FOTM: Lipbalm

FAVORITES OF THE MOMENT (FOTM) in LIPBALM

'Tis the season to stock up on a good lip balm!
I'm picky about my balms. Since I apply lip balm every night before I get in bed, I want them to have fantastic ingredients in them. They can't be sticky. They must multi-task in not only hydrating my lips but must bring a little something extra as well for my dollar.  I have to be able to sleep in it (so comfort without goop). Above all, if it yields a greasy feel to my lips, forget it.

Top 3 in Lipbalm:


Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

#1  Korres Lip Butter

Without a doubt, my absolute favorite in the category.  I've four pots of the fabulous balm on my dresser; that's how much I love it.  Korres Lip Butter offers their good-for-you balms with a tad bit of tint for wearing during the day alone or even in combination with another lipcolor of your choice (blended with a lip liner for instance). I enjoy their butters without a heavy tint even more as I'm able to wear them at night to drench my lips in healthy ingredients and hydration. They've a very subtle nutty flavor to them.  In order of fave, my picks are Jasmine, Guava, Quince and Plum.  This ultimate lip treatment has an intensely hydrating formula in shea butter. Shea Butter both nourishes and provides anti-inflammatory benefits. Rice Wax seals in moisture and smoothes.

Retails for $10 a jar and available at SkinBotanica, beauty.com, ASOS (yes, they are in the USA now, hallelujah!)  and other retailers.

LipFusion Balm Conditioning Stick in Bitten

#2 FusionBeauty LipFusion Balm Conditioning Stick

This balm stick FAST became a fave. Not only does it hydrate lips tremendsouly (claims say increase in water content of lips by 6000% in four weeks), but it actually plumps lips with that famous LipFusion technology as well.  This balm is not at all greasy so you won't feel slick-lipped in this pampering product and the ingredients assist in protecting lips along with the hydrating and plumping. A huge plus factor - it's made with nourishing oils and creamy butters that provide the perfect level of comfort along with SPF 15! The tinted varieties provide just a very slight subtle blush of color to lips and won't interfere with another lip product if you choose to wear one (like a line liner or pencil for instance).  On application, you feel a slight tingle and can instantly enjoy the moisturization the ingredients bring to lips.  There's also a light mint flavor to the stick.  The balm comes in a convenient "retractable bullet" format for on-the-go application. The casing actually "locks" with a slight turn of the cap to prevent it from coming off in your handbag, etc. Doses of AmpliFat and marine collagen filling spheres help to increase lip fullness, immediately and over time. I'm enjoying both the Butterscotch and Berry balms now having almost completely gone through the Bitten as my first trial of the product. 

LipFusion Balm Conditioning Sticks retail for $22 a stick (yes, a bit pricey for a balm but you're paying for the technology here) and they last a long, long time (months in my case on one stick). They are available at beauty.com, Nordstrom and Ulta.

Tokyo Milk Bon Bon Lip Balm in Cherry Bomb

#3  Tokyo Milk Lip Balms

This balm is a tad bit greasier in feel than the two above, however still merits a place on the fave list for its deliciousness, charm, the chic little embossed jar, and last but not least, its fantastic ingredients.  My sister gave me my little jar of Tokyo Milk balm on returning from a weekend foray of shopping.  Her selection? The Bon Bon Cherry Bomb!  My daughter (age 16) considers this one her personal fave of my collection of balms for its taste and feel on the lips and as such sneaks into my purse and/or room to savor a bit for herself here and there (read: daily! ha).  The cherry variety contains sunflower seed oil, beeswax (ok, so not thrilled about this, but ok), vitamin E, aloe vera, shea butter, crushed bing cherries and sweet spun sugar.  It's so yummy you'll want to apply layer upon layer, but don't as that increases the "slick" factor. (Unless, of course, you like or need that much - chapped lips beware.)  Honey Blossom and Opera Mint will be my next tried of this decadent balm.

Other varieties include: Let Them Eat Cake, Honey Blossom, Iced Green Tea, Rosewater, Petit Four, Opera Mint, Sweet Cream and Candied Violet. They retail for about $10 a jar and are available at  b-glowing (my love), ASOS, Beautyhabit and other fab and trendy retailers.

New! Korres Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick

New from Korres, Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick has a cooling, water-based formula that contains natural raspberry and pomegranate extracts to protect against free-radical damage and smooth lip lines for softer, more youthful-looking lips. It glides on with the creamy texture of a lip gloss and has the long-lasting, vibrant finish of a lipstick.

Everything I've tried from Korres I've been extremely pleased with.  My favorite lip balm, in fact, is their Lip Butter (have it in Quince, Jasmine and Pomegranate) for its buttery soft texture, soothing properties, rich hydration, and the fact that I can wear it to bed without getting it all over my pillow or have hair sticking to my lips.  It's the best balm I have by a longshot!

This new lip product promises to  be just as satisfying and I'm liking that it contains the fantastic for you ingredient of pomegranate.  Both the raspberry and pomegranate extracts provide antioxidant, line-smoothing benefits. These extracts are rich in antioxidant polyphenols that protect against free-radical damage and aging. The formula is also rich in certified organic acai palm pulp oil, which moisturizes and soothes lips creating a long-lasting, creamy texture. It comes available in five delicious shades. I really can't wait to try this new product.

