Le Couvent des Minimes: Smile Lip Balm Honey Review

I wrote about the Le Couvent des Minimes Nutritive Lip Balm almost two years ago. I didn't hate it then but I wasn't very impressed either. The lip balm was gritty and it didn't last long on the lips. I was stumped as I didn't find its list of ingredients offensive at all.

Well, Le Couvent des Minimes revamped its lipbalm collection early this year. The collection is now an odd composition of three lipbalms in tubes and one lipbalm in a glass jar. The three in tubes come in three different aromas - Mint, Pear and Orange Blossom - and are more like non-sticky clear lipglosses (you can read my review here).

The one in the glass jar, which is what we'll be looking at in this post, is with honey aroma and is actually a slightly reformulated version of its predecessor, the abovementioned Nutritive Lip Balm.

Le Couvent des Minimes Smile Lip Balm, L-R: Honey, Pear, Orange Blossom

The proper full name of this product is Le Couvent des Minimes Smile Lip Balm Honey Aroma, Very Rich Formula.

Le Couvent des Minimes says:

SOS care for dried out and damaged lips.

Thanks to its original recipe with a delicious aroma, the Smile Lip Balm Very Rich Formula :

• softens the lips
• nourishes deeply the lips
• repairs the lips durably

The Smile Very Rich Formula is enriched in repairing ingredients.

Paraben free. Colorant free. Mineral oil free.

Ingredients:
Castor seed oil, coconut oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, shea butter, castor isostearate succinate, octyldodecanol, glyceryl dibehenate, beeswax, tribehenin, glyceryl behenate, honey extract, royal jelly, honey, propolis extract, aroma, hydrogenated vegetable oil, butylene glycol, sodium saccharin, water, tocopherol, glycerin, coco-glucoside, linalool

The brand highlights the following on the box packaging:

• Honey extract: softens
• Shea butter and beeswax: nourish
• Royal Jelly: repairs
• Honey : aroma

A quick comparison with the ingredients list of the previous version shows that there are minor changes in the formula but the goody ingredients remain the same.

Even though the formula hasn't changed all that much, I like this new version for some reason. The lipbalm does look smoother than the previous version. There was no grittiness when I first bought it - the contents were buttery smooth. A few months on though, the lipbalm is starting to look a bit gritty but just a tiny bit. So, I'm not complaining yet.

The lipbalm smells just like the old version i.e. gorgeously of honey and it tastes sweet too (it contains sodium saccharin). This version does seem to last longer on the lips and, with a thick layer, it's good enough for overnight use. Overall, it's a thumbs up.

One more thing. I had a reason for buying this new version, despite my meh experience with the old one. I may have had some complaints about the old one but ironically, this turned out to be a cure for the occasional red, itchy patch on my eye lid. Yeah, eye!

The last time I had this issue, it started on one lid near the brow and then, it spread to the outer corner of the eye. Some days later, the outer corner of the other eye had it too! I tried almost all the natural remedies in my cupboard, including Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Balm and the SheerinO'kho Eye Cream but nothing helped. I got panicky. Out of desperation, I applied the Le Couvent des Minimes Nutritive Lip Balm around my eyes and whatdyaknow, the awkward, red, itchy patches were gone within a couple of days! It could be the propolis and/or the royal jelly that did the trick, I suspect.

So you see, it was only right that I gave this new lipbalm a second chance. If it didn't work as a lipbalm, I could always use it as an SOS eyebalm.

Recommended retail price: €9.10 / USD12.50 for 15ml / 0.5oz

Le Couvent des Minimes website


Here are a couple of places where Le Couvent des Minimes products are sold:
Benelux - ICI Paris XL parfumeries stores in Nederland and Belgium
USA - Beauty.com

Le Couvent des Minimes: Smile Lip Balm Review

Le Couvent des Minimes (a much smaller and lesser-known sister brand of L'Occitane's) revamped its lipbalm range some months back. Oh, wait. That lipbalm range was really just one product - the Le Couvent des Minimes Nutritive Lip Balm.

With the 'revamp', the new range called Smile Lip Balm now consists of four products: three Smile Lip Balms in tubes and one Le Couvent des Minimes Smile Lip Balm Very Rich Formula with Honey Aroma in a glass jar.

I had some issues with the old lipbalm but I was nevertheless curious about this new range. I bought two of the tube Smile Lip Balms and also the one in the glass jar. I will write a separate post on the latter. This post is on the tube lip balms:

• Le Couvent des Minimes Smile Lip Balm Pear Aroma
• Le Couvent des Minimes Smile Lip Balm Orange Blossom Aroma

What Le Couvent des Minimes says (excerpts)
Thanks to its original recipe with a delicious aroma, the Smile Lip Balm:

• softens the lips
• nourishes the lips
• protects the lips

Dermatologist tested. Paraben free. Colorant free. Mineral oil free.

Ingredients
Triisostearin, Trihydroxystearin, Shea butter extract, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Apricot kernel oil, Jojoba seed oil, Aroma, Marshmallow root extract, Saccharin, Propylene Glycol, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Water, Linalool, Geraniol, Limonene, Eugenol.

