Balmshell Cosmetics: the artistic lip gloss

***Best Beauty Gifts***

Balmshell Cosmetics is the labour of love of two self-described “cosmetic junkies”. Jennifer and Fiona Lees are Canadian identical twin sisters who have created a new collection of lip glosses.
Now, if you are thinking: not another lip gloss, I’ll have to correct you. First, you can never have too many lip glosses in my opinion and second Balmshell is about to become the lip gloss every single one of your girlfriends cannot stop talking about.

The #1 rule in marketing is all about creating an attractive packaging that will engage buyers … Balmshell is that and much, much more. The inspiration for the look and unique packaging of Balmshell came from a float art pen Jennifer and Fiona purchased in a kitschy shop in Yorkville (a tony neighbourhood in Toronto).

So imagine one end of your lip gloss as a traditional lip gloss that any other cosmetic company produces, but the other end of the lip gloss is a transparent tube containing colourful illustrations and amusing storylines.
Here’s the best part: once you’re finished with your lip gloss unscrew the “float art” top and screw it into the keychain component provided in the packaging … you’ve gone from lip gloss to keychain … how earth-friendly is that?

Balmshell aims to celebrate the inner goddess that exists in all women by coming up with some of the coolest names: Shop-aholic (their most popular one), Shoe Fetish (my personal favourite), Confession of a Call Girl, Darling you Look Fabulous, That’s so 80s, Sleep-in Beauty, You give me Fever, Who’s your Caddy and Curse of the Purse … to name a few.

Balmshell is not only fun and flirty, it’s also a cosmetic company with a cause. They’ve recently produced a special limited Breast Cancer Awareness edition called ‘1 in 8’ (because 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with Breast Cancer) with $1 of proceeds going to Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.

Balmshell lip glosses retails for $25 in Canada, $22 in the US and 16₤ in the U.K.
In Canada you’ll find Balmshell at Holt Renfrew, in the U.S. at Henri Bendel (New York and Columbus) and Kitson (L.A.) will be your destinations to find these cool lip glosses. You can also purchase Balmshell Lip Glosses on Sephora’s Web site. U.K. readers can grab their tube of Balmshell at Urban Apothecary.

You can also check their store locator to find other locations.