Wrangler's Monthly Wrap Up: November 2012

This month seriously could not have gone by any quicker! I mean ever since probably middle school, November has always felt like the fastest month to me, so I shouldn't really be surprised that it went by so quickly; but every year I am! I think this year it's even more shocking to me because I graduate from college in about two weeks and then I move from Chicago to San Francisco. So many big changes are quickly approaching! Let's recap some of my favorite parts of November, shall we?

Aqua Blossom

(review)

I am so happy I stumbled upon Ashley's shop this month. She sent me the greatest mix of balms in a crazy cute package. I've been hooked ever since!

Orange Thyme

(review)

I don't think I've loved a set of balms more! The Caramel Apple will forever be one of my favorites!

Epically Epic Soap Co.

(review)

I tried my first ever requested lip balms, and they turned out wonderfully! I also found a new favorite: pineapple cherry!

The Top 5 posts for this month were:
1. Custom Epically Epic Lip Balm Giveaway
2. eos (evolution of smooth)
3. Epically Epic...Again!
4. Nivea: A Kiss of Smoothness
5. Black Friday Deals!

What were your favorite parts of November? I think one of my most favorite parts of November was all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping I did!

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms! The drawing is tomorrow!**

Aubrey E. Apothecary Fall Set

I had eyed this set of balms for what felt like forever. I kept going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to try them. I had always eyed Aubrey E. Apothecary's balms in general, but had never tried them so I kept trying to decide if I would try a couple of her balms first and then buy the set or just go for it and buy the set. I wasn't sure about all the flavors in the set, but I figured that I would just go for it!

Company: Aubrey E. Apothecary

Flavors: Orange Clove, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Smores, Apple Cider, Wild Berry Preserves. The Orange Clove is very citrus-y and clove-y. It is definitely a very distinct scent. Both scents are represented equally, I can't really detect that one is stronger than the other. The Pumpkin Cheesecake is your traditional pumpkin scent with a hint of spice and creaminess. It's really pleasant! It's not an overpowering scent by any means. I didn't know what to expect of the Smores lip balm because I've never had one before, but man was I blown away! The Smores balm is dead on smores! It smells like I just fire roasted a marshmallow, added chocolate to it, and it put between two graham crackers. I didn't think you could get that scent of fire roasted marshmallow into a lip balm! It's awesome and definitely not a balm I would have tried if it hadn't been included in this set! The Apple Cider is a blend of apple juice and some spices? I've never had apple cider so I can't really compare it to anything. It's nice, not my favorite but, if you like apple cider, you would probably like this balm! The Wild Berry Preserves is AMAZING! It is an amazing blend of berries and so warm in scent. I'm not usually a huge fan of berry scented lip balms, but this one I was completely blown away by.

Wear: These balms go on really smooth and in about two swipes on top and bottom, your lips are coated! They last almost two hours which is also good. My lips feel really great after wearing one of these balms.

Packaging: These balms come in clear oval tubes that have the same weight as your average lip balm. The labels are clear that have the shop's name and flavor of the balm right on the front. The font color of the flavor of the balm matches the flavor of the balm which is a nice, subtle touch to the label. What I saw on some of the labels on some of the balms is that the font is printed very light and looks like it'll fade easily. Also the font makes it really hard to read the ingredients of the balm.

Price: This set of 5 is $17.95 which is not too bad, that brings each balm to about $3.59 a piece. Plus if you're giving this as a gift, it comes in a really cute package!

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

Rating: 4 out of 5 twists, these balms are pretty darn great and I'd definitely recommend them!

Ingredients: Beeswax, Sweet Almond Oil ,Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil & Flavor oil

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Softlips Marshmallow Ghost

This balm was the hardest thing to track down! I didn't find it until last month while in San Francisco! I know it's a little late, but I'm grasping on to all things fall as the weather gets colder and colder. I was so surprised I was still able to find this at the Target in San Fran because I thought that they would have surely been sold out by then!

Company: Softlips

Flavor: Marshmallow Ghost and Vanilla. I really didn't know what to expect from this balm since I've never tried a marshmallow balm before, although I love the occasional bag of marshmallows (haha). This balm smells just like those sugary, fluffy puffs. It's dead on marshmallow, but it's not crazy strong in scent. It also smells a little like the Vanilla Softlips that comes with the Marshmallow Ghost. The vanilla is a light vanilla scent that makes my lips tingle a little when I put it on.