As an eco-friendly and good-for-you brand, Korres creates the liquid lipstick without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances and other yucky stuff. Raspberry Antioxidant Liquid Lipstick is exclusive to Sephora as this time and retails for $22. 

Love Your Korres Kissed Lips

Recreate your favorite fashion and beauty trends with Korres antioxidant-rich, long-wearing formulas for brilliant color and a radiant finish to your complexion.

LOVE YOUR LIPS COLLECTION
The perfect way to achieve healthy, luscious lips with a hint of color! Prepare the lips with Lip Scrub, play your way to the perfect, naked pout with Cherry Oil Lip glosses in universally flattering shades and put the finishing touches on your pout with Jasmine Lip Butter that melts onto the lips, leaving a shiny, tinted finish. The limited edition collection includes:

• NEW! Organic Lemon Lip Treatment Scrub a gentle yet effective lip treatment that prepares the lips for long-lasting lip color.
• Cherry Oil Lip Gloss in New Naked Shades Rose 22 and Beige 30; high-shine, long-wearing glosses in flattering natural shades enriched with Cherry Oil and Vitamins to deeply hydrate and repair the lips.
• Best-selling Jasmine Lip Butter, an intensely hydrating lip treatment with a soft, sheer hint of color.

Retails for $34.50 (a $64 value)

CHERRY OIL LIP GLOSS

Long-lasting, creamy, semi-sheer formulas in wearable and vibrant shades. Go natural with NEW naked shades!

• Cherry Oil moisturizes lips, prolonging the wear and giving a high-shine, non-sticky finish
• The natural active Jojoba Oil smoothes fine lines and deeply hydrates the lips
• Potent antioxidant Vitamin C and E prevent free radical damage and repair the lips
 
Retails for $17
 

SPECIAL BEAUTY OFFER


For more information and to shop the sweet special offer going on now, visit Korres online.

Korres Skin Renewal with Pomegranate, Quercetin and Wild Rose

You all know I've got teensy weensy proclivity for pomegranate. Ok, a huge one! I've stumbled across a fab pomegranate infused kit great for renewing your skincare regime this new year.

Korres is offering their Prep, Prime & Perfect Skincare and Color Collection, a limited edition collection of skin perfecting must-haves offering the best of both worlds – Korres skincare and color.

PREPARE:
Refreshing Pomegranate Wipes cleanse the skin and remove make-up efficiently from face and eyes;
Wild Rose Brightening and Line Smoothing Serum, an ultra concentrated vitamin C serum that brightens and smoothes fine lines and wrinkles;
Wild Rose 24-hour Moisturizing and Brightening Cream is clinically proven to increase skin radiance by 49%

PRIME:
The silky, 99% Natural, Silicone-Free Face Primer primes skin for make-up application and extends the wear of your makeup (read my review of this product here)

PERFECT:
Wild Rose Brightening Foundation WRF3 offers a long-lasting, flawless, radiant finish;
Wild Rose Lip Butter an intensely hydrating lip treatment packed with a juicy pop of color;
Pro-vitamin B5 and Rice Bran Mascara in 01 Black is an easy-to-layer mascara for high-definition and length with provitamin B5 that nourishes the lashes.

Just $39.00 ( A $104 Value)

I'm really amazed by that offer! If you've used even just one of those products, you'll know just how fantastic a value that collection is. And to sweeten the pot for your New Year pleasure, Korres is also giving you a free mini skincare kit for free. The products in these "free gifts" will turn you on to what will become some new must-haves in your skincare routine. Oh yes, they're that good. Here's why I say that.

You're getting these ingredients in your free gift products below, and here's what they do for you:

Quercetin - a new love of mine, and I own Korres' Quercetin & Oak Night Cream (included in the gifts below), so I speak from experience on this. One of my favorite purchases last year. Korres reports it is the most active, well-established polyphenol for maximum antioxidant protection. It catalyzes Proteasomes in our cells, dramatically improving skin cell functioning: cells are turned back to a youthful state, creating younger, healthier and more elastic skin

Oak Extract - firms and plumps aging skin, while radically boosting collagen and elastin production

Jojoba, Grape and Pomegranate Oils - in a time-release proprietary blend provides instant nourishment and hydration

Vitamin C - significantly diminishes fine lines, hyperpigmentation and resurfaces skin, revealing a soft and radiant complexion

Vitamin E - a potent anti-oxidant, defends skin against free radical damage while also providing moisture

Ginseng Extract - visibly improves skin tone and actively firms by enhancing elasticity

Provitamin B5 - imparts long-lasting moisture to the skin

Phytic Acid - a natural skin lightener, helps illuminate sun damage and acne scarring

Evening Primrose Oil - rich in linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid, provides hydration and nourishes the delicate skin around the eyes

Vitamin K and Ruscus Extracts - work synergistically to increase blood microcirculation, quickly and visibly diminishing dark circles while also moisturizing the skin

Zinc Oxide - a natural sunscreen, prevents premature aging by providing sun protection

Shea Butter - enriches their Guava Body Butter to soften, moisturize & restructure the skin

Sunflower, Almond & Avocado Oils - in a A proprietary blend restores skin’s elasticity & smoothness

Quince Extract - acts as a soothing agent to heal and nourish stressed skin

There's so much more in these skincare treasures, but that's enough to get you salivating, or at least gives you some comfort and confidence that if you treat your skin to Korres you're giving it quality, natural products that will also yield fantastic results. And how can you argue with FREE? Those ingredients above all come in the products in your free gift!

