L'oreal Glam Shine Lipgloss

In this post, I just feel like talking about my first ever lipgloss, L'oreal Glam Shine (old version).

This lipgloss was recommended to me after I complained to my beautician about the Lipice Lip Colour being so extremely drying.

L'oreal Glam Shine Lipgloss in 116, Rose Shimmer

Available: $13.90 (iirc), I don't see it around already (old version).

Volume: 12ml

Star Properties: Supposed to shine? None that I know off...

L'oreal Glam Shine, in 116, Rose Shimmer

Packaging
I like it! I like the size, I like the way it looks like a female's body with nice curves, I like the gloss metal finish of the cover, and the standard transparent bottle.

The Applicator
The applicator is a feather pointed tip brush, which is the pattern that I like best so far, as compared to tube applicators, or straight brush applicators (like SilkyGirl). This is because the pointed tip allows me to apply the lipgloss precisely within my lips, and therefore remove the need of cleaning off extras.

The Applicator.

The Look
Though Rose Shimmer is a very sheer colour, it turns out satisfyingly rich on my lips, and does change the colour of my lips, rather than merely giving it a gloss.

Unfortunately, the gloss is too glossy, and a friend of mine commented that it makes my lips look so oily.

I like the rich colour. =) Sorry about the lack of good lighting.

Texture
It is very sticky, and always sticks my hair.

Staying Power
Very poor. Glam Shine falls off withing an hour or so. And will definitely come off after eating.

Drying
It is also very drying, and I have to apply quite a thick layer of good lip balm underneath to keep my lips from chapping.

Price
On the high side, considering Majorlica Majorca's gloss tubes are only $7.50, and SilkyGirl's gloss with flat brush applicator, and non-drying is also very cheap. Not really worth it, cos Glam Shine is drying.

Overall, I really don't understand why my beautician says this is not drying.

I love it: 1 heart.

Will not buy the old version of Glam Shine again, as I only like the rich colour. It is too drying for my own good.

Laneige Snow Crystal Shimmer Lipgloss

WOW! That's only thing I can say when I tried out the sample from Laneige.

I got a whole lot of samples when I bought 2 bottles of Laneige Professional Makeup Remover Refreshing Cleansing Oil from Korea. They are so generous with the samples, just like Kiehl's.

The loot.

I will probably review the others at a much later date. Still don't have to use them yet.

I decided to try the lipgloss, as my current L'oreal Glamshine (older version) is running out.

Laneige Snow Crystal Shimmer Lipgloss

Available: At all Laneige counters and imports from Korea S$32 (depending on exchange rate)

Volume: 3.8g

Star Properties: - Realize full voluminous lips by containing Multi-coating Pearl that has similar light reflection with snow crystal. The hole in flexible heart-shape tip contains lip gloss, makes it easier to apply with just one dab. Sheer, shimmering, and sparkling.

The little tube of sample I got. Good for around 3-4 uses.

First thing when I opened it, was that I really like the packaging! I like the lipstick shape tip.

Then I applied it on my lips, and the look is as shown below:

With Laneige Snow Crystal Shimmer Lipgloss on.

I like the way it doesn't dries my lips one bit at all, even though I put it on without lip balm. In fact, after I removed it, my lips felt exceptionally soft and smooth, as if the lipgloss did a therapy for me.

The colour is quite light, I don't think it is the same as what I see when I squeezed it out of the tube. But I am fine with it, as I prefer gentler shades.

I looked closely at the mirror, and see that it contains very, very tiny particles of glitter. Indeed shimmery, but does not looks oily.

It does not feels oily as well. Although it is slightly sticky. However, I think that all those lip stuff that stay on for long are definitely slightly sticky. As with Laneige, this stays on for as long as I did not wash it off. It didn't drop when I ate my dinner, and my hair doesn't sticks on it. Love, love, love.

I feel this is worth the investment if you are wearing lipgloss everyday. For me, I seldom wear makeup now, so I am not planning to buy the full tube.

I have read a lot of people naming Laneige lipgloss as their favourites too. So I think, this is really, really worth a place on your wishlist! =)))

I love it: 5 hearts.

