My Lip Balm Army

I have dry lips for a while now. It's quite painful when it's cracked and so far, I haven't found any medicated lip balms. In conjunction, I realize I have a lot of regular lip balms that may or may not work for me.

1. Vaseline: not good, not bad, just is. I use it when I want something simple and scent-free.
2. I Provenzali: shea butter stick from Italy. I still have about 1/2 a stick and I don't use it as much anymore. I keep it mostly for sentimental purpose as it was a gift from Gio.
3. Miracle Apo: has the foulest scent in the bunch, also is tinted, also was thrown away after this picture was taken.
4. Nivea: it used to work, now it doesn't. Since it started to melt, I decided to contribute it to the trash as well.
5. Maybelline Baby Lips: my saving grace!
6. Maybelline tinted lip balm: smooth like Baby Lips but with a raspberry tint.
7. EOS: I have to say this is an acquired taste. It takes a while for it to work and then, out of the blue, it seems to contribute to my chapped lip problem. Right now, it is on hold.

So right now, I have a question for you: How do you make your chapped lips better?

I've tried lip balms, I also drink lots of water and take fish oil capsules. None of which seem to work. So...HELP ME!!!

With lots of moist kisses,
Dao xoxo


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Baby My Lips with Maybelline Baby Lips

Hi everyone,

Not so long ago, I ran into an interesting situation: my lips were dry to the point it was painful to eat. Despite slathering all the balms and sticks and stuff on my lips, they remained cracked and dry. I was desperate so I decided to go shopping for something to sooth those chapped lips of mine. Lucky me, not only did Maybelline had a sale, I received Baby Lips as a gift with purchase as well!

The one I got is called Anti-Oxidant Berry, which is the Asian name of Quenched in the good old U.S of A. Anti-Oxidant Berry/Quenched is a clear balm that smells like blueberry. I do notice the difference in packaging in the Asian version as it looks more like a Chapstick than a lipstick with a bigger and longer cap.

 The packaging is very pretty and cheerful. It's hard not to buy Baby Lips because of the design. I was hoping to high water and back that I wouldn't be disappointed in this lip balm. As my HG lip balm from Nivea failed to improve my condition, I did not have a lot of hope.

While I don't know how love at first sight feels, I did experience love at first swipe :) One swipe of this baby and oh, baby, my lips felt quench! It was like rain on desert or something. An amazing feeling only those with dry lips can experience, sadly.

 

The balm is not 100% white, by the way. It has some specs of purplish pink that makes me think of crushed blueberries. However, it does run clear on my lips with a nice shine. In fact, I have never seen a lip balm so shinny. The staying power was good. While I don't know about the 8-hour moisturizing effect, I do notice that it lasts quite long. Even after I wipe my mouth after eating, I still feel moisture on my lips. On top of that, the berry scent is invigorating and quite strong. I wish to have this lip balm in a much milder scent as it tends to make me feel nauseated when I don't feel that well.

Ingredient list

While it's a good lip balm with shea butter and vitamin E as well as SPF, it is not organic. However, it does not seem to contain any animal by-products and does not have parabens. I guess those who are vegans can use Baby Lips after all.

Unlike other lip balms I've experienced, Baby Lips does not feel waxy and the moisturizing power is good. I've been using it on and off for more than a week now and my lips are less flaky. As long as I have Baby Lips on, I am fine. On top of that, this is not an outrageously expensive lip balm and it comes in 6 shades. The collector in me said I should have them all but I seriously don't have any use for colored balms. I have one in a different brand but I don't like it much. I feel like the color takes away the moisturizing effect my lip balm is supposed to have.

So, have you tried Maybelline Baby Lips? What do you think about it? Also, what's your HG lip balm?

With love,
Dao xoxoxo


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DIY Lip Scrub with Sugar and Vaseline

Hi everyone,

Lately, my lips have been feeling très dry. But the strange thing is, the dryness is not all over the whole lip but only at the left corner of the upper lip. I tried moisturizing my lips with many, many things in vain. That specific area remained dry and flaky for days!

