Could Lip Stains be the Answer?

Of late, I have been getting more and more into lip colour. Gone are the days of barely there gloss and a dramatic dark eye being the only option for a night out. Typically, I would wear more discrete eye makeup during the day anyway, but for night it was a case of the more dramatic, the better, within limits of course.

Nowadays, I am finding a pop of colour on the lips brightens my complexion for daytime and gives a more polished look. While for night, a classic red lip can be oh so sophisticated. However, this does not come without drawbacks lippy on teeth being one best avoided and then there is the difficulty in eating/drinking, by which even the best of lipsticks and glosses are not left unmarred.

My thoughts are now veering towards the good old lip stain. Uncharted territory for me thus far, but one I am increasingly willing to explore. In the past I would have avoided these like the plague, given the limited colour choice at the time and the fact that my lips are like the Sahara at the best of times. However, the idea that I could apply one product at the beginning of the day/evening and then just go over with lip balm to maintain the look is tempting and many companies such as Stila, Revlon, Benefit etc. now have several options shade-wise. Now to find the one with the perfect colour and let the experimentation begin.

Any suggestions?

Carmex Moisturizing Lip Balm in Mint

I've been using the 'new' (not sure how long it's been out, but it's new to me) mint lip balm for a few weeks now and I have to say I am actually impressed. This has SPF and apparently the menthol in this kills bacteria. I don't know about you, but I like the sound of that. I actually like the cool tingly feeling when first applied to the lips and although this might not feel as nourishing as thicker balms like the original Carmex in a tub, it does the job nicely. My normally cracked lips have been behaving themselves since I started using this.

The final preview test happened at the weekend when I wore this under a lipstick. I applied, blotted and then layered the lippie over. This kept the lipstick from drying out my lips for a while and when I needed a little extra I just dabbed a little Carmex on top. My lipstick looked perfect all night and my lips stayed moist, an added bonus is dabbing a little of this on in public is far more discreet than whipping out lipstick and a mirror. Yes, really my lips naturally look this red and luscious;-) Not bad at £2.55 from asos. 

Calvin Klein - Delicious Pout Flavoured Lip Gloss

I have to admit, as much as I love the sophistication of a well chosen and perfectly applied lipstick, for day and when I just could not be bothered, lip gloss is my go to. It's just so easy to keep in your pocket for sneaky touch ups and tends to hide a multitude of sins, you don't even need a mirror. While idly browsing the net one day, I came across a range of glosses from Calvin Klein, well I had never seen his cosmetics before and the price wasn't bad, so I got out my little card. Seriously, it doesn't take much to temp me.

I am so glad I did. I purchased 'Cupid' and this is the perfect gloss for adding just enough colour for that just bitten, haven't I got naturally gorgeous lips look. This is the case for me at least, I'm pale with naturally quite red lips. There are as you can possibly see from the picture, small flecks of glitter in the gloss, but these are not over the top in my opinion. They're not art class type chunks or anything as tacky. Out of all the glosses I have tried over the years, and there have been many (I am a complete gloss whore), this is by far the most delicious. Yes, I do mean in terms of taste, it is absolutely yummy. That could be a pro or a con,   depending on how you look at it.

My only complaint is the design of the packaging which seems a bit cheap and flimsy. I suspect that this could easily break and having had a gloss breakage in my bad before, I can assure you, it is not pretty. I was cleaning gloop off handbag essentials for days.


Anyway, for those of you who are after something pretty and easy. I would suggest trying this gloss, it really is a gorgeous colour. 

Sunny Smiles and Skin Cancer

I recently read an article about skin cancer and the lips, which led me to think about how many of us are putting ourselves at risk unnecessarily. We invest in expensive creams to protect our faces and obsess about the damage UV rays might do to our skin, but totally forget about some of this thinnest and most delicate skin on our faces. Ladies, using glosses in particular could be damaging. Think about it this way, glosses give us that gorgeous shiny pout, but without the additional use of some SPF there could be a high price to pay. What happens if you apply oil to the skin? It fries in the sun. Well, the lips are no exception,  I already have a couple of freckles on mine. So now I religiously apply either an SPF balm underneath or use a gloss with SPF already in it. There seem to be more and more options available, some of which are:

Neutrogena lip balm SPF 20
Carmex Cherry lip balm with SPF 15

Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Hydrating Glosstick SPF 15

Love Eyeko?