To help you sift through the ingredients list with some complicated-sounding items, Le Couvent des Minimes highlights on the packaging the natural ingredients and their intended function:

• Marshmallow extract : softens
• Shea butter : nourishes
• Apricot seed oil: protects

My Thoughts

Application
The plastic tube has a slant-tip opening which is handy if you wish to apply directly on the lips with the tube. I like to keep the tip and the screw-on cap clean, so I prefer to squeeze the contents on my finger and then apply.

Scent
The scent is very present in the first couple of minutes of application and yeah, the aromas are dead-on. I especially like the pear variant as it's really like taking a bite of a very juicy, ripe green pear. Despite the saccharin, the Smile Lip Balm is tasteless.

Texture
This Smile Lip Balm isn't a balm in the true sense of the word. It doesn't contain any waxes - no beeswax, no candelilla wax, no carnauba wax. In fact, the 'balm' looks like a gel, like a colourless lipgloss - viscous and murky translucent - but unlike lipgloss, it has a non-sticky formula, which is great! The lips are left with a mildly glossy finish, which is why I tend not to use it at bedtime.

The gel spreads smoothly and effortlessly on the lips and it's lasting too. The lips stay smooth, cushy-soft and moisturised for several hours until it's time to eat. A thin layer applied would also work well as a lipstick base.


Final Words
I'm impressed. I wasn't expecting much when I bought these but I really like these tube Smile Lip Balms now, inaccurate the 'lip balm' name may be. If anything, I think the creators should have called it a lip gel, a lip conditioner or even a lip treatment.

Even though it doesn't look like all the ingredients are natural and I don't know if the aroma is natural or synthetic (let me know if you happen to have more information), it's great that it doesn't contain parabens and petrolatum. I like the fact that the shea butter figures quite highly on the list of ingredients and the presence of apricot kernel oil, jojoba seed oil and marshmallow extract can only mean more nourishing goodness for the lips.

Its recommended retail price in Europe is €7.50 for 15ml / 0.5oz. At the ICI Paris XL parfumerie stores here in the Netherlands, they go for €6.75 each.


More information:
For the background story on Le Couvent des Minimes the brand, please read this post here.
Le Couvent des Minimes website

I did a quick check and here are some of the places where one can buy Le Couvent des Minimes products:

Benelux - ICI Paris XL parfumeries stores in Nederland and Belgium
UK - Tesco's Beauty Halls in Bolton, Dudley and Newport
USA - Beauty.com
It says on the Beauty.com website that with a USD35 purchase of Le Couvent des Minimes products, you'll get a free full-size tube of the soap-free Rinse-Off Cleansing Cream (worth USD16) from its Beneficial Rose Skincare range. Ends 31 Dec 2012.

Suvana: Paw Paw & Honey Balm Review

Remember the cult favourite, Lucas Papaw Ointment? Well, this one from Suvana, also an Australian brand, is one alternative for those who've sworn off petroleum jelly (which the Lucas Papaw Ointment contains).

As I bought my tube almost a year ago, the name and the artwork that you see here on the tube is the previous version. I've done some checking and I see that the Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Certified Organic Balm (my tube) has had a little flip in the name. It's now: Suvana Certified Organic Paw Paw & Honey Balm. Same thing.

The Suvana Certified Organic Paw Paw & Honey Balm (henceforth Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Balm) has a cult following of its own too, I believe. Just like the Lucas Papaw Ointment, it's a multi-purpose balm and it contains paw paw (papaya) extract.

However, unlike the Lucas Papaw Ointment, the Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Balm does not contain petroleum jelly. Instead, it contains beeswax, which you may or may not like. That aside, its list of ingredients is a pretty straightforward one, all good stuff:

Castor Seed Oil*, Beeswax*, Coconut Oil*, Cocoa Butter*, Paw Paw Extract, Honey*, Jojoba Oil*, Vanilla Bean Oil*, Candelilla Wax, Carrot Oil, Stevia Extract, Natural Vitamin E
* certified organic

It's all-natural, contains no nasties and is ECOCERT-certified too. And no, Suvana does not test on animals.

This is what Suvana says of its Paw Paw & Honey Balm (excerpts):

.....this luscious balm soothes, softens and moisturises chapped lips, dry skin and dry and cracked elbows. Cocoa butter, paw paw and honey moisturise lips and give them long lasting protection......

Texture
It's a soft balm that melts easily on contact with skin. It doesn't feel gritty and it hardens slightly in low temperatures.

Scent
It has a mild, unobtrusive honey scent with a hint of vanilla. It has cocoa butter but that's not quite coming through in the overall scent.

Uses
As mentioned earlier, it's a multi-purpose balm:

• Lips - it works great to keep lips moisturised and the waxes leave a protective layer to prevent lips from drying out (well, that's really what most lipbalms do anyway, correct?).

• Problem patches - A while back, I had a frustratingly dry, red, itchy patch on my leg that wouldn't go away. For several weeks, I tried different remedies, including (diluted) tea tree oil, manuka honey, Aquaphor and this Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Balm, but none of them worked. In the end, I had to resort to using a teeny tiny bit of steroid cream (which I really really, wanted to avoid) and after two days, I started using the Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Balm on that patch. The Suvana balm didn't solve the problem (the steroid cream did) but it did help with the healing process.

