Softlips PURE Expands Line with Four New Flavors

I recently acquired and looked forward to trying the quartet of Peppermint, Acai Berry, Papaya, and Chai Tea. And once again, my lips embarked on a wave of new sensory sensation.

The peppermint smells and tasts just like one of those Christmas candy canes (or a stick of peppermint gum or some peppermint drops!).

Did you know that there's about 30 species of mint and almost 500 varieties, including not just peppermint, but apple, orange, Spanish (?), pineapple, ginger, mackerel (!), lamb, horse (!) pennyroyal, water, and chocolate.

The ancient Greeks and Romans used peppermint and other varieties regularly to enhance food (particularly meat, beverages and their own health.

Mint is said to be an effective mouse deterrent.

Clarence Crane, the inventor of "Crane's Peppermint Life Savers", sold his rights to the popular candy for less than three thousand dollars!

Peppermint is native to Europe, mainly England (In the 18^th century, it was first used in that country for medicinal purposes).

The other three flavors I wasn't very familiar with, though I had heard of papaya and acai berry, the latter basically because of Oprah Winfrey constantly raving about it (by the way, it's pronounced as either "ah-SIGH-ee" or "ah-sah-ee"; sources vary here.)

This particular lip balm smells and tastes like a combination of peaches and raspberries, with just a hint of orange (at least to me; you may come to your own conclusions).

The reason you do not see any acai berries in the local produce section of your grocery or supermarket is because: Once acai is picked, it needs to be packed within 24 hours in order to avoid oxidizing and losing its nutritional value; unprocessed acai rots extremely quickly.

In Brazil, acai is a popular ice cream flavor and juice.

The papaya lip balm has a very intense orange/melon flavor, with a dash of apple (to me). It's quite exotic!

The exact origination's unknown, but the papaya's believed to be native to southern Mexico and Central America.

It cam grow from seed to a 20 foot, fruit-bearing tree in less than 18 months. The fruit can range from 1-20 pounds.

The white powder sold as "Meat Tenderizer" is composed mainly of an enzyme extract from the papaya, called papain (Papain breaks down tough meat fibers. It's also used to treat cuts, rashes, stings and burns). Papaya juice has been used for centuries in South America to tenderize meat.

There are two types, the Hawaiian and Mexican. The Hawaiian's also known as SOLO papayas; they weigh about a pound each and are the variety often found in supermarkets.

The Mexican variety's not as common, but can be found in Latino supermarkets. They're much larger than the Hawaiian ones, can weigh up to 20 pounds, and be more than 15 inches long. The flavor is less intense than the Hawaiian.

I love the new PURE flavors, but the Chai tea's my favorite; it smells and tastes like a blend of rich tea and chocolate, accented with spices. It's very unique, like nothing I've ever put on my lips before.

Traditional chai tea is made from black tea and milk , seasoned with pepper and other spices such as cloves, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.

The word chai means "tea" in Hindu (Tea tea??!) and is centuries old! It's very common in India.

It's low I caffeine and can be served hot or cold. It's also called chai masala.

Now there are many ways to prepare this, but the four basic ingredients are always milk, tea, sweetner and spices.

As with the Pomegranate and Honeydew flavors launched in 2008, the PURE newbies are USDA-certified organic and 100% natural. No animal by-products are contained nor was the product tested on animals. And the packaging's recyclable. The lip balms themselves are packaged in a sleek, slim stick which allows you to easily tuck them in purses, pockets, or make-up cases (they take up no extra room, baby!). And the PURE newbies have an unique feature; each flavor has a different-colored band on the cap or tip-acai berry has a black one, chai tea is beige, peppermint's dark green, and papaya has a dark orange one.

And as with all Softlips products, your kisser will be soft, supple and healthy. Seriously. Ever since I've been using Softlips, the PURE line in addition to the regular flavors, I have not ever again experienced cracked or chapped lips nor any lip problems, no matter the weather or indoor environment. EVER.

Softlips PURE has a blend of only 100% organic oils, beeswax, vitamin E and shea butter to restore moisture and nourish your kisser. And it can be used as or under/over lipstick (I do both. And it won't make your lips greasy!). THIS PRODUCT WORKS.

The new PURE flavors are now available in the natural beauty section in select Target stores, now through September, then nationwide (more mass retail places, supermarkets and drug stores) starting in October 2009 for $2.99.

For more Softlips PURE information, go to www.softlips.com

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