Guest Review: Mirasol Farm

Hi all! I'm super excited to share with you a review from one of my readers, Jean. Jean was nice enough to send me a guest review to use while I'm attending a conference this week. I also want to apologize in advance because tonight we just got so swamped after the conference, that I'm barely staying awake right now to complete this post (we were there for 8 hours plus an hour of travel each way). I won't be able to write a second review for you tonight, but I'll try to make it up to you guys and fit another review in for you somewhere! Anyway, I'm so grateful that Jean was able to come to my rescue this week with this guest review. Jean said that she couldn't resist reviewing one of her favorite Etsy shops and that aside from lip balm she's also a bath & body fanatic. She likes Mirasol Farm because for her it's one-stop shopping.

Company: Mirasol Farm

Flavors: Vanilla, Earl Grey, Sweet Orange, and Double Mint. Vanilla smells just like the vanilla extract you can buy in the baking section of a supermarket, I used to love to open the bottle we had in our kitchen growing up to get a whiff. Earl Grey is a blend of vanilla, orange and bergamot, I was expecting a tea scent but because of the vanilla it smells like an orange creamsicle, which in my opinion is even better! Sweet Orange smells like a glass of orange juice, more sweet than tart. This one and Double Mint I keep at work when I need a pick me up. Double Mint is a blend of spearmint and peppermint, which is my favorite combination of mints. The two together really make a mint flavor "pop".

Wear: These medium-weight balms go on very smoothly and have a creamy feel. With the mint flavor there is a little tingle but not an uncomfortable amount, and for me it adds to its ability to wake me up when I'm feeling a little post-lunch drowsiness coming on.

Packaging: These balms come in clear round tubes with labels with stripes of color to match the flavor of the balm. The name of the flavor is stated on front, so if you can't distinguish them by color, you can easily determine which balm you're reaching for. With the sunflower background graphic on all flavors the labels are very simple and to the point.

Price: $3.50 per balm, or $10 for 3, and shipping is only $1.69. And I usually receive an extra bonus balm as well!

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

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists for formula, flavor strength, and organic ingredients. For anyone familiar with The Simple Siren, these balms have a similar flavor strength to those. If you use other handmade bath and body products like lotion, body cream, and soaps, they are highly scented as well.

Ingredients: organic cocoa butter, unrefined organic beeswax, organic sunflower oil, organic coconut oil, lanolin, essential oils, vitamin E.
Essential oils for each flavor are: Vanilla - vanilla essential oil, Earl Grey - vanilla, sweet orange, and bergamot essential oils, Sweet Orange - blood orange essential oil, and Double Mint - spearmint and peppermint essential oils.

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Thank you again, Jean, for providing us with such a wonderful review! I hope you all enjoyed reading! Have a wonderful day!

Guest Review: Get Lathered

Hi all! I have a wonderful guest review for you today. Blaire was kind enough to do a guest review for me while I was in Hawaii two weeks ago and she volunteered to do another one. In case you missed her last guest review, you can find it here. If you don't know already, Blaire is an indie Bath & Beauty junkie who bought 52 lip balms (in the same week!) after reading LipBalmWrangler. She blogs about turning craft to business.
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One of the many Etsy stores I tried during my lip balm haul was Get Lathered, run by Rhonda. Her Etsy shop is amazing- full of wonderful handmade bath and body products. A bath and body junkie's dream! I ended up buying two pairs of her Rock & Roll hair care set too (which I love!), but that's for another review. My lip balm purchase was for the TwinPak of Pucker Polish, a set of two handmade lip balms.

Company: Get Lathered

Flavors: There are 23 flavor choices available and I opted for Passionfruit Rose and Raspberry Lemonade. Passionfruit Rose: a delightful marriage between fruity and floral. Passionfruit is one of my favorite fruits so I adore this one. Raspberry Lemonade is both fruity and fizzy, like raspberry soda with a dash of lemon.

Wear: Get Lathered's Pucker Polishes glide on, and have a very creamy finish. They're lightweight- perfect for summer. If all you need is a little bit of hydration without that goopy feel, these lip balms are for you.

Packaging: Rhonda's packaging is beautiful- my order arrived wrapped in gift-ready paper. Each lip balm comes in a transluvent oval tube, with a clear plastic label. I love that they're water-proof! The ingredients are clearly written beneath the flavor's name.

Price Get Lathered's lip balms retail for $3.5 alone, and $6 for a 2-pack (which is what I bought). Totally worth the money :)

Overall:
Pros: Wear, price, customer service, gift-ready packaging and vegan.
Cons: The label lifts slightly after a lot of use.

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists. I'd highly recommend these lip balms. One thing to note is that they're free of beeswax, so if you're looking for a vegan lip balm, this is a great choice.

Ingredients: Theobroma cacoa seed butter, Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera Wax, Glycine Soja Wax, Caprylic Carpic Palmitic Glycerides, Vitamin E, Flavor

Have you tried Get Lathered balms before? Which ones are your favorites?
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Thank you, Blaire, for writing this wonderful review!

