As my love affair with lipstick, balms and tints continues I'm falling more and more out of love with lip glosses. That doesn't mean I don't miss what we once had, the sheer perfection of a hint of colour with alluring shine, that makes lips appear plumper with a swipe of a wand. But of late I have been finding the texture so irritating that I just can't look past it. Luckily for me there is a new kid on the block, that has all the virtues of a gloss yet none of the drawbacks.
Itha Lip Glows are a perfect cross between a tinted lip balm and a sheer lip gloss. It comes in two formulas: vegan or vegetarian (vegetarian contains beeswax). I have a bit of a collection of these pots, five in total, 3 have been sent to me for review and I purchased 2 at the LNLO show at a later date. That really says it all, I am putting my money where my mouth is, so there really is no question about how much I like them. Now let's talk about the colours and different formulations.
The base of organic oils is the same in both versions: Jojoba, castor oil and cocoa butter. In the vegan incarnation candelila wax is used instead of beeswax. I do find that the lip glows with beeswax are ever so slightly more emollient and give a glossier finish. When it comes to texture, vegetarian lip glows are a winner for me, but I prefer the colours from the vegan range. All the glows have very fine shimmer that isn't at all obvious yet imparts radiance, in fact it was only noticeable in very bright sunlight, and I really loved the effect. Each colour is paired up with a differen flavour/scent, making it a pleasure for the scences.
Vegan range:
Bare babe strangely has become my most used of the bunch. The reason why that is odd is because as the name suggests the colour effect is bare. In the pot and when you swatch it looks like a a light peachy pink, but the colour doesn't show up on my lips, leaving them looking glossy yet still like my natural colour. Normally I like my lip products to give a bright dose of colour, but in this case it was the strawberry scent mixed with chocolaty fragrance of cocoa butter that has trumped my love of colour. Combined with the fact that my lips feel so nourished when using it, Bare babe has become my favourite companion.
Cherished is a cross between light mauve and pink. While it is very close to my natural lips, the effect is a slightly more dressed up pout. I can't quiet put my finger on the scent but it is berry like. Absolutely delicious.
Infatuated* is the most dramatic colour of the lot, burgundy wine. How intense it appears will depend on how you layer it, you can blend it to just the hint of colour or go more showy, but it will still keep that slightly see through texture that glosses are known for. It is paired up with a delectable cherry scent.
Veggie range:
Sweet bomb* is a bright pink that smells like confectionery. Again the colour intensity depends on how much you use.
Rose kiss* is a slightly more intense pink with a scent of roses. On me it looks the most pigmented and doesn't really require layering for an intense colour that looks almost like a bubblegum pink. Absolutely gorgeous. Also I would say that it has the most noticeable shimmer of the lot.
It was a little difficult to capture the true colours on my lips in the photos, the ones I took of sweet bomb didn't come out well at all, the colours are more intense in reality, I will try and get better pics and update this post with them. Now I love playing with my colours and after talking to the founder of Itha she mentioned that she mixes Infatuted and Rose kiss. Naturally I had to try it and I absolutely love the look.
If my arm was twisted, I would say these are uber glam glossy lip balms. They keep your pout well hydrated and with a dose of colour, but you would need to reapply more often then with a lipstick. Colours are extremely flattering and the scents are beyond delicious. For me the definite winners are Bare babe for the amazing scent and an easy chic pout, rose kiss for a healthy dose of pink, and infatuated for a little more drama. But for the time being I don't have to choose, I'm enjoying all five.
*PR samples, opinions in this post and every post are my own, completely honest, based on personal experience with the products. I liked these so much that I went and bought two extra colours before any of the PR pots ran out, and I'm currently sitting here sniffing my lips that are still covered in lip glow (mm chocolate cherries)
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