Product Review -- Maybelline Baby Lips Color Balm Crayons

While I've gotten more swept up in the matte lipstick craze than I ever expected to, I always prefer a creamy, slightly shiny lip product.

They're just easier to wear because you don't have to worry about your lips being perfectly smooth and you don't wind up with dry, chapped lips after a day of wearing them.

So I was interested to try the Maybelline Baby Lips Color Balm Crayons. The original tinted Baby Lips Balms are a favorite of mine -- I always have one in my purse so I have foolproof lip color to throw on during the day -- so I liked the idea of a product that combined the comfortable, moisturizing feel of those balms with some more intense color.

Review -- Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue

I'm kind of a lip balm/lip treatment junkie.

At any given moment, I have at least 8 of them open -- in my bag, on my desk, on my nightstand, in my jacket pocket, basically everywhere I might possible be.

Because there's nothing I hate more than dry, cracked lips.

I have my favorites -- the EOS Lip Balms (particularly those in Sweet Mint and Lemon Drop) and the Jack Black Intense Lip Balm (in Natural Mint) -- but there are plenty that get the job done when my lips need a little extra moisture and TLC.

When they first came out, I tried the Maybelline Baby Lips and liked them just fine.

They're not the most hydrating lip balm in the world -- I think that's because the formula is fairly thin -- but I love the tinted shades that add a little color and shine to the lips while still smoothing them enough.

In particular, I love Peach Kiss -- it's a nice light peachy shade that's perfect for when I'm just running errands or walking the dog or going for a no-makeup makeup look.

So when the Baby Lips Dr. Rescue Lip Balms came out about a year ago (?), I knew I wanted to give them a try.

Review -- e.l.f. Studio Lip Balm SPF 15 in Pink, Plum, Nude and Peach

When Brownie wakes me up every morning at precisely 7:30 for her morning walk, I don't really have a lot of time to make myself presentable.

I usually have just enough time to throw on a tee shirt, yoga pants, flip flops and some sunscreen before she's dragging me out the door.

Before we get outside, though, I usually try to throw on a little lip balm, preferably tinted because I feel like that little bit of color makes me a look a little bit more alive and awake.

You know, not like I just crawled out of bed and still need another hour or two of sleep.

Several months back, I picked up one of the e.l.f. Studio Lip Balms SPF15 to use expressly for that purpose -- just a little something to throw on first thing in the morning.

Imagine my surprise when I liked it so much that I started using it as much as some of my lipsticks and glosses.

That's because these babies are lot more pigmented that I thought they would be.

Summer Makeup

Some of my summer makeup favorites.

The other day, I was procrastinating (as I am I known to do) and poking around on Refinery29's website when I came across a slideshow about switching up your makeup for the summer.

You can check it out here if you're interested.

Now, I do adjust my makeup routine slightly when the weather warms - for one thing, I can get away with wearing powder foundation all on its own, something I usually can't do when my skin is super dry in the winter - and I definitely prefer to use products that have a lighter feel on the skin.

So I think you do need to think about your makeup a little differently in the summer.

But what about days that you're going to be outside for several hours in the blistering heat whether at a beach, pool, park, barbecue, etc.?