Listen to Lena

Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion

Holiday Beauty #8 – Balmshell

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It’s another fabulous Canadian addition to the Holiday Beauty Fest – Balmshell!

I first became obsessed with Balmshell lip glosses when I read about one of the company’s proudest moments, courtesy of an interview by Anjali of Rock That Look. Having enjoyed their “Shopaholic” lip gloss for some time, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the creators followed their passion and entrepreneurial instinct to create and market the perfect lip gloss.

And that it is! High shine, super moisturizing and never sticky, the gloss feels more like a balm than lip colour. It is quite frankly the only gloss I own that improves the look and feel of my lips the more I wear it.

“Balmshell’s high-end conditioning formula contains lanolin oil, jojoba oil and no artificial preservatives. Perfume-free, Balmshell is slightly flavored with a hint of natural fruity vanilla. This unique formula creates a smooth high gloss finish to enhance and give the appearance of full supple lips.

Each shade is packaged in a unique tube that contains a floating illustration. Each illustration has a cute story line that can relate to every woman. When you are finished with the gloss you can unscrew the illustration and attach it to a complimentary keychain component allowing you to keep the artwork.” 

LOVE it – two insanely hot products in one!

As mentioned, my go-to gloss has always been Shopaholic (surprise, surprise!) – even before I realized that with my tanned complexion and quick smoky eyes, I’ve got the perfect Snooki style a la Jersey Shore. A less heavy application yields prom princess results – the essential pretty look for everyday wear. The lip gloss pairs wonderfully with all complexions, and is my preferred stocking stuffer this season!

When Baby Reid made his appearance back in May, the Balmshell gals generously sent me a Yummy Mummy gloss to celebrate; a sheer pinky-brown, which goes with everything (including tired eyes) and does wonders to make this mummy feel rather delicious. The gorgeous shimmer and sheer application gives this neutral gloss a touch of magic. And since mamas can usually do wonders, the gloss truly hits the mark.

Can’t decide? Grab Balmshell’s Mini Lip Gloss Collection. At just $24, you can indulge in 5 of Balmshell’s most popular shades, including Darling You Look Fabulous, Shoe Fetish, Shopaholic, Weekend in the Hamptons & Yummy Mummy. The lip glosses are displayed beautifully in a sleek Balmshell gift box (pictured below).

Great news for fans of the brand – Balmshell has plans to expand their line to include complimentary cosmetics, and has already introduced the coveted Lip & Cheek Tint. Praised by beauty professionals, the gel based product has a built-in antibacterial sponge applicator to reduce colour transfer on your fingertips. The innovative formula includes white tea and chamomile extract, plus rose water to control oil and keep skin fresh. Shades available are Black Cherry, Blackmail Betty, Gossip Greta, Scandalous Scarlett and Tabloid Tammy.

I’m a novice at applying cheek tints, but I’m all about the lip stains. Can’t wait to get my hands on this amazing product – the Tabloid Tammy shade (bronze) looks like the perfect way to add a sunny glow.

BUY IT!

Balmshell cosmetics are available online and at Shoppers Drug Mart locations across Canada.

WIN IT!

Balmshell has generously offered one Listen to Lena! reader the chance to win 5 (FIVE!) lip glosses of her choice (value $100)!

PLUS, two runners up will each receive a Mini Lip Gloss Collection (value $24 each)!

To enter, simply visit Balmshell and choose 5 lip glosses which reveal your inner Balmshell, and leave a comment here listing them – including your favourite and why.

You can also qualify for extra entries! Remember, you must leave a separate comment for each. You can:

(1) Follow my blog, Listen to Lena!
(2) “Like” Listen to Lena! on Facebook
(3) “Like” Balmshell on Facebook
(4) Follow Balmshell on Twitter
(5) Tweet about this giveaway (tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/33qm4u3)
(6) You may Tweet daily.

I’ll draw for a winner on December 31st. Good luck everybody!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  8. Great giveaway! I'd love to try the shades: Weekend in the Hamptons, Hair-apy, You Give Me Fever, Shopaholic, and Shoe Fetish. And Hair-apy seems like it would be my favorite, since it's seems like a nice shade! :)

  11. I like "Darling You Look Fabulous", "The Classic", "Yummy Mummy", "Sleep In Beauty" and "Shoe Fetish". Love the colours…love the names!

  35. 1.DARLING YOU LOOK FABULOUS Shade: Sheer Hot Cherry Red 2.SHOE FETISHShade: Sheer Hot Fuchsia3.SHOPAHOLIC Shade: Sheer Classic Soft Baby Pink4. Ah the classicShade:Sheer Raspberry Sparkle 5.YOU GIVE ME FEVER Shade:Sheer Rosy Cheek Pink jennifer.kalman at gmail dot com

  39. Oooh..I love Balmshell! The 5 glosses I would pick are:1) You Give Me Fever2) Shoe Fetish3) Yummy Mummy4) The Classic5) ShopaholicI already follow Balmshell on Twitter (@shrutispeaks)and tweeted about it too.

