ForGoodnessGrape Part IX

It's been a little while since my last ForGoodnessGrape review, so I hope you guys are excited for today's post! I know my ForGoodnessGrape posts are pretty much always the longest posts because I always end up buying seven or more balms at a time. And yes, there are still flavors in Lisa's shop that I don't have that I have my eye on! (P.S. Have you guys seen how cute Lisa's new layout on her website is?)

Company: ForGoodnessGrape

Flavors: Raspberry Mojito, Orange Hibiscus, Lime Phosphate, Banana Marshmallow, Dirty Diva, Grapefruit Lime, White Chocolate Mint, Pineapple Key Lime, Pineapple Papaya, Island Orange and Vanilla Lemon Lip Melts. Alright, brace yourself for these! The Raspberry Mojito has such a bright, lovely scent that's full of ripe raspberry, tart lime, and a little bit of mint. It smells just like a mojito! The Orange Hibiscus is one of my absolute favorite balms ever. If you've never tried a balm with hibiscus, you're missing out! This balm has the sweet, citrusy scent of orange combined with a candy-like scent added from the hibiscus. This is a super sweet and fruity balm! The Lime Phosphate smells just like lime soda, it has a bright lime scent that almost tickles my nose like the bubbles you get when you drink a freshly poured pop. The Banana Marshmallow has a candy-like banana scent combined with the subtle scent of ooey-gooey marshmallow. I'm pretty sure I have almost every single banana balm Lisa makes. The Dirty Diva has the sweet scent of ripe strawberries combined with a more mellow orange scent. The Grapefruit Lime is another one of my absolute favorites from FGG! It has the refreshing citrus scent of grapefruit combined with the tart and slightly sour scent of fresh lime, if you like citrus balms, you need to try this balm! The White Chocolate Mint smells absolutely amazing! This balm has the rich scent of white chocolate combined with cool, tingly mint...seriously what else could you ask for? The Pineapple Key Lime is such a unique and wonderful scent. This balm has the tropical scent of pineapple combined with creamy key lime. The Pineapple Papaya is another wonderful tropical balm. This balm is like a tropical paradise in a tube, combining the scents of fresh pineapple and tropical papaya. The Island Orange smells of warm tropical coconut and sweet orange, yet another balm that reminds me of a tropical getaway (which I could SO use right now). The Lemon Vanilla Lip Melts has a wonderful creamy and lemony scent. You know I'm a sucker for anything lemon and this definitely didn't disappoint!

Wear: Everything goes on super smooth and they all make my lips feel nice and soft. The Lemon Vanilla Lip Melts has an amazing consistency. It's a whipped butter that is just heavenly! It's so light and fluffy and goes on my lips like a dream.

Packaging: Each tube of FGG balm has a bright and colorful label that has colors that coordinate with the flavor of the balm. It really helps distinguish my FGG balms from one another, when you have as many as I do, anything to help differentiate tubes helps! The Lip Melts comes in a cute little jar that has a very plain and simple label that reminds me of products you'd find in a spa or anywhere else you'd buy high end bath & body products.

Price: Balms $3.75 to $4.25 and Lip Melts are $8.50. The balms are totally within my price range and more than worth the price. I know the Lip Melts are more expensive, which is why it took me so long to finally get around to buying one, but you get 0.5oz of product (a normal lip balm tube has .15oz) so you're getting 3 times the product which makes $8.50 not seem so expensive! Also, Lisa has tons of sales pretty frequently which is super great, so you can definitely use that to your advantage if you think her prices are too high.

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

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists. I love all of the lip product lines that Lisa comes up with, if you couldn't tell by now, I think she makes some pretty amazing balms! Seriously, go try one or five, you won't regret it.

Ingredients: 
Balms-Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Fragrance
Lip Melts-(all organic ingredients)butyrospermum parkii (Shea Butter) fruit, theobroma cacao (Cocoa) seed butter, helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, cucurbita pepo (Pumpkin) seed oil, olea europaea (Olive) Oil, rosa canina (Rosehip) fruit oil, ricinus communis (Castor) seed oil , oenothera biennis (Evening Primrose) oil, euphorbia cerifera (Candelilla) wax, tocopherol (natural Vitamin E), essential oils. 

