My favorite lip balms - Lush, Bobbi Brown and Fresh

Having dry chapped lips has been "my signature" since I can remember. I don't ever remember not having dry lips. Even during not so cold months, they are still dry, maybe not as bad as during winter. Whatever I do it's not helping. More water more moisture... I think it's hereditary because my father has exactly the same problem. I am very big on lip balms and I am always on a hunt for the one that will actually help me more than others. Today I picked three of my recent (or not so recent) favorites.

Specially formulated with Wheat Germ and Olive Oil, this comfortable, non-greasy lip balm immediately goes to work comforting lips. Wear alone for natural look, with Lip Liner or Lip Gloss. Bobbi Brown Lip Balm comes in a sleek and portable polished silver tin.

 Bobbi Brown lip balm was recommend to me a year ago from a colleague when she was shocked how dry my lips can get. I finally ordered it couple of months ago and I have to tell you she was right how amazing it is. It has balmy texture that seems thick but actually feels very light on lips. It is very moisturizing, and I managed to have my lips look normal for couple of days while using it but I had to reapply it like crazy. Literally every hour or two. Non stop. Again packaging issue with having to apply it directly on my lips or stick my fingers in ti (which I never do). It is on a pricey side but you get 15g which is huge for a lipbalm. I wonder how long will this last me? More than a year I think. It feels light enough to be applied on top of the lipstick or even before - it would not make lipstick bleed. Bobbi did a great job with this one. If I ever run out I will repurchase it. (unless something new and amazing shows up on market)

What it is:

A hydrating treatment that nourishes, protects, and plumps the lips.

What it is formulated to do:

Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 blends reparative oils and waxes with real sugar, a natural humectant, for delectable and dependable moisture. Sweet and tart black currant oil, rich in plumping essential fatty acids, cushions the lips while antioxidant grapeseed polyphenols and vitamins A, C, and E provide protection from wrinkle-causing free radicals. It also provides essential, year-round protection from damaging UV rays. 

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

- Parabens

- Sulfates

- Synthetic Dyes

- Petrochemicals

- Phthalates

- GMOs

- Triclosan

What else you need to know:

This lip-loving essential has a bright, citrus scent and is free of petroleum, mineral oil, and lanolin.

I received Fresh sugar lip balm as a birthday gift from Sephora. They give away two minis - this one and Rose one that has slight pinkish tint. I did not really care about that one but this one I kind of liked. It has very thick balmy texture. Applies very easily and melts into a lighter more hydrating texture. It provides good hydration and packaging is a plus - much more hygeinic than a pot/jar. Scent surprised me - I was expecting something sugary sweet but it has light fresh scent, almost like herbal/citrus. I love to have it in my purse BUT I noticed it melts like crazy and it brakes easily. It's not a problem if you have a mini one that you got for free but if you pay full price than it's certainly a big issue. I noticed many women complain about it. I have couple of these and I do not think I will be buying full sized one. But would not mind getting couple more of these :)

I like that it leaves lips looking glossy and moisturized. Great pick for someone who wants good hydration without heavy sticky feeling of a balm and no color. This product became so popular that they came out with God knows how many different scents and colored balms (more of a light tint).

 We experimented immensely with flavor to make this popular lip balm for soft, chocolate-orange flavored lips. We mix Chocolate Whipstick by hand with a lip-soothing infusion of oats, beautiful almond and wheat germ oils, plus beeswax to protect lips from dehydration If that sounds a bit boring, worry not; we livened it up with real chocolate, vanilla absolute and orange oil. Delicious and good for you, which is a rare and lovely thing.

FEATURES
For dry, cracked lips: Chocolate Whipstick is our thickest lip balm, ideal for dry or sensitive skin.
Now, more flavorful!: strong> With a new formula that we make at lower temperatures so the flavor is stronger and more delicious than ever!

