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Friday, April 11, 2014

Review: 29 by Lydia Mondavi First Crush Lip Scrub

I honestly wasn't even aware that Lydia Mondavi (wife of Robert Mondavi Jr.) had her own beauty line until I spotted the 29 by Lydia Mondavi collection on the Target website. What really caught my eye was this lip scrub, because it's only $10 on the Target website (the exact product retails for $24 on the Birchbox website and the 29 Cosmetics website).

So the idea of getting a luxury lip scrub for less than half the retail price was too much to resist. I ordered one from the Target website a while back, and I thought you might want a review. So here we go!

29 by Lydia Mondavi First Crush Lip Scrub
(retail: $10 at Target, $24 elsewhere; 0.14 oz)

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The presentation and packaging feel quite high-end. I love the little embossed silver grapes and grape leaves on the box:

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The directions are pretty standard for a lip scrub (above).

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I used to live in Sonoma County at one point in my life (for a brief period of time), so it always warms my heart to use anything that comes from Wine Country. Actually, this product is made in Italy, but the offices are in Napa (you get what I mean). 

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As for the case, again, it feels more like a luxury brand than a drugstore brand. The metal case is substantial (not too heavy, but it feels good in the hand) and the lid clicks firmly into place. I love the detailing:

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Here's what the scrub looks like after several uses:

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The biggest question that's probably running through your head is, "How does this compare to the $3 e.l.f. Lip Scrub?" I wish I could tell you in detail, but it's been a while since I used the e.l.f. Lip Scrub. I do remember that I enjoyed the e.l.f. version, but it didn't seem to leave behind much moisturization after I wiped off the remnants--I always had to follow up with a separate lip balm. Also, the ingredients in the e.l.f. scrub are quite different from the 29 by Lydia Mondavi lip scrub (click here to view the e.l.f. ingredients). I like that the first ingredient in the Lydia Mondavi lip scrub (see photo above) is coconut oil, something that my skin seems to love in general. 

Judging this product solely on its own merits, I like the 29 by Lydia Mondavi First Crush Lip Scrub quite a bit. Once you get it going (like most lip scrubs that come in stick form, you have to swipe several times at first before the scrubbies come to the surface), you really don't need much. I can do one quick swipe on each lip and that deposits a generous amount of apricot seed powder (the scrubbies) onto my lips. So one tube should last you for quite a while.

Once the apricot seed powder has been deposited onto my lips, I do find that, for extra "scrubbiness", I like to use my finger to gently rub the apricot seeds against my lips. If you just use your lips (as suggested on the box), it's a more mild exfoliation. Since my lips are chronically chapped, I like a more intense exfoliation and I seem to get that easily if I use my fingers to help the process. After I'm done scrubbing, the residue removes easily with one cotton pad (or a tissue). And when I've removed the residue, there is a light coating left behind that feels like a nice lip balm. It's a tiny bit waxy, but I can also feels the oils (coconut, almond, grape seed and jojoba) and the shea butter. So it's not just wax--there's some creaminess and slip to it, and it stays around for a few hours. I love that, because I really don't feel that I need to follow up with a separate lip balm after I use this scrub. 

Both the flavor and fragrance of this lip scrub are quite mild. The scent is a soft combination of coconut oil, shea butter and maybe a touch of vanilla. The flavor sort of matches the fragrance but again, it's quite mild.

FINAL VERDICT: If the e.l.f. $3 lip scrub is working for you (or if you DIY your own lip scrub), I say stick with that. But if you're looking for something a bit luxurious (in both feel and packaging) and you're OK with spending an additional $7, then this might be just the ticket. The fragrance and flavor are quite mild, and you only need one ore two swipes to deposit enough apricot seed powder onto your lips for some good exfoliation. After you wipe the residue from your lips, I think you'll find that some nice moisturization lingers for a few hours. That's my favorite thing about this product--I don't find myself needing to follow up with an additional lip balm, which makes this a true two-in-one product. I think it's definitely worth the $10 price tag at Target (vs. $24 elsewhere). 

Have you tried anything from the 29 by Lydia Mondavi collection at Target? What's YOUR favorite lip scrub?