Wear: These balms go on so smooth! There is absolutely no fight in them. I do feel like I need to go around a couple of times since the balms are thinner sticks and don't cover as much surface area as your average balm, but I really can't complain about that since the balms go on so easily!

Packaging: I LOVE this new stick, it's a black stick compared to their usual white sticks which is so awesome. It's such a nice change to the tube, and very festive! It was a black tube with Softlips written in white font and it also has 'Marshmallow Ghost' in a bright orange font. It was definitely perfect for Halloween and fall.

Price: I think I paid about $3 for this pack, it came with Marshmallow Ghost and Vanilla. These tubes are half the weight of your usual tube, but there are two tubes included which means you're paying about the same price for about the same amount of balm.

Overall:
Pros: Flavor, Wear, PACKAGING!, Price
Cons:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 twists, I love Softlips products and will probably buy them for the rest of my life. Yup, you heard me. I probably have one of the biggest Softlips collections out there (I have Softlips products only sold in Canada also! Thanks to my friend Laura who grabs every product she thinks I don't already have.)

Have you tried Softlips Marshmallow Ghost yet? What did you think of it?

***Stay tuned for a special post about this balm on Saturday!***

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Haul of the Week 11.28.12

I can't wait for all of my orders to arrive in the next upcoming weeks! I love getting packages in the mail, especially when they're lip balm packages! So far, this is what I have to share with you all:

ForGoodnessGrape

 I was so surprised to see three balms from Lisa! She set along two other balms with my peppermint bark balm that didn't come with my last order. How wonderful! I absolutely love them!

Little Batch

My last Little Batch order came in, these all smell absolutely fantastic!!

Walgreen's

I'm not sure what to call these tins, but I think they're made my Walgreen's since that's where I found them. I've seen them on the Internet a couple of times, but had no idea who made them or where to get them. I always thought these tins were so adorable!

Chapstick

FINALLY found the Chocolate Truffle Limited Edition Chapstick! Yay!

Country Blossom

My lip balm of the month from Country Blossom arrived! (Well, technically it arrived a while ago, but my boyfriend has them sent to our apartment in San Francisco since I'll be moving there in a little over a month so I had to wait for him to come here before I could get it!) It smells SO good!

Ballyhoo Bath 

I've been wanting to try these balms for SO long! Don't you just love the way these look?

Ripe Shop

I had never heard of this shop before, so I'm so glad Adriana tagged me in a post on Twitter! Definitely brought my attention to her shop, these balms smell incredible!

PuurBody

I've been DYING to try PuurBody for FOREVER. Finally tried them, yay!!

That's it for this week! What arrived in your mailbox this week?

--Christina

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Country Blossom Balm of the Month: November

I'm SO sorry for the delay but, I can finally share with you all the balm I received this month from Country Blossom! I get my monthly balms delivered to my San Francisco apartment so I won't have to keep changing my address and bugging Megan about it, so I had to wait for my boyfriend to visit before I could try it!

Company: Country Blossom

Flavor: Pumpkin Cheesecake. This balm is definitely pumpkin-y and you can smell the spices and creaminess in it. It's exactly as I had expected! It smells incredible! I had a couple of my cousins and my sister smell this and they were drooling!

Wear: These balms go on so smooth and creamy, I love it! I could put these on all day. My lips feel coated in protective balm in just one or two swipes on top and on bottom. Fabulous!

Packaging: The balm comes in your average sized lip balm tube with a white label with the flavor of the balm stated clearly on the front. The label also has a bright yellow sunflower on the front  and a picture of pumpkin cheesecake.

Price: $3.00 which is a heck of a deal for one of these balms!

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

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists. This balm is wonderful! I wouldn't change a thing about it!

Ingredients: Beeswax, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Vitamin E Oil, Flavoring Oil

Have you tried balms from Country Blossom before? What did you think of them?

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Mini Monday 11.26.12

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend! (Or a regular weekend for those of you not in the United States!) I hope you were able to take advantage of lots of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales! I had quite the Etsy shopping list and made tons of purchases this weekend! I definitely won't be purchasing any more lip balm any time soon! I also did the usual Black Friday sales: Meijer, Walmart, Best Buy, etc. Any who, here's what I've got in store for you in this week's Mini Monday:

The Simple Siren's Tangerine Lime

This balm is a whole ton of citrus! If you do NOT like citrus, you won't like this balm. But if you're a huge citrus lover like myself, then this is definitely a balm to put on your wish list! These balms are also super creamy and feel great on your lips!