Guest Review: Brazen Cosmetics

Hi everyone! I have a very special guest post for you guys today! Trish from Ladybug, Cats and Things That Sparkle is here to share her review of Brazen Cosmetics. Enjoy!

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Hello everyone, my name is Trish and today I am going to be reviewing some of the lip product offerings from Brazen Cosmetics. A little bit about myself: I'm 34 years old, live in Northwestern Ontario (Canada), have been obsessed with lip balms and all other lip products for as long as I can remember and have a little blog called Ladybug, Cats and Things That Sparkle.

A little bit about Brazen Cosmetics: Brazen Cosmetics was founded back in 2009 by a lovely lady named Sandria Marie (Sandi) and is marketed as "bold and provocative organic makeup". Based out of Ferndale, Michigan, Brazen's offerings range from face powders, blushes, eye shadows, brow powders, lip gloss, lip balm, sugar lip scrubs and perfumes.

Brazen's lip products: UltraGlaze lip gloss, Balm Stick (cross between lip balm and lipstick), Smartmouth (lip balm), First Base Sugar Lip Scrub. 

Today I will be reviewing UltraGlaze lip gloss, Smartmouth balm and First Base Sugar Lip Scrub.

Company: Brazen Cosmetics

UltraGlaze Lip Gloss

               

Flavour/Colour: I own nearly every colour of lip gloss made by Brazen but today I am reviewing Mrs. Robinson. This gloss was released last summer as part of the One Hot Summer collection. Mrs. Robinson is a peachy orange colour and smells like a creamcicle. 

Wear: The gloss is highly pigmented, glossy and thick. It goes on relatively thick/even and lasts for hours. It is a bit sticky though, so if you are like me, a bit can easily end up in your hair.

Packaging: Brazen's glosses come in two sizes, 3g sample pots which are clear pots mini pots with a screw on lid or 11g squeeze tubes. The pots have a product sticker on the bottom, containing the company, product and ingredient information. The tubes have a similar labels but are stuck on the sides of the tube itself.

Price: $4.25 for the 3g sample pot, $8.49 for the squeeze tube

Overall:

Pros: Flavour/Colour - large variety of colours and scents, Wear

Cons: 3g pots can be messy, price

Rating: 4 out of 5 twists.

Ingredients: Vegan/Organic: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Propylene Copolymer, Copolymer(s), Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxide, Meadowfoam & Jojoba Oils, Orange Oil, flavour, Vitamin E

Smartmouth

Flavour: Candy Hearts. This balm or as Brazen bills it "vitamin treatment stick" smells very similar to the little conversation hearts candy you can buy at Valentine's. The balm is not vegan, although Brazen did release a vegan counterpart called Nearly Naked which is no longer available. These balms come in a variety of flavours ranging from unflavoured to chocolate cupcake and drink scents like mojito and pina colada.

Wear: Smartmouth is very light on the lips and melts in quickly. I tend to use it before bed or under lipstick for a smooth application. My lips are always smooth, not greasy or waxy after application and it lasts for a few hours before needing to reapply.

Packaging: Smartmouth is packaged in black standard lip balm tubes. Labels are black, contains the company name, product description and ingredient list and have a coloured band near the cap indicating the flavour of the balm. With regular use, the label tends to wear out and become hard to read.

Price: $4.75 - $4.99 depending on the flavour

Overall:

Pros: Flavours, Wear

Cons: Packaging, Price

Rating: 4 out of 5 twists.  Smartmouth is my go to balm.  Candy Hearts is not my favourite scent but the balm itself is very high quality.  A bit expensive compared to other Indie balms but definitely worth the money.

Ingredients: Organic: Beeswax, Almond Oil, Sunflower Oil, Aloe Butter, Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Jojoba Oil, flavour, Comfrey Extract, Vitamin C, Vitamin E

First Base Sugar Lip Scrub

Flavour: Chocolate Cupcake. This smells a bit like coconut to me, more so than chocolate but it smells yummy never the less.  The flavour is stronger on your lips than in the jar.

Wear: The scrub is very course, with large sugar for exfoliation. Some of the flavours also contain little pink lipid beads for extra moisture. Overall it is a mix of dry (the feel scooping it from the jar) and oily (when applied to the lips). After use, lips are very smooth, soft and fragrant. 

Packaging: Brazen's lip scrubs come in a 10g pot clear pot with a black screw on lid. Label is attached to the bottom of the pot, containing the company name, product description, flavour and ingredients.

Price: $4.75

Overall:

Pros: Flavours, Packaging, Wear, Price

Cons: none

Rating: 4 out of 5 twists.  I am not sure if it is a bit expensive compared to other lip scrubs but this is one of the best I have tried.

Ingredients: Vegan: Organic Cane Sugar, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, Jojoba Beads, flavour, Vitamin E

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Thank you to Christina for letting me do this guest post!  If you would like to try Brazen Cosmetics, head over to their online shop and don't forget to tell Sandi that Brazen Beauty Trish sent you.  If you would like to read more of my reviews, please check out my blog at ladybugcatsparkle@blogspot.com.  Thanks for reading!

