Jelly Pong Pong: Muffin & Meringue Gloss Set Review

Okay, so you want cute? Here’s another cutie pie from Jelly Pong Pong. And to avoid any confusion, that other one that I reviewed before was called Cherry Pie.

Product
Name: Muffin & Meringue Gloss Set
Net weight and Price: 22ml / 0.74 fl oz per tube, £18 for the whole set

According to Jelly Pong Pong
This set contains 2 scrumptious glosses in edible flavours & a smooth, brilliant finish. Muffin Gloss is a light poppy shade with specks of shimmer, while Cherry Meringue is a glossy berry stain.

Bonus: Comes in an adorable gift-worthy packaging.

Packaging
The lipglosses are housed in short chubby tubes with dainty screw-on caps. They come presented in a pink-striped giftbox.

Ingredients
This image is clickable.

Contents
Lipglosses in the shades called Muffin (light pink) and Cherry Meringue (berry red). Both have little specks of shimmer.

L: Muffin; R: Cherry Meringue

My Thoughts
Packaging
I have never seen lipglosses packaged in such stubby tubes before. I find that both peculiar and cute, like puffy little cushions, only not fluffy. As for the box, it rather reminds me of a circus tent. A girly circus tent. The box can always be re-used for keeping little trinkets and stuff.

Lipglosses
First impression: sweet. They smell sweet.

Muffin Gloss

Muffin (light pink gloss) is scented in “pink muffin”. To be honest, I can’t relate to that scent. I can only detect a sticky-sweet scent.

Cherry Meringue Gloss

Cherry Meringue (berry red gloss) is scented in “fresh cherries”. With this one, I can clearly detect a whiff of cherries.

Second impression: sweet. They taste sweet.
Yes, I did the taste test. I licked the glosses off my lips (am I sick?!). They just taste generally sweet. Well, saccharin is listed on the list of ingredients.

Third impression: sweet. They look sweet.
Okay, that’s half the truth. Muffin, the light pink gloss, looks sweet in a swatch, but it does not look good on me when used alone. But that’s just me. Light and nude lip shades just never look good on me. I just look dead (and so, I won’t show you a picture of my lips with it. It will add no value to you, trust me!). But, of course, all’s not lost. Muffin can always be layered over darker-coloured lipsticks.

Cherry Meringue is the sweeter one. It looks better on me. It just gives my lips a little flush of colour.

Both glosses have average staying power, in my experience. It’ll probably last two to three hours per application. I blame that on its sweetness as I just keep licking it (yes, I must be sick!).

Last Words
So, do I like these? Viewed plainly as lipglosses, they are okay. However, when viewed as a whole – the packaging, the concept, the names, the all-round sweetness and what else.....oh, the packaging, this gloss set is super-cool. I have no regrets purchasing it.

£18 for this set may seem to be on the expensive side. But let me put it into perspective for you:

• You do get two lipglosses for that price.
• Each tube contains 22ml of lipgloss. I checked the lipglosses that I have from other brands and they’re usually in the range of 6ml to 7ml, some 10ml.
• It does come in a lovely giftbox.

Moreover, as mentioned before in my write-up on the Cherry Pie Eyeshadow Palette, Jelly Pong Pong also offers the Deluxe Gift Bag. Each bag is priced at £15 (hmm, wasn't it £13 a few weeks ago?) and contains two different full-size products. This Muffin & Meringue Gloss Set is available in one of these bags.

To see more cutie pies, check out the Jelly Pong Pong website. Jelly Pong Pong is also available through BeautyBoxx and Zalando: UK, Nederland, Germany, Austria.

Winners of Giveaway: MuLondon Natural Organic Moisturisers

Image courtesy of MuLondon

I wish to thank each and every one of you who took the time to participate in this giveaway and for helping to spread the word about MuLondon.

Without any further ado, I'm pleased to announce the three winners picked based on the three random numbers given to me by Boris. They each win a full-size jar of MuLondon's moisturiser of their choice.

The winners are:

• lottiegirlx

• Beka

• Ted Nenoff

Congratulations! I will be sending an email to you today. Please reply with your postal details within 72 hours. Otherwise, another winner will be chosen.

Thank you, Boris, for so generously sponsoring this giveaway!

More information about this brand and its natural organic moisturisers can be found on the MuLondon website.

