Victoria's Secret Gloss Balm Nourishing Lip Tint

A while ago I was browsing Victoria's Secret and stumbled upon these Gloss Balm Nourishing Lip Tint on clearance for half off, which often meant they were being discontinued. Sure enough, a month later I checked back and they disappeared from the website.

Anyway, it's been years since I bought a lippie from VS so I thought I'd pick up some to try. I have Cheeky, Fearless, Glam, Glowing, Kissed, and Smitten and skipped Irresistible (nude), Alluring (fuchsia), and Candied (bubblegum pink), colors I rarely ever reach for.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

'Tis the Season of Giving - Non-Asian Brands

Updated Friday, February 24, 2017.

Blog sale for charity final update.

IMPORTANT:
1. All sales are final. No returns or exchanges.
2. All proceeds will go to charity:
- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). See their ratings.
- The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC). See their ratings.
- Doctors Without Borders, aka (MSF, Médecins Sans Frontières). See their ratings.
3. Paypal payments in USD only.

ORDERING DETAILS:
1. To order, please leave a comment and spell out your email address (to avoid spam). I will contact you privately.
2. All orders will be sent via USPS Flat-rate boxes with tracking and insurance. I hold no responsibilities for lost packages.
3. Shipping fee varies.
- Domestic: Small ($6.80), Medium ($13.45), Large ($18.75).
- International: we'll work something out privately.
4. My home is smoke and pet-free.
5. My collection is housed in a wooden craft cabinet placed in a cool and dry corner of my bedroom.
6. All items will be sent in a cosmetic bag chosen at random.
7. Eyeshadow palettes and face powders are without applicators, brushes, or puffs. I use my own brushes and have long given away the others. If you need them, please indicate so and I'll include new/unused ones at random.

Click on images to zoom. Follow links for reviews and swatches.

Victoria's Secret Chic Cheek Cream Blush

These Victoria's Secret Chic Cheek Cream Blush came out the fall of 2013 and I found some on sale right before hubby and I left San Francisco so I snatched them up ^.^ I only saw 2 colors, Mon Amour and Pretty in Paris, so I'm not sure how many other colors there are.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Victoria's Secret VS Pro Smooth FX Lip Scrub & Balm

Last of my Victoria's Secret clearance loot this past June is the VS Pro Smooth FX Lip Scrub & Balm, which was actually more expensive than all the other items at $8! This is a pot of sugar scrub for lips. The screw-cap houses a balm with a flip-top lid.

This is actually my very first lip scrub, and I don't like it at all LOL Honestly, it feels just a bunch of sugar in an emollient, vaseline-like base... Oh hell, what am I talking about? It IS a bunch of sugar in an emollient, vaseline-like base! I hate my lip products to have any taste at all, scented is okay, but not taste, so right away I hate that I'm actually rubbing sugar on my lips, because it tastes like, well, sugar on my lips. And if that's the case I'm better off making my own lip scrub with cane sugar and coconut or almond butter, in case I accidentally ingest some it won't poison me ^.^ And I save $8!

Victoria's Secret VS Pro Light FX Eye-Brightening Pen

This 1.75g/0.62oz. Victoria's Secret VS Pro Light FX Eye-Brightening Pen is the second half of the duo I bought during the VS clearance in June, the first being the Concealing Eye Brightener Pen.

Victoria's Secret VS Pro Light FX Concealing Eye Brightener Pen

This 1.5g/0.53oz. Victoria's Secret VS Pro Light FX Concealing Eye Brightener Pen - Light was among my VS clearance loot back in June. There were actually 2 pens as pictured here, one is a Concealing Eye Brightener Pen, and the other is an Eye Brightening Pen. I asked the SA what the difference was and she kept pointing to her under eye areas and said she was wearing the concealing pen but didn't answer my question otherwise. Huh? I mean, unless she's wearing the concealing pen under one eye and the brightening pen on the other, and even then I'm not sure if I could tell given the full face of makeup she had on. So I ended up grabbing both pens ^.^

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Victoria's Secret VS Graphic Liner Pen

Also among my Victoria's Secret clearance buys was VS Graphic Liner Pen in Blackest Black.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

This is a felt-tip liquid eye pen, very much along the lines of Clio Waterproof Pen Liner. The difference here is the pen tip: Clio is chubbier at the base, then taper to a point, whereas VS is quite skinny throughout with a longer pen tip. You can get a fine line with both, but it's probably easier with the VS pen since a slight tilt of the hand with Clio will produce a thicker line. I usually make a dotted line, then go over in one stroke to connect the dots.

