Review: Dr Lipp's Nipple Balm for Lips

Why on earth can't I even type or say the name of this product without giggling??!  This product weakens my maturity levels.

When it comes to winter lip care, I always start searching for the thickest lip moisturizer I can kind because honestly me and the cold weather don’t get along. If the cold were a chick, I would push her in front of a bus, Mean Girls style. 

Dr Lipp’s Original Nipple Balm for Lips is a 100% natural lip balm that comes in a small squeeze bottle; which I prefer as it's more sanitary, producing a thick balm formula that doesn't sink into you clips over the like the majority of lip balms but forms an unscented, protective coating that lasts for Hours.

The Nipple/Lip Balm *sniggers* is the thickest lip balm I’ve come across that doesn’t sting my lips (I hate Carmex!!) and what I really love about this balm is apart from how it well it moisturizes my lips against the cold (and the confused looks I get when I show it to people) is that it only has one ingredient ‘ Medical Grade Lanolin’ . . . that even sounds doctor-like.

They don’t even use regular lanolin on this, they used ‘Medical’ loool

I know I’m weird and my sense of humor is definitely off but this just makes me giggle so much!  I have this weird mental image of a mad, genius with electrified hair (who is coincidentally called Dr. Lipp) cackling away over a cauldron. . or Bunsen burner . . .I think I should just end this review here before I showcase just how weird I can be. 

Bottom line is Dr Lipp’s Nipple Balm for Lips = good . . .Evil Dr. Lipp residing in my imagination = misunderstood.

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Review:- St Moriz Bronzing Powder in Dark | #TFWOC

Freeeeedddddoooommm!!!!!!!

We are DONE with the Tans for Women of Colour Project. 

I had NO idea that it would last this long when Laalaa & I put this together in August and while it has been an insightful journey into the world of tanning. I  can’t tell you what a relief it is to be almost done . . .I actually think  I’ll treat myself and take a blog holiday . . . .or not. This week we are focusing on the ‘Best Kept Secret in Self Tanning’ aka St. Moriz.

 

 St Moriz is an affordable range of self tanning mousses, mists and lotions that help you look effortlessly sunkissed. Their formula of English sourced ingredients has helped them win both the Cosmopolitan Beauty Award for Best Body Self Tan 2012 and the Pure Beauty Award 2011, and has been used by X-factor finalist, the cast of Hollyoaks  . . .and the cast of Towie *shudders*

I received two products from St Moriz, the Dark Instant Tanning Lotion and the Dark Bronzing Powder (RRP £4.99), but I am only going to reviewing the St Moriz Dark Bronzing Powder today (because I llllllluuuuuurrrrrrvvvveeee it!) and since this is the last product for the TFWOC project I thought I should sign it off on a high note.

I’m in love with bronzers. Seems like I stock bronzers and MAC’s MSF like they are gold. They just add a bit of a 3d finish to any makeup look that takes it from blah to ‘popping’ *says in a Lil’ Mama’s voice* . The St Moriz Bronzing Powder comes in two shades Light (gold/yellow toned) and Dark (bronze/red toned). I can’t tell you how happy I am that a brand actually has two bronzers with different undertones.

Ladies on the dark skin spectrum tend to have a combination of red and yellow skintones (which is why orange eyeshadow always appears nudish on me) so this red-bronzer is a great add to my collection because its in a shade I can’t easily come across. The best thing about this range is that it is VERY affordable. Doing a quick Google search you can get the St Moriz Dark Bronzing Powder for £2.75 at Fragrance Direct, which is a BARGAIN

The only thing I am not loving this is it’s wear time. Over time I find that the bronze particles become very dull and murky and looks more like a dull shimmer blush than a bronzer, which isn’t really what I’m after but honestly I can just carry this around and reapply to top up the shimmer.

I hope you have all loved the TFWOC reviews from all the Ladies, who have been absolute dulls giving up their blog space and time for almost 7 weeks!!!!