Update: Boris has also written a very informative article in response to all the fragrance suggestions given by the participants during the giveaway. Please read it to find out what Boris has to say about your suggestions.

Adorned Nails: Bloom Kate

Hello, sky blue!


This is quite unfamiliar territory for me: a light shade and in the colour blue. It does take some getting used to.


Kate is the only Bloom nail polish that I have, thanks to Yi. I won a little giveaway that she held a few months ago. The prize was actually Metro Chic from Sephora by OPI but Yi was so kind to surprise me by including Kate in the package too! Thanks again, Yi!


It has a creme finish. Kate reminds me of baby blue bathroom tiles, which makes sense and yet, is also strange as I've never associated nail polish with tiles before. I did three coats here to achieve opacity. The formula didn’t allow for very easy application, I thought, but there wasn’t any evidence of it by the third coat. Silly ol’ me was a bit clumsy during photography and I managed to somehow create a little dent in the corner of the ring finger (see photo below). I should have waited longer to accommodate its slower drying time. I didn’t apply a top coat over it and it chipped slightly within the first day.

Never mind. At least my sky blue nails matches the glorious blue sky outside today. I can't complain! And I read that this powder blue shade could be the next hot polish shade from Chanel. Bloom Cosmetics has been quick to declare that they already have it!

KOH: Shower Foam Sensation

For most of you, when you hear the name KOH, you would associate that with nail polish, wouldn’t you? Well, KOH also has a separate line of body care products called KOH Body Sensations. The ladies in Holland would have no doubt seen these in the stores.

There are five products under this range: KOH Cream Soap Sensation, Bath Powder Sensation, Shower Foam Sensation, Body Scrub Sensation and Body Oil Sensation.

All the products in this line have one ingredient in common: extracts of the Japanese cherry blossom (Sakura). KOH says: The blossoming of the Sakura is a sign that spring has arrived. In Japan, the blossoming and dying of the Cherry Blossom is believed to symbolise the human life cycle. The Japanese culture also attaches great importance to the intense enjoyment of the prime of one's life. The symbolic value of the Sakura was one of the starting points in the development of the KOH Body Sensations range.

Late last year, during my first ever visit to the KOH nail polish heaven (okay, ladies, officially, it’s called the KOH Experience Shop!), I had purchased a sample size of its Shower Foam Sensation (right). I tried it a couple of times and liked it, but because of its cute small size (75ml), I decided to put it aside for use when I’m travelling. I didn’t give it much thought thereafter until a few weeks ago when KOH kindly sent me the full-size version (200ml) of this Shower Foam Sensation to try out. So, I’ve been using this shower foam everyday for the past (almost) four weeks and this is my write-up on it.

Product
Name: KOH Shower Foam Sensation

Full-size version: 200ml, comes in a high-quality box

Mini version: 75ml, comes in a velvet drawstring pouch


Both are housed in pressurised containers.

According to KOH (excerpts from the accompanying insert in the box)
Experience the sensation of pure relaxation under the shower. Feel the shower foam’s mild ingredients hydrate and cleanse the skin. Contact with water transforms KOH Shower Foam Sensation into a rich foam: a unique sensation! This shower foam combines the nourishing and firming properties of Rice Bran Oil with the emollient qualities of the Japanese Cherry Blossom.

Ingredients
Please click on the image to enlarge.

My thoughts
The Experience
The first thing that one would notice is the fragrance. It’s the scent of Japanese Cherry Blossom: sweet and floral but with a certain edge. It comes to the nose strong and heavy but dissipates with a certain pleasant and perhaps slightly sour-ish edge.

When pumped, the product comes out as a baby pink gel but upon contact with moisture in the air, it quickly transforms into foam. Pictured here is the gel with parts of it already starting to foam. About a big marble-sized amount should be sufficient for each use. The gel is actually very concentrated, so it's better to be careful not to waste by pumping too much out.

It lathers well. Hmm, it probably sounds weird saying it, but it feels rather like spreading velvet on the skin. After the shower, I can feel a very subtle layer of emollient oils left on the skin, not unlike the effect with most moisturising shower products. The floral scent lingers on the skin for a while. As far as the quality is concerned, I have no complaints (I mean, how wrong can one go with a shower foam?). It's quite a luxurious experience overall.

