Rose & Co Apothecary Salves

Aside from some really nice Beauty Salves, Rose & Co Apothecary also carries more medicinal balms and salves that are along the lines of vapor rubs and muscle rubs, etc., a few of which I've picked up for myself and for holiday stocking stuffers.

- Zam-Buk Herbal Balm: I kept this one for myself because it looks so...mysterious ^.^ But I haven't used it yet. It's supposedly an antiseptic ointment and, according to the website, has some "amazing powers" and is great for traveling. Alright, I'll keep it with me xD

Zam-Buk Herbal Balm: 

Petrolatum, Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Oil, Cera Alba, (Beeswax), Pinus Sylvestris (Pine) Oil, Camphor, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Oil, Limonene, Linalool, CI 75810, (Chlorophyll).

Rose & Co Apothecary Aromatherapy Creams

Over the fall when I was placing an order with Rose & Co Apothecary for some salves for myself as well as for holiday stocking stuffers (will post next), I spotted a couple of interesting items from their Aromatherapy Creams section so I thought I pick up a couple of things too. And plus the brown glass jars they come in looked simple and cute, and they weren't too expensive ^.^

My sister has stubborn eczema on her feet that is easily aggravated especially in this dry and cold weather, so I bought her the Tea Tree & Cypress Foot Cream to try. This is actually a bit of a risk, because while both tea tree and cypress essential oils have anti-fungal and antiseptic properties, both are also skin irritants and can be very drying, so in the end, these oils in the cream might make her eczema worse. But my sister was willing to try it! She's, erh, adventurous, I guess.

Tea Tree & Cypress Foot Cream

Lip Balms Part III

Even more lip balms ^.^

Canmake

I reviewed the Lip Essence below a loooooong time ago, but forgot to include them in my Lip Balms Part II post, so I've included them here.

Lip Essence

Similar to Maquillage Lip Essence, these aren't really a balm or a gloss. I think they're a bit of both as they are very moisturizing and gives a bit of a sheen but not full on gloss. I have already reviewed both colors (they are completely sheer!) pictured below, 02 Cassis Pink and 03 Milky Pink, back in 2008, so this brief mentioning is quite a bit late and outdated, sorry!

02 Cassis Pink

03 Milky Pink

EOS - Evolution of Smooth
Never heard of this brand until I saw these Lip Balm Spheres in a magazine (Allure?) and just had to have them!

Lip Balm Smooth Sphere

Yes, these oddly shaped lip balms are a bit of a challenge to carry around. You definitely can't sneak them into your jeans pocket (or any pocket, really) as they will bulge up funny. And they take up lots of space in your makeup bag and don't really sit well in pretty much any bag unless you're talking about a big backpack or handbag. The only good point about their round shape, as far as I can see, is that you literally press your lips together and slather them across, which is what I do :P That, and they're so damn cute!

Unfortunately, they turn out to be much waxier than I would like, and they all taste a bit sweet too. Still, I collect them because their freakin' adorableness is too strong to resist. And plus there are days when I prefer something more dry and waxy as oppose to wet and slick. When I bought them, there were only 4 flavors - Honeysuckle Honeydew, Sweet Mint, Summer Fruit, and Lemon Drop, which just came out at the time. Now there is an even newer member Medicated Tangerine, which I am very tempted to get.

- Honeysuckle Honeydew: I normally don't like melon flavoring so this is tolerably my least favorite out of the 4 and I seldom reach for it.

Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Beeswax (Cire D’abeille)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Natural Flavor, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract*, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Tocopherol, Cucumis Melo (Honeydew Melon) Seed Extract*, Lonicera Japonica (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract*, Limonene1, Linalool.

- Sweet Mint: now this is my favorite flavor, as the minty scent and sensation is actually quite strong, very similar to Burt's Bees' Bees Wax Lipbalm. Hubby likes it too but gave up on carrying it because of it odd shape and funny fit in his messenger bag.

Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Beeswax (Cire D’abeille)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract*, Tocopherol, Limonene¹, Linalool.

- Summer Fruit: this one has a cocktail-like fragrance and I can smell the berries in its ingredients plus something else I couldn't put a finger on.

Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Beeswax (Cire D’abeille)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Natural Flavor, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract*, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil*, Vaccinium Angustifolium (Blueberry) Fruit Extract*, Fragaria Vesca (Strawberry) Fruit Extract*, Prunus Persica (Peach) Fruit Extract*, Linalool.

- Lemon Drop: this one smells wonderfully lemony, has SPF but is unfortunately a bit drier than the rest.

Active ingredients Octinoxate 7.5%, Oxybenzone 3.0%. Inactive ingredients Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Fruit Oil*, Beeswax (Cire D’abeille), Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Natural Flavor, Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil*, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract, Citral¹, Geraniol¹, Limonene¹, Linalool.

***Lists of ingredients from Evolution of Smooth.

Juicy Couture

A clothing brand that ventured a bit into fragrances and cosmetics, though so far I have only seen lip glosses and a few creams here and there. I've seen many others done the same, and there is probably a logic behind this that I totally missed. Seriously, when I think of getting a lip gloss, I don't think Juicy Couture or Express or Gap or whatever. Just my own opinion, but I think stretching a brand too thin, especially with things they aren't particularly good at, will only cheapen the brand's image. With all that said, I did fall for the heart-shape tin pot that holds this lip gloss. Yes, I'm a total sucker and a complete hypocrite.

Lip Gloss

As I said, I bought it solely because of the heart-shaped tin :) To me, it's not a full on gloss but more like VS's Soothing Lip Balm below, only much thinner, and the minty tingling sensation is faint, not to mention it tastes a bit sweet (urgh). But hey, I really do love the heart shape tin pot. There was another one in hot pink tin too but Sephora sold out of it before I got my hands on it. Damn.

- Layer Cake: smells like minty sweet vanilla, which is actually quite a lovely scent. I wish the minty sensation was stronger though, and it would also be nice if the texture were a bit thicker.

Korres

I'm brand new to Korres and have only recently gotten into their Lip Butters and Mango Butter Lipsticks. I really like it that they have value sets and love it even more that they mix things up a bit every now and then, shuffling the color combinations in their value sets. Those sets are such a great way to try out different colors, especially with a promotion or discount ;) If you like to buy in multiples like me, you can satisfy your curiosity without breaking your bank.

Lip Butter

I bought the Save Your Lips Lip Butter Value Collection with Pomegranate, Mango, and Guava. Unfortunately, so far my impression of these are just ho-hum. They are moisturizing, but neither the color or the lip butter itself lasted even an hour on me. If anything, these feel like glorified sometimes-tinted lip balms, which is why I don't feel guilty for getting an excellent deal on these. I would never buy them at retail value otherwise as they run $10 for .21 oz.!

I do think, however, that these Lip Butters have this really neat texture that reminds me of the Pop Beauty Ribbon Gloss. When you rub your finger on their surface, they feel...bouncy. I really hate the more delicate glosses/balms because any pressure at all will dig a hole into their surfaces, but these Lip Butters? Nope, toy away! Of course now we have to consider the hygiene aspect... -.-'

Pomegranate, Guava, and Mango Lip Butter

- Pomegranate: this gives my lips a coral tint that's really pretty. Pity it doesn't really have any staying power. I haven't really been paying attention to the scent. It's got this waxy smell like some unscented lipsticks, and may be just a hint of fruit, either way it doesn't bother me.

- Mango: oooh I really like the orangey peach tint I get from this one. Again I really wish the stuff lasts longer. It does have a faint fake mango scent that's overwhelmed by the waxy smell. Still doesn't bother me.

- Guava: this one, to borrow my teenage brother's language, is a big fail. The guava fragrance smells a bit better in this one, but sadly that whitish color you see is not transparent. It's not even translucent. It's opaque. Yes, opaque, meaning when I apply it, I get this icky white cast on my lips that's just not very pretty. What were they thinking? Why won't they just make it clear? So this one I wear exclusively at home.

Rose & Co Apothecary

Located in the UK. They have a variety of salves and lip balms, not unlike Rosebud Perfume Company. Rose & Co Apothecary's salves are a tad more expensive, but their tins are cuter than those from Rosebud's :) They also have other toiletries, and I have tried their soaps, as well as bath & shower cream, and lotion.

