Hello lovelies! I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's day. This week's post is the final post in my Battle of the Lip Fixes series. I enjoyed trying out different products each week and comparing them. So, without further ado - Battle of the Lip Fixes: The Results.

For the last four weeks, I have been trying out three different lip products. The first week was the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, the second week was the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil, and the third week was the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. You can read their respective reviews here, here, and here.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream - This "cream" is more of a gel (think of blistex) consistency. This product does have a scent; however, it is not particularly strong, nor is it particularly unpleasant. I love this product, and as an added bonus, it will last you a ridiculously long time. I don't think I've even made a dent in mine. During the week I was using this, I kept it right next to me on my desk at work and constantly reapplied it. I also used it at home. My lips did become more soft and the chapped spots did heal. I don't know what is in this product but it is magical. I did get sick at one point and put this on my nose as well (we all know how chapped noses can get when you're constantly blowing them). Overall, I think this product is a great investment. It is so versatile and is definitely going to be my go to winter lip product.

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask - The Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask has a similar consistency as the  Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream if only a little more solid. It is still a gel - but it is not as soft as the other product. This also has a flavor - after all it is agave. It is just slightly sweet. Also unlike the other product, there is no scent. I don't know about you, but I would probably rather have a product that has a favor instead of a scent. This product works amazingly. My lips became incredibly soft - dare I say the softest they've ever been. This product is so thick, I would only use it in the morning when I got up and at night before I went to bed. The only downfall of this product was the fact that I didn't want to use it over the course of the day. Because I work in an environment that has such dry air, I constantly wanted to use another lip balm such as EOS. I feel like this may be best used as a summer product when the air isn't so drying. This will definitely be my summer lip balm and possibly my winter one as well (but only if I use another balm during the day).

Clarins Instant Light Comfort Lip Oil - Ahhhh Clarins, I had such high hopes for this product. Don't get me wrong it is a great product. I think this is amazing if you have done simplistic makeup for the day and need a slight tint, but also want to treat your lips. But I don't see this as being my go-to, constantly reached-for product. I'll use it up, but I don't know that I would repurchase. This product doesn't necessarily heal your lips so much as prevent them for being chapped. If you buy this, I would use it more as a preventative measure than a curative product. 

All in all, I think the product I would be most likely to repurchase is the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask (let me tell you I would have been wrong in my prediction at the beginning of this venture). I would also probably repurchase the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. The only product I don't think I would repurchase would be the Clarins Instant Light Comfort Lip Oil. Although I do have two, so I don't think I will be hard pressed to make this decision anytime in the near future.

I had such a great time making this series for you guys. Let me know how you liked this and if there are any other products you like to see me review and compare!

XOXO

- K

Welcome back to this space! I just wanted to start off by saying thank you! I cannot believe how many views I have gotten in 2016 so far. I hope you continue to read and feel free to share with your friends!

Today is the third and final review in my Battle of the Lip Fixes series. This week, I tried out the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. I have a couple of sample sizes (.18 oz) that I received in Bite's Christmas set, as well as purchasing their 5 Night Fix for Lips. It does not look like either of these options are available on Sephora's website, but you may want to keep an eye out in the store. It also appears that Bite came out with two tinted Agave Lip Masks as well, so if you're one for tinted balms (or masks in this case) take a look at those on Sephora's website. 

This mask is very thick - a little definitely goes a long way. You need just the smallest amount and smear it across your lips. There is a sweet flavor to the mask, but what else should I expect from an AGAVE mask. It is a nice flavor which is always a plus in my book (not that you should eat this product). 

The Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask does have a nice texture. As I said, it is thick; however, it does not leave your lips with a sticky feeling. On the contrary, I enjoyed the feeling of this product on my lips. For the application for this product, because it is a mask and not like a chapstick that you can apply throughout the day, I applied this twice per day - once in the morning and once at night. 