Preservative-free: Whipstick doesn’t contain any water or infusions so we’re able to make it preservative-free




My all time favorite. Tried it the first time over 6 years ago and since then I can not be without it. Sometimes I have two, one for home and one for on the go. Nothing beats it. It's very thick, and texture almost feels dry and impossible to spread, but when it warms up against the lips it becomes super creamy. I love the scent too - chocolate and orange - yes please! It leaves  light brown color, but it is very sheer. I love putting a lot overnight. This is probably the only balm that I do not have to reapply every couple of hours, or should I say all the time?  My problem is that I am not consistent - I use it for couple of days then I forget and don't use it for a week and then I look at my lips and they are the driest lips ever, cracked, chipped, just horrible.  My only issue with Whipstick is it's packaging. I hate this kind of a pot packaging. I do not ever put my fingers in it, but I actually "kiss" the product. I put it on my lips , pucker up and then move the pot in circle motion couple of times. Problem is it also leaves some product around my lips which is not an issue unless you have makeup on. Easily fixable though. 
Depending on how often I use it it lasts between 6 and 10 months. In my opinion this is the best product Lush ever made. 

LUSH Brazened Honey fresh face mask review

Brazened Honey was inspired by traditional Indian ayurvedic principles, which put emphasis on balance as the foundation to health. Helen combined fresh free-range eggs and honey to soften, with astringent lime oil, antiseptic rosemary and exfoliating ground almonds. Kaolin reaches deep down into pores to pull out dirt and impurities, leaving your skin noticeably brighter and fresher. Our deepest cleansing mask, Brazened Honey is the perfect way to revive sluggish or congested skin.

Brazened honey is one of my LUSH favorites that I bought at least 7 times so far. When I think about beauty products probably this is the only one that I bought so many times. And I am not planning on changing that!

My relationship with LUSH is either love or hate. I've tried some products that are awful and do nothing, and I am glad that I found couple of them that are fantastic and I do not experiment more (Chocolate whipstick, Mask of magnaminty, The olive branch...).

Main reason I am buying it is that it really helps with tired dull looking skin. I use it maybe once a week, sometimes once in two weeks depending on how crappy my skin looks or how tired I feel. It brightens, tightens, leaves skin fresh, clean (not dried out clean), so soft to touch and looking radiant.

I love the herbal smell too, but I admit it might be too much for someone. Well everything from LUSH is a little bit of a too much when it comes to scents.

Texture is thick and creamy and can dry out a little bit in the pot, but it's easy fixable - damp your skin before applying the mask or wet your fingers a little bit and it will become more creamy and it will be easier to spread it. One pot usually gives me about 5 applications. Not too bad.

Most of the time I do not use moisturizer or any other skincare product (except eyecream) after Brazened honey. I like using it before bedtime and then I let my skin breath a little bit...

It never dried me out or caused any kind of irritation. A long time ago I remember Lush was giving out samples of desired product so I was able to try couple of masks and pick out the one I like the best - Brazened honey.

Another thing I love about it is that does good exfoliation. After it dries on skin I rinse it with warm water and gently rub it in circular motion to enhance exfoliation. It's gentle but effective.

I always have one pot in my fridge in case my skin needs help. It does have VERY SHORT expiration time, which I completely ignore I have to admit. If I use it 5 times once a week it means it will last me five weeks. I always keep it in the fridge and even if it was longer than this it never changed it's look, smell or feel. Me happy. I am not throwing out perfectly fine product just because it says on the pot. You can see in the second photo below, every pot has listed date when it's made and when expires.

Boo!

LUSH Sweet lips lip scrub review

 For sweet and chocolatey lips 

 Chocoholics, step right up! Sweet Lips is our cocoa and vanilla infused scrub that tastes like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Vanilla extract and jojoba oil keep your lips moist, castor sugar gently exfoliates, and the rich, deep fragrance of cocoa absolute gives this an irresistible touch. This one is so scrumptious that we’ve received many guilty customer confessions of eating the scrub right out of the pot (naughty people!) Chocolate, vanilla and sugar? We can hardly blame them.

Lush chocolate whipstick is one of my all time favorite cosmetic products. I wanted to try lush scrubs too, but somehow I never got myself to buy them until Malo prase convinced me I should give it a try. And she was right I absolutely love it!