Now through January 6th get a free 4 pcs Hydration Rescue Kit with any $25 purchase
Code: HYDRATION4

Or spend $50 and get a free 6 pcs Hydration Rescue Kit
Code: HYDRATION6

Korres Prep, Prime & Perfect includes a treasure trove of skincare goodies and at $39 it's almost too good to be true. Begin the New Year treating your skin to indulgent products that are absolutely pleasurable to use, yet at a tiny price. Don't forget to add your free gift, you're sure to find new loves there too. Visit Korres USA now for the deals mentioned in this article (thru 1/6/10). Korres products are also available at Dermstore, where you'll find fantastic discounts and free gifts galore!

REVIEW: Korres Advanced Natural Silicone-Free Face Primer

Korres skincare products ... my first experience with this naturally based brand was scoping the shelves at TJ Maxx and enjoying the scents of their shower gels. Woodsy, citrusy, nutty, Korres offered a scent collection in products no one else was doing at the time. And they were producing them with all natural ingredients. And they were powerfully attractive yet gently effective. In fact, Korres was completely ahead of their time.

Skip ten plus years to today and Korres is still producing powerfully attractive, aesthetically pleasing, gently effective, naturally based skincare with active ingredients, and, yes, they're still ahead of their time. This is an all new Korres! One that the shelves of TJ Maxx and the likes only wish they could manage to get their hands on. So let me re-introduce you to a brand you may already know a little something about, but will want to know more.

Let's start with their completely silicone-free, 99% natural, ECOCERT approved, anti-oxidant rich facial primer. Now, most of us know primers' biggest value to be smoothed skin, where our lines, wrinkles and pores are "filled in" to create an almost flawless canvas for makeup application. And we also know that it's the ingredient of silicone that mainly gives that kind of result.

Korres found another option. Their use of the ingredient edelweiss extract is what soothes and provides a perfect primer formulation in place of silicone. Other active ingredients include vitamin E, which protects the skin from internal and external aging and jojoba oil, which moisturizes and carries the vitamin E.

Korres' Face Primer is rich in skin-soothing botanicals, this 99 percent natural formula refines skin texture without silicone, minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and reduces the appearance of pore size. Lightly moisturizing, it leaves skin primed and ready for makeup application. My daughter, age 15, saw it sitting up on the bathroom counter the other morning, applied a bit (she never wears foundation, powders, etc. because she hates the way they feel on her skin), then paraded herself into my bedroom saying, "I like this stuff, mom. Look how soft my skin looks, and I can't even feel it. Hmmmm". Guess this means I need to make sure my tube doesn't disappear as that has been known to happen when she finds something she likes.

As for my experience, I must admit I was quite surprised that a silicone-free primer could smoothe and prepare my face so well. The primer is kind of a white, gel-like cream texture, freshly scented of lemon, and provides a fresh, lightly hydrated matte finish. My foundation and concealer spreads very easily and evenly after use, and the primer leaves a softness to skin that may allow you to not wear makeup at all unless skin imperfections ar ruddiness leave you feeling you need a little something extra. I don't find it fills lines quite as well as the silicone based primers, but it does do a nice job and I like the fact that it's 99% natural.

Here's a little funny for you. In researching the primer, I found it on Sephora.com and took to reading some of the reviews. Overwhelmingly, reviewers gave this primer five out of five stars, some fours and only a couple or so less. The main "con" some sited of those giving less than a high rating was that it was expensive. That's the funny, my angels. The tube contains over one full ounce of primer and sells for $28. Have you priced other primers? Here's a little comparison of the top faves of beauty lovers:

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer 1 oz $52

Smashbox PhotoFinish 1 oz $36

Make Up For Ever (MUFE) UV Primer 1 oz $30

Urban Decay Primer Potion 1 oz $30

Too Faced Primed & Poreless 1 oz $30

Korres Face Primer 1 oz $28

Tarte Clean Slate 1 oz $27

NARS Makeup Primer 1 oz $19

Sooooo, I'm not really feeling the cost argument. This is a grand primer, loaded with good for you ingredients, no silicones, parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, mineral oils, petrochemicals, phthalates, or GMOs. ECOCERT Certified a pea-sized amount is enough for a full facial application. I can't wait to try more Korres products. Look for more reviews soon.

Korres Face Primer retails for $28 a 1 oz tube and is available at Korres online and Sephora. Shop Korres now and save 20% off storewide with promo code: FALL. Offer ends 10.7.09