Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Yes To Carrots
Based on the votes from this week--I wanted to try the polling thing to give you guys an option for what you'd like to see--Yes To Carrots was the most popular.
Over the summer, Yes To Carrots had coupon for $3.00 off a Yes To Carrots product at Walmart. Since at Walmart the Yes To Carrots lip balms cost less than $3 or very close to it, the balm ended up being free! I, of course, bought a few other flavors as comparisons--just in case I didn't like the first flavor.
Company: Yes To Carrots
Flavors: Sweet Fig, Pomegranate, Berry, and Melon. None of the flavors seemed to stick out from the rest. They all seemed to be the same exact flavor. I may have gotten all bad balms, but I find that highly unlikely since I purchased from two different stores--Walmart and Target. I think the Pomegranate has the least pleasant scent, it smells very tart and bitter, but I have found that many of my pomegranate balms are tart and bitter--I just don't like this one. The Berry has a very slight berry scent, there seems to be a slight hint of strawberry. The Melon also has a very light scent, similar to the cantaloupe smell in a cucumber and melon combination but much milder. I'm not quite sure how to describe the Sweet Fig, seeing as I've never eaten a fig in real life I have nothing really compare it to; I just thought this would be an interesting flavor to try out. It's not my favorite scent either, it's very plain and you can't really smell anything.
Wear: It goes on pretty good, smooth-wise. It's definitely not like my handmade balms from smaller companies, but it's not too shabby. However, it feels like I need a lot in order to get great coverage. It goes on very thin.
Packaging: One of the tubes was from the older design that I picked up in the fall before the new design came out. It was pretty simple and to the point; it said what it needed to say: company name, flavor, description of product that seemed a little lengthy for a tube of lip balm. It was a good design. I LOVE the newer design. Each tube has a label, colored to match the flavor that the balm is. It says the company's name in big letters and then a small band around the top that says the flavor. It's much simpler and better looking without the long description of the product.
Price: Between $3.00 and $3.50 which isn't too bad since it is 100% natural.
Overall:
Pros: Price, Natural, Packaging, Application
Cons: Flavors were all the same
Rating: 3 out of 5 twists. If you want a product based on flavors, this is not the product for you. If you want a balm that goes on nicely and is all natural, this may be worth a shot. I had high hopes for this product since I loved the packaging and always saw it everywhere in stores, but personally I'd rather spend my money on some handmade balms from Etsy.com.
Over the summer, Yes To Carrots had coupon for $3.00 off a Yes To Carrots product at Walmart. Since at Walmart the Yes To Carrots lip balms cost less than $3 or very close to it, the balm ended up being free! I, of course, bought a few other flavors as comparisons--just in case I didn't like the first flavor.
Flavors: Sweet Fig, Pomegranate, Berry, and Melon. None of the flavors seemed to stick out from the rest. They all seemed to be the same exact flavor. I may have gotten all bad balms, but I find that highly unlikely since I purchased from two different stores--Walmart and Target. I think the Pomegranate has the least pleasant scent, it smells very tart and bitter, but I have found that many of my pomegranate balms are tart and bitter--I just don't like this one. The Berry has a very slight berry scent, there seems to be a slight hint of strawberry. The Melon also has a very light scent, similar to the cantaloupe smell in a cucumber and melon combination but much milder. I'm not quite sure how to describe the Sweet Fig, seeing as I've never eaten a fig in real life I have nothing really compare it to; I just thought this would be an interesting flavor to try out. It's not my favorite scent either, it's very plain and you can't really smell anything.
 |
| The Sweet Fig Balm. |
Wear: It goes on pretty good, smooth-wise. It's definitely not like my handmade balms from smaller companies, but it's not too shabby. However, it feels like I need a lot in order to get great coverage. It goes on very thin.
Packaging: One of the tubes was from the older design that I picked up in the fall before the new design came out. It was pretty simple and to the point; it said what it needed to say: company name, flavor, description of product that seemed a little lengthy for a tube of lip balm. It was a good design. I LOVE the newer design. Each tube has a label, colored to match the flavor that the balm is. It says the company's name in big letters and then a small band around the top that says the flavor. It's much simpler and better looking without the long description of the product.
Price: Between $3.00 and $3.50 which isn't too bad since it is 100% natural.
Overall:
Pros: Price, Natural, Packaging, Application
Cons: Flavors were all the same
Rating: 3 out of 5 twists. If you want a product based on flavors, this is not the product for you. If you want a balm that goes on nicely and is all natural, this may be worth a shot. I had high hopes for this product since I loved the packaging and always saw it everywhere in stores, but personally I'd rather spend my money on some handmade balms from Etsy.com.
Neutrogena Naturals
I've had this balm for a while, I believe I got it the same day I picked up my first tube of Dr. Bronner's (you can find the review here). I've been meaning to write up what I think about it, it's about time I do so...here we go! (I apologize for how short this post is--it's pretty simple and to the point this time.)
Comapny: Neutrogena
Flavors: They only have one flavor, so just look for the one tube! I don't think the flavor even has a name. The first time I used it, it seemed like an unflavored balm. But, the second time I used it, it seemed to have a slightly minty flavor to it. It was quite pleasant. I don't know if it was because I kept it next to a peppermint lip balm but I don't think that's what it was since the third time I used it, it was still minty. Of course, I love mint balms so I was going to like this one.
Wear: It goes on SO smooth! It was great! Good coverage upon application and it felt like it was really moisturizing my lips.
Packaging: It is a semi see-through average sized lip balm tube. It's very plain and I believe it's with a purpose; to appear like a pure, "natural", "clean" balm. It's very simple and I like it. It's got one splash of color, a bright green color bar on the tube.
Price: About $3.00, a great price for a natural balm that moisturizes.
Overall:
Pros: Wear, price, packaging, flavor
Cons: No other flavors
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 twists, there wasn't anything truly spectacular about this balm. It is a good balm though, I would check it out if you are looking for something with only a slight scent to it that is a natural balm.
Flavors: They only have one flavor, so just look for the one tube! I don't think the flavor even has a name. The first time I used it, it seemed like an unflavored balm. But, the second time I used it, it seemed to have a slightly minty flavor to it. It was quite pleasant. I don't know if it was because I kept it next to a peppermint lip balm but I don't think that's what it was since the third time I used it, it was still minty. Of course, I love mint balms so I was going to like this one.
Wear: It goes on SO smooth! It was great! Good coverage upon application and it felt like it was really moisturizing my lips.
Packaging: It is a semi see-through average sized lip balm tube. It's very plain and I believe it's with a purpose; to appear like a pure, "natural", "clean" balm. It's very simple and I like it. It's got one splash of color, a bright green color bar on the tube.
Price: About $3.00, a great price for a natural balm that moisturizes.
Overall:
Pros: Wear, price, packaging, flavor
Cons: No other flavors
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 twists, there wasn't anything truly spectacular about this balm. It is a good balm though, I would check it out if you are looking for something with only a slight scent to it that is a natural balm.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Chapstick: Orange Cream Burst and Chocolate Rush
I apologize in advance for the long story!
While I was in Los Angeles last week, I did lots of lip balm searching and buying. I was conducting my usual lip balm safari in a CVS after we had gone grocery shopping at Sprouts and was losing hope that I'd find anything new. My boyfriend was also searching for balms that I hadn't had yet and I was getting discouraged that we wouldn't find anything at all. I usually never check any make up aisles for lip balm because everyone knows that the vast majority of lip balm is kept in the cold and flu section of most stores. But, since summer is quickly approaching I figured there may be some lip balm near the sunscreen. I found a couple CVS brand flavors that were different from usual store flavors so I picked those up and turned the corner to go down another make up aisle; sad that I, once again, hadn't found the limited edition Chapstick flavors. I was talking with my boyfriend and just blindly looking at all the make up when....I SPOTTED THE LIMITED EDITION CHAPSTICK FLAVORS! They were hanging right there, right in front of me on one of those hanging displays that are strewn randomly about all aisles. BOTH flavors were right there, and in abundance! I was so excited, I immediately grabbed them and jumped up and down. My boyfriend could see how excited I was and we were just high fiving and celebrating (yes, we are that lame). I quickly ran to the check out line, eager to try these babies out! While standing in line there was a woman in front of me. She turned around to look at me, then turned forward again and proceeded to do a double take once she saw what was in my hand. She immediately asked me where I had found them and quickly ran out of line to go get them. It felt awesome!
Enough of my long, detailed story of how I found these marvelous, very sought after balms and on to the review!
Company: Chapstick
Flavors: Orange Cream Burst and Chocolate Rush. I have to tell you, this is the BEST orange cream balm I've ever had! It's JUST like the sweet frozen treat. I adore it, I could use it all day. Perfect combination of sweet orange and creamy vanilla. You should definitely try to find this one in stores. The Chocolate Rush smells like a very decadent piece of chocolate cake. If you love chocolate, you will love this balm. It's not like my cocoa flavored balms, which are made with cocoa butter (and are absolutely delicious, might I add) so this is clearly an artificial chocolate, but still not bad.
Wear: It goes on smooth, not like my natural balms but still pretty smooth. I'm sure most people have at least one stick of Chapstick and are familiar with how it goes on. Even coverage, a tried and true classic of balms. Each application lasts about an hour or so. I'm always reapplying these anyway since the flavor is so amazing but, I do find myself licking my lips a little more than usual so that may be a reason it lasts so little.
Packaging: The little paper/plastic packaging these tubes come in is ADORABLE. Keeps up with the ice cream theme by having a summer scene with an ice cream truck depicted. The tubes themselves are average sized lip balm tubes with a swirl pattern of brown or orange, corresponding with the flavor.
Price: I think I paid around $1.50. Usually you can get Chapstick brand lip balm for around $1, but since it was at CVS it was going to be a little more. I didn't care though, they were limited editions!
Overall:
Pros: Flavor, packaging, price, application
Cons: Not natural, doesn't last too long
Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, it's a tired and true lip balm brand. I've always been a fan of them (they were my absolute go-to brand along with Softlips, before I found my love of natural balms). These limited edition balms are definitely something you don't want to miss out on!
While I was in Los Angeles last week, I did lots of lip balm searching and buying. I was conducting my usual lip balm safari in a CVS after we had gone grocery shopping at Sprouts and was losing hope that I'd find anything new. My boyfriend was also searching for balms that I hadn't had yet and I was getting discouraged that we wouldn't find anything at all. I usually never check any make up aisles for lip balm because everyone knows that the vast majority of lip balm is kept in the cold and flu section of most stores. But, since summer is quickly approaching I figured there may be some lip balm near the sunscreen. I found a couple CVS brand flavors that were different from usual store flavors so I picked those up and turned the corner to go down another make up aisle; sad that I, once again, hadn't found the limited edition Chapstick flavors. I was talking with my boyfriend and just blindly looking at all the make up when....I SPOTTED THE LIMITED EDITION CHAPSTICK FLAVORS! They were hanging right there, right in front of me on one of those hanging displays that are strewn randomly about all aisles. BOTH flavors were right there, and in abundance! I was so excited, I immediately grabbed them and jumped up and down. My boyfriend could see how excited I was and we were just high fiving and celebrating (yes, we are that lame). I quickly ran to the check out line, eager to try these babies out! While standing in line there was a woman in front of me. She turned around to look at me, then turned forward again and proceeded to do a double take once she saw what was in my hand. She immediately asked me where I had found them and quickly ran out of line to go get them. It felt awesome!