Guest Review: Petite Threla

Hi all! I have yet another guest review for you today! Blaire from Dirtsy.com is here today to share with you her review on one of my favorite shops! Here's a little bit about Blaire: She is an indie Bath & Beauty junkie who bought 52 lip balms (in the same week!) after reading Lip Balm Wrangler (oops! I have a bad habit of doing that). She blogs about turning craft to business at dirtsy.com. Thank you, Blaire for sharing this review with us! I hope you all enjoy!
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Hi everyone! I have a confession to make: I LOVE PetiteThrela. The "I would be totally devastated if you were gone" kind of love. PetiteThrela was one of the first bath and body shops I bought from. I never knew there were so many handmade B&B products out there and being the B&B junkie that I was, I splurged, I waited and I was hooked. I started with two lip glaces and four lip balms. TH was awesome and even added two scrub samples. She's cool like that. Fast forward almost three years later and I'm an addict with regular hauls.

Company: Petite Threla

Flavors: Yuzu, Pomegranate, Watermelon, Coca Cola, Jasmine. Yuzu is one of my favorite fruits. If you haven't eaten one before, give it a try; it's a large Asian grapefruit that's deliciously aromatic. TH captures the fresh citrus of Yuzu just right in this lip balm. It's as light as the fruit itself and is just as edible. Pomegranate is one of my latest hauls. The best part about PetiteThrela's balms is the fact that they are true to the fruit itself, instead of smelling like a candy version. Pomegranate is so real you can actually make out notes of the peel in the background. Watermelon is sweet and ripe, awesome for summer! Coca Cola is perfectly bottled in this lip balm. It's sweet and fizzy like the drink and you can almost smell the bubbles! Jasmine is made with real Jasmine Absolute, and reminds me of the trees in my old school yard. I used to sit under them during lunch time and let the gentle scent of jasmine sweep over. Sublime.

Wear: These lip balms go on incredibly smooth and have amazing texture. They're buttery without being goopy and I can barely feel them on my lips- a huge bonus since I hate heavy lip balms. These moisturize without being sticky; so light-weight they can be used under lipstick. One thing to note is the high heat-resistance of these balms despite being so buttery. They managed to survive sitting in a desert mailbox without melting.

Packaging: Each lip balm comes in a translucent tube and has the cutest label. The name of the flavor is written in large font with clip art of the fruit used as a background. This is one of the best forms of consistent branding I've seen.

Price: $3.5 per balm or $9 for a sampler pack.

Overall:
Pros: Wear, price and customer service.
Cons: PetiteThrela has over 60 flavors and they regularly add more. Stop it, TH, you're making trying out all your flavors that much harder!

Rating: 5 out of 5 twists!

Ingredients: beeswax, coconut oil, mango butter, sweet almond oil, safflower oil, aloe vera oil, soybean oil, vitamin E, lecithin (soy, certified non GMO), natural flavors, stevia (in select lip balms)

Guest Review: Honey Bee Holistics

Today I have a special guest review for you all! I'm so grateful that Alyssa owner and writer of the Soapy Days Blog offered to write a guest review for me while I'm on vacation this week. I hope you enjoy! Thank you, Alyssa, for being so great to do this for me!

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Hello all! I love the Lip Balm Wrangler and am honored to be doing a guest review post here! The lip balms I am going to review come from one of my all-time favorite Etsy shops (and I've tried a lot!).

Company: Honey Bee Holistics

Flavors: Calendula Chamomile and Coconut Lime. The Calendula Chamomile is very plain in terms of flavor. I can mostly detect the oils used to make the balm with a hint of the flowers. It's a simple balm meant to be super healing. The Coconut Lime on the other hand is a fun flavor! The coconut is sweet and almost buttery pairing well with the citrusy lime. The coconut is stronger than the lime, giving the overall scent a certain creaminess. If a "creamy" scent makes sense to you! The other thing I like about this flavor is that it is made using all natural ingredients. I don't know about you, but sometimes artificial flavorings can irritate my lips. I love it when I can find flavored lip balms that don't use artificial flavorings (as fun as they can be!).

Wear: These balms feel a bit grainy in the tube but once applied, they glide on smoothly. Once on the lips, the balm feels wonderfully silky. Almost creamy. It is a very pleasant feeling with a bit of gloss! The balms last for a couple hours, about average for a balm. And they leave my lips feeling moisturized and happy!

Packaging: The balms come in regular lip balm tubes. The tubes are white with simple labels. There is not too much design on the labels, just text telling the name of the balm and ingredients and such. However, the labels hold up very well and I've had no issues with them.

Price: $3.75 per tube which is about average for lip balm, so I have no complaints!

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

Rating: 4 out of 5 twists. These balms are truly great and definitely worth giving a shot if you haven't given 'em one yet!

Ingredients for Calendula Chamomile: local unrefined beeswax, organic fair trade shea butter, organic olive oil infused with organic calendula and chamomile flowers.

Ingredients for Coconut Lime: local unrefined beeswax, organic olive oil, organic coconut oil, organic fair trade shea butter, and organic lime essential oil.

Have you tried Honey Bee Holistics balms before? What did you think of them?