My Lip Balm Collection

My lip balm obsession runs as deep as my foundation collection - if not deeper. I'm not too sure why as when it comes to my lips, there's nothing wrong with them. I don't get dry lips and I definitely don't get chapped lips. They're not perfect though and obviously lip balms help with lipstick application so I love using them.

I'm also ashamed to say that this is not my full lip balm collection; this is just my university one and at home, I have quite a few more. 

I absolutely love lip scrubs and I've incorporated them into my daily routine. For me, they're just like a moisturiser.

Lush Lip Scrub in Bubblegum - £4.95

This one tastes as Snow Fairy would taste if it was food. It's absolutely beautiful and it smells just like Snow Fairy too. It works really well at scrubbing away dead skin and as you can see from the pot, it's definitely well used.

Lush Lip Scrub in Pow Wow - Limited Edition

I'll never forget when I first bought this and opened it. I was disgusted at the colour and I almost didn't dare use it but it's so good. It's a lot more abrasive than the Bubblegum scrub and you have to be careful when using it as your lips will turn green. But it's fabulous! The taste is popping candy and as you lick the scrub away from your lips the popping candy pops in your mouth.

I really love Nivea lip balms. The packaging of them is great and they're wonderful for throwing into your handbag throughout the day. The Nivea Pure & Natural in Milk & Honey - £1.99 tastes lovely. It's really milky and very moisturising. The Nivea Essential Care - £1.65 is of the same moisture level of the Milk & Honey but I'd say it penetrates deeper and has a better lasting effect. And finally, the Nivea Hydro Care - £2.03 is the most hydrating of the 3 and it is less sticky.

I must admit that Blistex is my favourite lip balm brand. You also must check out their new website - I had too much fun playing with the new features haha. 
Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner* - £2.59
This is a great lip balm. It adds moisture and it tastes and smells nice - like mint. I don't think it deeply moisturises the lips though. It's more of a nice top up throughout the day.

Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast* 
A great hydrating lip balm that tastes and smells incredible! This always reminds me of last years holiday as I took it away with me.

Blistex MedPlus Cherry Berry* - £2.34
This tastes incredible! It's not like the fake cherry berry scent/taste that is in most lip balms either. It's also very good for the lips and is exceptionally moisturising but not in a way that comes off too waxy on the lips or too thick. I love it!

Blistex Lip Massage* - £1.83
This is amazing. It has a special top that dispenses the lip product and it gently buffs away any dead skin and leaves you with beautiful, soft lips. This is great for in the morning.

Blistex Soothing Splash Liquid Lip Moisturiser* - £2.59
I have been loving this lip balm recently and it's the one that has been coming everywhere with me. It applies via a rollerball which is wonderful for soothing the lips. The balm is quite thin but it's pretty glossy and it's great for adding fullness to this lips. Like I said, it soothes the lips and surprisingly it's very moisturising as well. I love it! My new favourite.

Blistex Lip Brilliance* - £2.49
A really nice lip balm that is similar in consistency and hydration as the Nivea ones. It also adds a lovely hint of pink colour on the lips.

 I love SoftLips! The packaging is so cute and girly and I love how inexpensive they are. The SoftLips French Vanilla* - £1.49 tastes incredible. It sort of tingles on the lips which I love. The SoftLips Vitamin Enriched* - £1.49 is the exact same as the French Vanilla one but it doesn't have any flavour.

'I kissed a girl and I liked it..' Chapsticks were probably my first 'make up item' that I owned. But they're actually very good lip balms. My sister loves the original one but I prefer ones with flavours. They're not the most moisturising but they're a great base for lipstick.

Strawberry Chapstick - £1.05

Cherry Chapstick - £1.05

Boots Essentials Lipsalve in Spearmint - £1.01
My sister bought this at the airport as she had forgotten her lip balm but as soon as she found out the flavour she gave it to me (she doesn't like flavoured lip balms). I like this one. It's not that moisturising but it really smooths the lips and it tastes nice.

Vitamin Water Dragonfruit Flavoured - £9.49
I don't really like this. I can't remember why I had it. It's hydrating but I hate the flavour - dragonfruit, urgh.

Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm - £2.69
I don't like Carmex at all. I don't know why I still have this really. It just tastes disgusting.

Liz Earle Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer* - £5.00
This is really cute! It's great for adding on top of matte lipsticks to hydrate them throughout the day and add a nice sheen to the lips.