Enough of my long, detailed story of how I found these marvelous, very sought after balms and on to the review!
Flavors: Orange Cream Burst and Chocolate Rush. I have to tell you, this is the BEST orange cream balm I've ever had! It's JUST like the sweet frozen treat. I adore it, I could use it all day. Perfect combination of sweet orange and creamy vanilla. You should definitely try to find this one in stores. The Chocolate Rush smells like a very decadent piece of chocolate cake. If you love chocolate, you will love this balm. It's not like my cocoa flavored balms, which are made with cocoa butter (and are absolutely delicious, might I add) so this is clearly an artificial chocolate, but still not bad.
Wear: It goes on smooth, not like my natural balms but still pretty smooth. I'm sure most people have at least one stick of Chapstick and are familiar with how it goes on. Even coverage, a tried and true classic of balms. Each application lasts about an hour or so. I'm always reapplying these anyway since the flavor is so amazing but, I do find myself licking my lips a little more than usual so that may be a reason it lasts so little.
Packaging: The little paper/plastic packaging these tubes come in is ADORABLE. Keeps up with the ice cream theme by having a summer scene with an ice cream truck depicted. The tubes themselves are average sized lip balm tubes with a swirl pattern of brown or orange, corresponding with the flavor.
Price: I think I paid around $1.50. Usually you can get Chapstick brand lip balm for around $1, but since it was at CVS it was going to be a little more. I didn't care though, they were limited editions!Overall:
Pros: Flavor, packaging, price, application
Cons: Not natural, doesn't last too long
Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, it's a tired and true lip balm brand. I've always been a fan of them (they were my absolute go-to brand along with Softlips, before I found my love of natural balms). These limited edition balms are definitely something you don't want to miss out on!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries
I've had these balms in my collection since last summer I believe when I went on a crazy Bath and Body Works binge during their semi annual sale. I try not to use them so much because they are more expensive than almost all of my other lip balms and they're pretty delicate.
Company: C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries
Flavors: Lemon, Lemon and Raspberry, Lemon and Blueberry, Lemon and Black Cherry, and Lemon and Strawberry (tinted lip balm). Obviously after reading those flavors, you've probably guessed that I would love these balms. Seeing as all of them contain lemon and I love lemon, these balms were set to be amazing in my book. The Lemon is a sweet, refreshing scent. As if I had just cut some fresh lemons and sprinkled a little bit of sugar on them. I love it. The Lemon and Raspberry is a perfect blend of refreshing lemon and a tart raspberry, if you're a raspberry fan you'll definitely enjoy this one! The Lemon and Blueberry flavor of course I was going to love since I absolutely love blueberry and lemon mixed together. It smells exactly like fresh blueberries combined with lemon, like a refreshing glass of blueberry lemonade. Yum! The Lemon and Black Cherry is probably the lightest scented of the bunch but still unbelievably delicious smelling. Just like sweet ripe black cherries mixed with sweet lemon. The Lemon and Strawberry is also phenomenal. I sometimes with it didn't have a tint to it so I could wear it whenever I want and apply it however I want without worrying about color spreading around my lips. It smells like a tall, cold glass of strawberry lemonade. It's so delicious! Sweet strawberries mixed with sweet lemon is a win-win for everyone. The color is a light pink/red color. Perfect for every day wear.
Wear: They go on incredibly smooth! It makes my lips feel really nourished. There's really not much else to say about it, it feels absolutely amazing when put on. Sometimes I get a little carried away with putting it on, so for most only one or two swipes will do. When using them though you can't be as rough as you might be with other balms, applying too much pressure can cause the balm to bend within the tube which causes it to scrape against the side when twisting the tube up and down.
Packaging: The tubes are about the size of a tube of Nivea lip balm. It has similar packaging to the Nivea tubes as well, with the over sized caps that cover the entire tube to the base. The balm on the inside, however, is smaller than the width of the balm within the Nivea packaging. It is even smaller than the width of a normal tube of lip balm. The weight of the product is 0.13 oz and3.7g which is smaller than the average 0.15 oz and 4.25g.
Price: $7.50 per tube. This is super pricey for me, especially since the weight of the tubes are just a little smaller than your average sized tube. Sometimes Bath and Body Works has them for buy 2 get 1 free but that's still about $15 plus tax for 3 tubes so about $5 a tube. This is more reasonable but still a lot to spend on a stick of lip balm.
Overall:
Pros: Flavors!, Wear, Packaging
Cons: Price
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 twists, if the price was just half of what it is this balm would get a perfect 5 out of 5.
Flavors: Lemon, Lemon and Raspberry, Lemon and Blueberry, Lemon and Black Cherry, and Lemon and Strawberry (tinted lip balm). Obviously after reading those flavors, you've probably guessed that I would love these balms. Seeing as all of them contain lemon and I love lemon, these balms were set to be amazing in my book. The Lemon is a sweet, refreshing scent. As if I had just cut some fresh lemons and sprinkled a little bit of sugar on them. I love it. The Lemon and Raspberry is a perfect blend of refreshing lemon and a tart raspberry, if you're a raspberry fan you'll definitely enjoy this one! The Lemon and Blueberry flavor of course I was going to love since I absolutely love blueberry and lemon mixed together. It smells exactly like fresh blueberries combined with lemon, like a refreshing glass of blueberry lemonade. Yum! The Lemon and Black Cherry is probably the lightest scented of the bunch but still unbelievably delicious smelling. Just like sweet ripe black cherries mixed with sweet lemon. The Lemon and Strawberry is also phenomenal. I sometimes with it didn't have a tint to it so I could wear it whenever I want and apply it however I want without worrying about color spreading around my lips. It smells like a tall, cold glass of strawberry lemonade. It's so delicious! Sweet strawberries mixed with sweet lemon is a win-win for everyone. The color is a light pink/red color. Perfect for every day wear.
Wear: They go on incredibly smooth! It makes my lips feel really nourished. There's really not much else to say about it, it feels absolutely amazing when put on. Sometimes I get a little carried away with putting it on, so for most only one or two swipes will do. When using them though you can't be as rough as you might be with other balms, applying too much pressure can cause the balm to bend within the tube which causes it to scrape against the side when twisting the tube up and down.
Packaging: The tubes are about the size of a tube of Nivea lip balm. It has similar packaging to the Nivea tubes as well, with the over sized caps that cover the entire tube to the base. The balm on the inside, however, is smaller than the width of the balm within the Nivea packaging. It is even smaller than the width of a normal tube of lip balm. The weight of the product is 0.13 oz and3.7g which is smaller than the average 0.15 oz and 4.25g.
Price: $7.50 per tube. This is super pricey for me, especially since the weight of the tubes are just a little smaller than your average sized tube. Sometimes Bath and Body Works has them for buy 2 get 1 free but that's still about $15 plus tax for 3 tubes so about $5 a tube. This is more reasonable but still a lot to spend on a stick of lip balm.
Overall:
Pros: Flavors!, Wear, Packaging
Cons: Price
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 twists, if the price was just half of what it is this balm would get a perfect 5 out of 5.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Comin' up this week from The Chapstick Wrangler
I'm really excited to have a pretty normal week once again, which of course means I get the opportunity to blog as I wish!
This week you can look forward to seeing:
This week you can look forward to seeing:
AND FINALLY
Chapstick Spring Limited Edition Flavors
I am The Chapstick Wrangler after all, it's about time that I write up a review on some good old Chapstick.
I may write up a third review this weekend depending if I can get some down time to do so.
In the not so distant future you can look forward to seeing:
Friday, March 23, 2012
Gator Gubba
I've been meaning to write about this company for a while--seeing as I purchased them in December--I had heard good things about it so I wanted to give them a try. I didn't receive my package for almost a month and only received it a week and a half after I had emailed complaining I hadn't received it yet. I hate bad customer service. I know I ordered in middle of December which is bad because it's close to Christmas but seriously, not receiving it until beginning to mid January? Preposterous. For that reason, I haven't wanted to use these very much. And also, I received two of them with the safety seals broken and marks on the balm itself which, being a bit of a germaphobe, grossed me out. For this reason, some of the balms I was only able to smell. I would have tried to ask for a refund or a replacement but since it took SO long the first time around, I didn't want to bother with it.
Company: Gator Gubba
Flavors: Watermelon, Orange Vanilla (herbal), Cherry, Bubblegum, and Pineapple Vanilla. Watermelon is the best smelling out of the bunch by far, it smells like the artificial watermelon flavor of candy but it's still the most noticeable and pleasant. The Orange Vanilla was one of two that came with a broken safety seal. To me it smells just like plastic, no sweet or creamy to it. My boyfriend says he smells a slight vanilla but nothing too prominent. The smell could also be lessened because it is an herbal balm. The Bubble Gum also came with a broken safety seal, it smells like a very artificial bubble gum scent and not sweet like one would imagine; if you're looking for something like Hubba Bubba or Bubbalicious, this is not the one for you. The Cherry is the second best smelling. It smells like artificial cherry but it's not too bad. You can definitely tell it is Cherry. I was really excited for the Pineapple Vanilla, I figured it would be something very different from what I have in my collection already. The scent is very light and only the pineapple is detectable. I was disappointed in this, I have tons of Pineapple balms and tons with great pineapple scent but I was looking for something different.
Wear: The ones that I was able to apply go on with very minimal force, so they go on okay--they aren't the smoothest but definitely aren't the hardest to apply. They also go on VERY thick, one or two swipes is more than enough. It kind of feels like the balm is just sitting on my lips however and not really penetrating to get my lips smooth. I guess since this has SPF that may be a good thing so it doesn't wear away so fast? They last about 2 hours which is great, especially if you're out and about in the sun.
Packaging: They non-herbal balms are your average sized tube of lip balm with identical blue labels. The only thing indicating that they are different flavors are the different colored bands on the top of the tube that match the indicated flavor. There isn't anything crazy special about the lip balm but it is waxy so it could stand up to some wear and tear with frequent use. The herbal flavor has a green label that is identical to the blue labels and has a colored band indicating the flavor. Nothing too crazy or flashy from these. I'm truly indifferent to this packaging.
Price: For the non-herbal flavors they are $1.25 a piece and for the herbal flavor it is $2.25. Pretty great price for a decent product. They aren't natural but do have SPF (15 for non-herbal, 30 for herbal).
Overall:
Pros: Variety of flavors, wear, price
Cons: Weak scents, long time for delivery, unsealed balms
Rating: 3 out of 5 twists, they aren't phenomenal and the bad customer service will forever keep me from purchasing from them again. Once I run out of these, I doubt I'll buy any more. For the price, I suppose that it's worth it to purchase one as a spare to throw into an extra bag or in the car.
Flavors: Watermelon, Orange Vanilla (herbal), Cherry, Bubblegum, and Pineapple Vanilla. Watermelon is the best smelling out of the bunch by far, it smells like the artificial watermelon flavor of candy but it's still the most noticeable and pleasant. The Orange Vanilla was one of two that came with a broken safety seal. To me it smells just like plastic, no sweet or creamy to it. My boyfriend says he smells a slight vanilla but nothing too prominent. The smell could also be lessened because it is an herbal balm. The Bubble Gum also came with a broken safety seal, it smells like a very artificial bubble gum scent and not sweet like one would imagine; if you're looking for something like Hubba Bubba or Bubbalicious, this is not the one for you. The Cherry is the second best smelling. It smells like artificial cherry but it's not too bad. You can definitely tell it is Cherry. I was really excited for the Pineapple Vanilla, I figured it would be something very different from what I have in my collection already. The scent is very light and only the pineapple is detectable. I was disappointed in this, I have tons of Pineapple balms and tons with great pineapple scent but I was looking for something different.
