The perfect lip balm? Lovely Cosmetics Peppermint Lip Conditioner review

I recently worked out that not a day has passed since 1994 in which I've not applied lip balm, so it's fair to say I'm well and truly addicted. 

Over the years I've tried pretty much every pot and tube of the stuff going and have settled on this Blistex offering for quite some time now. However, it's petroleum-heavy and I've been increasingly trying to remove petroleum and mineral oil-based products from my skincare regime. A by-product of the oil industry, those ingredients are quite simply an inexpensive way for beauty companies to bulk out their cosmetics and despite popular belief, they are great at keeping moisture out (hence why cross-channel swimmers coat themselves in it!) but aren't actually very good at imparting moisture into the skin. Lips don't have any oil-producing glands, so they need all the help they can get.

What with the wintery weather we've been experiencing recently, my lips have been particularly parched so I was excited to try this Peppermint Lip Conditioner by Sheffield-based artisan company, Lovely Cosmetics, which I was given as a gift by my boyfriend for Christmas. 

I love the ethos of Lovely Cosmetics, whose aim is to make small-scale, natural, cruelty-free skincare. The vintage-style packaging is cute, though the chunky pot is not particularly transportable if, like me, you always like to have a lip balm in your handbag. The Peppermint scent is pleasant and not at all cloying or overpowering. 

As for the balm itself, it's jam-packed full of skin-loving oils - all of which are clearly listed on the pot and on the Lovely Cosmetics website, so you know exactly what you're putting on your skin. If only some of the big beauty players were so transparent about their ingredients!

The Peppermint Lip Conditioner contains:

Persea gratissima (avocado) oil, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, cera alba (beeswax), theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, mentha piperita (peppermint) essential oil, tocopherol (vitamin e) oil

Being oil based, the balm feels quite different to a traditional lip balm. Solid in the pot, it needs to be warmed on the finger before applying on the lips. Once on, it feels immediately nourishing. I can really see how it's earned its 'conditioner' moniker. 

One of my gripes with many lip balms is that they sink in too quickly and require constant replication. This one doesn't. Applied at night, there's still a trace left next morning and lips feel noticeably softer and more moisturised. It's also great for applying before lipstick to create a smooth base. 

This is one of my favourite finds of the last year and I'm a total convert - I've not used my Blistex balm since getting it and I can't see me ever going back. 

The Peppermint Lip Conditioner is £5 and can be bought online here.

If you're Sheffield-based, lots of the city's indie shops are stockists and I'd encourage you to check them out as it's a lovely brand (sorry, not sorry) and worth giving a go.

Berry Nice: Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru

7am: Bold lips from the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru

5pm: Excellent longevity from this matte lip product, albeit with a little bit of dryness in the centre of the lips

I don’t know about you, but with the onset of Autumn I find myself wanting to mix things up in the make-up department. The bright corals and pinks that I’ve worn all summer no longer appeal. I prefer something warmer. Something more, well, autumnal. Enter the berry lip. This one from Bourjois – their Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru – sure does pack a real punch. Forget the whole subtle “I’ve just been eating cherries and they’ve stained my lips” look. This product offers amazing colour pay-off which is not for the faint-hearted.
 
So what’s good about it?
 
It’s an incredibly pigmented matte product. Generally, I find matte textures too drying but this one fares pretty well, even on my parched lips. 

Now let’s just take a moment to admire the gorgeous colour. The texture may not be up everyone's street but the colour itself is actually very wearable and would suit most skin tones. The two images above were taken at different times of the day - it's showing a little more pink in the lower image when the light wasn't as good, but generally I'd describe it as a red-toned berry shade. It’s perfect for the upcoming season and is a great alternative to classic red for lovers of a bold lip.
 
The best thing about this product for me though is the very impressive staying power. Once applied, give it a minute or so to set then you’re good to go for the rest of the day. I applied just one layer at 7am and it survived a full day at work with back to back meetings, breakfast, lunch and innumerable snacks in between. Normally, I would top-up my lip colour at lunch, but I didn’t on this occasion to give it a really good road-test and it fared very well. You can see in the above image that my lips do look dry by the end of the day, but there’s still a noticeable layer of colour there. I can’t think of many other products that would offer that level of longevity.
 
What’s not so good?
 
