A balmy winter...

Of course you know that I'm not talking about the weather because we've just ended the coldest July in 20 years down here in Melbourne! Speaking of the weather - and here's my segue - I do gravitate more to using my lip balms in winter so I felt like doing a bit of a rundown of the lip balms I currently have on rotation.  It's been at least a couple of years since I last did this type of post and I'm confident there are no repeats from the original so it's time...

The pots

All of these little pots live on my bedside table so I like to alternate between them as my nightly lip balms.

• SODA & Co Lip Balm (Orange Splash)*- This natural lip balm is the lightest formula of the three.  The Cocoa Butter rich balm melts under the touch of my fingertips so I end up with subtly slippery soft lips that smell deliciously of orange and cocoa. I get that pleasant whiff of something reminiscent of orange-infused chocolate every time I open the tin so I must admit to opening the tin just to have a little sniff! It's all about the delicious factor with this to be honest! This lip balm doesn't pretend to be a heavy duty formula so it doesn't last through the night although I'll still use it at bedtime if my lips aren't overly dry. You can read my original review here for more detail about ingredients etc.

• Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight Intense Lip Therapy - I bought this as a specific overnight lip treatment after looking for a medium priced luxury balm.  This stuff feels heavy-duty as soon as I put it on - it's very thick and suitably sticky enough for me to know that it's going to hang around on my lips for more than a few minutes and is enriched with ingredients such as shea butter and olive oil. My lips initially feel a little tacky but it settles after a while (or maybe I just become accustomed to it!) and I wake up the next morning with flake-free lips.

• NIVEA Lip Butter (Vanilla & Macadamia)* - I'd just finished a tin a few months ago when I received another as a PR sample which is fortunate because I'd have repurchased this anyway. I find NIVEA's Vanilla & Macadamia lip butter to be one of the most addictive and inexpensive lip balms in my collection so I'll freely admit to going overboard in the reapplication of this before bedtime!  The texture is thick and yes, buttery, so it's not the slightest bit sticky on the lips. It feels extremely comfortable and moisturizing and I'm a fan of the delicious, almost ice-cream, vanilla scent.

The tubes

• Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil - This tube was a swap gift from the very generous Liz some time ago and it also warrants a precious spot on my bedside table because it's so smooth and moisturizing. This is very sheerly tinted - actually pretty much undetectable on my lips - so I've added it to my overnight lip treatment rotation. It makes for a nice little change from dipping my fingers into pots, especially when I've just applied my nightly hand cream!

• Yes To Carrots Conditioning Lip Butter with SPF 15 (Pomegranate) - I don't have too much to say about the formula of this balm because I've not worn it in a little while.  I bought it specifically for the added SPF so I'll wear it when I'm exercising outdoors in the warmer months to protect my lips from sun damage. It's fit for the purpose and is handy to stash in my pocket for reapplication.

Tinted balms

• Yard The Bloss (Balmoral Bliss) - This is a locally produced organic balm/gloss hybrid and that's how it's earned the unique name 'Bloss'.  It's glossy and contains the moisturizing ingredients of a good balm including cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, shea butter, jojoba and olive oil.  Note to self:  Balmoral Bliss is a sheer candy pink that I don't wear often enough because it's a pretty and more subtle alternative to pink lip gloss.  

• Fresh Sugar Rosé Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15 - This is another swap gift, this time from Larie! I've been toting this tinted balm around in my office makeup bag and have been using it as an after lunch lip treatment when my lips have been dehydrated from excruciatingly dry formula matte lipsticks - I love a good old fashioned powdery matte lipstick for that retro look but it never loves me back!  In any case, this balm does feel seriously moisturizing on the lips, like a cushiony protective layer rejuvenating and protecting them from the elements and the colour is very sheer but buildable enough for me to look a little more rosy lipped when I most need it.

• Hurraw! Black Cherry Tinted Lip Balm - This is the newest tinted balm in my rotation and while I hesitated because of the cherry scent - sorry but I'm not a fan of anything cherry flavoured other than fresh cherries themselves - I found that it's not too overwhelming and quite bearable.  This balm feels very light and pretty much weightlessly moisturizing on the lips and the tint is again buildable enough to give me a natural flush as needed.  I also feel quite virtuous using this balm because it's "...100% natural, vegan, made from premium raw, organic and fair trade ingredients". 

