Gothique

I’ve been wearing  my Lip Tint’s from One Hand Washes the Other almost exclusively since I got them, and I know a lot of people are curious about how they look, and I promised swatches!  Better late then never!

Frida: a sheer pearly coral, she’s one hot tamale. With a trick always tucked up her sleeve, Frida’s appearance subtly changes from orangey to pink in different lighting. Frida is very lightly flavored- but not sweetened- with blood orange essential oil.

Caroline: a bright, bubbly pink with a pearlescent sheen, she’s the girl everyone can’t help but love. This pink is on the cool end of the spectrum but it works great with most skin tones due to the transparency of this formula. Caroline is very lightly flavored- but not sweetened- with bubble gum lip balm flavoring.

These vegan lip tints are my perfect pick for summer.  They are light and smooth and leave my lips soft and protected with the perfect sheer wash of color, and at 5$ a tube, I hope to be able to pick up a few more!

Perusing the Spell website not to long ago (it looks like it’s been reworked a bit, it’s easier to navigate) I discovered they recently released Spell Lip Pots of Colour.  A quick search through some of my favorite blogs and I found a few swatches so I knew I wanted to order a few.

From left to right : Bellini, Devotee, Chanteuse, and Sweet Talker

I ordered :

Chanteuse

A smoldering metallic cabernet in a creamy gloss.

Sweet Talker

A vivid jolt of candy in a creamy gloss.

Devotee

A glistening berry plum in a creamy gloss.

The pots are HUGE.  When I looked at them on the Spell site I really didn’t have a concept of how big a 1/2 ounce pot is, but they are quite substantial!  I’ve been really loving how pigmented and glossy they are.  Since they are in pots it’s best to use a lip brush with them, they are too pigmented, I couldn’t get the application nice and smooth with my finger.  They look amazing on, the red is a favorite, it’s a metallic, which I almost never wear.  They stay in place, although I honestly haven’t worn them for more then a couple of hours at a time, so I can’t vouch for how long they’ll last.

They are 8.99$ each, but when you register with the Spell site and create an account you get an additional 25% off, so each lip pot was around 6.75$ which is a great deal.  There is also a special offer on the site, under the New Releases section that included free samples or a free full sized product.  At the time I ordered it was for a full sized shadow in Belinni,  a soft peach shade.

On a personal note, and I know I usually don’t blog about personal stuff, but I thought I should mention that I didn’t swatch these on my lips this time round because I have a fat lip.  We have been having a pretty rocky time here.  There was a major earthquake not too far away that it caused some things to break around the house and the other night I was in the garage picking up stuff that fell off the work bench when a box slid on knocked me in the face just right.  It might be quiet around here until I get things reorganized!

Celebrities, fashion stylists, and editors across the globe know Tarina Tarantino—the “Queen of Irreverent Luxury”—as the accessory designer who makes everything she touches sparkle. This fuchsia-tressed former makeup artist now shares her passion for self-expression and playfulness with a complete cosmetics collection, available only at Sephora. Inspired by her nostalgic-yet-modern jewelry line, Tarina developed innovative products with high-quality, color-rich formulas and luxurious packaging. TARINA TARANTINO will take girls of all ages on a fantastical journey, where they can express their own personal style and reveal their inner sparkle.

I love Tarina.  I have so many of her pieces I probably paid for her last car.  I love her sparkle and the color and her liberal use of skulls to look ‘pretty’.  Whenever I go to Disneyland I always buy a new Alice in Wonderland piece from the jewelry store on Main Street that has her beauties on display.

I was excited to hear she was launching her own cosmetic line and signed up on Sephora right away, anxious to hear when it launched to place my order.

The TT line comprises eye shadows, lip glosses, lip sticks, mascara, liners, perfume, brushes, blush, primers, and exclusive pieces of jewelry.  It was surprising how many different products she was coming out with.  As soon as I saw the packaging I realized I was going to have some problems being judicious about my purchase.