Therefore, I had to bring in the big gun: I must exfoliate the heck out of that area. Instead of using my now famous sugar-honey-olive oil scrub, I decided to be a little bit adventurous and use the new sugar and vaseline scrub instead.

What you need:

• Petroleum jelly or petroleum-free jelly  
• Granulated sugar: you don't need a lot of sugar. The amount shown in the picture is just for show.

How to wing it:

•  Squeeze a pea-size amount of Vaseline or petroleum-free jelly onto the palm of your hand and sprinkled a teeny-tiny bit of granulated sugar. The sugar is used as a physical exfoliator while the jelly is a lubricant so you won't tear out your skin while scrubbing. Also, since sugar doesn't dissolve in Vaseline or petroleum-free jelly, you are not afraid of the sugar being dissolved.

• Mix them together. They should look like one fine mess like in the above picture.
• Then, apply the mess with your finger onto your lips and gently scrub it around. The key word here is gently, people! I really don't want you to bust your lips open at all!
• After some gentle scrubbing, wipe the sugar off your lips with a damp towel and apply some lip balm on top. Your lips is going to feel silky smooth from the exfoliating action.

I did the scrub twice before that strange dryness went away. Although it is tempting to do a batch, this is a rather easy mix and I would suggest to do it as you go. This lip scrub is very effective and save you a lot of money on having to buy lip scrubs sold at the store. I personally don't believe in those products as they are just a waste of money. Besides, you can do this at home with easily available (and cheap) ingredients as well.

That's all for now, folks! I hope you are having a wonderful week!

With love,

Dao xoxo

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The Most Pigmented Red Lipstick I Have: Sweet Cherry by 2B

Hi everyone,

I'm a closet red lipstick lover. This blog pretty much documents my journey of wandering into the area of the reds. The journey began here where I got my first red lipstick from NYX, applied it, took a look at myself and said "Wow, I look...beautiful!" Since then, I didn't stop and I have accumulated quite a few red lipsticks. You witnessed my last handy work with a new red lipstick here not so long ago and let me tell you, that red is gorgeous!

The lipstick is called "Sweet Cherry" from 2B Cosmetics. It was a gift from my aunt in Belgium. I've been looking for more information about this company. Except for the website, I got none. While the lipstick itself is made in Italy, I believe 2B is a Belgian brand. So far, my Sherlockian detective work stopped there and I wasn't even able to find the price of this lipstick!

But anyways, that was all the trouble I got. Here are some pictures of the product:

The lipstick is housed in a cute metal case but it feels light. I think the company is trying to reach to a younger crowd by having a bright pink cap but don't let the packaging fool you. This is the most pigmented red lipstick I have ever owned.

For some reasons, I couldn't get the color right. In real life, the lipstick looks dark red without any brown pigments

Lip swatch: I applied 1 sheer coat and it looked like this. I'm tellin' ya, this lipstick has some insane pigmentation!

After I wiped it away, there's still a rosy stain on my lips

I couldn't help myself but pulling out some of the reds I have and compare with Sweet Cherry

(L-R): NYX Gardenia, NYC Retro Red, 2B Sweet Cherry, Revlon Fire & Ice, MAC Viva Glam Cyndi, Revlon Siren

Skin swatch
NYX Gardenia, NYC Retro Red, 2B Sweet Cherry, Revlon Fire & Ice, MAC Viva Glam Cyndi, Revlon Siren

 You see, NYC Retro Red and Revlon Fire & Ice used to be my two go-to reds because of the intensity. In fact, I didn't think there could be a red lipstick that's redder than Fire & Ice. I was wrong. Sweet Cherry is one heck of a red lipstick. The pigmentation is off the chart and to couple with the fact that it is really creamy for a matte lipstick, I think this one is a winner!