Wear: The ones that I was able to apply go on with very minimal force, so they go on okay--they aren't the smoothest but definitely aren't the hardest to apply. They also go on VERY thick, one or two swipes is more than enough. It kind of feels like the balm is just sitting on my lips however and not really penetrating to get my lips smooth. I guess since this has SPF that may be a good thing so it doesn't wear away so fast? They last about 2 hours which is great, especially if you're out and about in the sun.
Packaging: They non-herbal balms are your average sized tube of lip balm with identical blue labels. The only thing indicating that they are different flavors are the different colored bands on the top of the tube that match the indicated flavor. There isn't anything crazy special about the lip balm but it is waxy so it could stand up to some wear and tear with frequent use. The herbal flavor has a green label that is identical to the blue labels and has a colored band indicating the flavor. Nothing too crazy or flashy from these. I'm truly indifferent to this packaging.
Price: For the non-herbal flavors they are $1.25 a piece and for the herbal flavor it is $2.25. Pretty great price for a decent product. They aren't natural but do have SPF (15 for non-herbal, 30 for herbal).
Overall:
Pros: Variety of flavors, wear, price
Cons: Weak scents, long time for delivery, unsealed balms
Rating: 3 out of 5 twists, they aren't phenomenal and the bad customer service will forever keep me from purchasing from them again. Once I run out of these, I doubt I'll buy any more. For the price, I suppose that it's worth it to purchase one as a spare to throw into an extra bag or in the car.
Plum Valley Notions
I've realized in this last couple weeks that when I get tired or it's late at night, I tend to turn to the Internet and buy tons of impulsive things. Including clothes I'll never wear and lip balms I haven't thought a lot about. I'm trying to break that habit by buying only balms I've had my eye on for quite a while before purchasing (this of course does not include when I buy balms in person). That being said, here is another brand I chose out of impulse on Etsy.com.
Company: Plum Valley Notions
Flavors: Blueberry Lemonade, Coconut Banana, and Lemon. I always buy something Lemon to use as a flavor comparison, I also really love lemon. The Lemon doesn't smell like just a lemon or even lemon and sugar. It smells like Lemon Cake or Lemon Pound Cake. I am not a fan of this at all. It could be because I was expecting something that was just like lemon and not like a baked good but there's something about the way it smells that I don't particularly enjoy. If you're looking for something that is similar to a lemon cupcake, this may be the balm for you. As for the Coconut Banana, it is once again mostly just banana. I'm not sure if it's because banana as a fruit is extremely strong and fragrant and ends up being too overpowering in lip balms combined with other scents, but I can't seem to find a perfect blend of coconut and banana. It smells like a warm banana, or perhaps just reminds me of a warm banana nut muffin (what is with this baked goods?). The Blueberry Lemonade was also not what I was expecting. Unlike the Blueberry Lemon from Orange Thyme that I mentioned in a previous blog, this one is all blueberry and only a light scent at that. I can't smell any of the lemony goodness that I was expecting =(. It takes a long inhale for me to catch a whiff of anything distinct.
Wear: These balms go on easy enough once you get past the uneven edges (I'm assuming from being hand poured into the tubes?). It's hard to get a good application at first especially since in one swipe you get tons of crumbly pieces from the uneven edges. This was really unpleasant for me as I kept ending up with crumbs of lip balm in my mouth. After I broke away these edges the balm went on pretty smooth. I'm sure many people don't mind these edges but to me it really interferes with a good application and it's a bother to get the balm started.
Packaging: I was somewhat surprised but what I received in the mail after looking at the tubes online. Online the tubes had a nicely printed label on an average sized white tube of lip balm. What I received were tubes with labels that look like they were just printed on address labels and stuck to the tube. The label contains the company name, the flavor, and the ingredients. Since these are just labels stuck onto tubes, I assume that the ink will rub off with frequent use since there is nothing to protect it from wear. I'm sure to some this is not that big of a deal, and it really isn't. But it just wasn't what I was expecting. I am also the type to buy according to the packaging of a tube of lip balm and appreciate a nicely done label. I wasn't too impressed with the packaging on these balms.
Price: I bought 3 for $7.75 which comes out to about $2.58 a piece. A great price for an all natural balm, more so if the product is phenomenal but acceptable for an OK product.
Overall:
Pros: Price, all natural beeswax balm
Cons: Flavors not as indicated, packaging, difficulty starting application
Rating: 2 out of 5 twists, these balms just weren't my cup of tea. I'm sure I'll throw them into a beach bag or in the car as an emergency balm but it's not something I would buy again. I just didn't enjoy them and felt really disappointed with the flavors. This is not to say you won't enjoy them, but I did not. I always hate rating balms low, but alas it is the truth and the truth is what must be written.
Flavors: Blueberry Lemonade, Coconut Banana, and Lemon. I always buy something Lemon to use as a flavor comparison, I also really love lemon. The Lemon doesn't smell like just a lemon or even lemon and sugar. It smells like Lemon Cake or Lemon Pound Cake. I am not a fan of this at all. It could be because I was expecting something that was just like lemon and not like a baked good but there's something about the way it smells that I don't particularly enjoy. If you're looking for something that is similar to a lemon cupcake, this may be the balm for you. As for the Coconut Banana, it is once again mostly just banana. I'm not sure if it's because banana as a fruit is extremely strong and fragrant and ends up being too overpowering in lip balms combined with other scents, but I can't seem to find a perfect blend of coconut and banana. It smells like a warm banana, or perhaps just reminds me of a warm banana nut muffin (what is with this baked goods?). The Blueberry Lemonade was also not what I was expecting. Unlike the Blueberry Lemon from Orange Thyme that I mentioned in a previous blog, this one is all blueberry and only a light scent at that. I can't smell any of the lemony goodness that I was expecting =(. It takes a long inhale for me to catch a whiff of anything distinct.
Wear: These balms go on easy enough once you get past the uneven edges (I'm assuming from being hand poured into the tubes?). It's hard to get a good application at first especially since in one swipe you get tons of crumbly pieces from the uneven edges. This was really unpleasant for me as I kept ending up with crumbs of lip balm in my mouth. After I broke away these edges the balm went on pretty smooth. I'm sure many people don't mind these edges but to me it really interferes with a good application and it's a bother to get the balm started.
Packaging: I was somewhat surprised but what I received in the mail after looking at the tubes online. Online the tubes had a nicely printed label on an average sized white tube of lip balm. What I received were tubes with labels that look like they were just printed on address labels and stuck to the tube. The label contains the company name, the flavor, and the ingredients. Since these are just labels stuck onto tubes, I assume that the ink will rub off with frequent use since there is nothing to protect it from wear. I'm sure to some this is not that big of a deal, and it really isn't. But it just wasn't what I was expecting. I am also the type to buy according to the packaging of a tube of lip balm and appreciate a nicely done label. I wasn't too impressed with the packaging on these balms.
Price: I bought 3 for $7.75 which comes out to about $2.58 a piece. A great price for an all natural balm, more so if the product is phenomenal but acceptable for an OK product.
Overall:
Pros: Price, all natural beeswax balm
Cons: Flavors not as indicated, packaging, difficulty starting application
Rating: 2 out of 5 twists, these balms just weren't my cup of tea. I'm sure I'll throw them into a beach bag or in the car as an emergency balm but it's not something I would buy again. I just didn't enjoy them and felt really disappointed with the flavors. This is not to say you won't enjoy them, but I did not. I always hate rating balms low, but alas it is the truth and the truth is what must be written.
So delayed!
I have had a whirl wind of a week! I have not been able to sit down and rest, which means I haven't been able to write up a review either. Visiting my boyfriend's parents always means running around from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to sleep, including the days we say we'll take it easy and do nothing (which often means we'll go for a run, then a four hour walk, then play 9 holes of golf...oy). But, on this trip I was able to pick up about seven or ten balms; they're all scattered about our luggage so I'm not quite sure how many I have right now. In addition to my new balms I also found about seven new pairs of sunglasses all for about $0.99 a piece! Yay!
I should let you guys know that I have FINALLY acquired the limited spring flavors from Chapstick, Orange Cream Burst and Chocolate Rush! I didn't think I'd ever find them since I was unable to find the limited edition Candy Cane flavor from this past winter =(. I almost cried when I saw them in their so very cute packaging. A lot of high fives and celebration were had between my boyfriend and I. I will try to get that review up ASAP.
I will also try to write up a review in just a moment but I am exhausted since we just got in about three hours ago and ran out to get dinner and just finished up eating about 30 minutes ago.
I appreciate your patience with this whirlwind of a week!
--The Chapstick Wrangler
I should let you guys know that I have FINALLY acquired the limited spring flavors from Chapstick, Orange Cream Burst and Chocolate Rush! I didn't think I'd ever find them since I was unable to find the limited edition Candy Cane flavor from this past winter =(. I almost cried when I saw them in their so very cute packaging. A lot of high fives and celebration were had between my boyfriend and I. I will try to get that review up ASAP.
I will also try to write up a review in just a moment but I am exhausted since we just got in about three hours ago and ran out to get dinner and just finished up eating about 30 minutes ago.
I appreciate your patience with this whirlwind of a week!
--The Chapstick Wrangler
Friday, March 16, 2012
Coming up this week!
I'm headed to Los Angeles tomorrow afternoon so next week I'll be on vacation, but I'm definitely going to try to post on my usual Thursday night if not earlier. I'll try to bring a whole stash of balms with me so I'll have some options on what to show you guys. But here's some brands that may show up next week:
I could also throw a curve ball and write about something completely different, but I'll try not to do that =). Also, since I'll be on vacation there is a likelihood that I'll pick up some new balms which would mean I'd write about something not pictured here.
--The Chapstick Wrangler
Lemon Citrus--Additional Balms
I wrote a review last week on balms by Lemon Citrus and felt pretty iffy about the balms I picked up. They were good but there was something about them that just didn't make them perfect to me. The seller did have a mini sale on her products shortly after I purchased the other balms so I picked up a couple I hadn't purchased yet, the packaging is so cute I just couldn't help myself! I was so glad to purchase again from her, this just goes to show that things may be worth a second try.
Company: Lemon Citrus
Flavors: Lemon Sugar, Blood Orange, and Black Cherry. I had picked Lemon Sugar and Blood Orange and was pleasantly surprised to see Black Cherry included as a freebie! Usually I'm so iffy about trying cherry balms (even though I LOVE cherries) and am so glad I got to try it. The Black Cherry is super fragrant and not too sweet. Smells just like delicious cherries. I was very pleasantly surprised by it. The Lemon Sugar is great as well, very soft and delicate sugary lemon scent--just like lemonade. It's also very pleasant. The Blood Orange was a bit of a disappointment, I'm used to their super fragrant scents and this one I could hardly smell the scent that is characteristic of a blood orange--citrus sweetness with a bit of an edge. There is a very, VERY light scent of orange. But not just orange, it smells a little different but not like blood orange. I don't know how to describe it. But it's very light so if you don't like super fragrant balms, this may be one to try.
Wear: Of course the application is very smooth, don't have to push it. Smooth from the get-go. Lasted about 1.5-2 hours, of course I always end up eating or drinking so they could last longer.
