Wrangler's Monthly Wrap Up: October 2012

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Can you believe it's Halloween already? This month has just flown by! Does it feel like that to anyone else? We're quickly progressing further into my favorite season ever, fall! But I don't want winter to come too quickly!

I have found so many new lip balms and lip balm companies this month, it's been amazing! This was definitely a great month for lip balms and I'm hoping next month (where I'm anticipating tons of sales because of Black Friday and Cyber Monday) will also be a great month for lip balms!

Here are some of my favorite parts of October and some other interesting things!

Blue Q's Lip Shit

(review)

Epically Epic

(review)

Lippincott Soap

(review)

My Surprise Birthday Present

This month I found my new favorite lip balm Winter Frost by Little Batch Apothecary

The most popular posts (determined by views) were:

1. eos Alice in Wonderland Giveaway

2. eos (evolution of smooth)
3. Blue Q's Lip Shit

4. Trader Johann's Virtuoso 
(This one surprised me! Someone included it in their post on reddit.com and it got tons of hits in 24 hours that shot it up to the top 5 for this month!)

5. H&M Lip Balm

What were your favorite parts of October? Let's brace ourselves as we enter my next absolute favorite month of the year...November!

--Christina

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here and ends on November 3rd!***

Ulta Lipsticks

A few weeks ago I was completely obsessed with buying red lipstick, specifically just red lipsticks. I figured it was time to change it up and pick other colors so that I didn't have 10 different shades of red with half of them looking exactly the same (please tell me I'm not the only one who does that). So one day when I was at ULTA with my sister, they're lipsticks were like $4 I think so I figured why not try two new colors that weren't red? Also, I apologize for the pictures, there were just so many I felt I needed to include that I had to make everything smaller to fit into the post so that there would be equal amounts of words to pictures and not just all pictures!

Company: ULTA

Bit of Berry (left) Precious
Pink (right)

Color: Bit of Berry (246) and Precious Pink (237). The Bit of Berry is a deeper pink color, kinda a little purple. While the Precious Pink is a lighter pink color, like a rosy pink to me. Both colors have a little bit of shimmer in them. These colors are great for every day wear, they don't stand out like crazy but they do add a little bit of something extra. Since my lips are darker, these only add a little touch of color. 

Wear: These lipsticks apply well, maybe two or three coats and I've achieved the color I wanted. What I like about these colors is that when they fade away, it doesn't seem like I need to go put on more because they are a more muted color so if it's wearing off it just looks like it's my natural lip color. 

Precious Pink (237)

Bit of Berry (246)

Packaging: These lipsticks come in shiny, dark gunmetal colored, metal tubes. They stick out pretty well out of my lipsticks. They're very shiny! These tubes are simple with nothing else written on them except ULTA. 

Price: These lipsticks are usually $8, but I was able to snag them up for about $4. I find these (and most other ULTA products) on sale quite often, so if you keep your eyes out for when they're on sale they're a steal! That's why I liked them so much, I could experiment with different colors without spending an arm and a leg.

Overall:

Pros: Color, Wear, Packaging, Price

Cons: 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 twists, these lipsticks were great and all, but there's something about them that keeps me from reaching for them when I want to wear lipstick. But, that could totally be because when I wear lipstick I like to go all out and immediately reach for one of my reds!

Have you tried ULTA lipsticks before? Which shades are your favorite?

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here and ends on November 3rd!***

Mini Monday 10.29.12

I hope you all enjoyed last week's Mini Monday, I'll continue to do this for the next couple of weeks, maybe months...depending on how you guys like these. This week's chosen balms are:

Orange Thyme's Peppermint Stick

Fabulous blend of peppermint and vanilla, I love, love, love this balm! If you like candy canes or mint at all, you'll definitely want to check this balm out.

Crazy Rumors's Orange Clove

I didn't know what to expect of this since I've never smelled Orange Clove before. It's very citrusy with a little muskier scent? Maybe that's not the right word I'm looking for...but the sweetness of the citrus is toned down a lot by the clove. It's a nice balm, maybe not my favorite because I don't usually like floral-ish scents in my balms.

