5 clean lipsticks for super-sensitive lips

By Rebecca Bailey for NoMoreDirtyLooks.com

Since childhood, I’ve had sensitive skin. My lips in particular are a mess if I try to use conventional products. Do you want to hear about the pain and the oozing? No, you don’t. I spent decades thinking I simply could not wear lip color. Enter the NMDL girls and my introduction to truly clean cosmetics. Now, anyone can be sensitive to any ingredient, even clean stuff.

But if the brands I’m about to review are OK for me, they will probably be OK for 99% of people.

In addition to being sensitive, I’m super picky about smell/taste/texture, and I like my products to add something nourishing to my skin. These don’t taste all “lipsticky,” they feel nice on, wear well, and have healthy plant oils, antioxidants, and many organic ingredients. I also like packaging to be both pretty and functional. Check.

I love my RMS, and I own just about every lip product they make. But the brand has been discussed often here so I wanted to review a few brands that I don’t see much about. Everything I’m covering is super clean, gluten-free, and mostly vegan (a couple products have beeswax). For reference, I have a very pale olive complexion, but I think most of these colors would work for many skin tones.

1. Real Purity Lipstick:

Great price ($13), gorgeous and functional packaging, and the color selection is spectacular. My favorites this time of year are Dusty Mauve and Tangerine. Dusty Mauve is a really unique color with a bit of purple and some luminosity, and it wears longer than any lip color I’ve ever tried. The shimmer makes it look fairly pale in bright light, but in dim light it looks darker. If, like me, you are both intrigued by and fear orange, then try Tangerine. It is shimmery sheer, subtle and lovely. Into reds? Try Regal Red (looks bright pink on me) and Clover Red (bam! red with a touch of orange). The sample program makes it fun and easy to try them out.

Keep reading for four more luscious lipsticks…

Karen Murrell Lipsticks

Karen Murrell

Karen Murrell is the founder and creator of a self titled skincare and make-up range. With a proven track record in health and beauty, Murrell has created a beautiful range of certified organic skincare and natural lipsticks that are simply must have products.

Karen Murrell lipsticks are made totally of natural ingredients. They do not contain any mineral oils, animal based material, parabens or preservatives. And because of the fusion of Mother Nature’s miracle ingredients, the more you use Karen Murrell lipstick the better condition your lips will be in. The high-quality formulation means Karen Murrell lipsticks last long on lips, and smell and taste great.

All Karen Murrell lipstick canisters are made from PLA (polylactic acid), a corn resin based material that will start to dissolve back into Mother Earth within 100 days. All of the lipsticks are perfect and are available in many pretty colors such as Red Shimmer, Pink Starlet, and Cordovan Natural. Checkout all of the collection here.

Lip Wrinkles Treatable with Natural and Scientific Ways

By VIBRANT BEAUTY

The first thing people notice about you, aside from your eyes, is most often your smile. That’s why we spend so much money and time on teeth whitening to improve our presentation. In addition, we should also be looking at our lips and the possible wrinkles that may frame them.

Wrinkles or lines around the mouth occur primarily due to age. The lines can be vertical and appear around the upper lip or dropping on the sides of your mouth.

Smoking can also lead to upper lip wrinkles because of the frequent use of the muscles used to pucker your lips around the cigarette. Smoke and nicotine also dry the skin, which is a factor in wrinkles as well. In addition to smoking, frequently drinking from a straw or water overuses the same muscles. Repeating movements with your mouth, like whistling and kissing, put strain on the muscles that lead to wrinkles.

Other examples of repeated movements are smiling, laughing and pouting. The lines are vertical and appear on the sides of the mouth. Losing weight quickly can also lead to wrinkles around the mouth as the fat drains from your face.

Other causes of lip wrinkles are extreme sun and winds, regular wearing of lipstick, genetics, and tooth loss. Sun and wind conditions can cause the skin to be dry so using moisturizer around the lips can protect them from wrinkles.

If you go to a dermatologist, you can inquire about laser resurfacing. In this procedure, the outer layer of the skin is removed and the existing skin is tightened. Botox is another option that will allow the wrinkles to heal.

