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Lipbalms

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By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur in Bloom Berry 4, Fig Fiction 5 and Toffee Cream 6

September 10, 2014
By Terry has released six tinted versions of her classic lip balm in the Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur ($56 for 7 g/0.24 oz, made in France). I’ve been a huge fan of the regular Baume de Rose and fell in love with the tinted shade in Mandarina Pulp #2. Her lip balm is quite expensive making these a luxurious splurge. It took me several years before I was willing to spend the money one and it was a big ouch to my wallet, but I have been really happy with the formula and have no regrets. The By Terry Baume de Rose (both regular and tinted versions) are super hydrating with a soft rose scent. It’s noticeable but not overpowering. I have sensitive lips that are prone to drying out and peeling with many lipstick brands. In my years of testing lip balms, I’ve found several that I’ve fallen in love with and By Terry has made to my favorites list.

Today I have three of the tinted shades to share with you. I bought these in two moments of weakness while at Barneys on one visit and at Space NK on another. I had a gift card and points burning a hole in my pocket and with one swipe of these I fell in love with Bloom Berry 4, Fig Fiction 5 and Toffee Cream 6 which are more on the grown-up / neutral side versus the brighter Rosy Babe 1, Mandarina Pulp 2 and Cherry Bomb 3 (swatched here). While all the shades are really quite lovely, I think the  colors 4, 5 and 6 are more classic colors that are easier to pull off.
  • Berry Bloom 4 is a lush deep but soft red (versus Cherry Bomb which is almost fuchsia)
  • Fig Fiction 5 is a blue-toned plum, it looks purple in the tube but the sheerness makes it more forgiving on the lips giving a really nice plum tint
  • Toffee Cream 6 is a nude caramel pink shade, on me it matches my natural lip color pretty closely so it might look like it’s clear in the lip swatch below, but it is actually quite pigmented and covers the lip entirely

All three shades have sheer to medium coverage in terms of pigment. They are lip balms so they are on the natural side and won’t give you a full opaque lip look. I did find that they had more coverage than YSL Rouge Volupte Shines or Sheer Candy Lipsticks. I would say coverage of the By Terry tinted lip balms is similar to some of the Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, perhaps a tiny bit more color.

Swatches, with flash:

No flash:

Close ups of each shade with lip swatches, I applied these with a lip brush that was on the end of one of my Chanel lipliners for a more precise application. First up is Berry Bloom #4:

Next is Fig Fiction #5:

Last is Toffee Cream #6:

If you’ve been eyeing the Baume de Rose for a while and are wondering whether to purchase the clear version or a tinted one, I would say go for a tinted one unless you plan on wearing it as a night treatment. I will sometimes put lip balm on my lips before I go to sleep but I don’t like having a lot of product on my face at night so I tend to skip it. Both perform equally well in terms of how they make my lips feel really soft and prevent dryness. The regular Baume de Rose is more expensive at $60 but it does have more product with 10 g versus the Tinted version which is $56 for 6 g. (Repost from my Mandarina Pulp review.)
One last view of all three shades featured today:

If it weren’t for my gift cards and points that I had saved up, I would not have splurged on all three shades, I probably would have only purchased either Bloom Berry or Toffee Cream. At $56 each these are insanely expensive but I haven’t met a single person yet who didn’t love these once they bought one (or were gifted one). With so many good lip balms on the market (that are much more affordable), I can’t say the By Terry Baume de Rose is a must-have. There are plenty of other lip products that will work to keep lips smooth and moisturized.

That being said these do make an ultra luxurious treat and I think they feel marvelous on the lips. The pots are really big and a little goes a long way so they will last you a very long time (versus small squeeze lip balm tubes which I have sometimes finished up in a couple month’s time). By Terry’s new tinted versions are well designed. The colors have this basic but classic simplicity that enhances the lips in a natural way.

I do think these are something you should be able to test and see in person before you splurge, but if you’re like me, the By Terry line isn’t easily accessible. I hope these swatches help you if you’re shopping these sight unseen.

The By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur lip balms come in 6 shades for now and retail at $56 each. You can find them in store and online at Space NK and Barneys New York.

P.S. There are two gift events going on that I think are worth splurging on, especially if you have a wish list going and want to take advantage of a good gift with purchase offer:

  1. Space NK has their amazing Autumn Edit gift bag event for one-day on September 10th in stores and online (details here). You might want to look into signing up for their N.Dulge Points program if you shop there occasionally.
  2. Barneys New York also has their Beauty Bag event starting the same day Wed Sept 10th through Sunday the 14th or while gift supplies last. Details up on Barneys.com now!
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Edward Bess Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tints

September 5, 2014

Edward Bess has released a new lip product called the Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tint ($31 each for .13 oz/3.8 g, made in USA). These are exclusive to QVC through September of 2015. Edward Bess will be featuring these on QVC tonight (Friday September 5th at 9 pm EST) and I cannot wait to see the full demonstration. 

The Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tints are creamy lip products. They have the cushy and smooth feel of a lip balm but have a high pigment color more like a lipstick. I found them to be extremely smooth and emollient on the lips. On me they applied with more pigment than I expected. These come in three colors: Sunset Allure is a bright coral, Mystic Passion is a red plum, Blushed Dune is a neutral nude with pink/mauve tones. All are cream finishes (no shimmer).

These come in a unique black tube. You open them by pressing the bottom of the tube to pop open the lipstick. The lipstick pops out so you can pull out the lip tint and then twist up the tube. I found it really fun to play with.

Each color gives medium to full coverage. They adhere much better to the lips versus the arms for swatching. I have swatches both ways and close ups. The Cream Wave Lip Tints do have a slight scent to them. I found them to be a bit sweeter than his traditional fig scent he has in his regular lipsticks. The scent does fade after a few minutes and I didn’t notice it after a while. I like the darker ones blotted because they give the lips a natural looking stain. Lasting power applied as a regular lipstick is medium for several hours without fading. They are emollient so if you find glossy finish lipsticks don’t last long on you, these perform like glossy lipsticks. I do find they last slightly longer than Chanel Rouge Coco Shines, YSL Rouge Volupte Shines and Armani Sheers.

In sunlight without flash:

Swatched with flash:

Close ups of each shade:

Another winner from Edward Bess in my book, but I do have a soft spot for everything he comes out with. The Cream Wave Lip Tints are extremely natural looking while still managing to offer enough color to give the lips a polished look. My favorite is the neutral one in Blushed Dune. It’s an easy no-fuss kind of color that you can wear anywhere. I was really surprised by Mystic Passion. It’s a gorgeous wearable plum that has color but isn’t loud. Do note that my lips tend to pull a lot of red in most plums, so this one will most likely look closer to the tube on most beauty lovers. I really like Mystic Passion blotted because it leaves the perfect plum stain on the lips. Sunset Allure is a flawless coral that brightens the face. Even if you can’t wear orangey shades, I think this one is one of the easier orange/corals to wear.
These are designed to be hydrating. I didn’t really feel like they added moisture although they did feel very cream and smooth. A huge plus for me was that they didn’t dry out my lips.
Edward’s show goes live on QVC soon. I can’t wait to hear what you think if you end up trying these out. If you’re unsure about these, I highly recommend you visit each product page on QVC, so many others leave really helpful reviews. Full ingredient listing is also available online.
The Black Sea Cream Wave Lip Tints are currently exclusive to QVC through September 2015.
Many thanks to Edward Bess for providing me an early preview.

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New Shades of YSL Volupté Sheer Candy | 14 Belle Cannelle, 15 Rose Candy, 16 Cherise Désir, 17 Fraise Ganache

August 22, 2014

There are four new shades of YSL Volupté Sheer Candy in 14 Belle Cannelle, 15 Rose Candy, 16 Cherise Désir, 17 Fraise Ganache ($34 each, currently exclusive to Sephora). The YSL Volupté Sheer Candy formula is a sheer glossy tinted lip balm. I feel those who have tried these either really love them or hate them. I was thoroughly unimpressed when I first one I tried these several years ago. I gave them a second try last year early in 2013 and my opinion had changed completely. Funny how personal taste on beauty and style can change. Although the YSL Volupté Sheer Candy lip balms are indeed very sheer, they feel phenomenal on the lips and help transform texture with a super lush hydrating feel. These are heavily scented with something I feel is a mango and grapefruit blend, but to me it’s not artificially sweet. I love these for a swipe and go kind of lip product that doesn’t require a mirror and that will always look natural. Some of the colors are more visible on my lips than others, but all are still pretty sheer. If you want more color and pigment, I’d recommend you opt for the YSL Volupté Shines (reviews and swatches on my picks here).

The four new shades appear to be exclusive to Sephora. All look a lot lighter and brighter in real life compared to online square swatches. The actual lip balm tubes don’t have names on them, just the numbers.

  • #14 is warmer brownish nude
  • #15 is medium hot sheer pink
  • #16 is a brighter fuchsia pink that is still very soft 
  • #17 is a soft mauve with subtle shimmer particles

If you’ve tried the Volupté Sheer Candies, you know swatches are difficult to photograph because of the sheer glossy finish. These are colors that show up better on the lips. I’ve swatched them below with a lip brush to pick up more color. I recommend you also check out swatches on Best Things in Beauty – her swatches show what the color will look like straight from the tube.

