Beauty on a Budget: Wet 'n Wild Juicy SPF 15 Lip Balm

I've never been a huge fan of lip gloss, but I love tinted lip balm.  When everyone else was using Kissing Potion roller lip glosses (sticky but tasty) in the 80s, I was obsessed with Maybelline Kissing Koolers.  I loved those.  I'd totally buy those now.  They stopped making Kissing Koolers a long time ago, probably around the time that we were all convinced that dark berry-colored Revlon lipstick looked really great on us (I feel sure it didn't).   

I've tried dozens of lip products since then and found a few that I really liked, but Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment is the one I've lingered on the last five or so years.  However, at   $22.50 each (at Sephora) they are not exactly budget-savvy.


Enter Wet 'n Wild Juicy Lip Balm (with SPF 15).  An oversized lip balm, available for about $3, in four flavors (red rasperry, cherry, strawberry and watermelon).  These aren't as big as the jumbo Bonne Bell Lip Smackers (another hot 80s beauty product, but this one could be used as a Kubotan), but they are larger than your average tube of Chapstick.

These balms leave a very light, translucent tint and very little shine, but they do glide on easily without feeling waxy or heavy.  They don't have much staying power, but they do have an initial and very light fruity scent/flavor that you might enjoy reapplying anyway.  I chose the Red Raspberry and found the tint turned a little too hot pink with a touch of purple for me, but it wasn't a bad color - it just didn't suit me.  I would be willing to try the Cherry one, which appears to have the most tint to it (see the Beauty Junkies Unite review for color swatches of all four).  


While this isn't the hottest product on the market, I actually do think it is a good product for someone who just wants to use something to keep their lips moisturized and protected from the sun while adding just a hint of color.  You also really can't beat that price.

Still not sure?  Here are some links to other sites for reviews on this product:

MakeupAlley.com:  Some people have complained of a chemical taste.  I haven't experienced that, but it should be noted.  One reviewer said it burned her lips, which would have convinced me to not try the product, but I've tried it and not had that experience (and I have freakishly sensitive skin).


Beauty Junkies Unite:  The original review I found for this product that made me want to try it.  

Do you prefer a drugstore brand or something more fancy? Is there another product you think we should try?  Leave a comment for us here!

A Tale of Beauty Gone By

I learned a long time ago that, in the wonderful world of beauty, you have to be careful what you get attached to.  There is always the possibility that it may not last.  From my first signature scent (Victoria's Secret Raspberry Glace - we're not counting the Coty Wild Musk I wore when I was ten here) to my favorite foot cream (LUSH Pied de Pepper), I have loved and lost quite a few beauty items.  And while I do not live in fear of a new favorite being discontinued, it is always great to hear that there is sometimes hope for a sort of resurrection.


My mother and I recently had a conversation about discontinued perfumes and she mentioned her love of a Shiseido fragrance that had once been discontinued.  She was quite disappointed until the day she found out that Shiseido's one-time perfume art director, Serge Lutens, had gone on to create his own line of fragrances and had relaunched her favorite Shiseido perfume, Feminite du Bois.  Although she no longer sticks to just one perfume every day, sometimes you find a fragrance that changes or enhances your mood in just the right way and it's nice when you can still pull that bottle out for special occasions or maybe on Wednesdays.



After she told me about this wonderful rediscovery, I looked around for some of my old favorites.  I had no luck but I did find that some brands (like Shiseido) let you know about a reformulation, or at least push you in the right direction of a similar product, when they discontinue certain items.  This does not mean that I have forgiven Shiseido for discontinuing my favorite nail polish...  Though it happened so long ago that I can't even remember the name of the color...it was translucent...and pearlescent...not helpful, is it?


Of course, sometimes a reformulation just isn't the same.  Something gets lost in translation and that perfect pink lipstick you once loved has just a tinge too much orange in the newer version.  Thus you find yourself on the hunt again.  That said, I'd be lying if I told you that I don't enjoy the hunt just a little bit.  And I admit, sometimes I hunt for a new item even when I already have a favorite.  Aren't I fickle?