ForGoodnessGrape's Candied Caramel Apple

This smells mostly like caramel and sweetness, but not too much apple. I was hoping for some more apple in the scent, but it's not a total deal breaker. If you like sweet balms, this is one to try!

Long Winter Farm's Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Amazing blend of Peppermint and Chocolate, stronger on the peppermint than the cocoa, but probably my new favorite!

That's it until next Monday!

--Christina

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here and ends on November 3rd!***

ForGoodnessGrape Sale!

Hey all!

Sorry to post so much today but, I just saw on Facebook that Lisa is kicking off a sale today! You can save 10% off your purchase from today until 10/31 at 11PM. I don't think you need to use a coupon code to take advantage of these savings. You can find her shop here: ForGoodnessGrape. Also, if you are born in October, mention what day is your birthday and you can receive a free balm of your choice! Make sure to 'like' ForGoodnessGrape on Facebook to keep up to date with all sales and promotions!

Happy Shopping!

--Christina

Crazy Rumors is Having a Sale!

Hey all you Crazy Rumors Fans!

(FYI: the Ginger Ale and My Stache are not on sale)

I just got an e-mail that there is a 20% off coupon code for their Candy Corn and new Fall flavors! The coupon code is: FALL20 and is valid until 10/31/12 at 11:59 PM. I really like their new Orange Clove and Candy Corn! You can find their website here.

Let me know what you decide to try!

Happy Shopping!!

--Christina

Balms of the Week 10.28.12

Hi all!

I've received so many packages in the last week (let's be serious, the last month) and have had so many new lip balms to try and so many new favorites have been found! The balms I've been using like crazy this week are:

You Stink Soap's Black Cherry Apple

You Stink Soap's Lime Sugar

You Stink Soap's Mango

Little Batch Apothecary's Winter Frost

My new favorite! I cannot stop using this lip balm! Perfect blend of White Chocolate and Peppermint; so, so, so delicious!

Little Batch Apothecary's Orange Cream Soda

Little Batch Apothecary's Coconut Milk & Peaches

So...maybe I've just been using balms from two new shops a ton this week, I thought I used more balms from more shops, but I guess I really liked these two shops!

What balms have you been using like crazy this week? Did you find any new favorites?

--Christina

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here and ends on November 3rd!***

Aqua Blossom has a Couple of Sales Going On!

Hey all!


I know I have been pretty tight lipped about this shop, but I really wanted to share with you that Ashley over at Aqua Blossom has a couple of really great sales going on right now! In her Etsy shop you can use one of two codes: either use EARLY25 for 25% off your entire purchase OR use FREESHIP1028 for free U.S. shipping! In her Craft Cafe shop her lip butters are BOGO! Just list your free butter in the notes area when checking out, this is good for up to four free lip butters. Make sure to follow Aqua Blossom on Facebook to keep up with all current sales and promotions!

(via)

I will definitely be taking advantage of these awesome savings! I mean come on, 25% off or BOGO?! That sounds amazing to me. These balms are FABULOUS, I really, really like them. The full review will be up in about two weeks =).

Let me know if you decide to try some of Ashley's wonderful products!

Happy Shopping!

--Christina

Sponsor Call: November 2012

It's that time of the month again...my monthly call for sponsors!

I hope that you'll consider sponsoring Lip Balm Wrangler for the month of November! Right now the XL spot is booked until December 17th, but is open after then. I still have Large and Small spots open that can start immediately. I think that with the holidays just right around the corner, some extra exposure for your blog or business couldn't hurt! I'm using Passionfruit ads which makes purchasing ads a breeze! Just click on the 'Sponsors' tab for more information!

