REVIEW: e.l.f. Studio | Lip Exfoliator

Though March is ushering slightly warmer weather and more frequent visits from the sun, it's still far from warm, and the persisting harsh winds are still paying havoc on my lips. I love my Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub: it's tasty and it gets my chapped lips nice and smooth. The problem is that it's not very practical. Enter e.l.f Studio Lip Exfoliator: all the benefits of a lip scrub in a handy lipstick shaped tube. 

I really like that all I have to do is twist up, give my lips a quick swipe, wipe away with a wet cotton pad or muslin cloth, and I'm done. Okay, so maybe it's not as fast as simply eating the lip scrub like you can with the Lush one, but I really like the fact that I don't have to dip my finger in a little pot, and the application is completely mess-free. Infused with Vitamin E, shea butter, avocado, grape and jojoba oils, this lip exfoliator leaves lips smooth and moisturised. Followed by my favourite lip balm, my lips are instantly lipstick ready (or as ready as they're ever going to be - my lips don't seem to take kindly to lipstick).

I'm not a massive fan of the taste, which is quite sweet and not in a good way, but most of it goes away when you wipe the product with a cotton pad, and it's a small gripe compared to how soft and moisturised the product leaves my lips feeling. I've been using this for a good month now, and I would 100% recommend this for anyone on the look out for an affordable, easy-to-use lip exfoliator. 

Do you use a lip scrub or a lip exfoliator? What's your favourite?

First Ever Lush Purchases: Bubblegum Lip Scrub and 9 to 5 Cleansing Lotion

I have a confession to make: up until the beginning of November I had never purchased anything from Lush. Now I look back it seems crazy that I would walk past the heaven of bath bombs and be intimidated by the luxurious mix of scents that would assault my senses whenever I walked past Lush on my way to Waterstones or Starbucks. It is only now that I am fully emmersing myself in the vast ocean that is the beauty world that I appreciate the years that I've missed that I could have been draining away the stresses of GCSE's in pretty coloured baths or maybe fought my acne years with something a little more gentle than Clearasil. Sigh.

Now I live in Belgium, Lush stores aren't quite as easy to stumble across. I was sad to find that the Lush in Antwerp was no longer there, and I have yet to venture to try and locate the Brussels or the Louvain-La-Neuve stores, so when I was on my home back to Belgium after a Halloween in England with my girl friends and spotted the Lush store at London Victoria, I had to pop in.

I already knew from preliminary research that I wanted the lip scrub to remedy my dry, flakey lip problem. I was almost tempted by the Christmas version, but I didn't find the scent of Santa's Lip Scrub as appealing as the Bubblegum one. It's become a fast favourite and can see a massive difference in the texture and colour of my lips: they're softer, smoother and more pink. 

Still a little overwhelmed by the bath bombs (they really are a foreign concept to me!), I wandered instead to the skincare. I've heard a lot about the Tea Tree Toner, but in the end I settled on the 9 to 5 Cleansing Lotion, which contains almond oil and dove orchid. I was a little dubious at its cleansing power, only to be pleasantly surprised when I double-cleansed with a micellar water that it had removed all the grime and make up for my face! Though the scent was a little...natural for me at first, I've grown used to it and come to find it comforting, in a cleansing sort of way. 

It really is great for days when you can't be bothered faffing about with washing your face but you still want a soft, clean smooth face. Smother this one, wipe away with a cotton pad, and you're good to go! 

I might have to face my (slight) anxiety of Lush stores in the future and hunt down my local one in the new year because it's time that I stopped missing out on their wonderful products! Are you a Lush newcomer like me or a Lush veteran? What are your favourite Lush products? I'd love to hear any recommendations!