Packaging: As you've seen before there are delightful labels on average sized lip balm tubes. The labels are color coded to match the flavor. I just love the way the flavor is in a curly cute script. The packaging was the first thing that I noticed and really pushed me to purchase these.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping, not too bad for a natural lip balm.
Overall:
Pros: Flavors, packaging, wear, price
Cons: None with this batch, only the blood orange wasn't as expected but not a total deal breaker
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 twists, perhaps it was the flavors I picked last time that made me not like them so much. But these ones were great.
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| Super cute packaging as always <3. |
Flavors: Lemon Sugar, Blood Orange, and Black Cherry. I had picked Lemon Sugar and Blood Orange and was pleasantly surprised to see Black Cherry included as a freebie! Usually I'm so iffy about trying cherry balms (even though I LOVE cherries) and am so glad I got to try it. The Black Cherry is super fragrant and not too sweet. Smells just like delicious cherries. I was very pleasantly surprised by it. The Lemon Sugar is great as well, very soft and delicate sugary lemon scent--just like lemonade. It's also very pleasant. The Blood Orange was a bit of a disappointment, I'm used to their super fragrant scents and this one I could hardly smell the scent that is characteristic of a blood orange--citrus sweetness with a bit of an edge. There is a very, VERY light scent of orange. But not just orange, it smells a little different but not like blood orange. I don't know how to describe it. But it's very light so if you don't like super fragrant balms, this may be one to try.
Wear: Of course the application is very smooth, don't have to push it. Smooth from the get-go. Lasted about 1.5-2 hours, of course I always end up eating or drinking so they could last longer.
Packaging: As you've seen before there are delightful labels on average sized lip balm tubes. The labels are color coded to match the flavor. I just love the way the flavor is in a curly cute script. The packaging was the first thing that I noticed and really pushed me to purchase these.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping, not too bad for a natural lip balm.
Overall:
Pros: Flavors, packaging, wear, price
Cons: None with this batch, only the blood orange wasn't as expected but not a total deal breaker
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 twists, perhaps it was the flavors I picked last time that made me not like them so much. But these ones were great.
Olimax Soap
I am SO sorry I've been late on my posts lately, I've been super busy and have barely had time to sleep let alone write up some reviews. Next week I'll try to make sure I post on Thursday like I usually do. My Etsy.com obsession is just going to keep continuing. I just love the variety of flavors I can find online.
Company: Olimax Soap
Flavors: Banana Coconut, Orange Creamsicle, and Lemonade. I'm obsessed with lemon anything so beware that there may be an influx of balms containing lemon in the next few weeks. Back to these flavors...all of them have this subtle perfumey, soapy smell lingering over the scent of the balm. I haven't yet decided if that is a good thing or a bad thing yet. I don't usually like really perfumey balms and prefer just scented lip balms that smell like the flavor they are supposed to. The Banana Coconut is very much banana, I have yet to find the coconut part to it. I was really hoping to find an awesome banana coconut blend since I haven't come across that before but this was pretty much just banana. The Lemonade isn't like lemonade, I only sense the perfume-y scent and when applied it doesn't really have a noticeable scent to it. It's a little disappointing since I love lemon and lemonade lip balms. For the Creamsicle flavor, it's a very subtle orange scent and a little hint of cream. I think this is the best flavor out of the three I picked out.
Wear: They go on super smooth and it doesn't take much to get full coverage. I did notice that some went around the outside of my lips, but it also could be how I apply it because I tend to be a little over zealous with putting on lip balm. Pretty decent though. It lasts about 2 hours.
Packaging: Very simple and plain labels on average size lip balm tubes. There are white labels with color bands around the top and bottom of the tube to match the indicated flavor. The company name and a pink flower are also included on the tube. It is the paper kind of label though, no waxy covering so I could see the ink wearing away with frequent use.
Price: I bought 3 for $7.50 which is a heck of a deal, for 1 it's $3 which is not too bad for a natural, vegan lip balm.
Overall:
Pros: Wear, Price, simple label
Cons: Flavors weren't as expected
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 twists, I wasn't too impressed with these balms. The price is phenomenal for three tubes. The wear is great also if you're looking for a spare balm or to try a new balm that isn't too costly.
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| I love when sellers put effort into their packaging. |
Flavors: Banana Coconut, Orange Creamsicle, and Lemonade. I'm obsessed with lemon anything so beware that there may be an influx of balms containing lemon in the next few weeks. Back to these flavors...all of them have this subtle perfumey, soapy smell lingering over the scent of the balm. I haven't yet decided if that is a good thing or a bad thing yet. I don't usually like really perfumey balms and prefer just scented lip balms that smell like the flavor they are supposed to. The Banana Coconut is very much banana, I have yet to find the coconut part to it. I was really hoping to find an awesome banana coconut blend since I haven't come across that before but this was pretty much just banana. The Lemonade isn't like lemonade, I only sense the perfume-y scent and when applied it doesn't really have a noticeable scent to it. It's a little disappointing since I love lemon and lemonade lip balms. For the Creamsicle flavor, it's a very subtle orange scent and a little hint of cream. I think this is the best flavor out of the three I picked out.
Wear: They go on super smooth and it doesn't take much to get full coverage. I did notice that some went around the outside of my lips, but it also could be how I apply it because I tend to be a little over zealous with putting on lip balm. Pretty decent though. It lasts about 2 hours.
Packaging: Very simple and plain labels on average size lip balm tubes. There are white labels with color bands around the top and bottom of the tube to match the indicated flavor. The company name and a pink flower are also included on the tube. It is the paper kind of label though, no waxy covering so I could see the ink wearing away with frequent use.
Price: I bought 3 for $7.50 which is a heck of a deal, for 1 it's $3 which is not too bad for a natural, vegan lip balm.
Overall:
Pros: Wear, Price, simple label
Cons: Flavors weren't as expected
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 twists, I wasn't too impressed with these balms. The price is phenomenal for three tubes. The wear is great also if you're looking for a spare balm or to try a new balm that isn't too costly.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Lemon Citrus
As you must know by now, I've been obsessed with browsing and buying on Etsy.com So here's another brand I happened to stumble across. Also, the packaging the balms came in was SO cute that I had to take pictures of it and every step of me opening it. You can really tell a lot of love and care went into packaging and creating these balms.
Company: Lemon Citrus
Flavors: Sugar Plum, Honeycrisp Apple, Asian Pear, Sweet Potato, Pineapple Coconut, and Chocolate Banana. I chose flavors that I don't usually pick; normally I'm a citrus-y kinda girl and didn't pick any of those this time. I had very high expectations for these new flavors. The Sugar Plum has a very fragrant, sweet scent. There's something lingering behind it though, I can't quite put my finger on it. The Honeycrisp Apple smells very perfume-like with a light, faint scent of apple. The Asian Pear smells more like a granny smith apple with a dash of pear in it.(I still haven't found the perfect Asian Pear balm, if anyone has a recommendation for a good one, please let me know!). The Chocolate Banana smells JUST like a banana split sundae, smells a little nutty too. I think maybe I just associate nuts with banana because I always think my banana balms smell a little nutty..hmm. The Pineapple Coconut has a lot of pineapple in it, I can't smell the coconut so much but it's still pleasant. The Sweet Potato was definitely a gamble. I wanted to try a flavor I had never even seen before in lip balm, I was expecting something very unique and pretty much just bought this out of my curiosity. It smells just like raw sweet potato, I was expecting something sweeter like the sweet potatoes you eat at Thanksgiving that are baked and a little sweetened with brown sugar. All of these balms are really fragrant and are only scented and not flavored or sweetened. When I put them on though I don't even get the faint idea that I'm tasting something like I usually do with scented balms.
Wear: These balms go on very smooth, they aren't the smoothest ones I have but they are pretty smooth. They last at least an hour and a half. They make my lips feel pretty smooth. I find when I inhale deeply with my mouth open and wearing these balms I get a strange feeling on my lips. It's a little weird to describe but it's very similar to what happened when I tried the e.l.f. therapeutic conditioning balm.
Packaging: I LOVE this packaging. I was instantly drawn into these balms because of the way they look. They are your average sized lip balm tube, clear with colored labels designed to match the said flavor. They've got a cute script on the label stating what the flavor is.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping. The perfect price for a natural, handmade balm.
Overall:
Pros: Variety of flavors, packaging, price, application
Cons: I wish there had been a little flavor to them
Rating: 3.5 out of 5, I had really high expectations for this balm but I feel like I was a little disappointed. I haven't found myself using these balms much, other than for the purpose of this review. But, it could also be because I've bought so many balms the last two weeks that I just haven't had time to work them into daily use. I bought two other balms that should be arriving next week, they're citrus-y so hopefully I'll like them better. If you like a strictly scented balm, these are probably the ones for you!
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| Look at how cute this is! The tag had my name on it, so I flipped it over just to protect my identity I suppose. |
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| So cute that the package was sealed with this tape and hearts. |
Company: Lemon Citrus
Flavors: Sugar Plum, Honeycrisp Apple, Asian Pear, Sweet Potato, Pineapple Coconut, and Chocolate Banana. I chose flavors that I don't usually pick; normally I'm a citrus-y kinda girl and didn't pick any of those this time. I had very high expectations for these new flavors. The Sugar Plum has a very fragrant, sweet scent. There's something lingering behind it though, I can't quite put my finger on it. The Honeycrisp Apple smells very perfume-like with a light, faint scent of apple. The Asian Pear smells more like a granny smith apple with a dash of pear in it.(I still haven't found the perfect Asian Pear balm, if anyone has a recommendation for a good one, please let me know!). The Chocolate Banana smells JUST like a banana split sundae, smells a little nutty too. I think maybe I just associate nuts with banana because I always think my banana balms smell a little nutty..hmm. The Pineapple Coconut has a lot of pineapple in it, I can't smell the coconut so much but it's still pleasant. The Sweet Potato was definitely a gamble. I wanted to try a flavor I had never even seen before in lip balm, I was expecting something very unique and pretty much just bought this out of my curiosity. It smells just like raw sweet potato, I was expecting something sweeter like the sweet potatoes you eat at Thanksgiving that are baked and a little sweetened with brown sugar. All of these balms are really fragrant and are only scented and not flavored or sweetened. When I put them on though I don't even get the faint idea that I'm tasting something like I usually do with scented balms. Wear: These balms go on very smooth, they aren't the smoothest ones I have but they are pretty smooth. They last at least an hour and a half. They make my lips feel pretty smooth. I find when I inhale deeply with my mouth open and wearing these balms I get a strange feeling on my lips. It's a little weird to describe but it's very similar to what happened when I tried the e.l.f. therapeutic conditioning balm.
Packaging: I LOVE this packaging. I was instantly drawn into these balms because of the way they look. They are your average sized lip balm tube, clear with colored labels designed to match the said flavor. They've got a cute script on the label stating what the flavor is.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping. The perfect price for a natural, handmade balm.