I'll continue to come up with new ideas to draw readers to my blog and keep them comin' back for more! I always have new ideas for the blog, especially as it continues to grow! Right now I post 6 days a week, every week and some weeks I have posts every day of the week.  I also have giveaways once a month and many return readers which provides tons of opportunities to gain exposure for your blog or business. I'm also huge on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook which means even more exposure for your blog or business.

If you decide to purchase an ad, I also post a "Sponsor Shout Out" about you which gives my readers a better sense of who you are and what your blog/business is about and these posts seem to draw in a lot of readers!

If buying an ad is not what you're looking for, I am also more than happy to host a giveaway for you on my blog or review one of your products. Just e-mail me at lipbalmwrangler@gmail.com for more information.

Thanks for considering to sponsor Lip Balm Wrangler!

--Christina

Country Blossom Balm of the Month: October

So as you saw a little over a week ago, my boyfriend semi-surprised me with a lip balm of the month subscription from Country Blossom! (If you didn't see it, you can find the post here.) I plan on doing a post once a month to review the balm I receive! These posts will most likely post on Saturdays, just FYI!

Company: Country Blossom

Flavor: Candy Corn. I've never had candy corn before, never in my life! I've always seen it, but never cared for it so I had no idea what to expect of this. Everyone just always told me candy corn was really sweet. Boy, this balm is sweet! It's very much like a sugary confection. Just like candy. I didn't think I'd like this that much, but I actually did! It's just very sweet and sugary. Yum!

Wear: I love the consistency of this balm; it goes on smooth and a little thicker than my usual lip balms, but it feels so good! It also lasts about 2 or so hours which is great!

Packaging: This balm comes in your average sized lip balm tube and has a white label and a clear cap. There is a very cute font that says the flavor of the balm and cute little pictures of candy corn beneath the flavor name. It's very simple, yet really adorable. The name of the shop is also written inside a large sun flower which is very unique and stands out.

Price: An individual tube will run you $3 which is definitely not bad!

Overall:
Pros: Flavor, Wear, Packaging, Price
Cons:

Rating: 4 out of 5 twists, this balm is pretty great! I'd definitely recommend this shop! I'm really eager to buy a couple more flavors just to try for myself because let's be serious, waiting a month to try another one of these balms (and only one!) is a hard thing to do (at least for me)!

Have you ever tried Country Blossom balms before? What is your favorite flavor?

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here.***

Balms I've Got My Eye On 10.26.12

Hey all!

I had a lovely weekend in Vegas last weekend and it's been hard to transition back into reality and get through this week, especially with a paper due the day after I returned from Vegas! This weekend it'll be tons of studying, work, and cleaning. But, to get myself through the weekend, I find my eyes wandering to these balms:

Epically Epic's Candy Cane

(via)

I adore this packaging! It's so cute!

Little Batch's Candy Cane

(via)
I'm sensing a theme here...I really like mint and candy canes! I'm also getting in the mood for more holiday balms!

Epically Epic's Sugar Cookie

(via)

This packaging is also crazy adorable! So tempting!

Blue Q's Lip Shit in Cucumber Mint

(via)

This combination just sounds so tempting! I wonder what it would be like since cucumber is such a light scent!

What balms have you been tempted by lately? Are you also in the mood for some new holiday balms?

Have a great weekend!

--Christina

Lippincott Soap Co.

I have been eyeing this lip balms for FOREVER. I love the look of these balms and that they come in oval tubes, don't you just wish all balms came in oval tubes? I do, I love them! When I saw that they listed their Halloween balms, I knew I had to finally try some of their balms! What made it even better was that these shipped the next day and I received them so quickly!

Company: Lippincott Soap Co.

