Kiss My Face Organic Lip Balms

Like at first (and last) swipe

I really wanted to love this lip balm. It's smooth, is super-hydrating on my dry lips, the cranberry orange scent makes me hungry, it's mostly organic, and wasn't tested on animals. But. The active sunscreen ingredients don't shield your lips from the full range of UVA rays (oxybenzone protects against the short waves only) and the product does develop a bit of a grainy feel from time to time (this is easily remedied by scraping the top layer off). And, of course, it costs a fair amount for lip balm. All in all, though, it's a good balm and one I'm likely to purchase again.

April 29, 2009

Olay Regenerist Regenerating Lotion with Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15

Not recommended for dry skin

This moisturizer has a lot going for it - the opaque white bottle is ideal packaging for unstable antioxidants; unlike a lot of moisturizers with SPF, this one contains ingredients that protect against the full spectrum of UVA rays; considering the amount you get, the price isn't too terrible. Now, the drawbacks. I have slightly dry skin and never feel fully moisturized with this product. Every application requires a few pumps for me. I don't know how many pumps are supposed to be sufficient but I find that I'm going through this moisturizer pretty quickly. Another gripe I have is that the packaging is excessive; the bottle itself is fine, but what is with the hard to open, non-recyclable plastic tube it all came in?

April 29, 2009

Ole Henriksen Herbal Day Creme

Lightweight, high shine

I received a sample of this product and was wary about trying it, after having read several negative reviews of other Ole Henriksen products. I'm glad I was able to sample it, though - it meant getting to try a lightweight, faintly orange smelling moisturizer that left my skin feeling soft and hydrated. It also meant that I didn't have to spend over $30 to look like I had dunked my face into a vat of high-shine lip gloss - or for SPF that did not offer protection against long wave UVA rays.

April 29, 2009

Clinique Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick

Looking forward to trying others

I tore the box open the second I got my tube of Honeynut from Sephora and swiped it on - and LOVED it. Very rarely am I pleased with a lipstick; I find most of them too trying and not true to the shade in the tube. I've been looking for a "my lips but better" shade for the longest time (my lips are a light-to-medium mauve color) and when I eyed the product, I thought I had found it. When I actually tried it, it was confirmed. Another feature I love about this lipstick is that, even though it is long lasting, it doesn't leave my lips dry (it doesn't leave them any more moist, either, but that would be asking too much). Clinique's Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick lives up to its name and isn't ridiculously priced. I'm looking forward to trying out some of the other shades in this line.

April 29, 2009

Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss

How do they justify the price?

I purchased this gloss in Candid, a pearlescent rosy-coral shade. As Candid is one of the sheers, I did not expect the color on my lips to match the intensity of the color in the tube. I also did not expect that there would be practically NO difference in color after application (aside from some slight shimmer). Adding to my displeasure is the fact that this gloss wears off very quickly and doesn't do much to moisturize. What it does well is impart a nice, subtle shine - but, then again, so do plenty of other glosses (and for a lot less than $18 a tube).

April 29, 2009