Have you tried any of these balms before? What did you think of them? Which FGG balms are your favorites?

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the new MixStix from ChapStick!**

ForGoodnessGrape Part VI

This is probably one of the biggest orders I've ever made from ForGoodnessGrape. I had never ordered more than 7 balms before, but during Lisa's big Black Friday sale, I just had to order 10. That's when she had her 10 balm bundle and I just couldn't help myself! Don't worry, they weren't ALL for me...I did order one for my sister as well as a lip scrub for her.

Company: ForGoodnessGrape

Flavors: Pomegranate Martini, Conundrum, Pistachio Ice Cream, Key Lime Pie, Banana Buttercream, Orange Chocolate Truffle, Cream Soda, Butterbeer, Chocolate Coconut, Cardamom Vanilla, and Tequila Sunrise. Okay, get ready, this might be kind of long! Hang in there! First of all, the Pomegranate Martini was for my sister and that's why it's not included in the photo above. I think it smells tart and sweet like pomegranate, but my sister thinks it smells more like grapes. I was very curious about Lisa's Conundrum balm and I always take a gamble on mystery balms, so I knew I had to have it. But, unfortunately, I have no idea what this balm smells like! I kind of want to say it smells like bacon or something, but I don't think that's right. This one is still quite a conundrum for me! The Pistachio Ice Cream smells incredible! It's very sweet and nutty and smells just wonderful! The Key Lime Pie makes me crave a slice of key lime pie. Seriously, this smells of tart and tangy lime and sweet cream. Key Lime Pie is probably my favorite dessert, and this balm is definitely just like it! As most of you should know by now, the Banana Buttercream is probably one of my most favorite flavors from ForGoodnessGrape. Seriously, it's amazing. If you haven't tried it yet, you need to! It smells of sweet bananas and cream, it is so lovely! Seriously, go try this and report back to me what you think! The Orange Chocolate Truffle is another absolutely yummy flavor from FGG. It smells of rich chocolate, possibly dark chocolate because it doesn't smell as sweet as milk chocolate, and a hint of sweet, citrusy orange. It's divine! My next absolute favorite flavor from FGG is Lisa's Cream Soda. I don't think very many things smell better than this balm. It smells just like my favorite cream soda lollipop! It's vanilla-y and creamy and soda-y. Yes I know, this is such a bad way to describe a vanilla cream soda balm, but it's true! If you like cream soda, you're going to LOVE this balm. Ever since I had Butterbeer at Harry Potter world at Universal Studios Orlando, I've been trying to find a balm that's exactly like it. I still haven't found it, but this balm is pretty darn close. It smells like a combination of butterscotch and rootbeer. It's such an interesting combination! The Chocolate Coconut smells of sweet, rich chocolate and warm tropical coconut. It reminds me of an Almond Joy bar, minus the almonds! The Cardamom Vanilla is so lovely! It smells of rich, warm vanilla and a little bit of spice, which I'm assuming is the cardamom. It's not a crazy overbearing scent, which makes this balm even more lovely! With this order, Lisa also included a Tequila Sunrise balm. I've never had a Tequila Sunrise before, although now I think I might. It smells of oranges and sweetness with a little bit of something else. It's probably one of my favorite balms!

Wear: These all go on sooo smooth and creamy. They glide right on and make my lips feel so lovely! These balms cover evenly and with only a few swipes, you're good to go!

Packaging: These balms come in your average sized lip balm tubes. The labels have the name of the flavor right on front which makes it easy to tell which balm you're using. The labels also have colored panels that are designed to match the flavor of the balm, so each one is different!

Price: $3.50 to $4.75 which is pretty much in my spending limit comfort zone, but the balms that reach the higher limit are Lisa's lip essentials. Most FGG balms are around $3.50 to $4 which is definitely in my price range.

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

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists. I really love ForGoodnessGrape balms! There are just so many flavors to choose from and apparently, I'm attempting to try them all!

Ingredients: Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax, Jojoba oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Fragrance

Which ForGoodnessGrape balm is your favorite? Or which ones are you dying to try?

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the new Spring flavors from Softlips here!**

Some More ForGoodnessGrape Balms!