Flavors: Bite Me (Black Cherry), Mermaid (Snowcone), Orange Dream, and Berry Boo (Blueberry). Okay, so you've all probably seen the Bite Me/Black Cherry lip balm in my posts since I can't stop using it! It's an amazing black cherry lip balm! I don't usually like cherry lip balms, but this is one I definitely do not regret buying! It reminds me of a cherry tootsie pop oddly enough. I really can't say enough about this balm, I love it! I didn't know what to expect of the Mermaid/Snowcone lip balm since I've never had a snowcone lip balm before. It's very sweet and light, much like a snowcone. I can definitely tell the lime in it with some other sweet notes, it's very interesting; I'm glad I tried it! The Orange Dream is a very lovely orange lip balm. At first because it was Orange Dream I thought it would be like an orange creamsicle with more vanilla, but it's not. It's supposed to be orange sorbet which it most definitely is! It's creamy and orange-y and delicious. The Berry Boo/Blueberry is dead on blueberry! I'm starting to realize I don't really like blueberry lip balms despite my love for bluberries, but this is definitely dead on blueberry.

Wear: These balms go on rich and creamy and so, oh so smooth! I love these! They're nourishing and just all around wonderful. These balms last about 2 hours or more, which is great. I could put these balms on all day long!

Packaging: Like I said before, these balms come in oval tubes. The labels are very distinct, there is a large oval on the front that has the flavor of the balm stated clearly. The labels are also colored and designed to match the flavor of the balm.

Price: $3.50 which is totally worth it for these balms! I love, love, love them!

Overall:
Pros: Flavors, Wear, Packaging, Price, Fast shipping!
Cons: There aren't even more flavors!

Rating: 5 out of 5 lip balms, I wish I hadn't waited so long to try these balms! They're wonderful! These balms are perfect for Halloween and it may be a bit late to order, but mine came within three days of ordering so if you want these balms before Halloween, I'd order soon! Not guaranteeing that your's will arrive in three days of course, that's just what happened to me!

Ingredients: Beeswax, Jojoba seed oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, phthalate-free flavor oil, castor oil, lanolin, vitamin E

Have you ever tried Lippincott Soap Co. balms before? What did you think of them? What is your favorite flavor?

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here.***

Sweet Creek Herbal Care

I've been buying tons and tons of lip balms the last two months! I really need to slow it down, but there are so many good and new flavors coming out because of the holidays that I can't resist! I think last month Sweet Creek Herbal Care offered free shipping so I took that as my sign to finally try Kathleen's balms! I've been recommended these balms so many times, it was about time I tried them. I had waited forever for these balms to arrive, and after about 13 days still hadn't received anything even though the package had shipped. On the 14th day, Kathleen messaged me to tell me that she had received the package back and it had been destroyed and the balms were missing. No wonder I never received them! Unfortunately when Kathleen got around to shipping my balms the second time, the one flavor I really wanted (Pineapple) was out of stock so she sent a replacement for it. Next time I'm definitely getting the Pineapple!

Company: Sweet Creek Herbal Care

Flavors: Maraschino Cherry, Banana Taffy, Vanilla Peach, Honeydew Melon, White Grapefruit, and Signature Garden. The Maraschino Cherry is awesome! It's a perfect cherry lip balm, I thought that it wasn't that Maraschino-y which I was a bit disappointed by because I LOVE Maraschino cherries, but after using it a few times it most definitely is Maraschino Cherry! I LOVE the Banana Taffy! This was the replacement Kathleen sent me since the Pineapple flavor was sold out and I am SO glad that she did. This balm reminds me of sweet banana candy, artificial and sugary. When I sniff it it reminds me of those banana Popsicles that come in twos that you split, if that makes sense. I really love those and this is a great representation of that. The Vanilla Peach most definitely smells like peaches with a very light vanilla scent. At first it didn't smell like how it should at all, even the boyfriend thought so, but if you're patient enough you can detect the vanilla. I kinda wish the vanilla was a bit stronger, but it's okay because usually I'm wishing the peach was stronger in peach combo lip balms! The Honeydew Melon is a very light honeydew scent which was a little disappointing since honeydews are probably my favorite fruit! But even regular honeydew doesn't have a crazy strong scent, so I can't really complain. It just wasn't exactly to my liking, I suppose. The White Grapefruit, however, is wonderful! It is light, tangy, citrusy, and sour all in one! I couldn't stop using this when I first received it. If you like citrus fruits, you'll definitely want to  check this one out! Kathleen also threw in an extra freebie to make up for all the trouble. She included Signature Garden, but as you all know I absolutely do not like floral lip balms. This is most definitely a floral lip balm, I definitely pick out lavender in it. I'll most likely use this balm as a giveaway balm in the future!