Image by dhinivh via Flickr
After spotting a brand called Eyeko during an evening's browsing, I decided to check them out. To my delight I discovered they provide free postage in the EU. Now, the product I was particularly interested in trying was the 3 in 1 eyecream. It's descibed as a three in one MOISTURISER, HIGHLIGHTER & EYE CREAM, but from most of the reviews I read it was mainly rated as a highlighting cream. Then, when I thought things couldn't get any better than free postage, they offered a free gift with purchases over £10/€12/$15. That was it.... I simply couldn't resist and having heard of a particularly nice nail varnish from their range, I threw caution to the wind. I ordered the 3 in 1 cream, the nail varnish, which is called Vampira, and finally some strawberry Fat Balm.


So, I took my time when choosing these products and there were some nice little blogs on the website. Apparently, they have 'Ambassadors', who write blogs for them or promote their products, and in return receive a commission when customers use their promotion codes during purchase. There is a plus side to this, in that when a code is used you can receive a free gift. However, I was not going to trust their opinion alone, so I went online and searched and searched some more. Generally, the reviews for the cream were good. The reviews I found were for the original version, not the tinted or extra glow versions of the same product. This was €9. I chose the nail varnish because at  €4, it was a bargain. The choices were limited in terms of colour, in my opinion at least. Most were very young and trendy blues, greens etc. I generally like a neutral french polish base colour, or a nice deep red to black shade. Vampira is a black with very subtle red glitter, which is barely noticeable, but gives the shade a little warmth and depth. Perfect for Halloween and suitable for work I reasoned. Finally, I chose the strawberry Fat Balm, again after some research, it was recommended on Eyeko's website as being good for giving just a hint of colour. This was €4.


My package arrived just a few days after ordering, 3 I think. I ripped open the package and decided to use the cream straight away. I've been using it since, this is now day 3 and I am as yet, undecided. Different people have suggested using it different ways, which as a highlighter is not unusual. Honestly, as someone that is accustomed to using a shimmer eyeshadow (NYX) as a highlighter on cheekbones and brow bone, this is a little too  subtle. I can barely tell it's even there and I am not someone that likes the plastic look either. Now, at this point I should point out that the company website suggests using on naked skin, yes without makeup (the horror). I could not do that, so have tried using in the above mentioned places under foundation and then dabbing a little on over foundation again. I am still not convinced, but shall continue to experiment for a few days on that one. However, I have found it is good for under the eyes. I tend to get those little blue/purple under eye shadows (I have very pale skin) and this seems to work well for brightening them just enough that foundation and a tiny amount of concealer can be more effective. For this I have used it under foundation, but will experiment over as well.


The Vampira nail varnish turned out to be a lovely colour and after being applied 2 days ago with base coat and top coat, has yet to chip. This, as any lover of dark polishes will know, is unusual among varnishes of any price range.  The only downside to this particular polish is that the colour is not completely opaque, even with 2 coats. Now, that may change as the varnish thickens a little after opening, but I do like my dark colours to be perfectly opaque when they should be.


Finally, the Fat Balm, really I bought this as an item to get the price over €13 in order to get the nail varnish as my free gift. Well, it turned out to be my favorite of the products. This is a nice moisturizing balm, and the colour is gorgeous. It's sheer, but definitely there and very very flattering to the lips. It gives them a nice fresh and natural healthy look.  It's so much cheaper than wearing lipstick and to be honest, with the amount of coffee etc. I drink during the day, it's quite a saving. It's got just the right amount of subtle sheen and shimmer. A winner!

To sum up, I found the prices for these products were very reasonable, particularly when the free delivery was taken into account. The packaging is cute, so much so that it seems to be aimed at a very young market. However, there are some products and colours I love just as much now as I did 10 years ago and I refuse to be pigeon holed in my spending. The range is limited, but I believe this is a new brand to the market and therefore, the range may expand readily in the future. The delivery was probably the fastest I have had yet from any company in the UK, quite impressive actually. Overall, I'm pretty happy without being broke after my little purchases and am looking forward to figuring out the perfect usage for my 3 in 1 cream. Judging by the enormous size of the tub, I'll have plenty to practise with. 