Here are close ups and lip swatches of each shade. As usual with lip swatches, no added liner or base unless specified. On the lips I applied the colors straight from the tube, swiping back and forth around 2 to 3 times each lip:

A few comparisons, same set but with two views, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Fetiche, YSL Rouge Volupte Shine #7, 8 and 9:

I’m really happy with the four new shades. They are sheer but have such a lovely natural tint to them. They smooth and hydrate the lips and are really luscious. You can find them now in stores and online at Sephora.

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By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur Mandarina Pulp #2

August 4, 2014
By Terry’s famous rose balm now comes in six different tinted versions of the Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur ($56 for 7 g/0.24 oz, made in France). Right now the availability of colors is a bit limited, but they should all be at By Terry counters soon. Three of the shades in Rosy Babe 1 (a baby pink), Mandarina Pulp 2 (fresh mandarin coral) and Cherry Bomb 3 (a lush cherry red pink) are available now exclusively at Space NK. The other three Bloom Berry 4, Fig Fiction 5 and Toffee Cream 6 are currently available at Barneys.

I checked the first three shades out last week at Space NK with the Beauty Professor. We’re both fans of the regular Baume de Rose (my thoughts here and here). Below are the three shades we saw in store at Space NK in Bloomingdales (taken with an iPhone in store with bad lighting):

For the tinted colors, I picked out Mandarina Pulp 2. It’s a lush orangey shade that gives a rich but soft tint of coral. There’s no shimmer in it but it has a slightly transparent quality and a shine that gives the lips a luscious glow. 

Here it is swatched on me:

The tinted Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleurs are $56 and smaller in size at 7g compared to the regular Baume de Rose priced at $60 for 10g. The circumference of each tube is the same but the tinted ones are a bit shorter. In case you haven’t seen my previous review on the original Baume de Rose, it’s one of my favorite lip balms. It took me several years of thinking about it before I decided to splurge on a $60 lip balm. My lips are normal but sensitive and prone to drying out with certain lipsticks (like MAC). It usually takes a couple days for my lips to restore to the normal state (for some reason I still can’t resist MAC lipsticks). With the By Terry Baume de Rose, if I use this at night my lips don’t peel the next day. It’s rich, lush and I find it amazing for my lips although it’s definitely not a must-have. There are other lip balms that work well without the high price tag, but I have no regrets and love it. The tub is quite large and it will last a long time. My other favorite lip balm picks reviewed here and here.

The By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleur vs regular Baume de Rose:

Some other coral lip shades to compare:

A definite splurge but the Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleurs give a luscious color with a super hydrating feel. You can find three of By Terry Baume de Rose Nutri-Couleurs now at Space NK. Some are on pre-order at Barneys.
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Burberry Summer Showers Lip Glow Balm and Nail Polish Comparisons

June 24, 2014
Here are some comparisons I swatched for Burberry Summer Showers Lip Glow Balms and Nail Polishes. First for the nail polishes, Burberry Summer Showers colors are Orange Poppy No. 221, Pink Peony No. 222 and Pink Azalea No. 223 (swatches and original post here):

Dior Red Dahlia (discontinued)
Chanel April (swatched here)
Dior Mirage 338 (gel shines swatched here)
Chanel Rose Insolent (discontinued)
Tom Ford Indiscretion (limited-edition, review here)
Tom Ford Coral Beach (discontinued, swatched here)
Chanel Starlet (swatched here)
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For the lip glow balms, there are coordinating colors for the nails/lips and cheeks, colors for Summer Showers are Orange Poppy No. 01, Pink Peony No. 02 and Pink Azalea No. 03:

Hope this helps with your purchasing decisions! You may have similar colors or dupes in your stash.
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Burberry Summer Showers Lip Glow Balm and Nail Polishes | Orange Poppy, Pink Peony and Pink Azalea

June 23, 2014

The summer beauty release from Burberry Summer Showers features three coordinating colors for for lips, nails and cheeks in Orange Poppy, Pink Peony and Pink Azalea. Check the Behind the Scenes Burberry Summer Showers footage from Wendy Rowe. The items in the collection for summer include:
  • Lip Glow Balms ($28 each for 4 g/0.14 oz) are sheer tinted lip balms with SPF 18
  • Nail Polishes ($21 each for 8 ml/0.27 fl oz) come in three highly pigmented colors
  • Fresh Glow Blush ($38 each for 5 g/0.18 oz) are sheer dewy cheek sticks with a slight tint of color
I ordered the Lip Glow Balms and Nail Polishes from Nordstrom San Francisco. I decided to pass on the Fresh Glow Blushes since my skin reacts to their Liquid Foundation and Fresh Glow Liquids. I played with the items I ordered over the weekend. The colors are beautiful classics but the only items I feel are must-haves are the Orange Poppy No. 221 Nail Polish and Pink Peony No. 02 Lip Glow Balm. Since the colors are classics there are quite a few dupes. You can check out the full collection swatches on Gummy Vision and Natural N Chic Makeup.