The Lowdown
All right, luxury does come at a price. The full-size version with 200ml costs €19.95 per bottle. Well, I checked my full-size bottle and it does say "Made in France".

Fortunately, there are deals to be had. I was able to purchase the mini version for only €1.95 during a promotion back then (I believe the original price was €2.95). By the way, KOH also has mini versions for the other four products in the Body Sensations line with prices ranging from €1.95 to €4.95. The mini versions are all very cute (as in classy cute) and in the case of the Shower Foam Sensation (whose bottle is only 5" tall), I think it would last for about a week (maybe more).

At the Douglas parfumerie stores, I have also seen the full-size version available on special offer at a more palatable price of €9.95 per bottle but it was without the box. The bottles were instead packaged in drawstring organza bags. Granted, presentation-wise, the shower foam bottle packaged in a lovely box would make a great statement gift, but this version without the box, and the mini's, do make better alternative options.

Adorned Nails: SpaRitual Drop Dead Gorgeous

Yes, it is. It’s drop dead gorgeous, this one.

Despite the name, I didn't see this coming. I expected only a gaudy dark magenta nail polish with some plain shimmers. But [gasp] take a closer look at this polish. Check out the purple tones which seem to come from the magenta shade itself, or is it from the shimmers? Have. Trouble. Breathing.

The following two photos were with flash photography. All the rest were taken in daylight.



Shown here are with two coats of Drop Dead Gorgeous. I love the formula for this one. It was pure pleasure polishing my nails with it. Drying time took about three minutes per coat.

Since this isn’t a wallflower colour, I thought I won’t be shy either with the stamping: it’s a bold and beautifully elaborate design from the Fauxnad image plate B101 from Chez Delaney. I have no idea if the design means anything, so if anyone recognises it, please let me know. For stamping, I used my favourite silver nail polish from Catrice called Silver Moon (it’s from their old collection). No top coat was used.

I could have gone further with little rhinestones, but I haven’t got any. Well, I don’t think I’m ready yet to go 3-D anyway. I’m still revelling in my little 2-D world.




Oh, I’m still having trouble breathing!

Lip Treatment: Rituals Lip Treat SPF10

This little Lip Balm Girl continues on her journey to find her HG lipbalm. Since declaring independence from the notorious (but apparently still very popular) Vaseline, I’ve unwittingly embarked on a mission to find my perfect lipbalm. I’ve spent way too many years using Vaseline and since finding out that it was possible to escape from its clutches, I’ve become rather errr.....fanatic about trying out other lipbalms that are on the market.

I published my first Lip Treatment post four months ago. In it, I featured my first non-petrolatum-based lipbalm. It worked well but I no longer have easy access to this brand (they stopped shipping to the EU). So, I have since moved on to another brand and actually finished one tube in about three months. I will be featuring this one later as this brand has another variant that I’d like to try out first.

Anyway, the lipbalm I’m featuring today is from Rituals. Many of you would already know that it’s a Dutch brand. I’ve been using Lip Treat intensively for a month now and so, I think it’s time for me to share my thoughts on it.

Product
Name: Rituals Lip Treat SPF10 – nourishing lip balm
Weight and Price: 4.8g / 0.16 oz net wt for €5.90 / £3.90

According to Rituals (excerpts)
• Nourishing lip balm enriched with Organic Shea Butter and refreshing Eucalyptus.
• Organic Shea Butter protects your lips in all weather conditions while Eucalyptus adds an invigorating scent.
• Contains SPF10 and the natural antioxidant Vitamin E.
• Contains Eucalyptus with natural healing properties and Chinese Camphor which stimulates repair.
• Contains no preservatives.

Contents
Clear lipbalm.

This is the list of ingredients as printed on the box. If needed, please click on the image to enlarge.

I don’t claim to be an expert, but this is what the list of ingredients looks like, broken down and minus the Latin names:

Castor Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, Beeswax, Olive Oil, Candelilla Wax, Stearic Acid, Shea Butter, Sunflower Seed Oil. Eucalyptus Oil, Perppermint Oil, Vitamin E Acetate, Aloe Ferox Extract, Camphor, Menthol, Limonene

Plus the sunscreen agents:
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate,
Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenol Triazine, and
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane.

