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From Lip Balm to Lip Gloss

From time to time I've written articles that help get the most out of cosmetics, long lasting lip color, lipstick, lip gloss or skin care. Some contain beauty tips not widely known. Others help you make the correct cosmetic and skin care purchase that's right for you.

I also occasionally come across articles that I think may be of interest. They are listed on this page. I always appreciate any feedback on anything I write or that I include on this list of "Beauty Resources."

(Please note that the articles and ideas contained herein are the individual author's ideas and suggestions. I do not endorse any product or service and, like anything, be your own judge to determine if the idea would work for you. Do your own research, it's always the best approach to get the desired results.)

LIP GLOSS, LIP BALM

Lip Gloss, Lip Balm

Author: Paul Graham
They flake. They peel. They crack. They hurt. In addition, they
are about as kissable as sandpaper. Nobody wants chapped lips.
But cold, dry, or windy conditions or just some bad luck in the
genes department can definitely dry out and roughen up that
tender and sensitive section of your face. Hence, using lip balm
regularly is the best way to keep lips moist and prevent chapped
lips. All lip balms, no matter what their ingredients, are,
basically, a way to replace or add to the normal,
moisture-retaining barrier of the skin. Lip balms functions the
same way as lip-gloss, though, the former is more of a treatment
and the latter is more on its cosmetic purpose.

Generally, lip balms are made from menthol, scented oils,
beeswax, camphor, petroleum jelly, and other different
components like alum, salicylic acid, and vitamins. When buying
lip balms, there are certain factors that need to be considered.
There are ingredients that when present in lip balms may induce
greater result and long-lasting treatment.

Basically, all lip balms are created for the same purpose and
are definitely effective on their own ways. However, it is still
important to choose lip balms that contain natural substances.
This is to be sure that using lip balms will not irritate your
chapped, dry lips.

When buying lip balm, it is best to buy those that contain
vegetable oils like olive oil and almond oil. These particular
types of vegetable oils are useful in bringing back the natural
oils to the lips. Hence, you will have healthy-looking, clean,
shiny lips.

Do you want to use it as an everyday alternative to lip-gloss?
Are you looking for medical treatment with regards to your super
dry, heavily chapped lips? Do you want to provide some sun-block
protection to your lips? Or do you just want to have that super
protection that you had been longing to have? Lip balm uses may
vary from the everyday lip care to the super-protection lip
balms.

How often should you use lip balm to prevent your lips from
chapping? It depends on where you live and the time of the year.
For example, if you live in Denver, the typical weather or
climatic condition would be very dry and cold in the winter, and
there is a lot of sun. Hence, it is important that you should
use a lip balm on a daily basis, applying it a couple of times a
day. If your neck of the woods is less dry, less cold, or less
sunny, you may be able to use lip balm less frequently.

The lips take a solar beating just like the other areas of the
face that are exposed to sunlight, but they typically do not get
protection from sunscreen. That is why it experts strongly
suggest using a lip balm with a sun-blocking ingredient. People,
however, should be wary of using lip balms with sunscreen
protection elements. Some people are sensitive to sunscreen, and
their lips can become chapped because they are using it on their
lips. Hence, if you notice any itching or redness, go back to a
lip balm without the extra protection.

It is really hard to distinguish the different ingredients in
lip balms and its propensity to cure chapped lips. In fact,
there are instances wherein some lip balms can even make the
matter worst. And so, it is extremely important to note if a
certain brand of lip balm can actually do more harm than good.
If this is the case, then, it would be better to find another
brand and look for the possible ingredient that could have
caused the irritation. Indeed, it has been said before but it
certainly bears repeating: The fastest way for a woman to update
her look is by simply swiping a flattering shade of lipstick
over her kisses. However, this is not possible if you have dry,
chapped lips.

Author: Paul Graham
One should remember that perfection is ten percent inspiration
and ninety-nine percent perspiration. So searching for the lip
gloss that best suits the lip color and lip tone one has is an
endeavor that requires patience, perseverance and a little (just
a little) bit of luck. Hopefully, the following tips will better
the chances of discovering the lip gloss that best suits the
lips you have on you.

There are numerous brands of lip gloss and the prices of each
vary. A $7 lip gloss bought at a neighborhood drugstore is not
necessarily inferior in quality compared to an $18 Poole lip
gloss compact. Lips could only appreciate the texture,
smoothness, silkiness of the gloss or feel its heaviness,
stickiness, or icky-ness. Little do lips care about how much the
lip gloss cost or where it was bought. Though high-end lip
glosses at times do offer a super-glossy feel that it almost
glides delightfully on the lips, there are also not too
expensive lip glosses like Bonne Bell which could give the
high-end brands a run for their money. A label is not
everything. Sometimes, a great find could be found in dollar
stores. Try your luck, win or lose, its all worth a dollar. But,
if buying in a drugstore or at Wal-mart, make sure that
extensive research has been done on the lip gloss product you
are considering of buying since drugstores offer no testers.

- Reapply to preserve the dye - Some brands, even the best ones,
fade off after a few hours - Some people really do not like the
feel of a heavy gloss - Judge by your lip color not anyone else's

Make sure to choose a lip gloss based on the lip color you have
since the color of your lips automatically affects the color of
the gloss applied on it. Never choose based on how good or bad a
lip gloss looks on Jennifer Anniston or Angelina Jolie. Jennifer
has thin pale lips while Angelina has full pucker-up ones.
Naturally, yours is similarly worlds apart from theirs, if not
better. Lip gloss colors appear differently on different kinds
of people. One's own lip color plays an important part because
your natural lip color will shine through. So does your natural
lip tone, the pigmentation of the lip gloss, how convenient is
it when applied and whatever it is you're looking for a lip
gloss. Clearly this is as unique, individual and personalized as
it could be.