Victoria's Secret VS Pro Lasting FX Eye Shadow Primer

Picked up a few things from Victoria's Secret semi annual sale this past June, including this 7g/0.24oz tube of VS Pro Lasting FX Eye Shadow Primer. I haven't tried an eye primer from Victoria's Secret before, so I was curious to say the least. The fact it was about $5 helped a lot ^.^

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

This primer is packaged in your average tube with a doe-foot applicator. It's unscented, and comes out of the tube a firm cream with a slightly oily feel, very much like Nature Republic Botanical Eye Primer. I sort of had that oh-great gut reaction the moment I swatched it, because the Nature Republic primer was a dud and this VS one feels like it's heading in the same path.

Victoria's Secret HyperGloss Eye Shimmer Part II

I loved the first three colors of Victoria's Secret HyperGloss Eye Shimmer, particularly Night Lights and Moon Lights, I went back to see if there were other colors available. There were, namely Diamond Lights from the winter 2012 Diamonds After Dark Collection, and Star Lights.

Diamond Lights (left) and Star Lights (right). All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Victoria's Secret HyperGloss Eye Shimmer

Last year, while browsing and hoping my beloved Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm to make a comeback, I discovered these HyperGloss Eye Shimmer in the clearance section and picked them up on a whim. I'm soooooooo glad I did, because they're gorgeous!

I bought 3 colors at the time, Night Lights, Moon Lights, and Golden Lights. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Cheek Tint

These Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Cheek Tints are sad, long-forgotten, and neglected victims of my moving about for the past few years. They were updated, and much improved I must add, version of the much crappier Beauty Rush Pool Party Lip & Cheek Pop, all of which dried out within a mere 6 months' time even with my meticulous care in storage. I originally bought them just to see how they would fare in comparison to the older version, but I never got around to even open them up and try :( In other words, these are now very old, long discontinued and no longer available, and this post is more of a "tribute" than a review.

From left to right: Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Cheek Tint Just Peachy, Mon Cherry, and I Pink I Can. All pictures taken in natural light without flash unless otherwise noted.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Tint Lip Sheen Part II

Having enjoyed Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Tint Lip Sheens, I chased down Sun Goddess and Blush Blush, the 2 colors that were unfortunately discontinued before to the line's packaging revamp.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Tint Lip Sheen Sun Goddess (top) and Blush Blush (bottom). All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Tint Lip Sheen

I still haven't finished reviewing the items I brought and used throughout my time in Taipei, so before I move on with current products I want to get these posts up first!

Another item I purposely picked up for Taipei was Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Tint Lip Sheen. There used to be 6 colors available, but VS revamped the packing for the Beauty Rush line yet again and discontinued 2 colors in the process, Sun Goddess and Blush Blush. But there's always E(vil)bay so for now, enjoy these four :)

From left to right: Better than Bare, Boudoir Pink, Knockout Red, and Manic Pink. All pictures taken in natural light without flash. If these photos seem gloomy, blame the rainy Taipei winter :(

Perfumes etc.

On my quick visit home I had a chance to go through my moving boxes and found a few interesting item ^.^ I ended giving these away to my mum because she loves perfumes and I don't care much for them, but I thought I'd post these pictures anyway :)

One of the items was the Versace Pour Femme Coffret Set, which was a Sephora Insider 100-points deluxe sample I believe. Either way, I thought I was going to use it, but obviously it ended up being forgotten :( Oh well, at least it is being appreciated now.

Versace Pour Femme Coffret Set

Victoria's Secret Sexy Little Things Noir Scented Body Lotion

I had a whiff of Victoria's Secret Sexy Little Things Noir at the store a while back and thought it smelled light enough for me to endure in a lotion. So when I got this GWP tube of Noir Scented Body Lotion, I thought I'd give it a try.

Well, turns out the lotion is pretty strongly fragranced. I tolerated for the first couple of times used and then I couldn't stand it shortly after ^.^ I knew there was a reason I don't like perfumed lotions. In comparison to just scented lotions, they're really something else! The lotion itself is okay, nothing special and even a bit sticky. It feels pretty smooth though, I will give it that, but otherwise it's just a regular lotion.

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