I just have one thing to say about this - my lips are so soft. I don't have any chapped skin or anything. My only qualm about this product is using it in the winter. I don't know about you, but the air in my workplace is very dry in the winter. Because of this, all week long I wanted to use a chapstick or lip balm during the day. It took all of my will power not to use another product with this. I think I will continue using this product but with another in cunjunction with it during the day. I think this would be the perfect product for the summer months when you're not super worried about chapped lips, but still want soft lips, and the air isn't as dry. 

Next week will be the final post of my Battle of the Lip Fixes series. Next week will be an overview of all three products and which ones I would repurchase and if there are any I probably will not use again. Let me know if you enjoyed this series and if there are any products you'd like to see reviewed and put up against one another (i.e. face products, eye products, skin products, etc.). Keep an eye on this space for Battle of the Lip Fixes: The Results.

XOXO

- K

Welcome back! And welcome to the second installment of my Battle of the Lip Fixes series!

For this week's post, I tried out the Clarins Instant Light Comfort Lip Oil. I think I was most excited to try this product out.

The Clarins Instant Light Comfort Lip Oil comes in two scents - Raspberry (a sheer berry shade) and Honey (a golden shade). Now don't be fooled when I use the term shade. When I swatched them on my wrist, I could barely tell the difference as there is minimal color to the oil. I also used the term scent instead of flavor. The product itself does smell like raspberry and honey, respectively. I'm slightly obsessed with the raspberry one - it has become my go-to of the two products. There is no flavor though. It is simply an oil for your lips. 

I was actually slightly nervous about the texture of the product. I'm not one for sticky glosses and lip products. If a product is overly sticky, I won't use it no matter how amazing the other aspects of the product are. The first time I applied this product, I was pleasantly surprised. It is not sticky at all. It is so smooth on your lips. It is truly an oil. Even if the product didn't do a thing, I would recommend this as a gloss - it makes your lips just the perfect amount of shiny. The slight tint to the product also causes me to favor the raspberry scent. It is almost a "your lips but better" product.

Now onto the actual performance. The Clarins Instant Light Comfort Lip Oil does just as the product description (courtesey of the Macy's website) states: "Clarins' newest treatment oil transforms lips from dry and damaged, to plump and luscious--while adding just a hint of colour." As previously stated, it does add just a hint of color. It did make my lips look slightly more plump (though it wouldn't be my sole reason for purchase), as well as hydrated. I am not sure that I would recommend this product to heal severely chapped lips, but I do reach for this as a more preventative product. If you use this, surely you can help prevent chapped lips. 

If you can swing the price tag of $25 for this product, and you are looking for something to prevent instead of heal, I would go for this product. Sometimes I feel like a preteen again - I'm sure we all remember that age when we bought lip gloss to seem cool but we really just liked the scent/flavor. It reminds me of that part of my youth... or rather, my early youth.

Let me know if there are any specific products you would like to see in this series for review!

XOXO

- K

Hello Interwebians! 

(wow, I don't think I've said that since one of my first posts)

Welcome to my new and improved blog!

I thought I would try out a new set up for a bit. Sometimes change just feels so good. Speaking of change, I'm hoping you like the influx of posts that the new year has brought in. I'm thoroughly enjoying writing my bum off. I am working on lots of posts and I've been keeping a running list of new ideas (which never happens!).

So I thought I'd just stop by and say HI!

I'll see you here on Sunday!

XOXO

- K

Every year, in the dead of winter, I find myself searching high and low for something to keep my lips soft and smooth. And every year, after just picking up any old lip product, I throw my hands up, give up on my search and resign myself to the fact that I will never have soft lips in the winter.

This year I decided to take my search seriously and find the best product for my lips. I hope this helps you find a product that you can love and reach for every day of the winter season. I decided to start my trials with the beloved Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. Many individuals across the internet rave about this product.