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Review: YSL Rouge Voluptè Lipstick in Vibrant Brown 21

It seems that I am in a big violation of the unspoken (but tweeted) blogger rule of ”never use a product before you've taken pictures of it”. In the case of my YSL Rouge Voluptè lipstick in Vibrant Brown 21, not only have a used it without taking pictures of it . . I've actually been using it regularly for the last couple of months thinking that I've already done a blog post on it when it turns out I really didn't.

So all in all, I’m starting this post with a bit of an apology but seeing as it is one of my favourite and most reached for lippie shades, I thought it was worth doing a blog post review on.

YSL Rouge Voluptè lipsticks are the original and luxury version of the Revlon Lip Butter Lipsticks. They are extremely moisturizing, smooth and creamy, are very pigmented and come in a luxurious shiny, gold packaging topped with a small mirror at the top. As great as YSL rouge voluptè lipsticks are , they really are not longwearing so please take note of that before you shell your money on this.

Vibrant Brown 21 is a warm brown-pink shade that I always seem to go for when choosing nudes are they are the closest to my natural lip colour. As this as a very creamy formula it comes off very pigmented on the lips when swatched but can be easily blended into you lips or lip pencils (depending on how use choose to wear your lipstick).

I love this shade something fierce because it is one of the few lipsticks that I can get away with applying straight onto my lips without a lip pencil or precision. It’s a slap – bang job.

Have you ever tried out any of the YSL lipsticks? I’m thinking of getting the beautiful grape shade in the range to go with this seasons trend.

Don’t forget, I’m holding a giveaway right now so if you want to get your hands on Love Goddess from the Limited Edition MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection , then best get clicking!!!!

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Win MAC "Love Goddess" from the Marilyn Monroe Collection & MORE!!! [GIVEAWAY CLOSED]

I know a lot of you missed out on the recent Marilyn Monroe Collection that MAC currently released so because I'm a bit extra like that . . . and my local MAC store still had some stock left, I've bought an extra Love Goddess Lipstick (as it was my favourite shade) and I'm going to be giving it away to one lucky follower.

To win you HAVE to be following my blog

AND

Tell me what your favourite lipstick brand is (I'm nosey liked that)

UPDATE!!!!!

I'm not sure if it's because I'm feeling try generous or if I've drank too much caffeine today, but I'm going to be EXTENDING my giveaway for 2 more weeks and upping the Prize!!!

Having read through ALL (Yes, all) the comments left for my giveaway, I'm left with a strong impression that many of you love MAC lipsticks but have never had the chance to try it. Soooo on the 22nd of Nov, I am now going to be giving away TWO prizes.

The winner of the first prize will win The Marilyn Monroe LE Love Goddess Lipstick & A MAC lipstick colour of their choice

AND

The runner up prize will win also win a MAC lipstick colour of their choice.

So get entering!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Review: Makebelieve Enhance Glow Tinted Moisturiser #TFWOC

Time for part TWO of the Makebelieve and TFWOC reviews. I told you last week that Makebelieve were absolutely angelic and provided 3 products towards the Tans for Women of Colour Tanning Blogger Project that Laalaa and I have put together with these lovely ladies donating their blogspace to posting reviews.

Grace All That Slap

Safiyah FrootiBeauty

Tass Une Tasse

Hafsa Muslimah Beauty

Sophia Tattooed Tea Lady

Stephanie Nerd about Town

Dija Dija’s World

Lola LolaStar Heart

Last week I reviewed Makebelieve’s Self Tan Lotion with Bronzer; which I am still perving over (smell wise), and this week it’s their Glow Tinted Moisturiser, which is part of their Enhance Range. A range that has been developed to support your tan by enhancing it, so you can expect to find bronzers, tinted moisturisers highlighters and even illuminating concealers within it.

Makebelieve Glow Tinted Moisturiser is described as a hydrating and lightly tinted moisturizer that can be used on your face to get a ‘luminescent facial glow’. To be honest, I don’t think this should be described as a moisturizer as I don’t find it to be either hydrating or moisturing I thought that this much too heavy and thick.