• Nails and cuticles - I'm not fond of using balms on my body (they feel too heavy on the skin due to the waxes) but on small areas of skin, like hands, fingers, nails and cuticles, that's fine. I do use Suvana as a cuticle balm once in a while, especially when I'm travelling (my main one is the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream).

• Eyes - I had read that some ladies use it as an undereye balm on a regular basis. As for me, I had used it on the outer corners of my eyes when I was away from home for a few weeks. I didn't bring my regular eye cream with me, so the Suvana balm worked well as a temporary substitute. Just a very thin layer would do.

• Minor scalds - along with some other multi-purpose balms, I also use the Suvana Paw Paw & Honey Balm on scalds - very helpful for little mishaps in the kitchen.

New tube with foil seal

Packaging
Suvana uses recyclable packaging. Its tube design is reminiscent of that of Lucas Papaw's, no? About the same size, same weight (25g), just different colour. The tube is very handy to carry around in the makeup bag/handbag/luggage or toss around in the kitchen drawer. It's light and you don't have to worry about it breaking/spilling.

Last Words
This balm was my trusty companion when I was travelling recently. As I alluded to earlier, I used it as my night-time lipbalm, my eye balm, my nail/cuticle balm and as a relief for my eczema flare-up. At home, I tend to use it as just a lipbalm and for minor scalding incidents in the kitchen.

A handy one, this, and made with good, organic ingredients too. Don't we all just love a product that can multi-task?


More information:
I bought my tube last year from the UK-based Pawpaw Shop, an online shop I discovered while doing some research on the Lucas Papaw Ointment, ironically. The Suvana Certified Organic Paw Paw & Honey Balm is going for £6.99 (25g / 0.88oz).

Suvana Organic Beauty Facebook page

Yes To Carrots: Lip Butters Review

I'm obsessed with lipbalms (and you thought it was nail polishes that I was obsessed with, eh?).

The long and the short of it is that I had been addicted to Vaseline since my teens (and let's just say that I'm not a young chick anymore). I didn't switch to natural lipbalms until just under three years ago.

The lovely Jellynat sent me these many months back when she read that I was on a quest for the perfect lipbalm. The Yes To Carrots Lip Butters are her favourite and she thought I would like it too (this was when Yes To Carrots lip products weren't easily available in stores over here). The thing is, she was supposed to send me only the Mint variant to try but bless her, she decided to send me all three that came in a promo pack. In our little swap, I sent her errr....nail polishes in return.

It has taken me a long time to write this review simply because I wanted to go through all three variants first before penning my thoughts on them. On top of that, I had also been interspersing these Lip Butters with lipbalms from other brands, some already purchased before I received these Yes To Carrots ones. Now, now, I'm a good girl and I do finish every lipbalm that I have, right to the stump (except for the one that caused an allergic reaction!), and these Yes To Carrots Lip Butters are no exceptions.

Great Stuff
I can definitely understand why Jellynat loves these Lip Butters. They are made of mostly certified organic ingredients. They go on so smooth and creamy and in my experience, they can repair troubled chapped lips. They are extremely moisturising (one wouldn't expect otherwise!) and they keep the lips soft and protected for hours and hours. I love these!

Flavours
I've tried these three variants/flavours: Berry, Melon and Mint. They all have the same basic list of ingredients with minor differences for the different flavours. The Melon one really smells like honeydew (melon), the Berry variant like strawberry and you've guessed it, the Mint one smells minty and leaves a cool, fresh, tingling sensation on the lips (which lasts no more than fifteen minutes). My favourite of the three is Melon. The scent is spot-on.

By the way, Yes To Carrots has two other Lip Butter flavours - Carrot and Citrus.

According to Yes To Carrots (excerpts)
Yes To Carrots USDA Organic Lip Butters conditions, invigorates, and revitalizes your lips, moisturizing to keep them the smoothest and softest they can be.

• All natural ingredients
• No animal testing
• Paraben, petroleum & phthalate free

Ingredients

Final Words
I can recommend you many good lipbalms but I think you should try the Yes To Carrots Lip Butter if you've been looking for a great lipbalm. In my eyes, it is the perfect lipbalm.

However, for now, I love exploring the big, wondrous world of natural lipbalms too much to stop at Yes To Carrots. I will definitely go back to Yes To Carrots every now and then though - must try out the Carrot and Citrus ones next.

On the Yes To Carrots website, the Lip Butters go for USD12.99 for a set of 5. Unlike before, the Yes To Carrots Lip Butters are now easily available here in the Netherlands in stores like De Tuinen, Sephora and Etos. They're usually priced at €3.99 each (4.25g / 0.15 oz). I've also seen them with a €4.99 pricetag (not in the abovementioned stores) and if you see that too, please be wise and walk away. If you can't find Yes To Carrots products at your local drugstores, try Amazon - I've also seen it on Amazon DE.


Further reading:
My Lip Treatment Series featuring natural lipbalms I've tried in the past
Yes To Carrots website

Erbaviva: Organic Baby Lip & Cheek Balm Review

So what if it was created with baby in mind?