A while back in September, I believe, Lisa over at ForGoodnessGrape had a sale on her balms and had a discount code for her bundled packages too. So naturally...I had to purchase seven lip balms. Yeah, I have to work on impulse control. But sometimes, around lip balm (and coats and boots and...) I just can't help myself!

Company: ForGoodnessGrape

Flavors: Cinnamon Pear, Blueberry Lemonade, Toasted Coconut, Blackberry Lemonade, Lychee, Pineapple, and Candied Caramel Apple. With this order, I decided to try a new flavor that I had never tried before...Cinnamon Pear. This balm is mostly cinnamon to me, the pear in it is just kinda covered up and overwhelmed by the cinnamon. But I love cinnamon (but, not too much cinnamon) so this was okay in my book! The Blueberry Lemonade smells just like real, fresh blueberries blended with sweet, sugary lemonade. I mean seriously, this balm is dead on blueberry! I may have stopped liking Blueberry balms, but for you blueberry lovers out there, this is definitely one to put on your shopping list. The Toasted Coconut smells just like it should, lightly toasted coconut flakes. You still get the sweet warm coconut, but with just a little bit of a toasted/burnt-like scent. The Blackberry Lemonade is wonderful! It smells exactly like Blackberries and lemonade! I was never really a big fan of blackberries, so I didn't know how I'd like this balm. But I definitely like it, it's really refreshing and light. Lychee balms are always ones I have to take a gamble on, none really remind me of the fruit (fresh or canned) which is disappointing. This balm smells a little like lychee to me, but it isn't quite there yet. It's definitely sweet though! The Pineapple is a wonderfully refreshing pineapple scent. I haven't had a plain pineapple balm in a while so this is just what I needed. It's great!

Wear: Smooth! These balms go on so nicely and evenly too, my lips feel really soft and smooth after putting this on.

Packaging: These balms come in your average sized lip balm tubes that have clear labels. The labels have two bands on them designed with a pattern and color scheme to match the flavor of the balm. The flavor of the balm is also right on front in big letters which makes it easily identifiable.

Price: $4 to $4.75 which is definitely higher than I usually pay for a lip balm, but Lisa has so many sales and promotions which usually bring the price down to my normal range for balms.

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

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

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists. I really like Lisa's balms, she has SO many flavors to choose from. It's always hard when trying to decide just which ones I'll be trying.

Have you tried ForGoodnessGrape balms before? Which flavors are your favorite? If you haven't tried them before, which flavor looks most interesting to you?

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for your own stick of Softlips Marshmallow Ghost**

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

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?

My Haul 10.17.12

Hey all!

Slowly these hauls will stop being an every week thing, I just happened to buy tons and tons of lip balms the last couple of weeks. But this week is not the week for that! Here's what arrived in my mailbox this week:

Aqua Blossom

I cannot believe what Ashley over at Aqua Blossom sent me this week! I usually receive two balms as a sample for review, but she completely blew my mind! Not only did I receive FIVE balms, but it came in the most beautiful packaging. I was completely blown away! Also, each balm smells ABSOLUTELY delicious!

ForGoodnessGrape

Every time For Goodness Grape has a coupon code, I have to restrain myself from buying out her shop and usually only end up with two balms...except this time... I went a little crazy and bought her "Spend Everyday of the Week with ForGoodnessGrape" bundle. Oops.

LUSH

While doing a little birthday shopping last weekend, I picked up this beauty. I had wanted to try Lush lip balms for a while, but they're just a bit out of my price range and in a tin. Yeah...I got over that really quick after I tried the balm in store. Wonderful! I'm constantly looking for it so I can use it!

Long Winter Farm

I am a sucker for Long Winter Farm balms. They're just so creamy and delicious, I think Peppermint Hot Cocoa may be a new favorite for me, but Pistachio Chip and Chocolate Orange will forever be two of my top Long Winter Farm balms.

Also, my dad brought home some lip balms from China for me!

Mentholatum (The same company that makes Softlips)

I'm not sure what these flavors are exactly since I still haven't taken them out of their packagings. I really like they way they look in the package! And yes, even my dad knows how much I love lip balm and every time he goes overseas he tries to bring some back for me. (Love you, Dad!)