A quick browse though the Sephora site further reinforced the fact I’d have to pick carefully as the line is QUITE pricey.  The Eye Dream Hypershadows are 19$ each and the Dollskin Blush are 25$ each.  I suspect it’s because the packaging itself is rather ornate, hand set with gems.

In the end my budget allowed me to order two things :

Eye Dream Hypershadow in Pave

dark brownie with iridescent glitter

Gem Gloss in Laquer

cherry red

I figured I would get two things I would CERTAINLY use in safer colors, since the price was prohibitive from ‘trying’ out new shades.

I wanted an eyeshadow because I was curious as to just what a ‘hypershadow’ was.

These bold shadows with hyper pigmentation come in matte and variety of shimmer/pearl, glitter versions. Jet Mill Technology is used to pulverize formula into the smallest particle, which gives shadows their velvety texture. The maximum pigment load, 20-50 percent more pigment with less binder, produces the rich color payoff that is sure to get you noticed.

It sort of sounded a little like what they say about loose mineral shadows.  More pigment, less binder, etc etc.  Curiosity often gets to me.  I picked Pave, the dark brown, since I knew it would work on me, hoping the hint of iridescent sparkle it boasted would add a little uniqueness.

It arrived in a pink box, rather simple on the outside.  Opening it I found my shadow inside a little custom TT organza bag.  The shadow container itself is beautiful and almost delicate, the outside ringed in what a little insert tells me are ‘hand set gems’.  It’s very typical Tarina.

Swatching it I was a little disappointed.  There is almost no ‘sparkle’ to the shadow at all.  It’s not all that ground-breakingly amazing, either.  I was envisioning it being rich and ‘velvety’.  It’s very f-lat.  While I appreciate a matte shadow, this really wasn’t what I was expecting by way of ‘hyper’ pigmentation and finish.

Bare skin on the left, over primer on the right.

As for wear, it went on a little tricky, perhaps because it’s a matte.  I tried two primers, a MAC Paint Pot and it was too sticky to get it to blend out smoothly, so I tried TFSI and it applied a bit easier, although it didn’t look as dark or opaque, but the edges blended nicer.  I think I’m going to have to mess with it a bit more then I would prefer to get it both smooth, opaque and well blended.

When I opened the box of gloss I was surprised how boring the tube was in contrast to the shadow.  They couldn’t have fit in some gems someplace?  The applicator seemed a little cheep to me, it’s not a doe foot, it’s long and thin, with the same velvet covering.

The gloss formula didn’t live up to my expectations either.

Achieve a full-bodied lip look with medium-intensity pigment suspended in this silky, hydrating formula. Special emollients encapsulate water to keep lips supple while plumping spheres work to draw water into lips for a smooth, voluminous effect. An infusion of exfoliant enhances cell turnover to promote fresh softness.

One coat was sparse and blotchy.  I guess I’m spoiled with great lustres and vegan lipsticks that go on with one coat.  I found myself applying the gloss in layers, and then having to go back and add extra in little patches they seemed light.  I’m not sure if it’s the color I chose (a Chinese red) that made it difficult.  Although I would think that if one was going to add a color to a collection you’d insure it was of the same quality of the others.  It also has an odd taste.

Eventually I messed with it enough to get it even, and you can see in the picture it does make my lips look plumper.  It’s a smooth formula, but it didn’t stay in place, which you can also see in the picture.  Once I had what I thought was smooth even coverage, blotches formed.  Again.

Would I order more Tarina Tarantino Cosmetics?  Probably not.

• Although I love the packaging, I’d rather be able to wear my bling then leave in on my vanity.
• The shadow formula wasn’t very impressive.
• The gloss was too blotchy to wear, I felt like I was constantly having to touch it up.

I guess in the end I learned that I’m beyond the phase I need to flash around big name cosmetics to be cool.  I prefer well made products that wear well and look good, even if the packaging isn’t encrusted in jewels.  While some companies manage a healthy combination of amazing packaging and quality product, I didn’t find it in the (albeit few) products I tried from Tarina Tarantino.

