Burt's Bees Winter Grab Bag Haul/ First Impressions

So first thing I have to say is in my opinion Burt's Bees does not have a perfect ingredients list (phenoxyethanol being one that springs to mind), usually I would buy a different brand with "cleaner" ingredients but I did decide to buy this because I was kind of curious with what was in it and I was really happy with the price. The usual prices of Burt's Bees products in all honesty is ridiculously expensive, I think the prices they charge for ALL there products are absolutely a rip off, I would hate to see the price of there products if there were completely organic.

Anyway so I was in a bit of a sad mood on Friday when I saw I got an email from Burt's Bees, I don't always look at the emails I've signed up to cause they have this exciting title then I open the email and it is underwhelming. Anyway I opened the email saw the price $39.95 for 7 products that would usually are valued at $126.95, usually when I see these kind of "goody bags" from companies the contents really let me down but this time the content wasn't like amazingly exciting or anything but I think it was good and there were some things I needed or would like to try.
 So with me being in a bit of a crummy mood then seeing such a  good saving which appealed to my shopaholic and bargain buying tendencies- I caved and bought it. To be honest I don't know if I would have gotten that email another day if I would have bought it, hmmm maybe I would have actually, don't know anyway I did buy it.

Of course I had to pay for shipping which was $6.90, shipping prices in Australia really confuse me because they are so expensive here, it's ridiculous- but anyway I thought it could have been worse. Free shipping is available if you spend over $75 so I had a quick look at the products on there and prices were just too much  that it wasn't worth it for me.

 On the email they sent to me it says shipping will take 3-12 business days but I could have sworn it said 2-3 when I had just finished putting the order in, I could be wrong though. I got it Wednesday July 3rd and ordered it Friday June 28th.

The email did say that limited  Grab Bags are available which is another ploy to get people to hurry up and buy which I did lol. Something I love about Burt's bees is that they tell you how much of each product is natural which I appreciate.

BIG iherb haul part 2

The second part of my order came today and I have to say I am so disappointed, one of the products I bought leaked over everything which I'm really bummed about but, and the cookies I bought (in part 3) were completely smashed, I will be emailing iherb to let them know,  anyway...on with the haul :)

1)  EcoTools, Deluxe Fan Brush   $5.82 (USD)    I've actually never been too fussed about getting a fan brush but when I saw ecotools was coming out with one I decided to try it, first thing I noticed was all these new ecotools brushes are so, so, so soft :)

2) EcoTools, Tapered Blush Brush   $5.99 (USD)   When I saw this on iherb it looked more like a angled contour kind of brush that's why I got it, but it's not. Still really nice I think it would be nice for blush and contouring still because of that tapered tip.

3) EcoTools, Domed Bronzer Brush   $8.50 (USD)  I've had my eye on this brush ever since I saw Laurenbeautyy use it in one of her older videos, it's so dense and soft, so glad I got it!

4)  EcoTools, Custom Coverage Buffing Brush  $5.75 (USD) First off this picture for some reason makes this brush look angled, I think I must have taken the picture from a weird position because it's not angled, it's a flat top brush. Anyway bought this because it looks like the Sigma F80 brush and thought it would be interesting to see how it compares to it. I am looking forward to try it, hopefully it works well because it would be a much cheaper alternative!

5) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Finish/Perfected, Setting Brush  $7.99 (USD)  This was a bit of an impulse buy, but I thought it would be useful for setting my under eye concealer. It's fluffy and slightly stiff  (not in a bad or uncomfortable way), interested in how it will perform.

6) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Base/Flawless, Foundation Brush  $7.99  (USD)
Again another bit of an impulse buy, I don't like these kinds of brushes for foundation (I will try it though) but I do like them for concealer and selected area foundation work (around the nose).

7) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Base/Flawless, Expert Face Brush  $8.99 (USD)
 I've seen this all over youtube especially, so I am really looking forward to trying this, it's very dense and it is a bit smaller than I thought but it should be fine :)

8) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Contour Brush  $17.99 (USD)  For this brush I'm thinking it would be good for contouring and highlighting, very soft like all of these brushes.

9)  Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Pointed Foundation Brush  $17.99 (USD) I think this is way too small for foundation, I would not have the patients to use this as a foundation brush it would take too long, BUT I think it's perfect for under the eyes, especially for someone like myself you has blueness/ darkness under the eyes that need to cover a bit of a larger area under the eyes.

10)  Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Detailer Brush   $17.99 (USD)   This again is very small, I think spot concealing or a lip brush.

11) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Buffing Brush   $17.99 (USD)  This brush I am looking forward to using the most out of this set, I think it might be similar to the Sigma F80, can't wait :)

12) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Base/Flawless, Powder Brush   $9.99 (USD)  It's big and so soft, I think this will be great for any face powders and blending out mistakes with blush or bronzer.

13) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Finish/Perfected, Blush Brush    $8.99 (USD)   This is so ridiculously soft I want to just want to bring it everywhere and stroke it on my face lol  or..... it will be great for blush and bronzer too ;)


14) Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman, Your Finish/Perfected, Stippling Brush   $9.99   (USD)   I am very pleasantly surprised with this brush, it is very small but dense and very soft so I think this would work well for foundation, blush and highlighter.

15) J.R. Liggett's, Old-Fashioned Bar Shampoo, Damaged Hair Formula (99 g)  $4.55 (USD)    I bought 2 of these along with my other 3 that I have already, I am currently using this shampoo bar and I have to say I love it and I prefer it over normal shampoo.

16) EcoTools, EcoPouf Exfoliating Sponge   $1.70 (USD)   This was super cheap and I love the ecotools normal loofah (it's my favourite) so I wanted something even more exfoliating and again so cheap :)

17) Out of Africa, Organic Shea Butter, Raw, Wild Crafted  $12.24  (USD)  I love shea butter and I use it all the time so I wanted to buy another Nourish organic raw shea butter but they were out so I got this one cause it was raw too and a bit cheaper, hopefully it works as good.

18) Out of Africa, Organic Shea Butter Bar Soap, Apricot, 6 Pack (48 g) Each  $11.42 (USD)   I go through bar soap so fast, I thought I would try this scent because it came in a 6 pack, I didn't realise it was only 48g though......my bad.

19) Tierra Mia Organics, Baby Soap Bar, Raw Goat Milk Soap, 4.2 oz    $6.24 (USD)  I love the ingredients on this soap, specifically the raw goats milk so I want to give half to my brother to see if it helps his eczema, and my skin is very dry. A bit pricey though. 

20) Badger Company, Beauty Balm, Damascus Rose (28 g)   $12.60 (USD)   This is one of my favourite things I got, because it says it can help wrinkles so I bought this to use under my eyes because I have fine lines that really annoy me. Only bummer is it's gonna smell like rose and I do prefer no smell for products near my eyes but I'm hoping for the best.

21) Out of Africa, Pure Shea Butter Bar Soap, Unscented 105 g  $2.88 (USD)   I am liking this brand lately  and i am trying to find the best bar soap.

22) Madre Labs, Hand Cream with Argan Nut Oil, Unscented 71 g  $6.71 (USD)  I have very, very, very badly dry hands with dermatitis and nothing is controlling it anymore, it has gotten much worse on my finger they are all cut and sore. It's very frustrating so I am just looking for some kind of cream to help, I'm hoping this will help.

23) Elemental Herbs, All Good Goop, Handcrafted Healing Balm, 2 oz  $10.39 (USD)  This is a multitasking balm, kind of used for the same things people use paw paw ointment for; lips, burns, cuts, bites etc so I'm glad I found this and I hope it works well cause if it does it will come in handy :)

24) Dr. Mercola, Natural Sunscreen, with Green Tea, SPF 30 236 ml   $15.97 (USD)  It is more on the pricey side but I needed a natural sunscreen for me and my family and I trust Mercola products plus I know he would NOT have nano-particles in his sunscreens.

25) Dr. Mercola, Natural Aloe Vera 236 ml  $9.97 (USD)  I love aloe vera and it's great to have in this hot weather especially if you are going out in the sun! I'm excited to see how this aloe vera performs.

26) Larenim, Eye Color "Deja Vu" 1 g   $6.83 (USD)  This is a very cool toned, browny-grey from what I can tell. I will make sure to review and swatch the larenim eye colors once I've had a good use of them :)

27) Larenim, Eye Color "Devil's Food" 1 g  $6.83 (USD)  This is a very dark brown from what I can tell, I haven't swatches it yet but I will keep you posted on these.

28) DeVine, Lip Refresher, Vanilla Spritzer, 2 Pack (2 g Each)  $5.25 (USD)  I saw these by accident and I found them interesting  in that they have Resveratrol in them, that being said it's the second last ingredient in them and these 2 lip balms are equivalent  to 1 standard lip balm, so a bit pricey.

29) Mill Creek, Organic Lip Balm "Vanilla Honey" 4.2g   USDA organic   $1.79 (USD)  I know, I have a lip balm addicted, but it was cheap for usda organic. 

30) Thayers, Rose Petal Witch Hazel, with Aloe Vera Formula, Alcohol-Free Toner 355 ml  $7.96 (USD)   I have been trying to get this for ages but it goes out of stock so fast on iherb, I have a different toner without the rose from this brand and I like it but I think the rose will be better for my very dry skin.

