My latest 100% natural find is NZP Lip Balm. It instantly soothes dry, chapped lips with a wonderful list of ultra-gentle ingredients. The ingredients include Hypoallergenic Lanolin, Glycerin, Sodium Stearyl Lactylate, Peppermint Oil, Coconut Oil, Stevia, Aloe Vera Gel, Sweet Almond Oil, Safflower Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, Vitamins A and E and Menthol. And I can tell the difference on my lips. They feel like they can breathe, not heavy or greasy, just soft and supple.

NZP stands for New Zealand’s Purest, which is where this company gets their pure and natural lanolin. It’s carefully derived from the shorn wool of sheep in a cruelty-free process. Lanolin has been used in many skin care products over the years because of its nearly identical makeup as the skin’s natural oils.

But this is just one of NZP’s wonderful products, they also offer hand and foot lotions that soften and smooth even the driest parts of your body.

A press sample was provided for the purpose of review.

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My Lip Stuff, Meet My Beauty Bunny!

And charmed, I sure am–I recently located My Lip Stuff on both Leaping Bunny and Caring Consumer, and was attracted to the catchy brand name and its impressive motto: serious skin care with a fun flair! How could I resist sampling some of these lip balms and then spreading the good word?! (My own lips are certainly grateful for my discovery; I think yours will be, too.)

Cruelty Free PETA lip balm

Aside from the excellent company credentials  and corporate mission, check out the plethora of available flavors –over 500 and growing–each made with the same natural ingredients:

• beeswax (derived naturally from bees and harvested without any cruel or inhumane treatment. check the MLS FAQs for more info; beeswax-free formulas are also available)
• cocoa butter
• castor oil
• sunflower oil
• sweet almond oil
• jojoba oil
• avocado oil
• aloe vera
• essential and/or flavor oil(s)

If all of those choices aren’t appetizing enough, there are also fun label lip balms: specialty-themed–and clever–in their own right.

Of the three  flavors I tested, I would have to say I honestly preferred the vanilla nut roll the most–but I didn’t get to try the chocolate cheesecake (mmmm two of my favorite tastes together!) yet. An extremely reasonable $2.50 per tube, you could taste-test 8 different flavors for $20 and still have money left to spend on other goodies the store has to offer, not the least of which includes the charitabalms. These individual flavors–and labels– each support their own  note-worthy animal charity; your purchase does help make a difference!

To help introduce My Beauty Bunny’s readers to My Lip Stuff, we’re giving away a package of 6 flavored lip balms to 1 lucky winner (please note: flavors will be selected randomly).

Want your lips to thank you? Here’s what to do:

• Leave a comment below, telling us why you and your lips need a 6-pack from MLS.

For extra chances of winning, help us continue to spread the word about My Beauty Bunny and My Lip Stuff on Facebook and Twitter:

• Follow @MyLipStuffand @MyBeautyBunny on Twitter and tweet the following: @MyLipStuff and @MyBeautyBunny are giving away a 6-pack of flavored lip balms http://ow.ly/1pD6L

Leave a comment after you’ve tweeted. You can tweet once per day; please be sure to comment after each time!

• Become a fan of  My Lip Stuff’s Facebook page. (If you’re already a fan, just leave your Facebook name.)

• Become a fan of My Beauty Bunny’s Facebook page. (Again, if you’re already a fan, just leave your Facebook name.)

• Sign up for My Beauty Bunny’s e-mail newsletter and let us know the e-mail address you used to sign up. (If you’re already a subscriber, just post your e-mail address.)

IMPORTANT: You must leave a comment for EACH action in order for it to count.

Contest is open to all readers age 18 and over; valid until April 5, 2010 at midnight.

]]> http://www.mybeautybunny.com/2010/03/mylipstuff-giveaway/feed/ 110 http://www.mybeautybunny.com/2009/10/1012-giveaway-yes-to-carrots-lip-gift-set-31-44-value/ http://www.mybeautybunny.com/2009/10/1012-giveaway-yes-to-carrots-lip-gift-set-31-44-value/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:14 +0000 mybeautybunny http://www.mybeautybunny.com/?p=2719 Yes To products combine the fresh, unadulterated goodness of organic fruits and vegetables with the purifying and moisturizing properties of 26 minerals harvested from the ancient world’s most renowned spa — the Dead Sea.

Yes To Carrots Lip Care products soothe, nourish and condition your lips with all-natural, 95% organic ingredients. Coconut and Olive Oils are ultra-moisturizing, whilst Vitamin E is an exceptional antioxidant to protect against environmental exposure.

Yes to Carrots Lip Gift Set includes:
Yes To Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter in Berry, Carrot, Mint, Melon, Citrus ($3.69/each)
Yes To Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter in Berry, Carrot, Mint, Melon, Citrus ($3.69/each)
C Through the Dry Spell Delicious Rich Body Butter ($12.99)
C Through the Dry Spell Delicious Rich Body Butter ($12.99)

Keep reading to find out how to win this gift set!

To enter:

• For your first entry, all you have to do is click on “Enter the contest here” at the bottom of this post. That will take you to a web form where you will enter.