As for dupes I recommend Rockbottom from AL for the shadow and Type A Lustre from Fyrinnae for the gloss.

ETA:

I just got off the phone with my local Sephora and they invited me to return my products and sit with one of their ‘consultants’ at the TT display and swatch and test some of her other products.  I’m scheduling that for next weekend, so you can expect an update.

1 – China Glaze polish in Bad Kitty

As soon as I am possibly able I plan to re-polish my nails in this amazing sparkle filled watermelon shade.  It reminds me of those jelly shoes I wore as a kid.  I picked it up the other day (before I wrestled with the garage door) and it’s such an whimsical and springy color.  I realize it’s bleak and cold in *most* of the world, but it remains bright and clear and pleasantly warm here in So Cal.

2 – Sobe Botanicals Fill Me In eyebrow powder

As a result of reshaping my eyebrows I’ve got sort of an odd bare spot that’s growing in on one side.  When my eyebrow cake (I was using something from MAC) fell on the bathroom floor and shattered into a million powdery bits, I turned to Lex at Sobe to replace it.  While this shade is dark and matches my brows perfectly, she was willing to mix something for me custom.  The chances I’m ever going to use all of this jar is slim, it’s highly pigmented and I only need the smallest amount for natural looking, crisp and even brows.

3 – Sobe Botanicals Glitz Gel Shadow/Liner in Truth or Dare

I’m not sure Lex is selling this yet, but I got a special little package of goodies from her not too long ago.  This is a gorgeous creamy blend of glitter and gel.  In the past some of these gel liners I’ve tried felt like I was smearing sandpaper across my skin.  This formula is very smooth and I really can’t FEEL the glitter at all.  I haven’t used it as liner, but I’ve been using it on my lid (smack dab in the middle as a little highlight) and I’ve really liked the look.  Ever since I rediscovered glitter from Hi-Fi, I’ve been collecting as many smooth shades as I can.

4 – Fyrinnae Nijiro eyeshadow

I looooove this color.  I love all Fyrinnae’s colors, but this one I can just about wear with anything else as a highlighter.  Bright pink?  This works.  Dramatic greens?  This works.  Smokey blues?  This works.  Classic muted eyes with black liner?  This excels.  The boys at Fyrinnae are not shy about packing the jars full, either.

5 - Liplicious Tasty Lip Color in Black Cherry

I can’t seem to find this flavor online, I got mine in The Mall.  In the tube it’s a burgundy sort of color.  On my lips it’s a sheer purple/pink color with amazing shine and a hint of shimmer.  It looks AMAZING over so many different lip colors, my favorite being MAC’s Rebel (which will be featured in a ‘Purples’ post next week).  Plus it has a real great cherry flavor that’s quite true and not at all sour or overpowering.

In honor of Fyrinnae’s emergence on Twitter today I thought I’d swatch one of my newest hauls!

From top to bottom, left to right: Nijiro, Rapunzel Had Extensions, Predatory, Moon Child, Javan Rhino, and Fujiro.

From top to bottom, left to right : Nonsense, OMGWTF, Steam Punk, Dokkalfar, Jade Ghost, Dragonmagic, Still Breathing

Romantique Lip Lustre

Nijiro -

Ivory with rainbow sparkles.

Predatory-

Rich, velvety matte royal purple.

Javan Rhino -

Vibrant turquoise with a lavender-pink highlight.

Fujiro -

Medium blue-violet with a shimmery lavender highlight and silver sparkles.

Moon Child -

Soft shimmery ivory-beige shade with subtle sparkle.

Rapunzel had Extensions -

Stunning golden pink-peach.

Nonsense! -

Crisp lime, nearly-matte.

OMGWTF -

Bright shimmery chartreuse.

Steampunk -

A little deceptive, this shade looks bronze in the jar, but is more of a sparkling combination of gold, orange, and copper on skin.

Still Breathing -

Matte black with tiny red (not pink!) sparkles, creating a soft, glowing red shimmer.

Arcane Magic, Dragonmagic -

Deep charcoal with a shimmer that changes from a violety ice blue to pale green to almost gold, depending on the light.

