Strawberry Bombshell Lip Tint

Before this year, I had no need for lip tints, lip stains or pretty much any other elaborate product that claimed to improve my face. I was more than content with concocting bath cocktails and drowning myself in a sea of shower gels - shoving on whatever make up I could find to make me presentable and leaving the house in this manner most days. However, that all changed when I discovered Lush's new range of beauty cosmetics and decided to take the plunge - a decision that has taken me down a path that I never thought I'd tread. 

Strawberry Bombshell is one of five lip tints that are currently available at the Oxford Street store - one of three that happen to be brand new and previously unreleased. Presented in a tube about 7cm long and 1cm in diameter, these beauties are perfect for slipping into your handbag and re-applying if and when you feel it is needed. 

This particular tint shares it's scent with the popular Yummy Yummy Yummy fragrance family - a gorgeous decadent and rather powdery strawberry aroma that lasts and lasts and lasts. Containing fresh strawberries, mandarin oil and agave nectar, this tint smells good enough to eat - an aroma that lingers around the whole time you're wearing this and offering bursts of its beautiful smell throughout the day. 

The inclusion of shea butter and melon oil helps to give this tint a good amount of moisture, so when you're applying it as well as when it's already on your lips, you don't get that waxy, drying feeling you can sometimes get with cheaper lip sticks; the candelilla wax helps to bind the other ingredients together, whilst also creating a workable texture that is easily absorbed into the lips. While I wouldn't say it's as nourishing as a lip balm, it definitely keeps your lips in good condition. 

What I'm slightly confused about, and this is due to my lack of experience with lip-orientated cosmetics, is that the depth of colour the lip tint creates when applied is very strong and no different to what I would expect from a lip stick. While I assumed a tint would only offer a gentle, subtle colour to compliment that of a lipstick, I was surprised to see that it outshines some of the lip sticks available in regular high-street shops, and is strong enough to be used by itself. 

In fact, Lush state that these tints are made from 8% pigment, whereas their lipsticks contain 30% - a fact that doesn't seem to equate when you compare the lack of difference between the two products when they're in use. This is not a negative on either products, just a point I feel I should make for those who may be able to tell me why this may be. 

On the negative side, it does take a while to settle on the lips, and I found that I was never fully confident that it wouldn't wipe away if I ran my finger along the area. In fact, the whole time I was wearing it, my lips felt very slightly 'damp', which warned me that I would have to be careful if I was planning drinking or eating anything while out and about. Lack of experience at the time meant that I didn't do anything but allow myself to feel like this all day. I now know that I could probably invest in a lip barrier pencil to set the tint and help it to last longer. 

As it happened, this stayed on my lips for the most part of the day - only needing a touch up after I had drunk anything, which is a small price to pay for feeling amazing with my rich pink lip tint! Easy application and gorgeous aroma means that I will be using this one regularly - a must have for anyone who wants a fruity companion that'll leave you feeling gorgeous and looking like a star to boot. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Fair Trade Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Kalahari Melon Oil (Citrullus lanatus), Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia cerifera), Organic Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Illipe Butter (Shorea stenoptera), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Sunflower Wax (Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax), Cupuacu Butter (Theobroma grandiflorum), Glycerine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Flavour, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Organic Agave Syrup (Agave Tequilana), Fresh Strawberries (Fragaria vesca), Sicilian Mandarin Oil (Citrus Nobilis), Spearmint Oil (Mentha spicata), Ylang Ylang Oil (Cananga odorata), Cetearyl Alcohol, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), Benzyl Benzoate, *Citral, *Limonene, Titanium Dioxide, Colour 77491, Colour 45410:2.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £4.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.

Quantitative Ingredients: Sodium Carbonate, Cream of Tartar, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Glycerine, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Olibanum Oil, Bergamot Oil, Geranium Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 45350, Colour 45410.

Vegan?: Yes.

2014 Price: £5.25.

Scent Family:

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Strawberry Bombshell Lip Tint
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