Overall:
Pros: Variety of flavors, packaging, price, application
Cons: I wish there had been a little flavor to them
Rating: 3.5 out of 5, I had really high expectations for this balm but I feel like I was a little disappointed. I haven't found myself using these balms much, other than for the purpose of this review. But, it could also be because I've bought so many balms the last two weeks that I just haven't had time to work them into daily use. I bought two other balms that should be arriving next week, they're citrus-y so hopefully I'll like them better. If you like a strictly scented balm, these are probably the ones for you!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Trader Johann's Virtuoso
Last weekend when I went home to visit my parents, my dad took my sister and I to lunch. After lunch we decided to go to Trader Joe's and of course, I've heard of the lip balm they sell there and have heard nothing but great things about it so I was on the hunt for it. We picked up some random things while perusing the store until my sister and I found the lip balm. I could not wait to try it! Since the balms come in packs of three, I was planning to give one to my sister and my dad and keep one for myself. My dad told me he didn't want one because he was okay with his green tube of Blistex that has been a staple in our house since I was very little. I told him to at least try the Trader Johann's lip balm and as soon as he put it on he was sucked into it. Let's get to it now, shall we?
Company: Trader Joe's
Flavor: Virtuoso (Spearmint). I usually do not like spearmint at all, peppermint is more my cup of tea. But, I really, really enjoyed this spearmint balm. It felt so soothing and refreshing to put on. It has a clear, distinct scent of spearmint and I find it quite pleasant. When I lick my lips it tastes just like minty toothpaste, which isn't terrible (not that I encourage eating toothpaste).
Wear: It goes on so very smooth, pretty slick goes on easy with one swipe while providing great coverage. It also contains SPF 15 which is always an added bonus for any balm. I also think that the spearmint scent would be able to cover up any bad breath that you may have which is a perk for wearing this balm. It also lasts about 2 hours which is great!
Packaging: It's your average sized lip balm tube. It's a white tube with a white and green label with Virtuoso and Lip Balm in big letters and their slogan "Music to your lips" beneath it. Very homemade/Trader Joe's feel. Pretty simple packaging even though it does contain a lot of writing on it.
Price: This is the BEST deal I have found for lip balm anywhere (okay except for a couple occasions where I got lip balm for about $0.40 and $0.67). It's $2.49 for 3 balms! It only comes in a pack of three but that's the price you'd normally pay for just ONE tube anywhere else, making this quite the steal. It comes down to about $0.83. That's even cheaper than a stick of Chapstick brand lip balm, but with 50% organic ingredients! I'd lean for the Virtuoso.
Overall:
Pros: Flavor, Packaging, PRICE!, Wear
Cons: I wish there were more flavors! They've got a great formula, I wish there were more!
Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, unless you're totally against spearmint or mint balms, you should totally invest in a pack of these. Even if you only need one, you can always share with others =).
Flavor: Virtuoso (Spearmint). I usually do not like spearmint at all, peppermint is more my cup of tea. But, I really, really enjoyed this spearmint balm. It felt so soothing and refreshing to put on. It has a clear, distinct scent of spearmint and I find it quite pleasant. When I lick my lips it tastes just like minty toothpaste, which isn't terrible (not that I encourage eating toothpaste).
Wear: It goes on so very smooth, pretty slick goes on easy with one swipe while providing great coverage. It also contains SPF 15 which is always an added bonus for any balm. I also think that the spearmint scent would be able to cover up any bad breath that you may have which is a perk for wearing this balm. It also lasts about 2 hours which is great!
Packaging: It's your average sized lip balm tube. It's a white tube with a white and green label with Virtuoso and Lip Balm in big letters and their slogan "Music to your lips" beneath it. Very homemade/Trader Joe's feel. Pretty simple packaging even though it does contain a lot of writing on it.
Price: This is the BEST deal I have found for lip balm anywhere (okay except for a couple occasions where I got lip balm for about $0.40 and $0.67). It's $2.49 for 3 balms! It only comes in a pack of three but that's the price you'd normally pay for just ONE tube anywhere else, making this quite the steal. It comes down to about $0.83. That's even cheaper than a stick of Chapstick brand lip balm, but with 50% organic ingredients! I'd lean for the Virtuoso.
Overall:
Pros: Flavor, Packaging, PRICE!, Wear
Cons: I wish there were more flavors! They've got a great formula, I wish there were more!
Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, unless you're totally against spearmint or mint balms, you should totally invest in a pack of these. Even if you only need one, you can always share with others =).
Crazy Rumors: Perk Collection
Alright as promised, I've got a new review this week for you. I obviously went a little crazy buying Crazy Rumors lip balm this past winter because I own almost every flavor that they offer. I go a little balm crazy when I find a new brand that has so many new flavors that I'm not used to. For you coffee lovers, this may be the collection for you.
Company: Crazy Rumors
Flavors: Amaretto, French Vanilla, Mocha, and Coffee Bean. Like I said, if you like coffee this may be the collection for you. I, on the other hand, am not a huge fan of coffee. I do enjoy it occasionally and I used to love it back in high school but I don't really drink it more than once or twice a year now (I'm definitely more of a tea person). That being said, there needs to be some caution when you read my descriptions of these flavors. Amaretto, I bought this because it reminded me of my roommate's attempt at making some homemade amaretto liqueur. It is VERY much like the liqueur. Very almond-y and VERY fragrant, the whole drawer that it's kept in smells just like it. It reminds me of a cherry coke smell also, but only sometimes. This one may be too fragrant for me, I wasn't all that pleased with it compared to the other balms from their collections. I was expecting to like French Vanilla, but it was a very, very faint vanilla smell and had a bland taste and scent. It wasn't anything phenomenal. I guess I was expecting something a little bit sweeter in scent. The Mocha flavor also is a very faint scent, I wasn't all too impressed with it. Perhaps that's how it is intended to be but as a lover of the occasional mocha frappuccino I was expecting something more like that. Coffee bean I did not like at all. I usually love the way coffee beans smell, so warming and just feels like home when you smell them, but I did not find that here. I'm sure coffee lovers would love it though! This one was also more fragrant than the French Vanilla or Mocha.
Wear: Like the other Crazy Rumors balms they go on crazy smooth. Just one or two swipes and you're good to go! They last a long time as well, close to two hours. The typical quality you find with these balms. They're just fabulous all around, even if I don't like the flavors the wear is still great.
Packaging: Clear tubes that are your average size of lip balm tube. Labels with their mascot on it and color banners to match the flavor. The collection has a unique color scheme just like the other collections. The little seal at the top on these balms say "A Coffee Break For Your Lips". Cute, I love that extra effort to make each safety seal unique for each collection.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping. The typical price you find for a natural, vegan balm.
Overall:
Pros:Packaging, Wear, Price, Easy application, Long lasting
Cons: I didn't really enjoy the flavors, perhaps they could be a little sweeter? To each his (or her) own.
Rating: 3 out of 5 twists, not my favorite collection from them but still not a bad collection. If you love coffee, you should definitely give these a try.
Flavors: Amaretto, French Vanilla, Mocha, and Coffee Bean. Like I said, if you like coffee this may be the collection for you. I, on the other hand, am not a huge fan of coffee. I do enjoy it occasionally and I used to love it back in high school but I don't really drink it more than once or twice a year now (I'm definitely more of a tea person). That being said, there needs to be some caution when you read my descriptions of these flavors. Amaretto, I bought this because it reminded me of my roommate's attempt at making some homemade amaretto liqueur. It is VERY much like the liqueur. Very almond-y and VERY fragrant, the whole drawer that it's kept in smells just like it. It reminds me of a cherry coke smell also, but only sometimes. This one may be too fragrant for me, I wasn't all that pleased with it compared to the other balms from their collections. I was expecting to like French Vanilla, but it was a very, very faint vanilla smell and had a bland taste and scent. It wasn't anything phenomenal. I guess I was expecting something a little bit sweeter in scent. The Mocha flavor also is a very faint scent, I wasn't all too impressed with it. Perhaps that's how it is intended to be but as a lover of the occasional mocha frappuccino I was expecting something more like that. Coffee bean I did not like at all. I usually love the way coffee beans smell, so warming and just feels like home when you smell them, but I did not find that here. I'm sure coffee lovers would love it though! This one was also more fragrant than the French Vanilla or Mocha.
Wear: Like the other Crazy Rumors balms they go on crazy smooth. Just one or two swipes and you're good to go! They last a long time as well, close to two hours. The typical quality you find with these balms. They're just fabulous all around, even if I don't like the flavors the wear is still great.
Packaging: Clear tubes that are your average size of lip balm tube. Labels with their mascot on it and color banners to match the flavor. The collection has a unique color scheme just like the other collections. The little seal at the top on these balms say "A Coffee Break For Your Lips". Cute, I love that extra effort to make each safety seal unique for each collection.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping. The typical price you find for a natural, vegan balm.
Overall:
Pros:Packaging, Wear, Price, Easy application, Long lasting
Cons: I didn't really enjoy the flavors, perhaps they could be a little sweeter? To each his (or her) own.
Rating: 3 out of 5 twists, not my favorite collection from them but still not a bad collection. If you love coffee, you should definitely give these a try.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Reviews to (hopefully) come this week
Hi all!
Thank you so much for reading, the numbers of people reading this blog has been escalating rapidly so thank you for reading and spreading the word! I've got a lot of work going on the next two weeks but am going to try my hardest to get some posts up for you guys. I've still got a brand from last week that I received but I didn't review, I also happened to get three more tubes this weekend from different brands. I'll post some pictures of what you can expect over the next two weeks. I may also surprise you by posting other things that I haven't been able to photograph yet.
Thank you so much for reading, the numbers of people reading this blog has been escalating rapidly so thank you for reading and spreading the word! I've got a lot of work going on the next two weeks but am going to try my hardest to get some posts up for you guys. I've still got a brand from last week that I received but I didn't review, I also happened to get three more tubes this weekend from different brands. I'll post some pictures of what you can expect over the next two weeks. I may also surprise you by posting other things that I haven't been able to photograph yet.
Hopefully I'll also be able to write about the newest balms I've acquired this weekend.
Stay tuned!
--The Chapstick Wrangler
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Orange Thyme
I apologize in advance if this entry is much longer than my usual ones. My love ended up ordering me 7 balms and then I bought 3 and then with each purchase there was 1 freebie so this review will be on 12 flavors of amazing lip balm. As I've been saying for a couple of weeks now, I'm obsessed with Etsy.com and especially now homemade/handmade lip balms. Handmade lip balms are so much better quality (from what I've experienced so far) than anything you can buy in stores, plus they come in a crazy amount of flavors that you wouldn't find anywhere else. Be prepared for tons of words and tons of pictures.
Company: Orange Thyme
Flavors: Brace yourself. Toasted Coconut, Blueberry Lemon, Pomegranate Lemon, Lemon Creme (told you, I'm obsessed with Lemon right now!), Coconut Mango, Key Lime Pie, Lychee & Red Pear, Rhubarb Strawberry, Passion Fruit, Blood Orange (I'm kinda obsessed with this right now too) and the two freebies: Earl Grey Tea and Frozen Banana.
Toasted Coconut-It smells absolutely delicious, very light coconut but a lot toasty. Kind of reminds me of popcorn sometimes. I love this smell. It's absolutely delightful.
Blueberry Lemon-My first ever blueberry lip balm and I love it. It smells just like blueberry lemonade or a blueberry lemonade martini (the reason behind why I wanted to try this is because I had one a few weeks ago and LOVED it, yum!). It's not too much blueberry or too much lemon, a nice harmony between the two. Love.
Pomegranate Lemon-I was expecting a very bitter pomegranate like the few other pomegranate balms I have but I thought the lemon would be a nice complement to it. Boy, was I right! It smells like candy and summer time, very sweet and uplifting. It makes me instantly happy whenever I smell it.