Well I love results I get not so much the messy process.

It is a basic sugar scrub mixed with oils to at the same time exfoliate and moisturize your lips. I wish it had more oil since the texture is VERY dry and gritty which I do not mind for exfoliation ,because it does fantastic job, but it is hard to get it out of the jar and on the lips. It falls everywhere, half of it I lost since it went right into my sink. So what I do is I wet my fingers a little bit to make a texture slightly more "creamy". It makes application easier.

Taste is divine! Chocolate and vanilla! Yummy!! How could I say no to that?! It is weird that I even discuss taste when it comes to cosmetic product but this thingy is edible so no worries if some ends up in the mouth.

I have the driest lips ever. I am not kidding. I never met anyone with lips as dry as mine. Does not matter how much water I drink, how much I moisturize my lips. Dry air inside , terrible cold and wind outside don't help either. I exfoliate about once a week and it really helps get rid of the dry flaky skin. Will it permanently help? No.

Packaging is not really hygienic since you have to dip your fingers, but if you have little spatula at home, that could help it stay cleaner.

Honestly, you can make this kind of a scrub at home with some sugar and olive oil, it's as simple. But I like the cute packaging, scent/taste  and it's time saving.

Even though it looks so tiny with maybe once a week exfoliation it could last couple of months.

LUSH products for me are either hit or a terrible miss. I have my staples and I keep buying them for years.

LUSH Buffy body butter review

 Tough on rough bottoms 

 Massage our Buffy body butter all over your wet skin in the bath or shower to make you softer and smooth to the touch, paying special attention to your backside. We add ground rice, almonds and beans to Buffy to act as exfoliants; the rough textures eliminate lumps and bumps and sloughs away dry skin cells to reveal brighter, fresher looking skin. Rinse off the exfoliating bits and pat yourself dry. There's no need for body lotion after a Buffy slaying session, because the cocoa and shea butters keep your skin beautifully smooth, moisturized and soft to the touch.

Let me introduce you to one of my HG Lush products! Oh Buffy where have you been all my life? I admit I am guilty. I never paid attention on Buffy until a friend told me it's the only body butter she uses daily! (Ok I will go back to this "daily" thing later).  

First time I bought Buffy is when I got pregnant. I wanted something moisturizing to keep my skin smooth and as elastic as possible since I am super prone to stretch marks. 

Buffy comes in two different sizes. I got a smaller one since only this one fits in a tin. I am sorry but that's dumb. If you make and sell larger size of a product you need to sell larger tin too. I do not want to cut the product and use couple of tins or other storage options. 

Anyway my photos show Buffy after one use. Photo on the top of this post is from official Lush website and shows Buffy when it's new. I wanted to take photos after using it so you can really see it's texture.

Buffy is solid bar that fits nicely in a hand. What might confuse you is that officially it's called body butter. But again it's a body scrub! Well you do get two in one. How great is that? 

Buffy is meant to be used in shower. I have to admit it took me couple of uses to figure out how to get best out of it. It really needs to be warmed up under the warm shower and make sure your skin is really wet. If not you will just scratch your skin.

It has ground almonds and aduki beans that do the scrubbing part. I have to worn you it is not a gentle scrub, actually it's probably the roughest I've tried. BUT great thing about it is that also has cocoa and Shea butter to moisturize the skin. When you rinse off exfoliating bits skin is left so super smooth and moisturized. It does leave oily residue that I adore. I assume if you do not have really dry skin or you like lightweight lotions you wouldn't like this. Except for the great exfoliating action, my favorite is the "oily residue" part. I do not need body butter or lotion after Buffy. It really saves my time! But this is not for quick shower when you have to get dressed immediately because residue takes a while to soak into the skin.

This is NOT for daily use. I think it would be too much exfoliating skin every day. I think King of skin might be great for everyday in shower use (I can't wait to try this one) and Buffy once or twice a week.

Initially I remember Buffy was advertised as "anti cellulite product". OK I get it skin will feel and look smoother but that's all. 