Mentholatum Lip Pure Lip Balm

I bought this because the Watsons that I was at does not carry Yes to Carrots or Eco Lips. And I was really attracted by what is written on the packing and the white, white tube. White is my favourite colour. =) I am also quite curious about Mentholatum, an emerging drugstore brand, whose other new product is the Men's facial care line. I think the cooling charcoal cleansing wash in the diesel-like pump bottle is quite cool.

This is something that I did not see on Viva Woman's, so I guess I will review it.

Mentholatum Lip Pure Lip Balm

The front of the package. It says Natural Beeswax, 100% Food Grade, Natural Plant Ingredients, and Fragrance Free.

Available: Watsons $7.90

Volume: -

Star Properties: 100% food grade, natural plant ingredients. Good for sensitive lips.

I think this is the most caring lip balm ever, as it does not stays on my lips for beyond 3-4 hours. But rather, it dissolves right into my lips, like applying moisturizer on my hands. And this is proven by my really, soft, and totally unchapped lips left after the 3-4 hours. And the best part is that my lips remain nice after that. It really heals, unlike petrolatum from my Make Up Store Aroma Balm, which did heal, but 1-2 days later, the wounds are back again.

However, this being so, I am not too sure if it will do good if you want to apply lipstick over. I have not tested it with lipsticks yet.

It is indeed very pure, like it claims, and like the image that the creamy white tube impresses you with. Totally no smell. LOL, I was actually trying to test for smell because I quite like fragrant skin care stuff. Then I found myself so silly to do that, since it already claims that it is fragrance free. And no taste too.

The back of the packaging. It says No Preservative or Colourant. And that is the ingredients list which looks very tiny. Only the last one says Butyl Hydroquinone, one of the last one is Tocopherol. The rest of either oils or waxes.

Absolutely non-sticky and non-oily. I really love it so much, since I am adverse to sticky and oily skin care stuff. I can't stand even the thinnest film of oil.

Just a caution, as it says no preservative, and food grade ingredient, so I think you may want to keep using it after you start on it, as I am quite afraid it will expire if you take too long to finish it. I don't know.

All I can say is, this lip balm is exactly what it claims to be! And if after reading the packing, you like it, you will definitely like it and not regret the buy. I like the way it resembles a lipstick so well too!

The resemblance to a lipstick, and the creamy white tube that I love.

I think this ought to go onto the Hall of Fame for lip balms in my previous post. =)))

Lip Balm Ranking

I actually did a shortlist and rough ranking for lip balms the other day, as I figured that I really do need a working lip balm to base those drying lip glosses and lipstick on. I have been abstaining from lipsticks, and tolerating lip glosses for so long due to the lack of good lip balm, and laziness to find one.

I really love Viva Woman for being such a sweet lip balm fanatic, because she has all the reviews I need. So here is the shortlist that I made from her reviews, ranked from best to good (I have eliminated all those that Viva Woman failed), are:



1. My Lip Stuff lip balm
They won it because of the all natural ingredients (with no SPF), and extremely cheap price of only US$2.17 if you buy it in a pack of 6. However, you have to pay for the shipping, which I think is compensated by the fact that they have over 400 yummy and exotic flavours for you to try. I really like the variety. Read Viva Woman's review here.

2. Yes To Carrots See Me Smile Lip Butter
One of the cheapest, at just $5.90 from Watsons, this is real, real steal for something organic. Read Viva Woman's review here. I rank this second because of the price.

3. Eco Lips Organic Lip Balm with SPF 15
This one has 87% organic ingredients, and with SPF (which accounts for the lower percentage of organic ingredients) , it is a good pick at $8.90 from Watsons. This should be ranked No. 1, if you are into organic skin care, and looking for SPF. I rank this third because of the slightly higher price, since I am not looking for SPF. Read Viva Woman's review here.

4. Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm
Not as many flavours, but this is the reigning champion across the world. It is 99.6% natural according to Viva Woman. And the big plus is that Burt's Bees has arrived on the shores of Singapore, together with Sephora@Ion Orchard. At $10 from Sephora, and only S$6 (+$0.50 shipping fee to SG) from whoopeekiddies.com, you are getting something really proven to be value for money. Read Viva Woman's review here.