The lasting power is quite decent, thanks to the stains. I could eat a meal and still have some colors on my lips. However, my lips felt dry after I removed this lipstick. To be honest, I don't think you can go lightly on this lipstick: once you apply it, you have a really intense red color on your lips already. Unlike the other reds I have, I don't even need to apply a second coat. Maybe half a coat is all I need :)

However, I love the versatility of this lipstick. I can apply a coat, wipe it away just to get a stain, and apply gloss on top. The stained lips last quite long and the only way to remove it is with an oil-base makeup remover (or a greasy meal!)

Overall, I love Sweet Cherry by 2B Cosmetics. I just hope that there's more information about this company out there. So far, I know 2B is available in some European countries and probably is a drugstore brand. Maybe it's a small new company. My dear European readers, if you can enlighten me on 2B Cosmetics, I highly appreciate it!

With love,
Dao xoxo

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Can You Guess What I'm About to Do?

Hi everyone,

Look what I just got:

Yup, pure Vaseline in a tube. Can you believe that tiny tube costs me almost 50 cents here? Back in the States, you can get a jar of Vaseline the size of a jumbo tron for a dollar. This is highway robbery, yo! Maybe the global energy crisis has to do with the rising price of Vaseline after all. I really do not know for sure but that's my educated guess.

But what am I going to do with it?

Can you guess?

Can you?

Can you?


I'm going to make lip gloss with it! Nope, it's not the type of "lip gloss" where you mix your Vaseline with whatever colorant and call it a day. What I am going to do is to melt it down and mix it with oil to create a clear liquid lip gloss. You can't believe how difficult it is to find a clear gloss here. It's impossible! I've been finding high and low for it but all I see are colored glosses with shimmer, glitter, scents, and the like. Really pretty and expensive ones and they are not even in the high-end arena. Nope, I'm not talking about Lancome, Chanel, Dior, or even Estee Lauder here. These glosses I found are probably in the rank of ELF, NYC, and Wet n Wild in the States and they cost an arm and a leg already.

Before you decide to preach me on the harmful effects of using Vaseline, let me tell you that I know all about it. I could have gone the good way but I don't have beeswax. Except for the wax on the white candles. Which probably sounds gross for me to scrape it and use to make lip gloss. Ew!

With Vaseline, I don't need wax. All I need are oil and aloe vera gel, which I can find. I'll probably need more Vaseline to run my experiment and I'll let you know how it goes.

That's all for now, folks! Have a lovely glossy-licious day!

Love,
Dao xoxo

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Using Mineral Pigments to Create Lip Colors

Hi everyone,

As you may know, I love mineral makeup. They are preservative-free and you can use them on your eyes, lips, face, and even nails. I did a tutorial on how to use pigments on your nails, please click here to view if you haven't seen it before.

My pigments back in the Formula D days. Ah, I miss them!

Although a lot of people use their mineral pigments for their eyes and cheeks, they are probably not aware that these pigments can be used on their lips, too. Usually, the manufacturer would tell you if the pigment is lip-safe or not. If you are not too sure, ask! While pigments are ok to use on your eyelids as well as your skin, applying it to your lips is another story. Some pigments are not meant to be digested and when you have them on your lips, you might lick them. So, safety first, ok?

After checking if your pigments are lip safe or not, it is fun time! Usually, mineral blushes are lip safe and the amount of pigments is less in there compared to eye shadows where they are full of pigments.

The easiest way to use mineral pigments on your lips is to dip a lip balm into your jar of pigments and glide it on your lips. Yes, it's that simple! If you want a matte color, just use a waxy lip balm such as the original ChapStick. If you want more shine, use something like the Nivea Essential Care lip balm.

The second way to use pigments on your lips is to apply it with a lip gloss. However, since lip gloss is a liquid, to avoid contamination, you should take a small aliquot of pigments out of the container and dip your lip gloss wand in it. Also, you can mix a little bit of clear gloss with the pigments to create a customize color as well.

Last but not least, you can use pigments on top of your lipstick to add more dimension to the look. For example, you can pat some glittery red pigments on top of your already applied red lipstick for an extra pop. People will want to know how you get that beautiful look.

