Blast from the Past: Calgon Get Juiced Lip Shimmer in Juicy Nude

I seem to collect lip balms and I've amassed quite a collection. So I apologize if lip balms aren't your thing but I've got a lot to get through. So here's a random but important thing about me: I really enjoy finishing products. I don't generally loose lip balms or lip glosses but I always make it a goal to finish a tube. This kind of makes my reviews a bit complex since I need to finish them before I can move on to the next. The reason why I say this is that this particular tube, albeit small, has been in use for months... I've also had it for years (just didn't get around to using it till recently).

I'm not really sure where I got it from -- I think it was a gift from Devi but my memory is fuzzy on that bit. Back when she first moved to Canada she would send nifty items that weren't really seen in the States and I think this was one of them. Mostly because whatever information I could find about them states that they were a limited edition that was packaged with other bath products and I'm pretty sure that back in 2007-2008 I was unable to find Calgon products in general. 

That gives you an idea of how old it is and to create a bit more context, I didn't start using it till late last year (2012). It actually does hold up well -- the scent and shimmer is very good. I didn't use it when I first got it so I don't have a "past" to compare it to. As a new product that just happens to be old, it works out decently enough. I say decently because I wasn't a fan of the texture as it was a bit chalky which is to be expected from a 4 year old lip balm.

What I accidentally did do one day was to leave it behind my laptop and upon it warming up, the scent came out a lot more and the chalky texture disappeared. As a result, I always leave it near my laptop so that it's not just within reach, but also so that I can get that vibrant fruity scent and an easier application. Overall, the scent and even the taste is slightly tropical and while it gives off a lot of shimmer, there is luckily no colour. In terms of moisturizing, it's not the best as I find that I have to reapply often. 

You can still find tubes of these floating around on eBay for a range of $3-$5 dollars. 

Blast from the Past: Almay Pure Tints Protective Lip Care in Berry

In my previous post, I mentioned that I went digging through my makeup storage and I had to get through all my different shades of red lipgloss to get down to the bottom. Well, this one was one of them. A few years ago, I used to work very close to a Revlon retailer, who also carried a bunch of other products. During the time I was on the hunt for a good red lipstick and came across a lot of other items in the process. Given at the time that I had accumulated so many, several of them went into storage.

This lip "tint" is in Berry and while there's no scent, there's SPF 25 (which probably by now has greatly deteriorated as SPF has a shelf life and when it's in makeup, it's sometimes a lot less than just the normal tubes of sunscreen). Anyhow, the shade itself is quite berry as noted by the picture on the right.

While I do enjoy the colour since it seems like a nice shade, it seems to be much lighter when I apply it. That in itself isn't a huge problem however the formula has a grainy feel to it. It goes on smoothly and seems to be still quite moisturizing. But that grainy feel is hard to ignore. Overall, I think that while the colour and idea is nice, the tint is probably not something I'd want in my makeup bag (or storage, at this point).

This line has been discontinued however you can still find tubes of it offered through some vendors. 

Blast from the Past: Jaqua Caramel Cappuccino Lip Whip

I remember when I first stumbled upon this brand back in 2005 (maybe it was then, I'm not sure) as they were Jaqua Beauty that specialized in scents that were that of candies or pastries. Basically, they are deliciously scented and happen to not taste as bad either. I think I recall seeing them at New York's Dylan's Candy Bar but my memory is a bit hazy about it. Anyhow, I managed to get one thing and that was the Caramel Cappuccino Lip Whip which I put into storage because I loved it so much.

The problem with the storage routine is that sometimes I buy way more lip balms and end up not ever getting back to my lip glosses. So here we are in 2013 and I found it at the bottom of the lip gloss storage that I had (conveniently underneath all the red lip glosses that I've accumulated).

Now sure, this many years later the scent is somewhat gone and replaced with a scent of sugar. Specifically stale sugar. But it still works just fine. Just as moisturizing as I remember it, the taste was a bit off (but nothing hugely off-putting, the colour is just as vibrant so the only real change is the scent. 

Now obviously I can't issue a real review on this based on the memories I had of this tube as a teenager and compare it to what it is now. It's pretty old and that's not fair to the company nor the product itself. This product is currently discontinued as it was part of Jaqua Beauty -- they are still in operation but they are now Jaqua Bath & Body and as the name denotes, they only offer bath and body products.