Long Winter Farm's Rosemary Litsea

This balm is amazing! So herbal and citrus and wonderful! It's a nice clean scent, I love this! I continuously reach for it.

Aqua Blossom's Raspberry Guava

Holy sweetness, this balm is so fruity and sweet and tropical and just delicious! If you don't like sweet and fruity, you may not like this.

Have you tried any of these balms or shops before? What did you think of them?

--Christina

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Balms of the Week 11.25.12

Hi all!

I've had such a crazy weekend, it definitely flew by way too fast! I ordered tons and tons (probably a ton more than I should have) of lip balm so I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of all my packages! This week I haven't been using too many different lip balms, not sure why, but I've just been sticking to a few favorites!

Little Batch's Winter Frost

Long Winter Farm's Rosemary Litsea

Wicked Soaps' Peppermint Candies

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

--Christina

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Balms I've Got My Eye On 11.23.12

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday yesterday! Or at least a very pleasant Thursday! I LOVE Thanksgiving, getting together with my family while consuming large quantities of food is my favorite! Plus, my boyfriend came home for the first time since we moved him out to San Francisco in the beginning of August. Also, my boyfriend and I go crazy on Black Friday every year. So yes, I wrote this post late last night before I went out for Black Friday. Here's what balms I'm hoping will be on sale:

The Simple Siren's Lemonade

(via)

I love Simple Siren's lip balms, and one in lemonade? Come on, that has to be amazing!

You Stink Soap's Lemon Drop

(via)

I love You Stink Soap lip balms! I really want to try every single one of her new flavors! I'm also a sucker for anything lemon!

Veve's Handmade's Minty Cocoa

(via)

I've had my eyes on these balms for a while, I love the way that these look! And I'm totally into Mint and Chocolatey balms right now.

What did you all do for Thanksgiving? Are you doing any Black Friday shopping? What balms are you hoping will be on sale this weekend?

--Christina

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Black Friday Deals!!

Hi all!

Here are some deals that I've spotted! If you've found any more, let me know and I'll add them! Happy shopping!!

• You Stink Soap: Use code: THANKS12 for 15% off your order! Ends 11/23 at Midnight EST
• Aqua Blossom: $3 lip butters + buy 2 get 1 free, 40% off large body polish, gift sets on sale, 30% off everything else, free gift with $50 purchase. These deals are valid November 23rd to 27th!
• Sakura Bath and Body: 25% off your purchase, purchases of $25 will receive a free lip balm in the flavor of your choice, purchases of $50+ will receive a free lip balm in the flavor of your choice and a 2 oz. lotion. Valid November 23rd only!
• Lip Love: Buy 3, get 1 Free on lip balms!
• PuurBody: Use code: FREESHIPPING for free shipping (US shipping only) or INTERNATIONAL for 25% off your purchase! 
• Yes To Carrots: Use code: HOLIDAY25 to save 25% off your order and there is free shipping on all orders over $25! Valid November 23rd only!
• Olimax Soap: For Free Shipping in the United States use code: Holidays12. Valid until November 30th!
• Bungalow Bath and Body: Save 30% off your order by using code: SAVE30. Valid until midnight on 11/26
• Lola's Handcrafted: Save 35% off your order on Black Friday using code: BlackFriday35 or save 35% off your order on Cyber Monday using code: CyberMonday35. 
• A Breath of French Air: Save 15% by using code: BFCM15. This is valid November 22nd to 27th!
• Susie Q's Bath and Body: Save 10% off your order, no code needed! Valid November 22nd at 11pm to November 26th at 11pm CST!
• Anderson Soap Company: Save 40% off your order using code: blackfriday. Valid November 23rd only!
• Symbolic Imports: 30% off no coupon needed! Valid through November 26th!
• Ballyhoo Bath: 20% off your order using code: Thanks. Sale ends November 26th!
• The Gnarly Whale: 35% off your order using code: Black Friday. Also, orders over $10 get a free peppermint or champagne lip balm (specify which one at check out) and orders over $25 get a free peppermint or champange lip balm and 3 free lip balms of your choice! Heck of a deal! Valid till Monday.
• Ripe Shop: 10% off your order with coupon code: RIPEBLACKFRI. 
• Orange Thyme: Sale on the whole store! About 25% off on balms! 
• ForGoodnessGrape: 50% off Perfume Stix! Today only!
• Country Blossom: 20% off the whole shop! 
• Blushie: 15% off orders from their Etsy shop (excluding already discounted listings) using code: BlackFriday15. On their direct shop save 17% off orders using code: BFCM17 
• Simply Natural Stuff: Save 20% off using code: 20OffCoupon
• Long Winter Farm: Save on Amanda's direct shop using code: TurkeyComa2012 to save 15% off your order!
• Rachel Rene Bath & Body: Save 15% off your purchase with code: BLACK2012
• Wicked Soaps: 20% off your order with code: BLACKFRIDAY12
• Epically Epic Soap: 10% off your order with code: BANDWAGON. Good only today!

