Burt's Bees: Lip Shimmer Review



I've been reading up on Burt's Bees' history. As with many other brands that have seen mega-success, Burt's Bees' story is an interesting one.

It is basically an inspiring rags-to-riches kind of tale. The gist:

Its founders, Burt Shavitz and Roxanne Quimby met in 1984 in Maine, US. Mr Shavitz was a beekeeper who sold honey out of the back of his truck. He had a lot of leftover beeswax and it was Ms Quimby who started putting it to good use by making candles and selling them at local fairs. It proved to be a profitable business and other products like furniture polish were introduced in subsequent years, using the time-tested recipes which Ms Quimby found in a old farmer's manual.

The brand's star product (even to this day), the beeswax lipbalm, was introduced back in 1991. Burt's Bees grew from strength to strength with an ever-expanding range of personal care products made with natural ingredients. Mr Shavitz retired from the business in the late 1990s (but his face still adorns many of Burt's Bees products). Ms Quimby stayed on till about four years ago, walking out with a multi-million dollar payout. Clorox owns Burt's Bees now. Isn't it ironic?

Anyway, the product in question: Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer. I wish I had discovered this much earlier, but then again, Burt's Bees products weren't available here in the Netherlands till about a year or so ago. If you're too lazy to read further, then just read this: I love this Lip Shimmer!


Price: €7.99 for 2.5g, housed in a slim tube of about 3" long.

According to Burt's Bees
A kiss of color and pearlized shine add a hint of glamour to our world famous lip balm. Condition, smooth & highlight your lips with our wonderful selection of twelve shimmering shades. Luminescent earth pigments add a hint of color to our natural beeswax lip balm to give your lips the lift they need.

Ingredients
Please click to enlarge.




My Thoughts
The one that I bought is in the shade Fig.

Application
It's so smooth that it just glides on the lips. You are left with a cool, minty feeling that lasts just under an hour. You have to love minty stuff to love this.

As this is basically a lipbalm, I only twist it up a bit at a time. I always have this fear that the twist mechanism would fail on me (that's happened before) and I'd be stuck with a protruding colour stick that can't be closed properly. The downside to twisting it so little each time is that the casing gets the lip colour too during application (image right). I always clean it up before putting the cap back on.

Colour
It's not a sheer. On the contrary! It's pigment-rich, so it is quite like a lipstick. Fig looks like a dark brownish red in the tube but it's a lovely sweet coral red that really shows on the lips.


It's not called 'Shimmer' for nothing. Just have a look at the swatch on the right and at my lips (lip photo below taken in strong sunshine).

Moisturising factor
It's a beeswax lipbalm, so it's really as good as its normal lipbalm (if not better), but with colour. I'm not exaggerating when I say that it leaves my lips feeling so soft and moisturised. The effect can be felt almost immediately after application. I quite literally fell in love with this Lip Shimmer from the first application.

Durability
Yes, there is the usual colour transfer when drinking. In general, the colour does fade after two to three hours but the moisturising effect lasts a couple of hours more. Re-application is entirely up to you. I usually don't need to re-apply in that time unless I've eaten something.

Some Gripes
Those of you in the US have access to all the twelve colours that the Lip Shimmers are available in. Not fair! Over here in the Netherlands, they sell only about six or seven shades.

We pay €7.99 per piece. Also not fair! How is that calculated when in the US, the price is only USD5.00?!


Last Words
Yes, I may have two gripes but this is a super duper fantastic lipbalm-cum-lipstick, in other words, a very convenient moisturising lip colour. I totally give it two thumbs up. Of all the lipbalms that I've tried, coloured or not, I would put this Lip Shimmer in my Top Three.

In the Netherlands, a limited selection of Burt's Bees products is available in De Tuinen and Sephora, amongst others.


More information:
Burt's Bees website
Burt's Bees' origins according to co-founder, Roxanne Quimby
A short video that also features the Mr Burt Shavitz

17 comments:

Skulda said...

My favourite is the pomegranate lip balm. ^.^

Paulina said...

pretty colour!

Anonymous said...

Such an interesting story and a great review! I love your background stories.

The color and shimmer look great on your lovely lips.

I had a look at the website and they have so many interesting product. Take care, Nicole xx

Me said...