Lipglosses for Kissable Lips

Glosses are ideal for a polished yet effortless day time look. For night they provide a hint of glamor that doesn't scream 'I took 2 hours to get ready', even when we did, and they don't stain everything they come in contact with. They're great for retouching without the aid of a mirror and give lips a youthful, voluptuous quality, which most lipsticks fail to deliver.

So, of all the glosses out there and there must be thousands, which are the easiest to wear? I would suggest nudes and nude pinks, you can't go wrong. They really are the most versatile and universally flattering colours. For those lovely ladies out there who were blessed with darker colouring, nude browns can be stunning.

Pots, palettes, tubes, pen style applicators and sticks, they come in all types. Personally, I find the pot variety messy, they get all over your fingers. You could use a lip brush, but why should you have to? Pen styles and sticks can also get a bit messy after a while, the nibs get ragged, the tops get worn down. Tubes are quick and easy and simple to clean with a baby wipe.

Of all the brands I have tried and I have tried many, Lancome Juicy Tubes come out on top. The colour is sheer, but it's there. Even better it stays there a reasonable length of time (some glosses mysteriously evaporate after 30 seconds) and unlike many glosses they don't dry out the lips. I have a couple of tubes, which at this stage I've probably had for 18 months, with daily multiple uses, they're still going strong. That means value for money. The colours range in family and intensity, some with little flecks of glitter and some without. However, those with glitter are discrete, therefore suitable for grown ups. I have 3 favourites:

Melon - for a very nude look, it smells delicious and has no glitter.
Cerise - for a slightly more glam gloss for day/ night, with subtle glitter.
Fraise - for a more pigmented finish, but still sheer with subtle glitter, great for night time.

All of the above are nude/pink. However, they are extremely flattering and believe me I am not usually usually a fan of pink in lipsticks or other cosmetics. These look almost like your natural lip colour, just more intense, healthier and vibrant. Moreover, they make the lips look fuller and remind me of an adult version of the flavoured lipbalms I loved when I was younger. Great!

The Body Shop - Shea Lip Butter/ When good products turn bad

Image via WikipediaMemories of those gorgeous deliciously flavored lip balms from years ago drew me into The Body Shop once again. I was greeted with the heavy scents of perfume oils and soaps as I entered and quickly I spotted the lip balms, still sold in their cute little tubs. However, something had changed! Upon first inspection I realized that some of the flavors I remembered were no longer part of the range, no more kiwi, so long Morello Cherry. I took my time, sniffed each pot, inspected as much as one can without actually trying the product (I do not trust testers, especially with cosmetics, bacteria). I finally settled on the Shea butter, it sounded more grown up. Not much of a scent, but I was convinced this would be compensated with added moisturizing properties.
Alas, I could not have been more wrong. In the pot this balm is off-white in color, on the lips it remains a similar color if applied generously. Not a good look. This wouldn't be such a problem if applied at night, but what should be moisturizing seems to completely dry out my lips. I am utterly disappointed, what was a fond memory and was a planned triumphant return to my beauty arsenal has now been cast off into my list of things that were once great, but no more. Why do companies do this? Why oh why do they turn a good product bad?

Dry, flaky, cracking lips

Image via WikipediaDuring the summer I took advantage of a promotion on one of the more expensive lip therapy/lipbalm treatments, thinking I was in for a treat I was eager to get using and having never had a problem with lip products before, did not do a patch test. Silly me! I must have been allergic, my lips had never done this before, but suddenly the cracked to the point where they bled and the top of my upper lip actually started to peel. There were weird whitish patches and it was the ugliest, most difficult to disguise thing I had ever experienced on my face. Other than a nasty mosquito bite that once left me looking like Quasimodo for a week, but I digress.
Despite using various treatments such as The Bodyshop's shea butter lipbalm, vaseline, neutrogena spf20 lipbalm and many others, the problem persisted. I tried creams from the pharmacy, consulted a doctor ( she told me to use SPF and was very dismissive) and nothing helped. Finally, I was in the pharmacy a week ago buying some winter essentials, when I spotted Neutrogena's Norwegian formula lip and nose balm. It was only €3.50, so I thought it was worth a try and if it didn't work, I would keep it for my nose in the cold/flu season.
Surprise, success, it worked. My lips are cured. No more flaking, peeling or anything else. They are completely normal again. The funny thing is, this is the cheapest of all the products I tried. Typical, right? Moral of the story, don't assume that because it's expensive it's going to be right for you, sometimes the least expensive products are the best.