I totally heart Badger Balm products. I have …many. The latest Badger lip products to join the crowd are the Lip Tint & Shimmers. These little gems rock! If you love tinted lip balm (and I do!), you will want to check these out.

The Lip Tint & Shimmer is two products in one: a tinted lip balm on one end and a shimmery lip balm on the other. Both are based on Badger’s always-popular Cocoa Butter Lip Balm formula (a personal favorite), with no added fragrance. The lip tint side is colored with mineral colorants, no dyes. Application is sheer, despite how dark they look in the tube, and easy – no mirror needed for goof-proof application.

There are four shades, and I have three. I have Garnet, Red Jasper, and Rose Tourmaline, and the fourth is Copper. Rose Tourmaline is the lightest, a pink color. Garnet and Red Jasper are very similar reddish shades – Garnet is more cool and Red Jasper is warmer. I don’t have Copper, but it looks like a brownish color. The Opal shimmer is essentially colorless, but adds a bit of sparkle.

These have pushed out other tinted lip balms to become my favorite. I love the cocoa butter formula, I love the subtle but flattering shades, and I like that they are two products in one. Another Badger Win!

I’ve got a lot of stress going on in my life right now, job stress mostly, and fun beauty stuff always cheers me up. So this 5 Things is about the stuff I’ve found lately that is just perking up my day!

1. Shrek by OPI nail colors. I am just loving these fun, bright colors! I have Who The Shrek Are You? on my toes and I’m going to do a mani today with What’s With The Catittude?

2. Aromaleigh Victoria’s Revenge Limited Edition Eyeshadows – I was lucky enough to receive samples to review and share with all of you, and boy howdy are they GAWGEOUS! Expect multiple posts soon.

3. The new Badger Balm Lip Tints & Shimmers are so fabulous! These double-ended goodies boast beautiful sheer lip tints with ultra-moisturizing cocoa butter and olive oil. Love them!

4. FLOWERBYKENZO La Cologne is Kenzo’s newest fragrance, a citrus twist on the original FLOWERBYKENZO scent. I like the bitterness of the petitgrain paired with the powdery notes of the original. I’ll be reviewing this in full soon!

5. Fyrinnae’s new Lip Lustre shades are so pretty! I ordered Puppy Love and Ultra Phantom, and of course now I notice there are another FOUR new ones! Gah!! Next order, next order…

I love tinted lip balms, I love lip balms with mineral sunscreens, and I love when you combine the two into one perfect product! Softlips is rocking my summer this year with their new Pure products, including three shades of tinted lip balm, three shades of lip gloss, a lip butter, and a lip scrub. Everything but the scrub contains a zinc-based spf 15 sunscreen! Woohoo!

A few years back I complained about the lack of lip products with sunscreen that DIDN’T contain a chemical sunscreen. I don’t have it in for chemical sunscreens, I just really hate the taste. I can always tell when they’re present by the icky, slightly bitter taste. Yuck! Besides, I want broad spectrum protection, and zinc oxide provides that, and works as soon as you apply it.

Fast forward two years, and suddenly we have a LOT more choices on the market! Good times! Each of the new Softlips Pure balms and glosses include an SPF 15 from zinc oxide. Sweet!

The tinted lip balms are great – the colors have nice pigmentation, but are still sheer enough to be just a tint. They taste good (vanilla-berry), and have nice lasting power, and keep things hydrated with coconut oil and beeswax. They don’t get melty in my pocket (I hate that!) so basically, they’re a total win for me. Love them!

The lip gloss is also exceptional. It’s very nourishing, the colors are very flattering, and how great is a lip gloss with spf 15? Awesome!!

The lip butter provides nice hydration in a clear formula with spf 15 – a great choice if you don’t want the color but do want the protection. Nice!

I’m not a huge fan of lip scrubs because I don’t find them super-useful (I brush my lips with my toothbrush, takes care of dead skin bits) but if they are your thing, get this one. It tastes good and works well and is inexpensive to boot.

Basically, I’m loving the new Softlips offerings. They’re inexpensive, pretty, functional, natural… Summer lip care really doesn’t get any better than this. Two Thumbs Up!!! You can find these in the natural beauty care aisle in select Target stores nationwide.

I love finding a new awesome lip balm, especially if the formula is extra-super-duper awesome. Crazy Rumors is an independent company producing a fabulous balm in many fun, delicious flavors. High Five!

The formula includes such skin-loving ingredients as shea butter, olive oil, and jojoba oil, and uses vegetable waxes to harden the formula. I particularly like the vegetable waxes, as I feel they give formulas a silkier feel than beeswax, which can be a bit draggy on the lips. The lasting power is quite good – about two hours before I felt like I wanted to reapply. The balm doesn’t get too soft if I keep it in my pocket, a huge bonus factor in my book.

The different flavors are a lot of fun. They are organized into themes, like Perk (coffee-related), Brew (tea-related), and A La Mode (ice-cream related). So far my favorite is Amaretto (from the Perk line) but the Raspberry Sherbet comes close.

I found these at my local New Seasons Market stores, but you can also order from their website. Crazy Rumours gets two thumbs up!

I added a few more lipsticks to my collection recently, and wanted to share them with you. I’m still really into BRIGHT lips, it must be a reaction to the gray winter weather we get in Oregon. I want COLOR! LOL. Pink and red are especially appealing to me right now. Check it out!

