Review: Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15

The Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15 is one of my favourite lip products of all time. I used these tinted lip balms all throughout my winter holiday in Beijing last year and they were so amazing. I find it so difficult to wear colour on my lips when they are dry and cracking because many lipsticks and lip glosses tend to worsen my lips' condition and everything just goes downhill when my lips start to peel. These tinted lip balms were an absolute life saviour. Not only are they ultra nourishing and healing, they are also nicely pigmented and they gave me a surprisingly decent wash of colour over my lips.

The formulation of the Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15 is amazing. A little SPF is always good. I tend to neglect my lips when it comes to sun protection so it doesn't hurt to have a good lip treatment that helps. These lip balms are also intensely moisturising and they actually heal my dry and peeling lips while offering my lips a nice coat of colour. It's really rare to find a product that can do both. You do feel the lip balm on your lips but it's nothing obnoxious. Despite having floral names, these Tinted Lip Treatment actually smell like lemons. It's actually quite citrusy and I'm not a fan of the scent but the product itself is way too good for me to give up.

I have it in two shades: Petal and Rose. I purchased Petal myself and the Rose miniature was a free sample from Sephora. Rose is probably the most famous shade of the line and it is a sheer red that adds just a tiny hint of color to your lips. It's definitely the sheerer of the two and the colour is very simple and classic. It doesn't pack much of a punch but it's definitely a gem when it comes to livening up your look with a sheer wash of dusty red.

Petal looks more like a warm dusty pink. I'm not entirely sure how to describe the colour. It is definitely a slightly darker and muted pink when worn on my lips but there is just a really slight tinge of peachiness that makes the shade look a just a tad fresher and younger.

The Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment retails at S$33 at Sephora. That's quite a hefty price tag for a tinted lip balm but trust me, it is worth every single cent. I would love to pick up a few more shades of the Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in the future!

Review: NIVEA Lip Care

I remember the NIVEA cherry lip balm was one of the first lip balms I bought and as a shy teenager, I thought the red tint was a little too much for me so I gave it to my mum. I did use up an entire stick of Essential Care and that was the end of my relationship with NIVEA lip balms until a few years ago. NIVEA repackaged their Lip Care range and launched some new products like a Pure & Natural line and I decided to give them a go again. This is a collective review of some of the lip balms in the NIVEA Lip Care range currently available.

The Pure & Natural line caught my attention when it first came out but I didn't want to try it because of the relatively unconventional flavors. Only two out of the four flavors in the line are available in Singapore and they are Camomile & Calendula and Olive & Lemon. I didn't like any of the ingredients and I was afraid that I would hate the scent. I did finally pick up the Camomile & Calendula lip balm and I was pleasantly surprised by the scent. I have no idea how to describe the scent but it is nowhere near as repulsive as I expected it to be. It has a very mild scent and I actually really, really enjoy it. The lip balm is fairly thin and it wears off pretty quickly. You definitely have to reapply this pretty often, especially if you are addicted to their slick feel of lip balm on your lips like I am. It does keep your lips nicely hydrated and I find that it works very well under lipsticks.

I chanced upon the Pure & Natural Mint & Mineral lip balm in Bangkok and of course, I had to buy it because I couldn't get it in Singapore. It came in a duo with Essential Care and I thought it was a good chance for me to try out an old product again. I absolutely love the Mint & Mineral flavor. It smells exactly like dental floss and it just reminds me of fresh breath. I love to use this after a meal because the mint smell makes me feel like I've had a breath mint of some sort and it is just so refreshing. It performs the same when it comes to moisturizing my lips as the Camomile & Calendula one so it's hydrating properties are fairly basic.

The Essential Care lip balm has a vanilla scent that is sweet and fairly generic. I find that the texture is a little thicker than the two lip balms from the Pure & Natural line. This means that it stays on my lips for a slightly longer period of time and this does help my lips to feel like they're moisturized for a longer period of time.

My boyfriend bought the NIVEA Men Active Care lip balm during winter last year and he didn't like it so he gave it to me. It doesn't have any scent or colour so this might be suitable for people who are are looking for a very simple and fuss-free lip balm. The texture is more like the lip balms from the Pure & Natural line and I definitely need to go over my lips with it quite a few time to build up the layers to my desired thickness.

As a whole, I think all the NIVEA lip balms perform the same. They are not very thick so that makes them very suitable to be worn under lipstick. If you're bothered by the feel of lip balm on your lips then you may want to give these a try. However, I personally love the slick feel of lip balm on my lips and I find that these don't give me that kind of thickness. They do keep my lips fairly hydrated but they will not be sufficient if I have flaky lips and they are definitely not what you want to rely on in winter. These lip balms are definitely more suitable for normal lips and I do not recommend them to people with very dry lips.

Review: Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color Lip Balm

Lipsticks and lip glosses can be pretty high maintenance, especially when you have peeling lips. As much as I love them, I find myself giving lipsticks and lip glosses a miss more and more often lately. I just don't wish to deal with the colored flakes hanging off my lips and tinted lip balm sounded like a better alternative. I chanced upon the Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color Lip Balm when I was in Bangkok about two months ago. It wasn't available in Singapore then so I was really interested to try it out.

I've never been a fan of the regular Maybelline Baby Lips. I've gone through several tubes of them in my early teens and they are really moisturizing but all the flavors I've tried smelled more like chemical than anything else and it really puts me off. I hate the chemical scent so much that I gave up using the Maybelline Baby Lips altogether. I still have one in Mango that was gifted to me a couple of months back and I don't think the formulation of the Baby Lips have changed much as the chemical smell is still present.