I've been using this balm on myself for the past two months and I can't say that I have any gripes about the contents. I do have two little complaints about the stick packaging though. Firstly, the fit of the cover is too tight for the stick. To avoid problems, I don't slide the cover all the way back into the holder, leaving a gap of about 1cm. Secondly, the twist mechanism has malfunctioned this week (this very week, seriously!) - can twist up, won't twist down. It's a good thing I don't twist up more than a couple of millimeters each time.

One thing that took some getting used to was the size. I mean, look at the size of this stick!

Size comparison with Chicken Poop Lip Junk

A regular lipbalm tube contains approx. 4.2g / 0.15oz. This Erbaviva Organic Baby Lip & Cheek Balm contains about four times as much, a whopping 18g / 0.6oz. Granted, it's also meant for use on baby cheeks etc, hence the big diameter. I've been using it mainly on my lips and I have to admit that I won't want to be seen applying this balm on my lips in public. It's just weirdly big for a lipbalm.

Price: USD10.00 for 18g / 0.6oz

I had placed an order for this Lip & Cheek Balm with a voucher from Zalando Netherlands. I spent a portion of the shopping voucher on this balm and with the balance and a top-up with my own money, I got a pair of shoes, shown over at Witoxichic (besides beauty products, Zalando sells a wide range of shoes like sneakers and trendy high heels).

The order arrived in a large box (to accommodate the shoe box) and this Lip & Cheek Balm was placed in a ziplock bag and protected by air cushions. The balm itself was safety-sealed.

The Erbaviva Organic Baby Lip & Cheek Balm retails for €11.95 on the Zalando.nl website but it was (and still is) on discount. The marked-down price is €8.95.

Dit product heb ik besteld met een voucher, die ik gekregen heb van Zalando Nederland. Bekijk het Erbaviva assortiment op de website.

About Erbaviva
Erbaviva was begun in 1996 by husband-and-wife team, Robin Brown and Anna Cirronis. Their mission is to offer mommies-to-be and babies upscale products completely free from all harsh detergents, chemical fragrances, and other unhealthy additives. Their first product was a soap-less Baby Washbag which was an unbleached cotton sachet, filled with organic oatmeal, organic milk and organic lavender flowers. Other baby care products (many of which are organic) followed soon after.

About the Organic Baby Lip & Cheek Balm
For chapped lips, cheeks, and hands, our new organic baby balm helps moisturize and heal dry skin while creating a barrier between baby's skin and dry or cold weather. Rosemary extract gives the balm natural antioxidants, while chamomile comforts baby.

Ingredients
Please see right.

My Thoughts
Most lipbalms I've seen and tried look translucent. This one from Erbaviva is opaque and almost yellow in colour. The balm was quite dry and hard the first couple of times I used it - had to rub on it a few times to melt the balm - but it became sufficiently soft and nice after that.

It has a distinct, funny smell, in my opinion. There's the scent of lavender but it's much more than that which escapes description. Sometimes, I think it's ever so slightly sour (no, it's not rancid).

I've used and finished many natural lipbalms in the past year or so and I can totally see myself finishing this Erbaviva one too. Looking at the list of ingredients, you can't doubt its efficacy as a moisturising balm.

It works great on the lips, lasts for hours and I sometimes use it on my hands too. I had a dry, scabby spot on my knuckle the other day (from slacking on using my hand moisturisers). I applied this Lip & Cheek Balm on it intensively and the skin healed. The dry spot disappeared within five days. However, I haven't tried it on my cheeks and I don't intend to. I'm not too keen on having too much beeswax on my face.

So, I may not be a mommy-to-be or a baby, but my lips and hands really like this balm. I think yours would too once you get used to the funny scent.


More information:
Erbaviva website

Andrea Garland: Lovely Lip Balm Review

This packaging has got to be the chic-est I've ever had for a lipbalm. It's not your usual plastic twist-up stick and it's not in a mini jar. This one's in a vintage Princess Pat rouge compact. Quaint, ain't it?

Warning: Verbose article ahead. The compact somehow gets a lot more attention here than the lipbalm does.

The Andrea Garland brand certainly has a very unique selling proposition. In this age of Reduce, Re-use and Recycle, Ms Garland, an aromatherapist (according to its website), puts old, used tins, compacts and pill boxes to very good use. What we used to call bah, rubbish! is now lovingly christened antique or vintage. All it takes is just a change in mindset, no?

Other than the vintage range (balms for the lips and for the body housed in vintage containers), Ms Garland also makes skincare products housed in conventional packaging - amber glass bottles and jars. She does proudly state on the website that her products are all handmade in Hackney, London and that......

.....all ingredients are natural, sourced from ethical suppliers and as many as possible are organic to ensure a more considerate, holistic and gentle approach to skincare. Absolutely none of the ingredients, or indeed, the products have been tested on animals.

Ms. Garland deserves a pat on the back, don't you think?