That's all for now, folks! I hope you enjoy the tips. If you have any extra tips on how to use mineral pigments, I'd love to hear from you.

With love,
Dao xoxo

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Lipstick Shape Psychology

Hi everyone,

Today's post is courtesy of BeautyPress.com. If you haven't heard about it already, BeautyPress is a service to link companies and beauty editors together. As I do have a beauty blog and I do write about beauty, makeup, and their related topics, I was granted the access a while ago (probably 2+ years already!) Yet, I haven't used any of their materials here, although they have a lot of beauty releases for us beauty bloggers to use.

Recently, BeautyPress posted an interesting article about lipstick shapes and their owners' personalities. I think it's an interesting article so here we go:

Lipstick Shape Psychology

Originally from BeautyPress.com

A lipstick reveals more than a thousand words 
Short psychology of shapes of used lipsticks 

Stick shape no 1: The daredevil 

She is daring, imaginative and very sensual, a creative type with lots of spirit and a strong personality. She loves surprises and a varied life, and her lipstick looks just as adventurous. Worn down equally on both sides, it looks like the mouthpiece of a whistle. She couldn’t care less about conventions and goes her own individual way.

Stick shape no 2: The buddy 

She has a carefree disposition, she is eloquent and a born diplomat. Friends often ask her for advice, because she is a good listener and always gets to the heart of things. She handles her lipstick just as straightforwardly as she goes through her life. It is worn off flat and reliably. Women do not consider her a competitor, and men do not consider her a sex object – no matter how pretty she looks.

Stick shape no 3: The super woman

She is gentle, feminine, and has a deep need for peace and harmony. Everybody feels at ease in her company, because she is has no rough edges – she simply is a marvellous lover, an excellent cook, and a loving wife. Everything in her life proceeds in a purposeful and planned manner, because she leaves nothing to chance. Not even the shape of her used lipstick, which is also perfectly round and smooth.

Stick shape no 4: The power woman

She is self-confident, well-balanced, conscientious, and has a love for detail. With her energy and creativity, she gets over every hurdle. She has a perfect memory, doesn’t bear grudges, and is always the centre of attention in her circle of friends. In her life, everything always goes steeply upwards, just like the shape of her lipstick. So she is not the type of woman whose place is in the kitchen – nobody can control her.

Stick shape no 5: The emotional woman

She is sensitive, thoughtful and reserved. Her passion flourishes undetected, and in her dream world, everything is much more beautiful than in reality. She looks for understanding, friendship, and closeness, but quite often, she is disappointed. Her desire for an intimate relationship is also reflected in the firm pressure on her lipstick which shows a clear concave-hollowed tip. Big romantic words, poems and charming lyric poetry make her a passionate lover.

My lipstick shapes are all veered toward number 4 (the power woman) with a few that are leaning close to number 2 (the buddy.) I think this has more to do with how the lipsticks were molded since most of them have slanted edges anyways. Number 1 and 5 can happen if you use a lip brush to apply your lipstick. I know my mom had a few lipsticks that were dented in the middle. She wanted to scoop up the remaining amount left in the tube once the lipstick was not enough for her to apply by itself.

How about you? How do your lipsticks look like? Do you believe in this theory at all?

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I Have Mad Love for Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm

Hi everybody,

I think most of us remember our first love felt like. Despite using so many lip balms before, it was love at first touch to me when I discovered a blue tube of Nivea lip balm. That was more than 11 years ago and it took us that long to reunite.

Nivea Essential Care lip balm

My first tube of Nivea lip balm lasted me a good six month before it came to its glorious end. Back then, Nivea was not available in the U.S and I had a hard time trying to find a replacement. I came to a bloody conclusion that I had better give up hope and switch to ChapStick for good. That was what happened and despite finding some really decent ChapStick, in my heart of heart, I still had a very special longing for Nivea lip balm.