Thankfully, the Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color lip balm smells more pleasant than the regular version. They do have a slightly fruity scent and they definitely do not reek of chemical like the regular Baby Lips. In terms of formulation, the lip balm is very moisturizing and they make my lips feel very smooth. I find myself going through a longer period of time before I feel the need to reapply any sort of lip balm and that's great because the product is keeping my lips nicely hydrated. 

I have four out of five of the Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color and I love them all. They're not very pigmented but they do offer a slight wash of color on my otherwise pale lips and they do impart a very nice shine as well. I wear them on days when I wear makeup to complete my look and also on days when I don't wear makeup to add a hint of color to my face. The four colors that I have are not very pigmented so I can apply them without looking into a mirror. 

The most pigmented of the four that I have is Berry Crush. It's an extremely sheer red that is very wearable. It's probably my favorite of the lot as it's more pigmented and shows up better than the other three colors.

Rose Addict is a sheer rosy pink. It's lighter than Berry Crush but they're still pretty similar in color. It's a very flattering shade of pink that goes well with all sorts of makeup look and I like to throw this into my makeup pouch for use on the go.

Corals are a staple for summer and Coral Flush is a good way to introduce oranges and corals to your makeup look. It's a bright orange but it's not very pigmented and it doesn't look like a lot like orange on my lips. My natural lip color still shows through after I've applied Coral Flush and it looks like a nice shade of coral with an orange undertone.

Cherry Kiss is more of a traditional coral. It has a pink undertone which makes it very wearable. I'm a big fan of coral and I definitely like this color very much as well.

There is one more in the collection, Pink Lolita, which I believe is a light shade of pink. I don't think I will pick that one up but I'll be sure to repurchase Berry Crush!

The Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color lip balms are such great tinted lip balms and I love all the four colors that I have. They're not the most pigmented tinted lip balms but I like that about them because it makes it so easy to use them on the go. I've been using them on a daily basis and they've become a permanent fixture in my makeup routine. Have you tried the Maybelline Baby Lips Loves Color lip balms? Let me know if you like them as much as I do!

Review: MOR Lychee Flower Lip Macaroon

This is my first ever MOR product and I must admit that I only got this because it was on sale. I don't know why I've never really been interested in trying out their products despite the cute packaging and reasonable pricing.

The MOR Lip Macaroon comes in a variety of flavors and I decided to get the Lychee Flower because I really like lychees. The lip balm is packaged in a metal tin and what I found interesting that the product itself is actually placed in a plastic holder than sits in the metal tin. I thought it was a nice touch because the metal tin does not come into direct contact with the product. 

The balm itself is white in the tin and clear when applied. The product does melt onto my finger but I find that I have to go around it a few times to get the desired amount of product. Unlike the Rosebud Perfume Company lip balm, the MOR Lip Macaroon has not melted at all and I think it will hold up slightly better in this insane heat. 

The lip balm tastes great but it doesn't really moisturize my lips. I find myself having to reapply this very often because it kind of disappears rather quickly. I say disappear because I only use this at home, usually before bedtime, and I don't eat or drink much when I have it on so I don't think the lip balm could have worn off. I don't find this lip balm very moisturizing as well so I'm not quite sure if it was absorbed. This is a product that just sits on top of my lips and doesn't do much. I will use up the rest of the MOR Lychee Flower Lip Macaroon but I will not be repurchasing it.

Review: Rosebud Perfume Company

Rosebud Perfume Company makes some of my favorite lip balms. I have the original Rosebud Salve, the Strawberry Lip Balm as well as the Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm.

I'm not a fan of the metal tin packaging so I picked up the squeezy tube version of the original Rosebud Salve and Strawberry Lip Balm. Unfortunately, the Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm is only available in the metal tin so I just leave it on my bedside table. I find that the product tends to melt a little over time and I don't think it will do very well in the hot and humid weather here.

I'm not sure if the formulation of the three products are the same but they do feel the same on my lips. I apply the lip balm generously all over my lips and they do stay on for a pretty long time. The main ingredient of these lip balms are petroleum jelly so the product does sit on top on your lips rather than get fully absorbed. However, I feel that they do help with my dry lips and I really like how they feel on my lips.

The product itself is colored but it does not show up on your skin at all. It's really glossy so you can layer this on top of a lipstick to add an extra oomph as well.

These are great lip balms, especially if you enjoy petroleum-based products like Vaseline. I will repurchase the original Rosebud Salve when I run out and I may pick up the Minted Rose Lip Balm soon!

Review: The Body Shop Lipscuff & Lip Care

I have dry lips and I find some lip products, especially the less hydrating ones like matte lipsticks, a nightmare to wear as they will cling onto any flakes of dry skin on my lips. The Body Shop Lipscuff is the first lip exfoliation product that I've used and I've been using it together with the Lip Care for quite awhile.

The Lipscuff has a light mint flavor which I really enjoy. It comes in a lipstick tube which makes application fun and easy. I usually go around my lips thrice with it and let it sit for about 2 to 3 minutes before washing it off.

It contains crushed fig stone granules that is really fine in texture and mild enough for lip exfoliation and it's recommended for use once to twice a week. It may be a little too gentle for me as my lips are pretty much in dire straits and I find that this does not get rid of all the dead skin.

Exfoliating should always be followed up with a moisturizing product and I like to use the Lip Care after the Lipscuff because I have a mild case of OCD and they come as a pair in my mind. Don't be fooled by the fancy packaging, the Lip Care is just a plain lip balm that is unscented and colorless. It's not the most moisturizing lip balm in the market but I find it sufficiently moisturizing and it does get nicely absorbed.

I find that these are just really average products. They do get their jobs done but that's about it. I have purchased a backup for them because they're so easy to use but I'll be on the lookout for other lip exfoliating duos!