  43. The 5 lipglosses that I would like are: Weekend in the Hamptons,Darling You Look Fabulous, Curse of the Purse, Shopaholic, and Ah The Classics.I already own Shoe Fetish and I LOVE it! :]

  46. Sheer Hot Cherry Red, Yummy Mummy, Darling you look fabulous, Shoe Fetish and Weekend in the Hamptons. Favorite would have to be Yummy Mummy because I think it would go well with my dark complexion.

  48. My favorite Balmshell lipgloss would probably be Shopaholic because I think that color looks great on everyone. Plus I LOVE baby pink lips. :]

  49. My 5 picks are: YOU GIVE ME FEVER, SHOE FETISH, CURSE OF THE PURSE, SLEEP IN BEAUTY, SHOPAHOLICThe Curse of the Purse is my favorite because I tend to gravitate to peachy shades

  52. Darling you look fabuous, ah the classics, hair-apy, weekend at the hamptons, you give me fever.My favorite is you give me fever because I love that shade of pink.

  56. 1. Weekend in the Hamptons2. Darling You Look Fabulous3. You Give Me Fever4. Ah the Classics5. Curse of the PurseMy favorite lipgloss is Weekend in the Hamptons because the color looks great.

  65. My 5 picks would be:-YUMMY MUMMY-BEACH PATROL-HAIR-APY-CURSE OF THE PURSE-WEEKEND IN THE HAMPTONSMy favorite would be Yummy Mummy because I love brown/nude lip gloss shades.

  78. My fav color is Shopaholic since I love the light pink shade and of course, I love, love to shop!The other shades I like are–>Weekend in the HamptonsShoe FetishSleep in Beauty &Yummy Mummy

  82. The 5 lipglosses I like the best are:Weekend at the HamptonsHair-apy (my fave)Beach-PatrolYummy-MummyShopaholicI like wearing neutral, pink, shimmery colors on my lips, so these colors would be perfect for me!

  93. My favourite is definitely "You Give Me Fever" … because it's just an awesome jazz standard, so total props for the name.I also like:Shopaholic, shoe fetish, ah the classic and curse of the pursepeggylikesstuff at gmail dot com

  99. I was not aware of this line until I checked my twitter.I love it. The colors seem vibrant and moist. LOVE! I love Yummy Mummy, Shopaholic, Balmshell, darling you look fabulous,and she fetish. I am a makeup artist and will be buying these. Bethany Montecalvo "Go Organic" wwww.BethanyMontecalvo.com

  111. my first #1 favorite is 1-YOU GIVE ME FEVER Sheer Rosy Cheek Pink 2-YUMMY MUMMY Sheer Pink Brown3-SHOE FETISH Sheer Hot Fuchsia 4-SLEEP IN BEAUTY Sheer Sparkle Pink 5-CURSE OF THE PURSE Sheer Peachy Creamstaceyx at telus dot net

  119. WEEKEND IN THE HAMPTONSCURSE OF THE PURSESLEEP IN BEAUTYSHOPAHOLICSheer Taupe Sandy Beige is my favourite because you could wear it anywhere!nancyrobster at gmail dot com

  124. I like Shoe Fetish, Darling you look Fabulous, The Classic, Yummy Mummy and You give me fever. My fave is shoe fetish- just because its me in a nutshell!

  129. Darling You Look FabulousYou give me FeverBeach PatrolShoe FetishSleep in BeautyLove the names! Darling you look Fab would be my fave for the fun colour and fun name!

  132. I like Weekend in The Hamptons, Shopaholic, Hair-apy, Curse of the purse, and Sleep in Beauty.My favorite is Curse of The Purse.Because I look good with this kind of colors.

  138. The five lipglosses that I like are: sleepinbeauty – sheer sparkly pink, hair-apy – sheer gold shimmery pink, shopaholic- sheer soft baby pink, yougivemefever – sheer rosy pink, and finallt shoe fetish – sheer hot fucshia. Pinks are my favorite all time color.

  146. I love the story of this company totally inspired me. My 5 are Sleep in Beauty (Because I Wish I could)Hair-ApyWeekend in the HamptonsBeach PatrolCurse of the Purse

  151. I like hair-apy, week in the hamptons, beach patrol, you give me fever and darling you look fabulous.My fave is the hair-apy because it would suit my skin tone and looks funbluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com

  186. These five reveal my inner Balmshell: Curse of the Purse, Darling You Look Fabulous, Hair-Apy, Shoe Fetish, and Ah The Classic.Among those my favourite is Darling You Look Fabulous because I love a great Red gloss for boosting the old self esteem. :)rararomp at gmail dot com

  199. The 5 glosses I like are:ShopaholicCurse of the PurseHair-ApyWeekend in the HamptonsBeach PatrolMy favorite is the Hair-Apy though – such a great shade!sbabij2 at shaw dot ca

  281. My faves are Yummy Mummy, Beach Patrol, Hair-apy, Weekend in the Hamptons and Curse of the Purse. All the colors are fabulous but I like Yummy Mummy the best, looks the most versatile to match all makeup looks! tylerpants(at)gmail.com

  289. Hair-apyYou Give Me FeverShoe FetishSleep in BeautyShopaholic My favorite though is Curse of the Purse I love the colour and I have a weakness for purses!