Wear: These balms go on pretty smooth and a little thin to me. They're a bit more liquidy/oily than my usual balms but not overpoweringly so. About two swipes on top and on bottom and you're good to go, so although they go on a bit thin, they still cover pretty well! The balms last about 2 hours which is pretty decent.

Packaging: These balms come in oval tubes (love!) and have paper labels on them. The labels aren't waxy or protected so I see these wearing away with frequent use. Some of the labels are already coming off some of the tubes. The labels are light green with little images that look like blades of grass around the section where the flavor is listed. The labels have the flavor of the balm on it as well as which formula the balm is since Kathleen has many different formulas for her lip balms.

Price: $3.25 for one tube, that's a great price for a natural balm!

Overall:
Pros: Flavors, Wear, Packaging, Price, Customer Service
Cons:

Rating: 4 out of 5 twists, these balms are pretty great, I'd definitely buy from here again!

Ingredients: 
Vegan Lip Balm (Maraschino Cherry): Aloe extract in coconut oil, calendula in macadamia nut oil, sunflower oil, candelilla wax, t-50 tocopherols, natural flavor oil
Vegan Kokum Butter (Banana Taffy): Grape seed oil, aloe extract in coconut oil (aloe butter), calendula in macadamia nut oil, kokum butter, Candelilla wax, t-50 tocopherols, natural flavor oil
Vegan Calendula (Vanilla Peach): Aloe extract in coconut oil (aloe butter), grape seed oil, calendula in macadamia nut oil, Candelilla wax, t-50 tocopherols, flavor oils
Memu Oil Herbal (Honeydew Melon, Signature Garden): Aloe extract in coconut oil, beeswax, MEmu Oil, sunflower oil, t-50 tocopherols, natural flavor oil
Calendula (White Grapefruit): Aloe butter (aloe vera in coconut oil), calendula in macadamia nut oil, beexwax, organic sunflower oil, t-50 tocopherols, oil of white grapefruit rind

Have you tried Sweet Creek Herbal balms before? What flavor or formula is your favorite?

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here***

My Haul 10.24.12

Hi all!

I had a a bunch of packages arrive the day of my trip to Vegas and a couple after my return from my fabulous trip to Vegas this past weekend. Here's what I have to share with you this week:

Crazy Rumors

Bungalow Bath and Body

Little Batch

You Stink Soap

e.l.f.

Lip Smacker

Yes, I realize Lip Smackers are for children, but that's part of the reason I was so drawn to them! Plus, after I received the Girl Scout Limited Editions from one of my readers (you can find that post here), I figured it was time to give other Lip Smackers a shot again!

What did you receive this week? Anything totally fabulous? I'd love to know!

--Christina

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here.***

Bath and Body Works Liplicious Lip Gloss, Again!

I hope you're enjoying this change of pace with these lipstick and lip gloss reviews. I'm trying to alternate the lipstick and lip gloss reviews each week so if you're not a fan of lipstick you don't see a lipstick review every week and same with the lip gloss reviews. This week I'm going to share with you one of my other favorite lip glosses I've ever picked up from Bath and Body Works. (I'm a Bath and Body Works fiend so that's probably why you'll see so many BBW lip glosses.) I remember when I first got this one, I used it all the time and if I wasn't using it, any time I was in the bathroom (where I keep the lip glosses) I would have to sniff it, it is that good! Like most of my glosses, they're usually limited edition so you can't buy them from the website anymore, but if you do some searching on the Internet you can usually find someone who has stocked up on them and is selling them.