I bought my Lovely Lip Balm last year when I visited the then newly-opened eco-beauty store, C. Cosmetics & Care, in Amsterdam (image above). You can read my write-up on the store here. I waited a few months before I started using this lipbalm (as I had other lipbalms in the queue - I have an insuppressible obsession for natural lipbalms) and then, I procrastinated writing about it (because there were other lipbalms in the queue!).


Very Charming
Lipbalm
My version has a slightly different list of ingredients from what is now on the website, so Andrea Garland has obviously made some changes to the formula. Rather than give you my list of ingredients, I will give the current version instead:

Sweet Almond oil, Beeswax*, Shea butter*, Red raspberry seed oil*, Vitamin E oil, Benzoin, Grapefruit, Lime*, Lavender* and Carotene
* Organic

My version is cocoa butter-based and the new version, shea butter, and there was no red raspberry seed oil previously. In any case, I'm pretty sure the current version is just as good, or even better, than before.

Mine had a subtle citrusy scent. Well, I did finish the lipbalm and I have to say that it is top-grade stuff. One good application keeps the lips nicely moisturised for several hours.

Vintage Compacts
We are after all talking about old stuff here. Andrea Garland assures us that all tins are washed, sterilised and lined (where appropriate) before they are filled.

Andrea Garland uses a big assortment of vintage containers: anything from Avon eyeshadow compacts from the 70s to ornate pill boxes and animal brooches. You have the sweet and elegant and then, you have the cute and kitsch. However, because these containers are vintage, some are one-offs and what you see on the website one day may not be available anymore some time later.

My lipbalm came in a goldtone Princess Pat rouge compact. It's small, only about 1.5 inches in diameter, and quite shallow. From what I can see, this compact with this design is not available on the site at the moment. Back then, this was how Andrea Garland described it:

Beautiful 1930's rouge Princess Pat goldtone compact with art deco design complete with a red, floral centre piece. Has a mirror inside and is full of lovely lip balm, a unique and novel way to store this vital beauty necessity.

I was quite disappointed that my Princess Pat compact did not have a mirror inside as stated on the website, so I wrote Andrea Garland Customer Service an email just to ask why that was. I was plainly curious. Ms Garland herself was quick in replying (thumbs up!) and in her email, she explained:

All the products are vintage and do vary individually, some do come with mirrors and some don't. The particular one on my website does have a mirror, the one that was sent to Amsterdam didn't. Mirrors unfortunately are not a standard feature as some mirrors are cracked when I get them and I have then have to remove them. Other mirrors don't make it through the cleaning process.

On wholesale orders to shops, I deliberately don't specify if they have mirrors or not as each item, because of the vintage nature, does vary slightly.

That was fair enough. The fact that my compact missed a mirror was unfortunate (there's some value shaved off) but I dwelled no further on that matter. My compact did come with the original rouge puff though!

The Reality
Okay, the Andrea Garland brand oozes charm. Heck, even the website looks homey and inviting. However, I should point out some not-so-charming aspects:

Price
This ain't cheap. You are essentially paying a premium because of the vintage container, so really, only a small portion of the price you're paying is for the lipbalm itself. My Lovely Lip Balm cost around [gulp] €27. It contained 5ml of lipbalm. I believe it was £22 on the website at that time.

Er, yes, what in the world was I thinking?!?! €27 for a lipbalm?! I plead temporary insanity.

So, then, I rationalised. You see, once the lipbalm is finished, you can actually send your empty vintage container back to Andrea Garland for a refill (waste not). The price of refills varies from product to product and from container to container. In my case, the ticket on the packaging says that a refill costs £5 (plus a couple of £'s for postage). So, the more times you use up the lipbalm and send in for refills, the lower would be the average cost of 'each' Andrea Garland Lovely Lip Balm. Correct?

Practicality
My compact closes with a light snap. However, it isn't the easiest to open, not because it shuts tightly but because the two parts to be pried open are so shallow that they are a bit hard to grip. This isn't a big issue but it is irritating at times. Of course, what I experienced with my compact may not necessarily apply to other compacts in the Andrea Garland collection.

Goop
The lipbalm is fairly solid, so it needs quite a bit of rubbing with the finger to melt it. I tend to go round and round in the pan to get the lipbalm on my finger but as a result, some melted lipbalm gets pushed outwards and ends up on the side of the compact. It needs to be wiped off quickly. I once left it as it was and due to contact with the metal of the compact, the odd bits of lipbalm turned into a greenish goop. Umm, it was not a pretty sight.

Because of the way the lipbalm is rubbed (round and round), it dents in the middle first, eventually forming a 'doughnut' shape. The greenish goop business does get worse over time. Having a gap between the metal pan and the compact doesn't help matters either.


Final Words Finally
I love the concept, I love that the brand is so eco- and vintage-chic and I love the lipbalm but perhaps the big question is: Will I send the compact back for a refill? (image right: cleaned empty compact)

The answer would be No. Frankly, I have mixed feelings about my purchase and in some ways I do regret buying it. On one hand, I now own a cool piece of vintage compact from the 1930s (I do collect antique and vintage stuff) but on the other hand, I didn't like how the compact held the lipbalm. I would rather keep the compact either for display or for storage of say, small items of jewellery.
By the way, vintage Princess Pat rouge compacts can be purchased online - just Google it up.


