I knew I had lips: a review of Revlon balm stains

I'm a diehard chapstick-er. I apply multiple times most days and that's usually good enough, but sometimes I catch my face in the mirror and think, "where are my lips?"

Well, I may not think that exactly, but almost. I suppose my lips have always been dull and while I do occasionally don a pinky gloss for church, I consider lipgloss otherwise too "dressy" for my normal life.  Plus, I don't really like the way it feels. I don't like having to paint it on carefully with a wand, all the time knowing that the first drink I take will undo everything anyway.

And it looks so...glossy. That's a given, I know, but I don't really want to walk around with a set of reflectors on my face. What I need is something that goes on like a chapstick, that feels like a chapstick, but livens like a lipstick. Subtle, natural-looking, and definitely not reflective. Yes. That's what I need.

Needless to say, I had nothing like that. I knew I could always go buy a lipstick, but that's still not q-u-i-t-e what I wanted. Don't they make tinted chapsticks? The better question is, do they sell the ones they do make in Africa?

I was in Clicks (think the South African version of CVS or Walgreens) a couple weeks ago and decided I'd try to find something that would perk my lips up a little, regardless of what it was. I browsed the makeup section, not really knowing what I was doing (I'm not a big makeup wearer), and came across a set of Revlon...somethings that I decided to try. I call them "somethings" because I couldn't find anything on the packaging that gave any indication of what it was. Whatever they were, though, they were selling in packets of two, BOGO. At that rate, I figured they were about as good as anything else I could find, even if they did end up being lipglosses.

I bought them and left them sitting in the bag for several days, not overly excited to try them out. Cheap or not, they were lipgloss and that wasn't going to cut it. I'd be able to add some variety to my Sunday church lips, but the rest of the week would see me just as bland and colorless as ever.

You can imagine my surprise when I did finally open the package and uncapped the first tube. I was expecting to see a wand attached to the lid but when it popped off and revealed what looked like a jumbo crayon tip, I was ecstatic! I read the tube and saw that what I had once believed to be lipgloss was actually a balm stain! Are you kidding me? I tried it on and was thrilled with the way it went on like a balm but left my lips with a beautifully colored stain. Such a perfectly named product :)

I have tried both colors on my lips and while Honey is my favorite, Smitten is a nice color too. It's a bit more bold, though, so I would apply carefully. I still try to put a little chapstick or plain lip balm on first, and then the stains glide on easily. I typically apply in front of a mirror, much as you would with a lipstick, to make sure I don't end up looking like a clown. I'm thrilled with the longevity of these things; I found Honey to generally be good for several hours of subtle color, even through eating. It will obviously dull with time and wear but since I'm only going for subtlety I don't mind that much.

If you want color without gloss, Revlon's balm stains are they way to go! I give them a 5 out of 5 :)

Honey is the light pink and Smitten the dark. 

Here's a swatch for both: Honey on top and Smitten on the bottom. 

The Wednesday Stork: Week 15

Welcome to The Wednesday Stork! Wednesdays are the day I switch weeks, and today marks a whopping 15! This means I hit the second trimester *pause for angel chorus* last week, and that was a big milestone...mentally, anyway. 

I’ve seen posts like this on a couple of different blogs, so I took/modeled the items below from the template others have used. Usually, a belly shot accompanies an entry like this but...I’m lazy and don’t feel like lugging out and setting up the camera on the tripod. That and there isn’t much to see. I have a bit of a pot belly but nothing terribly baby-bumpish yet. When it gets more interesting, I’ll put something up :) 

Without further ado...

Weeks: 15 today! Woohoo!

Weight gain so far: About 3.5 pounds, or 1.6 kgs, if you’re in ZA. I’m hoping this is in the normal vicinity.

Wearing maternity clothes? I bought a pair of elastic-waisted shorts from a department store here. They’re not maternity (they were with the swim suits, actually), but they do they job. My others were just feeling kind of tight. I’ve gone through my closet and found the things that I think I can make work with a slight belly, but if things get serious, I’m in trouble. Maternity clothes are SO HARD to find here. Thankfully, my mom *hi mom* has been on the lookout back in America, picking up all kinds of summer maternity and a couple maxi dresses on clearance! The downside is...they won’t make it to me for a couple more months. 

Got any preggo stretch marks? I should think not.

How am I sleeping? Oh, I sleep pretty ok. I’m a back sleeper and that is getting less and less comfortable. I have to make a bathroom run at least once during the night, but I’ve had a micro bladder since I was about 8 years old. Nothing new there. 

What do I miss? Deli meat. Lunch time options are limited. 

Feeling anything in there? It’s a bit early to feel the baby moving, but I’m on the alert :) According to my sources, I can expect to notice things happening between 16 and 20 weeks.

Aversions or cravings? Oh dear, those come and go. 

What’s the gender? We are a house divided: Todd says girl, I say boy. 

Any labor signs? That’d be a no. 

How pregnant do I feel? As fantastic as a Beauty and Beast moment would have been, I did not go through any magical, dramatically-lit transformations as I exited the first trimester and emerged in the second. I’m still lacking in the energy department but I can usually get some stuff done in the mornings. I try to take about a 40-minutes walk Monday-Friday, and come back whipped! I get out before it gets too hot, but even at 8 a.m., that South African sun is killer! I have mostly nausea-free mornings and early afternoons, but almost always feel bleh in the evenings. 

Belly button status: It’s a major inny, but I keep my eye on it :) 

Still sporting my wedding rings? Yes...If it were winter I would be optimistic about keeping them on the whole pregnancy, but in this heat and lack of air conditioning, I’m not holding my breath.