Balms I've Got My Eye On 9.18.12

Even though I've had SO many packages coming in the mail the last couple of weeks, I still have my eye on so many more balms to try. I wouldn't be the Lip Balm Wrangler if I didn't always have a couple more balms I wanted to try. This week I'm really intrigued by:

Petite Threla's Lemon Chiffon

(via)

I'm dying to try lip balms from this company. They have so many yummy sounding flavors, I'm tempted to try them all!

Aspen Glen Bath & Body's Cream Soda

(via)

I stumbled upon this company recently and they look interesting. They're flavor varieties are pretty awesome, but they seem pretty new and I'm always hesitant to try super new companies. But with all their flavor options, it's hard to stay away!

You Stink Soap's Lime Sugar

(via)

This balm just sounds so interesting! It's lime, sugar, and a little bit of vanilla. That just sounds wonderful! I've been recommended this company before and I'm thinking it just might be time that I give these balms a shot!

What balms have been tempting you this week? Have you tried any of the above balms or companies before?

--Christina

And The Winner Is....

Entry number 2 which was...

Trish!

Congratulations,  Trish! I'll be in contact with you shortly to get some information from you so I can get your new balm to you.

Thank you to all who entered! Please stay tuned for the next giveaway!

--Christina

Balms of the Week 9.16.12

This week has been crazy busy for me: I started nannying again, started tutoring, got crazy sick towards the end of the week, and had to fly back to San Francisco. Throughout it all, I still managed to keep these balms by my side:

Epically Epic Soap Co.'s Cardamom Vanilla

I was really shocked to realize that this was like my favorite of the balms I received from Epically Epic. I'm so glad Allison included it in my order, otherwise I probably would never have tried it and would have missed out on something great!

ForGoodnessGrape's Lemon Sorbet 

This is such a delicious lemon balm, just like candy!

Blue Q Lip Shit's Raspberry Lemongrass

(review)

I'm surprised I'm still using this, I don't really like lip balm that comes in tins but this one has me coming back for more!

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

--Christina

Wicked Soaps Flash Sale!!

Hi all!

Just here to let you know that Wicked Soaps is having a flash sale for TODAY (9.14.12) only! Use code: FRIDAY25 to save 25% off your order! AND if your order is over $25 you get a free lip balm! You can find her shop here.

Happy Shopping!!

--Christina

Whispering Willow

In July I did a ton of lip balm buying and came home with a bunch of huge hauls. From my first huge haul (found here) I received these lip balms. Whispering Willow had been one of the first lip balm shops I had ever looked at when I first started using Etsy, but never purchased from them. It might have been because most of their flavors are very basic and simple, but when they had a sale on their products in July, I figured it was just about time that I give them a try!

Company: Whispering Willow

Flavors: Lemon and Mint. These flavors are so wonderful! You'd think that they'd be your plain lip balms but both are pretty great! The Lemon is a great sweet lemony balm, so if you're like me and LOVE lemon anything, this will be one you want to try. The Mint balm is also a great example of what a mint balm should be. It's cool and crisp and just wonderful. It reminds me of double mint gum, which is totally yum!

Wear: These go on very smooth! And they go on so well! They go on a bit thicker than some of my other balms and it is just fabulous. It really feels like my lips are being nourished. The balms are very creamy and it really is just lovely!

Packaging: These balms come in your average sized lip balm tubes that have white labels. The white labels have a tree depicted on them and two color bands, one on the top and one on the top, that match the flavor of the balm inside the tube. It's strange, but awesome, the way these labels feel. They're matte and not waxy at all which makes them super smooth in my hand. I don't know if that's really weird or not, but these balms have the best labels I've ever felt!

Price: $6 for 2 or $10 for 4, both are great prices for a handmade, natural lip balm!

Overall:
Pros: Flavors, Wear, Packaging, Price, Labels!
Cons: More Flavors!

Rating: 3 out of 5 twists. These balms are pretty great. Definitely worth trying especially if you're looking for a new staple balm to throw into your make-up bag or desk drawer.

Ingredients:
Lemon Lip Balm: organic beeswax, organic coconut oil, organic honey, organic lemon flavoring.
Mint Lip Balm: organic beeswax, organic coconut oil, organic honey, organic mint flavoring.

Have you tried Whispering Willow products before? What did you think of them?

More Honey House Naturals Lip Balm

One of the last weekends my boyfriend's parents were in town visiting us, we decided to visit Sonoma County and do a bit of wine tasting. This ended up being more of a cheese tasting since his mom and I are absolutely crazy about cheese. And true to my nature, I was continuously on the lookout for lip balm (as was my boyfriend and his mom because they know I'm absolutely crazy over lip balm). Within seconds of walking in the door of one of the wineries we went to, Sebastiani, I had already found lip balm. It wasn't a special one from the winery or anything, but it was one of my favorite lip balm companies and one of the harder ones for me to find in store. (The only other time I had found Honey House Naturals in store was in a hospital gift shop when my grandpa had a stroke last summer. The review for those can be found here.)

Company: Honey House Naturals 

Flavors: Vanilla Berry and Tangerine. Let me start off by saying that the flavors of these balms are just SO phenomenal. I love them. They're completely dead on and exactly what I expected. The Vanilla Berry is a wonderful blend of sweet berries and creamy vanilla. You get more berries in a whiff of balm than vanilla, but it's just a perfect touch of vanilla to calm down the berry scent. The Tangerine is even better. If you love citrus balms, this is definitely one you do NOT want to pass up. When I smell this one it's just like I just cut up an orange and the little citrus mist that comes with cutting into the peel has been released into the air. It's exactly like that. I picture ripe orange peels and the little mist that escapes into the air every time I smell it. It is the epitome of a tangerine balm. Just wonderful.

Wear: These balms go on amazingly. There's no other balm that goes on quite as well. It goes on thicker than most of my balms without being way too thick. It goes on so smooth and creamy. It's just wonderful, I love applying these! Sometimes I wish it didn't go on so thick just so I can keep applying it. It melts right into your lips, it's just wonderful! In one swipe you get great, proper coverage that lasts for hours. There's nothing more I could ask for.

Packaging: These balms come in your average sized lip balm tube which is black and covered in a gold, shiny label. The label reads in a black font the name of the company and 'Lip Butter' in big letters. Towards the cap on each tube is a colored band that indicates the balm's flavor. It's a very distinct looking balm.

Price: I think these were $4 where I picked them up, but from their website they retail for about $5. It's a bit higher at $5, but if you can find it at $4 a tube I think that's quite a steal. They're just that amazing!

Overall:
Pros: Flavors, Wear, Coverage, Application, Packaging, Price ($4), Natural
Cons: Price ($5)

Rating: 5 out of 5 Twists; these balms are just absolutely phenomenal! Seriously, if you haven't tried these balms yet, you really need to!

Ingredients: Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Beeswax, Kukui Nut Oil, mango butter, ABS Pomegranate Sterols, Lipocire (Palm Kernal Oil), Compritol (natural thickener), Vitamin E, Essential Oil.

Have you used Honey House Naturals balms before? What did you think of them?