Chapstick not working?

Hey guys! I’m finally back after a…. __ month hiatus. Let’s call it a sabbatical.. it sounds more professional..

Anyway! NEW LAYOUT! HOLLA! This one is much more simplified (gasp, me simple, say it aint so!) Although I loved all those clicky link things on top, I just never put them to work.. so something nice and clean to re-inspire me to blog again (plus I have no school = no excuses!)

Ever wonder why you keep putting on your lip balm/chapstick, and it doesn’t make you feel any better? Do you find yourself reapplying time and time again to get no relief from chapped lips?

The problem might be your lip balm! Some lip products, such as Carmex contain an ingredient called Phenol or Phenyl Alcohol. No chemistry degree needed, we all know how drying alcohol can be, it evaporates! This severely dries your lips out, causing you to reapply after a short amount of time.

Ingredients on my mini tub of Carmex

Active Ingredients: Menthol 0.7%, Camphor 1.7%, Phenol 0.4%
Inactive Ingredients: Fragrance in Petrolatum, Lanolin, Cocoa Butter, Salicylic Acid and Wax Base

There it is for you, that Phreakin’ Phenol! I do agree, although I love Carmex for my coldsores (gotta love that Camphor), it does dry me out a bit.. I do feel as the Carmex in the squeezy tubes are less drying though..

Looking for a new chapstick to soothe your pucker? Luckily Burt’s Bees soothing chapsticks do not contain Phenol and will save the day. The growing-ever-so-popular EOS smooth sphere (made popular by Miss Michelle Phan, I wont lie, I got sucked into it too) also don’t contain Phenol and come in a variety of delicious scents! My favorite is “Summer Fruit” I’m trying to collect them like Pokeballs but they’re to hard to find!

Anyway I hope this was a good “return of the beauty blogger post”! Hopefully there will be more to come! Hopefully everyone is having a wonderful summer, and keep those lips smooth!

xoxo,
T

Philosophy: Kiss Me... Tonight

One of the items I picked up this weekend haul was Philosophy's Kiss Me Tonight ($20 for .3oz), which is an intense lip treatment.

I have pretty big lips, and during fall/winter they go a little haywire so I was hoping that this would be the fix that they needed. I also heard good things about the Philosophy brand and always wanted to try some of their products.

The product itself is a peachy, fleshy color, but it goes on clear. It has the consistency of Vaseline, maybe a little thicker and more sticky instead of slippery. Initially, it felt good on my lips but so far, I haven't really seen/felt any difference that the website boasts.

works on contact to soften roughness, relieve dryness and soothe seriously dry lips. this luxurious lip treatment helps reduce the appearance of fine lines, adds shape and definition, and restores a healthy rosy appearance

woah woah woah, works on contact? really now? Yeah, didn't see any of that happening, and I was pretty sure my lips were "seriously dry". I also did not experience or see the reduction of fine lines, nor a rosy appearance. A reviewer on the site said that although they didn't experience any immediate results, her lips were noticeably softer in 3 weeks. That sounds believable to me, but not instantaneous results like the website's description. Other reviews were dissatisfied with the product, so I'm glad that it's not just me who disagrees with the "greatness" of the product.

Product grade: C
not too bad, but nothing great either. Instead of paying $20 for this little jar, I'd rather reach for my Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm ($7 for .8oz), it works great, i get even more than DOUBLE the product, and it does the same job.

I'll give this product a 3-week test period, and report back with the results. Looks like I won't be kissing anyone tonight, not with these lips!

xoxo,
T