My Burberry Summer Showers picks:






First up are the Lip Glow Balms. These are a sheer tinted lip balm. The color on these is very sheer if you swipe directly from the tube. To get more color use a lip brush (which is how I’ve been using them). Orange Poppy No. 01 goes on quite bright if you layer it swiping back and forth. If you swipe once or blot it goes on more natural and brightens the face. I found it photographed well. Pink Peony No. 02 is the perfect natural pink glow. It’s on the sheer side but it gives your lips a healthy pink glow. Pink Azalea No. 03 is lovely plum pink but the sheer texture makes it apply slightly unevenly on my lips (this can be fixed with a plum lip liner underneath). These are semi-hydrating. They have a glossy sheen in the finish but they aren’t super moist feeling like YSL Volupte Sheer Candy. I would say the pigment level falls somewhere in between YSL Rouge Volupte Shines and Tom Ford Lip Shines. 

The Nail Polishes are all summer-perfect colors however Orange Poppy No. 221 is the only one I find unique. It’s a bright orange but not floruescent or super bright. There’s a muted quality to it which makes it a good summer to fall transition color. There is a slight pearly quality to the polish but o the nails it looks more like a cream. Pink Peony No. 222 is a gorgeous deep pink cream but similar to other pinks from Chanel, Dior and YSL. Pink Azalea No. 223 is a mauve plum with a slight dusty quality. I found it similar to Chanel April/Coup de Couer. The formula of these is really good and you can get full coverage with two coats. The brush is on the wider side which makes these a bit harder to apply if you have super small fingers like me (my ring finger is a Size 4). It’s still small enough to apply easily, for me it just took a bit more care to not get polish all over my cuticles.

Overall a lovely palette of sheer summer brights that aren’t too bright. The colors are naturally flattering and beautiful for everyday wear. I’m in love with Orange Poppy Nail Polish. I’ve swatched and photographed comparisons but haven’t had time to label the items. I’ll update this post later this evening with those for reference.

The Burberry Beauty Summer Showers collection can be found at Nordstrom and Burberry. I’m not sure whether or not these are limited-edition but will update if I receive more information.

Have you checked out Burberry Beauty’s summer items? Now that fall collections are starting to hit counters what was your favorite summer beauty collection this year?

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Fresh Sugar Honey Lip Treatment

August 12, 2011
I’ve been a huge fan of Fresh body care products and especially love their shower gels. They are the ultimate luxury and epitome of feel-good beauty. I’ve never ventured much into their makeup but the last time I was at South Coast Plaza, my friend said I just had to check out the Sugar Honey Lip Treatment. “It’s so you!” she said. After one swipe I was impressed by the pigmentation but the price of $22.50 combined with the fact that my tinted lip balms tend to gather dust in the drawer made me pass. Recently I was lucky to receive this as a gift. It is aptly described as “nourishment in the nude.” The color is a wonderful warm natural nude. The lip treatment has SPF15 and contains ingredients designed to hydrate and defend the lips against wrinkles.

Here it is swatched on my hand and on the lips.

The store displays at the Fresh Boutique at South Coast Plaza are always beautiful, although I typically buy my Fresh products from Neiman Marcus (it’s more convenient for me and they often have samples).

  • The pros: The pigment of this lipbalm is wonderfully rich. It covers the lip fully for a luscious nude glow. It has a great hydrating quality and smells absolutely delicious – like the name implies a sweet honey-sugary type of smell. An upside is the taste is fairly pleasant. Lasting power is average for a lip balm – the upside is that it fades evenly and naturally. (See Fresh’s website here for ingredient listing.)
  • The cons: Unfortunately the texture of this product is so soft, after the first swipe, the product gets smashed against the side. It’s simply too soft for a tube and after swiping it on the lips, the base broke (and I had only twisted it up a little). This was slightly heartbreaking. I think if it had a stiffer texture to prevent breakage or if this was packaged in a tub or squeeze tube it would have been an excellent purchase well worth the high price. For me, packaging is extremely important and lipstick breakage is a deal breaker for me. Yes, the product is still usable, but each time I twist the tube up, a mess is made on the side. I’m not sure if this is typical of all the Fresh Lip Treatments since I haven’t tried the other shades.

Overall, I will have to give this a thumbs down just because of the packaging/product design flaws. If you’ve tried this – what are your thoughts? Have you tried other colors? What have been your experiences?

Disclosure – this product was provided as a gift to me
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