Low Maintenance Kisser

In case you haven’t noticed this about me yet, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I like to be low maintenance in my beauty regimen. I can’t even be bothered to wash my face before bed every night – I certainly don’t put on complex makeup every day. Rare is the day you will see me in eyeliner. I rarely remember to put on lipstick, so I certainly don’t go to the trouble of lip liner and all that.

But I found a great product that is a great lip therapy treatment with a hint of color, which is perfect me to use throughout the day.

It’s by Fresh, and it’s their Sugar Rose Lip Treatment. I am in love with this stuff. First, it feels like a really nice lip balm. It’s not sticky like a lip gloss or thick like a lipstick. Your hair won’t stick to it if the wind blows, and it won’t feather on you after an hour of wear. And it provides a lovely hint of color without any muss or fuss. Also, I know it’s a weird thing to say about a lip product, but it smells fantastic! It smells like lemon sugar.

It has SPF 15 in it, which is important. If you have ever had sunburned lips, you know how painful and annoying that is. And the other thing I love about it? It’s free of parabens and phthalates.

I just saw for the first time on the website that it also comes in a darker plum color and a colorless version if you prefer one of those. I might have to buy both of those.

My one complaint about this is that it’s a bit pricey. At $22.50 for a tube, it kind of makes you flinch. But it’s worth it. I keep one tube in my purse and one with the rest of my makeup in the bathroom. I use it every day. It gives me a finished look without any hassle, and it makes my lips feel great!

I get mine from Sephora but you can also buy it straight from the Fresh website.

Friday Flop: A Nivea Kiss of Death

I am a lip balm/lipstick freak. If my lips aren’t covered in something (Oh, Sean Connery, I don’t mean you!) then they feel dry and in need of a cool drink of something. Nivea’s A Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care with SPF 4 is not that drink of something. Whenever I’m at the grocery or drug store, I’m constantly looking around for something new to put on my smackers. Yeah, yeah, there’s Chapstick but that’s so 1980. I always want the newest and greatest whatever! Unfortunately, Nivea’s A Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care didn’t do anything for me. Surprisingly, when I glance at the Amazon customer reviews for this product, I see a lot of “Fantastic!” “Best Lip Balm Ever!” “Helpful Lipcare!” and I’m wondering What are these people using because it’s not the stuff I’ve got in my purse!

First of all, this is not the traditional waxy stick we’re all used to. That type of lip protection floats above your lips and simply protects. The Nivea Kiss of Moisture Lip Care, on the other hand, is more oily. Greasy. That’s the first thing you need to get over. Secondly, fast absorption of this product doesn’t necessarily mean that your lips are going to instantly be impervious to all drying forever and ever. When I used this, I found I used it more often and that my lips actually became drier. People, I don’t need another addiction. I’ve got chocolate, Mythbusters, and J. Crew already fueling my addictive personality and I certainly don’t need to add a lip balm to that list. I would go so far as to say that Nivea’s Kiss of Moisture Lip Care is the lip balm equivalent to Afrin.

My final issue with this product is the SPF rating. SPF 4. Wow, really? SPF 4? My facial moisturizer carries an SPF rating of 25, so why shouldn’t my lips be just as protected as the rest of my face? SPF 4 might be OK on cloudy day but if I were skiing or sunning on a beach, then Nivea’s Kiss of Moisture would provide me bupkis for sun protection.

Advice to you, dear readers, is to spend your money on an extra tube of your favorite lipstick or buy stock in cherry Chapstick because Nivea’s Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care with SPF 4 is a total flop.

Nivea’s Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care with SPF 4 is available at your local grocery store or pharmacy. You can also buy it online as part of a six-pack at Amazon. But, why in the world would you do that?

Featured image by Tania Saiz

The Best Lip Gloss is a Lip Balm

With summer quickly approaching, it’s time to think about lip gloss.

You knew that, right?

OK – quick lesson.  Lip balm or lip gloss is perfect for summer makeup looks because it’s light and mainly sheer with just a hint of shine.  Full color lipstick is usually too heavy of a look for summer.

Lesson over.

If you’re like me – and most women – the bottom of your purse and cosmetic bags are littered with lip glosses you’ve tried and half used tubes of lip balm.  And that’s OK.

A girl can never have too much lip gloss, after all.  And because it won’t last all day, most women like to keep a tube of lip gloss close by at all times.

The problem with most lip glosses is that the stuff that makes it shiny can also make your lips sticky and dry.  In fact, that’s why a lot of women go the lip balm (a fancy word for chapstick) route – because their lips need the moisturizing and they can’t stand the dry feeling of lip glosses and lipsticks.

I have found the perfect solution in the form of the world’s greatest (and my new favorite) lip balm.

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