Recently On My Lips

                            

I don't know if you're aware yet, but beside nail polishes I'm a bit of a compulsive lip balm collector. I can never have enough and it recently turned out to come in handy because my lips have been going through a rebel phase where even after drinking more than 2 liters of water a day, they still look and feel dry. Still haven't gotten to the bottom of it, but like most things wrong with my skin, I can probably trace it back to the ventilation system in the office.

In any case, I have some of the golden oldies like the Rosebud Lip Salve  that might be petrolatum based but has done miracles for my lips throughout time, then some very new ones I'm somewhat undecided about. Those would be the Nivea Lip Butters. I have always liked Nivea, basically because we have all grown up with it but  I've read the ingredients of the lip butters and there's a bucketload of paraffin in there. Something I really don't want anywhere on me. And that brings me to my freakout in retrospect, is the Nivea classic cream also full of paraffin ? I'm afraid to Google that because paraffin is a side product of petroleum and it's one of those really badass mineral oils. But like I said, they are really new purchases so I have yet to try them out properly. But what I can tell you is free from any mineral oils is the MOA Green Balm . Only oils on the ingredient list makes it the most multifuntional balm I own.I can use it as a hand cream,face cream and lip balm. 

Then we have the Order of the Tube, starring Dr Organic Rose Otto Serum, which is ideal for the cold days where you want to make sure your lips don't get the full frost.It's a thick-ish balm that you really feel is doing something for your lips. Keeping is rosey, next on the list is Balance Me Rose Otto  Intensive Lip Salve. What I like most about this are the ingredients and the smell that really makes me feel there's no BS about it. No fake scents, it just lets the balm do all the talking. Now, I'm someone who tends to get anything off my lips in no time. Same goes for this and it's a pity because I have a feeling, would it have be able to reside more on there, it would have accomplished even more.

Last but not least we have Sportsgirl Smooth Operator Paw Paw Balm. In case you are like me and have no clue what Paw Paw is..... it's Papaya. Yep, it isn't the magical paw of an indigenous magical bunny like we all assumed.

This thing is awesome! Even thicker than the Dr Organic serum and even more long lasting. I can usually judge how desperate my lips are by the time it takes them to soak up this balm. Recently, it's been gone in no time.

What are some of your favorite lip case products? 

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Favorite Products of 2012

Can you believe it's been another year already? While you're living it it feels long, of course, but when it comes to looking back it feels like it was just yesterday that I was on a train in Germany at -11C hoping to finally get home to that warm shower. I still get chills thinking of those temperatures, which just goes to prove how not so long ago it seems to have been.

Nevertheless, I will show you some things that have really impressed me this past year.    

                      
Vichy Eye Make-Up Remover is a recent discovery and you can read all my raving about it by clicking in the link.
Face Oils: both apricot and argan have been really good friends of mine this year.Starting to use face oils has really helped out my dry skin and if you want, you can read all about the amazing apricot oil HERE.
Rose Water: what a great thing this is! I use it as a toner and you'd be surprised how hydrating it is. I've also written all about it In This Post.
I love...Raspberry & Blackberry Hand Cream: so far, this is the only hand cream that I could feel, works.Normally you'd apply and reapply and still have dry hands, but with this you apply a couple of days and you're set for the week. And this is coming from a person working in an office with the most horrendously dry air.
L'occitane Almond Shower Oil: you would expect me to use oil in the shower also, wouldn't you? Well this one is the one! Smells incredible and is very friendly to my skin.

Make-up wise I also have, of course, a couple of great discoveries.

Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara: ever since I got it in June, I cannot stop raving about it. I also did a review when I first got it that you can find HERE
Rosebut Lip Salve and Dr Organic Rose Otto Lip Serum: are clear proof that I have a thing for roses. These two were included in my post about My Favorite Lip Balms and you will understand why after reading that. For the record, I've been using Rosebud since 2011 and still find it amazing.
Benecos Baked Blush: was the biggest surprise! I had gotten it and a beauty bloggers event but didn't want to use it because the color seemed too dark for me. Very mistaken I was! It is the perfect color with the perfect shimmer, because I do like my shimmers a lot.
Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer: still my favorite concealer. The texture is ideal for me, and so it the "match perfection" that it does. I've reviewed it Right Here back in the day.
Catrice Gel Eyeliner: has been a huge surprise, because I didn't expect such a great product for so little money. I wanted to try a gel liner and this was the only one I could find. Safe to say, we have never been apart since. The full post about it is HERE.
MeMeMe Beat The Blues Highlighter: I wanted Benefit's SunBeam for the longest time and when I finally went to get it, I discovered it was much too orange for me. And then I discovered this one. Match made in heaven! You can see the swatches and the full review in The Post I Wrote About It.
MUA Lipsticks: biggest surprise of the year! Who knew they had such nice lipsticks! It's about lipsticks in general, but if you want to see my favorite, then you can check out my post from earlier this week about the MUA LipBoom in Ok.com.


And last but not least, nail polishes

China Glaze: this was the year of me finally getting my hands on China Glaze polishes and I am extremely happy about that, because they turned out to be my favorite brand. The formula is unbeatable and so is the brush. The one you see here is Surfin' For Boys and it was the neon I had been looking for a long time! If you click on the link you will also see the swatches and you might agree that it's a gorgeous thing. As a matter of fact, I just wore it two days ago.
Barry M Aqua Glitter: I have a glitter obsession but this is beyond anything. First of all, it's a gorgeous polish that has incredible coverage for being just glitter AND it is so easy to remove! I sometimes don't feel like using glitter because I know what it means to remove it, but this one goes off like any other polish.
HERE is what it looks like on my nails.
Essie Bobbing For Baubles: the most craved color of the year. When I first saw it I had to have it, and it took a while before finding, ordering and finally getting it, but oh was it worth it! It's a color that works with anything. It's cool, it's classic, it's anything you like. On top of that, I think it is the most unique color I have seen. Try to give it a name, I dare you.
HERE it is, in all of its shiny glory.