My Thoughts
I think the casing looks rather sleek and being in black, it's suitable for use by men too. The casing is sturdy, unlike some others with flimsy, often see-through casings and defective twist mechanisms (urgh, I hate it when they go kaput!). The twist mechanism here is a bit loose but it doesn't feel like it's going to give way anytime soon.

I must say that its eucalyptus/minty scent is quite strong at first, so it may be a turn-off for those who don’t fancy this scent. Personally, I’m fine with it. It's almost like having "fresh breath".

I like the fresh and cool sensation it leaves on the lips. The scent doesn't linger very long though, probably less than 15 minutes. The cool sensation lasts about twice as long.

In my opinion, it's neither sticky nor waxy and it doesn't give much of a gloss. I have also been happily using it as a base for the dreaded drying lipsticks.

Although it’s not stated anywhere on the packaging or the Rituals website, I find that applying this lipbalm plumps my lips just a bit. It must be from the peppermint oil, the camphor and/or the menthol. In case you’re wondering, there is no stinging effect that one might associate with lip plumpers.

One application lasts me a good few hours. I don’t need to constantly re-apply. This is what I’ve been applying on my lips before going to sleep too and in the morning, my lips are still soft and not at all dry.

Conclusion
I do give this lipbalm a thumbs up. It has no parabens and the fact that it’s got an SPF (albeit low) is a bonus. I like it that its shea butter is organic but I think it would be even better if Rituals took the organic component further.

The price of Lip Treat is quite all right for the quality that you get. I purchased mine during a sale, so that's even better!

Besides the Netherlands, Rituals is available in Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain and the UK.

To find out more about this brand, do check out the website of Rituals Cosmetics. There are several country-specific websites available. The English version is UK-based.

Adorned Nails: KOH Purplelicious

I believe it’s time for another purple, ladies. Purplelicious has been lying patiently in my drawer, waiting for its turn in the limelight. I bought this when I got KOH Jewel, so yeah, it’s been quuuite a while.

At first sight, Purplelicious is an outright simple medium purple with a crème finish. No question about it. However, once on the nails with at least two coats, it starts to show its blue characteristics. Purplelicious is what I would interpret as electric indigo. Blue weighs heavily here.

I will spare you the details but suffice to say that the blue situation escalated in front of the camera. I was driven up the wall, figuratively and literally! So, there is no ambient photo setting this time around, I’m afraid. You see, it came down to either a blue nail polish called Purplelicious in an ambient setting, or a purple nail polish called Purplelicious against a dull white wall. Hmph!


Because of issues with the blue-ness on camera, the sequencing of my nail polish coats are off here. The two photos above with just the nail polish are actually with three coats of Purplelicious (I painted a thick third coat over my stamping). The images of my nails with stamping below are with two coats of Purplelicious. Even though it may seem like it, all these photos were not taken with flash photography.

Stamping was done with the Fauxnad image plate B33 from Chez Delaney and SpaRitual’s Hope Springs Eternal, and then topped off with KOH Top Coat Bamboo. Subtle, just the way I like it.

So, what do you think of this capricious delicious Purplelicious? Ah, sorry, I just couldn't resist the rhyming......

Giveaway: MuLondon Natural Organic Moisturisers

This giveaway is now closed and all comment entries have been removed. Thank you.

I hope I’ve got your interest piqued through my articles on MuLondon in recent weeks. Natural, cruelty-free, vegan, 100% active ingredients, free of chemical additives and organic. MuLondon moisturisers are so safe that four of them scored 0 and one scored only 1 in the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database assessment (scores of 0-2 means low hazard and 7-10 means high hazard).

Now, how would you like to win yourself a jar of its handmade natural organic moisturiser?

Image courtesy of MuLondon

Boris of MuLondon has been very kind to offer 3 jars for a giveaway to my readers! Thank you, Boris! Each winner gets to choose which one of the five available moisturisers he/she would like to try. Would you like to try rose or perhaps, the yummy white chocolate truffle, amongst others?

Boris would also love to hear from you. You see, he’s always busy concocting formulae for new products but he’d like to know what natural fragrances you would love to see in his future products.

So, here’s the information on the giveaway:

1. Open internationally.

2. Open to all my followers, as seen on Google Friend Connect (GFC – see sidebar). If your name in the comment is different from what’s on GFC, you must let me know what your name on GFC is.