For extra entries:

• Follow @MyBeautyBunny on Twitter and click the re-tweet button at the bottom of the post. Fill out the form (linked below) after you’ve tweeted. You can tweet once per day – just be sure to leave a comment for each tweet!

• Become a fan of My Beauty Bunny’s Facebook page. If you’re already a fan, just leave your Facebook name.

• Sign up for My Beauty Bunny’s e-mail newsletter and leave me the e-mail address you used to sign up. If you’re already a subscriber, just leave me your e-mail address.

• Add our “No Tricks. Just Treats!” button to your blog with a link back to My Beauty Bunny. Get the code here. Fill out the form (linked below) for your entry.

IMPORTANT: You must fill out the form (linked below) for EACH action in order for it to count. Comments on this post do not count!

You must be a U.S. citizen, age 18 or older to win. Contest ends midnight (PST), 10/26/09.

Good luck!

Contest has ended.

The lip butters have tons of moisturizing and soothing ingredients for your kisser – shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax jojoba oil and sunflower oil.  They also have melon seed extract, carrot root extract and pumpkin seed extract.

Many of you have tried the lip butter already, but…now Yes to Carrots has come out with lip tints and lip glosses. So – how do they stack up?

All of the Yes to Carrots lip products are natural – made with 95% organic ingredients, no parabens, petroleum or phthalates (that can dry out lips).  And, never any animal testing of course. They also avoid carmine (a popular coloring agent made from crushed beetle shells).

The lip tints are very similar to the product by Burt’s Bees.  The lip tints are sort of in-between a lip balm and a lipstick.  They go on smooth, are NOT STICKY and they have a wonderful cooling sensation!  They come in a great range of colors – my fave is the light pink, which is just one step above natural lips – but gives me that polished look.

For more shine and oomph, I add the lip gloss on top of my lip tint (or lipstick).  This is one of the only lip glosses I like because again – it’s NOT STICKY.  There’s nothing I hate more than sticky crap on my lips.  Especially when the wind blows and my hair gets stuck to my face. Not cool. But, Yes to Carrots has made a wonderful product.  It’s kind of like the Burt’s Bees lip gloss (which I also like), but these have much more pigment, so other people can actually tell you have something on.  There’s even a glittery, red gloss that would be fantastic over red lipstick!

I highly recommend the Yes to Carrots line of lip products. Run – don’t walk – to your neighborhood drugstore and pick some up. You won’t regret it.

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With a passion for skin care—and chocolate, she has united her esthetician background and chocolate lover’s taste to create Sweet Beauty’s skincare line, featuring organic, fair trade certified chocolate.

 Lisa’s philosophy is based on three simple statements:

• If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t wear it on your skin.

• Beauty products should be a natural way for you to feel good.

• Almost nothing makes you feel better than chocolate.

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Her fabulous lip balms REALLY taste like chocolate and her Nourish Triple Chocolate body scrub is also divine.  I’ve been looking for a really rough scrub for my feet, and this one fits the bill.

Check out the ingredients list – you can’t get more simple and natural than this!

Ingredients: Natural Raw Sugar, Organic Cane Sugar, Babassu Seed Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Organic Fair Trade Certified Cocoa Nibs, Organic Cocoa Powder, Cocoa Absolute, Rosemary Extract, Vitamin E T50

To all my chocolate lovers – check it out! Now it’s time for me to go get a chocolate cookie!

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Ms. Eva Mathews

Guest blog post by Eva Mathews, Tulane Medical student and younger, but taller, sister to Jen.

My lovely sister made my day by giving me a bag full of fun-colored products to review.  Don’t call it nepotism, call it a new perspective!  The new perspective is that of a busy, young medical student (that would be me) with no income, lots of bills, a fair amount of stress and no time to waste!

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The first product I wanted to try was SAMPAR’s Dew it Again Shower Gel.  The packaging is cute, pale pink and fairly unassuming.  Looking at it, I had no idea of the high end price ($34) or of the wide ranging benefits that SAMPAR claims this gel has.  These benefits range from the obvious and basic “eliminates oil, dirt and impurities from the skin,” to the scientific claims that I cannot verify, like “neutralizes lead and chlorine contained in water” to the completely un-provable and out there, “exclusive anti-pollution shield.”  None of these benefits/claims are actually written on the bottle.

My skepticism aside, I tried the shower gel before reading about the exclusive pollution shield (and so on.)  I found the gel itself to be very light, as it made a nice feathery foam which I really liked.  With the soft pink packaging and downy gel, I expected the scent to be that of baby powder or something sugary like bubble gum.

I was relieved to inhale the scent of mixed essential oils which include lavender, peppermint and cajeput (an ingredient sometimes used in decongestants or acne treatments.) It was definitely on the moisturizing side of shower gels and I wouldn’t recommend it for those with oily skin.  As for me, I’m going to keep on using it, but I do have my doubts about the claimed benefits and the price is too hefty for my pocketbook.  (However, I will keep my eye out for development of the Exclusive Pollution Shield, and I’ll let you know if I develop any super-human greenhouse gas or toxic waste fighting powers – that may be worth the $34!)