Collagen can also be injected into the lips to push out wrinkles and leave the skin looking smoother. Similar to laser resurfacing, chemical peels take off even more of the outer layer of skin and this process lasts longer than a laser.

Hydration is key, so make sure you drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day. If this isn’t an option for you, use a face moisturizer that focuses on the skin around your mouth. Utilizing a lip balm, in the morning and at night, with vitamin E can also aid in moisturizing.

Exfoliating, which can be done at home, helps to remove the dead skin cells from around the lips that make wrinkles more noticeable. Exfoliating will help new skin cells to grow.

Pharmacopia Natural and Organic Bodycare

Pharmacopia Natural and Organic Bodycare offers a luxurious organic line of personal care products created with natural ingredients and without the use of animal products of any kind, including lanolin and beeswax. The company’s holistic approach to personal care provide customers with authentic and indulgent products made from pure ingredients produced sustainably, locally and organically whenever possible.

Pharmacopia is recognized as a pioneer of the natural and organic personal care category and is sold in top spas and boutiques internationally. Pharmacopia’s products are fabulously effective, luscious formulations using potent anti-oxidants and therapeutic plant extracts with no parabens, petro-chemicals, phthalates, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, or colors.

Pharmacopia’s body care line includes hair care, bath grains/salts, body wash, bar soap, body lotion, hand cream, lip balm, soy candles, and massage/body oils. Pharmacopia’s indulgent products contain ingredients that are organic (20%-95%), vegan, sustainable, and/or locally sourced, and are free of parabens, sulfates, phthalates, petrolatum, propylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, and dyes. Wonderfully packaged, due to Lisa’s highly lauded career as a graphic designer, these products offer a warm welcome in your bathroom.

What I loved:

Verbena & Green Tea Body Lotion continues to invigorate with its citrus, lemongrass, and cedar scents while organic aloe vera and shea butter (sourced from a women’s cooperative in South Africa) provide real everyday moisture. The scent of citrus was clear and a hint of tea lingered slightly on my skin. Green Tea has also been known to have therapeutic and anti-oxidant powers.

Jasmine & Clary Sage Body Wash: eliminates dirt and grime while it nourishes with botanical extracts. The unique clarifying and balancing fragrance is floral and citrus based, with a strong herbal component and notes of orange, bergamot, eucalyptus, cedar, and chamomile. It helps calm the senses and promotes well-being.

Checkout their products here.

 

DollyMoo

 

DollyMoo was created by two sisters, Amy and Nicci. They carry body oils, scrubs, lip balms, bath salts and facial serum . Their products are bad with healthy ingredients and are all hand-made.

Here are the products I loved:

Vanilla Oat Body Scrub: The intoxicating scent of vanilla, the soothing power of oatmeal on the skin, this company is built on love and you can feel the love on this body scrub. The salt blend in the scrub is great of removing dead skin, while the oatmeal and grape seed, vanilla, and vitamin E oils soothe and moisturize the skin. This is a great pre-shaved scrub, just scrub, rinse, and shave. It comes with an ultra cute little scoop, it ensures that you get just the right amount of products out without using too much. You can also recycle the scrub jar by planting a little flower in it, or storing sugar or flour, or herbs.

Lilac Body Oil: The succulent essence feels centered, as if suspended between the carriers, that holds beautifully for an impressive length of time until it transforms into the quiet solitude of its floral heart. You feel a nostalgic twinge with this subtly fragranced oil that will undoubtedly remind of you some enviable perfume you encountered when you first started shopping for your personal scent. It’s integrity has been kept in tact very nicely, bringing a a meditative, calming experience.

Lip Balm: I really like the way they feel, taste and smell.

Their body scrubs, oils and lip balms come in more delicious scents. Checkout their collection here.

 

Jao Limited

Jao Limited is dedicated to bringing 100% natural ingredients to their products. Jao brand products are the creation of Gale and David, a daughter who got lucky enough to have an amazing chemist for a father. It is a must have brand in your purse

My favorite product is the Goe Oil: it’s a mixture of 28 plant, fruit and flower oils. The most important one is not actually an oil at all (Jojoba oil) , but a special liquid wax that closely resembles our bodies natural protecting agents. We can lose the ability to produce these agents over time, with stress and other environmental factors.  Goe oil replenishes the bodies need for these agents in a 100% natural and botanical way.