Further information:
The prices of the Andrea Garland Lovely Lip Balms range from £16 to £26. The Andrea Garland Rosy Facial Beauty Balms and Sore Muscle Balms are priced £30 and above (these are in much larger vintage containers).

If you are interested, you can buy them from:

Online
• Andrea Garland website
• Cult Beauty website (only a small selection left)

Store (Netherlands)
• C. Cosmetics and Care (in Amsterdam)

Chicken Poop: Lip Junk and Outdoors Review

If the name itself isn't ridiculous enough to grab your attention, I don't know what would.

Those of you who have already come across this brand would know that it's a brand known for its lipbalms. They contain no poop. They are just simple, natural lipbalms with a goofy brand name. Very contrarian indeed. I like that. I've also read of people buying these lipbalms as a joke for their family and friends.

Wichita-based Simone Chickenbone is the name of the company behind Chicken Poop and it's obvious that they love humour. On the website, there is a lot of wordplay, for example, Pile of Poop (if you purchase multiple tubes) and La Chick Poo Poo (a range of coloured lip shimmers).

The founder's name is Jamie Tabor (no, no, it's not Simone Chickenbone). From what I've read, she seems to have a flair for entrepreneurship. The first product she developed back in 2000 was a hair pomade, which was a success. When she developed her lipbalm, she got the inspiration for the Chicken Poop name from her grandfather who used to say, "put some chicken poop on your lips so you won't lick 'em". So, there you have it!

These lipbalms come in two versions. The normal lipbalm in the predominantly white packaging is called Chicken Poop Lip Junk. The other one in the predominantly black tube is for outdoor use, hence, Chicken Poop Outdoors.

So, here are the thoughts of a lipbalm junkie on the Lip Junk and its outdoor counterpart.

Chicken Poop Lip Junk Review

I like this one very much. The balm looks like most lipbalms - off-white and translucent - and has no particular taste. The texture is just right and it glides on easily. The lips are left nicely moisturised, also when used overnight.

I love the simple list of ingredients:

Avocado oil, jojoba oil, sweet orange essential oil, lavender essential oil, beeswax, and Vitamin E.

There is one very important thing to note though and it may be a big deciding factor on whether or not you will love this lipbalm: its lavender scent. Lip Junk also contains sweet orange essential oil but it's the lavender scent that dominates. I'm not a big fan of the scent of lavender (but I don't hate it) and that's why I hesitate to say that I love this lipbalm. It's a good lipbalm nevertheless. I finished my tube in about three months.


Chicken Poop Outdoors Review

I hate this one. This is meant for outdoor use and it is great that it has sunscreen (zinc oxide). The SPF is not stated though.

As you can see, the balm is opaque white.

List of ingredients:

Avocado oil, beeswax, zinc oxide, vitamin e, sweet orange essential oil.

Outdoors has a pleasant orangey scent.

Here's what I dislike:

• While it does glide on all right, it doesn't apply evenly on the lips. It's grainy and sometimes, I see thick, flat bits on my lips which need evening out with the finger or by pursing my lips repeatedly.

• It leaves an awful white layer on the lips. You'll end up with white-ish lips which reminds me of, at best, those hunky beach lifeguards, and at worst, a corpse.

There are other better lipbalms with sunscreen, so I would give this one a miss, unless you're a beefy beach lifeguard. I'm having a hard time finishing my tube.


I've seen various prices for these lipbalms (Net weight 0.15oz / 4.2g). On the Chicken Poop website, they are USD4.00 each. On iHerb, for example, it's USD2.00 for Lip Junk and USD2.40 for Outdoors.

Update
My iHerb coupon code QOJ683 will get you a US$10 discount on orders of US$40 or more, or a US$5 discount on orders less than US$40.


More information:
Chicken Poop website

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

Dr Organic: Manuka Honey Lip Balm Review

I started writing this review expecting it to be just a straightforward piece. There were no complications whatsoever during usage and I had, after four months' use, finished the whole tube of this lipbalm.

In A Nutshell
The long and the short of it is that this lipbalm did a great job of keeping my ridiculously dry lips nicely moisturised. The balm is beige-yellow in colour and it smells, of course, of honey. As I was using it in the cold months, I had to often glide it several times on the lips to first melt the balm. It worked really well and with overnight use, I'd wake up in the morning with smooth hydrated lips.

The tube looks larger than the conventional lipbalm tubes. I'm not able to confirm if that means more contents because most lipbalms are specified by weight: 0.15oz / 4.25g is the most common. This Dr Organic lipbalm is specified by volume: 5.7ml. Price: €3.99.
Trivia: The rotating base of the Dr Organic lipbalm tube turns in the opposite direction to those of conventional lipbalm tubes and lipstick casings. That took some getting used to.

The Very Long Version
Now, here're the rest of my thoughts, if you have the time and patience to read it.

The Brand
You've got to give it to the creators, Dr Organic is an excellent choice for a name. It's a terribly simple (and perhaps unimaginative) name but in this age of increasing awareness and demand for natural, green and organic beauty products, that name definitely draws attention.