Colour-wise (or tint-wise) when applied all over to my face, this product covered my face in shimmer (which was great) but the tint was so strong that I came off looking a bit cakey and scary. So like with everything I get that doesn’t work exactly the way I want it to . . .I experiment!

Here are some of the best ways I feel that you can experiment with the Glow Tinted Moisturiser; especially if the tint doesn't work that well with your skin tone, to get your moneys worth  

Experimentation 1.1

Use Tinted Moisturiser as a Highlighter

This is how I would use the glow tinted moisturizer as it gave a bit of a shimmer to my everyday dewy look

Experimentation 1.2

Use Tinted Moisturiser under Foundation

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Overall I do stand with my original point that the Glow Tinted Moisturiser is not the best moisturizer on the market but makes an AWESOME highlighter. The shimmer gold tones are easy to work with, when mixed with something and becomes an added bonus to darker skin tones

Have you tried the Glow Tinted Moisturiser? What way have you used it that I could add to my experimentation methods.

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Abi O's Beau Bronz #TFWOC summary post

As you know the TFWOC project has been live and kicking for two weeks now and we have managed to cover 3 brands in that time. Each week we will all test out and review the products on our individual blog and also link back to each others blog so it is easy for you to find a similar skin colour match and discover some new blogs in the process but I thought I should make it that much easier by doing a quick summary post on on all the blogger results here with a link so you can go onto that blogger's blog and read their opinions first-hand.

So these are the fabulous ladies working on the TFWOC project:-

Sophia Tattooed Tea Lady

Safiyah FrootiBeauty

Tass Une Tasse

Grace All That Slap

LaaLaa Dolce Vanity

Hafsa Muslimah Beauty

Yinka Vex in the City

Stephanie Nerd about Town

Dija Dija’s World

Lola LolaStar Heart

Abi O's Beau Bronz - W/B 10th Sept 2012

Dija gave an amazing event review on the Abi O Spray Tanning event. She certainly has a way with words and hopefully this project can fulfil every aim she has set out.

Image courtesy of Dija's World

Another great review of the ABI O event. Lola has an insightful view of the event and has also added lots of points that will help you get through the tanning process just that bit easier. Plus the pictures she took for the evening came out AMAZING, I am actually a bit jealous.

Image Courtesy of LolaStar Hearts

Sophia from Tattooed Tea Lady shows us how the Beau Bronz gradual tan and shimmer tan works on Olive skin tones, so ladies if you use a MAC foundation around a NC/NW30 then the gradual tan might just be what you need to get your skin tanned without looking orange.

Image Courtesy of Tattooed Tealady

Laalaa from Dolce Vanity is loving the Abi O products are ethical, green and cruelty free as this is a BIG ethics factor for her and her blog. I also loved that Laalaa showed how the product gave her hands the 'Midas Touch' so Ladies remember mitts and gloves!!!

Image Courtesy of Dolce Vanity

Dija from Dija's World is a bit anti-shimmer so she shows us the different ways she has experimented with using the shimmer tan, including mixing it with her daily moisturiser

Hafsa of Muslimah Beauty gives us a few tips on how to use this product to keep your holiday glow for just that bit longer.

Safiyah from Frootibeauty might not love the 'potato' like smell of this tan but she certainly loves the glistening gold effect

Image courtesy of Frootibeauty

Lola from Lolastar Hearts definitely loved the glow this product gave her. She even started using it on her legs almost every day after she received it.

The Shimmer that the Shimmer Tan gave Tass from Une Tasse is just amazing. While she is right to mention this product would not be strong enough to tan brown or black skin, it will give you a great shimmer.

I always love reading reviews from Grace of All That Slap. She loves the whole ethical and natural aspect of this product and while she might not use this that much right now because of the season, she would take this on holiday with her.

Last but not least, I give my little two-pence opinion on how the shimmer tan works on NW45 skin

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BB Cream Wars: Gosh Cosmetics vs. Sleek

It seems like forever that I have waited for a bb cream to be available in the UK in a colour that I can actually wear without looking like a pasty ghost.

