Gressa Skin is a Portland-based beauty brand with an ecoluxe stance I discovered on good old Instagram. Owned by Russian emigre Svetlana Sanchez, who combines her science background with traditional medicine like a beautiful beauty apothecarist.

Gressa: ‘Luxury, high performance and true purity bottled in incomparable European violet glass. Skincare + Couture Colour + Uncompromising Ingredients”

The brand is very much focussed on beauty as a time honoured ritual and getting in touch with your inner goddess. There seems to be a great deal of attention to detail with everything from sourcing high quality, clean, organic materials to the packaging. No parabens, silicons, preservatives, GMOs or fillers and ingredients used are organic, wild crafted or sustainably sourced.  Products are packaged in violet Miron glass, used since the earliest days of Egyptian civilisation to preserve valuable products.  These are all things that float my boat.

I’ll be doing reviews of the various products I’ve ordered. First up:

GRESSA SKIN BRILLIANT LIP BOOST

The Lip Boosts are a balm formula with gloss effect. The vegan balm is made with mega moisturising ingredients including carnauba wax, cacao butter, coconut oil and sea buckthorn oil (full ingredient list at bottom of page). In case you were wondering what carnauba wax is like I was – it’s also known as palm wax and comes from the leaves of Brazilian palm trees. It dries with a glossy finish so I’m guessing that’s where the gloss effect in the Lip Boosts come from.

Once applied, the Lip Boost melts and it feels like an oil has been applied. There is no colour, just the very subtlest of golden shimmer with zero stickiness. This would be great on a beach holiday or for days when you want a no makeup look with a teeny soupçon of  glamour.

After drinking and eating the glimmer is gone but you’re left with moisturised lips. I’ve also used it on top of other lipsticks as a bit of a a glossy finish or to tone down a colour. For me the no colour aspect ultimately makes Brilliant Lip Boost a gorgeous but pricey lip balm.  I do know that Gressa has other Lip Boosts with colour and I’ve noticed these vibrant, hot colours which I’ve been lusting over.