Safe in The Sun With Baby Lips

On holiday with my family I realized I did not have a lip balm with SPF with me (first world problems....I know...) so I borrowed one of my daughters. Both girls got Maybelline Baby Lips tinted lip balms in their Christmas stocking and I was happy to discover they had brought them along. They are precious little lip balms- kitschy, bright packaging reminiscent of the 80s- with lovely noticeable tints and SPF 20. They also offer 8 hour moisture and "lip renewal". Lip renewal to me implies some kind of exfoliant and perhaps hyaluronic action as well. So smoother lips as well!

From top: Grape Vine, Pink Punch & Cherry Me (my fave)

At any rate, they are brilliant little lip balms. They do indeed offer beautiful moisture- lips feel plump and soft with regular use. The colour is not a stain, per say, but it does seem to linger and does not build up in a weird way with continued beach or poolside applications. The website says after 4 weeks of use one will see visible improvement in their lip condition, and this doesn't seem far fetched to me. There is a mild scent that matches the name but it is gone in no time flat, and I could not discern a taste of any kind.

I hate photographing my lips but here I am poolside in Cherry Me!

The younger one, Biddy (@kittybiddy), got Cherry Me, a bright cherry popsicle shade that leaves the lips a soft but bright pink, and the older one, Em (half of @BSDropouts, The Beauty School Dropouts), got Grape Vine, more of a deeper colour. Grape Vine actually reminds me of the old standby, Clinique Black Honey. If you loved Black Honey, get this Baby Lips shade asap. Once we arrived I realized I needed my very own. So I got Cherry Me as well and Em got herself Pink Punch which is more of a bright light pink- perfect for Florida as it's very Lilly Pulitzer! They also have a peachy one, called Peach Kiss, and two clear ones with different "flavours". I am totally getting a clear one as well.

Playing with my iPhone - this is my poolside view...ahhhh...

I've been using my Baby Lips non-stop for over a week and have to say, I love it. The name is a bit funny and the packaging and advertising seem to be aimed at the under 25 (under 16 even?) demographic but I think they are missing a huge market by not marketing to grown ups as well. These are lovely tinted lip balms that feel wonderful, makes your lips soft, and protect them from the sun. Oh yes, and they are under $5 where Maybelline is sold. What's not to love? 

Beautiful Beauty Blog Round Up

We have a nice variety of beauty products for you in this weekend's roundup. Let us know what suits your fancy!

Makeup

Amy is in Paris, and we are richer for it. We loved her Café Makeup feature about her first shopping trip after she arrived.

Sabrina showed us the exotic, Asia-exclusive Blossom Glossimer from Le Blanc Collection from Chanel. Find it at The Beauty Look Book.

Gaia was the first one of us to get her hands on the new Edward Bess eye shadows, and they are exquisite. See her photos and review at The Non-Blonde.

Kari showed us Bobbi Brown's Peony & Python Collection at Fab over Forty. All of us love Bobbi's new colors. Check them out with Kari.

Redheads often feel like the poor stepchildren of the makeup world. Kelly discovered great brow products for redheads. Find her discovery at Gouldylox Reviews.

Carla at Product Girl found another winner from Maybelline with the new One by One Volum' Express Mascara. Maybelline has so many mascara hits. Find out why this one is special.

Charlestongirl had the skinny on Giorgio Armani's new Eyes to Kill eye shadows for Spring 2011 at Best Things in Beauty.

Nails

Anne is ready to spring forward into spring with the China Glaze Anchors Away Collection. Check it out at BeautyXposé.

Multiple Treats

Jane covered a lot of ground in her feature "All Things Pink and Beautiful" at Daly Beauty. From Chanel to Tarte, she presented us with some marvelous pink options.

Michelle at Beauty Editor posted her Top 5 Beauty Editor picks - there are some GORGEOUS spring goodies, including a Shu Uemura palette I might give up a kidney for...

Maybelline The Falsies For Beautiful Lashes

I’ve tried many mascaras. I know I am not alone in this. My mascara criteria is that it must last, it must lengthen, and it must add some volume, but not be thick, clumpy and overly “mascara looking”. I have found waterproof formulas have addressed the longevity issues for me perfectly. My skin tends to be oily and a non waterproof mascara is half gone by lunch. It doesn’t even leave raccoon eyes on me, it just melts away and disappears. I do mascara maintenance, meaning every 10 days to 2 weeks I take a tissue and completely wipe off the brush. Waterproof mascara tends to have a slightly drier formula than regular mascara and over time, clumps and dries to a slightly chunky consistency on the brush at the end of the wand. I can guarantee smooth even application by just wiping off that brush. It may seem wasteful but I’ve got some bad news for you. Mascara, by nature, is a product that is full of waste and it is already drying out in the tube before you ever will get a chance to use it all. After 3 months I still have mascara left, but its getting really dry and its time for a new tube.

Expensive department store mascaras vs drugstore mascaras- interesting debate. Even before I used waterproof exclusively I would vacillate between high and low end and to this day, I have yet to really be impressed enough by a department store brand that justifies the fact that is often three times as expensive as a drugstore brand. My go-to brand has lately been L’Oreal Voluminous Waterproof for lengthening  and a bit of thickening. I don’t like thick clumpy lashes that look obviously mascara’d but I do like a nice fringe. Having seen some buzz online I decided to take Maybelline The Falsies for a test run. Verdict? Great! I am not a fan of the brush, the curved design with variable brush length makes no sense to me- a lash brush is a lash brush and I really don’t think design wise there are innovations to be made. Yes the silicone brushes are neat (Buxom Lash is a great example of this- if ONLY it came in waterproof…) but don’t get me started on the battery operated “oscillating” brushes. I know that a buzzing mascara brush will not improve application because I was not. Born. Last. Night.

no mascara

one coat of mascara (focus fail- sorry!)

The Falsies lengthen very well, hold a curl and have a lovely black colour. No clumping and easy to layer, I have have added The Falsies to my mascara stash permanently.  Length of comfortable wear is not quite as long as Voluminous- by the end of a long day I am ready to stick my fingers in my eyes as I am pretty sure little pieces  of mascara are breaking off but that could be the -14 degrees weather we’ve been having. I’ve often wondered if frozen mascara gets more brittle. I use Lancome Bi Facils or Marcelle Waterproof Eye Make Up Remover Pads to take it off. The Falsies gives me a more glam look than Voluminous so it will be my go-to party look mascara for the holidays. Two thumbs up for The Falsies. Will buy again for sure.

Maybelline The Falsies mascara is available at drugstores