 Cosmetics Companies, would it kill you to release all the shades at the same time???

After waiting for what seems like forever, two BB creams are finally on the market for the darker ladies and surprisingly they are BOTH drugstore and exclusive to Superdrugs.

Up for the BB cream wars today, fighting for your love and money are the Gosh BB Creams and the Sleek Makeup BB Cream so lets dive into the arena (yes I am in a Hunger Games mode, and yes I am having fun writing the review this way)

Standing at 30ml, in a glossy, black packaging with a RRP of £9.99, we have Gosh Cosmetics’ BB cream.

Acting as a 3 in 1 solution (Foundation, Primer and Moisturiser) with an SPF 15. The Gosh BB Cream in 05 Espresso is spot on shade wise for my skin (MAC reference NW45) and with added mineral pigments to the formulation. It promises to adapt to your skin tone.

 Personally I don’t actually LOVE this BB cream, which is a real shame for me as it is the only bb cream I’ve found in my exact shade. I used this for the best part of two weeks; ditching my everyday Illamasqua Skin Base, and honestly I don’t find that this moisturized my skin at all. I feel that it dried it out and also made my pores on my face a lot more pronounce and broke me out.

Now I do believe that it adapted to my skintone, so on other girls who happen to be a similar skintone to me, this is a great choice but I am starting to think that I don’t have a positive reaction to Gosh skincare products in general, so if it wasn’t for the slight reaction I would be preaching the benefits of this product

And in this Corner, in an sleek (pun intended). black, glossy packaging, we have have Sleek’s

The Sleek Makeup Blemish Balms come in 4 shades and unfortunately for me I seem to be situated in between the medium shade and the darkest shade and while I have a peeve of mixing foundations (I mean REALLY? Who has that kind of time?), I can’t lie that I was tempted to get both, but I went for the medium instead.

The medium is a shade lighter that what I normally go for, so straight off the bat it didn’t look great on me. I looked a bit pale and chalky but I find that it blended well and had a firmer consistency than the Gosh foundation.

Infused with Vitamin C and promising to reduce skin discolouration as well as gradually repair damaged skin. I do feel that this was the most moisturizing of the two and although I didn’t dare leave my house with it on (didn’t want to scare the kiddies), I am considering getting the Dark Shade so I can mix the two foundations together so I can get my moneys worth out of it.

At  50ml, it is 20 ml more than the Gosh foundation and also a £1 cheaper but I found I probably used more of the Sleek BB Cream trying to blend it into my skin than the Gosh one.

 Anyway this is my jumble review of the Drugstore BB Creams. Since there is no real clear-cut winner for me, let’s just assume that they both managed to knock each other unconscious at the same time.

Which BB Cream works for you? Would love to know how it worked because my skin just seems to be having an off month lately

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Review: Gosh Instant Tan Gel in Dark (#TFWOC )

Another Week. Another Tanning product for the ‘Tans for Women Of Colour’ Project.

First off I want to thank everyone for all the positive response we had have so far for the #TFWOC Blogger Project. If you are joining the show a bit late, The TFWOC involves 11 lovely olive, brown or black skinned bloggers who are showing everyone that dark-skinned girls CAN tan and FYI the results are absolutely amazing!

Last Week we kicked things off with reviews of Abi O’s Beau Bronz and I am going to post up a summary of all the posts later on today so you can scan through all the different reviews in one place, and this week we have a Cruelty Free High-street/Drugstore Tan from Gosh Cosmetics.

Containing Day Moist CLR and organic Gojiberry, the Gosh Instant Tan Gel in Dark (rep. £7.69) is a Wash Off, DHA free Tan with Sugar beet extract and corn starch. As DHA is the main ingredient used to tan the skin, I was quite interested to see the effects this tan would have on my dark skin. 

