The Lush Lip Lineup

Me? A lip balm hoarder? Guilty as charged. I can totally justify it though! Lip balms are easy to scatter everywhere so it's always good to keep a few around. Some of these stay in my handbag & some live on my dressing table. I like to be able to top up my lips with a balm no matter where I am at that point in time. I think my obsession started when I was at school & everyone had those horrific little tins of Vaseline. I cringed every time I saw people whip them out & practically told them off if they dared to offer me some. It just coats the lips leaving them even drier in the long run. If you use Vaseline on your lips stop it now or... I'm not sure we can be friends anymore ;) From that point on I made it a personal mission to find a better lip balm & convert my friends. Carmex is still an old favourite of mine because it saved me from the hell of Vaseline. I've gone through countless pots of the stuff but the tube packaging is lot more convenient. It has a lovely texture & that menthol tingle sure is addictive. My mint flavoured Balmi is quite similar but with the added bonus of SPF 15. The little keychain makes this a great one for handbags as you can just hook it onto your keys or a bag strap.

Much like the rest of your face or body, your lips need a little exfoliation before treating them to some moisture. I normally go over them with my toothbrush or a flannel but if they're still a bit flaky then there's no better treatment than one of Lush's lip scrubs. I adore the sugary sweetness of Bubblegum but my favourite has to be the Popcorn one. It tastes like salted caramel & will smooth over even the roughest of pouts. If you're a bit lazy then Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid* will naturally exfoliate & hydrate your lips all at the same time. The combination of creamy whipped lanolin & organic lemon oil is hard to beat. It makes your lips feel absolutely amazing & the fresh lemon scent is truly delicious. Another incredibly yummy product is the Super By Dr. Nicholas Perricone Lush Lips conditioning balm. I think the Super range has been discontinued as you can only find the products in TK Maxx or online now. This uses coconut oil which is renowned for it's hydrating properties. It has a nice buttery texture & over time it definitely makes your lips softer in general. I can't get enough of it's subtle coconut taste & scent. I only hope I can find another pot when mine runs out.

If you've never tried the NUXE Reve de Miel lip balm, what are you doing?! Go buy some pronto. This balm is a staple product for me. Whenever my lips get cracked & start bleeding due to the weather or illness then I can always rely on this stuff to sort them out. I normally reach for the stick during the day, it's a good one to take out with you & it is my go-to base for lipsticks. Unlike most lip balms it has a matte finish so it won't affect whatever you put on top. The pot stays on my nightstand as the texture is a little thicker. I always pop some of this on before bed to keep my lips moisturised overnight. Philosophy's Kiss Me Tonight is another brilliant overnight lip treatment. It makes my lips feel really soft & is very comfortable to wear. This stuff lasts for hours & I rarely have to reapply it. Whenever I use Kiss Me Tonight, it's always still on my lips when I wake up. It works just as well during the day for kissably soft lips 24/7. What's your favourite lip balm?

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February Favourites

Bioderma Crealine H2O Cleansing Solution
This makeup remover is something that I've been after for absolutely ages. My beloved Lancome Eau Micellaire Douceur finally ran out so I decided to give the Bioderma one a go. This cleanser tends to be highly regarded within the beauty community as it is the makeup remover of choice for many professional makeup artists. Sadly its almost impossible to find it in the UK so I had to purchase my bottle from ebay. Its such a simple cleanser to use as you just put some on a cotton pad & wipe your face. Theres no rinsing off involved. It is really gentle and feels as though you're just wiping your face with water. It cleanses brilliantly and removes even waterproof mascara with the utmost of ease. It leaves my face feeling really fresh and cool which is lovely after a long day. I prefer micellar formulas as they actually cleanse your face of makeup rather than spreading it around first. La Roche Posay also do one of these cleansers but the Bioderma one works out as the most amount product for your money even though you do have to order it online.

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector
Lisa Eldridge is solely responsible for my purchase of this product. I own a stupid amount of highlighters that I've bought in my never ending quest for perfect glowing skin. But this is one highlighting product that has always intrigued me. When Lisa uses this in her videos it imparts the loveliest sheen to her face that looks really natural yet obvious enough to be noticed. I was so excited to see this in the shade Pearl on BuyaPowa because it meant I could get it for £30 including delivery. Thats not actually a very big discount but BuyaPowa is such an enabler! Think I might have to ban myself from that site. Anyway I've tried using this mixed into my foundation and just blended on top of my cheekbones. Either way it makes my skin look pretty fab! I can't recommend this enough if you want glowing skin as it really is a brilliant highlighter.

Super by Dr. Nicholas Perricone Lush Lips
I also got this product from BuyaPowa which brought the price down to £10.50. I own a ton of lip balms but I'm always up for trying something new. As I really love coconut oil products this seemed like it would be a good thing to purchase. At first I wasn't sure if it was doing anything even though it made my lips feel really soft as soon as I applied it. Within a few days I found that at the times when I hadn't applied it my lips still felt a lot softer than they did previously. The balm doesn't feel heavy or greasy at all and I love the subtle taste & smell of coconut this has. Even though there are plenty of other lip balms out there, this is the one I just keep on reaching for.

By Terry Blush Terrybly
This is quite possibly the loveliest blusher that I own. I thought that nothing would ever topple my love for NARS Deep Throat but this really is the most perfect pink blusher ever. It adds a wonderful healthy glow to my cheeks that looks really natural. This shade is called Cheek To Cheek Rose and is quite pale and sheer. It will probably work best on people with very fair skin colours but By Terry do six other shades as well. Apparently this blusher has the ability to help slow down the ageing process by renewing the skin and features something called freshtone technology which detoxifies the skin as well as plumping it up by stimulating collagen. The powder itself feels silky smooth and blends beautifully into my cheeks. I love the packaging of it too as the silver compact feels very sturdy & high quality. I received this as a Christmas present but I just checked the price on Space.NK and it actually costs £53?! I don't think thats something I would ever pay for a blusher myself but it is something that I properly love and have been using every day this month. If you're feeling flush or have a birthday coming up then this is a beautiful product to get.

Philosophy The Microdelivery Peel
Philosophy is a brand that I've been really loving lately. I'm obsessed with their Purity cleanser, Cinnamon Buns shower gel, The Present primer & now I'm obsessed with this too. I always thought that these acidic peel type products were only really meant for older people with tons of wrinkles. However this one works absolute wonders on my skin. I didn't think it was possible for my skin to feel any smoother or look any better than it does after using my Clarisonic Mia with Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish but I was very wrong. This kit comes in two parts. First of all you take some of the Vitamin C crystals and massage them over your face for one minute. Then you massage some of the activating gel, which contains lactic & salicylic acid, on top of the crystals. This creates a warming & foaming effect to show that the crystals have been activated. After two minutes you wash this off and you're left with super soft, glowing skin. I think this is something I'm gonna review in more detail because it really is one of the best skincare products I've tried.