That's all I have for now!

I will be updating or posting new sales when I see them!

Happy shopping!!

--Christina

Crazy Rumors: Part 4

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Since I've been crazy about peppermint and candy cane everything lately, I thought I'd do a collection of Crazy Rumors Peppermint/Candy Cane lip balms. I don't have any more full collections, just bits and pieces of certain collections so I'll have to figure out a way to group them! I love Crazy Rumors lip balms, there are so many interesting flavor combinations to choose from! (You can find my previous Crazy Rumors reviews here, here, and here.)

Company: Crazy Rumors

Flavors: Peppermint Lemongrass (Brew), Pineapple & Peppermint (Candy Cane), and Pear & Peppermint (Candy Cane). Okay, first of all...these balms rule. The Peppermint Lemongrass is a beautiful blend of peppermint and lemongrass. As you probably know by now, I love balms that have lemongrass in them. It always adds something a little more to a good balm. Both scents compliment each other in this balm, with neither of them being stronger than the other. You can literally smell both! I thought for sure the peppermint would be more powerful. The Pineapple & Peppermint is so interesting! It's sweet, fresh pineapple with just a hint of mint! It's not crazy strong in scent, but it is noticeable. It's wonderful. And like the Peppermint Lemongrass, neither scent overpowers the other which is amazing! You can smell both clearly, just wonderful! The Pear & Peppermint was definitely a combination I have never seen before, which is exactly why I had to try it. The pear scent in this balm is wonderful, it's not too strong which I love because I'm starting to not like pear balms because the pear is just so overwhelming most of the time. The mint isn't as strong in this one as the other two balms, but still a great balm!

Wear: These balms go on super smooth! In addition to being smooth, they go on with great coverage! One or two swipes and you're good to go! One application will last you about 2 hours, which is fabulous.

Packaging: These balms come in your average sized lip balm tube. They have labels that are designed to match the collection the balm belongs to, as well as matching all the other balms Crazy Rumors makes. The labels have a neutral tan background and have a colored stripe that contains the balms flavor as well as an image for which collection the balm belongs to. These balms are very distinct due to the Crazy Rumors logo and name on top of the flavor of the balm.

Price: $3.49 per tube, or $13.49 for one collection (4 tubes). Not a bad price for a natural balm!

Overall:
Pros: Flavor variety, wear, packaging, price
Cons:

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists, I really like these balms! I will forever be after every Crazy Rumors balm. I'm kinda mad at myself for not buying the whole Candy Cane collection. I don't know why I didn't, I love peppermint and candy canes!

Ingredients: Certified Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Macadamia Seed Oil, Certified Organic Shea Butter, Candelilla Wax, Soy Wax, Jojoba Oil, Carnauba Wax, Natural & Organic Flavors and/or Pure Essential Oils, Vitamin E, Rosemary Leaf Extract, Natural Stevia

Have you tried Crazy Rumors balms before? What is your favorite flavor or collection?

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Indigo Wild's Zum Kiss

Way back in the middle of the summer I made a huge purchase from Drugstore.com of so many lip balms, one of the lip balm companies included in this haul was Zum Kiss. I had seen Zum Kiss jumbo tubes in stores before but I was unwilling to pay $6 for a tube, despite it being much more product. Any who, I thought it was just about time that I reviewed these balms!

Company: Indigo Wild's Zum Kiss

Flavors: Peppermint and Lemon Ginger. The Peppermint is a clean, crisp mint scent. But it has a little something else in it that I can't quite put my finger on. The Lemon Ginger is dead on sweet lemon mixed with warm ginger. If you're a ginger fan, this is definitely one for you to try! I'm not that big of a ginger fan so this was not my favorite.