Lemon Creme-Very light lemony scent, but can definitely sense a light hint of vanilla or something to give it that creamy aroma. It's light and refreshing. Another fave!
Coconut Mango-I was really excited for a tropical balm, I LOVE mango and am always trying to find a perfect mango balm. I feel that the mango was overpowered in this balm by the coconut. There's a strong scent similar to the one found in the toasted coconut. It is a very decadent balm that's for sure. Occasionally I catch a light whiff of sweet mango which is very pleasant!
Key Lime Pie-I LOVE key lime pie and am always feeling a little daring when I come across one because I always want to buy it, hoping that it will be like my favorite dessert. I always find that the balms are too limey though and not enough creaminess that I find when I dig into a slice of Key Lime Pie. This balm was also very limey =(. Not as limey as the others but still more lime than I was hoping for. Still a delightful balm.
Lychee & Red Pear-I was really excited for this one, I LOVE lychee and never come across it anywhere, especially not in a balm. I didn't know what to expect since Lychee has such a light scent to it. This balm has a sweet, light, perfume-like scent to it. Not quite sure if it really captures lychee essence or not. I think I'm smelling more red pear in it. Either way it is a very light, delicate balm that I'll be wearing on the days I'm feeling a bit more girlish.
Rhubarb Strawberry-I did not know what to expect from this. My boyfriend really wanted me to get it because it was different and he said he liked Rhubarb Strawberry Pie. I didn't even know what Rhubarb was until I googled it, then I REALLY didn't know what to expect. This balm has a sweet, tart smell to it. I can definitely tell there's some strawberry in there and a hint of something extra (which I'm assuming is the rhubarb, but then again I've never had it before). It's wonderful! I was pleasantly surprised.
Passion Fruit-Companies always are a hit or miss with passion fruit I feel like. Sometimes I really love it, sometimes I really wish I hadn't purchased it. This one is somewhere in the middle. It is definitely a delicate, very fruity scent. It's a crisp scent. Very pleasant.
Blood Orange-Compared to the other blood orange I purchased from Firebird Bath & Body (found in my previous review), this one is much more typical orange than the characteristic scent of blood orange. Regardless it is a strong, citrus-y scent and I adore it! If you love citrus, you will love this! Very sweet!
Earl Grey Tea-Although I am a tea fanatic, I've never had Earl Grey Tea. I don't know why but I just never have. My boyfriend says he loves it so he's really happy I got it as a freebie (I'm assuming it may get stolen from my collection, so I'm on guard). But it smells just like a cup of tea, I was surprised that I loved the scent. It's light but definitely there. I'm not curious as to how the tea is because of how good this balm smells.
Frozen Banana-Smells fabulous! Dead on for banana, not too over powering and not too light. It's just right, I love it! In mine it smells like there is a light undertone of nuts, reminds me a little of a banana split sundae. Fabulous.
Wear: I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW AWESOME IT GOES ON! It is THE smoothest balm by far I've ever put on. A great amount of product goes on with just ONE swipe, it may even be too much! I love, love, love the way this feels when I put it on. It feels so smooth and moisturizing. I feel like my lips are really nourished when I put it on. My lips look great after I put on the balm. The balms last about 2 hours each, longer if I could just stop drinking water in between! But I love putting it on so much that I secretly hope it wears off, just so I can put it on again. Yes, it is THAT good.
Packaging Very cute labels! The labels on the tubes are color coded to the flavors, each label is different in color. The flavor is ascribed on the label in a font that looks like it was hand written. It's very unique and delightful to look at. It is your average size tube of lip balm. Wonderful.
Price: $3.25 plus shipping. It is totally worth it for this natural, handmade balm. It is such a high quality product; I'm so happy I purchased!
Overall:
Pros:FLAVORS, SCENTS, PACKAGING, PRICE, WEAR!
Cons:Absolutely nothing
Rating: 5 out of 5, you should definitely think about investing in at least a couple of these just to try out the plethora of flavors she carries.
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| Look how cute they arrived, it was hard to take pictures when all I wanted to do was open those cute little bundles of lip balm. |
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| Some of the balms listed in the review are missing because one was not sent with the others but I did receive it just two days later and with a freebie included. |
Flavors: Brace yourself. Toasted Coconut, Blueberry Lemon, Pomegranate Lemon, Lemon Creme (told you, I'm obsessed with Lemon right now!), Coconut Mango, Key Lime Pie, Lychee & Red Pear, Rhubarb Strawberry, Passion Fruit, Blood Orange (I'm kinda obsessed with this right now too) and the two freebies: Earl Grey Tea and Frozen Banana.
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| The Toasted Coconut came with a little tip on top, still usable and still wonderful <3. |
Blueberry Lemon-My first ever blueberry lip balm and I love it. It smells just like blueberry lemonade or a blueberry lemonade martini (the reason behind why I wanted to try this is because I had one a few weeks ago and LOVED it, yum!). It's not too much blueberry or too much lemon, a nice harmony between the two. Love.
Pomegranate Lemon-I was expecting a very bitter pomegranate like the few other pomegranate balms I have but I thought the lemon would be a nice complement to it. Boy, was I right! It smells like candy and summer time, very sweet and uplifting. It makes me instantly happy whenever I smell it.
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| The Lemon Creme came a little disfigured, but I love it nonetheless =). |
Coconut Mango-I was really excited for a tropical balm, I LOVE mango and am always trying to find a perfect mango balm. I feel that the mango was overpowered in this balm by the coconut. There's a strong scent similar to the one found in the toasted coconut. It is a very decadent balm that's for sure. Occasionally I catch a light whiff of sweet mango which is very pleasant!
Key Lime Pie-I LOVE key lime pie and am always feeling a little daring when I come across one because I always want to buy it, hoping that it will be like my favorite dessert. I always find that the balms are too limey though and not enough creaminess that I find when I dig into a slice of Key Lime Pie. This balm was also very limey =(. Not as limey as the others but still more lime than I was hoping for. Still a delightful balm.
Lychee & Red Pear-I was really excited for this one, I LOVE lychee and never come across it anywhere, especially not in a balm. I didn't know what to expect since Lychee has such a light scent to it. This balm has a sweet, light, perfume-like scent to it. Not quite sure if it really captures lychee essence or not. I think I'm smelling more red pear in it. Either way it is a very light, delicate balm that I'll be wearing on the days I'm feeling a bit more girlish.
Rhubarb Strawberry-I did not know what to expect from this. My boyfriend really wanted me to get it because it was different and he said he liked Rhubarb Strawberry Pie. I didn't even know what Rhubarb was until I googled it, then I REALLY didn't know what to expect. This balm has a sweet, tart smell to it. I can definitely tell there's some strawberry in there and a hint of something extra (which I'm assuming is the rhubarb, but then again I've never had it before). It's wonderful! I was pleasantly surprised.
Passion Fruit-Companies always are a hit or miss with passion fruit I feel like. Sometimes I really love it, sometimes I really wish I hadn't purchased it. This one is somewhere in the middle. It is definitely a delicate, very fruity scent. It's a crisp scent. Very pleasant.
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| This was the balm that wasn't included with the rest initially, blood orange, and the frozen banana was the freebie included. The seller is so amazing with communication and sent it out right away. |
Earl Grey Tea-Although I am a tea fanatic, I've never had Earl Grey Tea. I don't know why but I just never have. My boyfriend says he loves it so he's really happy I got it as a freebie (I'm assuming it may get stolen from my collection, so I'm on guard). But it smells just like a cup of tea, I was surprised that I loved the scent. It's light but definitely there. I'm not curious as to how the tea is because of how good this balm smells.
Frozen Banana-Smells fabulous! Dead on for banana, not too over powering and not too light. It's just right, I love it! In mine it smells like there is a light undertone of nuts, reminds me a little of a banana split sundae. Fabulous.
Wear: I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW AWESOME IT GOES ON! It is THE smoothest balm by far I've ever put on. A great amount of product goes on with just ONE swipe, it may even be too much! I love, love, love the way this feels when I put it on. It feels so smooth and moisturizing. I feel like my lips are really nourished when I put it on. My lips look great after I put on the balm. The balms last about 2 hours each, longer if I could just stop drinking water in between! But I love putting it on so much that I secretly hope it wears off, just so I can put it on again. Yes, it is THAT good.
Packaging Very cute labels! The labels on the tubes are color coded to the flavors, each label is different in color. The flavor is ascribed on the label in a font that looks like it was hand written. It's very unique and delightful to look at. It is your average size tube of lip balm. Wonderful.
Price: $3.25 plus shipping. It is totally worth it for this natural, handmade balm. It is such a high quality product; I'm so happy I purchased!
Overall:
Pros:FLAVORS, SCENTS, PACKAGING, PRICE, WEAR!
Cons:Absolutely nothing
Rating: 5 out of 5, you should definitely think about investing in at least a couple of these just to try out the plethora of flavors she carries.
Maybelline Baby Lips
Thank you Emily for requesting this review! As per request I'll be reviewing Maybelline's Baby Lips. I love Maybelline products and I love lip balm and occasionally some lip tint so I figured why not buy some of these to encompass three things that I love? It's a little harder to categorize these balms the usual way I categorize them (i.e. flavors, wear, etc) because of the color component but I'll try my best!
Company: Maybelline
Flavors: Pink Punch, Peach Kiss, and Cherry Me. My favorite out of the three is Cherry Me, it smells just like a cherry sweet tart, those candies I ate when I was a child. It smells like a sweet candy and provides a light shade of red. The next would be Peach Kiss, it smells like a subtle hint of peach, but more like the really fake kind of peach and is a light peachy, sheer color. It's like a shimmery nude color. It adds a faint color on lips. The Pink Punch doesn't have too much of a scent at all, it's very very light. The color is supposed to be I'm assuming a brighter pink, surely more so than the Peach Kiss but to me it's just a light pink.
Wear They all go on very smooth so there isn't really any hassle with the application. For the Cherry flavor, the red color is somewhat buildable, you can create more red color just by applying more. I like it because it's not too outstanding of a red that I could wear on a regular basis. The peach is just a sheer color on the lips, it gives a subtle hint of nude/peach color but nothing tremendous. It gives a somewhat gold shimmer. I wear it just to give my lips a little something extra for more casual days. The Fruit Punch hardly shows up for me, it may be because I've got a darker complexion so a light pink won't show up but I didn't find any difference upon wearing this one. The fruit punch was more of an impulse buy than the other two. I believe they advertise 8 hours of protection but I don't really remember any of them lasting a substantial amount of time, perhaps an hour or so. Also, they aren't as shiny as shown in the picture. Lighting effects and the way colors show up on different computer screens affect the way the colors appear, this is just to give you somewhat of an idea as to what to expect.
Packaging: The packaging is cute, seems very child-like to me though. It's about the size of a tube of Nivea lip balm and has bases that are different colors for each flavor. Each tube has a clear cap that covers the whole tube with the words "Baby Lips" all over it. I'm not too impressed by the packaging but it does stand out in my lip color drawer. I'm not sure what audience they were trying to target.
Price: About $3 if you buy it at Walmart. Not a terrible price at all for a lip color/lip balm. It's much cheaper than a lip stick and about the same price as other lip balm that doubles as lip color.
Overall:
Pros: Price, application, variety of colors, packaging
Cons: Little difference using lip color
Rating: 3.5 out of 5. It's worth a shot if you've been curious about it, I'm sure the darker shades will show up the best out of all the flavors and if you have a lighter complexion I'm sure you'll have better results with the lighter shades. I'm also hoping to try Peppermint and Quenched which are more just balms than lip color.
