Sparkled Beauty

The start of the new week, the week that I hope is the end of late season snow and below 0 temperature.

Bright makeup normally is a nice distraction and mood booster in my book, but sometimes, in a rare case, it is also a letdown against the hype.

I had a great experience with Burt's Bees lip crayons in the past, so when I heard bloggers raved about the brand's latest release of lipsticks, I sure wanted to try them.

Also 100% natural, infused with Beeswax, Vitamin E, Moringa and Raspberry seed oils, the lipsticks claim to be vibrant and full coverage, with 8 hour moisture and a satin finish.

Couldn't help myself, I picked up 5 shades - 502 Suede Flash, 514 Brimming Berry, 520 Scarlet Soaked, 531 Juniper Water and 532 Russet River.

Gorgeous packaging, with honeycomb shaped cutouts and colour indication on the tubes. The name stickers are placed over the opening, so you can tell if the tube is tampered with.

The bullet is thin and slightly longer than usual, which I am not sure is a good decision, for the fear of breaking it in half if I get carried away with heavier hand than needed. There is also a faint scent to these to note.

The testers on the shelf swatched quite beautifully and helped with the purchase decision. At home, however, the 5 I bought go on my hand and lips semi sheer and not that pigmented. I would assume with constant use, the drier layer at the top of the bullets would wear off and they would perform better but that does not happen yet.

For that reason, I will show you how the intense colours in the tubes above turned into these swatches. If pigmentation changes down the road, I will update the post.

Suede Flash disappears on my dark lips if worn alone, unfortunately. Brimming Berry and Scarlet Soaked are the brighter shades, slightly better coverage. Juniper Water and Russet River look deliciously dark in the bullets but so light on. I was sad!

The lipsticks are 0.12oz/ 3.4g, $9.99 each at Shoppers. Let me know if you have better luck with them.

Burt's Bees lip products do not get much exposure on blogs compared to its skin care lines. Other than a lip balm here and there, I didn't have anything else until now.

I found a little end-cap display at Shoppers outside the makeup isle with these Burt's Bees lip crayons, on sale, so I picked up two - Redwood Forest (top) and Niagara Overlook (bottom).

These crayons are supposed to be matte but creamy and moisture rich, light weight plus full coverage. The formula is 100% natural, infused with Shea butter, Kendi oil and Jojoba oil.

Kendi oil was made famous by Alterna Bamboo Smooth hair care line, being similar to Argan oil but more light weight. I can appreciate the formula, as the crayons feel comfortable on the lips and are not drying. Matte but still have some slip to them.

I like the look of Burt's Bees crayons a lot - the chubby twistup format is not new, but the clear cap with frosted raised honeycomb pattern feels very nice.

There is also colour indication on the tube but the colour of the bullet is more accurate with lighter shades - e.g. Niagara Overlook.

The crayons do give off some shine under direct flash but appear matte on the lips with natural lighting.

Niagara Overlook shows up quite pink here but looks more like a natural shade on my dark lips. I layer it on if I want more colour to show. Redwood Forest has a red undertone, quite flattering.

Note: Burt's Bees lip crayons do not have any added flavour or fragrance, which is good news to those who prefer scent-free products. I, however, sometimes notice a lipstick-y scent on my lips, especially when I take a drink.

The line has 6 shades in total, 0.11oz/ 3.11g, $9.99 each.

I have always admired Burt's Bee product lines at Shoppers everytime I see them, due to the fact that they are natural and that I don't own anything from the brand except for a lip balm. So you can understand my exciment when I was offered a few products to review from the brand's PR.

It might sound silly but I was very eager to open the package to find out what the company chose to send me.

And here they are, 4 of them in the glory of natural goodness :-) My review follows.

First up is the Healthy Healing Carrot Nutritive Body Lotion - 99.68% natural, retails CAD14.99.

- The texture: more like a cream than a lotion but it feels light, absorbs quickly and it is moisturizing. No greasy feeling is a plus.

- The noticeable ingredients: Carrot seed/ Sunflower/ Coconut oils, Beta Carotene (antioxidant), vitamin E and Aloe.

- The scent: herbal, with a hint of carrot (obviously). I am not really a fan of herbal scent in my moisturizer, but it does fade away quite quickly.

- The verdict: I used the lotion on my neck and arms before bed and liked how it made my skin feel in the morning - soft and moisturized. I would recommend this for those who don't mind the herbal scent as it is a nice moisturizer with good benefits. But if you are sensitive to scent, make sure to sniff it first before buying.

Next are the 2 lip products.

The Honey Lip balm (100% natural, retails CAD4.49) smells just like honey (duh) and very moisturzing. I started using it right after I finished my Chapstick and had to admit it felt a lot better on the lips - didn't feel waxy or heavy.

The scent was very light and nice, a change from the fruity scent I had with Chapstick. This tube sure comes in handy with this lingering winter we are having.

The Radiance Lip Shimmer (100% natural, CAD5.99) is a lip balm with added shimmer.

It smells minty, the scent I prefer not to have in my lip products, as most of the time it gives me a headache. Just personal preference I guess. I also wish the product comes with a bit of colour, 2 in 1 would be fun, don't you think?

And I leave the most intersting product for last - Lemon Poppy Seed Facial Cleanser - 98.31% natural, CAD12.99.

- The texture: a cream cleanser, with poppy seeds acting as an exfoliator. It is quite fun to use. The poppy seeds are tiny in nature, so this won't be a harsh scrub, very gentle on my skin.

And this is where it gest intersting. The cleanser leaves a thin layer of oil on my face and hands, which feels weird at fist, as I never had a cleanser like this. Then I realize it is the same feeling stepping out of a bath with a Lush bath melt. The oil is not greasy or heavy, and leaves the skin extremely soft. I don't even need to apply moisturizer afterward, and that is crazy!

Note that I have an oily T-zone and the oil in this cleanser works fine on my face. I prefer using it before bed, so my skin could soak up all the goodness during the night and I have a fresh face waking up.

- The noticeable ingredients: Lemon/ Coconut oil, Yucca.

- The scent: This cleanser smells so good, like a dessert. I feel like a treat everytime I wash my face with it. I'm talking a lemon meringue pie, very fresh, citrus-y, not overly sweet. And the scent lingers a bit after too, very comforting.

- The verdict: It does take a bit of time to get used to this cleanser, but it is my favorite among the 4 products I received. I am thankful for the review opportunity, as without it, I wouldn't have known such wonderful products that Burt's Bee has.

What is your favorite Burt's Bee product?