There are a couple of things I look out for in lipbalms: they have to be light with no waxy texture. As for scent and flavour, it doesn’t really matter as long as they smell and taste decent (nothing coconut-y though. I’m not a fan of anything with coconut in it).

Description:

Hissyfit Lip Service Clear is a light lip balm with SPF 30+ broad-spectrum protection that functions as a multi-purpose skincare and cosmetic product in one. The formulation delivers glossy coverage while providing long-lasting nourishment and protection for delicate lips. It contains shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E, which aid in reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth. To use, apply over the top of lipstick, or wear on its own for glossy, natural lips.

The Hissyfit Lip Service ticks all the checkboxes and more. I’m highly impressed with the lipbalm, especially with its high SPF of 30. I’ve never had any lip products with that high of a SPF before. The ones in the market are usually very waxy and dry on the lips. This one’s lovely; it’s moisturising (contains shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E), a great base for lipsticks and lipgloss, and has a broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.

I’ve been using this daily for over a month, and I’m down to probably 3-5 more applications before I completely empty out the tube. Would have preferred more product for the price. 7g, in such a tiny tube, is measly!

Hissyfit Lip Service Lip Balm SPF30+ retails at AU$18.95 for 7g and is available at David Jones.

What I like about it: Aussie-made, moisturises the lips well without the horrid waxy texture, high SPF on the lips FTW.

What I do not like about it: Slightly expensive for the amount of lipbalm in the tube.

Yep, that’s right. I finally bit the bullet and bought the Clarisonic (the rest are samples and a gift-with-purchase makeup pouch), thanks to the strong AUD. I’ve never been more excited about getting beauty products in the mail than this one, and also more worried that it wouldn’t arrive. I haven’t been pleased with the postal services lately, with Australia Post, UPS, DHL, TNT, etc. No postie has ever asked for any identification when delivering packages. They just assumed you’re who the label is on the package and shove it to you. I kid you not, a couple of months ago, I almost accepted a delivery for a Dell laptop. The courier didn’t even care that the label was addressed to an Aussie, and I’m Chinese! Preposterous, I tell you.

But anyway, I digress. I’m just so excited about the Clarisonic Plus, and I cannot wait to dive into it tonight. This is, by far, the most expensive piece of beauty product I’ve ever purchased. But hey, if my mum and my aunt can each have one, so can I, dammit!

Stay tuned for the review 😉

Since I’m on the roll on roll-ons (yowza! Okay I promise I’ll stop), here’s another one that tickled my fancy.

Description:

Garnier Youthful Radiance Anti-Dark Circles Roll-On Concealer has a two in one function that provides clarifying care with cosmetic correcting benefits. The product is enriched with lemon essence and caffeine; it also contains a stimulating massage ball that helps reduce the skins surface swelling and the intensity of dark circles. The refreshing formula penetrates and hydrates while its concealing benefits include sunscreen and mineral pigments that protect the skin from daily UV rays while helping to conceal dark circles for up to 12 hours.

After all that hoopla about reducing eyebags, stimulating massage with the metal ball, yadah yadah yadah, what this is is a concealer. No more, no less.

I’ve been using it as a concealer for the past few weeks. It’s watery in texture, which makes it easy to spread. But since it’s a roll-on, one can be a bit heavy-handed with the rolling action and application of the product if she’s not careful, thus spreading a lot of concealer on the area. What works for me is this: two rolls, back and forth, and immediately blend. It blended well with my foundation and pressed powder.

Does it reduce my eyebags? Temporarily, yes. The cool metal against the skin causes the delicate skin to contract temporarily, thus reducing the effect of eyebags. It’s the same with placing a cold, refridgerated teaspoon against the eyelids to reduce puffiness. After a while, sadly, the eyebags would return. It’s not a long-term solution if you’re looking towards reducing eyebags.

I wouldn’t classify this as a skincare product, but makeup. Which means I wouldn’t use this at night before I sleep, and when I do use this during the day, I would still use eye makeup remover to remove this.

As a concealer for the undereye area, I’d say it was spot on for me. Worked just fine, and a very handy size too.

Garnier Youthful Radiance Anti-dark Circles Roll-On retails at AU$18.95 for 15ml and is available at all leading pharmacies and supermarkets.

What I like about it: Conceals the dark circles well, contains SPF, handy size, affordable concealer

What I do not like about it: Have to control the amount of product used when rolling on the skin, easily mistaken as a skincare product and not makeup.

This product was part of the #MBBE goodie bag.