I'm always a sucker for gold and black packaging so that won me off aesthetically. Even though it is shaped a bit like an aerosol can, this comes in comes with a doe foot applicator and comes out with a very dark brown (almost black) formula on my tanning mitt (Yes, i have a Tanning mitt now. After a twitter discussion with Sophia of Tattoed Tealady on twitter and how this was difficult to take off, I went to Superdrug and grabbed a Tanning mitt)

Initially I was impressed. I love the shade of brown my arm went and I thought it had a light soapy fragrance, which wasn’t too bad as far as fragrances go. I showed my swatched arm to my sis and she remarked on how glowy and healthy my swatched arm looked compared to my unswatched arm which honestly when doing a tan project on dark skin is what you want to hear so initially I was pleased as punch . . . until the tingling  . . .and then the burning . . .then the nausea happened

I don’t know what the hell happened because I’ve talked to the other girls who have reviewed the Gosh Instant Tan Gel so far and no one got the symptoms I had but then I am allergic to certain sugars (honey, watermelon, ragweed etc. etc.) so I might have just reacted to the Sugar beet root extract so if you have sensitive skin like me I wouldn’t really recommend this product for you are you might be playing with sugar-flavored fire.

Regardless I was not very impressed with this product because after the 30 odd minutes of fanning my arm and the burning/tingling feeling subsided (FINALLY!), the tan only lasted 2/3 hours before it completely faded away! I made the mistake of tanning too far up my arms into my wrist and tanned the bottom of my palm a bit orangey brown and after 3 hours the tan on my palm wasn’t even visible and seeing as this is meant to last 6/8 hours, I think anyone buying this to use on a night out will be very unimpressed.

Overall I loved the two hours of colour and the shade this product gave me but ladies with sensitive skin I wouldn’t recommend this at all. I didn’t have a positive experience with this product and I doubt you would either. I’m not normally one to give a negative review for a product unless it is absolutely crap but all I have to say is Tingling . . .Burning. . Spent the rest of the day in bed with a raging headache.

If anyone is interested in trying out this product for themselves as maybe my slight allergic reaction to it, doesn’t paint it in the best light. Leave a comment below and I’ll pop it in the post to you.

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Battling London's Hard Water with AreaH20

When I opened up the mountain of products; and yes it was a mountain, I received at the #Livebloggers event on the 11^th of Sept. I was super ecstatic to see that a AreaH20 Shampoo and Conditioner set had been included in the goodie bag especially after reading a review about the AreaH20 Set on Fleur the Force the day before and thinking I would how well that would work on my hair.

AreaH20 is a brand new haircare brand that tailors its product to the water type of the area you live in. London is a hard water area, but the further north you go the softer water gets. If you aren’t too sure about your water type for your area, there is a cute little map on the back of the packaging to help you out (so as long as you passed GCSE geography you are fine).

I am not going to lie. As Fleur’s review was not the most positive, I was shitting bricks (aka a bit apprehensive) because I have quite dry and fine hair and if all the moisture in my hair is stripped without being replaced my hair breaks like straw . . . .straw that has been left in the hot sun on a metal sheet in the middle of the desert (and yes I am slightly exaggerating with that metaphor but you get the idea) but I actually quite like this shampoo.

After shampooing my hair felt very light and squeaky clean and the conditioner works like a deep conditioning balm (and we all know how much I love my deep conditioning hair products). As I detangle my hair as I wash and condition it, I didn’t have a detangling problem and overall I think this did a good job.

The only thing I didn’t really like about this shampoo & conditioner set is its smell. I prefer my shampoos to smell sugary sweet and this has a very natural and cool scent; which would be great as a skincare fragrance, but I’m just not a huge fan.

Overall I actually think this did a better job on my natural chemically straighten afro hair than on my human hair extensions, but I’m going to wait a few more weeks before I subscribe to that train of thought. I think I would class the shampoo as being in between a good clarifying shampoo and a moisturising shampoo as it doesn't completely nourish hair or strip all the oils from it. I’m going to start using this on my natural hair as a replacement for my normal clarifying shampoo from Concoctions and see how that goes.

What do you think of this shampoo and its formulation to work with your area’s water? Is it another gimmick or something that would actually have a big improvement on your hair?

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