Vaseline Sun Protection SPF 15 - £2.25
I use this constantly in the summer. It's just like the original Vaseline but it has SPF 15 in it.

Vaseline Rose and Almond Oil - £2.25
I'd say this is the most hydrating out of all of the Vaseline's and I really love the colour pay off.

Rhodes to Heaven All in One Lip Plumper* - £13.95
This is perfect - the best primer for lips. It plumps the lips up whilst hydrating them and really caring for them. It's just incredible and it's definitely worth the big price tag.

I Love.. Strawberries & Milkshake Glossy Lip Balm - £0.99
This tastes and smells incredible. It's not very travel friendly but it sits lovely on my bed side table. It's also very hydrating.

The Body Shop Born Lippy in Watermelon - £2.00
Tastes lovely and is great for summer. Not the most hydrating of lip balms but does a great job at softening the lips.

I bought a giftset from Boots at Christmas for £10.00 and inside it was a lot of cute lip balms. My favourite are the Boots Bright as a Button Mint Lip Balm and the Boots Bright as a Button Cherry Lip Balm. These ones taste lovely and the mint one also adds a bit of shimmer to the lips.

If you do have very chapped lips then there's only one lip balm that I'd recommend and that's the Blistex Relief Cream. Unfortunately, it's not featured in this post as my sister has stolen it from me as it's her favourite and she does actually have chapped lips. She really loves it and it's improved the condition of her lips so much. I even recommended it to a customer at Boots once.

xxx

*PR Sample

BRITNEY SERIES: Toxic Make Up

Recently I've been attempting to recreate some of my favourite Britney make up looks. They might not be perfect but I've been having lots of fun doing so! I've renamed all of these posts 'Britney Series' and I'm thinking of continuing this on. So next up we have Britney's Toxic make up. When I see this look recreated, I'll normally see the air stewardess make up but I'm a bigger fan of the black haired vixen Britney!

So, this make up look is very smoky, very dark and very glossy! To recreate this, I used 17's Falsifeye eye liner as a base and drew out the shape that I wanted to create using an eyeliner brush. This also helps the colour last and it helps it be more intensified. I then pressed Urban Decay's Creep on top of this to make sure it didn't look too 'done' as this look is pretty messy and also to add a bit of shimmer. After this, I blended Urban Decay's Gunmental above the black liner/shadow to make it more smoky and once again, make it look a bit messier. To finish this look off I applied some false lashes from KISS in 02 and pressed Vaseline over the top to make it more glossy.

L-R 17's Falsifeye eye liner, Urban Decay's Creep, Urban Decay's Gunmetal.

I really like this look. It's very intense but it definitely isn't something that I'd wear on a night out. I think it's a bit too 'out there' for me but it's a look that's fun to recreate as you can afford to be messy with it.

You can view the rest of this series here. And if you have any Britney make up requests please let me know and I'll see what I can do for you!

xxx

My Must-Have Summer Products!

With the sun shining beautifully down on England today I thought that today is the perfect day to show you my summer must-have products! If you click on the product names then you can see some past posts where I've mentioned these products. Some of them are full reviews and even have swatches!

 Back Row L-R 

Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist* This mist is perfect for taking in my handbag on long days out. It really refreshes the skin and also balances it out. In summer, I tend to get very oily skin and this keeps it shine free throughout the day.

Wilko Suncare Facial Sun Cream SPF 15* My skin is very fair and I burn exceptionally easily. I've been loving this sun cream for the face so far as it isn't greasy and sinks instantly into the skin. I apply it after my moisturiser and before make up and it keeps me protected throughout the day.

Liz Earle Sheer Skin Tint SPF 15* In summer, I never want a full face of make up so when my skin is looking half decent, I turn to this skin tint. It provides sheer/medium coverage that can be built up and it doesn't cake the skin. It's really lovely and even lasts throughout the day.

Britney Spears Fantasy Perfume A beautiful, girly perfume that lasts throughout the day and makes me smell really sweet! I love this for summer.

ProActiv Daily Oil Control* Like I previously said, my skin is very oily in summer so I use this daily oil control cream with my foundation and it ensures that my skin doesn't look greasy. I also don't like powdering in summer so this and the balancing mist work great together to keep shine at bay.