Jade Ghost -

Satiny pale white-green in the jar, but once applied (especially wet!) it has an iridescent glow of light green shimmer in varying shades

Dokkalfar -

Black filled with hues of pale green to golden-lime sparkle.

I’ve been wearing Nonsense on the outter 3/4th of my lid with Jade Ghost blended in the inner corner with Dokkalfar as a liner.  I’m really stunned at how lovely green shadows look with my brown eyes.

The same concept works with Rapunzel on the outer lid, Moon Child on the inner corner and lined with Steam Punk.

I’ve also been wearing Nijiro as my brow highlight, it’s the only one of the haul I got in full size.  It’s really very subtle and so multipurpose.

Back before Christmas I was surprised to find a package in my mailbox from Ellie McDowell.  I looked at it a few times, not  knowing who it was or what it was I’d ordered.  When I opened it I was literally silenced for a good ten minutes as I went through the package.  Ellie is the creator and imaginative force behind Dreamworld Minerals and she sent me 135 different samples of her shadows, blushes, and finishes as well as several full sized shadows, glosses, and eye gels.

I had been checking the shop page for a while now, knowing the shop was closed as the owner was trying to catch up on life.  Which is totally understandable as she was running the business on her own.  I found it to be an incredibly responsible thing to do.  Now it seems like DreamWorlds will be reopening soon!

I’m sure that many have seen some of the new colors that will be coming up when I reopen. As for that time I cannot tell you exactly when it will be. I had planned for it to be Valentine’s Day so that I can announce the addition of 2 new worlds…BookWorm and another that I’m holding onto for now. But with being in school and wanting to get the shoppe fixed so that shipping can be accurate and fast, I am not sure I can do it by then.

…

And as I have already told in the past, DW will be under new management and the name will be changing slightly to DreamWorlds…the makeup will remain DreamWorld Minerals, the skin care will be DreamWorld Naturals….I may also be looking into changing it slightly more as I get my ideas in focus and decide how I wish to do it…

It should go without saying it took me a while to get through everything.  Most of my readers know I like to have product for a while before I review it.  While I did end up swatching everything, I’m only going to talk about my favorites, or else we’d all be were all day.  We still might, I ended up loving a lot of colors…

From the Atlantis Collection, Five Rings -

When Poseidan created Atlantis, he created the 5 rings that surrounded the island world. Five Rings is a lovely, soft mauve.

From the Illuminating Glos, Serenity

From the Cambrian Collection, Pixie Sunset

Bright pink, undertones of violet, sparkles of gold.

From the Abydos Collection, Ra’s Chariot -

True greenish gold, sparkles

From the Mother Earth, Father Sky Collection, Cherry Blossom -

Light pink copper, green and red undertones.

From the Trinity Collection, Amelia -

A deep purplish blue color that has undertones of gold, so when placed on the eye will turn 3 colors.

From the Trinity Collection, Joan -

A pretty purple color with pink, blue, and burgundy undertones.

From the Neverland Collection, Peter Pan -

True green with a touch of yellow.

From the Mystical Treasures Collection – Lumeria

Orange, gold, pink.

From the Mystical Treasures Collection – Sands of Atlantis -

Gold, copper, bronze.

From the Avalon Matte Collection, Blade

From the Liner Collection, Elysian Fields -

Deep turquoise.

From the Muses Collection, Melete

From left to right : Amelia, Five Rings, Joan, Cherry Blossom, Ra’s Chariot, and Peter Pan.

Her focus is on deep, rich, imaginative colors inspired by mythology.  There are so many shadows I would buy based on name alone.  There was obviously a great deal of thought put into each color and it’s coordinating name.  Often you will find a bit of the mythology listed with the color description.  Writing this review has taken me a while because I keep going page to page to read them!

The formula it’s self is really soft, smooth, and opaque.  While many of the colors appear light, they are not weak, the color stands up when swatched.  Cherry Blossom, for instance, was one of the pale colors I didn’t think much of in the sample bag, but when swatched it was such a sweet pink with an amazing glow.