5. Smith's Rosebud Salve - Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm
At $14, it is a tad expensive. Moreover, it contains petrolatum, though a strong emollient, it is said to be toxic to our bodies in the long run. Furthermore, lip balms are normally swallowed. However, this is one of the oldest lip balm around, highly raved about, and with the vintage packaging, I really feel like owning it too. Read Viva Woman's review here.

6. Nivea Essential
One of cheapest that can be found in Watsons, at $4.10 per tube, it is worth a buy if you are extremely tight on budget. Nivea lip balm has garnered enough raves from forum reviewers to give it a place on this list of mine. However, after looking at the list of ingredients, I really find it too unnatural that I didn't want to try it.

To be really practical, I will go for Yes To Carrots, and save Burt's Bees and Smith's Rosebud Salve for the the wishlist.

There, I have compiled all the 5 hearts reviews by Viva Woman, added in Nivea on my own and did my own wishlist. =))) When my current runs out, it has got be YES to Carrots.

Credits to the respective websites for the pictures too. You may click on the item name to go to the website.

Finding the Perfect Lip Balm

It was 4 years ago, when I had a friend do makeup on me for my prom night (it was my first time having powder on my face), that I learned the use of lip balm. I am aware that my mother has a banana lip balm in her makeup pouch since I explored her makeup when I was in primary school. But I never knew what it was for. I just thought that the idea of turning something up and down, and applying something fragrant on your lips was pretty fun.

Subsequently, about 10 months later from my virgin makeup, I went out to buy my own set of powders. Then I started searching for a good lip balm.

If your lips are cracked, and you put lipstick directly on it, the lipstick will the wound worse. Lipsticks/lip gloss also dries out your lips. So without the protective layer of balm, your lips are weak and vulnerable. Conversely, using a balm is like applying layer of oil over to seal the moisture in, lock the poison out, and a good one may also heal your chapped lips.

Also, the skin on our lips are 10 times thinner than that of our faces, so if you're already using sunscreen, umbrella, or jackets to shield away the harmful UV rays, all the more your lips need sunscreen too. So look out for the presence of SPF in your lip products.

So here goes my little search:

My 3 miserable lip stuff: Aroma Balm by Make Up Store, Lip Tone SPF 15 by Blistex, and Lipice Colour by Mentholatum

Before I do a review of each, I shall declare that I developed a lot of disappointment after buying the above 3, and I gave up the search after wasting all the products and money. I feel that more than $5 for a stick like that is just not worth it, considering that I somehow just don't feel the undying sense of love towards any of them.

Except for the Aroma Balm, which is good enough, as I've reviewed in my previous post, the other 2 totally cannot make it.

Lipice Colour by Mentholatum
Firstly, Mentholatum is quite a good brand from Japan. One of its latest line of products is the Acnes range, which is currently the No. 1 selling skin care for acne prone skin in Japan. (There are TV advertisements for this.) So I have my expectations for this item.

Secondly, Lipice Colour was highly advertised for on TV at the point in time when I bought it. It is touted to give the ice shine effect, be a good lip balm, and of course, give the colour that lipsticks offer. So I decided to test it.

Thirdly, it comes in a really handy packaging. As you can see, the very slim stick is very easy to keep, and very easy to slide open for use. So I was drawn to it.

Forthly, it is one of the lower range priced with upper range promises lip balms that was on display in Watsons at that time.

However, despite the above reasons that I chose it, I would really say, I made a mistake. Aside from giving your lips the lipstick colour, Lipice does nothing else for your lips. All the promises are fake.

So the lesson learned here, is never to believe highly advertised for products. At least, don't be too convinced by ads. Always have your doubts, and do your research online.

Lip Tone SPF 15 by Blistex
So after learning a lesson from Lipice, I did my research this time. The conclusion was to either get Burt's Bees's lip balm or Blistex.

I had really wanted to buy Burt's Bees, but it isn't available in Singapore. And to ship something which costs less than $10 and paying the shipping fees in just not acceptable in my shopping principles. So I settled for Blistex.

