Sunday, January 31, 2010

The LipSync Project: 15 Days of Treats for Your Lips - Day 2

We're on Day 2 of The LipSync Project!

Choosing the right ingredients for lip balms and butters is very important. Many commercial brands contain petroleum by-products (petrolatum, petroleum jelly, mineral oil), aluminum salts (alum), alcohols, camphor, phenols, menthol, preservatives and more… Many of these ingredients may initially feel soothing, but in fact may dry out delicate lip tissue and aggravate dry, chapped lips.

Because most lip balm/butter formulations have no water content, a preservative is unnecessary. Yes, a lip balm can get wet, but the liquid cannot be introduced into the balm, and therefore, it cannot support bacterial or microbial growth. But the oils and butters can go rancid due to age, so a good antioxidant (like vitamin e or rosemary oleoresin extract) is necessary.

I based my choice of ingredients on the properties of specific oils, waxes and butters. I knew I wanted my products to soothe and soften, nourish and condition, protect and lock in moisture, help fight against signs of aging and help prevent future skin damage. And of course: feel wonderful and look incredible on the lips!

So, for LipSync Lip Butter formula, I chose:

Coconut Oil: Coconut Oil is an excellent moisturizer and skin softener. It’s full of antioxidants that help keep the skin smooth and supple, helps fight against free-radical damage and signs of aging, and provides a protective layer on the skin that helps fight against the damaging effects of the elements. It also provides a level of natural sun protection.

Beeswax: Beeswax provides a protective layer, sealing in moisture, hydrating while softening the skin. It's also a naturally nourishing moisturizer as well as being anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-allergenic and provides antioxidant properties.

Cocoa Butter: Cocoa Butter helps lips retain moisture, helps prevent dryness and cracking, and helps protects skin from environmental factors. Cocoa Butter nourishes and conditions lips, making then feel soft and smooth.

Mango Butter: Mango butter moisturizes and soothes rough, dry skin, helps heal and relieve dryness, itching, rashes and other skin conditions. It also aids in the regeneration of skin cells and restores elasticity. Mango Butter also helps fights against signs of aging, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and helps protect against UVA/UVB sun damage.

Shea Butter: Shea butter is a rich emollient that contains essential fatty acids which are needed to maintain the elasticity and softness of healthy lips. It protects the lips from excessive dryness and sun-damage, soothes dry, chapped lips and helps prevent damage from free-radicals.

Sweet Almond Oil: Sweet almond oil is easily absorbed into the skin, improves moisture levels and helps to maintain firmness and elasticity. It helps to combat dry skin and has wonderful healing properties due to its high mineral content.

High-Oleic Sunflower Seed Oil: Sunflower Seed Oil is rich in vitamins and essential fatty acids that nourish, condition and soften lips. With it’s light texture, it’s easily absorbed into the skin, providing immediate and long term relief to dry skin.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and protects the lips against premature aging by preventing the formation of free radicals. Vitamin E also has anti-inflammatory properties which can help soothe lip damage caused by sun, wind and excessive dryness.

You’ll find as many different formulas for Lip Balms & Butters as there are ingredients - each and every one providing different benefits. Be sure to check your ingredient labels and choose Lip products that are best suited to your specific needs.

And here’s today’s LipSync Lip Treat for Day 2:

LipSync handmade Lip Butters are extra-emollient and moisturizing and enriched with Vitamin E. Formulated with only the highest quality ingredients - and 3 different ultra-rich butters - they're the ultimate in promoting soft, supple, smooth lips. And with a hint of sheer color, they can be worn alone, under or over lipstick and lip liners.

Lemonberry Lip Butter imparts the scent of sweet, plump berries and tart lemons. This Lip Butter adds a sheer tint of a barely-there pink shimmer to your lips.


Tune in to Day 2 of The LipSync Project: 15 Days of Treats for Your Lips for more on natural lip care and a brand new treat for your lips!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

The LipSync Project: 15 Days of Treats for Your Lips - Day 1

And so, The LipSync Project is off to a belated but fabulous start!

I’m so excited to be expanding my line of Lip Balms, Butters, Glosses and Plumpers! New brand, new flavors and colors, new products, new formulas, new packaging - what a thrill!

I thought it might be interesting to start off by talking about lip balms and lip butters and what the differences are: The Basics, as they say.

I’ve posted previously about the importance of protecting and caring for the lips - please see “5 Steps to Beautifully Perfect Lips” at http://bellissimasblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/5-steps-to-perfectly-beautiful-lips.html

Lip Balms and Butters help in relieving dry, chapped lips and preventing moisture loss - and the addition of flavor and color only enhances the product and provides cosmetic benefits to the consumer.

The main difference between a lip balm and a lip butter is exactly what you’d think:
Lip Butters have a higher percentage of butter (usually cocoa, mango and/or shea - but other butters like pistachio, macadamia, kokum, illipe and coffee bean may be used), creating a very rich, emollient product that absorbs into the skin, soothing, softening and replenishing moisture.

Lip Balms, on the other hand, usually have a higher percentage of wax (usually beeswax, but soy, candellila, carnauba, even jojoba esters may be used), creating a stiffer product that sits on top of the skin, locking in moisture and providing a protective layer against the elements.

I like both, as they serve different purposes - and together, they’re a double-whammy against dry, cracked, painful, chapped lips!

Whether it’s in a tube, pot or tin, there’s no doubt that lip balms and butters are a must for lip care!

And here’s the LipSync Lip Treat for Day 1:

LipSync Mineral Tinted Lip Butter in Cherry Almond, .25oz slide tin
LipSync handmade Lip Butters are extra-emollient and moisturizing and enriched with Vitamin E. Formulated with only the highest quality ingredients - and 3 different ultra-rich butters - they're the ultimate in promoting soft, supple, smooth lips. And with a hint of sheer color, they can be worn alone, under or over lipstick and lip liners.

Cherry Almond Lip Butter imparts the scent of freshly picked cherries and rich toasted almonds. This Lip Butter adds a sheer tint of mahogany shimmer to your lips.

LipSync Cherry Almond Mineral Tinted Lip Butter is available for $4.00 + Shipping at my new shop on etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=39497336

Tune in to Day 2 of The LipSync Project: 15 Days of Treats for Your Lips for more information on lip balm ingredients - and maybe even a recipe - and of course, a brand new treat for your lips!