Korres - The Seventh Sphinx

I was pawing through the lip balms recently and realized that the rose-heavy pattern I noticed previously is going strong, and expanding. This is what my patterns of interest and preference are like, they tend to run long and deep, playing out over months or years. I don’t mind repetition, either. I still haven’t gotten sick of this Fitz and the Tantrums track.

I use and enjoy all of these, special mentions to Smith’s Minted Rose, Dior Crème de Rose, and By Terry Baume de Rose. These last two are the most expensive but also the most emollient. Right now my favorites are the Dior and the Smith’s Minted Rose and I switch up depending on if I want a cream vs an ointment texture. The By Terry is really nice but it’s a little too dear for me given that I like so many less expensive alternatives. That said…I kind of want to try one of the tinted versions of this Baume de Rose formula, the Nutri-Coleur line.

Also pictured:

Korres Wild Rose lip butter — beautiful deep red tinted balm, love this color

Smith’s Rosebud Salve — cult classic, the smell of this is attached to so many phases of my life that it triggers a complex nostalgia, in a good way

Jurlique Rose Love Balm — firm, wax-based, very nice light rose scent, not too glossy so it gives a very natural look to the lips

Vaseline rosy lips — sweet candied rose smell to this, but I like it, as I like plain Vaseline now and then. They totally get me with those teeny tubs. Gah! So cute.

organic Rose Petal Balm — this one is from a friend of the family in Maine but a number of etsy sellers (and indie beauty chemists all over) make essential oil infused balms like this, and I wouldn’t hesitate to try anything with this beeswax/jojoba/shea or cocoa butter base (though I know that my skin doesn’t have issues with any of the popular essential oils). Hard to go wrong.

Let’s ignore that I changed my categorizing criterion from color to texture mid-series. I do what I want.

Origins Liquid Lipcolor in Juicy Details (w/ gold glitter), Lip Fusion gloss in Boca Babe, Estée Lauder The Lip Gloss in Coralée, Maybelline Color Whisper in Orange Attitude, Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti

Revlon Kissable Balmstain in Rendez-vous, Korres Lip Butter Glaze in Pomegranate, Sleek Pout Paint in Lava, OCC Lip Tar in Banjee

OK, quickly:

Hardly wear lipgloss but when I do wear it, I wear these ones. I keep thinking I ought to give them more of a chance. They have that summer ease and swipeability about them, and have the virtue of already being in my possession. I especially like the Origins one, sheer with a bit of gold shimmer. Others in this Origins line are beautifully pigmented. Thinking of the red one.

Isn’t that Estée Lauder gloss packaging beautiful? What? Oh. Tom Ford designed it. Genius.

It’s like learning that Joss Whedon script-doctored Speed (which he did).

I like Maybelline Color Whispers more than Revlon Lip Butters. There, I said it.

And I like Revlon Balmstains better than either of them.

The Sleek Pout Paint is intense and exactly the color I hoped it would be. Lava is actually a pretty accurately evocative name, hue-wise.

I picked up the OCC Lip Tar in Banjee to mix with red (so I could determine my own red-orange ratios) but it’s pretty stunning on its own, a vibrant orange marigold color. It would be a slightly editorial look, but what’s wrong with that? In the grocery store. At the liquor store. In line for hot chocolate. Baffling small children. Etc.

Tag: Korres

rosy lips

a few favorite summer lip colors, vol. iii: glosses, sheers, paints