Smith's Rosebud Salve Review

According to the packing, "Rosebud Salve may be used on all purpose skin preparation. Rosebud Salve may help to relieve chapped lips and skin, diaper rash, blemishes, detergent burns, and rough cuticles and may soften rough hands."

I can't vouch for a few of those specific claims, but I can definitely see a difference in the moisture in my hands, lips, and cuticles. This product is completely transparent, despite it's translucent pinkish-reddish color you might see in it's tin container. It smells like sugared roses, which might be bothersome to some people because the scent is a little pungent.

I'm really glad to say that this balm is emollient, but not thick/waxy. This has a very nice slip to it. Not like sliding right off, but this has a convenient thinness to it, also a very emollient feeling, but at the same time the oiliness in this product isn't overpowering, which can be sort of annoying as well. It doesn't last very long, about an hour before drying off, and it can be inconvenient to reapply since you have to use your fingers or a lip brush. The nice thing about this is that it's pretty wide, which making it easy for fingers to access.

This is moisturizing, but does not have long term effects for the lips, I've found. After it dries off on my hands or cuticles, the effect typically lasts for days, but on the lips, mine revert to their dry, chapped form a few hours later.

These go for $6, and you can easily find them at Sephora. It's a lovely product, but I'm not sure if I would repurchase this again.

New Revlon Lip Butters (Spring 2013): Review + Swatches

Revlon lip butters have always been a product that have had the upmost positive attention by everyone on the internet ever. I personally never tried Revlon lip butters, assuming that they were nothing special. Though I'm kind of late in the game, I picked up three of the four new shades Revlon has released for Spring 2013. These new shades will be part of Revlon's permanent line.

Revlon lip butters have fairly slim packaging, and a sturdy grip where the bottom of the tube and the translucent-colored cap meet, which makes it ideal for storing into pockets or handbags. A problem I've had with this product's packaging is that sometimes, the direction of which way the product is dispensing can become misaligned with its container. This only gets worse over time, and I find that eventually the actual product juts out so far out of shape, it smashes into the top of its cap. This gets very messy, since the product is very creamy and emollient.

The shades I got were Pink Lemonade (sheer, pale, beige pink), Juicy Papaya (sheer to medium coverage, medium coral) and Wild Watermelon (sheer red, can be built to nearly full coverage). I have an olive, medium-tannish skin tone, and Pink Lemonade seems a little too pale for me.

What bothers me most about these is the texture and wear. They apply extremely thickly, while at the same time applying very unevenly. I always find these form chunks around some places, and settle into every line or dry spot I might have on my mouth. They look very cakey to me, and they're wear time was about an hour without any drinking, eating, or excessive talking. They leave behind an awkward, waxy residue.

My expectations for this product were sheer color and moisturizing properties. These were not drying, but did accentuate dryness, and had an uncomfortable wear.

From left to right: Pink Lemonade, Juicy Papaya, Wild Watermelon
 

From left to right: Pink Lemonade, Juicy Papaya, Wild Watermelon

From left to right: Pink Lemonade, Juicy Papaya, Wild Watermelon