So those were my favorites, what about you, what have some of your favorites been? Feel free to link me in your comment if you have a similar post up!





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Favorite Lip Balms This Winter

Winter means cold and cold means not so happy lips, so here's my top picks on how to help your sensitive skin areas face the cold.

Let's start with the eldest, in other words, the one I've been using for the longest time.
The Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm.

I had heard a lot of great things about this one but the issue was I didn't know where to get it exactly so when I saw it in the store I grabbed it right away.
I was incredibly impressed with it!
I think, to this day it's the lip balm that stays longest on my lips and has made a great difference last winter. I've really abused it and there still is plenty left, which is a serious plus. You use and use and still have a lot left.
Now on the other hand, if you're not into Petrolatum you won't want to use this,because that's one of 4 ingredients on offer.

All in all this one smells so delicious and gives your lips a whole new softness if you apply it at night and let it work until the morning.And even in daylight, it's equally great for your lips.

The Smooth Operator Paw Paw Balm I was lucky enough to get in a swap with Rebecca. It seems to be a very well known product Down Under and it really is impressive.
Paw Paw, also known as Papaya, is the main ingredient in here and compared to the Rosebud Balm it is much less thick...obviously ( it comes in a tube after all).
It doesn't stay on your lips as long as the Rosebud balm, but it does a ton of good! You can literally feel your lips liking what you put on them.
All in all , even if it's on the lighter side, consistency wise, it's still a great thing to have in your bag in winter.

I think I got the Dr Organic Rose Otto Lip Serum about a month ago, which was right before cold hit and I'm glad I did that!
The great thing about is that this balm has protecting and anti aging qualities to it, so it's perfect for winter, not to mention it's my kind of lip product, with ingredients you can count on one hand!

All in all, I find this to be the ideal balm for winter. It's full of great ingredients that really work. And you truly just need a drop to apply on your lips and still have some left.

Last but not least, my youngest addition to the collection:

The Apidermaliv Lip Balm which has my favorite things in it: honey, olive oil and royal jelly. And that's about it. There really is no preservative to it.
What impressed me about it was the fact that I had broken, cracked, beyond dry lips when I got this one at a beauty bloggers meeting to try. I took a quick look at the ingredients, liked what I saw and tried it.
By the next day, my half dead lips were almost as good as new! And that is a great accomplishment.

All in all this is one of my favorites, the problem is, after opening it, the beneficial properties of the royal jelly only last about a week, which I have noticed on my lips. The oilve oil and honey still stay great, but you can mix that in a bowl at home too and put it on your lips.
But what this balm has managed in terms of repairing my lips, no other has managed in such a short time.

What about you, do you have any lip favorites?




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November Favorites

Last month, I gracefully botched it, this month I believe I am reasonably on time. I mean, this is progress.
As you know, my skin is quite low maintenance so you are very likely to not see many  face products in my favorites.
But this month, it has been all about lips.
It's cold, they need love. So I gave them balms. All sorts of balms. And I also discovered a new one that has become an absolute favorite.
If you can turn cracked, fringy lips into normal ones within 24 hours, you're my best bud!
                           

So in November, MUA reached 35k on Facebook and had a week with discount and free shipping. I had heard way too much for way too long about MUA so I decided if I was ever going to give it a try, I should do it now.
I will tell you, when the package arrived, it was the biggest shock. I am a very fussy lipstick picker and these were just amazing!
I've just become a follower of the matte. 
Even if I had tried other matte lipsticks before, they never really worked and the color palette I's accept to try was pretty small. 
Well no surprise was bigger than the MUA lipsticks. Every color (two of which I just got because they were super cheap and I said I might as well, but didn't expect to use ) looked perfect on me!
Also impressing, the Heaven and Earth palette . You would't think you'd get that for such a small price.

 My polish of choice has been the Mi Ny in Forever Young.Flattering for long and short nails alike, you can see some swatches Here.
What I also discovered is the Benecos Natural Baked Blush. I got this one at a beauty bloggers meeting couple weeks ago and the color looked a bit too dark for me, but I was wrong. It's the perfect blush, that stays on you all day.
My issue is, I didn't know the brand, and I still have no clue where to buy more of their things. I shall investigare.

 You know how much I like the Eyeko Fat Brush, right? If you don't, I must invite you to read all about it Here, because it is a thing of beauty.

And here we are in the lip section.The Dr Organic Rose Otto Lip Serum is a lovely thing, that smells great, does a great job, has great ingredients and has never harmed any bunnies.A win-win-win-win situation if you ask me.
And now to my favorite: the Apidermaliv balm that has a grand total of four ingredients! Right up my alley! And it has transformed my lips from disaster to greatness in 24 hours. I'm sticking to this guy!


Products:

MUA Heaven and Earth palette 
MUA Lipstick Shade 15 
MUA Lip Boom Ok.com
Mi Ny Nail Polish in Forever Young
Benecos Natural Baked Blush
Apidermaliv Lip Balm
Dr Organic Rose Otto Lip Serum
Eyeko Fat Brush Mascara  


What have your favorites been?




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