Rose Petal Salve

Their signature salve. The rose fragrance in this salve is even stronger than Smith's Rosebud Salve, more flowery even. The texture is thicker than both Smith's and C.O. Bigelow's Rose Salve, though it's not waxy or tacky and has great staying power. It is a multi-purpose product, just like all other salves, so I use it on my cuticles too.

Beauty Salve Collection

Spotted this and just had to have it. It contains mini tins of Sweet Vanilla Salve, Cherry Kiss Lip Balm, and Rose Petal Salve. Super cute!

From left to right: Sweet Vanilla Salve, Cherry Kiss Lip Balm, and Rose Petal Salve.

Full size 20g. versus the mini size 10g. in the collection

Strawberry Crush Glossy Lip Balm

This went to my sister too, so other than the nice and tangy strawberry scent, I have no idea of its texture or quality. My sister said she likes it best out of the 4 balms I sent, the other 3 being the collection above. She called me one night and said, hey, this strawberry lip balm is pretty good! And she has similar taste to me when it comes to lip balms, i.e. she's also a fan of VS Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm below, so I would take her word for it.

Lavender Balm

I think this is probably my favorite lavender scented item right now. Many lavender scented products tend to be on the strong side (well, lavender oil is pretty strong!), but the intensity of this fragrance is just a perfect balance, not too faint but not too strong either. The balm itself is excellent too, though I use it more on my cuticles, elbows, and knees. It even helped sooth my blisters when I was breaking in my Lily Lumberjack Plaid Crocs! The texture is very similar to the VS Naturally Blackberry & Tonka Bean All-over Moisture Salve below.

Rosebud Perfume Company

I have to at least try every salve made by this company ^.^ To date, my favorite salve from this company has got to be the Minted Rose Lip Balm. It's just the best combination of peppermint and rose and I have yet to come across anything that can even compare.

Mocha Rose Lip Balm

Unfortunately this probably will not climb the ladder of my favor anytime soon - the coffee scent is waaaay too strong. I love coffee flavor anything, but not when it's mixed with rose. I'm not sure what, exactly, they were trying to accomplish with this scent. Were they trying to make a coffee-rose scent, chocolate-rose scent, or a combination or both? Either way, this came out skewed in favor of the coffee.

Menthol and Eucalyptus Balm

Now this is your classic menthol balm with similar consistency as the White Cloverine Brand Petrolatum Salve, only I like it much better because it has a tingly menthol sensation. The eucalyptus helps with sinus clearing too!

Victoria's Secret

Of course my most favorite lip balms get a special mention in this post too :P Yes, that includes several of Victoria's Secret items below and no, it's definitely not because they are made by VS. They are just some of the best lip balms I've used, and I've used many many, just happened to be made by VS, that's all. There are no causal relationship here.

Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balms

I have already reviewed the original as well as the newer additions in updated packaging pictured below, so I won't repeat anything here.

Clear Shine


Pretty Buff


Petal Soft


Pink Sugar

Beauty Rush Minty Lip Shines

I have reviewed the original too and mentioned it again in my previous Lip Balms Part II post. I have also reviewed the newer flavors Citrusmint and Cinnamint, as well as Vanillamint, Bubblemint, and Berrymint.

Citrusmint

Cinnamint

Vanillamint

Bubblemint

Berrymint

Naturally Blackberry & Tonka Bean All-over Moisture Salve

An all-purpose salve and another hit from VS, in my opinion, and I have backups to prove it. I have reviewed it here.

See my previous posts...
- Lip Balms
- Lip Balms Part II

Rose & Co Apothecary Rose Petal Bath & Shower Cream and Rose & Glycerine Lotion

Yet another late review for the Rose & Co Apothecary Rose & Glycerine Lotion and the Rose Petal Bath & Shower Cream. These came in travel size from the Ballerina Net Gift in Rose Petal, which also includes a full size Extra Fancy Soap in Tea Rose.

The Rose & Co Apothecary Ballerina Net Gift in Rose Petal


I brought the Bath & Shower Cream and the Glycerine Lotion with me on my trip to visit my folks as back ups, you know, just in case. I know that sounds so unnecessary because I'm visiting my parents and I can always borrow some toiletries from them. But then again, I have all these things collecting at home that are from GWPs, as samples, or from promotions that I couldn't pass up. So as silly as it sounds, travels are good opportunities for me to try something I would otherwise never reach for at home.