The colors are a collection of simple and complex, but certainly NONE are repackaged.

I was also really impressed with the lipgloss or Magick Wands I received, in particular Simi -

Bold, intense, metallic red.

It’s thick and pigmented and works like a lipstick, even though it’s in a gloss tube.

Simi*

Will I order from DreamWorlds when it reopens?  Yes.

When it does I’m going to order a few things from the new collection that Phyrra got a sneak peek of as well as write my usual start to finish review.

In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy all the samples I have!

*Why yes, apparently I did put my lipstick on in the dark…

1 – Chinese Laundry Arcane Heels.  I love these.  They are man made, so they are vegan.  The heel puts me over six feet tall, and yet they are so easy to walk in.  They are the perfect shoes for the Holidays.

2 – Sparkly White Rose Ring. This is another ring I got from Zambi Candy on Etsy.  It shipped quickly and arrived well packed.  It looks adorable!

3 – Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Nail Lacquer in Stiletto Red.  I know this exists, I just got it this week, but I can’t seem to find it online anyplace.  This gorgeous red lacquer is the same bright clear red of the L’Oreal Target Lipsticks I’ve been collecting, in a much nicer formula then L’Oreal actually offers.  It does have the ‘pro’ brush, which means its freakishly wide.  But aside from that I’m loving the creamy opaque formula.

4 - More Red Lipsticks. I ended up going back for the Target Red lipsticks in both the Colour Riche  (305) and well as Infallible Plumping Gloss(306) formulas.  The Gloss is very sheer and has that sting of a plumper, but I’m loving it, it’s easy to wear and looks great.  Same with the Colour Riche, I’ve never actually used L’Oreal lipsticks before I got the Target colors, and I’m mighty happy with them.  I’ve been pairing them with a Colour Riche lipliner in Always Red and it’s a perfect match.

Ordering

I ran across Shelly Francis on Etsy.  I was searching eyeshadows, working past the pages and pages of repackaged things when I ran across a listing for her.  I stopped and poked around and found a few things that got my interest.

She has the usual ‘health benefits’ listed in her shop.  While I agree MM is better for your skin then anything with a load of preservatives and additives, it’s not going to save the world, but SO many Etsy shops have this same spiel that I just look past it now.

She sells a wide variety of products, from eyeshadows and glosses to eyeliners and blush.

Her listings contain a lot of info, although some of her pictures could be a little more professional.

I ordered:

Alien Eyeliner Gel / Cream Shadow

Kumquat Eye Shadow

Fairy Intense Lip Creme

Shipping

I ordered on December 6th and my order arrived on December 9th.  It was shockingly fast.

Packaging

Everything arrived  in a little bubble mailer.  Inside my items where packed in a red novelty organza bag.  There was no invoice although there was a small sample baggie of blush (with the name misspelled).

Formula / Colors

First thing that I thought when I opened my package was “Wait, this is it?”

The eyeshadow comes in a clam shell.  I always read over every bit of the shop before I order, and I did not see this info the night I placed my order.  It’s a bit bigger then the usual sample size ones used on Etsy and it was pretty much full.  It contained the website url, the name of the color, and the weight, bit no ingredients.

The color is TKB’s Tangerine Pop.  I was sort of surprised, it didn’t seem to look familiar to me on the listing.

The lip creme came in the smaller size clam shell, although it was full.  It also had the color name, the weight, and the website url.

I cannot get the lipcolor to look ever remotely the same on my lips as in the product photo on Etsy.  It shows a lovely sparkley golden gloss.  It applies like a clear gloss.  I could SEE the glitter in the clam shell, but it’s all sunk to the bottom of the product and I had to dig down to get at it and mix it all back up.  Even then it didn’t show up that much unless I layered it on.

The eyeliner / creme shadow came in a TINY little jar.  On the lid was the name, a picture of Shelly Francis, and the weight.

