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Sheer Lips for Spring (ft. Inika, Marin Bee, Mineral Fusion, Jane Iredale + Burt's Bees)

Opaque lip colors are great, but day to day, I'm much more of a tinted balm or gloss girl.  I've been fully embracing sheer color this spring with a few new-to-me lip products...


 Marin Bee Lip Repair*
The Marin Bee Lip Repair has the least color of today's bunch.  The box describes it as "high gloss hydration," and I think that's very fitting.  Made with castor seed oil, olive oil, honey, and shea and cocoa butters, the Lip Repair is a nourishing lip treatment with a subtle tint and glossy finish.  It feels great and does a fantastic job keeping my lips soft and moisturized.  I like using it as an overnight treatment too!

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm (Sweet Violet)
I'm super late to the game on these tinted balms, but I picked one up last month in support of Burt's Bees finally pulling out of China (and therefore regaining their cruelty-free status).  It's a basic lip balm -- protective and moisturizing, but nothing to write home about on that front -- but what I really like are the creamy, glossy colors.  There's no shimmer in these, just soft, buildable tints.  Sweet Violet is a beautiful plummy-pink that can be worn sheer or layered up for a surprising amount of color payoff.  

Inika Certified Organic Lip Tint (Candy)*
Inika's Lip Tint has quickly become one of my everyday go-to's.  Candy is a shimmery light pink and looks to be the most subtle color in the range.  It's shimmery, but not to the point of looking frosty, and basically just gives the lips a pretty, polished-looking sheen.  The tint is creamy and buttery and despite the shimmer in this particular shade, it doesn't feel at all gritty on the lips.   To create the Lip Tints, Inika took their popular lip balm formula and just added mineral pigments for color, so this is another one that can absolutely stand in for your favorite regular lip balm.   They've also got an energizing peppermint scent that I really like.  Easy to wear and ultra-nourishing, they're definitely a new favorite!

 Mineral Fusion Lipstick Butter (Honeysuckle)
Mineral Fusion's Sheer Moisture Lip Tints are one of my all-time favorite lip products, but the packaging -- specifically the lids, which have an annoying tendency to pop off -- means they mostly sit on my desk at home, so I was hoping the Lipstick Butters would be a similar, more purse friendly option.  Honeysuckle, a peachy-pink tint with some shimmer, is a pretty color, but alas, I can't get past how it smells.  To my nose, it has a fake honey, slightly sickly scent, and unfortunately it's one that lingers and is noticeable for at least a couple hours.  The lipstick butter itself seems great -- more pigmented than the Sheer Moisture Lip Tints but less so than Mineral Fusion's regular lipstick line -- but I almost always find myself wiping it off after just a few minutes because of the scent.

(L to R) Marin Bee Lip Repair, Inika Candy Lip Tint, Burt's Bees Sweet Violet Tinted Lip Balm, Jane Iredale Forever Pink Lip & Cheek Stain, Mineral Fusion Honeysuckle Lipstick Butter)
Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain (Forever Pink)
The Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain is one of those products that starts out a translucent pink in the tube (and on a first swipe), but transforms into a more noticeable color with the warmth of your skin.  Jane Iredale claims that the shade adjusts to your own chemistry and skin tone, which is always a little gimmicky, but it's true that the final color of the Lip & Cheek Stain varies a good bit on different people.  I've seen it look like a soft, neutral pink on some, but on my lips it's a noticeable pop of bright pink.  The arm swatch is much more indicative of how the color shows up on my cheeks -- it's much more vibrant on my lips.  As a cheek color, it gives a soft dewy flush, but it's pretty subtle, so while I think it's a fairly universal product for the lips, I'm not sure how well it would work as a cheek stain on darker skin tones.

If you watch out for synthetic dyes, be aware that the Lip & Cheek Stain does contain lake dyes, however, like all Jane Iredale products, they're naturally-derived and bonded to a calcium substrate instead of the traditional petroleum-derived variety.  

(L to R) Marin Bee Lip Repair, Inika Candy Lip Tint, Burt's Bees Sweet Violet Tinted Lip Balm, Jane Iredale Forever Pink Lip & Cheek Stain, Mineral Fusion Honeysuckle Lipstick Butter)
The Bottom Line
If you're in the market for sheer lip products, I hope one (or more) of these will spark your interest!  With the exception of the Mineral Fusion, which I suggest smelling in person before you commit, they're all pretty universal and suited to just about anyone.  For bolder -- though still sheer/buildable -- color, I'd suggest the Burt's Bees and Jane Iredale, and for ultra-dry or chapped lips, the Inika and Marin Bee would be your best bet.  

 What are your favorite tinted balms and sheer lip colors?

*Press sample
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Tough to Transition: Medicated Lip Balm

In the four years (!!) since I started this blog, I've gotten a lot of emails and questions about product recommendations, and more specifically, about natural replacements for certain types of products.  With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts encompassing some common questions I've received, as well as some of the products I personally found most difficult to transition to natural and nontoxic options.  Starting us off, let's talk about a product that doesn't get mentioned very much: medicated lip balm.

