One Bath and Body: Lip Butter Balms

(Top, L to R: Coco-coconut, Lip Tune-up, Honey Cream; Bottom: Cherry Pie)

Oh, my goodness. I cannot praise these lip balms enough. Seriously, they're perfection. The scents are glorious, they've got a good slip to them, they're moisturizing, and they're adorable.

Let's first talk about the scents, shall we? Out of the four I was sent to try, I liked Coco-coconut the best. Now, I'm not one who normally likes coconut, but this isn't that sweet, sugary coconut that's in so many products. It's a beachy, almost sunscreen-y coconut that's not too overpowering. It's a little bitter when it first goes on the lips, but after about two seconds, that bitterness changes to a nice sweetness.

Lip Tune-up is also quite nice. It has sort of a brown sugar scent that's quite common in a number of One Bath and Body products that I've tried.

Honey Cream has a lovely, sweet honey scent with a hint of lemon.

Cherry Pie, honestly, doesn't really smell like cherry pie to me, but it's still wonderful! It has a nice, sweet, girly scent that's not too overpowering.

These lip balms are really quite wonderful. I think I can probably get about an hour or so out of one application of lip balm. (Actually, this was tested when I was still in class. I applied the lip balm right before I got into class, and it was still there when I got out, 1 hour and 15 minutes later.) It's nice to not have to reapply my lip balm right after I put it on. And the packaging is so cute, and the scents are nice and not too overpowering! These are definitely winners in my book.

Note: One Bath and Body does have two more lip balms, Berry Delicious and Shea My Lips, that I have not tried/was not sent for review. If you've tried these, let me know how they are!

(Disclaimer: I received this product for free from One Bath and Body. The opinions stated above are completely my own and have not been influenced by anyone in any way.)

Review: Lipstick Queen Medieval, or, perfection in a tube

Let me just say right now that this is my HG lipstick. It tops every other lipstick I have in my collection, hands down. I was intrigued by this lipstick for ages, and I finally broke down and bought it over the summer. I'm so, so happy I did. It's the perfect sheer red that fades excellently. It just glides on and it's..well, it's heaven. I love this stuff. It's more like a balm than a true lipstick, which I like, because regular lipstick can get a little weird-feeling after wearing it too long. This wears great, too. It just lasts and lasts, through meals and multiple beverages and everything. I don't want to call it a stain, because it's not as annoying as most stains. But it does leave a lovely hint of red on your lips even after it's faded. Oh, and it has Vitamin E, and that's always a plus. Now, Medieval is going to look different on everyone. My lips are naturally somewhat dark red, so this color is perfect for me. According to the Lipstick Queen site, though, this color is flattering on all skin tones, since it's sheer and buildable.

It comes in a pretty brushed dark red metal tube with gold lettering.

The color looks slightly intimidating in the tube, but it's not that dark when it goes on. Unless you want it to be that dark! Like I said, it's buildable.

I applied it just as I would any other lipstick or lip balm, meaning I covered my lips once or twice and then smoothed it out with my finger. I love this color. I really do.

I also love the backstory behind this lipstick. Poppy King, the creator of Lipstick Queen, wanted to recreate the look that medieval women got when they put lemon juice on their lips to stain them blood red (They had to do this since wearing lipstick was considered a sin.).

The packaging is pretty spectacular, too. It's this awesome tarot card. Each image symbolizes something, and if you go to the Lipstick Queen site, you can read what each image means. (And yes, the images are supposed to be upside down.)

(I don't know what's up with the coloring. It got all wonky for some reason.)

It's 20 dollars, which I know is a bit pricy for a lipstick, but, trust me, it's worth it. I bought my tube from the Lipstick Queen website, but it's also available at Barney's, QVC, Blackbird (blackbirdballard.com), and possibly a few other online stores.