Friday 4 November 2011

[Review] Burt's Bees: Tinted Lip Balm

Once again I find it upon myself to renew my love for Burt's Bees. I've been using their hand creams/moisturizers and lip balms for at least a decade, and I don't actually remember a day in which I have not applied copious amounts of their addictive lip balm.

You would imagine my excitement when Burt's Bees set up shop in Australia a few years ago - no more pleading with friends to cart back tubes of balm from overseas! (I go through a lot.)

Today I've got two shades from their newest range of tinted lip balms to check out - Pink Blossom, and the front-runner color, Hibiscus. Are they enough to jolt the Original Burt's Bees Pomegranate Oil balm from its cushy spot in my lipcare essentials?


When I first saw pictures of these in promotional shots, I marveled at how thick the tube must be - then I realized it was just the packaging. Haha.

Anyway - Each tube comes securely encased in two cylindrical cardboard sheathes. Pop them open, and the product is your usual 4.25g twist stick in shimmery dark brown plastic. The balm itself is made of 100% natural ingredients, and includes a frillion natural oils - coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, shea butter, soybean oil, and castor seed oil to name a few.


I've got to say, from a first glance, these shades look appealingly natural. Hibiscus has more of a warmer reddish side to it, whereas Pink Blossom is a cooler pink.

L: Pink Blossom; R: Hibiscus

The consistency of the tinted balm is deliciously creamy. Where I found the original Burt's Bees balm to be the most waxy, and the Honey and Pomegranate balms to be more emollient, these tinted balms go on slightly smoother in comparison. The result is a comfortable, non-sticky hint of color on your lips.



Apologies for the dismal lighting in the swatch photo - colors are a bit washed out, since Hibiscus is actually redder than what I'm seeing on the screen. This is just one swipe of each stick, so the tints are certainly very effective. They seem fairly buildable, but as I would only be using these for a fresh-faced healthy look, I wouldn't try to coax violent bursts of color with this one. 

Flavor is mild and sweet, but the fragrance really reminds me of... bubble gum. Yes, I'm aware that the balms are named after flowers and are probably designed to have floral scents, but rather than floral musk or fruity sweetness, it still smells like pink bubble gum to me. It's not a bad fragrance overall; not a cloying sweetness either, but I'd have to get used to this one.

As to whether it would replace the Pomegranate flavor, my champion of balms? Perhaps not - I prefer the Pomegranate fragrance more, and my lips are already pigmented enough (when I applied Pink Blossom, there really was no color change). However I'm really liking the Hibiscus shade for natural youthful lips - or quick applications at work/uni when a mirror isn't readily available. All in all, it's a great product - the wearability of the tint colors, coupled with the comfortable emollient feel, are really a selling point.

Price: AUD14.95

0 comments:

Post a Comment