Swatched top to bottom in the same order as above

So that is my lip balm collection as it stands for winter 2015! 

What are your favourites? Do you reach for them more in winter or all year round?

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)

Review: SODA & Co Sugar Scrub and Lip Balm

 

I was excited when natural body care brand SODA & Co contacted me to review their products because I'm slightly obsessed with body scrubs and lip balms and these really looked - well honestly - FUN!

 SODA & Co is another local brand, (very local because they're based in Melbourne!) and it came as no surprise to me to learn that their philosophy does focus on a fun approach to natural body products.  In their own words:  "..being natural doesn't have to mean bland or boring. At SODA & Co colour is everything. Our products are a reflection of all things good for you whilst being fun and upbeat." 

SODA & Co products are not tested on animals, are rich in natural plant-based ingredients and are free from any of the following:

Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Tree Nut or Peanut Oils
Parabens
Petrochemicals
Synthetic fragrances
Mineral oils or
Phenoxyethanol


SODA & Co  Sugar Scrub

 

These very appealing and cheerfully packaged body scrubs are described as "All Natural, Mouth Watering Gentle Exfoliating & Moisturising" and come in 3 fragrances not at all surprisingly described as uplifting: Mint Burst, Orange Splash and Pink Lemonade. They're enriched with moisturising ingredients including Cocoa Butter, Jojoba and Vitamin E promising to invigorate and soften the skin and claim to be gentle enough to be used everyday if you like to wake up your skin with a good scrub!

 

 

My impressions:

I received Mint Burst (a mint candy scent which reminds me of Mentos candies if you know what I'm talking about) and Orange Splash and I dipped into Orange Splash first. I found the slightly sweet, zesty natural orange oil scent definitely uplifting without being too cloying or overpowering in any way.  And the scrub itself?  I only needed to scoop out small amounts of this sugar granule scrub and rub onto my damp skin for seriously the scrubbiest scrub experience ever! Moisturising scrubs can often get the balance wrong and skimp on the actual scrubbing granules themselves meaning you have to scrub like crazy to get any kind of result but as you can see in the picture above this dense mix is all about the scrub!

 

Do I sound just a little excited? I can't help it because I was in scrub heaven as this did a fantastic job of exfoliating my skin without stinging or scratching, and because it's a sugar scrub it didn't leave any gritty granules in the shower after rinsing either - always a plus.  The natural oils remain on the skin after rinsing off the scrub and I don't need to moisturise at all afterwards. This is a 2-in-1 exfoliating and moisturising scrub indeed!  

 

 

Ingredients listing for Orange Splash Sugar Scrub:

Sucrose, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Sodium Chloride (Australian Sea Salt), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Vanilla Planifolia Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil.

 

SODA & Co Sugar Scrubs are $26.95 AUD each for 225g of product.

 

 

 SODA & Co Lip Balm

 

These little pots of balm come in 4 flavours:  Mint Burst, Orange Splash, Pink Lemonade and Natural Cocoa.  The key ingredients are Sunflower Seed Oil, Cocoa Butter, Jojoba and Vitamin E to soften and nourish the lips.

 

 

My impressions:

Packaging considerations first - I like the little tin with the nifty screw top lid because it's just so handy to carry around in my purse or pocket with no fear of any mess. The 2 flavours I've received - Natural Cocoa and Orange Splash - smell natural, and very much deliciously edible which makes sense because they are made from recognizable, edible ingredients (see the Orange Splash ingredients listing below). 

 

The balm is a solid texture that melts just enough with a swirl of the fingertips to apply onto my lips and doesn't feel sticky, greasy or waxy at all, just buttery smooth enough to make my lips feel soft and give them a subtle sheen.  I'm quite addicted to reapplying these balms because they are positively yummy and appeal to my fun side - they bring back all kinds of good memories of flavoured balms I loved as a little girl and what could be wrong with that?  Speaking of which, I think these would make great gifts for those little aspiring beauty buffs out there too :)

 

Ingredients listing for Orange Splash Lip Balm:

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Citrus Reticulata (Mandarin) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

SODA & Co lip balms are $8.95 AUD each for 10g of product.

 

 

You can purchase online from the Soda & Co website here.  Free shipping is available to Australia for orders over $25 and New Zealand for orders over $50.

 

 

 (These products were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)