Reviews Archives - M is for Mama

I think I’ve mentioned several times before that I’ve suffered from severely dry/cracked lips for a while now. And by a while, I mean the last decade. For real. I cannot remember ever consistently having the problem until I got pregnant with Ezra, but ever since, it’s been a real (literal) pain. They peel, sometimes in chunks (sorry for the vivid image), bleed, and hurt like the Dickens. Not to mention look a fright (can you tell I’ve been listening to British books again?).

They’re definitely worse in the winter, but it’s pretty much a year-round problem. Even when I drank a gallon of water a day back in the fall (I’m still drinking between 60-90 ounces now), they were a little better, but I still dealt with pretty much constant dry patches.

So, when my savvy friend, Alissa, whom I’ve known for over a decade and whose impeccable taste in products I’ve always admired, told me about LipSense, I was intrigued.

Lip Sense is essentially a color stain that bonds with your lips, which means that it stays on for hours–even through sweating, eating, showering, etc.–but it comes paired with a Shea butter based gloss top coat that not only provides a nice sheen to your color but actually repairs your lips in the process of wearing it.

Let’s just say I was skeptically hopefully. Because I’ve tried pretty much every lip product out there–drugstore, spa, medicated, organic, homemade–with very little improvement, and it just seemed a bit too good to be true.

Except that it was Alissa recommending it, and Alissa–a meticulous personality and a careful researcher–would not recommend something she didn’t love and which didn’t work for her.

Long story short, I’ve been using my Lip Sense products for about 2 months now, and I love them!

Alissa set me up with a starter kit, which includes a tube of color, a tube of gloss, and a special remover, and then, because she knew I struggled so particularly with dry lips, she also hooked me up with the LipSense Moisturizing Lip Balm, which…drum roll, please…WORKS!

I was honestly shocked at how well the balm works. Like, my lips felt smooth and soft as a baby’s you-know-what the next morning.

Like a doofus, I sometimes go days without applying because I foolishly think that my lips will stay moisturized without adding extra moisture (huh?), but every time they start to dry out again, I just head back to the balm, and, sure enough, smooth lips within hours.

Yeehaw!

Couldn’t be happier with that.

Add that to the fact that the LipSense color + gloss combo actually does what it says: goes on easily and actually does stay on for hours (I average between 4 and 10 hours of wear, depending on my activities) IF (and this is key) you use it correctly, and I was pretty dang excited to have found something I loved that was so low-maintenance.

And pretty!

Wanna see?

I have two LipSense colors, but my fave is definitely Plumeria, which is a deep, pinky-red.

{Look, Mom! No unsightly peeling or lumps!}

I think I was getting ready to teach Combat in the above pic, and my participants were probably wondering why I was so dolled up for an exercise class, but, honestly, why not? It didn’t budge through all of the sweating, yelling, mike-adjusting, and water breaks.

{Oh, don’t mind me…just hanging out in my giant van, listening to a book, and wearing lip gloss whilst waiting for my children to get done with piano practice}

One thing I will say is that, since my lips were so dry/jacked up when I started using this, it stung quite badly when I first applied the color. There is some cosmetic grade alcohol in the color (see below for more info). As soon as I used the balm for even one day, though, the stinging went away completely.

Again wearing Plumeria (and gazing pensively out of an Anthropologie storefront window…naturally).

I asked Alissa for the low-down to help you understand more about the technical side of LipSense, and she sent me a paragraph, not knowing how much of it you’d want to know, but I honestly thought she expressed it so concisely that I decided to share the whole thing!

In her words:

-LipSense is a long wearing lip color that molecularly bonds to the lips. It’s worn with a permeable Shea Butter gloss which transfers through the color to hydrate the lips. You get the benefits of a hydrating lip balm combined with all the benefits of a beautiful color.

-LipSense is available in over 70 shades and 10 different glosses. It’s applied in 3 layers and topped with a gloss. The layers can consist of one color, or a combination of any 3 shades for a completely custom look. It’s important to wear LipSense gloss with the color because other glosses will break down the color and they don’t offer the same moisturizing benefits.

-LipSense provides a mechanical shield from the sun, so you get the benefits of a sunscreen without all of the chemicals. It’s also lead free, and the color is wax free. It’s also gluten free and kosher.

-When a person first uses LipSense, they may feel a tingling sensation. This is an indication that their lips are quite dry. LipSense contains SD40 cosmetic grade alcohol which will kill bacteria and help the pigment to disperse evenly, but it can also sting as it evaporates from damaged lips. The tingling or stinging should go away as soon as the soothing gloss is applied. This usually only occurs the first few times the product is applied, if it occurs at all.

-The color should last anywhere from 4-18 hours.

-The starter kit costs $55 and consists of a Color, a Glossy Gloss, and an Ooops! Remover. Additional colors are $25, and additional glosses are $20. The tube of color should be equivalent to 4 tubes of regular lipstick, and it will last the average person around 5 months. The amazing lip balm that you love is $20, and mine has lasted me about 6 months so far. I still have a little bit left.

-I like to use the original Neutrogena facial bar to remove it at night, but the Ooops! Remover that comes in the starter kit is great for fixing mistakes. If you use the Neutrogena at night then the Ooops! should last forever.

–I offer a 100% money back guarantee on these products. If they don’t love it, they can exchange it or return it.

And now for the best part!

Alissa is offering one of you lucky ducks the chance to win a starter kit–complete with color, gloss, and remover!

No offense to the rest of you, but I’m secretly hoping that one of you girls that struggles with dry lips like I do wins.

Entry is SUUUUUPER easy.

Simply pick a letter from the options below and comment.

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES: Head on over to Alissa’s Facebook page and give it a like, then leave me a comment telling me you did. I HIGHLY recommend doing this. She posts lots of good info and new colors and is very quick to respond to questions.

Okay, comment with either A, B, C, or D:

A) I have heard of LipSense but my interest ends with the giveaway

B) I have heard of LipSense but would like to know more

C) I have not heard of LipSense, but my interest ends with the giveaway

D) I have not heard of LipSense, and I would like to know more

Disclosure: if you express interest in knowing more, Alissa will follow up with you about this. She’s NOT pushy, is very efficient and helpful, and will happily return/exchange anything that doesn’t work for you.

Fine print: open to U.S. or Canada only. Giveaway ends Monday, June 29th at 11:59 PM

That’s it! Happy entering, and happy LONG weekend (for the Americans, at least!).