 What's so wrong with medicated lip balm?
In addition to the regular nasties found in conventional lip balm - things like petroleum, silicones, parabens, and synthetic fragrance - medicated lip balms contain ingredients like phenol, an antibacterial and analgesic ingredient linked to neurotoxicity and respiratory, kidney, and cardiovascular problems, docosanol, a topical drug that's been linked to headaches and has not yet been tested for safety with pregnant and breastfeeding women, and chemical sunscreens, linked to free radical damage, cancer, and endocrine and hormone imbalances.  And consider this - the labels on both ChapStick and Blistex Medicated Lip Balms include warnings to "Keep out of reach of children.  If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away."  Now, I'm sure they're referring to swallowing larger quantities than a couple swipes across your lips, but do you really want to be putting something with a poison control warning on your mouth??
I'll be totally honest: I've never used a conventional medicated lip balm.  But, from what I've seen, people opt for these choices over regular lip balm for one of three basic reasons: i) to treat cold sores, ii) for sun protection (SPF), or iii) because they like the tingle and/or numbing sensation from phenol, menthol, eucalyptus, camphor, and/or mint.  

 So, with that in mind, I've got replacement options to suit all three uses.  I've tried most of them personally, but a couple I've included just based on ingredients and positive hearsay.   

 I  also want to mention that I came across more than one article on the habit-forming nature of ingredients like phenol in lip balm, so if you're making the switch, keep in mind that it may take some time to break your lips of that dependency.

 Lip Balms for Cold Sores
There's a ton of anecdotal evidence about treating cold sores with the amino acid lysine.  Lysine won't cure the actual herpes virus behind the cold sore, but it's a popular holistic treatment for outbreaks and can both prevent the onset of a sore, if caught early enough, and speed up healing time of any sores that do erupt.  (Along with applying it topically, lysine is great to take internally for cold sores too.)  Other good ingredients to watch for when targeting cold sores are tamanu oil, melissa/lemon balm, and tea tree.  

 I don't recommend the popular Quantum lysine lip balms due to their chemical sunscreen content, but MyChelle makes a great alternative.  The Love Your Lips Lip Balms come in four flavors and are made with both lysine and lemon balm.  They don't have any listed SPF content, but they do contain titanium dioxide, so there's a good chance you're getting at least minimal sun protection.

 Badger's new Tea Tree & Lemon Balm Herbal Lip Care is another great choice and certified organic as well.  Along with tea tree and lemon balm, it also contains tamanu oil and peppermint oil and menthol crystals for a refreshing minty tingle.  The Herbal Lip Care is available in both Badger's classic lip balm and cocoa butter lip balm formulas.  

 Lastly, the Sierra Bees Organic Tamanu & Tea Tree Lip Balm is another good one, although bear in mind that this one does have a pretty strong tea tree oil taste.  It also doesn't seem to be sold on its own right now, just in the Sierra Bees Variety Pack.  

 Lip Balms with SPF
As I said before, chemical sunscreens are not ingredients I favor, so these two picks both offer mineral-based sun protection.  My top choice is the Hurraw! Sun Protection Balm with SPF 15, which smells great and is made with non-nano zinc oxide.  It goes on clear, without any whitecast, and is also made with red raspberry seed, sea buckthorn, and pomegranate seed oils, which have SPF and antioxidant properties of their own.

 Badger is the first company I think of when it comes to safe sunscreen and their Sunscreen Lip Balm Stick (SPF 15), made with non-nano uncoated zinc oxide, is another good option.  It's unscented and more longwearing than the Hurraw!, but it can leave a whitecast on your lips.  For that reason, this is a great one for layering under a colored lip product.

 Lip Balms with a Minty Tingle
The Hurraw! Mint Lip Balm is not for the faint of heart!  I finished my tube a while back, but I remember not wanting to venture outside in the winter with this on because of just how cold and minty it felt on my lips.

 For slightly less punch, but still a decent minty tingle, Portland Bee Balm's Oregon Mint Lip Balm is an excellent choice.  With only four ingredients, the peppermint is noticeably tingly, but not as strong as in the Hurraw!  

 On the more mild end of the spectrum, Epic Blend's Mint Hemp Lip Balm is fantastic.  It gives just the slightest tingle, but moisturizes like a dream and has a wonderful fresh peppermint/spearmint scent that reminds me of chewing gum. 

 Burt's Bees Soothing Lip Balm with Eucalyptus and Menthol also sounds promising, though I haven't used it myself to gauge how strong the cooling sensation actually is. 