Now I must ask you to get a little distracted for a moment and go to the Serge Lutens website - right this very second.  His biography is a timeline that shows photos of him (more can be found under A Few Images) and his artwork from various points in his life (if you do nothing else, click on 1974).  If you have an appreciation for beauty, art and/or perfume, I think you will really enjoy his site.

"Perfume is a form of writing, an ink, a choice made in the first person, the dot on the i, a weapon, a courteous gesture, part of the instant, a consequence."  

Serge Lutens

The Scent of Change

Years ago, my stepmother gave me a bottle of CK Be as a Christmas present.  I remember thinking it was strange for her to give me what I thought of as a masculine scent, when I was at that time wearing a light fruity floral (I was trying to be more feminine and was wearing Victoria's Secret Raspberry Glace, which was shortly thereafter discontinued).  I also wondered if she was trying to tell me something by giving me the black-bottled CK Be while gifting the simple transparent CK One to my brother.  Was she commenting on the state of my soul?  Would she be wrong if she was?

I wore the scent that day because it was a gift and I figured that I might as well give it a go.  I enjoyed the way it smelled on my skin, but I hesitated to make it my "signature scent."  But whenever I needed a boost of confidence or a reminder of my own strength, it was the first thing I thought of.  It became my "power scent."  It didn't make me feel manly, by any means (and on my skin, it didn't smell masculine at all), but it was earthier and more fun than the fruity scent I'd been using.  At the same time, I didn't want to wear it every single day.  


It can be said that CK Be (and my stepmother, of course) changed a few things for me that day.  First, it was the end of my having one signature scent.  Many years later, I have a whole collection of perfumes that range from sharp citrus to soapy musk to single-note floral and I wear all of them, it just depends on what kind of a day I think I'm going to have (or want to have).  Second, I started wearing perfume more for myself than for others.  Not that I don't love it when my friend Sarah grabs a handful of my hair and inhales it while telling me she loves me for smelling good.  But I can't remember the last time I went to the perfume counter thinking of what someone else would like me to wear.  And finally, I realized that I don't really care if a fragrance is marketed for men - if I like it, I'm going to wear it.  Which is why my brother should lock up his Versace Pour Homme.  When I told him to get it, I didn't realize I wanted it for myself, but now that I know...

Check out our store's fragrance section where we've wrangled together some of our favorites and let you know how we feel about them (and what they're composed of, when we could get our hands on the details).

Do you wear a signature scent or do you have a whole collection?  Do you wear feminine, masculine or unisex fragrances?  Do you think these categories should even exist?  Aside from Brut, that is.  Brut is definitely masculine.

A Personal History of Fragrance

Why do we wear fragrance?  How do we choose one that is right for us?  Is it based on memories of how people we love smelled?  Is it based on how we want to feel on a particular day?  Or who we are trying to attract?  Even those people who can’t wear perfume in spray form (allergies or irritation) find a way of fragrancing themselves, maybe with a solid perfume, an oil or a scented lotion.  Perfume has a long, interesting and sometimes even disturbing history (Parfum a la Guillotine, anyone?).  Mary and I have been discussing her love of perfume and its history and we have decided to share a few things with you over the next few weeks that we have discovered.

  

For this post, I used the wonderful fragrance directory from BaseNotes.net to take a look at the fragrances I associate most with my parents and if they are at all responsible for the scents I have chosen to wear over the years.  

My mother wore Yves Saint Laurent Opium throughout my childhood.  At some point, she decided that she didn’t like having a “signature scent” and started collecting perfumes, but I can catch a whiff of Opium anywhere and instantly link it to her, even though I don’t think she’s worn it in years (she told me that she does still have a bottle, though). 

Opium is defined as a feminine fragrance in the floral oriental family.  It has top notes of mandarin orange, bergamot and lily of the valley; middle notes of jasmine, carnation and myrrh; and base notes of vanilla, patchouli, opoponaux (also known as sweet myrrh) and amber.

My father rarely wore any fragrance, other than what his soap left behind, but when he did use it, he chose Procter and Gamble Old Spice.  Such a typical dad fragrance, isn’t it? 

