My greatest apologies for my little hiatus! I returned from my Taiwan trip and somehow managed to get swamped by an assortment of non-indie related stuff that were both boring but necessary. Still, indulgence always reclaims its top spot in the natural order of things, so here’s the long overdue second part of my review of the gorgeous Hello Waffle haul that I received from my blogger’s pack order.

In case you missed it, here’s a link to Part 1 – Eye Shadows.

This post will be dedicated to swatches and reviews of Hello Waffle’s fantastic blushes and tinted lip balms. For a quick recap, here’s a list of the goodies that I got:

Full sized eye shadows in: Bach, Bartok, Corgi Butts and Mendelssohn

in: Bach, Bartok, Corgi Butts and Mendelssohn Full sized blushes in: Belle and Rose Colored Glasses

in: Belle and Rose Colored Glasses Full sized lip balm in Original

in Original Eye Shadow samples in: Dormouse, Einaudi, Eternity, Fey, Gryphon, Mozart, Rule 42, Schubert and Tower

in: Dormouse, Einaudi, Eternity, Fey, Gryphon, Mozart, Rule 42, Schubert and Tower Blush sample in June Bug

sample in June Bug Lip Balm samples in Ginger Kitties and Roses of the Vale

Without further ado, here’s the review and the swatches!

♥

Blushes

Ingredients: Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Red #40 Al Lake, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Palmitic Acid, Iron Oxide, Carmine, Bismuth Oxychloride, Tin Oxide, Boron Nitride, Boron Oxide, Manesium Myristrate, Carnauba Wax, Lauroyl Lysine, Magnesium Stearate, Kaolin Clay, Zinc Stearate

Blushes are relatively new at Hello Waffle but the collection has already blossomed into a gorgeous array of different mesmerizing shades. I was hard pressed to pick 2 colors for my package because I really wanted to try Belle, Rose Colored Glasses and June Bug. I ended up writing a note to Christine, asking if I could replace the full sized blush with 2 samples instead. Out of the kindness of her beautiful heart, she popped two full sized blushes of Belle and Rose Colored Glasses as well as a sample of June Bug into my package. I could not be more overwhelmed and grateful!

The packaging of the blushes is totally in tangent with the adorable yet classy aesthetic of the brand. I love the adorable kitty stickers that showcase the delightful Waffle. It’s obvious that a lot of thought and love has gone into all of Hello Waffle’s products and you can see Christine’s passion shining through, from the lovely packaging to the well blended and gorgeously, gorgeously pigmented product.

I mean honestly. This has got to be the most adorable ingredients list that I have ever seen. It’s just such a delight to have these sitting on my dresser. That little kitten raising its paw never fails to get to me.

And now that I’ve had my share of gushing over the packaging and what a lovely brand owner Christine is, here are the blush swatches! Color descriptions are taken from Hello Waffle’s site.

Belle

Rich pink-coral with gold shimmer.

Belle is just a beautiful, beautiful shade of coral pink topped with little specks of shimmery golden glitter. I personally tend to gravitate towards matte blushes because I have hideously oily skin and glitter sometimes doesn’t work in my favor. Still, this color is so gorgeous that I will definitely be reaching for it often. It has the right amount of glitter to add some sparkle and dimension to my face without making me feel like I’m trying to impersonate a fairytale princess at my ripe old age.

I did a swatch over Glitter Glue to show how beautifully pigmented this product is, but as you can see, it’s so easily blendable that it is pretty effortless to build up your perfect flush. This is a very youthful and innocent shade and adds a much needed kiss of color to my pale complexion. I think this is possibly my favorite out of the three shades.

June Bug

Warm orange-coral with the subtlest amount of blue/green glow

June Bug makes me think of rainbows, candy flowers, blushing butterflies and everything cute, cheerful and summery in the world! This is a wonderfully playful and happy shade of coral speckled with iridescent bits of bluish silver glitter. I found that the orange came out more strongly when applied with a heavier hand while somehow the pinkish coral took precedence over the Glitter Glue. This is magically sparkly and even though I tend to shy away from glitter, I am just drawn to this pretty little color.

When well blended, it’s the perfect orange-coral shade, just as advertised. The glitter really adds a certain zing to the shade and I am thrilled that I had the chance to try this out. I’m not sure if I’m going to be wearing this often, but it’s so lovely that I’m glad that I have it in my collection. I actually really wish that this would be available as a lip gloss because I think I would just wear it over everything.

