Tuesday, January 14, 2014

How to use a lip balm effectively and Review and Swatches: Colorbar Lip Pencil in Moody Maroon

Colorbar's lip pencil in Moody Maroon is a favorite lip liner of mine. I always turn to this one when I am in doubt - this is a total love.




Price is around INR 350 but with Colorbar increasing prices every now and often this may not be the same tomorrow! The color is a beautiful dark red with brown tints that works wonderfully as a contour shade. There is nothing like a dark red shade to shape your lips to get that perfect pout!



The color applies beautifully., though this is not a very creamy liner. In fact, on days when my lips are dry, I find it hard to apply directly on to bare lips. So my suggestion would be to apply lip balm [check my tips below] and then apply this to avoid drying out. This lasts for a goodish time [4-5hrs on avg] and leaves a nice stain.






 Overall I love this product and shade,so try this one before Colorbar raised their price again!

How to use lip balm effectively


Exfoliate lips before application -  For daily use, quickly mix sugar & honey and use your ring finger to slowly massage to avoid excess pressure on lips. If you have pigmentation on lips, add 1-2 drops of lemon juice to the mix. Do not rub for more than a min or 2. Apply lip balm immediately and never apply a lip color immediately after exfoliation as your lips are most sensitive & may react to excess chemicals.


Layer and layer and layer -  I find that the best way to get good moisture is to layer the balm. Apply a thin layer, wait, apply again, wait and then once again for soft and shiny lips.

Use clean fingers to apply the product as this helps with blood circulation and better absorption. Avoid your index finger as the pressure can be excessive. 

After applying the lip balm, slowly pat or tap your lips with your middle or ring finger. Start tapping from the edges or contours of the lip and move inside. This helps with product absorption and makes your lips soft & pout-elicious.

Review: Boots No7 Soft & Sheer Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 Medium

Boots No7 range is available here in Canada at Shoppers Drug Mart; I only wish that they would soon include No7 Makeup range as well cos buying from US website means shipping charge of $25!  This is the 1st product I tried from the brand.

Boots says - " Enhance your natural beauty with this translucent color. The sheer wash of barely there color will give you a radiant natural glow and even out your skin tone. It contains SPF15 sunscreen to help protect your skin from the aging effects of the sun and moisturizes for up to 12 hours. Coverage: Sheer. Skin type: suitable for all skin types. How to Use: Use in the morning after cleansing and toning the skin. Smooth on evenly, just like your usual moisturizer, blending away at the jaw line." [from Boots US website]




My experience 
I started using this when Fall started and I found that I need some extra TLC for my face in addition to what my Sunscreen gives.I liked the way it applied very smoothly and blended pretty fast into the skin. This does give a natural glow to skin; there is no scent and no irritation on application.

Now that I said the nice stuff, let me go into why I feel this is not a great product:

1. I know Boots says its a translucent color but this is like no color for me. The shade I got 'Medium' is slightly dark for me but on applying it doesn't show anything expect add a 'glow' to my face. While I don't expect much coverage from a TM, I feel this should have been at least Light coverage.

2. This doesn't last much longer in Winter here in Canada. On days I apply this around 8.30am in the morning, I notice some dryness around 11am-ish. Not impressed!

3.Since this is not very useful in Winter, I considered using this as a TM during Summer so that I can use this lightweight product on days I dont need much coverage. But then, here is my problem - I cannot use this TM and another sunscreen as it would be too much. But then SPF15 is not enough for a daytime use! 
So basically what I found is the best way to use is - Apply this for a light coverage makeup for  a casual evening out.For Day wear, use this as a base layer for makeup.

Overall: I am not very impressed with this TM but if you have very oily skin, you can try this out.




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