3. Visit the MuLondon website to find out more about the five moisturisers available. Pick one that you are most curious about.

4. Then, come back to this post. For one basic entry, please leave a comment under this post stating:

• which moisturiser you would most like to try (the one that you picked from visiting the MuLondon website)
• one natural fragrance that you would most like to see used by Boris in his products in the future
• your email address
• your Google Friend Connect name, if it’s any different from the name you use in this comment.

5. Optional
Help spread the word about MuLondon! The brand so deserves more fans (no, Boris didn’t ask me to say this). Here’s what you can do to help, with each action earning you one extra entry:

• featuring this giveaway on your blog. Feel free to include the photo above.

• tweeting about this giveaway

• following MuLondon on Facebook

• following MuLondon on Twitter

Please comment here to let me know which you have done. You may do one or all, it's up to you. Please list them out briefly and provide links where relevant. You may do it all in one single comment or in separate comments.

6. Special
For each comment that you have left on my two previous MuLondon posts prior to the announcement of this giveaway, you will get one extra entry. However, please submit your basic entry (refer to No. 4) by leaving your comment here so that I know you wish to participate. Otherwise, your previous comment(s) will not be taken into account.

I’m doing this because I know commenting takes time and effort, and I really appreciate the support that you’ve shown for Boris’ labour of love and for those articles.

7. Failure to fulfil the requirements would result in disqualification. I will check.

8. This giveaway will be open for fifteen days, so please leave your comments by latest Friday, 28th May 2010 at 11.59pm (Central European Time).

9. Three winners will be drawn randomly using the Boris Number Generator (I’m giving him the honour of picking the winners this time). I will have the list of entries arranged either in chronological order or in reverse chronological order. Boris, who will not know how I’ve arranged the entries, will give me three random numbers.

10. The results will be announced on Sunday, 30th May 2010. I will contact the three winners by email. If I don’t hear back from a particular winner within 72 hours, another winner will be chosen.

11. Boris will send the prizes out directly to the winners. He will take every care in sending out the packages but neither Boris nor I will be held responsible in the event that the package goes missing in transit or arrives damaged.

Good luck, everyone!

Note: If you missed them, you may want to check my write-ups on MuLondon’s Organic Hemp Moisturiser and its Organic Rose Moisturiser.

Adorned Nails: Arcancil Bronze Caprice

I was totally drawn to this colour when I first set my eyes on it. My brain was chanting, "Buy, buy, buy!" And so, I bought, bought, bought.

Bronze Caprice is like a goddess in my eyes. It’s brownish gold. It’s bronze with oomph. I wiped some of this polish off on a piece of tissue and eww, the colour was very unpalatable. It was like.....you know.....excrement. But wait.

Nobody applies nail polish on tissue paper, so banish that thought!

In fact, it’s not at all a flat colour. It’s, as the name suggests, bronzy with tiny specks of shimmers in the formula. Application was a breeze with no weird streaks. Its consistency was just right, I thought.


Arcancil is a French brand that began life in 1935. In the old days, its forte was eye makeup, especially eyeliners and mascaras. Currently, it offers a whole range of makeup products priced at around the level of GOSH. If you’re interested, more information can be gleaned from the Arcancil website.

I’m sure you can tell by now that I’ve become quite addicted to stamping. Perhaps it’s a passing phase (or perhaps not). Here, I’ve used this image from the Essence Nail Art Stampy Set 02 Have Fun. The maroon nail polish used for the stamping is a Stiletto Nail Polish from Alessandro.

My nails here are with two coats of Bronze Caprice and the photos were all taken in daylight. Bronze Caprice was very camera-friendly. The colour you see here is simply the colour in real life: rich, bronzy and opulent.

Oh, that thing I’m clinging on to is a woollen scarf but it’s not just any woollen scarf. It was a Christmas gift from some years ago from a very dear friend whom I’ve known for a long time. I don’t see her that often anymore as she lives across the Channel. Mary’s a lovely lady with a kind soul and just a few months ago, she turned 85!

MuLondon: Organic Rose Moisturiser Review

You’ve read my introduction on MuLondon which included a review of the Organic Hemp Moisturiser. Now, let’s take a closer look at its Organic Rose Moisturiser. I will also share with you here other bits of information about MuLondon that I couldn’t squeeze into that previous article.