The products featured in this post were purchased with personal funds. For more information, click here.
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22 comments

  1. I've heard of 29 Cosmetics and I never realized that Lydia Mondavi owned it...cool! My lips are also always chapped or flaky and $10 is a pretty good deal on Targets site..i might have to order this, thanks!

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    1. You're so welcome! I'd love to know what you think if you do! :)

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  2. Off topic but...you used to live in Sonoma County? I was born and raised there! Though now I go to school in southern California. It's rare for me to find anyone down here who has heard of anywhere north of San Francisco.

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    1. Yay! Yep, I lived in a few areas back in the 90s for a brief time (Santa Rosa/Sebastopol area and also Cotati/Petaluma area). I LOVE Northbay so much, especially Bodega, Russian River, Guerneville...so beautiful! I haven't been back to visit in about 10 years. Sigh... You know what I miss the most? BODY TIME! I placed a Black Friday order last year and I'm treasuring everything I got (a ton of perfume oils). lol!

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  3. Hmmm... I've never really paid much attention to lip exfoliators before, aside from the occasional interested glance at the Elf one in the makeup aisle... maybe I'll check it out! It sounds cool!

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    1. Oh I love my lip scrubs! lol! If you haven't tried one before, you might want to start with the elf, just to see if it's something you like (before investing in a more expensive one). :)

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  4. I saw her products at my local Target but definitely didn't spend much time looking through the products. I'll be sure to look for this lip scrub and try it out =]

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    1. I'd love to know what you think if you do! :)

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  5. Love that Target has this for more than 1/2 off. I will have to check this out.

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    1. I know, right? I couldn't believe my eyes! ;)

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  6. *hmm* Sounds intriguing... especially for a product that usually retails for 1.5xs as much ordinarily... it sounds like a fairly good comparable product to the Fresh Sugar scrub for less than half the cost. I've been trying to switch out to more natural ingredient makeup/skin/hair care products without breaking the bank (I'm having a hard time parting with my Wet n' Wild, Urban Decay, and MAC shadows, though) so, it's nice to see more products with a natural bent popping up at Target for less money.

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    1. I know, the price is crazy (relatively speaking)! I'd love to know what you think if you try this one. :)

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  7. I almost picked this up because I have been on a bit of a lip products spree lately. I got the BITE Beauty agave lip mask with my VIB coupon at Sephora... OMG AMAZING! It gives you totally new lips overnight and with nightly use, my lips feel amazing! Also got a back-up of Sephora x Pantone venus lure lip balm which is also incredible - reminds me of IT Cosmetics vitality lip flush but with a more rosy tone, more pigmented and buildable. I saw the Lydia Mondavi line at Target the other day and decided to try the lip balm instead of the scrub - I didn't think a scrub in lipstick form would be effective. The lip balm is ok but not great, I feel like it doesn't really sink in and deeply hydrate the lips. Looking at the ingredients the amount of grape seed oil is tiny and the clear balm has a brown center which is kind of weird just because they don't explain what that is and it's not clear from the ingredients. I would return it but I heard you can't return used cosmetics to Target anymore? Anyone know if that's true? I'm glad to see these new lines at Target, specifically OWN Skincare since ULTA recently stopped carrying that line. They have some wonderfully formulated mineral SPF face lotions (although the new brightening one had odd instructions on the packaging that said to apply at night..?!) Very strange that the LM lip products retail for much more at Birchbox and elsewhere!

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    1. That lip mask has me quite intrigued!!

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    2. I just returned some foundation at Target a few days ago that I had used a few times. It went as smoothly as usual.

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    3. Thanks, Lisa C.! Good to know.

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  8. Checked it out on Target site, I see it is sold in store...will have to keep an eye out for it, I wouldn't mind trying it if I could just snag it in store and take it home for immediate use.

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  9. This looks interesting, but I love using my washcloth to scrub my lips. Also, I LOVE the background for your pics!!! I have paper like that, would you mind if I copy this idea?

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    1. I agree! Her pics are getting good!

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    2. Aaaw, thank you so much, ladies!! :)

      Saiwai Crafts: copy away! I'd be flattered! :)

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  10. My favorite lip scrub is the one from lush! They have bubblegum, mint, and popcorn (!) flavors. Love!

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