Spring Make-up Update: Buxom Lip Cream in Cherry Flip

I'm ready for spring make-up, my lovelies; I haven't touched my vampy lipsticks in over a month and I even experience a slight penchant for bronzer some days - quelle horreur! This year, due to my 2013 challenge stipulations, I am not going to buy my weight in Spring 2013 Limited Editions; instead, I'm planning to pick up a few key pieces that I think my collection might be lacking and subsequently present them to you in the Spring Make-up Update series.

The first installment shall focus on the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in Cherry Flip - I'm sure you've all heard by now about the merits of the shades White Russian and Creamsicle but I felt like I had similar pretties in my gloss drawer and picked up the reddish coral instead. The Buxom Lip Creams ($19 for 4.2 ml/0.14 fl oz.) are touted as creamy and lip-perfecting glosses with a velvety smooth texture and no shimmer, which is what I prefer in a lip product anyway. They feature hyaluronic filling spheres and vitamins A&E to make the lips more supple and moisturized, as well as some tingly action for a plumped-up effect.

On my lips, the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream feels like a thicker, extra smooth gloss with a very distinct and rather long lasting cooling effect, which will be awesome for summer but can be a bit much in the lower temperatures we're still experiencing here in WA. One dip in the tube covers my entire top and bottom lip, giving an intense, mirrored shine with no tackiness - once I distribute the gloss evenly, it seems to sink in and envelop my pout in an almost protective layer. To my nose, it smells very similar to MAC lipsticks but the delicious vanilla scent dissipates quite quickly anyway. The wear time with little drinking/ no eating is in the 3-4 hour range.

The shade 'Cherry Flip' is a reddish coral, definitely more on the warm side than most of the red coral shades in my collection. Still, since the pigmentation is more translucent than that of a lipstick (but pigmented enough to show up well), it works with my cooler, mauvey lips. As you can see in the face shot, the gloss settles a bit into my lip lines but the slight unevenness is definitely something I can live with.

L-R: Buxom Lip Cream in Cherry Flip, Wet'n'Wild Silk lipstick in Hot Paris Pink, YSL Rouge Pur in Pink Grenadine, MAC Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick

Apart from the sheer loveliness of the shade, the most important advantage of the Buxom Lip Cream is that it actually moisturizes my lips and makes the most of my natural...errr... poutiness. I've begun to notice more and more that most of my lip products actively shrink and dessicate the delicate skin of my lips and not even Nuxe Reve de Miel is able to repair overnight the daytime lipstick damage. With the Buxom gloss though I get my favorite texture and pigmentation level, awesome shades and a moisturizing action all in one. What's not to love? I'm already thinking of sneaking the shade 'Berry Blast' into my collection (thanks, Suka&Spice!).

Have you tried the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Creams? What is your favorite moisturizing lip gloss formula?