When I tried to apply this as liner, it wouldn’t go on smooth and I needed so much of it to get it opaque that it wouldn’t dry.  I ended up with chunks of glitter floating across my eye.  When I applied it as eye shadow it wouldn’t go on evenly and ended up like I was rubbing sandpaper across my eyelid.  When it dried the glitter fell off the lid, the base did nothing to hold it on.

I would NOT recommend you put this product anywhere near your eye.

Left to right, top to bottom : Kumquat, Fairy, and Alien

TKB Tangerine POP

Conclusion

Would I order from Shelly Francis again?  No.

• The eyeshadow was repackaged.  I only ordered one, but looking at them on the site now I can’t say for sure any of them are original formulations.
• The gloss was really disappointing and the amount I got was drastically less then what I assumed I would get.
• The eyeliner was totally unusable.
• She prints her face on some of her products.  I realize this is a personal thing, but I really just don’t like it.

Overall: /5

After my astounding success with my first SoBe Botanical order I went back and placed a few more, for a few custom blended things.  I was just as pleased and amazed at the new items I tried.

When I placed this order I asked for two of my items to be either scented for flavored with Earl Grey.  Lex sent me a little article about photosensitivity in some common essential oils.  Basically she wanted to make sure I had all the info I would need regarding the product I was ordering.  It wasn’t anything she needed to do, she supplied it very thoughtfully.

Pit Stop! in Earl Grey

After reading the article I went ahead and ordered this Deodorant in Earl Grey.  I’m one of those people who don’t use antiperspirant, only a natural deodorant.  (People always ask with sort of an odd look on their face, but trust me, I don’t sweat much at all, and I prefer not to slather myself in chemicals if I can help it.)  I’ve been using this every day since I got it and it’s awesome.  It’s better then a lot of the big counter products I’ve used (I had, at one point, a stick a month Hermes habit).  I’m pretty sure from now on I’ll use this exclusively.

Sugar Lips Exfoliating Lip Scrub in Earl Grey

It’s really dry here.  I live sort of by the ocean, sort of by the mountains, sort of by the dessert.  The So Cal landscape is a complicated place.  After doing so much research on lipsticks I really sort of got myself addicted to lip scrubs.  I loved the one I was using, but it was hard to get (Sephora isn’t selling it anymore) and the way I was going through it was getting expensive.  I thought I’d give this a try.  So far I’ve been loving it.  I use it in the morning, right out of the shower and then apply a balm and my lips stay smooth and soft.  If I skip a day, I can tell.  You really don’t use as much of this to be effective, so this tube is probably going to last a while.

Da Balm Halloween Balms

I told you I was going to order more.  All in all I got four more blacks, two in Cherry and two in Bubblegum, and one purple in Grape.  Three of the black ones are going to end up in some special people’s Christmas Stockings   The purple was just as amazing and pigmented as the black and it’s amazing.

Pink Compact Lip Gloss

I ordered the color Heavenly in the flavor Watermelon.  I love it, it’s a really simply gloss, great for everyday and the flavor is yummy.  The little compact is really sturdy and adorable and fits easily in both my big purse and the smaller bags I use on nights out.

What is go great about her products is that she custom labels everything.  Each item is labeled for exactly what it is, being a custom item.  So the Balms aren’t just Balms, they are Batty Bubblegum Balms.  Because she sells so many things with so many options I can only imagine it’s quite a feat to keep things so well organized but I for one appreciated it entirely.

Also in my order she included a 1 ounce roller of her Essential Oil Perfume in Amber.  I wouldn’t have thought of it as a scent I would like, it’s really very earthy.  But it’s light and almost romantic and reminds me of a Ren Fest.  So I’m hooked.  It reminds me of BPAL although you get quite a bit more.  I will be purchasing a few of these, probably in Bergamot and Clove, although she also has a TON of blends as well, I just prefer single notes.

I had asked if I could try some of her brighter MineralEyez shades if she planned on including samples.  She was kind enough to send me a rainbow of samples!!