I also love their Hand Refresher: this one kills germs and freshens hands with ethyl alcohol (less drying). It’ll feel like you just washed with an herbal lavender soap without drying your hands. Get the products here.

Study finds even more Lead in Lipstick

By Well+GoodNYC

A new FDA study that tested 400 lipsticks found that the levels of lead in lipstick were more than twice as high as a previous study (conducted in 2007) had indicated.

“Lead is in lipstick either because raw materials are contaminated with lead, or the pigment contains lead,” explains Stacy Malkan, the co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. “There may also be cases where packaging contributes to lead content.”

Surprisingly, the study found that more expensive brands did not necessarily contain less lead than cheaper options. In fact, the least expensive brand tested, Wet & Wild, also contained the least lead.

L’Oreal was by far the worst offender, having manufactured 5 of the top 10 lead-contaminated products.

Another shocker? Natural mega-brand Burt’s Bees had several products on the list—one placed as the 17th worst offender. You can see the full list of lipsticks and lead content here.

“The bottom line is that FDA needs to provide guidance to this industry by setting a recommended upper limit for lead in lipstick, based on the lowest lead levels that cosmetic manufacturers can reasonably achieve,” says Malkan.

She’s putting pressure on the FDA and the manufacturers with a new campaign called “Kiss Lead GoodBye” that allows consumers to voice their concerns.

In the meantime, you can stick to small-batch natural beauty brands, which are generally not manufactured in the same way and are less likely to contain lead. (Although we unfortunately don’t have a lab here at Well+Good to personally test them!)

Here are some Well+Good suggestions:

Ilia lipsticks, created for the NARS-loving woman
7 natural red lipsticks that perform
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics’ Lip Tar

Hurraw! Balm

Recently I found out about this amazing line called Hurraw! Balm. Their lip balm made my lips soft and moisturized, completely got rid of dryness and cracked feeling. They smell super amazing. If you get a tube lip balm, they always roll off the table somewhere and take a journey of their own, these don’t The balms are all-natural, vegan,  raw and contain organic components! Hurraw lip balms are available in a great many flavors and colors. The Black Cherry and Cinnamon balms are tinted, while most of the others are not, so you can choose what suits you.

I am addicted to these ones. My favorite lip balm from their line is the Black Cherry balm, it’s an amazing subtle red tint, adding a healthy color and glow to your lips without being over-powering and I also love the Vanilla Bean balm which smells just like my vanilla coffee. Hurraw! Balm can be a perfect gift for Valentines Day <3

Here is the link: http://www.hurrawbalm.com/hurraw/index.php

Juice Beauty

Juice Beauty is a revolutionary skin care brand riding the organic crest, offering a broad product range for all skin types. Their skin care products are formulated only with organically or sustainably grown produce from USDA certified organic farms, so you can rest assured they are of the highest purity. Whereas most skin care products subsist in a water base, Juice Beauty uses fruit juice, adding greater antioxidant protection to their products. Organic products from Juice Beauty deliver all the skin nourishing benefits of traditional skin care without any harmful toxins or artificial preservatives. Juice Beauty is the organic solution for healthy, radiant skin and hair.

I love all of the products, now you can even purchase them from Sephora Check it out girls.

Here is the link: http://www.juicebeauty.com/

Burts Bees

When I used this other lip balm, I had to apply it constantly, my lips always remained chapped.  I can use this once a day and that’s all I need.  My lips are hardly chapped, regardless of the cold weather. I am a lip balm junkie. I cannot live without one and I use it several times a day. I have tried a ridiculous amount of lip balms and this one might be the best of the lot. It’s not greasy, does a great job. My personal favorite is probably the Honey lip balm with vitamin E, or the newer tinted lip balms. Red Dahlia, Hibiscus, and Honeysuckle are in my personal collection. (Actually, I keep Red Dahlia in my pocket most of the time!) In lip shimmers I prefer Fig, though it is more of a full coverage color than it is a lip balm. The coconut and sunflower oils keep your lips happy, and Burt’s has an overall strong company profile for natural standards. Also, checkout their other products

Here is the link: http://www.burtsbees.ca/