This week I'm going to talk about lip balms and the ones that I feel work the best, and trust me, I've tried them all! From high end to low end there are definitely some that stand out and some that do absolutely nothing at all.
I'll start with the cheapest of the bunch (and the newest edition!) The Kaufmanns Haut Kinder-Creme was recommended to me by Lily Pebbles who raves about the stuff. Its a german brand so I had to hunt it down and finally found it on a shop on Ebay. A week or so later it arrived in the post and I haven't stopped using it. It is priced at around £3 which is an absolute bargain. It is marketed as a multi-purpose balm for dry skin,baby's bottoms and of course lips! The creme itself isn't one I would use during the day as it leaves my lips looking quite white. It has a lovely scent, I can' t quite put my finger on it but its sort of fresh and lemon-y. I use this at night as part of my skincare routine and I've really noticed a difference. My lips are a lot softer and the red cracks that can appear at the sides of my mouth during the cold weather have disappeared. So if you can, make sure to pick up a tube of this.
The next one is the Lanolips 101 Ointment. Again this is marketed as a multi-purpose balm. I picked this one up in Boots for around £10, which is expensive for such a small tube! I use this mainly as a lip balm more than a treatment. I have quite a few matte lipsticks and I often use some of this on top of them to give a nice shine if I am looking for something more glossy. I have to say that this is very shiny and slippy but unlike its vaseline counterparts I can feel it actually doing something to my lips. It is completely natural and suitable for all skin types. The clear formula means it can be worn during the day and it can also be used for areas of dry skin.
I had heard about the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm for years from reading blogs and hearing it being mentioned on youtube but I could never find it in my local chemist, they seemed to stock everything from the brand except the thing I was looking for. Then I eventually was able to pick it up. First of all, I love the packaging! It's not the most hygienic but I just love the old style lip balm pots. The balm itself feels quite grainy once you apply it to the lips but once it melts in with the heat of your lips it leaves a matte like finish. I think this would be a perfect unisex balm as I know some men probably don't want to be walking about with shiny lips (but that's just my opinion). What I love about this is that it is not at all sticky. It does have a scent, but it is not at all overpowering. The pot has lasted me for ages and at around £9 a pot I'd expect it to last me into the future!
The Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Lip Protectant was a complete impulse buy in duty free (the one of many haha) I had meant to pick up a bottle of the original 8 Hour Cream but was a bit taken back by the price (the lip balm is priced at £10.90). I had intended to use it as a lip balm following recommendations from YouTuber so when I seen that they had it in a lip balm form I decided to pick that one up instead. Now I have to say, you will either love or hate this purely based on the smell. It is very overpowering and I wouldn't dare go near it if I was feeling any way nauseous (Wow I'm really selling this aren't I?) But all in all, this is a lovely balm. I often used this when I was on placement and my hands were completely raw and sore (gotta love that 7 step hand washing *skin ruining* technique!). I don't think I would buy this again, purely for the smell. But my mammy loves the stuff!
Last but now least is probably my most favourite and most used of them all: The Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. I picked this one up online from Sephora because it's sadly not available to buy in the UK. Anna from the blog and Youtube channel Viviannadoesmakeup raved about this and I just had to give it a go. It's priced at $26 which is around £18 and I know it is a bit excessive for a lip balm but I have had this for over 9 months and it is still well over three quarters full. This is a very thick lip balm, hence why it is marketed as a balm. I feel that it has a vanilla scent but it not at all overpowering. It is very soothing and is my everyday go to lip option when I am not wearing a lip stick. I think the reason I love this and why it works so well is that it contains natural ingredients and doesn't contain petroleum (found in Vaseline), it is packed with anti-oxidants which help to replenish and moisturise the skin.
So if I had to pick two I would suggest the Nuxe and the Bite one. I hope these recommendations help with any dry skin or lips you might have at this time of year. Let me know how you get on and of course let me know of any other recommendations I could try by tweeting me @Mariaglennx
Lots of Love,
Maria.
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