Fig looks great on you. I love these tinted lips balms; they're perfect for summer. Fig is probably my favorite, but I also love Rhubarb and Watermelon. Champagne also does wonderful things as a topper for other lipsticks.

sugar sugar said...

this looks super lovely on your lips! :) i have never been a fan of burt bee's since their lippies dry my lips out but i do know that they're HG material for many girls out there. ^_^

Content Director - Strong Female Leaders said...

What a fascinating story! I enjoyed reading it. I have heard many wonderful things about this lip balm. I'm definitely giving it a try.

www.thegirlieblog.com

Karla Michelle said...

That's definitely a keeper! I like it when a lip color moisturizes well like a lip balm or a lip balm that gives off a great color. Coz it's like having the best of both worlds! - especially in the world of beauty where color and moisture always comes separately. hehe. :)

LionLovingTiger said...

Ooh that shade is super pretty.x

Me said...

Fig and Rhubarb are my favs! Your post got me in the mood, so I just slathered a bit of BB Lip Shimmer in Watermelon on my lips. Tingly goodness.

Witoxicity said...

@The Girlie Blog
I'm pleased you like this article and yes, do give this a try. I'm sure you have easy access to it in the States. :)

@Karla Michelle
Oh, that's so true and that's why I love this one so much. It's a fantastic two-in-one! :)

@LionLovingTiger
I think this shade would work well on anyone. :)

@Zuzu's Petals
It's so nice to see you here a 'second' time, Zuzu! [wink, wink] Yes, cool and tingly does it. Am off to check what shade Watermelon is! :)

Witoxicity said...

[Delayed reply after Blogger returned the missing comments]
@Skulda
Oh, I bought that pomegranate lipbalm the other day. I'm looking forward to trying it after I've used up my current one. :)

@Psulina
I'm glad you like it. :)

@Nicole
Thanks, my dear. Burt's Bees' range of products has certainly expanded a great deal since that lipbalm back in 1991 and I agree, many of them sound very interesting. Oh, I'd love to try so many! :)

@Zuzu's Petals
Thank you, Zuzu. I think these are perfect for use all year round. I totally love these! :)

@sugar sugar
Thanks. How interesting that their lipbalms dry your lips out! That just goes to show how a product may work for one and not for another. :)

Inge (PolishSis) said...

Thank you so much for showing this! Definately going to try a coloured Burt's Bees Lipbalm. I'm a great fan of Burt's Bees regular lipbalm and use it daily, but only at work and never in the house, because my 'Eppie' really hates how the mint in the balm makes his lips burn when he kisses me. LOL. Aren't boys cute.

Witoxicity said...

@PolishSis
My pleasure! Hee hee! That's funny! I can't blame him. Some people simply dislike minty stuff! Anyway, if you like their regular lipbalm, then I'm pretty sure you'll like these Lip Shimmers. You must have seen other shades in the stores. I haven't tried the other shades yet - I'm guessing that they won't give my lips as much colour as this Fig does. It's kinda difficult to know before buying. Also, it doesn't help that they don't have testers. Sigh! :)

Raey said...

It is even more expensive in India. So I guess I shall have to wait for the prices to come down a bit more :(

Witoxicity said...

@Raey
Hi, Raey! Lovely to hear from you! I hope you've been well. Yeah, it's certainly not nice to have to pay so much more for these. I still love these Lip Shimmers to this day. I use them almost every day. Hmmm, perhaps you could try checking some online beauty stores that ship to India. You might find better prices in these webstores. :)

Raey said...

Thank you Anne. I am doing well. Wishing the same for you :) I did check online stores for a better deal but the cost is just the same. I have been using The Body Shop Shea lip butter which works pretty well for me. Though its advisable to use it at night since it leaves a white layer on your lips or you can top it with a gloss.

Witoxicity said...

@Raey
I'm doing fine, thank you. :) It's a pity you can't get it cheaper online either. Ah well, there are sooooo many brands out there offering great lip products, so you're certain to eventually find one that suits you best! I especially like these by Burt's Bees as they are tinted (all-in-ones are great!). I haven't tried the Lip Butter by Body Shop myself. Glad it works well for you. Have a good weekend! :)