Image courtesy of MuLondon

Product
Volume and Price: 60ml / 2oz for £19 (30ml versions will be available soon)
Contents: Thick, beige/yellow-coloured cream housed in a glass jar. If you’re one into rose scents, you would love this.

This sample jar was sent along with my purchase of the full-size Organic Hemp Moisturiser.

According to MuLondon
Luxury 100% organic face moisturiser with Rose otto oil, Rosehip Extract and Rosemary. This amazing trio will pamper, balance and nourish dry, irritated and sensitive skin.....Great for everyday, all-over face, hands and body use. Ideal for dry and sensitive skin.

Ingredients
Shea Butter, Coconut Butter, Jojoba Oil, Rose Otto Essential Oil, Rosehip Extract, Rosemary Extract.
All are Certified Organic Ingredients.

About some of the ingredients:

Coconut Butter
When absorbed into the skin and connective tissues, it helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by helping to keep connective tissues strong and supple.

Rose Otto
Recommended for healing severe skin problems. It moisturises, firms and soothes the skin without irritation. Balancing for all skin types - including oily, dry, mature and sensitive skin.

Rosehip
Proven to reduce scars and wrinkles. It repairs damaged skin cells and rehydrates dry skin.

This Organic Rose Moisturiser is the newest of the five moisturisers currently available at MuLondon. Boris, whom you’ve read about before, added this variant to his product range because rose oil is an amazing healing and balancing oil. The rose otto essential oil that he uses is certified organic. Rose otto oil is extracted through steam distillation, a process through which a single drop of rose otto is yielded from thirty roses and that is why it is one of the most expensive essential oils in the world.

By the way, rose otto is not to be confused with rose absolute which is obtained through solvent extraction. Solvent extraction involves use of petrochemicals and as we all know, that goes against the ethos of MuLondon.

Application
Again, extracting the thick cream from the jar and directly applying on the skin would not work – you’ll end up with uneven patches of moisturiser on your skin. Trying to dilute the cream by applying it on wet skin is not the answer either (been there, done that, didn’t work). Remember, Boris has deliberately left out water from the formula. It is simply a thick cream with 100% active ingredients, so why would you want to go against the grain by diluting it?

So, the best thing to do is to first melt by rubbing the thick cream in the palm of your hand, then massage on moist (not wet!) skin just after a bath or shower. Your skin pores are open and will absorb the moisturiser more easily.

Uses
As with all the other variants, this one is an all-over moisturiser too. It may by 100% concentrated but it’s actually very mild. I had rashes (could have been eczema) on my skin a few weeks ago. I had hoped that this Rose Moisturiser would get rid of the rashes but because it was so mild, it didn’t. What it did do was calm the skin.

With the mildness in mind and seeing that it was a small sample jar anyway, I decided to use it for other purposes.

• Face – I know some of you might think it may be too rich for facial skin. I have acne-prone skin and I was sceptical too. However, I gave it a go anyway with first a patch test in my jaw area. Over the course of ten days, I did several patch tests on different parts of my face and there were no adverse reactions. Presently, I still use my regular facial moisturiser (also one without parabens and mineral oils, but not organic) and once every three-four days, I use this MuLondon Organic Rose Moisturiser. I apply very thinly and the skin will just suck in all that nourishment. I haven’t experienced any greasiness on the face from using this cream and it's lovely have the rose scent lingering near the nose for a little while.

• Lips – As it wasn’t stated on the label, I asked Boris if this moisturiser could be used on lips. He said yes. In fact, he and some of his friends do use the MuLondon creams on the lips. I have too many lipbalms to last me several lifetimes but I did apply this on my lips, just to try. Just a tiny bit and it kept my lips moisturised for a couple of hours.

• Nails and cuticles – This moisturiser works great for my nails and cuticles. Just rub a very teeny tiny amount on your nails and cuticles and let the cream get absorbed. I find using this cream much easier than using nail and cuticle oils which are so oily and messy.

Remember to always do a patch test first. I always advocate that and Boris also includes this reminder on the jar label.

Other Information
Storage
There is a “best before” date on the label and it is recommended that the cream be used up within six months from the time it was made. I think six months is an achievable time period. The cream may be highly concentrated and you wouldn’t need to use much each time but I won’t tell you that it will last forever. If used diligently on the body daily, a jar of 60ml could last about three to four months. That was my experience anyway with the Organic Hemp Moisturiser. I reached the bottom of my jar in about three months.

