Caudalie French Kiss Tinted Balms

Sweetly flavoured and scented but not sickly so, the French Kiss balms from Caudalie are a perfect makeup/ skincare hybrid. The balms launched last September but with Valentine's Day just around the corner, it would almost be rude not to treat yourself to one (or all of them if you're really feeling the love). The balms are available in three tints- Innocence, Seduction and Addiction - which add a flush of colour and a slight glossy finish while protecting and caring for the lips.

INNOCENCE, a natural pink, is infused with the scent of vanilla and orange peel.

‎SEDUCTION, a subtle pink, is vanilla scented.

ADDICTION is inspired by a syrup made from red berries. A raspberry red, this is the sassiest of the three tints and probably my favourite. You still get the confidence boosting feeling that comes on when you're wearing a red lipstick but with a much, much more subtle look on the lips.  ‎

The balms are designed to be applied with a finger so they really aren't heavily pigmented- you just get a lovely tint effect. If you like the feeling of cream blushers, there's no reason why each of the balms couldn't be used to add a touch of colour to the cheeks too. ‎Rich and creamy, the balms have a beeswax, aloe vera and sunflower and castor oil base enriched with Caudalie's signature antioxidant grape Polyphenols. Grape seed Polyphenols are naturally occurring antioxidants that protect the skin against free radicals (which, according to Caudalie are responsible for 4 out of 5 wrinkles...) and aid in preserving the hyaluronic acid content of the skin. Grape Polyphenols are also said to be 10,000 times more powerful than Vitamin E, which is quite incredible.
Each of the balms feel smooth and comfortable on the lips and I'm sure would be a welcome addition to any handbag. The balms retail for £10 each - you can find out more about them and purchase at Caudalie.

The Kiss Lipgloss by Lush

Frosted pink is usually a colour I avoid. It's just not my cup of tea and I find it a little bit terrifying.
Therefore my first feeling was one of disappointment when I read about Lush's limited edition lip gloss The Kiss.

Launched in celebration of Valentine's Day, The Kiss is a teeny weeny pot of lip balm/ gloss that's 100% vegan and 100% preservative free but is also 100% frosted pink! :0

I popped in to Lush to investigate further regardless of my fear-of-the-frost and found that the glitter/ frosted effect of the gloss was not nearly as extreme as I thought, though applying too much is not a good move as the glittery bits tend to stick around after the gloss is gone.

Applied with a light hand however, The Kiss leaves a subtle, shiny baby pink hue on my lips, smells like liquorice allsorts (yet doesn't taste like anything really) and applies smoothly and easily thanks to its 'whipped' texture.

The texture of the gloss makes it perfect for smooching on Valentine's Day, so long as your partner doesn't mind the risk of shimmery sparkling bits migrating onto their mouths.

All in all, while I generally like this product, I kind of wish they'd left out the sparkles and just sold it as a yummy gloss without the glitter factor!

The kiss is £5.50 at Lush stores across the UK and $8.95 in the US.

Have you picked this up too?

Thanks for reading!