And I don't know which company makes this one:

But it is so adorable! 

What balms have you picked up this week? Anything completely blow your mind away?

--Christina

Balms of the Week 10.14.12

Hi all!

Another crazy weekend here, a lot of homework, blogging, and one of my cousins got married which is so wonderful! This week the balms I've been using like crazy are:

LUSH's Whipstick

I love this lip tin! The balm is chocolatey with a little bit of orange. It's wonderful!

Blue Q's Lip Shit in Coconut Basil

(review)

What is it with me and lip balm tins lately? This is the balm I use almost every single night.

ForGoodnessGrape's Coconut Lemongrass

(review)

Love this balm! It's so sweet and just like candy! Don't forget, the last day to save 20% on your order is today! Use the code: HALLOWEEN20! 

Epically Epic Soap Co.'s Cherry Pineapple

I LOVE this lip balm! Cherry Pineapple is probably one of my favorite flavor combinations!

What balms have you been using this week? Have you used any of the above before?

Have a great week!

--Christina

Balms Of The Week 10.7.12

I've been so busy this weekend! Got my new iPhone5 (finally, I've been using the 3GS since it came out before I came to college!!) so I've been playing with that like crazy, spent time with my parents, had family over for my sister and I's birthdays yesterday, and I've been working on a 10 page research paper for one of my classes that's due Tuesday. Through all of these shenanigans the balms I've been keeping by my side are:

ForGoodnessGrape's Strawberry Tangerine

(review)

Long Winter Farm's Chocolate Orange

(review)

Lippincott Soap's Bite Me (Black Cherry)

(review still to come)

What balms have you been using this week?

--Christina

Wrangler's Monthly Wrap Up: September 2012

Boy, September seemed to just fly by! I received tons of new lip balms and tried many new companies. As we started transitioning into fall, lots of companies started adding fall flavors to their lip balm lines and I was surprised I actually liked them! But, I'm still loving a lot of what shops were offering in the summer. Here are some of my favorite things from this past month:

The lip balms my friend, Laura, surprised me with after her vacation.

(post)

The Coconut Lemongrass lip balm from ForGoodnessGrape.

(review)

The Pineapple Sage lip balm from Epically Epic.

(review)

My Second Giveaway!

(post)

The Tangerine lip balm from Honey House Naturals.

(review)

My Special Long Winter Farm balms.

(review)

Sharing what I carry in my purse with you.

(post)

Which posts were your favorite this month? What was your favorite part about September? 

--Christina

ForGoodnessGrape's New Page

Hey all!

In case you don't follow ForGoodnessGrape on Facebook (which you should, so you don't miss out on information on sales and specials), I just wanted to let you know that she has a new line of products coming out soon called Lip Melts. Lip Melts will be a special line of 100% natural and organic lip balms with aromatherapy; the line will be ready by 10/31. If you go and like her new page, you can use two codes to save some money this weekend on some new lip balms! For non-bundled sets you can use code: ILOVELIPMELTS25 to save 25% on your order! If you want to purchase a bundled set you can use code: ILOVELIPMELTS15 to save 15% on your order. If you're trying to take advantage of both coupon codes they have to be separate orders. These codes are good today and tomorrow in her shop!

Happy shopping! Feel free to share what you purchase!

--Christina

Balms of the Week 9.23.12

This week I've had a few staple balms and I visited some old favorites. Since I have SO many lip balms, a lot of favorites get moved to the back burner because I find new favorites. It makes me so sad to see them sitting in my collection going unused when they used to be my number one go-to balm at some point. So I'll share with you what I've been using consistently as well as a few favorites I've been using occasionally this week.

ForGoodnessGrape's Blood Orange

Whispering Willow's Lemon

(review can be found here)

Rachel Rene Bath & Body's Lemon Cupcake

(review)

Sorry for the poor quality of this photo, I could not get this balm to photograph right. I also noticed that some water I think got trapped in between the plastic wrap and the label so the ink is all smudged, bummer.

Upstate Herb Works' Orange Vanilla

Lemon Citrus's Lemon Sugar

(review can be found here)
I really wish this shop hadn't disappeared, there were SO many more balms I wanted to try. I love them!