Company: Bath and Body Works

Flavor: Mocha My Day. If you are a coffee lover, you would LOVE this! Oh my goodness, I'm not a huge coffee fan (I don't really like caffeine and I really don't need it, I naturally have energy all the time!), but this blew my mind. It smells like a sweet, rich, chocolately cup of coffee with a little bit of sweet cream. It is amazing. Next to the Strawberry Mango lip gloss from my last lip gloss review, this one is my favorite.The gloss is also a nice light shade of brown.

Wear: This gloss goes on a little more sticky than some of my other lip glosses but it doesn't really bug me. It's still smooth and covers great since it's a liquid. I don't think it really adds any color, but then again my lips are darker so if it's supposed to give you a little color it usually doesn't show up on me.

Packaging: This gloss comes in the usual squeeze tube with a slanted tip for application. It has blue metallic detailing with curly writing that is reminiscent of a coffee shop. The cap for the tube is a metallic silver which compliments the whole look of the gloss.

Price: I think I paid $7.50 for this tube. BBW's lip glosses usually run from $7.50 to $8 which I've said in the past is a bit much to pay for a tube of gloss I'll hardly use, but with their "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" promotion, I think that buying this gloss was totally worth it!

Overall:
Pros: Flavor, Wear, Packaging
Cons: Price

Rating: 5 out of 5 squeezes. I LOVE the smell of this lip gloss! If you like coffee or chocolate, even just a little bit, this is a gloss you might want to hunt down. I love, love, love it!

What's your favorite lip gloss flavor? Have you tried this gloss before?

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here.***

You Stink Soap is Having a Sale!

Hi all!

I didn't have a computer this weekend to keep you guys up-to-date, but I wanted to let you guys know that You Stink Soap has a coupon code right now to save 20% on your order. So if you've been waiting to purchase from there, now's your chance! Use the code: SPOOKY to save 20% off your order! I just received my You Stink Soap balms and I LOVE them!

Let me know if you decide to buy!

Happy Shopping!

--Christina

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here.***

The First Mini Monday 10.22.12

Hi all!

I have another new feature I'd like to start implementing in the blog this week. I realized over the last two weeks that I have SO many lip balms I need to review. Many of which are seasonal balms since we are well on our way into the fall season and I've actually been trying seasonal flavors. And as we progress into the big holiday months it also means we progress into big shopping months. I don't want you guys to hold back from buying from shops because I haven't reviewed them yet or you don't know anything about the balms or you want to know what the flavor is like. So I thought that I could start doing mini blurb-like posts on Mondays that give a sneak peak, if you will, to some balms with a fuller review to follow at a later date. What do you guys think of that? This way you'll get an overall idea of the balm/company and be better able to decide if you want to purchase or not. I'll do different flavors from different companies so that I'm not just focusing on one shop.

This week I thought that I would start with:

Orange Thyme's Caramel Apple

This balm reminds me exactly of a caramel apple. It's a tart and sour apple covered in ooey gooey delicious caramel. Reminds me of the sticky sweet without the stickiness! Wonderful balm!

Crazy Rumor's Candy Corn

This smells very sweet, very sugary! It also smells a bit like burnt sugar. I didn't know what to expect really since I've never ever ever had Candy Corn before.

Lippincott Soap's Bite Me (Black Cherry)

This is a FABULOUS black cherry balm! If you love black cherry anything or maybe even cherries in general, you'll like this balm. I don't usually like cherry balms, but this one is FABULOUS.

Upstate Herb Works' Mint Chocolate

This balm is AMAZING! Reminds of me an Andes mint, it is perfect rich chocolate blended with sweet mint. Love, love this balm!

That's all until next week!

--Christina

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here.***

Balms of the Week 10.21.12

Hi all!

I'm having a blast this weekend in Vegas with my parents and my boyfriend, but since I love you guys so much, I'm making some time to share with you what balms I'm using this week!

LUSH's Whipstick

I'm still totally in love with this lip balm! Cannot stop using it!

Long Winter Farm's Peppermint Hot Cocoa

Might just be my new favorite lip balm from LWF or new favorite above everything else! It's THAT good!

