Vancouverscape, a Vancouver based blog covering travel, tech, and lifestyle

Melbourne-based cosmetics company MOR recently landed on my radar while browsing Fairmont Pacific Rim’s curated market inside Giovane Cafe.

The colourful range of MOR’s lip macaron tins on display there invited further investigation. These are but a small part of an expansive collection that includes body butters, oils and creams, eau de parfum, hand and body lotions, reed diffusers, candles and triple-milled soaps.

MOR launched in 2001 with the aim of providing its customers with beautifully packaged, decadently-scented luxury products that turn an everyday beauty routine in to an ‘indulgent daily ritual’.

Designers Dianna Burmas and Deon St. Mor started in a small Melbourne studio space; their range has long outgrown the studio with offices spread across several continents. They didn’t start out with cosmetics though.

The duo began with home ware products sold from a warehouse space before moving on to retail; that direction eventually led them to beauty and fragrance collections, and the rest is history.

Browsing through their site showcases the wide range of design and packaging used to feature each product — a major part of the brand’s success.

Their creations are inspired by tales of ancient civilizations, bygone eras, travel and art — culminating in a complete modern apothecary line of luxury goods. MOR is available around the globe, from boutiques to department stores.

[Photo source: Creative Commons-licensed image from Wikia]

Vancouver’s gone macaron-crazy with the recent opening of Ladurée on Robson Street (not to mention local favourites Thierry, Soirette, Bon Macaron, Faubourg and others), making for an ideal occasion for showcasing these three lovely macaron lip balms in Passionflower, French Vanilla and Rosebud. These are packaged in pretty, embossed 10 gram (.35 oz.) tins that twist to open.

MOR’s clear, scented lip macarons contain beeswax and vitamin E to keep lips nourished (and they do). True to flavour?

All three smell intensely wonderful yet you smell their essence only when applying. In other words, you don’t get a constant taste of the flavour after wearing for a few moments.

Of the three I tested, French Vanilla is the most potent, so if you’re a fan of vanilla, this is one lip balm worth looking into. They also produce a little bit of a shine. I’ve been applying them on top of my Burt’s Bees Lip Crayons, a great combination!

At $15 each, they are a bit of an indulgence but you use very little so the product should last awhile. The ingredients list is small, too.

FRENCH VANILLA: Petrolatum, mineral oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, beeswax, aroma, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), BHA, Anise alcohol
ROSEBUD: Petrolatum, mineral oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, beeswax, aroma, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), BHA, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene
PASSIONFLOWER: Petrolatum, mineral oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, beeswax, aroma, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), BHA

Other flavours in the lineup: Sorbet, Lychee Flower, Peach Nectar, Blood Orange, Cassis Noir and Apples. Hungry yet? Each tin retails for AU $9.95/CAD $15.

A varied selection of MOR products can also be found in North Vancouver at Pizazz Gifts, 3131 Edgemont Blvd.