Epically Epic's Blue Colada

What balms have you been using this week? Have you tried anything new?

--Christina

Balms of the Week 9.9.12

I've been using SO many different balms this week since I've had so many random orders coming in the mail I've been trying to use each one and try them out. Because of this I haven't really had too many that I've been turning to consistently all week. A few that have been making a couple of appearances this week are:

ForGoodnessGrape's Coconut Lemongrass

(review can be found here)

Long Winter Farm's Chocolate Orange

(review can be found here)

Blue Q Lip Shit's Raspberry Lemongrass

(review can be found here)

Along with these balms I've been randomly using balms from Sakura Bath & Body and Coquette Bath.

What have you been using this week? Did you take advantage of any of the Labor Day Sales last week?

--Christina

ForGoodnessGrape

I've finally gotten around to reviewing ForGoodnessGrape's myself. Last month when I posted about ForGoodnessGrape having a sale, I wasn't too sure if I'd be purchasing from her yet or not. Lisa, the owner of ForGoodnessGrape, was gracious enough to send me a sample of one of her lip balms and one of her lip scrubs for me to try out. Of course, it was so hard to pick out one flavor out of her 180+ flavor options to choose from so as soon as I picked out flavors for my samples, I purchased two more lip balms for comparison.

Sugary Lip Scrub on left, Strawberry Tangerine
Lip Candy on right.

Company: ForGoodnessGrape

Flavors: Strawberry Tangerine, Mango, and Coconut Lemongrass for the lip balms and Queen of Hearts Strawberry for the lip scrub. The Strawberry Tangerine smells like a perfect blend of citrus and sweet strawberries. It's very lightly scented. I have to take a pretty good whiff of it to smell it. The Mango is very interesting, I don't know if it's really mango but it is really delicious! It smells just like candy and it's sweet and fruity, but I don't think it's exactly representative of the fruit. the Coconut Lemongrass is PHENOMENAL! I can't stop using it! It's dead on and just all around wonderful. It's very sweet like candy. I picked the Queen of Hearts Strawberry sugary lip scrub because I thought I'd pick a pretty safe flavor in case I didn't like it, you never know how certain companies flavors are going to turn out. To me it smells like Strawberry Pez, you know, the candy that comes in a dispenser where the candy pops out of the neck of the character? I personally like Pez so I loved the smell of this. It's very strawberry like.

Mango and Coconut Lemongrass Lip Candy

Wear: These balms go on pretty smooth and cover pretty well. It's not too thick and not too thin, it's just about right. What kind of stinks is that the balm only lasts about 45 minutes before I'm reapplying. It may be because there's sweetener in the balm which causes me to lick my lips. Also because of the sweetener and the licking, my lips are a lot drier so I have to reapply frequently. I don't really mind it so much because I really love the balms, but sometimes it drives me a little nuts. At first, I wasn't sure about how to apply the lip scrub properly, I'm now used to the scrubs that come in a pot that I apply with my finger so when my sister and I went to try this we used two different approaches. I used the tube to apply a little on my lips and then rub my lips together to exfoliate. My sister just used the scrub right out of the tube and moved it in circular motions to exfoliate her lips. I tried this method as well, it was much different from using a scrub in a pot. My lips were much softer afterwards though.

Sugary Lip Scrub

Packaging: The lip balms come in your average sized lip balm tube. The tubes are clear so you can see how much product is in there and the labels have colored bands that match the flavor.The flavor of the balm is in large letters on the front of the tube. The lip scrub comes in an oval tube that contains the same amount of product as your average sized lip balm tube. The tube is also clear with a similar label.

Price: The lip balms are $4 a piece and the lip scrubs are $7.75 a piece, the lip balms are a bit out of my price range and the lip scrubs are definitely out of my price range. Perhaps if I really wanted to try one of her flavors and it was a special treat for myself, I'd splurge on another lip scrub.

Overall:
Pros: Variety of flavors, smooth application, eye pleasing packaging
Cons: Price, Sweetener, not as long lasting

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 twists, if these balms fell more into the normal $3 to $3.50 price range and the lip scrub was in the $4 to $5 range I'd be a bit happier, but overall not too shabby. I was very pleased with each flavor! I'd definitely encourage you to try at least one flavor.

