The LipSync Project: 15 Days of Treats for Your Lips - Day 3

Welcome to Day 3 of The LipSync Project!

When it comes to flavoring lip products, we have basically two choices: essential oils or flavor oils.

Essential oils, because they’re derived from natural sources (mostly plant materials), provide a limited selection for flavoring purposes. Many that may be used for flavoring are from the citrus fruit family: lime, lemon, orange, but there’s also anise, cinnamon, clove, peppermint, etc. But some essential oils can cause photosensitivity, and may cause the skin to burn more easily when exposed to sunlight, particularly when used in leave-on products like lip balms.
Flavor oils are synthetic (I always choose pthalate-free!), and therefore can be manufactured in just about any possible flavor. They are available sweetened, but I prefer the unsweetened - with a sweetener, there is a tendency to lick, which may promote dry, chapped lips.

As with fragrance oils, when I add new flavor and essential oils to my inventory, I open each bottle as soon as they arrive and smell the aroma, touch to feel the consistency and try to see how it feels on the skin - and just get an overall first impression for my records.

Along with many formulators, I make up a large batch of lip balm and lip gloss base each week, and then flavor & color smaller quantities to order. I want every customer to receive as fresh a product as possible!

I start testing by melting a small amount of base and adding the manufacturer’s minimum suggested percentage of each Flavor Oil per batch. I test and record how each oil dispurses in the base, how it affects the color and of course, how it smells. Once the base solidifies, I test and record how the flavored balm feels on the skin, how it tastes (even though flavor oils have no actual flavor, too much can create a bitter aftertaste in balm) and how long the aroma lasts.

I then remelt the flavored base, adjust the amount of Flavor Oil as necessary, and then more notekeeping. I may do this several times - or start over from scratch - until I get exactly what I want: intense, long-lasting aroma that doesn’t adversely effect the foundation of the Lip Balm or Butter.

When I have the percentage of each flavor oil recorded for future formulating, I can then start playing with color! I test which shades of mica will work best with each scent, carefully recording amounts and colors so it can easily be recreated later.

And then I can finally name my new Lip product! And that’s a big part of the fun - I love coming up with awesome new blends and fun names for my products. I’ll sit with a notebook for hours on end drawing up potential names - and am usually quite pleased with myself when I come up with a yummy new Lip Butter flavor like Mexican Hot Chocolate (coming soon!) or memorable, descriptive Lip Gloss names like Fiercely Fuschia and Marvelously Merlot (superlatives are a fun trademark of my LipSync Line of Lip Glosses).

And here’s today’s LipSync Lip Treat for Day 3:

LipSync Mineral Tinted Lip Butter in Vanilla Latte, .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.

Vanilla Latte Lip Butter imparts the scent of rich, creamy coffee with a hint of vanilla. This Lip Butter adds a sheer tint of a light chocolate-brown shimmer to your lips.

LipSync Vanilla Latte 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=39491564

Tune in to Day 4 of The LipSync Project: 15 Days of Treats for Your Lips for more fun - and maybe even a recipe - and of course, a brand new treat for your lips!

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 Mineral Tinted Lip Butter in LemonBerry, .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.

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.

LipSync Lemonberry 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=39492235

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!

Spring Has Sprung in the Retail World - Or So They Tell Me

Spring Is In The Air!

Even though it's snowing in the MidWest and storming here in the NorthEast today, everything retail is all about Spring! Especially in the online sales venues.

The retail world has always dictated when the shopping 'olympics' begin for a particular season. And to be honest, I always find seasonal shopping exciting - it helps bring on a change in attitude and gets me into the spirit of a new and fresh time of year.

But let's admit it: just because I can buy a lemon yellow halter top today, it doesn't mean I can wear it tomorrow (it's only 45 degrees out, for heaven's sake!). And if I do buy it today, who's to say I'm even going to like it or want to wear it two months from now (when it's finally 75 degrees out!)? Prerogative of a woman, and all...

When I began my mineral makeup business, I promised myself two things:
1) To always be fashion-forward but classicly chic
2) To never offer an item that the consumer can't buy today and use today

So, when developing my Spring line, I decided to be practical:

• I'm offering lots of exfoliating products to help shed the Winter 'blues' and 'blahs'
• I'm offering subtle shades that transition well from Winter to Spring
• I'm offering lighter fragrances that treat the senses to a brighter experience

But I, too, am in a rush for the vivid and intense shades of Summer and the dazzling and glowing rays of the sun! I just couldn't help myself in adding one or two vibrant new shades of eyeshadows to my Spring Collection:

Amazon Lily is a gorgeous peacock blue with gold undertones and a shimmer finish: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23276657

Cuban Gold is 24 Karats of pure sunshine with a shimmer finish: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23276952

So Celebrate Spring and all the wonders that a change in seasons bring. Revel in all the rich and radiant colors of this incredible time of year. But don't forget - don't buy something today that you can't wear tomorrow (unless it's on sale, of course!).