I was extremely excited when my order finally came in the mail. I thought that with so many people raving about it, it had to work. My first instinct when I opened the packaging was to smell it. I don't know why but that is my first instinct with a lot of products I buy. The scent is something that you may need to get used to. It is not too strong, but it is noticeable. If you are not one for scented products I would recommend their fragrance free version (You can get it here). The scent does not create a flavor for this product. It is actually flavorless (If you are thinking "why would you mention a flavor?" Be honest, we all know we care about if a lip product tastes like anything). The product itself is more of a gel than a cream - think more of a Vaseline consistency. I actually quite liked this aspect. Prior to purchasing, I would wonder what it was like to put a lotion-like product on my lips. 

Now on to the effectiveness of the Eight Hour Cream. I reapplied the product several times throughout the day - desperately needed as my office is as dry as the Sahara; I go through hand cream and lip products like no other. It made my lips feel protected and I like the feel of the product on my lips; it was not particularly sticky. It did protect my lips and it did seem to heal them. However, with this product I did notice that as the product wore off, it did leave my lips feeling dry. It did not make my lips chapped or feel chapped; they just felt dry - a minute but important distinction. 

I do quite like carrying this product around in my handbag. I kept reaching for this product all week long. To hear my verdict on this product, keep an eye on this space. I will be reviewing several more lip products (each of which I try out for a week). Once the products are reviewed, I will make a post of my results on which product I would most likely reliably reach for. Let me know if there are any specific products you would like to see in this series for review!

XOXO

- K

Hello everyone! As promised, here is this weeks second post: New Maybelline Master Contour and Master Fix Review!

Recently, while I was out and about at Ulta, these beauties caught my eye. There are several new products; however, I picked up the Maybelline Master Contour and Master fix Setting Perfecting Loose Powder. I forewent the setting spray because I recently purchased a new spray elsewhere. 

The Maybelline Master Fix Setting Spray is a container of loose powder with a plastic sieve separator. 

This powder retails for $9.99, and in my opinion it is worth every penny. I generally prefer lose powders because I can tell that I am using the product. With pressed translucent powders, I can have a hard time telling how much product I'm using. This powder is so finely milled it feels incredibly silky on the skin. The only property I would watch out for when using this product is the silica component. If you are going to an event where pictures will be taken or you will be taking selfies with a flash (I'm guilty of doing my makeup just for the sake of a selfie), I would use a light hand or look for a powder without silica. However, this product is great for every day use.

The Maybelline Master Contour palettes come in two shades:

Light to Medium

Medium to Deep

Both palettes retail for $12.99. The Light to Medium palette has a warm toned contour, matte pale pink blush, and an opal-esque highlight. The Medium to Deep paletts has a slightly deeper warm toned bronzer, a coral-y shimmer blush (I'd say it's comparable in color to NARS' Orgasm or Sleek Makeup's Rose Gold blusher), and a more champagne color highlight. Both palettes also come with a brush. I would not recommend using the brush for the blush or the contour. Although it is great for contouring your nose. The brush is also good for controlling placement of the highlight powder. 

I tried out both of these palettes and both worked fine on me. Which does pose the need for at least another palette for deeper skin tones. While the blush and highlight may work, I am not sure how well the contour shade would work.

 Light to Medium Swatch

Medium to Deep Swatch

Light to Medium Applied

Medium to Deep Applied

I think the Light to Medium palette will be my winter time palette, and the Medium to Deep palette will be my summer time palette (basically, I need more of a tan because I'm pale as a ghost in the winter).

I do really like both of these palette and I think they are great products if you don't want to, or can't, spend the money on higher end makeup. I think Maybelline made a smart move by creating these palettes. There are not a lot of contour palette, let alone contour palettes with blush, in the drugstore. My only grief with these palettes (aside from the part where I'm pale as a ghost and can still pull off the Medium to Deep shades) is that I wish the contour was more cool toned. I think contour powders that are more grey toned browns work better because it creates more of a natural looking shadow. However these shades do work well to warm up the face. Just be careful when using them and use a light hand. No body wants to walk out of the house looking like an oompa loompa.

XOXO

- K