 And that's a wrap!  Let me know if there are any particular kinds of products you'd like to see featured in upcoming posts for this series.   
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Burt's Bees Matte Lip Crayons in Carolina Coast & Hawaiian Smolder

I haven't kept up with Burt's Bees last few releases, but when I saw the brand was launching matte lip crayons, I knew I needed to get my hands on them.  I've yet to spot these in Canada, but I tracked them down early in August at a Walgreens in Niagara Falls, literally minutes from the border.

The crayons are available in six shades and I picked up the two pink ones.  There are also a couple reds,  a peachy one, and a pinky nude.


I like the twist up packaging - no sharpening required - and the embossed honeycombs on the lids are super cute.  The chubby crayons have no added scent or flavour, which depending on your preference, could be either a plus or a minus.  They're completely unscented and tasteless, without any of that natural oil taste/smell that you sometimes get, so even if you're someone who generally prefers flavored lips products, I don't think you'd be bothered by these.

The marketing for these crayons has put a lot of emphasis on their creaminess, and that's the one thing I'm not sure is entirely fitting.  The crayons aren't dry (or drying), but they aren't especially creamy either.  My favorite way to wear them is actually over top of a thin layer of lip balm.  It makes the colors go on a little less matte and you don't get quite as bold a color payoff, but its a worthwhile trade-off to me, since my lips feel that much better.

 How about the colors I picked?

 Carolina Coast is a cool-toned, mauvey pink.  It's like the color of my lips, only a little lighter and cooler.  A very wearable shade.

Hawaiian Smolder is a more vibrant, deep pink.  It goes on a little sheer, but you can still build it up for some serious color.  You can seen in the swatches that this one also has a tiny bit of a shine, compared to Carolina Coast.  Not glossy, but not 100% matte either.


The Bottom Line
I'm glad I managed to track these down.  Like with most Burt's Bees, the price point is good, and I'm happy with how the crayons perform.  I'm especially taken with Carolina Coast - it was probably my most worn lip color in August - and I'd even consider picking up another color or two, should they finally make their way to Canada.
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November Empties

Maybe it's pure nosiness, but I always love reading other peoples' empties or used it posts.  I've never done one before, but when I realized I was finishing up a bunch of things in a row, I decided I'd go for it this month. 

And, here's what I used up in November......


Young Living Lavender Bath & Shower Gel - I'm sensitive to some scents, and even completely natural ones by a lot of brands bother me.  This is a pretty standard body wash and Young Living's scents are never an issue for me.  They all smell great and this one is perfect if you like straight lavender scents. 

Young Living Lavender Volume Shampoo and Conditioner - These have been my go to shampoo and conditioner for several years.  Unfortunately, they were reformulated a few months ago and the new formula doesn't work for me at all.  I've since switched to Organic Excellence, which I'll be reviewing once I've tested it out a bit longer.

John Masters Organics Firming Eye Gel - This was a sample I got in my Hip Apotheca Discovery Kit.  As I mentioned in that post, I didn't notice much difference in the week the sample lasted, so it isn't something I plan on purchasing right now.

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - I didn't actually use this up, but it is getting the boot this month.  It's a great cuticle cream that smells delicious and works really well at moisturizing and healing dry or cracked cuticles quickly.  I've had mine for a few years and noticed the lemon smell was pretty much gone and it was starting to smell like old-ish oils, so it got the toss.  It isn't something I'll rush to repurchase since I have other products that work just as well, but I might buy it again one day.

Cheeky Cosmetics Eye Shadow Sample in Little Black Dress - I practically never finish eye shadows, even samples, so this was a bit exciting!  It's a matte black that doesn't have the greatest colour payoff dry, but I love using it wet as liner. In fact, foiled, it's what I use most often for black liner.  I already have a full size waiting in the wings.   

Zuzu Luxe Onyx Mascara - My favorite mascara at the moment.  I've gone through many a tube of this and expect I'll go through many more. 

Gabriel Color Mascara - Since this is supposed to be pretty much the same formula as the Zuzu, I figured I'd give it a try.  I don't know if I just got a bad tube or what, but it seemed like it went off after about a month and a half and started smelling really funky.  More details here if you're interested.

Burt's Bees Lip Shimmers in Rhubarb and Merlot - These are another Burt's Bees item that's been hanging around my stash for a few years.  Burt's Bees seems to still makes them, but I don't know if they are the same today as when I purchased mine.  I was able to swatch a couple in store recently and they seemed pretty shimmery without a lot of colour, while Merlot and Rhubarb are both vibrant pinky-reds with a slightly glossy finish, no shimmer, and pigmentation somewhere between a heavily tinted lip balm and a lipstick.  I don't think they make Merlot anymore and Rhubarb was not available in store either, so I don't know if it's the same as the one I have.  If I found Merlot, I might repurchase, otherwise, it's unlikely.


Phew!  And there you have it - my first empties post.  Looking at the list, I feel like I used up a lot actually.  I don't think this will turn into a monthly thing, just because I don't tend to finish too many things in most months, but maybe every now and then I'll do one, assuming I remember to hang on to the empties!


         

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