I was very, very happy to find Blistex in Watsons. And there are a few choices by this brand on sale too. I don't like to by originals, as they offer no other benefits. Comparatively, Lip Tone gives a tinge of red, so I can skip my lip gloss or lipstick. It says SPF 15 too.

However, this, again, was a disappoint. It is not smooth to apply. It dries my lips when it is not supposed to. And the tube that I got happens to be stucked, so that now, I can only roll the stick up, but not back down. Really, do not buy Lip Tone. Maybe the original Blistex would be better.

So, should I say again that, like makeup removers, in terms of lip balm, there is also no such thing as value for money, no such thing as cheap and good? Because the most expensive of the lot - Aroma Balm, indeed is working, but not the other 2 cheaper ones.

Okay, but fret not. I've read that Sephora is opening its 2nd of 4 intended flagship stores in Ion Orchard very soon. And that Sephora would carry Burt's Bees's products.

Moreover, I also have another choice offered by Viva Woman - the Eco Lips lip balm, which can be found at Watsons@Ngee Ann City.

Hope I find the right one soon.

The Healing Lip Balm

I was facing an episode of drying and chappy lips the last few days for no reason. I have been drinking my normal amount of water, and I hardly apply anything on my lips. And then, I remembered my dependable lip balm - Aroma Balm by Make Up Store.

Closeup of Aroma Balm (18g) by Make Up Store

As a matter of fact, I regret almost of all my purchases from Make Up Store. I believe there are good things, but it is the truth that the things I bought does not suit me at all. They made my face breakout in zits. And I had to discard entire jars/bottles of nearly untouched product left. It was a waste of money and products, considering the price.

However, one of the items that I love is actually this - the Aroma Balm. As the name suggests, it has a nice fragrance. And it can be used on any dry parts of your body, but keep it to a small area, as it comes in solid state, so it's not so convenient to keep digging lots of it to spread over your whole hand.

I found out that it heals dry skin very well. Be it the lips, elbows, knees are ankle. And for my latest episode of chapped lips, applying it on for one whole day, made my lips so soft like never before.

The 18g little jar it comes in make this perfect to slip into the handbag for travel. Yet this little amount can last very long. Used only occassionally, this has already followed me for 3 years. =)

About 2 years ago, I brought it on my Taiwan trip as the weather was cold and essentially winter over there (no snow). My friends who borrowed this Aroma Balm gave it the thumbs up too.

However, I hate to keep applying things on my body, so I just leave this aside when my skin doesn't gives me problems.

TIP: To remove dead skin from your lips, apply a very thick layer of lip balm to both your upper and lower lips. Leave on for about 20 minutes. Then use a soft used brush to brush off the balm while rinsing it off your lips. This will remove the dead skin without you tearing or biting your lips, and also leave your puckers soft and smooth.

After singing praises about it, I think it's fair that I list the cons of this item. Especially after I spent the last few days reading up on mineral oils, I find that I'll feel guilty if I recommend this balm to someone and the someone suffers from anything.

Mineral oils are derivatives of petroleum oil, more like a refinement of the by-product in the oil manufacturing and refinery industry. So saying, it sounds really poisonous to be using something from petroleum in skin care and cosmetics. Yet if you do a quick search on the internet, it is obvious that this world is divided over the effects of mineral oils on the body. There are some, who prefer the notion - prevention is better than cure, and go dead against mineral oils. But of course those who debunk myths and maintain that well-processed mineral oils possess minimal, if any harm, to the human body. (You can read basic information here: A Close Look At Health & Beauty Aids.)

In my opinion, I think that a little, non-prolonged usage of it will not do significant damage to the body. So saying, using the Aroma Balm, which contains petrolatum (a mineral oil), to heal dry skin only when it develops, should not be a problem for anyone. It's like taking panadol - take only when you are sick. But after you recover, let your body rest and rejuvenate on its own.

Aroma Balm's ingredients: Jojoba seed oil, Petrolatum, Cera alba, Lanolin oil, Sunflower oil, Shea butter, Hazelnut oil, Carnauba wax, Tocopheryl acetate, Ozokerite propylparaben, Eugenol, Linalool, D-limonene, Benzyl Salicyclate, BHT.