Ingredients: 
Lip Balms: Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Fragrance. 

Sugary Lip Scrub: Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, Sugar, Fragrance.

Have you tried For Goodness Grape products before? What did you think of them?

--------------------------
Thank you SO much, Lisa, for sending me the Strawberry Tangerine lip balm and the Queen of Hearts Strawberry sugary lip scrub to try!
--------------------------
The Strawberry Tangerine lip balm and Queen of Hearts Strawberry Sugary lip scrub were sent to me complimentary of For Goodness Grape, but this review is based on my honest opinion on her products.

A Bunch of Labor Day Sales!

Hi all!

Since it's Labor Day tons of shops are having sales! Instead of doing individual posts for each shop, I'm going to lump them all into one so you can see everything right away! Here are some shops and their specials/sales today:

• Hurraw! Balm: Use code: LABORING to get their lip balms for $3 a piece.
• Wicked Soaps: Use code: LABORDAY to get 20% off your order
• Epically Epic Soap Co.: Use code: ITSLABORDAY to get 10% off your order
• Candle Lynn: Use code: FBCC25 to save 25% on your order!
• D and R Apothecary: All of their lip balms are $1.00 right now! They're clearing them out and no longer making bath and body products, so I'd stock up! They are now called Hit Polish, so don't worry clicking on the link will take you to the right place =). This sale is good until September 23rd/24th
• ForGoodnessGrape: Special gifts with purchase once you spend $25+
• Hooked Up: Buy 3 Items, Get 1 Free. This is not for lip balm but lip balm cozies that are so adorable!
• Rachel Rene: Save 10% on your order on her new website!
• Anderson Soap Company: Save 23% on your order using code: SeptemberFun23, good for the month of September
• Sakura Bath & Body: All of her lip balms are 50% off!

Phew! That's a ton of sales! Some of them go beyond just today so keep that in mind!

Happy Shopping! Please feel free to share your hauls, I always love to know what products you're using!

Happy Labor Day!

--Christina

ForGoodnessGrape Specials!

Hi all!

I know I'm posting way too much right now but there's a lot of things I've been meaning to post but have been away from the computer for the majority of the last two days. Anyway, ForGoodnessGrape has a couple of deals right now.

The deals include:

• Spend $25 and get 1 Free Lip Balm of Your Choice
• Spend $50 and get 1 Free Shimmer Lip Tint AND 1 Free Lip Balm of Your Choice
• Spend $75 and get 1 Free Sugar Lip Scrub and 1 Free Lip Balm and 1 Free Shimmer Lip Tint of Your Choice 
• Spend $100 and up and GET ALL of the above and an upgrade to perfume oil FREE! Your Choice of 1 Free Lip Balm, 1 Free Lip Tint, 1 Free Sugar Lip Scrub and 1 Free Perfume Oil (5ml )

These specials are only good until tomorrow and are not valid with any other coupon codes or discounts.

Happy Shopping!!

--Christina

Balms of the Week 9.2.12

When I returned home this week I was finally able to use my ForGoodnessGrape lip balms which arrived the day I left Chicago for San Francisco for a month. Just my luck! I was so excited when I opened the package and immediately started using my balms, they've been my staple this whole week! So it's not wonder that my balms of the week are:

ForGoodnessGrape's Coconut Lemongrass

(review can be found here)

ForGoodnessGrape's Mango

(review can be found here)

Long Winter Farm's Pistachio Chip

(review can be found here)

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

--Christina

For Goodness Grape Guest Review

Hi all!

Today I have a very special review for you, written by Sara Hanna owner of Sara Hanna Originals. I also plan to review For Goodness Grape in the future, but I thought it may be nice to get another perspective on her products. Also, Lisa’s perfume stix will also be covered in this review. Enjoy!

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Many of you don’t know me; the ones who do, know that I’m extremely picky when it comes to lip balms. I’ve probably tried hundreds (thousands?) of different flavours, brands, types, etc. I’m always eager and excited to open the mail and discover my new little gems, though often times am disappointed with the quality or taste. But not with my For Goodness Grape items! No sir, these are by far some of the best balms I’ve ever tried!

