boots essentials lipsalve: strawberry, tinted and spearmint

 

i ran out of my favourite nivea essential care lip balm the other day and went to boots to repurchase it. for some reason i got sidetracked by a classic boots deal - 3 for 2 - and so ended up with these instead! overall, i wouldn't say i'm disappointed that i bought them (i can never ever have too many lip balms and at 99p each you can't really complain!) but they definitely don't match up to nivea! i thought i'd do a mini review of each of them anyway, just in case anyone's looking for a cheap lipsalve :)

 

the strawberry lipsalve comes out clear which generally i like as it means i can put as much as i want on without looking in a mirror and don't need to worry about what i look like. the strawberry scent is really sweet but in a good way - think haribo as opposed to over perfumed. i'd say it moisturises my lips for around an hour which isn't so bad and the pink lid is a nice colour too!

 

 

i can't really get on with this tinted lipsalve. it's a really light pink and i'm just not sure who it would suit? it's pretty much scent free which can sometimes be a good thing but even one slick of this lipsalve is too much, especially when your lips are a bit chapped and colour builds in certain areas. a bit of a shame but i'll consider this as my 'free' lipsalve and so i'm not too disappointed!

 

this is probably my favourite lipsalve of the three. the spearment scent is really yummy and quite unusual i think (at least for me - i don't think i own any mint lip balms). like the strawberry it comes out clear so is easy to use and does the job of protecting my lips pretty well.

nivea essential care lip balm

 

this has got to be one of my all time favourite lip balms. i started using it last winter as i suffer from really dry, chapped lips. i didn't read any reviews on it before i bought it, i just liked that it didn't mention any kind of scent. i do like carmex/lypsil/chapstick etc etc, but sometimes i feel that the added fruity scents can actually aggravate my lips and make them worse. as i hoped, this essential care lip balm is pretty much scent free so removes that source of aggravation.

the packaging isn't particularly luxurious looking but the blue makes it easy to find in a bag and i like that you don't have to apply it with your fingers as most of the time i find that too messy and impractical! 

the best bit about it though is the creamy formula. it really is soothing and isn't too sticky or too hard (sometimes i find that brands such as lypsil can be so hard that they're actually really difficult to apply). i have to say i get through them quite quickly though although this is entirely my fault as i probably apply it over 10 times a day! however, considering that it's only £1.65 in boots i don't see this as being much of a problem!

e.l.f cosmetics mineral moisturising lip tint - rose

this mineral moisturising lip tint in rose is the third and final lip product i got in my recent e.l.f cosmetics haul. only one product left to review!

it's marketed as a lip tint but to me it's more like a lipstick as although the shade is quite subtle, (it does look darker in person than in pictures though) it has a thick and creamy feel similar to a lipstick as opposed to a lip balm. however, it's still very easy to wear and the shade works for day and night.

it's from the 'mineral' collection which claims to be made up of the 'purest and refined ingredients from the earth'. not really sure what aspect of my lip tint was made 'from the earth' but i like the idea that with this range you will supposedly 'forget you are even wearing make up' and that the lip tint contains spf 8.

overall i'm really pleased with this purchase, especially with summer's current attempt at sticking around! it is a little more pricy than usual e.l.f products at £3.50 but i still can't complain as it is a great product. hopefully i'll be getting myself some more lip tints in the near future!

e.l.f cosmetics - 'nostalgic' lipstick

      

this lipstick was my second attempt (first attempt here) at achieving nude lips that look more kim kardashian than ill-person-that-needs-a-steak and slowly but surely i think i'm getting there (colour wise!) 

'nostalgic' by e.l.f cosmetics is a pretty nude, slightly on the darker side, with a hint of dusty pink that makes all the difference. the formula glides onto the lips easily and has a similar smell - 'vanilla mint' - to their luscious liquid lipstick (review here) yummy :) it also only costs £1.50... another e.l.f bonus!

it has a creamy, slightly glossy finish to it, although i have to admit that these pictures were taken with a bit of this lip gloss worked into it for some extra shine. i think i now need to invest in a nude gloss to put over the top of the lipstick for a bit of an extra kick and i may finally have found my perfect nude lip colour! any recommendations?

e.l.f cosmetics - raspberry luscious liquid lipstick

this luscious liquid lipstick from e.l.f cosmetics is one of the three lip products i purchased in my recent e.l.f haul that i mentioned here. i liked the sound of a liquid lipstick as this means to me easy application with an end result like lipstick. it comes in plain, inoffensive packaging and is operated by a clicker thingy (technical name, anyone?!)

there is a choice of 12 colours which are £1.50 each. more than reasonable for any lip product. i chose raspberry which looked like the most wearable shade. i figured i'd test out the new formula before i decided to go for any dramatic colours! it comes out on a sort of furry applicator and - for want of a better description - genuinely feels like you're applying a liquid lipstick. it's easy to work with like a gloss so there isn't any need for lip liners or really precise application but once on looks like a creamy matte lipstick with great colour pay-off.

raspberry is a dark-ish pink without that browny undertone that lots of lipsticks have so is perfect for day and night and doesn't look old fashioned. i found the colour to last for a few hours and it's easy enough to put in your bag if need be for any re-application. it also smells really nice although i couldn't put a name to the smell. e.l.f tells me it's 'vanilla mint' - yummy! will definitely be repurchasing soon.

lush - lip service lip balm

 

after spending the evening at lush making a facemask, i made a couple of purchases that i promised i'd review. one was the sweet lips lip scrub  and here's the other one :)

this is an intense lip balm that i was advised to keep warm because it's consistency is really solid. this is easier said than done if you live in england and like to keep a lip balm in your handbag as it's usually cold, and i usually want to use it pretty quickly without having to spend time warming it up.