Rose Colored Glasses

Matte yellow-toned rose

Although this is advertised as a matte blush, I did still find the tiniest bit of dark red shimmer tucked away in this rich and stunning rose shade. It’s subtle enough to just add a bit of glow, but this isn’t a true matte (unless some bits of glitter managed to sneak their way into my pot). As it is, I really like the effect, so I’m definitely not complaining.

Although the color looks really dark, especially over Glitter Glue, it really blends out quite nicely although I still think it’s a tad too strong for my pallid coloring. Still, I have a friend with a caramel skin tone over whom I think this blush would look stunning. I definitely think that it’s time to spread the Hello Waffle fever!

On the whole, I’m really happy and impressed with the blushes. A little bit of product goes a long way, so I don’t think I’ll be running out anytime soon but I would definitely repurchase!

Lip Balms

Carnauba Wax, Coconut Oil, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Mango Butter, Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil, Vitamin E, and Peppermint Oil

Hello Waffle’s lip balms evoke a kind of a mixed feeling in me because the formula is so gorgeous, yet a little gritty as well. The grittiness is a known issue and I would imagine that Christine has improved the formula quite a bit because I didn’t find it to be too much of an issue in the original lip balm.

For the tinted lip balms, the grittiness did make it harder to get a smooth finish. The lip balms are currently unavailable for purchase because she’s working at tweaking the formula and I’m really excited because apart from that one problem, these are awesome lip products. The packaging is gorgeous though, and the pigmentation is out of this world.

Original

This is basically the uncolored version of the lip balm which I got because I wanted something for daily use. The texture is a little hard to place; it’s not particular creamy or oily but I didn’t find it that waxy either. It feels like a yummy peppermint paste that melts upon contact with my lips. Rubbing my lips together, I can feel a slight grittiness; it’s kinda like the feeling you get after most of the sugar particles of a lip scrub have dissolved but they’re not fully gone yet.

I love the peppermint taste and the slightly tingly sensation it leaves behind. Prior to this, I’ve never tried a peppermint flavored lip product, and I am now a convert! I’m really looking forward to the re-release of the lip balms because aside from the grit, this is a gorgeous lip balm formula. It just takes a couple of swipes to embalm my lips in the product and it sits very comfortably. It’s pretty light and doesn’t make my lips feel unnaturally coated, the way some waxier lip balms do. At the same time, I feel like my lips are being protected and pampered. It really is the best of both worlds.

Tinted Lip Balms

These colors are sooo gorgeous, but I did find them harder to apply than the average tinted lip product. What I really liked about these tinted balmies though is that despite being colored, they have the exact same moisturizing effect as the original lip balm.

Ginger Kitties

This is a gorgeous salmon coral and it looks so natural on the lips. I found this less gritty than Roses of the Vale and I did have an easier time with the lip and swatch application. As you can see, there is still a touch of grit despite my best attempts to smooth the color out.

I will still be wearing this out every now and again because apart from needing a bit of patience to smooth out the color, it is one of the most versatile and adorable shades I own. I like wearing it on its own to give my lips a kiss of color, and since it’s so moisturizing, it works great as a base for other lip products. I tried using my custom Wild Flowers Lip Gloss from Shiro over this and I loved the results.

Roses of the Vale

This is the one that I had more problems with. I found this rather streaky and as I tried to smooth it out over the swatch, the little pieces of grit would move around smudging the color. Which is really a shame because this is such a pretty magenta rose shade. It looks a little bold and vibrant but if you apply it with a light enough hand, it can be subtly pretty as well. The only problem I had was really with the application, although I guess I could account that to my still-shabby skills in maneuvering a lip brush.

On the whole…

I am absolutely in love with my first Hello Waffle purchase. All of her products are high quality, well pigmented and beautifully packaged which is really all that I could ask for from any beauty product. As an added bonus, Christine is such a sweet and professional lady that it’s a joy to purchase from her store. I will definitely be returning for more; as it is, I already have my eye on her gorgeous pressed eye shadows. And of course, once the lip balms are back up, I will definitely snag like a ton of them. If you’re still waffling around (ha, pun!) and you haven’t tried this amazing brand yet, please do! I promise that you won’t regret it.