will send you the details you need to take part… including some helpful hints from Bee Good’s marketing director.

Please note that the closing date for entries is 17th April, so hurry!

Balmi Lip Balms

I am a lip balm obsessive, most people know this and are not surprised by how many I have in my collection, but I do use them and have two or three in most handbags and quite a few in my desk drawer as emergencies as well as one in each make-up bag, you get my drift?

The reason I am so obsessed with lip balms is because lips are really important and boy do they get used a lot - from eating and drinking, to kissing, air kissing, talking and so on... so they need a little bit of TLC otherwise imagine what it is like to see dry, flaky, chapped lips coming towards you - quite grim!  I also use lip balm before applying any lipstick to my lips as a base because I find it helps cover any imperfections there might be.

So, the latest editions to my collection are by Balmi who state that "It's cool to be squared" only there is a slight twist to the 'squared' bit!  If you have used these before, then you will know what I mean but if you haven't, then the pictures below will enlighten you because as you can see, it is square from the outside, but once opened (with a quick twist) the actual balm is conical - quite funky I think!

The Balmi Lip Balm has the perfect blend of ingredients to give your lips long lasting daily care and protection because they have SPF 15 and UVA protection not forgetting to mention that they also include antioxidant-rich Vitamin E, soothing Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil to help leave your lips moisturised, soft and super smooth.

Currently available in five different flavours - Strawberry, Blackcurrant, Mint, Strawberry and Coconut, each Balmi Lip Balms is scented exactly as you would expect it to be.  Once applied to the lips, the balm itself feels really moisturising and it adds quite a subtle shine to the lips, thankfully it doesn't make your lips feel as though you have just rubbed them across a block of lard.  For me, the pyramid shape of the balm doesn't have any effect as to how easy the application is, because like similar balms, it just glides across the lips, meaning you don't have to faff about with your fingers.

Balmi lip balms cost around £4.99 each and you can find them in places like Tesco, Topshop and Boots and for that price, I think it is great value for money.

Do you have a favourite Balmi Lip Balm?

Bee Good Bee Pampered - Beauty Gift Set

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I am a huge fan of the brand Bee Good. For those of you who have't heard of them, Bee Good is an independent British skincare company based in rural Hampshire, who have harnessed the centuries-old healing powers of British honey, propolis and beeswax in an innovative skincare range, designed to make a real difference without the use of parabens, synthetic colour, mineral oil, silicone or SLS/SLES. Each and every one of their products are described as being packed with hard-working intensively soothing ingredients, there is nothing better to care for your lips than this nourishing and protective treatment delivered from the flower, to the bee, to you.

For a limited time only, the lovely people over at Bee Good have created a Bee Pampered gift set just for the Christmas and it contains a couple of their best sellers and some gorgeously decorated biscuits. It's all packaged in a recyclable box and priced at just £20.

Inside the box you will find

The Honey, Borage & Echium Intensive Hand Repair 50ml and Vanilla & Honey Lip Balm 10ml along with Three Little Bee Bakery biscuits which are just so cute, I didn't want to eat them - but now have!

The Honey, Borage and Echium Intensive hand Repair is an intensive multi-use repair treatment containing moisturising British wild flower honey and replenishing British echium oil, to bring some TLC to hard-working hands and feet.  The hand lotion is quite rich and has a really good pump dispenser on it to help distribute the cream, one pump is more than enough for hands.

The Vanilla & Honey Lip Balm, which I am a huge fan of, is bursting with a blend of British beeswax and a blend of British crambe, echium and borage oils. Working together they bring some welcome relief and rescue to dry or chapped lips not to mention it has a truly addictive scent!

Have you tried any Bee Good products yet?

November Birchbox Cosy at Home

Novembers Birchbox** has arrived and oh my it is a good one!  Cosy at Home November 2014 is about nights in, wrapping up and staying warm at home.  With that in mind, the amazing team behind Birchbox have put together an edit of products which have been specially chosen for a pamper night in!

 

This month there are five different products to try, one of which is full sized and one I cannot wait to try.

Dr Jart+ is a brand most people will associate with BB cream, I know I do and that is where my experience starts and ends.  In this months box there is this Water-Act Skin Mist which is designed to boost skin's internal moisture levels with an anti-oxident infused facial spritz.  You use it after cleansing by gently spritzing your face from a distance of 20-30cm with your eyes closed.  This has an RRP £18.

Weleda Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash follows and this is a 20ml sample and it smells absolutely amazing.  Said to be a nutrient loaded moisturising in-shower wash which is infused with sandalwood, davana and neroli.

Lipglam Natural Lanolin Lip Balm is next and this is a fats actin balm that delivers moisture for up to 8 hours - ooh watch out Elizabeth Arden!! It uses 100% natural ingredients and when on the lips it is so soft and smooth you don't know it is there and it makes a greast base before applying your lipstick!

Beauty Protector Protect & Treat Hair Mask comes in these two cute little  tubs and is designed tog rejuvenate and protect your hair.  It combines argan oil, honey, amber and crush pearls (wow) and is designed to be used after shampooing by simply applying it to the ends of your hair, leave on for 5-10 minutes if you have oily hair and up to 20 if you have dry hair.  I am definitely looking forward to trying this, it smells divine and is a lovely pastel pink colour.  

Lord and Berry Mini Bronzer is the last item in the box and in shade Sunny it looks like this, almost like an eye shadow for a palette. Said to be super fine and matte, this bronzer helps to create a healthly glow for a burst of radiance.

If all of that wasn't enough, there is one little treat in the box by way of chocolate - yippee and it is a Montezuma Mini bar, an indulgent treat of creamy milk chocolate made from the finest organic cocoa beans and it tastes absolutely amazing!

So that is October's Birchbox, isn't it fantastic?  Did you get your Birchbox this month?