Wear: These balms go on very smooth and not too thin.

Packaging: These balms come in your average sized lip balm tubes that have a pair of lips and 'Zum Kiss' nice and clear on the front of the label. The Peppermint balm has a red label with white writing and the LEmon Ginger has a yellow label with black writing. I really like the font and label designs of these balms.

Price: $4 which is higher than I'd pay for one of these balms.

Overall:
Pros: Lemon Ginger, Wear, Packaging
Cons: Price, the other scent in the peppermint

Ingredients: Beeswax, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, pure essential oils, shea butter, vitamin E, honey, rosemary extract, and candelilla wax

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 twists, these balms were okay. Something about them was just off to me and I didn't particularly enjoy them, but that definitely doesn't mean that you won't! Maybe it was my flavor choices, next time there is a sale on their balms, I'll try a different flavor to see if I like it any better. Otherwise, these balms went on nice and smooth and nourished my lips.

------------------------------------
If you celebrate it, Happy Thanksgiving! I think this is my absolute favorite holiday of the year, I love me some good food! Enjoy your holiday!

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Black Friday Specials!

Hello all!

I wanted to post these specials I'm offering for Sponsors so that you can get some last minute advertising in before the big Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping extravaganza commences!

If you've been wanting to sponsor my blog, now's the time to do so! My readership has been growing like CRAZY over the last month. I also have at least 3 giveaways planned for the next month alone! This means tons and tons of exposure for your blog or business. I'm using Passionfruit Ads which makes this all super easy! Along with announcing your sponsorship on here, I'll post tons about your business on my social media sites to gain you even more exposure for your blog or business!

From now through Monday November 26th, 2012, here are the deals you can take advantage of:

• The first FIVE people to use code: XLBlackFriday at check out will receive $3 off their XL Ad purchase, for $12 you'll get the top spot for 1 month! The line-up will be determined by who purchases first **Please only use this code once**
• Use code: LargeBlackFriday to save 30% off of Large Ads! This can be used many times! 
• Use code: SmallBlackFriday to save 30% off of Small Ads! This can also be used many times!

Once your Ad is up, I'll work with you to create a special post on you and your shop/blog!

Thank you for considering sponsoring Lip Balm Wrangler!

--Christina

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Haul of the Week 11.21.12

Hi all!

A slow week for orders as I'm waiting for Black Friday sales =). I'm so eagerly excited and awaiting Black Friday! I hope to place many, many orders on Friday! Here's what I've received this week though:

Little Batch

 I believe I picked these up from It's Sugar the Candy Store while in Vegas for my birthday. I forgot to share these with you guys!

See, told ya, not that much to share this week. Hopefully more coming in the next couple of weeks!

--Christina

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Maybelline Baby Lips Part 2

Since my last Maybelline Baby Lips review went over so well, I thought I'd do another one on a couple more of their balms. I want to do a review on their limited edition flavors soon, but I have to acquire two more until I can do that!

Company: Maybelline

Flavors: Grape Vine and Peppermint. The Grape Vine is dead on grape soda or grape medicine or grape suckers. Or anything that's flavored grape besides actual grapes (why is it that real grapes don't ever smell or taste like artificial grape?). If you like artificial grape flavorings, you'll definitely like this! I don't like grape flavored anything, except actual grapes, so I wasn't a huge fan. The Peppermint was also a bit of a let down, it smells like peppermint but it's very, very weak. When you're a huge peppermint fan like me, you want your peppermint balms to be nice and strong!

Wear: These go on very smooth and they're super moisturizing! The Peppermint goes on clear as it has no color. The Grape Vine has a very light purple/dark red tint to it. Both balms make my lips feel really nourished and smooth.

This is what the Grape Vine looks like on my skin.

Packaging: These balms come in tubes that are vibrant in color. They have clear caps with 'BABY LIPS' written all over it in a big font. The cap covers up the whole tube instead of the cap just being a small part at the top. The tubes, although the same weight as your average lip balm tube, are a bit thicker and longer than your average lip balm tube.

Price: $3 to $4, which isn't too bad for a lip balm or lip color.

Overall:
Pros: Flavors, Wear, Packaging, Price
Cons: Weak peppermint scent

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 twists, Maybelline Baby Lips will always be a balm I have to have in my stash, but it's usually not my go-to balm. When I want a little bit of color, then I head for the Baby Lips, otherwise I like using my balms from Etsy.