No matter how great it looks, make sure that the lip gloss put
on the lips feels comfortable, as if it's almost like it wasn't
there. Lip gloss glitter that feels gritty or sharp should not
be tolerated by the lips or by you. Do not be afraid to return
it to the store and politely explain to the store clerk or -
preferably - the store manager your problem. It should be
exchanged for another less grittier tube. But if the same
trouble persists maybe it is time to change to a different
brand, specifically one that has not too much glitter that it
hurts.

Be realistic, lip gloss gives lips a smooth shimmer, it does not
provide anyone with kissable cottony-soft lips. Lip balms do
that. Balms are not shiny. But it makes lips feel supple. Apply
a balm over the lips first before putting on a lip gloss, this
is to moisturize the lips. Gloss is supposed to be - you've
guessed it - glossy. If it does not, troop to the shop or store
where it was bought from, you are supposed to get the product
you purchased for.

We all know the butter we put on our bread or bake with comes from the milk of cows.

But what about Shea Butter? A cow we haven't heard of? Maybe from an area we're not familiar with?

No it's from the nut of the Karite tree. The tree grows in the grassland savannahs throughout west and central Africa. Refined Shea Butter ranges in color from ivory to a pale yellow to a slight pale green shade and has a slightly "nutty" aroma. Unscented Shea Butter applied to the skin will lose the "nutty" smell almost immediately and fade away after about 30 minutes. And why is Shea Butter important?

Shea Butter has been used in that area of the world for thousands of years as a skin moisturizer, used to heal burned skin, remove stretch marks and in soaps and beauty products. Cleopatra in ancient Egypt is reported to have used the product as a skin moisturizer.

Scientists have found Shea Butter contains beneficial fatty acids, along with vitamin A and E, which promote cell regeneration and natural circulation, resulting in its healing qualities for dry, aging or troubled skin.

Today refined Shea Butter is best known as a skin moisturizer. Another critical use is the treatment of burn victims where the Shea Butter increases local capillary circulation which triggers cell regeneration.

Soap makers use Shea Butter in their process as a highly prized addition. Since the oils in Shea Butter do not react to the soap making process, leaving it behind to nourish the skin. Thus you get a double benefit from Shea Butter based soap.

With the coming of winter and the dry indoors environment we all suffer from dry skin. The most sensitive area of skin is out lips. Chapped lips can range from a minor irritant to breaks in the skin which can be painful while eating certain foods and even talking.

Shea Butter to the rescue. Many have found relief using a Shea Butter based lip gloss. It's far superior to the wax based lip balms. When you start using the Shea Butter based lip gloss the applications may be rather frequent as your lips are quite dry. But as your lips become more moist and the cracked and chapped skin on your lips heals you'll require less applications. A tip to speed up the moisturizing and healing process is to apply the Shea Butter based lip gloss when you go to bed. It then works while you sleep.

For men there are Shea Butter based lip balms in applicators that do not look like lipstick tubes. They work the same as the lip gloss-and they usually have a matte finish.

The correct lip gloss not only lends a moisturizing effect to your lips, but also increases the beauty of the underlying liquid lip color. Eliminate chapped lips forever and the annoying habit of licking your lips in the attempt to add some moisture to your lips.

The cosmetic market is crowded with a multitude of lip gloss choices. Not all are beneficial to the moisturizing of your lips. Cream based lip glosses, for example, will dry out your lips and this is the last thing you want to do to moisturize and hydrate your lips.

What you need to find is a lip gloss that comes in a variety of finish choices such as: gloss, matte and pearl. The best lip glosses also come in a wide variety of colors ranging from blue based to a more toned down yellow based gloss. Applying colored glosses you can do double duty-add some attractive color to your lips and moisturize all in one application.

So you should consider using lip gloss as an integral part of your makeup to give color to your lips and as a moisturizer to hydrate your lips.

Ingredients in lip gloss can contain glycerin, aloe and possibly Vitamin E. All fall short in properly moisturizing your lips. The best basic lip gloss ingredient, in the opinion of many experts, is highly refined shea butter.

Shea butter is found in sub-tropical Africa. It is extracted from the nut of the Shea-Karite tree. The nuts from the Shea-Karite have a high content of irremovable fatty acid. It is this irremovable fatty acid that gives Shea Butter its unique healing properties and makes it far superior to cocoa butter and other vegetable butters. Refined Shea Butter is an all natural product.

Shea butter has been found by physicians to be beneficial in the treatment of the skin of burn victims. These same healing qualities in a lip gloss will eliminate chapped lips, and properly moisturize your lips.

Making the right selection in a lip gloss will take care of your lips and make them appear smooth, soft and kissable. A favorite makeup approach for many women is to apply long lasting lip color and then use a lip gloss based on highly refined Shea Butter for it moisturizing qualities.

The best long lasting liquid lip color, such a LipSense, is applied in three thin coats. This allows the Shea Butter based lip gloss to penetrate and perform their magic in moisturizing the lips. See more at Lip Gloss.

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