31) Heritage Products, Rosewater & Glycerin, Atomizer Mist Sprayer 120 ml $4.84 (USD) I've heard some really great reviews for this if you have dry skin so I got it. This is culprit that leaked everywhere in the package which is disappointing cause it wasted a noticeable amount of the product and wet other things in there. It was in a plastic cover slip but it has opened so therefore wetting other products. The bottle is either cheap and weak or a dud cause I noticed the product was still leaking after making sure the cap is tight.




This is the first time with iherb that I've had a problem with the way they packaged my order (I think this is my 10th order from iherb), some things were loose without any kind of wrapper (some had wrappers and some didn't) which I thought was stupid and I will be emailing the company notifying them of what happened.

For anyone's first purchase at www.iherb.com you can use my referral code QUM327 to receive $5 off   an order under $40 and $10 off an order over $40.

If you use my code I do receive a small commission percentage of your orders.

Please comment on any specific products you would like me to make a review for in the near future :)

I am a Lip Balm Addict: My Collection

Lip balms are something that I basically hoard, I love lip balms, I need them because my lips get so dry, I go through them quickly because of this. I only buy natural or organic lip balms now, I don't go near nivea, maybelline, blistex, carmex etc anymore  after seeing that all these lip balms  have chemicals, synthetic preservatives, petroleum etc I just swore them off because in my opinion they seemed more harmful then helpful.
 Plus we are always getting lip products in our mouth, so for me I do not want those chemicals in my body. I think the easiest beauty product to switch to natural is lip balms as they are available at pharmacies (though of course more expensive then overseas, but I do get most of my lip balms from overseas because it is cheaper and they have a wider range.

What I look for in a lip balm; what I have noticed works best for my lips are creamy and/ or thick texture lip balms. Lip balms that are oily or greasy don't  work for me, they tend to sit on top of my dry lips and what I feel is an oily residue over chapped/ dry lips (hopefully that made sense) and my lips just still feel dry, like it isn't penetrating the skin layers.

Not Pictured: EOS lip balms Honeydew honeysuckle and summer fruits, Burt's Bees Mango Butter (HATE the smell) and Acai Berry as I could not find them.

NOTE: I have not yet used all of these so there are some that are unopened.

1: Crazy Rumors A La Mode Banana Split Lip Balm 4.2g     (from iherb.com)
2: MooGoo Tingling Honey Lip Balm 5g                            (from local health food store)
3: MooGoo Cow Licks Lip Balm 5g                                   (from local health food store)
4: Burt’s Bee’s Honey lip Balm 4.25g                                 (Priceline)
5: EOS Lip Balm Smooth Sphere "Passionfruit" 7g USDA ORGANIC  (bought from www.brigettesboutique.com a while ago)
6: Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate oil 4.25g                        (Pharmacy)
7: Madre Bees Organic “Pomegranate” Lip Balm 4.25g USDA ORGANIC          (from iherb.com)
8: Organic Essence Organic Lip Balm Vanilla 6g USDA ORGANIC                   (from iherb.com- discontinued)
9: Badger Vanilla bean Cocoa Butter Lip Balm 7g USDA ORGANIC                   (from iherb.com)
10: EOS Lip Balm Smooth Sphere "Sweet Mint" 7g USDA ORGANIC                (available at vitacost.com but bought from www.brigettesboutique.com a while ago)
11: Madre Bees Organic Mint Burst Lip Balm 4.25g USDA ORGANIC              (from iherb.com)
12: MooGoo SPF 15 Filter Free 5g NON-Nano zinc oxide                                (from local health food store)
13: EOS Lip Balm Smooth Sphere "Medicated Tangerine" 7g USDA ORGANIC  (available at vitacost.com but bought from www.brigettesboutique.com a while ago)
14: Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm 4.25g                                                        (Priceline)
15: Burt's Bees Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm with Kokum butter 4.25g               (from local health food store)
16: TheraNeem naturals Neem Stick Lip Therape' 4.2g USDA ORGANIC       (from vitacost.com)
17: Madre Bees Organic “Vanilla” Lip Balm 4.25g USDA ORGANIC               (from iherb.com)
18: Botani Healing Lip Balm 10g                                                                   (Priceline)
19: EcoTools Nonstop Moisture Lip Conditioner 7g                                        (from iherb.com- discontinued) 
20: EOS Lip Balm Smooth Sphere "Strawberry Sorbet" 7g USDA ORGANIC   (available at vitacost.com but bought from www.brigettesboutique.com a while ago)
21: Yes To Carrots C Me Smile Lip Butter Melon 4.25g USDA ORGANIC      (Priceline)