Have you tried Baby Lips before? What did you think of them? What is your favorite shade?

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Mini Monday 11.19.12

I hope you're all enjoying these Mini Monday posts! I hope they're giving you more confidence in whether or not to purchase balms from a shop. This week's chosen balms are:

Aubrey E. Apothecary's Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is a lighter spicy, yet creamy pumpkin lip balm! I really don't like pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake, but I can't get enough of pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake lip balms! It's SO weird!

Wicked Soap's Peppermint Candies

This is a wonderful mint lip balm! Very crisp and cool and this balm goes on FABULOUSLY. A little thicker than usual which I love with this colder weather, makes my lips feel really protected!

Bungalow Bath & Body's Cherry Limeade

I tried for a while to figure out what this balm smells like, and it totally smells like gummy Lifesavers candy! Like the whole bag of flavors mixed up. It acutally smells really good! Very fruity and limey! Also this balm goes on thick too and really coats my lips in a protective layer of balm!

You Stink Soap's Black Cherry Apple

I was obsessed with this when I first got it! It reminds me of one of those giant rainbow lollipops that no one ever finishes. Very sweet and candy-like! Yum!

Stay tuned for next week's Mini Monday!

Have a great week!

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your chance to win 2 custom Epically Epic lip balms!**

Balms Of The Week 11.18.12

Hi all!

I've received SO many lip balms this week, okay let's be serious..this month! It's hard for me to just focus on  just a couple to use when I have SO many great options to choose from! This week some of the ones I've been using are:

Little Batch's Winter Frost

I feel like this balm will be a staple for me all season long! I can't get enough of it!

Long Winter Farm's Butterwelsh

I love this balm, it's so warm and buttery and smooth!

Epically Epic's Lemon Mint

Most of you know I'm a sucker for Lemon and Mint...so this was an automatic win!

Wicked Soaps' Peppermint Candy

Love, love this balm! These new Wicked Soaps balms I received are wonderful!

ForGoodnessGrape's Bananas Foster

Seriously, this balm smells so good. I had to hold myself back from eating the whole tube!

Long Winter Farm's Rosemary Litsea

Amazing! SO happy Amanda included this in my order, I wanted it as soon as she posted it! Love! Lemony goodness!

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

Hope you're having a great Sunday!

Custom Epically Epic Lip Balm Giveaway!

Okay, so you know how I'm head over heels obsessed with Epically Epic lip balms? Well I thought it was about time I had a giveaway with some of Allison's wonderful balms! I had some custom lip balms made a little while ago that I mentioned in my post on Thursday, and I have a couple extra tubes of each flavor left over. I thought they might be great for someone who hasn't tried Epically Epic yet or for someone who, like me, has to have every flavor of Epically Epic balms possible! I love these custom balms and will definitely have more custom flavors made in the future. Allison is such a sweet lady and answered all of my questions about flavor combinations and possibilities. If you're thinking about having custom balms made, don't hesitate to contact Allison! She's so great with customer service!

The Prize: Two custom flavored Epically Epic Soap lip balms, Kiwi Lemonade and Lemon Meringue Pie (Lemon Vanilla and Coconut, yum!)

How to Enter: This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only! Simply comment with what your favorite Epically Epic lip balm flavor is OR which flavor you're dying to try from Allison's shop!

For Additional Chances to Win:
+'Like' Lip Balm Wrangler on Facebook
+Share the giveaway on your Facebook page
+Follow @LipBalmWrangler on Twitter
+Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter (Something along the lines of "Check out @LipBalmWrangler's giveaway for some custom @EpicallyEpic lip balms! www.lipbalmwrangler.com"
+Follow my blog through GFC (Google Friend Connect)
+Follow LipBalmWrangler on bloglovin
+Post about the giveaway on your own blog
+Take a photo of your favorite lip balm on Instagram and use #lipbalmwrangler in your caption

If you already do one of the above, just leave a comment saying so!

**Make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry!!**

That's a total of 9 chances to win!

When it ends: Because of the holiday next week, I'm giving two weeks for this giveaway to run! This giveaway will end on December 1st at 9AM CST!

Good luck to all who enter!

Last day for Little Batch Sale Tomorrow!

Hi all!