Flavors: Pink Punch, Peach Kiss, and Cherry Me. My favorite out of the three is Cherry Me, it smells just like a cherry sweet tart, those candies I ate when I was a child. It smells like a sweet candy and provides a light shade of red. The next would be Peach Kiss, it smells like a subtle hint of peach, but more like the really fake kind of peach and is a light peachy, sheer color. It's like a shimmery nude color. It adds a faint color on lips. The Pink Punch doesn't have too much of a scent at all, it's very very light. The color is supposed to be I'm assuming a brighter pink, surely more so than the Peach Kiss but to me it's just a light pink.
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| This is to demonstrate what the colors look like on my skin. From left to right: Cherry Me, Peach Kiss, and Pink Punch. These were done with two applications of the balms on my skin. |
Packaging: The packaging is cute, seems very child-like to me though. It's about the size of a tube of Nivea lip balm and has bases that are different colors for each flavor. Each tube has a clear cap that covers the whole tube with the words "Baby Lips" all over it. I'm not too impressed by the packaging but it does stand out in my lip color drawer. I'm not sure what audience they were trying to target.
Price: About $3 if you buy it at Walmart. Not a terrible price at all for a lip color/lip balm. It's much cheaper than a lip stick and about the same price as other lip balm that doubles as lip color.
Overall:
Pros: Price, application, variety of colors, packaging
Cons: Little difference using lip color
Rating: 3.5 out of 5. It's worth a shot if you've been curious about it, I'm sure the darker shades will show up the best out of all the flavors and if you have a lighter complexion I'm sure you'll have better results with the lighter shades. I'm also hoping to try Peppermint and Quenched which are more just balms than lip color.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Reviews to look forward to this week
I thought I'd give you all a sneak peak to what's coming up within the next week:
Possibly a few others if they arrive in the mail this week and if I have time to write up some reviews on other balms I've got hangin' out in my collection.
Let me know if there are any brands you would like me to review!
--The Chapstick Wrangler
Let me know if there are any brands you would like me to review!
--The Chapstick Wrangler
Hugo Naturals
As you've probably read before in some of my posts, I have a good friend who often surprises me with lip balm on random occasions. About a month and a half ago she kept telling me she picked up some lip balms she wanted me to try. Today, I'll review one of the brands from that day. I also went out and purchased the other flavors to give a comparison on flavor and wear.
I know it's so surprising for me to post during the week versus at the end of the week, but I figured I've got an influx of new lip balms coming my way so I better start reviewing!
Company: Hugo Naturals
Flavors: Grapefruit, Vanilla and Sweet Orange, and Pineapple & Coconut. The flavor my friend picked up for me was grapefruit. It has a very, very, very subtle scent which is not surprising since grapefruits are such delicate fruits. It's not a plain balm but definitely not a strong scented balm. The Pineapple & Coconut balm didn't have a scent at all like Pineapple or Coconut, I was really disappointed in this. I love Pineapple and Coconut and was really hoping that this balm would be awesome. The best flavor out of these three was definitely Vanilla and Sweet Orange, you can definitely tell there's a scent of orange in there and a light hint of vanilla. Neither scent is over bearing or stronger than the other, it was a perfect blend.
Wear: Each balm had a different consistency and application which I was also disappointed in and confused about because I figured the balms would all go on in the same manner. The grapefruit one was stiff at first and then went on with only minimal difficulty, it softened up just a little during application. This balm however lasted OVER THREE HOURS, it even lasted through a shower! I was AMAZED. That is the longest I've ever had a balm last before, which is why I had to absolutely purchase the other flavors. Unfortunately, the pineapple & coconut continued to disappoint me. It was absolutely the stiffest balm I've ever tried to use. The balm never softened up and it just felt like I was trying to force a balm on lips, my lips were dragging with it! It felt uncomfortable on my lips and I just had to rub it off. I don't know what was wrong with this particular balm I picked up but it was just dreadful, other tubes may be better I don't know if I just had bad luck with this one or not. The Vanilla and Sweet Orange went on so smooth! It was just a little stiff in the beginning and very quickly softened up. It went on great and lasted very close to 3 hours, my unfortunate habit of eating constantly tends to interrupt how long a balm lasts. I'm really confused as to why three different flavors of balm made by the same company could all be so different when it comes to application and consistency, I had hoped that each product would maintain at least some sort of consistency.
Packaging: I love the packaging on these balms! They look so sophisticated, they're your average size tube of balm but clear with a brown label with a colored band that matches the flavor. You definitely get a natural feel from this balm. I really enjoy the packaging.
Price: About $3.39. A pretty good price, I wished there had been more consistency in the quality of the product however.
Overall:
Pros: Packaging, price, variety of flavors, natural, lasts FOREVER
Cons: Lack of consistency, one balm was awful in comparison to the rest
Rating: 3.5 out of 5, if I was rating just the Vanilla and Sweet Orange I'd say 4.25 out of 5. If you were to go out and buy this balm I'd most definitely recommend the Vanilla and Sweet Orange flavor.
I know it's so surprising for me to post during the week versus at the end of the week, but I figured I've got an influx of new lip balms coming my way so I better start reviewing!
Flavors: Grapefruit, Vanilla and Sweet Orange, and Pineapple & Coconut. The flavor my friend picked up for me was grapefruit. It has a very, very, very subtle scent which is not surprising since grapefruits are such delicate fruits. It's not a plain balm but definitely not a strong scented balm. The Pineapple & Coconut balm didn't have a scent at all like Pineapple or Coconut, I was really disappointed in this. I love Pineapple and Coconut and was really hoping that this balm would be awesome. The best flavor out of these three was definitely Vanilla and Sweet Orange, you can definitely tell there's a scent of orange in there and a light hint of vanilla. Neither scent is over bearing or stronger than the other, it was a perfect blend.
Wear: Each balm had a different consistency and application which I was also disappointed in and confused about because I figured the balms would all go on in the same manner. The grapefruit one was stiff at first and then went on with only minimal difficulty, it softened up just a little during application. This balm however lasted OVER THREE HOURS, it even lasted through a shower! I was AMAZED. That is the longest I've ever had a balm last before, which is why I had to absolutely purchase the other flavors. Unfortunately, the pineapple & coconut continued to disappoint me. It was absolutely the stiffest balm I've ever tried to use. The balm never softened up and it just felt like I was trying to force a balm on lips, my lips were dragging with it! It felt uncomfortable on my lips and I just had to rub it off. I don't know what was wrong with this particular balm I picked up but it was just dreadful, other tubes may be better I don't know if I just had bad luck with this one or not. The Vanilla and Sweet Orange went on so smooth! It was just a little stiff in the beginning and very quickly softened up. It went on great and lasted very close to 3 hours, my unfortunate habit of eating constantly tends to interrupt how long a balm lasts. I'm really confused as to why three different flavors of balm made by the same company could all be so different when it comes to application and consistency, I had hoped that each product would maintain at least some sort of consistency.
Packaging: I love the packaging on these balms! They look so sophisticated, they're your average size tube of balm but clear with a brown label with a colored band that matches the flavor. You definitely get a natural feel from this balm. I really enjoy the packaging.
Price: About $3.39. A pretty good price, I wished there had been more consistency in the quality of the product however.
Overall:
Pros: Packaging, price, variety of flavors, natural, lasts FOREVER
Cons: Lack of consistency, one balm was awful in comparison to the rest
Rating: 3.5 out of 5, if I was rating just the Vanilla and Sweet Orange I'd say 4.25 out of 5. If you were to go out and buy this balm I'd most definitely recommend the Vanilla and Sweet Orange flavor.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Long Winter Farm Soap Co.
The other packages I received this week, in addition to my Firebird Bath & Body package I mentioned in my previous post, were from another company I found on Etsy.com. I had actually found a picture of their balms on Pinterest.com and what quickly caught my interest was the flavor of the lip balm, "Unicorn Farts". I thought, how unusual! And how cool! I have a secret, well it's not a secret to those who know me personally, but yes a secret...I love Unicorns. I don't know why but I've always just loved Unicorns! So I figured I had to look into other balms this company made, in addition to purchasing "Unicorn Farts" which to me seemed like a perfect combination of two things I'm obsessed with (definitely more obsessed with lip balm though.)
Company: Long Winter Soap Co.
Flavors: Vanilla Pear, Chocolate Orange, Unicorn Farts, Yetti Breath, and Neon Narwhal. It should be known when buying this lip balm that each balm has an underlying scent of cocoa because of the cocoa butter used in the balm. The maker states that but boy did I underestimate it! It is really pleasant but kind of overpowers most of the scents of the balms, but I still find myself applying it over and over because it's just so wonderful. The Vanilla Pear definitely has hints of vanilla and a clear scent of pear that can be detected over the cocoa scent. It's a really great and unique scent, pear is such an underrated flavor of lip balm. The Chocolate Orange hits the scent dead on. The cocoa scent just brings out the chocolate scent in the balm and there is that characteristic scent of a sweet orange. It's absolutely delicious and perfect in every way. Unicorn Farts is intended to smell like cotton candy and spearmint and if you're patient you can smell the cotton candy over the cocoa. You can definitely tell there is something minty in the balm and something sugary like the long time carnival treat. This is definitely a combination I've never encountered before, it's unique and surprising. Yetti Breath is supposed to be a combination of lemon and coconut, two scents that I love more than any other so I was really excited to receive this balm. But the scent of cocoa really overpowered this balm and I haven't quite noticed a lemony or coconutty scent. When I first opened the tube I smelled a slight scent of coconut but since then I haven't noticed it. I'm hoping as I work down the tube it will be more noticeable (which at the rate I'm going may be within the next week!). Neon Narwhal is intended to smell like berries and coconut; I was expecting a very unique scent since I've never come across berries mixed with coconut in a balm. I can only smell a slight scent of berries over the cocoa. Nevertheless, I adore the cocoa scent. I don't usually like chocolate or cocoa or anything like that but I really do enjoy this balm.
Wear: It goes on incredibly smooth! And I feel like the cocoa base makes my lips feel all warm and soothed. I feel like it just melts into my lips. I love the way it feels going on. It lasts about an hour or so which is great.
Packaging: It's the same weight as your average lip balm, but in an oval tube! I love these oval tubes. To me they appear smaller than the usual tubes even though they're the same weight. I love the idea that I'm putting on a little, mini lip balm. Each one has a unique label, that gives you a sense that there's a touch of handmade. The balms are also filled over the usual spot that you'd expect the balm to stop so that's different and if you're like me and get annoyed when the cap scrapes the balm then you'll just have to be careful when taking on and off the cap till you've used it. Also when the balm arrives it's in a plastic shrink wrap that seems like you only need to pull off the part on the cap but then when analyzing the bottom near the wheel you use to twist the balm up, you see that the plastic covers that part as well. That being said it appears that the entire wrapping needs to come off but without it the label looks like it will wear down very fast. For this reason, I've kept some of the wrapping on three of the tubes and took the plastic off on the other two tubes. I like the way the plastic looks on the label.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping. Classic price for a handmade, natural balm.
Overall:
Pros: Oval tube, price, application, long lasting, variety of flavors, uniqueness of flavors, natural
Cons: Label without plastic feels like it'll fade, cocoa in some balms is a little overwhelming,
Rating: 4 out of 5 twists, I would definitely purchase again. I've never felt a balm go on to my lips like this one does, it truly feels like it's melting into my lips.