Company: For Goodness Grape

Flavours: Wild Blueberry Sugary Lip Scrub, Lemon Cupcake Lip Candy, Blueberry Lemonade Lip Candy, Breathless (Lip Tintx), Sophia (Lip Tintx), Dark Cherry (Lip Tintx), Cotton Candy (Shimmer Styx), Bordeaux (Shimmer Stix), Better Than Sex Cake (Solid Perfume Stix), and Hello Sugar! (Solid Perfume Styx).

When I placed my order with Lisa, she was very sweet and helpful in answering all of my questions. I had never tried a lip scrub before, but I was intrigued with her flavours, incredibly detailed photos, and the idea of licking sugar off my lips. True to the description, the Wild Blueberry Sugary Lip Scrub was delicious and tastes EXACTLY like fresh blueberries! The blueberry infused sugar lends to the effect. I had to scrape some of the sugar off the top before I used it, as she likes to pack a whole lot on to look pretty. At first, I found it a little difficult to use; it seemed too solid and felt like I wasn’t getting enough of the balm from it. After using it a few times, I’ve come to find that it does actually spread fairly well, and it’s a lot of fun to lick the sugar off instead of wiping it off!

Lemon Cupcake tastes exactly as it says, and it makes my mouth water every time I use it! Blueberry Lemonade is not my favourite of the bunch, but blueberry and lemons are definitely noticeable in the balm. Maybe I’m just not a fan of the flavor combo, I’m not sure.

All of the lip tints have just a slight amount of colour in them, and glide on super smooth! I’ve never been a huge fan of lip tints, but if you are into them, I think you’d love these. The shimmer sticks have the same texture as the lip tints, but with a hint of shimmer. The only thing that’s missing from these is flavor. I don’t tend to wear colours on my lips, but I especially dislike the taste of plain balm (and HATE the taste of lipstick!). These have a taste similar to lipstick, in my opinion, so I likely won’t use them.

As for the perfume sticks, all I have to say is WOW! They look just like a lip balm, they smell delicious, and I love the funny looks people give me when they think I’m spreading lip balm on my wrists and neck. The Better Than Sex Cake smells absolutely AMAZING in the tube; the product description says, “Can there really be a cake this good? German chocolate cake is blended with semi-sweet chocolate chips and laced with crunchy toffee bits in this decadent treat. Vanilla creme and butterscotch syrup create a luscious undertone, while hints of almond and coconut complete the yummy blend.” I’m not sure I can smell each of these elements, but it does smell divine! Unfortunately, I don’t know if it’s my body chemistry or what, but within minutes of applying this perfume, the scent changes and makes me feel sick to my stomach and gives me a headache. I’ve always been extremely sensitive to scents, which is why I almost never wear any sort of perfume (aside from Vanilla Body Spray from the Body Shoppe). I’ve tried wearing it a few times, but I get the same reaction every time. I even had to go to the bathroom at work and wash my wrists and neck to try to get it off! However, the Hello Sugar! Perfume is perfection in a tube! The description says, “Fun, flirty tart lemon sugar scent. A note of crust mixed in with the lemon - a yummy perfection and spot-on to the real deal!” It smells delicious in the tube, but smells EVEN BETTER on me! I can’t quite describe the scent, but it definitely smells like a wonderful blend of vanilla and lemons; a combo I wouldn’t have thought would be so lovely!

Wear: The lip balms go on super smooth, and I love that they’re not “wet” feeling, or too waxy. There is definitely a tiny bit of waxy feeling, but it still feels amazing on your lips. The lip tints are even smoother than the lip balms, and are almost wet feeling, but not in a bad way. I think I’d even like that texture better as a lip balm, if that were possible! The lip scrub kinda feels a little funny when you’re applying it, especially if you’ve never used one before. It’s a bit scratchy, but pleasant feeling. My lips are never chapped really these days, but in the winter I can see how this would be awesome to slough off the dead skin we all occasionally get!

