I have a confession to make. I am a 30-something adult woman and I do not wear lipstick. Wait, let me clarify that. It isn’t that I do not want to wear lipstick, I can not wear it. Around the time I was in college, I noticed that when I used lip balm, lip stick and most products of that nature that my lips had a horrible reaction. We are not talking a little rash or anything. I mean, my lips would blow up like I had cosmetic surgery on them and would tingle and hurt.

This was a horrible experience. No matter what I did, I could not narrow down the problem to a certain ingredient. I just worked from trial and error. For my wedding day, I had to carefully plan out my makeup. Obviously I wanted to wear some color on my lips. I bought some hypoallergenic lipstick from a major seller in a department store. I tried it a few times and then stopped. From previous experience, if something was going to happen it took a while. I tried the lipstick on a practice run the day before my wedding. The morning of my wedding I had my hair done. My maid of honor helped me do my make up. As I sat there my lips started to tingle. Oy vey!  I was lucky they did not swell much that day, but I was a mess for my honeymoon.

One of the products that I have been able to use to protect my lips and keep them soft is Softlips brand. I once left a comment about how I loved that their line was one of the only  lip products that did not cause an issue for me. Much to my surprise, I was contacted by the PR agency that works with Softlips. They asked me to review their PURE 2009 products, along with their Limited Edition Winter Flavors. Of course, I said yes!

Softlips PURE 2009 product information

Softlips PURE is the line of premium organic lip conditioners designed with skin-conditioning ingredients to help keep lips soft, supple and healthy. Available in several flavors, Softlips PURE is USDA-certified organic and 100% natural. The premium, organix ingredients provide a silky-smooth, eco-friendly lip conditioner for softer, healthier lips. The product line also contains no animal by-products and is not tested on animals.

• Now available in six flavors for 2009: pomegranate, honeydew, peppermint, acai berry, papaya and chai tea.
• Product is mounted  on recyclable packaging
• Vegetable-based ink is used on package of PURE products
• Found in a slim stick to allow for easy carrying whether in a pocket, purse or make-up case
• Natural and free of synthetic chemicals, it only uses pure organix oils and beeswax along with other natural ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E.
• Can be used alone or under/over lipstick
• Available in mass retail, supermarket and drugstores nationwide for the suggested retail price of $2.99 for the 0.07 ounce stick.

Softlips Limited Edition Winter Flavors product information

Softlips is the line of premium lip conditioner designed with skin-protecting ingredients to help keep lips soft, supple and healthy. Available in several flavors varieties, Softlips Lip Balm with SPF 20 offers superb coverage and protection from the environmental elements, as well as a healthy sheen without the heavy waxiness or stickiness of traditional lip balms.

•  Now available in four limited edition winter flavors beginning September 2009: winter mint, sugar cookie, sugar & spice, sugar plum berry
• Combines lip protection with SPF 20 and moisturizing emollients that allow for a sheer glossing effect
• Like the PURE flavors it can be used alone or under/over lipstick
• Also packaged in slim cases to allow for easy transport in pockets, purses or make-up cases
• They can be found in the cough and cold section nationwide for the suggested retail price of $2.99 to $3.99 for the dual-stick pack
• The Softlips limited edition winter flavors (dual packs) Sugar & Spice with Vanilla and Sugar Plum Berry  with Cherry will be available at Target, while the Winter Mint with Vanilla and Sugar Cookie with Cherry will be available at Walgreens.

Keep up to date on the latest from Softlips by become a fan on Facebook. You can also enter the fourth annual 2009 Softlips Picture Perfect Lips Model Search. 

My Thoughts:

As I mentioned at the start, I was already buying Softlips on my own to use before this review. This opportunity allowed me to try their new PURE and Limited Edition Winter flavors.

Softlips Limited Edition Winter Flavors – I love the fact that the winter line includes the SPF protection, every little bit helps to protect my lips. The pairing of flavors in the dual packs are wonderful. The winter flavors really do work well together and allow you to test out one of the limited edition options along with one from the regular Softlips line. The scents are not overpowering, but make you think about the sweet aromas from the holiday season. My favorites were the Winter Mint and Sugar Cookie. There is just something very comforting about the Sugar Cookie flavor that reminds me of baking delicious cookies.

Softlips PURE flavors – As a person that is working hard to recycle, use more Earth friendly products and watch the products that I use with my children I love that this line is all natural and organic. The range of flavors available are amazing. Honeydew made me long for the summer and the delicious summer fruit, pomegranate of the fall harvest, and papaya of the tropical Hawaiian paradise. At the same time I was very intrigued by the acai berry and chai tea which were quite different than anything else I had ever tried. The peppermint was refreshing and had a little tingle that went with it, but not in a bad way.

I was a fan of Softlips before this review and will continue to be. I love that they are expanding their horizons, not only with new and exciting flavors, but also with more green products. Next up for me, I want to try their tinted lip conditioners. A little color on my lips would not be a bad thing, especially when I go out to something special.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Softlips one lucky reader will be able to win their own Limited Edition Winter Collection.

Rules for Giveaway:

• MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: If you could have Softlips create a new flavor, what would it be and why?
  
• 1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TheAngelForever and Tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Softlips Giveaway in the Tweet.  Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): A chance to win Softlips Limited Edition Winter collection from @TheAngelForever. Check out the review and giveaway http://bit.ly/1FcHwG
  
• 1 Bonus Entry – Let me know which winter flavor you are most excited to try and why.
• 1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
• 1 Bonus Entry – Become a Fan of Softlips on Facebook and let me know you did.  Update 11/15 – Found out that Facebook does not allow this type of entry. All previous entries of ths type will count, but none after this point. I still hope that you will become a Fan of Softlips anyway because they are very interactive on their page.
• 1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of November. Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one.
• 3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the Softlips giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today November 12th and ends at 10:59 EST on November 29, 2009. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave  a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only. 

Disclosure:  I received the Softlips PURE and Limited Edition Winter flavors complimentary of Softlips in order to facilitate this review. No other compensations was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own feelings about the product that I tried.