The Lime Crime Velvetines are one of those beauty products that are spoken of in two tones; hushed, reverent whispers (generally by those of us who can do nothing but yearn, wish, wonder–and occasionally check our bank balance, then weep) and vibrant, voracious shouts that proclaim it to be the Holy Grail of all lip products, shouts that urge thee to set down your life before the Velvetines for thy Velvetines have come to save thee.

Basically, they’re supposed to be good. Really, really good. Sell-your-soul-good. But we women have heard this before, haven’t we? About a dozen different mascaras, three kinds of eye liners, about fifty different foundations that claim they will vanish your pores and give you the complexion of a softly kissed and freshly birthed newborn. Personally, few beauty items ever live up to the hype for me, and that is why I have resisted purchasing a Velvetine until now, despite being a red lipstick loving pinup girl. I just couldn’t believe this magical product could really be as Dumbledoretastic as it claimed, and at $20 a tube, or £13.50 here in the UK, plus £3.50 shipping, as it’s pretty damn hard to track them down even online, paying £17 to be disappointed just seemed too steep an inevitable price for me. I’m a thrifty girl. I like to buy lots of pretty things if I can, rather than one pretty thing, where possible. It’s the grew-up-poor kid in me. Continue reading →