When I bought it the first time I was told by LUSH sales associate it will last me only couple of times. Yikes! That's not a lot considering a price. Well with once to twice a week use it lasted me two months for sure. Not too bad. 

I assume if I only cut one piece and kept the rest out of the water and warmth it would melt less and would lasted even longer.

.

Lush Body butters melt in warmer temperatures so be careful how you store them. I like to put it in the open tin after use to let it dry nicely before closing it. I do not keep it in my bathroom but in the closet, where it's cooler and dryer. 

Close up of the exfoliating bits but you can also see the "oily" part.

Skin after exfoliating bits are rinsed out and skin is gently patted with towel. You can see how it's left nicely moisturized . I really do not want to use phrase "oily residue" because it's usually associated with something not so good but it perfectly explains how skin looks and feels after using Buffy. It stays this way for a while before it soaks in.

Overall: Love love love Buffy and will keep buying it. Anyone with dry skin who likes rough exfoliation and good moisturizing after I highly recommend.

Quantitative Ingredients
 Cocoa Butter,  Shea Butter,  Ground Rice,  Ground Almonds,  Ground Aduki Beans,  Perfume,  Lavender Oil,  Lemon Oil,  *Citral,  *Limonene,  *Linalool

*occurs naturally in essential oils

LUSH Mask of Magnaminty Review

 Mask of Magnaminty isn’t technically a daily ‘facial wash’; it’s actually a deep cleansing face and back mask. China clay and fresh peppermint reach deep down to pull the debris from your pores, giving you that delightful tingly-clean sensation. We add loads of aduki beans to exfoliate flaky or dry skin, vanilla absolute to calm redness and honey to soothe. Our inventors created Mask of Magnaminty to be the ‘ultimate face mask’, intense but not harsh or abrasive on the skin. We recommend using Mask of Magnaminty weekly to keep the skin in good condition.

Walking into the Lush store for the first time you are so overwhelmed by the scents, colors, weird looking products, loud sales associates ... It's like a candy store for the beauty lovers. First product that I ever purchased and kept buying it over and over again is Mask of Magnaminty. I just like to call it MOM, much easier :)

At the time I had oily and acne prone skin. Well oil is long gone but acne are still here. Not always but I have this periods when they show up and stay for a while. And then I have months and months of clear skin.

For that reason I like to have MOM handy when it gets bad and my skin needs help.
Even though it's also a back mask - or maybe anywhere where you have acne mask- I have only used on my face.

It comes in a round plastic jar and in two sizes. I always get the smaller one because even this one lasts me a while. I always keep it refrigerated - first of all that way I can keep it longer if I do not ran out before the expiration date and second - it feels soooo good when you apply it cold on skin. It has this amazing cooling effect. Try it especially during hot summer months.

I could swear that while ago I used to use it on damp skin but now I noticed it says it's supposed to be used on dry skin. It works good both ways. 

Love the cute stickers with the name and the "picture" of who made it and when. Also it has expiration date that I do no care much about as I said I had it and used it even after and it looked and smelled fresh, nothing has changed about it's texture so don't freak out if you use it after expiration date. Of course if you see that it does not look, smell or feel the same throw it out.

Texture is really thick and creamy with the chunky particles that exfoliate the skin. I have to mention that it's really mild, it does not strip the skin nor it irritates. It really is not harsh exfoliation. It really has calming and soothing effect. My red spots from previous acne become lighter and overall skin looks healthier, glowy and my pores appear cleaner. They will get clogged soon after but then I just use the mask again. I never use it more than once a week. Sometimes once in two weeks. Obviously someone with oily or very oily skin and severe acne could use this couple of times a week. But do not overdo it. Skin hates overdoing anything.

I usually leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse it out with warm water. It rinses of easily and leaves skin feeling soft and fresh. You can use your regular serum, moisturizer after this.

And I saved best for the end -my drop dead gorgeous selfy 

If you are a LUSH fan I am sure you have tried this mask. This is one of my favorite LUSH products together with Chocolate whipstick, Brazened Honey, The olive branch and Buffy - will be reviewing all of them (hopefully) soon.