Wilko Suncare Scalp Protector SPF 15* My hair is very delicate and in the summer, it falls out and breaks even more. I've started using this scalp protector to make sure my scalp and hair doesn't burn and so far, it's doing a lovely job!

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Me! Me! Me! A really bright in-your-face pink that is perfect for summer. When I'm wearing this, I just feel happy and ready for summer!

Front Row L-R

Boots Extracts Brazil Nut Body Butter This body butter smells beautiful and it lingers on the skin throughout the day aswell. It smells just like summer and reminds me of sun tan lotion. It's also wonderful for keeping skin soft and supple which is a must have for when you have your legs out in summer!

JML Ped Egg* In summer, I always wear sandals so I use the Ped Egg daily to make sure that my feet are in tip-top condition. It buffs away dead skin and reveals smooth skin without causing any pain. It also collects all the dead skin inside the egg so it doesn't get everywhere.

Vaseline Sun Protection SPF15 Of course, the lips need protecting in the summer and this one is lovely. It's just like the other Vaseline's and it keeps the lips feeling soft.

He-Shi Fusion Multi Bronze* I don't tan very easily so I use this bronzer on my cheekbones to give me a lovely, healthy glow. It's a really pretty colour that adds a little bit of shimmer and doesn't have a hint of orange inside it.

Lancome Juicy Tubes in Fraise This lipgloss is wonderful in summer. It's not too bright but it adds a nice shimmery colour to the lips that's an instant perk-me-up. It's also not sticky so you don't have to worry about getting your hair in your lipgloss.

Nivea Glamorous Gloss in Natural This lipgloss is wonderful for moisturising the lips and keeping them glossy. I also have a few matte lipsticks that for in winter are lovely but in summer, I want a bit of gloss so I use this as it's a clear colour.

And finally of course, you want your nails to look beautiful and tidy in the summer so I use the Dirty Works Cuticle Trimmer* to get rid of any nasty, unwanted cuticles. I was a bit worried about using this at first in case it hurts but it's completely pain free. I then use the Dirty Works Fingernail Clipper* to cut my nails down so they're not too long. I don't like long nails as I find it hard to type and text. I also use the Dirty Works 4 Sided Buffer Block* to file and shine my nails. It ensures that nail polish applies lovely and it makes sure that it doesn't go on streaky. It's also great for when you don't want to wear any nail polish as it buffs away any ridges. 

What are your must-have summer products? Have you tried any of the above?

xxx

*PR Sample but this doesn't affect my review at all!

I Love Lip Balms!

My current obsession? Lip balms. Or lip butters, or whatever you want to call them! Basically, something that keeps my lips soft and smooth and hydrated all year round. I do aim on collecting the whole of the lip balm shelf in Boots by the end of 2011 lol!

This is where I store my lip balms. These drawers come in a set of 4 and were from Wilkinsons I do believe and were around the £5 mark.

First up are my Vaselines. I think I have every tinned Vaseline type (if I don't, please do let me know).

On the top row from left to right is Aloe Vera, Original, Rosy Lips and then on the bottom row left to right is SPF 15 and Cocoa Butter. When I heard Cocoa Butter was being released, I ran to Boots and got it the day it came out - shocking I know! My least favourite is Aloe Vera just because I'm not a fan of the taste and my favourite is SPF 15 in Summer and then the Rosy Lips. But they're all wonderful :)

Top Row L-R Lip Butter Papaya, Lip Butter Sweet Lemon. Bottom Row L-R Lip Balm Cool Mint, Lip Balm Watermelon.

These are all from the Body Shop. I'm not a fan of the lip butters because I think they're a bit thick and then I don't think the lip balms are moisturising enough. But all they taste lovely!

Top Row L-R Vitamin Water in Dragonfruit, Liz Earle Superbalm. Bottom Row L-R Carmex Original, Chapstick Cherry and Strawberry.

I love the Vitamin Water one, it tastes lovely and is incredibly moisturising. Next time I'm Boots, I'm going to try and different flavour. The Liz Earle Superbalm isn't just for the lips and a full review of this will be appearing this weekend so keep an eye out! I love Carmex, I'm not a fan of the taste but it's the one that works the best on chapped lips. As for the Chapsticks, they smell and taste beautiful and are pretty moisturising. I normally wear these under my lipstick.

What are your favourite lip balms? Any recommendations?

xxx