I tried a sample of NARS firming foundation.  The name of the shade?  Well first I have some ‘splaining to do.  I am very, very fair skinned, so much so that my own mother makes fun of me for it, and when I meet other pale people who are complaining about how they are the palest person they know, they pause, look at me and say something like, “except for you, that is.”  So, I had to laugh when my own really pale sister gave me this sample saying it was too light for her.  Are you ready for the name of the shade now?

It’s called “Siberia.”  It happens to be the lightest shade in their pallet.

It has a consistency of a moisturizer, which I really like.  I lot of other foundations are too thick or oily.  I feel like Goldilocks when I say that this one is “just right.”  The coverage is light to medium and it lasts well throughout the day. It also has firming agents (can’t start too early) including brown algae, organic gotu kola, boswellia and Vitamin C.

Now, at $50 a bottle, I do think it’s worth it, but for me this one will have to wait until the debts are paid and the checks are rolling in!

Next I tried Sweet Beauty’s Organic Chocolate Spa Treatments “Indulge” extra dark chocolate lip balm.  I love good chocolate and I also appreciate that their chocolate comes from organic Fair Trade chocolate from Seattle.  The good news is that it’s cruelty-free and it smells fantastic, I mean fantastic.  I keep sniffing it and trying not to eat it!

Have no fear, my bunnies, Lipstick Queen is here to save the day with her Chinatown Glossy pencils.  I tried the one called “Crime” which she describes as a sheer hot pink.  Hot pink, it is.  The pencil is a large gloss pencil dressed in black with Chinese characters.  I love the look.

The website’s description claims that it is a super sheer, super moisturizing, draw on gloss in a jumbo pencil.  I find all these claims true except the super sheer part.  I give it light to medium coverage (but I’m not the Lipstick Queen.)  I love the packaging, love the products, and love the names.  Next, I want to try “Thriller,” the sheer scarlet red.  Long live The Queen!

Guest blog post by Eva Mathews, Tulane Medical student and younger, but taller, sister to Jen.

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NZP Naturals

NZP Naturals (New Zealand’s Purest) makes a heavy duty lip balm for desperate lips. I am a nervous lip biter, so lipstick is not an option for me.

I love my balms and glosses, but finding one that stays put through my little habit is a challenge. I am pleased to report to my fellow lip biters and lip balm lovers across the nation that this little pot of balm from NZP does the trick!

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The not so secret ingredient of this little miracle in a pocket sized container is lanolin. Yes, yes… I know what you’re thinking, “Isn’t lanolin an animal product?” Yes, but it is completely cruelty free! You can read all about it on their website www.nzpnaturals.com but in short, lanolin is obtained from the natural oil that coats a sheep’s wool.

When the sheep are shorn once a year (no harm done, keeps them happy and healthy) their wool goes through a cleaning process that includes putting it through rollers that press out these natural oils. The raw oil is refined and made into several grades of lanolin.

The benefit of using a lanolin-based lip balm over a wax-based lip balm is noticeable after only one use. Unlike wax based balms, NZP Lip Balm actually exfoliates and absorbs into the lips. I applied this lip balm for three consecutive days before bed and I awoke with noticeably softer lips each time.

The consistency is thick and a little sticky so I wouldn’t suggest applying it before your goodnight kiss, but HOORAY it actually stays on all night! This will be my balm of choice during the cold New York winters.

NZP Lip Balm is a no-frills, straight forward, to the point product. I am such a sucker for fancy packaging and fragrances…but NZP has taught me that you can’t judge a lip balm by its container.

Lip Balm Ingredients: Lanolin, Glycerin, Sodium Stearyl Lactylate, Peppermint Oil, Coconut Oil, Stevia, Sweet Almond Oil, Safflower Seed Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Vitamin E & Menthol.

NZP Naturals also makes a great, hard-core foot balm, hand balm and all-purpose balm. All of which are great for cracked, dry skin – especially during the winter months.

These have the consistency of honey, so they are best put on at night under socks or gloves (great for girls’ night manis and pedis!). As of this writing, these products are on sale at Harvest Moon Health Foods (click here to shop).

Guest blog post by Hala Schlub, owner of Hala Vintage, a high-end vintage clothing store in Jersey City, NJ.

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1) Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm – An oldie but a goodie, this all-natural lip balm gives the perfect amount of moisture and leaves a refreshing peppermint tingle. It moisturizes with lanolin, coconut oil and sunflower oil, and prevents moisture loss with beeswax. Packaged in a recycled plastic tube, I always carry this lifesaver with me.

2) Organoderm Lip Balm – When I’m needing a bit more moisture and shine, this certified organic balm soothes away dryness and makes my lips happy with Beeswax, Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Sweet Orange Oil, Almond Oil, and Vitamin E. It’s free of chemicals and its tube is recyclable.

3) Colorescience Sunforgettable SPF 30 Sun Salve – A new favorite! This tinted matte lip balm uses minerals to protect your lips from the sun while Jojoba Oil, Coca Butter, Mango Butter, and Shea Butter moisturize. Spearmint Oils provide a refreshing flavor.