Old Spice is defined as a masculine fragrance in the oriental woody family.  It has top notes of orange, lemon, spices, clary sage and aldehydes; middle notes of cinnamon, carnation, geranium, jasmine, heliotrope and pimento berry (smells like Cuban cigars); and base notes of vanilla, musk, cedarwood, frankincense, benzoin, tonka, and ambergris (you do not want to know what this was made out of before it was replaced with synthetics).

It surprised me that these two fragrances have some common notes:  Both have citrus in their top notes, carnation in the middle and vanilla in their base notes.  But I don’t think of them as being similar, just the same.

So how common are the notes from each of their fragrances with the ones I have loved most?

Coty Wild Musk (note the awesome 80s ad in the embedded link): This was the first perfume that I bought for myself (with my dad's money, since I was a tween).  It has the bergamot and amber from Opium and the jasmine and vanilla from both Opium and Old Spice, but it was certainly meant to be a feminine fragrance. It is in the oriental floral fragrance family, so I went in the same direction of both parent fragrances.  I mean, it could have been Jean Nate, right?  And maybe it was, for a little while...

Kiehl’s OriginalMusk, Blend No. 1: I wore this in my late twenties and through the first part of my thirties.  It has the bergamot and patchouli from Opium and the tonka and musk from Old Spice.  It is a unisex fragrance, but most reviews I’ve read think it’s too manly – I don’t agree, obviously.  It is in the fougere fragrance family, but they started calling it “aromatic” after 2010.  The musk on this is very “creamy,” which reminds me of Old Spice, but I believe the aromatic title comes from the bergamot, ylang-ylang and neroli.  To note, these are three fragrance notes that I was completely unaware of until I worked at The Body Shop in my teens – all three were offered in the aromatherapy oil section, so I had a chance to smell them individually and liked all three.  But when I purchased this musk, I had no idea what the notes were – I just knew I liked it.

And finally, Acqua di Genova:  This is the fragrance that my mother brought me as a gift after her last trip to Genoa before she moved there, so obviously it’s close to my heart.  My bottle has survived a fire and three moves so far.  It is funny that my mom picked a fragrance from the oriental woody family, since Old Spice belongs to the same fragrance family, but Acqua diGenova smells nothing like either fragrance to me.  It does  share Opium’s top notes of citrus but in a stronger way, and a base note of musk like Old Spice is present, but much weaker.  Acqua di Genova also has neroli (which I believe was left out on the Fragrantica entry) as a middle note, which isn’t strong, but does change the overall impression of the fragrance.


In the end, and though there have been other perfumes in my life that were very different from these, it looks like I do owe some of my preferences to my parents.  I am a sentimental person, so it's entirely possible that I'm in the minority for being influenced by my family members when it comes to the scents I prefer.  Which is where you come in:

Do you know where your preference for a certain scent came from?  Or has this post got you wondering?  Leave us a comment below.

Beauty on a Budget: Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream

My first impression of Garnier's BB Cream was that it smelled like a grandma (which is a good smell, in a comforting way, but not one I want to be associated with quite yet), but it was very easy to apply.  Since the Clinique one I've been using (which I do like) has to be mixed with some face cream/lotion to spread over my skin easily, I thought it drew about even.  I also assumed the smell would go away.  

I had a moment of worry, just after I finished applying it, because my skin stung a little and I suddenly realized I had forgotten the first rule of testing skincare: test a small amount on a patch of skin the night before.  Fortunately, it went away quickly (as I stood very still, wondering if I should rinse it off straight away), so I decided to keep going.  

I had really high hopes for this item because it's half the cost of the Clinique one and I was hoping to find something more affordable.  So I was willing to push through with the odd fragrance, the slight sting at first and even the heavy way it felt on my skin - which is very much an oily-skinned-person's aversion.  When you grow up with greasy skin, the last thing you want to do is put something heavy on it that feels like it just won't soak in.  But I had the whole day at home by myself to try this out, so I looked past it, documented how I felt about it thus far and kept on.