From what I could gather, Dr Organic was begun only in 2009 by two entrepreneurs, Steve Quinn and Fred Whitcomb, who together, before this undertaking, had a very successful natural consumer health company called Optima. Presently, Dr Organic is a company based in Swansea, Wales. This is a relatively young brand and yet, in this short time, it has managed to penetrate the markets in UK (but of course!) and Europe, and I think, Australasia, South Africa and the Middle East.

The brand's ethos is to create natural products that optimises the bioactive properties of the natural ingredients. Bioactive = a substance that has an effect on living tissue.

Here's the gist of what Dr Organic says of its promise:

• strives to use organic ingredients as much as possible
• uses certified bioactive ingredients
• natural ingredients are used in all formulations
• uses no parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), perfumes or artificial fragrances
• uses no animal products, uses only animal by-products like honey-related ingredients and milk protein
• does not test on animals
• uses no mineral oils "Petro-chemicals such as paraffin and petrolium [sic] are avoided, plant based oils and extracts are used."
• uses no genetically modified ingredients
• where necessary, uses preservatives to guarantee product safety and shelf life.

That's all well and good.

The Lipbalm
Here's what Dr Organic says about this Organic Manuka Honey Lip Balm:

A rich natural lip balm which utilises the unique repairing properties of Organic Manuka Honey to achieve a wonderful formula, perfect for moisturizing dry lips. The addition of nourishing Shea butter, Propolis, Beeswax and Vitamin E allows this balm to hydrate and protect lips exposed to wet and cold weather. Dr Organic Manuka Honey lip balm also provides SPF 15 protection from the sun’s harmful UVA and UVB rays.

That sounds excellent.

On the packaging, it says "Active 30+". I believe that refers to the antimicrobial potency rating of the manuka honey used in this range.

Now, here's the list of ingredients:
Please click to enlarge.

Here's the list again, minus the scientific names, where possible:

Castor Oil
Candelilla Wax
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
Sunflower Seed Wax
Shea Butter
Cetyl Ricinoleate
Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides
Jojoba Oil
Beeswax
Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
Microcrystalline Wax
Manuka Oil
Propolis Wax
Vitamin E Acetate
Parfum

The Questions
All right, this is where I am stumped.

1. Cera microcristallina / Microcrystalline Wax
Is this not alternatively known as petroleum wax and paraffin wax? From what I understand, microcrystalline wax is a petroleum refinery by-product, obtained by removing oil from petrolatum. I don't at all claim to be an expert. Perhaps the experts see this as something totally un-petroleum related, and besides, the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database does list Microcrystalline Wax as low hazard.

Dr Organic: "....no mineral oils. Petro-chemicals such as paraffin and petrolium [sic] are avoided, plant based oils and extracts are used." I suppose they're not contradicting their ethos? Strictly speaking, it is not an oil anymore. It is a petroleum wax.

Still, this layperson does find it confusing.

2. Leptospermum scoparium oil / Manuka oil
Manuka is New Zealand tea tree. I'm wondering why the ingredients list says:

....Leptospermum scoparium oil (Manuka honey)....

I find it strange that Leptospermum scoparium oil is interpreted as Manuka honey here. Manuka oil is manuka oil. Manuka honey is manuka honey. As far as I know, Manuka oil isn't the same as manuka honey.

Besides, nowhere on the list do I see simply "Honey" or "Honey extract" or "Mel". Umm, do bear in mind the name of this lipbalm.

Again, it's confusing.

3. Parfum
Didn't they say they don't use perfume?

Last Words
I've said a lot and you probably thought I was nit-picking towards the end there. I am, as I said, just confused and I won't pretend I understand something when I actually don't. If anybody can enlighten me on those little issues, I'd be delighted.

I should mention that I did a quick check in the store today. The other products under the Organic Manuka Honey range like body butter and such do have "honey" listed somewhere in the ingredients list.

Well, despite the confusion and the apparent contradictions, I love this lipbalm. Good on the lips and affordably priced. I would buy it again. Actually, I did! Today! I'm keeping it for later use.

In the Netherlands, Dr Organic products are available in De Tuinen stores. Readers in the UK, you must already know this: it's available in Holland & Barrett stores.

Dr Organic has a huge product range. More information:
Dr Organic website

Update
The second tube of the Dr Organic Manuka Honey Lip Balm is finished. I've moved on to other brands of lipbalms, many of which I've discovered to be much better than Dr Organic's. You can read my posts on these lipbalms here.

Lucas' Papaw Ointment

Papaw, pawpaw, papaya.

I grew up with the word 'papaya' in my vocabulary and it was only last year when I found out that papaya is also known as papaw and pawpaw in some parts of the world. Cute names, all of them.

My lovely Australian friend, The Diva's Polish, had included this tube of Lucas' Papaw Ointment in her swap package a while back (Thank you!). She's a fan of this ointment and from what I've read, it's been a staple in many Australian homes for several generations. Many have been using the Lucas' Papaw Ointment all their lives.