Country Blossom's Candy Corn

Yes, I've actually been using the balm my boyfriend got me for my birthday a lot this week!

ForGoodnessGrape's Pineapple

This is a great pineapple lip balm!

What balms are you using this week? Have you picked up anything new?

Have a great weekend!

--Christina

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win your own set of Alice in Wonderland eos Limited Edition Smooth Spheres! Giveaway can be found here.***

e.o.s. Alice in Wonderland Giveaway!

Hi all!

I thought that for reaching 25,000 views and in celebration of my birthday, I would gift to one reader their own trio of the Limited Edition Alice in Wonderland e.o.s. lip balms! When I first got my hands on my set of these lip balms, I wanted to buy a second set, but didn't know what I should do with them. I then decided that these would be great for a giveaway!

How to enter: Leave a comment saying which one of these flavors your most excited to try

Additional Optional Entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):
+Like LipBalmWrangler on Facebook
+Share the giveaway on your Facebook page
+Follow @LipBalmWrangler on Twitter
+Tweet about the giveaway (Something along the lines of: "Enter for your chance to win a set of eos Alice in Wonderland balms from @Lipbalmwrangler at lipbalmwrangler.com!")
+Follow my blog through GFC (Google Friend Connect)
+Follow Lip Balm Wrangler on bloglovin'
+Take a photo of your favorite balm and post it to Instagram with #lipbalmwrangler in your caption
+Share the giveaway on your own blog

*If you already do one of the above, leave separate comments saying so and make sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win!*

That's a total of 9 entries for you to win the set of these lovely lip balms!

This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents, sorry!

When it ends: This giveaway will end on November 3rd, 2012 at 9:00AM CST. That's two weeks for you to enter! I want to make sure everyone who's curious about these balms has the chance to enter! The winner will be announced on November 3rd, 2012.

Good luck to all who enter!!

Sponsor Shout Out: Epically Epic Soap!

Hi all!

Have you noticed that I have a new sponsor this month? If not, go ahead and check out the right hand side of the page...yup, it's Epically Epic Soap Co.! Now you all know how much I absolutely adore Allison and her balms (and if you don't...check out here and here and here) so I thought that you guys would like to know just a little more about the lovely lady behind the balms. Make sure to check out Epically Epic Soap when you get the chance! Or right now...(after you read this post, of course)

Here's a little Q&A for you:

Lip Balm Wrangler: What got you into making handmade/homemade bath products?

Allison: I have loved collecting bath & body and scented products for almost as long as I can remember. Back in 2008, I remember having a discussion with some friends about what to do with my life. I had been an art gallery director and a painter for 10 years and was in the mood to try something new. One of the possibilities I mentioned was starting a soap company. I didn’t really think it would happen, but a couple of months later I tried making a few soaps. The first ones turned out pretty tragic, but I became completely obsessed with learning more and getting my company started.

Lip Balm Wrangler: What is your personal favorite bath & body product?

Allison: Amondopondo bubble bars from Lush. I hope I'll have time for a long luxurious bath again someday!

Lip Balm Wrangler: What is your favorite lip balm flavor of the balms available in your shop?

Allison: This changes all the time, but right now I keep reaching for my Sugar Cookie lip balm.

Lip Balm Wrangler: Where do you get your biggest inspirations from for your lip balm flavors?

Allison: I can get inspiration from nature, cooking, gardening and even from dreams. For example, Pineapple Sage was inspired by one of the plants in my garden, and Sleepy Time came to me in a dream :)

Thank you SO much Allison for deciding to sponsor my blog this month, it means so much to me! <3

Remember when you check out Allison's shop, tell her who sent ya!

Balms I've Got My Eye On 10.19.12

Hello from Las Vegas!!

I somehow find myself in Vegas a lot more than I probably should, but it's always a place where I like to spend time with my parents and my boyfriend. It holds a lot of fun memories for me! But, I am super committed to my blog, it's my baby after all, and so despite being away from home for the weekend I made sure to have a post for you guys. Here are the balms I'm eyeing during my birthday week!