when you do finally get into it, sometimes by luck with the weather, sometimes by scraping some out with the top of my nail (which really isn't ideal and i hate doing it!), it is actually a really good lip balm. it feels like it's really protecting your lips but isn't at all thick or sticky. this combined with the lip scrub should hopefully make winter a lot nicer by helping dodge the dreaded chapped lips!

just one suggestion, lush... why not put lip service in a stick form like any other chapstick so that your lips warm up the lip balm as you are applying? just a thought!

revlon lip butter - strawberry shortcake

       

left - strawberry shortcake; right - berry smoothie

 

i've been waiting for ages to get my hands on some of the highly anticipated colorburst lip butters by revlon and finally managed to get hold of a couple this week! those of you that regularly read blink.pout.glow will know that slowly but surely i'm persuading myself to jump on the bright lips bandwagon. it's taking longer than anticipated though and revlon's lip butters seemed a perfect way to get involved.

as far as i've read, these are a mix between a balm and a lipstick and, according to revlon they have a 'hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula that boosts lip moisture by 156%'. this all sounds promising. it should also be noted that originally 20 colours were released in the U.S.A but only 14 made their way over to the U.K... boo!

firstly, i think i'm the only person that seems to think the packaging is actually a bit - dare i say it - tacky. not overly so, i'm just not a massive fan of the quilted effect although i do think it looks better in person than on any pictures i've seen (including my own!) i am a fan of the colour coordinated lid and the see-through top though, which makes it easier to find the right colour.

applying the lip butter is really easy and the formula is soft like a lip balm. the colours are sheer enough to use on the go aswell without worrying about messy application, although this probably wouldn't apply to more pigmented shades like lollipop. i wouldn't say it had the same moisturising effect as a lip balm but i would consider it less drying than any other lipstick i've tried.

strawberry shortcake is a cute, light pink colour that isn't too sheer or too opaque. this makes it really easy to wear without looking too sickly sweet or childish and most importantly, isn't shimmery or glittery as most colours like this are. hallelujah! i'm considering purchasing a few more lip butters in the current 3 for 2 offer at boots. it'd be rude not to! revlon lip butters retail at £7.99.

revlon lip butter - berry smoothie

    

 

i've been waiting for ages to get my hands on some of the highly anticipated colorburst lip butters by revlon and finally managed to get hold of a couple this week! those of you that regularly read blink.pout.glow will know that slowly but surely i'm persuading myself to jump on the bright lips bandwagon. it's taking longer than anticipated though and revlon's lip butters seemed a perfect way to get involved.

as far as i've read, these are a mix between a balm and a lipstick and, according to revlon they have a 'hydrating mango, shea and coconut butter formula that boosts lip moisture by 156%'. this all sounds promising. it should also be noted that originally 20 colours were released in the U.S.A but only 14 made their way over to the U.K... boo!

firstly, i think i'm the only person that seems to think the packaging is actually a bit - dare i say it - tacky. not overly so, i'm just not a massive fan of the quilted effect although i do think it looks better in person than on any pictures i've seen (including my own!) i am a fan of the colour coordinated lid and the see-through top though, which makes it easier to find the right colour.

applying the lip butter is really easy and the formula is soft like a lip balm. the colours are sheer enough to use on the go aswell without worrying about messy application, although this probably wouldn't apply to more pigmented shades like lollipop. i wouldn't say it had the same moisturising effect as a lip balm but i would consider it less drying than any other lipstick i've tried.

berry smoothie is a pink colour with a cool undertone that isn't too dark and because it's quite sheer is very wearable. i'm looking forward to wearing this out and about and am considering purchasing a few more lip butters in the current 3 for 2 offer at boots. it'd be rude not to! revlon lip butters retail at £7.99.

lush - sweet lips lip scrub

as promised here, i thought i'd finally review one of the products i picked up at lush recently. this is their sweet lips lip scrub and seemed like a good investment as i suffer from dry lips quite regularly! i'm constantly on the look out for soothing lip balms and treatments but never really thought about purchasing a specific lip exfoliator. silly, silly me!

this is such a nice product to use. it smells like chocolate (always a plus in my book!) and leaves your lips feeling really smooth. admittedly, it's definitely something that needs to be done at home as it's quite messy so wouldn't be appropriate to take out and about but if you leave it in your bathroom then its easy to use in the shower or before brushing your teeth.

the only problem is is the same i feel you get with every exfoliating product, once you start using it you can't stop! but lush more than make up for this problem by making sure all the ingredients used are natural (mainly brown sugar) so after scrubbing you can just lick it off. mmm... :) for once, i'm almost looking forward to winter! find out more about lush lip scrubs here.

vaseline lip therapy - cocoa butter

 

i actually haven't bought a pot of vaseline lip therapy in a long, long time but today i thought i'd try out the cocoa butter version. i've always thought that, generally, you can't go wrong with vaseline. it's cheap, multi-purpose and always does its job well! 

the cocoa butter is a nice addition to the usual formula but isn't too strong for those of you who aren't really a fan of the distinct smell (personally, i'm part of the 'love it' crew. only recently did i find out there was a 'hate it' crew too?!)

i also have to say that, although generally more convenient, i find the tiny pots that lip balms can come in nowadays really frustrating. i tend to get the majority of the lip balm under my nail which is not only a waste but also unhygienic. kudos to vaseline for sticking with their original packaging, i say!