Flavors: Vanilla Pear, Chocolate Orange, Unicorn Farts, Yetti Breath, and Neon Narwhal. It should be known when buying this lip balm that each balm has an underlying scent of cocoa because of the cocoa butter used in the balm. The maker states that but boy did I underestimate it! It is really pleasant but kind of overpowers most of the scents of the balms, but I still find myself applying it over and over because it's just so wonderful. The Vanilla Pear definitely has hints of vanilla and a clear scent of pear that can be detected over the cocoa scent. It's a really great and unique scent, pear is such an underrated flavor of lip balm. The Chocolate Orange hits the scent dead on. The cocoa scent just brings out the chocolate scent in the balm and there is that characteristic scent of a sweet orange. It's absolutely delicious and perfect in every way. Unicorn Farts is intended to smell like cotton candy and spearmint and if you're patient you can smell the cotton candy over the cocoa. You can definitely tell there is something minty in the balm and something sugary like the long time carnival treat. This is definitely a combination I've never encountered before, it's unique and surprising. Yetti Breath is supposed to be a combination of lemon and coconut, two scents that I love more than any other so I was really excited to receive this balm. But the scent of cocoa really overpowered this balm and I haven't quite noticed a lemony or coconutty scent. When I first opened the tube I smelled a slight scent of coconut but since then I haven't noticed it. I'm hoping as I work down the tube it will be more noticeable (which at the rate I'm going may be within the next week!). Neon Narwhal is intended to smell like berries and coconut; I was expecting a very unique scent since I've never come across berries mixed with coconut in a balm. I can only smell a slight scent of berries over the cocoa. Nevertheless, I adore the cocoa scent. I don't usually like chocolate or cocoa or anything like that but I really do enjoy this balm.
Wear: It goes on incredibly smooth! And I feel like the cocoa base makes my lips feel all warm and soothed. I feel like it just melts into my lips. I love the way it feels going on. It lasts about an hour or so which is great.
Packaging: It's the same weight as your average lip balm, but in an oval tube! I love these oval tubes. To me they appear smaller than the usual tubes even though they're the same weight. I love the idea that I'm putting on a little, mini lip balm. Each one has a unique label, that gives you a sense that there's a touch of handmade. The balms are also filled over the usual spot that you'd expect the balm to stop so that's different and if you're like me and get annoyed when the cap scrapes the balm then you'll just have to be careful when taking on and off the cap till you've used it. Also when the balm arrives it's in a plastic shrink wrap that seems like you only need to pull off the part on the cap but then when analyzing the bottom near the wheel you use to twist the balm up, you see that the plastic covers that part as well. That being said it appears that the entire wrapping needs to come off but without it the label looks like it will wear down very fast. For this reason, I've kept some of the wrapping on three of the tubes and took the plastic off on the other two tubes. I like the way the plastic looks on the label.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping. Classic price for a handmade, natural balm.
Overall:
Pros: Oval tube, price, application, long lasting, variety of flavors, uniqueness of flavors, natural
Cons: Label without plastic feels like it'll fade, cocoa in some balms is a little overwhelming,
Rating: 4 out of 5 twists, I would definitely purchase again. I've never felt a balm go on to my lips like this one does, it truly feels like it's melting into my lips.
Firebird Bath & Body: Blood Orange, Asian Pear, Lemon Sugar
As I've been telling you all, I've been addicted to going on Etsy.com and looking at all different kinds of handmade balms. It was very hard to limit my purchasing to just a few brands because I can tell you right now, I've got about 30 items in my cart that I'm dying to purchase. My boyfriend even went beyond his promised 11 balms to 13! Apparently there was a glitch in our text messages and he was really going to buy me only 5 so I was happy with 11 but he surprised me by letting me get two more, I'm such a lucky girl =). Anyhow, this particular brand I've been wanting to try for months now and finally got around to purchasing a few balms during a pre-order sale. My only regret was not ordering more!
Company: Firebird Bath & Body, formerly Flourish Bath & Body
Flavors: Blood Orange, Asian Pear, Lemon Sugar. I've been very addicted to lemon lip balms lately, just can't get enough of them! This Lemon Sugar balm however was a very subtle lemon scent. I was expecting my usual smack-in-the-face lemon scent. But it was still very pleasant. I was also looking forward to the Asian Pear flavor since I've previously mentioned my bad luck with the only other Asian pear flavor I own. This scent was also very light, at first I couldn't smell it at all. But once I used it two or three times I was able to detect a light, pleasant scent of a crisp Asian pear. Now the Blood Orange was a HUGE surprise for me. Even when purchasing it, I thought that the scent would be very light but boy was I wrong! The scent is definitely there and very characteristic of a blood orange. It is stronger than the other two and so sweet. I absolutely LOVE This flavor. I cannot stop putting it on! I always hope it will wear off so I can put more on but as you'll soon see, I have to wait a while!
Wear: These balms are in no way the smoothest balms I own. They are a little stiff when first being applied and don't appear to warm up a crazy amount. But in this case, I don't really see that as a problem. It goes on with great application without needing to be crazy slick and provides excellent coverage, just a few swipes and you're done. It goes on thicker than other balms and seems just slightly sticky at first but goes away. I actually love the way this balm applies which is what I was also really surprised about because I usually love really soft balms. This balm feels great going on, the thicker consistency feels moisturizing and it lasts FOREVER, at least 2.5 hours! I love these balms!
Packaging: I really love these labels, they are so cute and colorful and match their indicated flavor. They're gorgeous in color, very bright and make me just smile when I see it. The fonts are gorgeous as well, not your usual fonts that you see on a label. These balms look very classy and sophisticated while still maintaining a handmade touch to them. You can really by the look of these balms that someone cared to put enough effort into the product as well as the presentation of the product.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping. Great price for a natural, handmade balm.
Overall:
Pros:Flavors, application, crazy long lasting, natural, packaging, price
Cons: The only con I see is that I don't have more of these balms, does that count?
Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, this is also a MUST have in any lip balm collection.
Flavors: Blood Orange, Asian Pear, Lemon Sugar. I've been very addicted to lemon lip balms lately, just can't get enough of them! This Lemon Sugar balm however was a very subtle lemon scent. I was expecting my usual smack-in-the-face lemon scent. But it was still very pleasant. I was also looking forward to the Asian Pear flavor since I've previously mentioned my bad luck with the only other Asian pear flavor I own. This scent was also very light, at first I couldn't smell it at all. But once I used it two or three times I was able to detect a light, pleasant scent of a crisp Asian pear. Now the Blood Orange was a HUGE surprise for me. Even when purchasing it, I thought that the scent would be very light but boy was I wrong! The scent is definitely there and very characteristic of a blood orange. It is stronger than the other two and so sweet. I absolutely LOVE This flavor. I cannot stop putting it on! I always hope it will wear off so I can put more on but as you'll soon see, I have to wait a while!
Wear: These balms are in no way the smoothest balms I own. They are a little stiff when first being applied and don't appear to warm up a crazy amount. But in this case, I don't really see that as a problem. It goes on with great application without needing to be crazy slick and provides excellent coverage, just a few swipes and you're done. It goes on thicker than other balms and seems just slightly sticky at first but goes away. I actually love the way this balm applies which is what I was also really surprised about because I usually love really soft balms. This balm feels great going on, the thicker consistency feels moisturizing and it lasts FOREVER, at least 2.5 hours! I love these balms!
Packaging: I really love these labels, they are so cute and colorful and match their indicated flavor. They're gorgeous in color, very bright and make me just smile when I see it. The fonts are gorgeous as well, not your usual fonts that you see on a label. These balms look very classy and sophisticated while still maintaining a handmade touch to them. You can really by the look of these balms that someone cared to put enough effort into the product as well as the presentation of the product.
Price: $3.50 plus shipping. Great price for a natural, handmade balm.
Overall:
Pros:Flavors, application, crazy long lasting, natural, packaging, price
Cons: The only con I see is that I don't have more of these balms, does that count?
Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, this is also a MUST have in any lip balm collection.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Dr. Bronner's: Peppermint and Lemon Lime
While doing an errand in nearby Indiana a month ago or so, my boyfriend and I stopped at a Target to do our usual "hunt for items that fulfill our obsessions" which of course meant I got to look for new balms. I picked up a balm that I'd never heard of before and when I first applied it I couldn't help but exlaim, "WOW! It's so smooth!" This of course made me want to find another one of these balms and, as mentioned in one of my previous entries, I picked up some balms at a Whole Foods near by which included another flavor by this company!
Company: Dr. Bronner's Magic "All-One!"
Flavors: The first one I picked up was Peppermint and the second one I picked up was Lemon Lime. The Peppermint has that characteristic minty smell of any peppermint balm but it is a lighter smell, very pleasant. It didn't knock me on my butt with an overload of peppermint which was great. The Lemon Lime doesn't really have a very lemon limey smell to it and actually doesn't have too much of a smell at all which I don't think I really mind. There's something there but it's very light. I like the flavors of both of these balms. They also carry two other balms: Naked (a plain balm) and Orange Ginger.
Wear: As I've previously stated, these balms went on SO SMOOTH. Right from the start it was just perfection. Probably one of the smoothest applications I've ever had. They also last about 1.5-2 hours at a minimum (I realize I always end up eating or drinking sometime after applying the balm which is why each duration of an application of balm is a little different).
Packaging: They're your average sized lip balm tube color coded to the flavor from head to toe. The Peppermint is all Blue and the Lemon Lime is all Green. Easy enough to identify and keep track of. It's a pretty low-key lip balm tube design wise, but has all of the information about the balm straightforward on the front of the tube. Simple. Easy.
Price: Around $3, perfect price! Did I also mention it's a USDA Organic balm? Great price for this product.
Overall:
Pros: Flavors, application, long lasting, packaging, price
Cons:Nothing, it's a great balm! Perhaps more flavors, but I don't think they really need to do that (I just love having tons of different flavors on hand).
Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, definitely pick this up and try it!
Flavors: The first one I picked up was Peppermint and the second one I picked up was Lemon Lime. The Peppermint has that characteristic minty smell of any peppermint balm but it is a lighter smell, very pleasant. It didn't knock me on my butt with an overload of peppermint which was great. The Lemon Lime doesn't really have a very lemon limey smell to it and actually doesn't have too much of a smell at all which I don't think I really mind. There's something there but it's very light. I like the flavors of both of these balms. They also carry two other balms: Naked (a plain balm) and Orange Ginger.
Wear: As I've previously stated, these balms went on SO SMOOTH. Right from the start it was just perfection. Probably one of the smoothest applications I've ever had. They also last about 1.5-2 hours at a minimum (I realize I always end up eating or drinking sometime after applying the balm which is why each duration of an application of balm is a little different).
Packaging: They're your average sized lip balm tube color coded to the flavor from head to toe. The Peppermint is all Blue and the Lemon Lime is all Green. Easy enough to identify and keep track of. It's a pretty low-key lip balm tube design wise, but has all of the information about the balm straightforward on the front of the tube. Simple. Easy.
Price: Around $3, perfect price! Did I also mention it's a USDA Organic balm? Great price for this product.
Overall:
Pros: Flavors, application, long lasting, packaging, price
Cons:Nothing, it's a great balm! Perhaps more flavors, but I don't think they really need to do that (I just love having tons of different flavors on hand).
Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, definitely pick this up and try it!
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