I’ve not kept the lip tints on long enough to get an idea of how long they’d last, so I can’t comment on that. The lip balms do tend to stay on for about 1-2 hours, depending on how often you lick your lips! Even the flavour tends to stick around for quite a while! The solid perfume, however, doesn’t seem to last very long on me at all. Usually within half an hour, I can’t smell it anymore, unless I sniff my wrist. After an hour, the scent is gone completely. Lisa (the shop owner) did explain to me that varying body chemicals can change how long a scent will last, or how it will smell, on every person. So maybe that’s it, I don’t know. But I do tend to reapply it a LOT just because I love the scent!

Packaging: The lip balms come in standard little clear tubes, with super cute labels! She uses a little plastic cellophane wrapper around the labels so that they don’t get scratched; however, I didn’t realize I was supposed to keep them on when I got my package, so most of my labels are pretty badly scratched up now. The solid perfumes also come in little black tubes that look exactly like the lip balm tubes, so make sure you remember which is which when you reach into your purse to apply one or the other! The thing I loved the most was the oval shaped lip scrub tube! I love that design so much, and had never seen them before this! Lisa was kind enough to agree to put my new lip balms that I’ve ordered recently into the little oval tubes, because she knows how much I adore them!

Price: The lip balms are $4 each, lip scrubs are $7.75, lip tints are $6.75, and solid perfume sticks are $6.25 (she also sells .10oz and .5oz roll on perfumes). They are definitely a little on the pricey side, especially the lip scrubs, compared to most of their competition. Honestly, they are the only company I’ve tried so far in the handmade category, so I have nothing to compare them to, price vs quality-wise. However, I was definitely NOT disappointed in my purchases, so I would consider them totally worth it. I have got some orders in with a few other companies, so I will be able to compare them later on. The thing I adore is her perfumes; even if I end up buying balms from other companies as well, the perfumes are what gets me. Also her lip scrub flavours are beyond any of the competition so far! I’ve seen a couple of other companies with a fairly large variety of flavours for their scrubs, but For Goodness Grape seems to have the flavor types to suit my tastes.

Overall

Pros: Flavours, taste, texture, cute packaging, natural.

Cons: Price.

Rating: 4 out of 5 twists. These lip balms aren’t quite competitively priced, and that’s really the only thing that is costing a point here. The perfumes seem to be on par to her competition, but the lip scrubs seem far more pricey than other shops. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s using the oval tubes? I’m not sure. But otherwise, For Goodness Grape is absolutely fantastic, and Lisa is an absolute gem and a pleasure to work with. She offers customized labels for weddings, showers, etc, and is always happy to work with you on customized flavours too! Do yourself a favour and try at least one of every type of product she offers! I’m totally sure you’ll love them.

Sara Hanna
Owner, Sara Hanna Originals
www.facebook.com/SaraHannaOriginals
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If you would like to do a guest review, please send your review to lipbalmwrangler@gmail.com, if I like your review, I’ll post it!

Huge Haul of Balm Take 2

Hey all!

I know last week I posted about the huge haul of balm I ended up with and somehow this week I ended up with the same kind of deal! July has definitely been a crazy ton of lip balm buying for me and I definitely need to reign in my lip balm buying in the next couple of months (unless there's a big sale, of course). I thought you guys would like to take a peek at what I came home with this week.

The boyfriend and I went up to Wisconsin this past weekend to attend the Bristol Renaissance Fair. Since we had never been there before I asked him if he thought I'd be able to find some new lip balms there (I am The Lip Balm Wrangler after all, I can find lip balm anywhere!). He told me he doubted it...we all know who was right in this scenario. I came home with three new ones from the Renaissance Fair and found one at Mars' Cheese Castle (I told you, anywhere. I'm also a huge cheese addict.) When we were driving from the Ren Fair to Mars' Cheese Castle I saw this grocery store I'd never seen before called Woodman's. I was intrigued because I LOVE going to grocery stores I haven't been to before in hopes that they carry lip balms I don't already have (are there still any I don't have, haha). That's how this big pile came about:

These three are from the Ren Fair:

Can you guess where I got this one from?:

I also received my order from Hurraw! Balm:

And my order from Orange Thyme:

 And an order from For Goodness Grape:

There's a lot coming up these next couple of weeks so definitely stay tuned! 

Have you received anything new lately? Or tried any of these brands above?

--The Lip Balm Wrangler