Why did I fall in love with it? First of all, back then (and probably 'til now), there was no lip balm that I could not compare to Nivea. It was silky smooth on my lips and it lasted incredibly long, too. One swipe and you're done. You can take on the wind, the rain, and the bitter cold but that Nivea lip balm won't fail you. No ma'am, it won't. Also, if you are familiar with that sweet classic Nivea scent, the blue lip balm has it, too. It was addicted to the feeling as well as the scent, which made it quite hard to jump ship afterwards.

It only took me a cold to reunite with my first lip balm love. The cold left me to breath with my mouth and soon enough, my lips were dried. I needed a lip balm badly. A trip to the pharmacy and I saw a couple of my favorite blue lip balms. I promptly asked for one and paid for it, feeling very giddy when I popped it open.

Guess what? The stuff is as good as it used to be but the ingredients are way better. I applied a coat and hours later, my lips were still moist. At night, before I went to bed, I put on a coat and in the morning, the stuff was still there! Good Lord, can a lip balm be any better?

Lip swatch
The Nivea lip balm, while colorless, does leave a nice glossy sheen

Ingredient list

From the ingredient list, there are quite a lot of emollient ingredients such as castor seed oil, shea butter, jojoba seed oil, grape seed oil, and glycerin. Believe me, this is a moisturizing lip balm without that waxy feeling that I hate. A layer is enough and it lasts really long, too!

Price-wise, the Nivea Essential Care lip balm is probably the cheapest lip balm you can find in Vietnam. I've used more expensive ones and they are not in the same level with this one. I've come to notice that while Nivea products sell well in Asia and Europe, they have a hard time in the U.S. Even when I saw this lip balm in the U.S, there were not so many of them and well, they looked ancient, which put me off from buying them.

Needless to say, I love this lip balm and I highly recommend it to those who love wearing lip balms, too! Once you use it, you will understand why I love it so much.

How about you? Have you tried Nivea Essential Care lip balm before?

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Shine with Astra Italy Illuminante 4Ever Lip Gloss in No. 4

Hi everyone,

It seems like forever since I wrote a review, right? Truth be told, I don't use that much makeup anymore. Except for the weekly FOTDs that I have been so diligently doing, my days go pretty much sans makeup. A bit of lipstick and maybe mascara here and there on top of sunscreen and that's it. Sometimes, I wonder what happened already :)

Last year, my friend Gio from Beautiful with Brains and I did a swap. She sent me this awesome lipgloss from Italy called Astra Illuminante 4Ever in shade number 4.

Astra Italy Illuminante 4Ever lip gloss in shade #4

First of all, notice how big it is? This lip gloss is about the size of the Wonder Woman one. The design is similar to the Lancome gloss with the product housed inside a clear plastic tube. Despite the hugeness, this is one kick-ass gloss. It has fine silver shimmers and the texture is not too sticky.

 Also, the wand is great. Since it is a brush, application is more precise. The wand picks up enough product and I only need to dip once.

Close-up of the tube
See how shimmering it is?

 My camera had a hard time capturing the correct color of this gloss. It is not orange but has a touch of pink in it, which makes it wearable to both warm and cool tone people.

Lip swatch

Despite how colorful it is on the tube, this gloss goes sheer. I can barely see the color. Also, since the shimmers are very fine, I don't feel them at all. While it is a gloss, Astra Illuminante 4Ever is quite moisturizing. I found myself reaching for it quite a lot when I could not find a lip balm. The lasting power is decent for a gloss. It is there unless you do a lot of excessive drinking and eating.

This gloss, despite how awesome it is, comes with a flaw: it smells like Lancome Tresor. Really, that's the scent of this gloss. It fades away after 10 minutes and takes a while to get used to but still, the Illuminante lip gloss is a wonderful product.

To recap, the Astra Illuminante 4Ever lip gloss in shade number 4 is an awesomely glossy product. It goes sheer by itself and enhances the shine when applying on top of lipstick. Also, it is moisturizing and can be used without a lip balm. The lasting power is decent and it smells like Tresor.