She sent :

• Dahlia
• Red
• Mango Tango
• Forged
• Sublime
• Grass
• Under the Mistletoe
• Azure
• Stiletto
• Girls Just Wanna Blush

I just stopped to look at her Etsy listings and she has some amazing new Holiday colors listed.  Zen Fire, Gingerbread, and Sugar Plum Fairy are going to have to come home to me.

Again, it was all packaged really nicely and everything arrived in great condition.  I’m already looking forward to placing another order from her when I can!!

For the first time in a long time I walked into a Bath and Body Works this past week.  Normally I get a few things as gifts during the Holidays, but I don’t personally shop there.

While wandering around with my cousin Jess and our friend Krys I ran across a display for lip glosses that actually had me excited!

They are normally 7$-7.50$ each, but they were on sale for 5$ a tube.  I had a 5$ off any purchase of 25$ or more, so I found them affordable.

I purchased:

CO Bigelow’s Vitamin Mentha Tinted Lip Balms in #1647 Glacial Mint and #1652 in Poppy Pink Mint

Liplicious Tasty Lip Color in Sheer Cotton Candy

CO Bigelow’s Cinnamint Mentha Lip Shine

CO Bigelow’s Winter Cordials Mentha Lip Shine in Warm Spiced Cider

Packaging

The two Vitamin Methna Balms come in clear twist up tubes and are really easy to use.  I had Glacial Mint in my pocket at Disney Land and it was easy to apply and cap and forget about.

The other three come in squeeze tubes with the standard slanted tip.  I’m not a crazy huge fan of these, they don’t apply all that precise.

Product

Vitamin Mentha Balms

I love love love these.  They have a wonderful strong pepermint scent and flavor to them.  Glacial Mint leaves a clear non glossy shimmer and Poppy Mint leaves a bit of a pink stained shimmer.

They go on smooth and last a long time, making your lips soft and sweet.

It’s defiantly more of a balm to be worn alone, then a gloss that could be applied over another color.

Liplisious Gloss

I’m pretty sure this is Bath and Body Work’s brand of lip gloss, it comes in a bunch of different flavors all with a different tint of sheer sparkly shine.  I chose Cotton Candy.  I’m not a fan of chocolate or cake sort of gloss flavors, and I already have a ton of fruity ones, so this seemed a good choice.  It’s sweet and tastes really good, it’s a hint of cotton candy flavor, but it’s not overwhelming.

It’s a thicker gloss then I was expecting, the color is really delicate and light.  If I were to apply it over a lipstick, however, I would squeeze some out on the back of my hand and use a small brush to apply it, the applicator would make it too smeary.

Cinnamint Mentha Shine

This gloss has an amazing flavor I just love.  It reminds me of a Fresh Mint Tic Tac, sort of spicy sort of minty, very sweet.  It’s a nice thick and clear gloss that leaves your lips just a little tingly.

It’s supposed to help with ‘fresh breath’.  So I assume it’s great for after meals or snacking when you’re out.  I’ve been using mine as a regular gloss and I love it.  It’s a thick high shine gloss with no shimmer.

Winter Cordials Warm Spiced Cider

This one seriously knocked me over.  They have ‘samplers’ out and available to try on the display, but I tend to not use them, I sort of think they’re pretty gross.

I thought this would be a nice alternative to the other pepperminty glosses I got.  I had NO idea it would taste so authentically like spiced cider.  Nothing applely flavor ever does, but this is just delicious.

It’s a high shine gloss with a little shimmer.  Like the other two glosses, it would be great over lipstick, applied with a brush.  The shimmer in this is a bit finer and more opaque then in the Liplicious.

From left to right : Glacier Mint, Poppy Pink Mint, Cotton Candy, Cinnamint, and Warm Spiced Cider

Conclusion

Would I buy these products again?  Yes, all of them.

• I’d love to get some more of the Winter Cordial flavors.
• Now that I know the quality of the Liplicious and how long it lastes, I’m thinking I want it in a few more shades.
• The Vitamin Mentha Balms are so much better then my standard Chap Stick, since it has a shimmer and stays on.

Overall: /5