little white truths

I'm having one of those weeks where I sit down each day to write the post I've drafted the day before, only to discover that it's not the post I want to write and so I move on to something else that I'm feeling more inspired by.

I've been testing this Buxom gloss for a few weeks now, but it was only last night when we were at the Florence and the Machine concert that I really firmed up my view of the product. Something about reaching for it and then having my lips tingle for bloody ages afterwards was really distracting and I wish I'd bought something else along with me!

One of the reasons it's taken me so long to write this review is that I've seen so many others rave about this gloss that I wanted to give it a good run first.

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to love it, really I have - but in truth the product isn't for me and I'm glad I didn't pay for it and that I've only got a travel-sized tube to get through.

The packaging is fine and I like the doe-foot applicator (see below), and while the gloss looks nice enough it's the tingle factor I just can't deal with, but more on that later.

Above I've swatched it in direct sunlight. Not sure I'd call it 'mauve' (more of a sheer pink) but anyway.

It certainly does transfer like any other gloss when you eat or drink, but I find that a little is left behind so my lips don't feel terribly dry after sipping at my coffee. While this is a good thing because I need to apply it less than I do other glosses, it's also more expensive than other glosses and in my view it doesn't do enough for the price.

'Dolly' as a colour doesn't really show up on my lips - it's more of a sheer gloss that I'd use to add some shimmer or soften the finish of eg a drying, bright matte lipstick I have on. But I have other products for this that cost less and don't tingle, so I'm more likely to reach for those products over this one.

On the tingling, I really can't stand it. It would be ok if it lasted for say five minutes or so, but I can still feel a slight tingling even an hour after application, and that's far too long in my books. I also worry about what that tingling is doing to lips, and if you have a look at eg Paula's Choice (see here), the ingredients apparently do irritate lips and can leave them chapped and dry.

I have noticed that my lips can only handle a couple of applications of this product a day, and after that they're crying out for something else so I do believe there's some irritation occurring when I use this gloss.

I've marked the product for my Project Pan list once I've finished off something else, but only because I really hate waste and because I can use it once or twice a day without worrying my lips too much.