If you can find it, please get it. This lip gloss will not let you down.

Disclaimer: I received it from a swap.

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One Dollar Wonder: ELF Plumping Lip Glaze in Baby Doll

Hi everyone,

Once in a while, I'd like to blog about a product that costs only a dollar but works really well. Looking back at all these posts, I realized we should call it "The ELF Section" already. After all, who does dollar products better than Eyes Lips Face?

Normally, I don't buy ELF makeup as much. In order to have a successful haul from ELF, research is the key. It takes a lot of time to determine what to buy since there are so many products from the site and all of them look so tempting. To feel safe, I stick with their brushes but once in a while, I braved up and ordered some makeup.

When I did my research, ELF Plumping Lip Glaze got mixed reviews. However, that did not stop me from buying one in "Baby Doll." Somehow, I'm attracted to sheer pink-coral lip colors and I can't help it. Plus, the discounts and deals ELF usually has made it easier for me to add an extra item to my order.

ELF Plumping Lip Glaze in Baby Doll ($1)

The label

 This lip glaze has two parts: the white iridescent part acts as a primer. You are supposed to use it first as it contains mint that would swell your puckers up.

White part with a doe foot applicator

 Then, you apply the glaze on your lip. You can buy different colors and the glaze is the part that's not the same. That means, if you buy 10 glazes, you get 10 white iridescent primers with mint in it. I guess this explains why I only bought 1 lip glaze that time.

The color glaze. This is Baby Pink under sunlight. It looks more coral.
Under incandescent light, it veers toward pink.

Skin swatch
(L-R): glaze in Baby Pink, incandescent primer

On my lips
Picture was taken indoor. See what I mean about it being more pink under incandescent light?

And now, here are the good and the bad of ELF Plumping Lip Glaze:

The Good:

• It costs only $1 and is very decent
• It is not sticky: the glaze feels more like a balm than a gloss. In fact, I think it's between a balm and a gloss. For those who opt for comfortable lip wear, this one is for you.
• Color is sheer but layerable: Baby Doll just gives me a hint of color. It's one of those "my lips but better" products. In fact, it looks exactly like my natural lip color on a good day :)
• Does not feel goopy when layered up
• Lasting power is quite nice: I ate and drank and still felt a hint of glaze on my lips

The Bad:

• The white primer part stings. Really, really stings: the first time I used it, I almost yelled out some profanity. No, actually, I cursed in all the languages I can speak. Yup, this stuff is made for the thick-skinned people. If you are allergic to mint, run away. This is not for you.
• It does not shine: this is one of the biggest gripe when I first used it. But again, it is a glaze, not a gloss.
• The glaze part is quite small: I don't use it a lot but it seems to be half-way gone already. But again, it's only $1. I can't expect a Wonder Woman size lip gloss for it, can I?
• The number 1 ingredient is paraffidum liquidum: this is mineral oil, which explains why this product is so inexpensive. 

After yelling some profanity the first time I used it, my lips kind of adjusted to the pain. Now, it's mildly irritated for the first 10 minutes or so. After that, the tingling sensation goes away.

Does it make my lips look like the ones on Ms. Angelina Jolie's face?

You judge for yourself. I think my bottom lip swelled up quite nicely. 

Do I have to apply the white part first?
Nope, not really. I got creative one time and put the glaze on first. Then, I dotted the white part to the center of my lips. Kapow! Awesome lush lips. It still stung, though. But I think applying it later makes it less painful.

I think ELF Plumping Lip Glaze is the budget version of DuWop Lip Venom but with a hint of color. Or Bare Escentual Buxom Lips. I tried them all before and they stung like *insert profanity here* (haha!) I think Baby Doll looks similar to Buxom Lips Bunny. Instead of dolling out $18 to get bee sting lips and yell some profanity, I'd go with the ELF Plumping Lip Glaze instead.

Disclaimer: I bought this product.

So, what do you think? Have you tried it before? Please let me know in the comment section, ok?

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