I found the application a little tricky to master at first. The doe-foot applicator delivers a slightly uneven amount of colour as it glides over the lip, so you have to be really precise. Because the colour is so pigmented, any mistakes are noticeable. Now, I’m not normally a fan of lip liner but a very fine line around the outer edge of the lip did seem to help resolve this. I applied a thin layer of the Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in the line, then blended it in with my finger and I think that gave the best effect.
 
Once you’ve practiced this technique a couple of times, it seems to work very well and the pigmentation and longevity are worth the patience and time it requires to achieve a polished look. 

Overall, the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru gets the thumbs up from me and I’m looking forward to experimenting with the rest of my make-up to really show off the gorgeous colour to its best effect.

I picked up my Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lip Colour in 08 Grand Cru from Boots and it was £8.99.

Will you be trying it or do you run a mile from matte lipsticks?

Daytime bold lips

Things are still looking a bit, well, pasty after emerging from the depths of winter. My go-to remedy for this is always a bold lip. It quickly and easily brightens a tired face and instantly makes you look that little bit more polished. Hell, a pop of colour even lifts my spirits on grey rainy days. Whilst it may not be for everyone as a daytime look, it's worth giving a go if you want an easy to achieve make-up look with a little bit of oomph.

My current favourite bold lip colour is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm in On Fire. The design is very similar to the hugely popular Clinique Chubby Stick, but IMHO, this one is better. The Chubby Sticks are lovely, but their wear time lets them down. On application the Colour Rush Balm is neither sticky nor glossy. It feels comfortable and lightweight on the lips and even once the initial moisture hit has dissipated, it leaves a lovely stain that isn't at all drying.

On Fire is a pretty coral colour that reads a little red and a little pink in different lights. Orange lips are a big look at the moment and this is a much more wearable take on the sometimes unforgiving trend. I particularly like the contrast of it against my pale skin but it would look pretty with a tan, and would suit darker skin tones too. Wear time is really good. So good in fact that I even awoke with coral lips this morning after wearing it yesterday. Here I've paired it with really simple make-up which took just ten minutes to achieve. I happily sport this look for work and it's more than do-able when I'm still bleary eyed and in a rush.

At just £5.99 for the Rimmel balm and £17.00 for the Clinique offering, it's a bit of a no-brainer. Best of all, there's currently a 3 for 2 offer on Rimmel products at Boots.

Get the look

Lips: Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balm, On Fire, £5.99
Face: No.7 Instant Radiance Foundation, Cool Vanilla, £12.50
Under eyes: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer, Light Sand, £18.50
Cheeks: Nars Blush, Deep Throat, £21.50
Eyes: Mac Eyeshadow, Patina, £12.50
Lashes: Max Factor Masterpiece Max, Black/Brown, £9.99
Brows: Mac Eyeshadow, Concrete, £12.50

So there you go, my current favourite daytime look. What do you think? Is a bold lip something you already wear during the day? Or would you not even consider it for work?

Mojito Loves | Korres Wild Rose Lip Butter

Despite my addiction to lip balm I’ve never been a fan of the tinted varieties. Neither moisturising enough, nor packing enough of a colour punch, I’ve struggled to find one that does any of the things it professes to do very well.

One particular foray into the world of tinted balms resulted in a nasty jam-coloured ring around my mouth (never a good look). Another left me with a frosted pink pout which I’m sure looked great in 1987.

However, I've just discovered the Wild Rose Lip Butter from all-natural Greek brand Korres, and in the week since I got my hands on it, I’ve not reached for a single other lip product. That’s practically unheard of for me who would happily change up my lip colour on an hourly basis.

So what’s good about it? First up, it’s super pretty in the pot with a pleasant but not overpowering rose scent. On first dip the butter connection becomes apparent – it feels gorgeously slippy, without being at all greasy or sticky. You can feel the natural ingredients (including shea butter, vitamin C, and linoleic and linolenic acid) working their magic, leaving lips feeling protected, softened and well moisturised. Any good lip balm should do those things but what sets this one apart is the gorgeous colour it imparts. Neither glossy nor matt, the dark shade in the pot gives way to a very subtle red with pink undertones and it is truly lovely.

You know the whole “your lips but better” thing? That. Granted, neither the colour nor the moisture hit are particularly long lasting, but it fades evenly (no nasty ring in sight) and I happily reapply it throughout the day because it’s such a joy to use.

This balm is the first of Korres product I’ve tried but I’ll definitely be giving some of their other offerings a go. I’ve already got a Guava Lip Butter winging its way to me in fact.

Korres Wild Rose Lip Butter is £8.00 including free delivery from Look Fantastic.