In this particular case though, boy was I glad I brought backups, because otherwise I wouldn't have survived the lavender assault from The Body Shop Divinely Calm Heavenly Shower Gel (which I quickly relinquished to hubby's sole enjoyment) :D Now I regret not getting a Ballerina Net Gift in the Lavender scent since I really liked their Extra Fancy Soap in Lavender. See, there are tolerable lavender-scented body care stuff out there. Damn! I want to try the Lavender Lotion and Bath & Shower Cream so badly!

- Rose & Glycerine Lotion: I kept this little bottle with me at all time in my messenger bag for use on the go. I was actually pretty impressed with it. It was a light yet potent moisturizer. So what was the problem? The scent. Don't get me wrong, I didn't have any problem with the scent. Hubby did. Yep, he hated the smell of this lotion and every time I put some on in the car, he would put down all the windows to "air it out" LOL! To me, the rose scent was surprisingly bearable, and that came from me who used to hate ALL rose fragrances. It was definitely rosy, but it wasn't strong at all. Just for some reason, it gave hubby a headache every time I use it. So we both agreed to not buy either The Body Shop Divinely Calm Heavenly Shower Gel or this Rose Glycerin Lotion again. Funny how things worked out, but I guess that was reasonable. If you haven't figured this out by now, hubby and I share all the bath and body stuff at home, even many of the skincare products too :D

The full size Rose & Glycerine Lotion


- Rose Petal Bath & Shower Cream: this shower cream was a different story. Hubby could tolerate this scent, and admittedly it was much lighter than the lotion. Since he preferred the Divinely Calm shower gel anyway, I got this shower cream all to myself to use :D It was okay, definitely more moisturizing than the Divinely Calm shower gel, but it still didn't lather much. I guess I shouldn't complain too much since soaps that lathers well sometimes ended up being too harsh on my skin anyway. Still, I guess I didn't like it enough to buy the full size.

The full size Rose Petal Bath & Shower Cream

***Pictures from Rose & Co Apothecary UK.

Rose & Co Apothecary Extra Fancy Soap Lavender

I've been in a soap spree lately :D This is Rose & Co Apothecary Extra Fancy Soap in Lavender. I believe this soap is only available in 2 fragrances, Rose Petal and Lavender. My first intrigue for Rose & Co was from this blog post. At the time, I was already a few tins into the Rosebud Perfume Company's many salves, so my interest in other similar products was peaking. Looking around on Rose & Co's website, in addition to their salves I bought their soaps.



I used to dislike lavender when I was younger. Well, may be not strongly dislike, but I do not prefer it. I remember thinking, "What the heck are they talking about?" when I read over and over that lavender was soothing and calming, because at the time, I perceived lavender to be anything but. In fact, lavender used to be too strong for me and, depending on the brand and product, the scent would give me a headache. And then I got older, and may be, just may be, wiser (ha. ha. ha.), but I slowly learned to appreciate lavender. No, no, I haven't gone nuts and buy every lavender-scented thing out there, but I tend to deviate towards soaps scented with lavender.



The Lavender Extra Fancy Soaps from Rose & Co Apothecary smell wonderful! The scent is engulfing but not suffocating. I put just 2 soaps in the soap basket stored my linen closet and every time I open the closet door, it was as though I opened the door to a field of lavender (this has got to be a symptom of brainwashing from the Downy commercials!). The fragrance lingered in the air just long enough for me to get whiff of but dissipate before I get sick of smelling it and start waving the door :P

Other than the scent, these soaps threw me for a loop: although they crack after the first few days of use, which is a big huge red flag(!), so far they have yet to dry out my already-very-dry hands! And it's very dry inside my apartment still (hydrometer reads 30%, up only 10% from a couple of months ago), so it wasn't because the environment has somehow changed and gave these soaps some help. Isn't that odd or what? Remember when I declared that good soaps don't crack? That is because the soaps that tend to crack are harsh and stripping soaps. But then how can I explain these these Rose & Co soaps that are cracking all over the place but at the same time super duper gentle to my skin? They are quite a paradox, these Extra Fancy Soaps!

Whatever. I like them. A lot. Will definitely buy more as gifts. See how nicely they were wrapped?