22: Burt's Bee's Tinted Lip Balm "Honeysuckle" 4.25g            (from local health food store)
23: Kuumba made Herbal Lip Balm “Mint” 4.25g                   (from iherb.com)
24: Hurraw! Chocolate Lip Balm 4.3g                                   (from iherb.com)
25: Peacekeeper Cause- Metics Eco-Sensual  Balm Spearmint & Coconut oil Lip Balm   (from iherb.com)
26: Hurraw! Vanilla Bean Lip Balm 4.3g                                (from iherb.com)
27: Yes to Blueberries Line Reducing Lip Treatment 2g          (from vitacost.com)
28: Kuumba made Herbal Lip Balm “Shea butter” 4.25g           (from iherb.com)
29: Hurraw! Night Treatment Balm “Blue Chamomile Vanilla” 4.3g            (from iherb.com)
30: Aubrey Organics Organic Lip Balm Vanilla & Honey 4.25g USDA ORGANIC          (from iherb.com)
31: Kuumba made Herbal Lip Balm “Lime” 4.25g             (from iherb.com)
32:Dr. Bronner’s Magic Organic Lip Balm “Peppermint” 4g USDA ORGANIC       (from local health food store but also available at iherb.com)
33: Kuumba made Herbal Lip Balm “Almond” 4.25g           (from iherb.com)
34: Honey Girl Organics Lip Balm .33fl .oz      (from vitacost.com)
35: Biggs & Featherbelle Soul Kiss  .15oz        (from vitacost.com)
36: Hurraw! Coconut Lip Balm 4.3g                (from iherb.com)
37: Naked Organix  Argan Nourishing Therape’ Butter to go 7g  USDA ORGANIC    (from vitacost.com)

38: Hurraw!  Coffee Bean Lip Balm 4.3g           (from iherb.com)
39: Vegan Hemp Balm Vanilla Lip Balm 4g         (from iherb.com)
40: Burt's Bee's Tinted Lip Balm "Pink Blossom" 4.25g                (from local health food store)
41: Hurraw! Sun Protection Balm spf15 Tangerine Chamomile 4.3g NON-nano Zinc Oxide         (from iherb.com)
42: Elemental Herbs All Good Lips the Original USDA ORGANIC              (from iherb.com)

My Favourites so far:

#8: Organic Essence Organic Lip Balm Vanilla 6g USDA ORGANIC     

Unfortunately is has been discontinued from iherb.com, this is my favourite and I love it so much luckily I have a few spare. If you can get your hands on this go for it!! It's thick and creamy, smells like soft natural vanilla and eco friendly packaging, seriously i love this lip balm so much and I am very picky.



#32:Dr. Bronner’s Magic Organic Lip Balm “Peppermint” 4g USDA ORGANIC    

Another favourite, really creamy, hydrates beautifully, love the peppermint and didn't burn, tingles a bit. Other flavours are available Lemon- Lime, Naked and Orange-Ginger (I haven't tried any of these though).



#22: Burt's Bee's Tinted Lip Balm "Honeysuckle" 4.25g      
Love, love, love the colour and natural nude colour, subtle but enough to see the difference, really beautiful colour.


29: Hurraw! Night Treatment Balm “Blue Chamomile Vanilla” 4.3g    

Smells so good, feels amazing on the lips, hydrating and just beautiful and creamy, cannot wait to try the rest on the Hurraw! balms that I have :)


33: Kuumba made Herbal Lip Balm “Almond” 4.25g   
Not a massive fan of the almond, it's not bad just not my preference BUT so creamy, really nice lip balm my lips are so soft when I apply this, last a good amount of time too. Again I can't wait to try the rest :)


16: TheraNeem naturals Neem Stick Lip Therape' 4.2g USDA ORGANIC 

Unbelievably cream....almost ridiculous how creamy it is. Works great, smells minty really great for winter.


 9: Badger Vanilla bean Cocoa Butter Lip Balm 7g USDA ORGANIC 

This is ridiculously moisturising, it's really a dry lip life saver. The size is so much better than a traditional sized lip balm and you don't need to apply too much. It smells like cocoa butter, not vanilla bean though.


1: Crazy Rumors A La Mode Banana Split Lip Balm 4.2g   

This is super creamy and another lip transformer (like this whole list of favs). I don't think it smells like a banana split though, it's more like a strange caramel smell, which I'm not a big fan of so when I repurchase it will be in a different flavour! but still great lip balm, surprising actually!




All my favourites mentioned are amazing for dry, chapped, flakey lips!! All these lip balms will change your lips for the better!! Trust me :)


Once I have made sure to try them all I will do an update of what is worth a purchase and what isn't.




For anyone's first purchase at www.iherb.com you can use my referral code QUM327 to receive $5 off   an order under $40 and $10 off an order over $40.
If you use my code I do receive a small commission percentage of your orders.


For anyone wanting to purchase from vitacost you can use my referral code and on orders over $30 you will be receive $10 off and then so will I.
https://www.vitacostrewards.com/Veb2mOo