By midday, my skin felt incredibly greasy.  I may have had oily skin at one time, but it's more combination these days and I was in an air-conditioned house all day.  This felt like high-school-years greasy.  I decided to give it till I finished my work for the day and by then my skin felt coated in grease, slightly itchy and the smell hadn't dissipated.  It sounds harsh, but I couldn't wait to get it off my face.  


The good news is that a simple makeup remover took away that feeling, so I didn't have an adverse reaction that needed aloe or a topical cream. 


Results:  Felt heavy, made my skin look and feel greasy, did not even out my skin tone, sun protection factor is only 15, strong smell, did not hydrate my skin.  The price is better than the one I currently use (anywhere from $12.50 for 2.5 oz vs $37 for 1.4 oz), but that's not enough to make me reconsider.  Someone with very dry skin might be okay with it, but I think there are better products out there.

Still not sure?  Here are some links to other sites for reviews on this product:

Amazon.com: Mixed reviews.  At least one person had a similar experience to mine.


MakeupAlley.com:  A lot of mentions about the heavy feeling and quite a few people said that it's not a true BB cream (more like a tinted moisturizer).


Ulta.com: More positive reviews than the other two, but I still get the impression that only those with dry skin enjoy the product and I'm not the only one who noticed the strong smell.

Which BB Cream do you use?  Do you prefer a drugstore brand or something more fancy? Is there another product you think we should try?  Leave a comment for us here!

Beauty on a Budget

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how best to take care of my skin, hair, etc. while on a rather tight budget.  One of the biggest challenges for me is to figure out what I (think I) can and can't live without.  Even after simplifying my beauty routine and deciding what type of products I always want to have on hand, I still need to figure out if I'm going to buy all of my beauty items at the drugstore, find them online at a discount, or pick and choose between the cheap side and the store that ex-significant others really wished I would stop going to.  If I decide that I cannot live without that $70 hand cream, I also have the option of giving up the $35 apiece shampoo and conditioner that I've been using.  What I need to do is find products that are inexpensive (and sometimes that's comparative), but actually work - then I can find a better balance.  


So we're trying out something new, here on The Thinnest Skin.  We are going to test out some products from the grocery store/drugstore/etc. that are less costly than most of what you will find at Sephora, department stores like Macy's and Nordstrom, various beauty boutiques, etc.  The idea is to provide some feedback on products people in the beauty world are talking about right now, so you can decide if you're going to buy your face wash from WalMart, but keep investing in that expensive skin cream from Neiman Marcus.  Or, you may decide that your entire beauty routine is going to come from the same place where you get your groceries.  Hopefully we can help you find the best beauty items for you without breaking the bank.  All of the posts for this little project will start with "Beauty on a Budget," then the name of the item or items.


Here are the products we have lined up for review so far:

The Thinnest Skin does not receive any kind of payment for the reviews we write and we promise to be as honest but objective as we can.

In the mean time, go vote on my hair!

Vote on the Unruliness

 I need a haircut like nobody's business and what better opportunity will I have to involve you in life altering decisions?!  If you would like to vote on my next haircut (my hair details are below):  Follow LostGirl DC on Pinterest, then make comments on the pin or pins of your choice on The Thinnest Skin: Vote Here pinboard.  You can also suggest haircuts/hairstyles by pinning something to one of your own boards with @LostGirl DC in the comments field (I'll get a notification via email with a link to your pin).

Please don't vote for Kenny G.

My Hair Details:
I haven't had my hair cut in a little over six months, so I'll probably need to take some off  just because of split ends.  It's very thick, coarse and wavy (impossible hair, but I've grown to love it).  The current length is almost to the base of my shoulder blades.  No bangs at this time.  Oh, and I have a heart-shaped face.


Some Things to Consider:
I can't go too short (it gets really fluffy and unruly and I need a jar of pomeade to keep it down) and I can't thin it out too much (it just gets poufier, trust me).  I'm willing to consider hairstyles that go up to...halfway down my neck would be okay.  Maybe a little shorter, depends on the cut.  Or I could keep it long.  Or I could get a mullet.  There are just so many options.  Happy voting!