wearing Clarins instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm in Crystal rose ($26) on my lips
I am no fortune teller.

No way, no how. I’ve never picked the winning lottery numbers, haven’t foreseen any major historical events, and I did not divine my evolution into a cat lady…although really, in hindsight, that one I ought to have seen comin’.

អត្ថបតផសាយ

I can’t tell you if that guy/gal you’re dating is THE one (I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you!), but I can tell you this: if you plan to spend any time with these Clarins instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms this summer, you’ll be spending much of it swiping these balms back and forth across your lips. Back, back, forth and forth, as the song goes.

The instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms from the left in Crystal Rose, Crystal Gold Plum and Crystal Mandarin (not pictured: Crystal Berry)
Yeah, these four new limited edition tinted lip balms require some major swiping. A lot of swiping. I think it has to finish with the tinted inner core.

Released with the Clarins Splendours Colour Collection for summer, Crystal Rose, Crystal Mandarin, Crystal Gold Plum and Crystal Berry ($26 each) each have a yummy-looking tinted inner core surrounded by a transparent balm.

អត្ថបតផសាយ

ឆ្មានិងគ្រឿងតុបតែងមុខរបស់ឆ្មា ??

42 ដុល្លារ

ទិញឥវ៉ាន់ឥឡូវនេះ

Don’t they look amazing and practically good enough to eat?

Mmm… like lipstick gummies.

I’ve been wearing and liking three of the four shades this week. like a fancier, much more pigmented species of Burt’s Bees lip balm, they have a lightweight but heavy-duty moisturizing formula that also packs a peck of shine. Non-sticky, they last around 2-3 hours for me.

Thing is, they also take a bit of work to wield. lots of that swiping I mentioned, as in swiping the lipstick across my lips at least 5-6 times to evenly apply the colors.

From the left, that’s Crystal Rose, Crystal Mandarin and Crystal Gold Plum
I think there’s something up with that tinted inner core, like it’s a different texture than the softer outer balm. With the first pass across my lower lip, the swipe ends up patchy and uneven…

Gold Plum

…but bringing the suggestion back and forth a few times smooths things out.

Crystal Mandarin
I don’t mind the swiping, though. even with it, I think these are still pretty casual and cool.

Like, if the MAC RiRi lipsticks were five-inch heels, these Clarins instant Smooth Balms would be like Tory Burch flip-flops. Laid back but still kinda fancy.

I think it would be amazing to just wake up with lips that looked like this every morning.

Best for: Gals/guys who love laid-back lip looks and moisturizing, pigmented balms.

PRICE: $26 each
AVAILABILITY: limited edition, and available in four shades now at Clarins counters and online
MAKEUP and charm blog RATING: B+

My new neighbors…

A family of finches dines here
About a month ago I started paying attention to a couple of finches that I kept seeing and hearing around my upstairs deck at home and one of the oak trees outside.

Turns out the reason I kept seeing them was because they made their nest…inside the deck!

I haven’t actually seen the nest itself because it’s safely tucked under some planks in the corner, but I know it’s there; I hear the baby birds chirping for food every couple of hours and see the mommy and daddy birds guarding the nook.

Tabs is now banned from the deck, at least for the time being. It is now the official home of a family of finches, who are beautiful neighbors, by the way. They keep me company while I work.

អត្ថបតផសាយ

I’m wishing to catch a peek of the baby birds as they take their maiden flight. ម្រាមដៃឆ្លងកាត់។

អ្នកញៀនរញាក់អ្នកញៀនរទេះរុញរាក់ទាក់របស់អ្នក

កេរ៉ែរ