Boots Lip Soothers..WONDERBALM!

After eyeing the Boots rack at Target for months, I finally picked up their Wonderbalm.

I had loved their rose and geranium scented skin balm,

which I used for my lips and cuticles.  It smells so old school, and the tin is pretty great.
But I can't find it anywhere anymore! From what I've read, they discontinued it. Which is a beauty tragedy, as it had a myriad of good qualities and was affordable! I couldn't find a single thing I didn't like about it, and would have purchased a case of them had I known they'd be going off market.

I wasn't impressed with their organic lip balm AT ALL.

>>>> This stuff is crap.
It is so thick you have to nearly stand on the tube to get any of the yellow sludge to come out,
and then it is another process entirely to spread it on your lips.

It is like coagulated pancake batter: alternately runny and chunky, with strange grainy bits that never dissolve.





After they pulled their best product (the skin balm) and replaced it with the yellow lip sludge, I was hesitant to try anything else.

But I did like the looks of their Wonderbalm, always stopping to check it out on my way through cosmetics.

So this morning I caved.
I picked it up, 0.5 cute little ounces in a chubby faux-glass pot.

And I love it.
The smell is nice--not olive-y at all.
It is different though..almost like grapes and flowers, and a bit sweet.
If you get some in your mouth it doesn't taste bad.

The texture is unique as well--it has incredible slip and is very very thin.
I see where the "olive" ingredient comes in, because it does feel somewhat like olive oil on your lips.
It has some nice shine, but more than anything it just feels good on your lips; soft, comforting, and sheer.
It is the thinnest "balm" I have ever encountered.
In the tub it is a nearly sheer white--like Vaseline mixed with milk.
The only other lip product I can compare it to is La Mer The Balm.
And that right there speaks millions for this Wonderbalm!
La Mer has the same light slip and my lips soak it right up, just like the Wonderbalm.
The only difference is that La Mer starts as a solid and you have to warm it to apply, whereas Wonderbalm's texture never changes and it is always ready to apply.
That, and La Mer will make a serious dent in your paycheck.


I rubbed some on my poor cuticles last night and was surprised at what I woke up to!
Let me preface by saying my cuticles are a war zone: dry, peeling (even to the point of bleeding sometimes), painful, and resistant to any treatments. Aquaphor can't help, neither can Neosporin, nor Lush's adorable Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter.

So I skeptically dabbed some Wonderbalm in those babies last night and they look 5 times better than usual this morning! And feel great as well.

Hoorah for Wonderbalm, my nightstand's new best friend! I will stock up on this for sure.

ChaCha Tint Dupe

I love Benefit.
I adore Benefit. The products are high quality, the packaging is efficient and fun, and the names are adorable. But, unfortunately, you get what you pay for, and then some, because yeGods their stuff is pricey!

I have their Posie Tint and love it, but I was looking for something more peachy to go along with this year's coral trend that I'm loving.







And Benefit's ChaCha Tint fits the bill---
"a mango-tinted stain beautifully blushes lips & cheeks with a tropical sunset hue."

But it will run you about $30 a pop, application can be tricky, and you've got to blend it like a speed racer because it sets FAST and you practically need Everclear to get it off.

Yesterday I was looking at Sonia Kashuk's cheek tints and realized that the Poppy color is very similar to ChaCha.

On the left there.

And considering they're less than $10 at Target, I decided to give Poppy a whirl.

Yes, it is a wonderful dupe.

In fact, this whole line is a dupe for Benefit tints:

The middle one you see above, Peony, is a dupe for PosieTint.

And that gorgeous red on the end is a dupe of BeneTint.  Basically the Kashuk products above are the invert of the Benefit products seen below.

And I am loving the Kashuk cheek tints.  Poppy is wonderful--it has a creamier texture than Benefit, but this makes it a lot more blendable, though it has the same sheer, demi-matte look of Benefit.

And they have the same incredible staying power, and best of all they don't get oily!

And I seem to need less of the Kashuk cheek tint to achieve the same effect.

The only noticeable difference is the applicator; Benefit goes for the nail polish approach--little brush that allows you to get an exact amount of product (though you'll probably need to re-dip), whereas Kashuk has a sterile pump that makes doling out the precise amount you want a little trickier.  I like the amount it gives out though--just enough for both of my cheeks.

And yes, you can use the Kashuk on your lips as well, just like the Benefit tint.

This is Kashuk's tint (below). ChaCha is above.

As you can see, ChaCha is a bit on the orangier side, whereas Kashuk's is pinkier.  I find Kashuk's more flattering on my light, freckled complexion.