Sparkled Beauty

How's everyone? I hope the winter weather isn't too cruel to you guys. It's warm here, yes, but my skin didn't do too well in this heat. A few pimples had made an appearance as soon as I stepped off the plane, I kid you not :(

However, I had a really great day today, spending hours chatting with some old friends. It feels good to connect with those who could totally understand me, emotionally.

Shopping wise, I still haven't bought much makeup at all here, except this small haul of some Maybelline products I have not seen before. My curiosity got the best of me, so assume this stuff is for research purpose lol.

First off are the Maybelline Baby Lips SPF20 lip balms. I know the product is not new, but taking a closer look, it kinda is at the same time. I paid a little over $2 a piece (tax in) here, about half the price in Canada.

These are Anti-Oxidant Berry (blue and pink colour tones, left) and Energizing Orange (purple and orange, right).

Any fans of Baby Lips out there can tell me if you notice the difference right off the bat? I had to look up the product info to make sure my mind is still working right.

What I found out:
- Packaging: North American packaging features a clear long cap that allows the colour of the balm to peek through, i.e. no guess work. The Asian design has short cap which had me fooled, as both tubes are colourless inside. Obviously, the names only indicate the scent of the balm. I was  disappointed.

- Names: North America has 6 regular shades (in order): Cherry Me, Peppermint, Grape Vine, Quenched, Pink Punch and Peach Kiss and supposedly 5 LE shades which I have not noticed in store yet. Asia has Anti-Oxidant Berry, Energizing Orange, Smoothing Cherry and Mango Pie, maybe Relieving Menthol as well, depending on regions.

The next two products I think are Asia exclusives.

Maybelline Lip Smooth Color Bloom Color Changing lip balm SPF 16 in Peach Blossom, $2.

This product is probably the attempt to fill in the colour void that the Asian Baby Lips leave behind. The colour tint is light, not very visible on pigmented lips like mine.

To be honest, I don't really care about the colour changing effect (great if it works, not a big deal if it doesn't) but I got a shade, again, for research :) I don't know if any of you need a review or swatch, as I can't say I know if we are getting this product in Canada (or US).

Joining the BB cream craze is Maybelline Clear Smooth 8-in-1 Skin Transformer BB cream SPF 26.

There are only two shades, #1 Fresh and #2 Natural, $4.50. Very small range of shades and very small size as well (18ml). Beside the 8 claims of most BB creams, Clear Smooth is supposed to have no oil/ fragrance, suits all skin types (including sensitive skin) and does not clog pores.

In comparison, the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB cream we have also claims as a 8-in-1 Skin Perfector, SPF30, with 5 shades, 30ml.

I haven't had a chance to try this product out yet, just hope it is not exactly the same as Dream Fresh in some way :)