Blue Q's Lip Shit Asian Pear and Mint

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I'm in love with Blue Q's Lip Shit! Look at that adorable packaging! Okay, maybe lip balm tins are growing on me...

Bella Fresca's Lemon Sorbet

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 These balms look so good!

Bathing in Luxury's Mango

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These balms look SO good, they're a bit more expensive than the usual balms so I haven't tried them yet.

What balms are you eyeing this week? Have you tried any of these companies before? 

Have a great weekend! I know I will!

--Christina

More ForGoodnessGrape Balms!

Before I even posted my first review on ForGoodnessGrape, I had already placed an order for two more of Lisa's balms. And after I posted my first review on ForGoodnessGrape, Lisa sent me two balms to try out that don't have sweetener in them since I don't usually like my balms to have sweetener in them (Thanks, Lisa!). I also realized in posting my haul this week, that I need to get on a better schedule of posting my reviews! Which gave me an idea for something else that you'll probably see in the near future...Anyways, on to the balms!

Company: ForGoodnessGrape

Flavors: Lemon Sorbet, Cherry Pina Colada, Blood Orange, and Secret Stash. The Lemon Sorbet is an amazing lemon lip balm! I'm a HUGE lemon fan, I don't know why, but it's just one of my most favorite lip balm flavors. I try to try at least one lemon lip balm from every shop I buy from and Lisa's Lemon Sorbet definitely did not leave me with anything else to desire. I'm not a huge fan of cherry lip balms even though I absolutely LOVE cherries, but thought that it would be nice paired with the coconut from the pina colada part to tone it down a bit. The Cherry Pina Colada was wayyyy too cherry for me. All I could smell was cherry which was a little disappointing for me =(. I love coconut and was sad to not find it in the balm. The Blood Orange, however, is wonderful! I was SO happy to receive this one. It's not exactly blood orange to me, but it is an amazingly dead on orange, citrusy scent. When I first got it I couldn't stop using it, every time I needed lip balm this was the one I grabbed. It's amazing! I also received Lisa's Secret Stash, this balm is supposed to be unscented, but even unscented balms have a little scent to them just from the butters (at least to me). I really prefer my balms to have a scent, I just don't really enjoy using balms that don't. But, that doesn't mean it's a bad balm by any means! And if you like unscented balms, Lisa's Secret Stash is one to try!

Wear: These balms go on without a problem! They glide on nice and smooth, no grittiness or fight at all. They last close to two hours which is great! The Secret Stash feels extra nourishing to me and it's probably because of all the butters Lisa incorporated into it, it's perfect for it's use as a bedtime balm (not that you couldn't use it at other times).

Packaging: These balms come in your average sized lip balm tubes. The tubes are clear with the name of the flavor in large letters on the front of the tube. The labels also have two colored bands at the top and bottom of the tube that are colored to match the indicated flavors. I really like that these balms come in a T-shaped shrink wrap so that the label is protected by the outer layer of plastic. 

Price: $4-$4.75 a tube which is a bit higher than I'm usually willing to pay for a lip balm, but Lisa has sales and specials very frequently that the price often drops by at least 15% (from what I've seen) which is a great price!

Overall:

Pros: Flavors, Wear, Packaging, Price

Cons: 

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists. Lisa's lip balms are some of my favorites! She as SO many flavors to choose from that there has to be a flavor for everybody's taste. 

Ingredients: 

Lemon Sorbet: Shea Butter, Mango butter, Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Beexwax, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Fragrance

Cherry Pina Colada: Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Fragrance

Blood Orange: Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Esssential Oils

Secret Stash: Sweet Almond Oil, Coconut Oil, Beeswax, avocado Oil, Cocoa Seed butter, Lanolin, Ceytl Stearyl Alcohol

Have you tried ForGoodnessGrape balms yet? What are your favorite flavors?