MAC recently released the Liberty Of London collection, a collaboration with a British luxury accessories brand (www.liberty.co.uk). The color Petals & Peacocks was irresistable, being an awesome bright magenta pink color. Plus, the packaging is just TOO ADORABLE!! I love the bird and petals motif. The finish is Amplified, which means it’s quite richly pigmented, but not at all drying. (Check out this blog for a good review of the various finishes.)

I happened to check out Milani’s lipsticks at Fred Meyer the other day, and picked up Rose Hip, a shade that looked quite magenta as well. I haven’t tried a Milani lipstick before, but since I love most of the other products I’ve tried, I figured it was worth a go. Success! Rose Hip is a dead ringer for Petals & Peacocks, although a little less pigmented. Also, I don’t love the scent, it’s sort of an artificial rose scent. However, if you want a budget version of Petals & Peacocks, it’s pretty darn good.

Just for fun and comparison, this one is Hard Candy’s No Peeking, which isn’t as bright as either of the first two. If you want a bright pink, but don’t want it quite so bright, this one is a good alternative.

I’m always on the prowl for a good red, and L’Oreal provides two really good ones: Penelope’s Red and Real Red.

Real Red is from the Colour Riche Anti-Aging Serum collection, a line that contains a core of “serum” that is supposed to smooth fine lines. It does this by lightly plumping the lips (hence, there is a light tingle upon application). I have several shades of this formula, and they are all quite wearable and flattering. Real Red has more of a blue-tone to it, and looks a little lighter in the picture than it actually is. It’s a good red, although I do think it could stand to be more pigmented. The finish is a bit satin-y, not at all matte.

Penelope’s Red is a little warmer than Real Red, and a little more pigmented. For best results, I would recommend using a lip pencil to line your lips first (I didn’t in the picture) and then applying the lipstick. Penelope’s Red is great! The regular Colour Riche line has the same satin-y finish as the Anti-Aging one, so this one isn’t matte. But it also isn’t drying to my lips, which I appreciate. If you want a more orange-tone red, this one is worth checking out.

What are your favorite fuchsia and red lipsticks?

I’m a little slow on these trends, but I finally picked up a lipstick from MAC’s Spring Colour 1 Forecast and also a new Cremesheen Lipglass from Too Fabulous.

The lipstick is Bubblegum, a light lavender pink color with a glaze finish. I’m a bit obsessed with pale pink lip colors right now… so Bubblegum is right up my alley. It’s not too light or too bright… but basically perfect. In the photo, I’m wearing Bubblegum.

The Cremesheen Glass I picked is Just Superb, a “dirty neutral pink.” Not sure what they mean by dirty… it’s really just an awesome soft pink color. My sister is wearing Just Superb in the picture (she’s on the right).

I also realized that I already own several lighter pink lipsticks and glosses, so here are some of my favorites. In this picture we have, from left to right: MAC Bubblegum, MAC Viva Glam Gaga, Benefit Jing-A-Ling, Avon Ultra Color Rich Extra Plump Pink Sunset, L’Oreal Colour Riche Serum Pink Passion, and Vincent Longo Baby Balm Lipstick Le Cameron. All are currently available except Le Cameron (sad face.)

Most of these are pretty sheer, with the exception of Very Berry Happy, which is more opaque. From Left to Right: MAC Cremesheen Glass Just Superb, Fyrinnae Lip Lustre Very Berry Happy, MAC Lipglass Preciousness (from Baroque Boudoir), MAC Cremesheen Glass Ever So Rich, Hard Candy Baby Doll, Tarte Double-Ended Lipgloss Samantha (from Jake & Samantha). Preciousness and Baby Doll can be found on evilBay if you’re willing to pay lots and buy from overseas…

I love this pink lip trend and want to see it continue… I really want Fyrinnae Lollipop-pop, which seems to come off quite pink in swatches I’ve found on other blogs, and also Mega-Hold. Of course, right this moment I want a vibrant fuschia color… A girl is never happy until she owns the rainbow, lol.

If it seems like it’s been all lip products, all the time around here, well… I’m kind of obsessed with lip stuff right now, so that’s why. If and when Fyrinnae ever releases their new eyeshadow colors, then I’ll be obsessed with eyeshadow… but for now it’s all about the lips!

You may or may not know, but MAC has a foundation called the MAC AIDS Fund, founded in 1994 to support men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. It’s a pretty cool thing. There are currently six shades of VIVA GLAM lipsticks and two shades of VIVA GLAM lipglass being sold worldwide, and every cent goes to the MAC AIDS Fund.

The latest spokesladies/models for VIVA GLAM are two fabulous ladies, Cyndi Lauper and Lady Gaga. No lie, I have been a fan of Cyndi since I was about five years old. In fact, the first cassette I ever owned (remember cassettes?) was She’s So Unusual. When I heard there would be a VIVA GLAM Cyndi lipstick, I didn’t even care if I liked the color – I just had to buy it!

Lucky for me, I do love the color. It’s a light coral red with a high lustre finish, and it’s just perfect for spring and summer! LOVE IT! MAC Lipsticks never disappoint me – they have the smoothest feel and despite the glossier texture of this one, the color still sticks around for a decent amount of time.

Speaking of Cyndi Lauper, I’m going to see her concert in April! SQUEEEEEEEAL!