Whatever it is, it is best to store the jar in a cool, dry and dark place. According to Boris, if necessary, the cream may be kept for longer than six months (when stored properly).

Where To Buy
Here’s some additional information. Besides its own online store on the MuLondon website and on Etsy, MuLondon products are available at health food stores: Greenlands in London and Cocoya in Denmark, and in several stores in Latvia.

Final Words
Boris is currently busy working to expand the product range of MuLondon. Cleansers, massage oils and a facial scrub are in the works. I read on his blog that one of the items is an all-natural detergent-free cleanser. By the way, he shares skincare tips and tricks there too.

I found out that he also makes custom blends, so if anyone has any special requests for a certain cream, you could get in touch with him through his website.

ELLIS FAAS: ELLIS LIPS Milky Lips Review

I’m pretty sure that, by now, most of you are familiar with the ELLIS FAAS brand and their sleek pens. I’ve featured the pens here several times, so even if you’ve never used them before, you would already have an idea of what to expect.

Here’s a quick recap of its lip products. ELLIS FAAS offers lip colours in three finishes: Creamy, Milky and Glazed, with Creamy Lips being the most opaque (like liquid lipstick). Glazed Lips is like lipgloss while Milky Lips is somewhere in between. For each of the three finishes, there are nine shades available.

Today, I’m featuring Milky Lips L203. This will be a quick-ish review as there are many similiarities with the pens that I have already featured here. While the other three pens that I have previously reviewed were my own purchases, this pen was very kindly sent to me by the folks at ELLIS FAAS.

Product
Name: ELLIS FAAS – ELLIS LIPS Milky Lips No. L203
Volume and Price: 2.8ml / 0.095 US fl oz for €25.00

According to ELLIS FAAS (excerpts)
ELLIS LIPS products are lightweight, long-lasting and easy to apply. Paraben-free and loaded with Vitamin E, they also blend into the lips without leaving a sticky residue, leaving the lips soft and conditioned.

For a more fluid and translucent appearance, try Milky Lips. For a subtle look with just a trace of colour, either apply a feather-light layer all over the lips or apply Milky Lips to the middle of the lips and fade it with the fingertips.....Additionally, emollient oils within the product will also make your lips appear fuller and enhance their 3D effect.

Ingredients
The list of ingredients for each product can easily be found on the ELLIS FAAS website.

Packaging
The same as the other silver ELLIS FAAS pens. Please use my extensive review of the Creamy Eyes E104 as a point of reference. This Milky Lips pen has a brush applicator just like the one for Creamy Eyes.

Contents
Fluid lip colour with medium opacity. Colour L203 is a dark vampy brownish red shade.

My Thoughts
Application
I have mainly been using the brush applicator to apply directly on my lips. If the pen happens to dispense too much fluid on to the applicator, I would then use my finger to transfer colour to my lips. That same technique would be employed if I want only subtle colouring.

Pigmentation
It’s got excellent pigmentation, so even with just a little dab using my finger, my lips would already have enough colour. Coverage is buildable.

Very lightly applied by dabbing a few dots of Milky Lips with finger and then blend

Applied thickly with the brush applicator to intensify colour

All images were taken in daylight.

Texture
As mentioned above, the texture of Milky Lips is somewhere between that of a lipstick and a lipgloss. It imparts intense colouring with more sheen (I wouldn't call it shine) than the velvety texture of Creamy Lips, but sometimes, it’s quite difficult to tell them apart. Of course, it’s not sticky and the best part is that it keeps my lips moist. I’ve been applying it directly on my bare lips, ie. requiring no lipbalm base, and have had no problems with chapped lips.

Durability
There will be some lip colour transfer with this one too. You will need to re-apply after a meal or after a few hours, unless you layer it thickly.

Conclusion
You know I’m already biased where ELLIS FAAS lip products are concerned. Blame it on the Creamy Lips E106 that made me go “Wow!” that first time. Milky Lips feels light on the lips, it's paraben-free and highly pigmented, the colour intensity is buildable and it moisturises the lips. Hmm, tell me, how can I not love Milky Lips too?

More information can be found on the ELLIS FAAS website. My previous articles on this brand can be found here.