I just wanted to remind you that right now you can save 25% off your order at Little Batch using code: SANDY. This code is good through tomorrow only! After then, Jen is closing up the shop for maternity leave. It's not for good, but it'll probably be for a while, so stock up while you can! I've already placed two orders! (The first one is shown above!) I love Little Batch balms!

Let me know if you decided to try any of Jen's fabulous balms!

Also, make sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter so stay up-to-date with all sale and promotion announcements!

Happy Shopping!

--Christina

Balms I've Got My Eye On 11.16.12

Hi all!

I hope you've had a fantastic week! TGIF, right? Are you all getting pumped for Thanksgiving next week? (If you live in the U.S. that is =)) I'm SO excited for Thanksgiving next week, it's my favorite holiday! Woohoo! I'm hoping there will also be tons of Black Friday sales next week so that's exciting too! Here's what balms I'm hoping will be on sale next week:

Crazy Rumors' Gingerbread 

(via)

I love me some Crazy Rumors lip balms! And I'm totally into holiday lip balms right now, can't get enough of them!

You Stink Soap's Cherry Pie

(via)

I love You Stink Soap balms! I've never really been a fan of Cherry Pie, but I've also rarely seen it as a lip balm flavor,so I'm really interested in what this one is like!

Lippincott Soap Co.'s Candy Cane

(via)

I love Candy Cane lip balms! Can you tell I'm in a holiday balm mood? I'm waiting for more Lippincott holiday flavors, and then I'm placing an order for sure!

What balms have you been eyeing this week? Are you in the holiday mood like I am?

--Christina

Orange Thyme Fall Flavors!

Here's yet another expression of my love for Orange Thyme balms (did I take that too far? Oops.). Anyway, you must know by now my obsession with Orange Thyme balms, they probably take up the biggest space in my collection! In case you're new here and have missed my previous reviews for Rachel's amazing lip balms, you can find them here, here, and here, oh and here too. Enjoy!

Company: Orange Thyme

Flavors: Honeycrisp Apple, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Gingersnap Cookie, Marshmallow Hot Cocoa, Peppermint Stick, and Caramel Apple. Okay, so I know Honeycrisp Apple isn't a special fall flavor, but apples totally remind me of fall so I included it in this haul. I don't usually like Apple lip balms, but I figured I'd give it a shot! This balm definitely reminds me of apples, the scent is very light and crisp. If you don't like really strong scents, this is one to try! The Pumpkin Cheesecake I surprisingly really liked! I don't like pumpkin anything, no pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice coffee...nothing. But, this balm...I love! It smells like scrumptious spices and pumpkin! I can't stop smelling this, it's strong and just smells SO delicious! HIGHLY recommend this one! I didn't know what to expect of the Gingersnap Cookie because I've never had one before, but my boyfriend thought it smelled how it should. It has a warm scent that smells of a little bit of spice and baked good, which I'm assuming is what it's supposed to smell! The Marshmallow Hot Cocoa is perfect! It's perfect warm cocoa with a touch of marshmallow! Super, super chocolatey...if you like chocolate, this is definitely one you want to try. As you probably know by now, I LOVE the Peppermint Stick balm, it's just an amazing peppermint lip balm! It's not overbearing in scent and I think that's because the vanilla calms down the scent, it's just pure joy in a tube. Okay, so I've never wanted to eat a lip balm so much before in my LIFE...but, the Caramel Apple is one I have to restrain from consuming every time I smell it. If you like caramel apples, even just a little bit...GET THIS LIP BALM. You will kick yourself later if you don't! It's perfect a perfect representation of ooey, gooey, sticky caramel with crisp granny smith apples! Seriously, I feel like I've just eaten a caramel apple after I've applied this, but without all the mess and stickiness! Seriously, get this balm.

Wear: Smoooooth! These balms always go on incredibly smooth! You will never have to fight one of these balms to go on your lips. They make my lips feel so super soft and smooth. To top it off, these balms last for hours!

Packaging: These tubes are SO cute. The balm comes in your average sized lip balm tube and they have labels that are colored to match the flavor of the balm. The Peppermint Stick label is white with red scribble-like lines which I totally love! I love that the font looks like it's handwritten. Just, love, love everything about these balms.

Price: $3.25 which is a steal for one of these balms! Absolutely worth it!

Overall:
Pros: Flavors, Caramel Apple, Wear, Packaging, Price, everything!
Cons: Hmm...that I can't actually eat them?