The Story
This ointment got its name from the medical doctor who formulated it, Dr. Thomas Lucas. He practised medicine in London but he moved to Australia in the 1870s. He was a leading medical practitioner who was also very knowledgeable in botany. He was especially interested in the papaw tree and it was in Queensland that he developed the formulation for the Papaw Ointment. He was convinced that he had discovered "the world's greatest healing agent" and decided to further his research on its applications. So, in Brisbane, he opened a special hospital called VERA where he treated patients solely with his Papaw remedies, with many positive results.

It was overwhelming for the family to continue running the hospital after Dr Lucas' death. His widow, who had inherited all his formulations, decided that it was better to make the ointment available to the wider public instead.

Today, the Lucas' Papaw Ointment is available in several sizes: jars of 75g and 200g, and a tube of 25g which is the one I have here (the tube is just 5" long).

Packaging
I'm very drawn to the packaging of the tube: intense red, plastic and old-fashioned looking (the logo depicts the VERA Papaw Hospital, by the way). A brand-new tube has a seal which needs to be twisted off with the cap. The tube version is very handy for in the handbag. It can be thrown around without getting dented or broken.

Information On Packaging
A local topical application for boils, burns, chafing, cuts, cracked skin, gravel rash, splinters, open wounds, insect bites and nappy rash.

The ointment helps to relieve and cleanse.

Ingredients
It contains Carica Papaya 39mg/g of fresh fermented fruit, and 0.1mg/g Potassium Sorbate as preservative.

The brand is quite secretive as that is all the information that can be found on the packaging about its ingredients. Of course, there has to be more. I checked its website and while it's not immediately obvious, I found out that it contains petroleum jelly. That may be all right for some of you and for others, that could be a no-no.

If the ointment contains anything else, I wouldn't know.

Ointment
Scent
To me, it smells like fruit gone bad. Rightly so. It has fermented papaw. Not to worry though. The scent dissipates quickly.

Texture
It's quite like Vaseline, only beige/yellow. It's thick and greasy. It sits heavily on the skin after application, so it's wise to apply only a thin layer.

Uses
This ointment can be used for anything, it seems. Dry skin, cuts, bruises and all those skin issues earlier mentioned. It acts as a layer protecting the skin from extreme weather conditions and, for wounds, it prevents infection.

I hardly use petroleum jelly on my lips anymore, but ocassionally, if I'm stuck somewhere without a lipbalm, I would use the Lucas' Papaw Ointment. It keeps my lips from drying out for a few hours.

True story: I scalded my left hand some weeks back. I applied a thick-ish layer of the ointment on the affected area (it was quite a big patch) and it worked great! No wound, nothing.

Interesting Facts
I read that, to this day, the papaws are hand-peeled and the ointment is still made in Brisbane.

Last Words
Put simply, it is petroleum jelly with fermented papaw. This is a multi-purpose ointment in a handy tube that you can throw into your handbag. It's great for skin emergencies, so I keep my precious tube in my bag always.

More information:
Lucas' Papaw Remedies website

Palmer's: Cocoa Butter Moisturizing Lip Balm Review

I can actually summarise my thoughts on this lip balm in just one word.

However, for the benefit of those who would like to know more about this lip balm, I will go about it my usual verbose way.

The Product
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Moisturizing Lip Balm with SPF 15, 4g / 0.15oz. I don't remember now how much exactly I paid for this, but it must have been in the region of €2 - €3.

According to Palmer's
A convenient balm with SPF 15 and Vitamin E. Medicated to help prevent and temporarily protect chapped, cracked or wind-burned lips. Smooth application and convenient size make this the perfect year-round lip balm.

What I Think, What I Really Really Think
The truth is, I didn't check the ingredients list before buying it. I had wanted to try it for a long time because of the cocoa butter formula. What I discovered later was that, oops, it's got paraffinum liquidum. Mineral oil! As one who used to be a hard-core Vaseline addict (for many years), I wasn't too keen on going back to it. Still, I made this an exception.

Ingredients:

The texture is all right, not too waxy. It glides on the lips nicely. It definitely smells of cocoa butter, much like the scent of Palmer's Cocoa Butter Body Lotion. The SPF is, of course, a good thing.

I bought it half a year ago, tried it for two nights and had to stop. The lipbalm was banished to a dark corner in my cupboard. I figured it might have been a fluke then, so to be sure, I tried it again yesterday and also before going to sleep.

This is what happened both times: my lips swelled. It started out all right, but in the few hours after application, I gradually felt a mild burning sensation especially in the upper lip. It got bad overnight. I woke up in the morning with swollen lips and with the skin red above the cupid's bow.

I must be allergic to this lipbalm. I'm not sure which ingredient I'm allergic to though. It could be one of the first three (active) ingredients on the list. Anyway, I didn't find this lipbalm that moisturising. Even plain ol' Vaseline did a better job in the old days!

Final Words
I know everyone's different, so I will concede that this lipbalm may agree with you. But me, I'm sitting here typing this now with swollen lips. So, no prizes for guessing how I would conclude this. I doubt I have ever used this word on a product before in my writings, but okay, just this once. That one word that would suffice for this review: crap. I wouldn't even think of including this in my Lip Treatment series. I'm tossing this lipbalm in the waste of money bin.


My first non-petroleum-based lipbalm: Alima Pure Nourishing Lipbalm