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists! Do yourself a favor, go try some of Rachel's balms!

Ingredients: Cocoa & Shea butters, candelilla wax, natural and essential oils, avocado oil

What is your favorite Orange Thyme lip balm? If you haven't tried one yet, which flavor are you most interested in trying?

Epically Epic...Again!

Okay, okay so have I admitted yet how much I love Epically Epic lip balms? I'm sure I have, I mean even if I haven't...couldn't you tell from this post? Or this one? Or this one? So basically, if/when Epically Epic comes out with new lip balm flavors, I'm all over them! I just can't get enough! A couple of months ago, Allison had mentioned to me that if I were ever interested in custom flavors, to let her know. Before that point, I had never, ever though of actually requesting custom flavored lip balms. Yes I know, I must be crazy for not ever considering that. So naturally, as soon as she said that, I couldn't stop dreaming up flavors! I have so many more I want to request!

Company: Epically Epic Soap Co.

Flavors: Pineapple Cherry, Lemon Coke, Honeydew, Kiwi Lemonade, Lemon Meringue pie (Lemon, Coconut, and Vanilla). Okay, oh my gosh do I LOVE the Pineapple Cherry. It is just such an amazing blend of tart pineapple and sweet cherries. It's probably one of my favorite flavor combinations! Love! The Lemon Coke is also DEAD on lemon cola! It's so interesting and wonderful! I randomly stopped drinking soda when I came to college (3.5 years ago) so this is a nice balm to use whenever I have the craving for pop! The Honeydew is very light and juicy, just like the real thing! I was really excited to try the Kiwi Lemonade, I've never had a kiwi lip balm before. This balm definitely reminds me of a tart, super sweet kiwi mixed with fresh lemonade! I was also super excited for the Lemon Meringue Pie (Lemon, Coconut, and Vanilla). This reminds me exactly of the cupcakes I baked! Yummy lemon cake with vanilla frosting and a touch of coconut! This is just wonderful!

Wear: Smooth! These balms go on great and make my lips feel soft! The balms leave a nice subtle shine on your lips too!

Packaging: These balms come in your average sized lip balm tubes with labels that are colored to match the flavor of the balm. 'Epically Epic Soap Co.' and the flavor of the balm are printed nice and clear on the front of the label. I also love the black and white floral pattern on the side of the tube, a nice touch to the packaging. I have to mention how much I love the Pineapple Cherry label, I love that both flavors were incorporated into the design! This one definitely pops out of the rest.

Price: These balms will run you $3.75, and take it from me...it's totally worth it!

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

Ingredients: Pistachio Butter, Candelilla Wax, Jojoba Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Flavor, Natural Sweetener, Mineral Colorant 

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists! Love, love, love Allison's balms and Allison is such a sweet lady! She makes some of the best balms I've ever tried and is always so quick to respond to my convos for custom listings and questions. Seriously, I used to be so nervous about talking to shop owners until I talked with Allison the first time. If you haven't tried Allison's balms by now...I don't know what you're waiting for!

**Keep an eye on for a special post concerning some of the balms that were reviewed here!**

Haul of the Week 11.14.12

Hi all!

I'm really, really trying to slow down on lip balm buying...but it doesn't seem to be working! Here's what I have to show you this week:

Rachel Rene Bath & Body

Wicked Soaps

Softlips

Epically Epic Soap Co.

Yes, I finally tried the solid lotions and I LOVE them!!

Long Winter Farm

Okay so let me explain how freaking EXCITED I was to see this! When I first saw the package I was like "Oh no! That's much too big for what I ordered, I hope I didn't get the wrong order!" And then I opened it and saw a hand written card and this bar of soap and an extra lip balm included in my order. Holy crap! Okay this soap smells RIDICULOUSLY good. I mean I cannot stop smelling it. It's amazing! Thank you Amanda for sending these to me!

ForGoodnessGrape

I was supposed to also receive a Peppermint Bark lip balm with this order, so I contacted Lisa to let her know it didn't arrive and she quickly corrected it! It'll be on it's way this Saturday . She's always super quick with questions and concerns. Thank you, Lisa!

 Aqua Blossom

Yay! I love Aqua Blossom balms!

Did you receive anything fantastic this week?! I'm super ecstatic over my LWF package (and all the other ones of course), I was in the absolute best mood after getting the mail this week!

--Christina