You’d think a lipbalm would be one of the simplest beauty products to get perfect, but in my experience it’s most definitely not. I tweeted asking for opinions recently and have never received such an enthusiastic response! People are passionate about their lipbalms and loyal to the core about their favourites, which included:
Decleor, Eve Lom Kiss Mix, Dr Lipp Nipple Balm, Vaseline, Crème de La Mer, Leighton Denny, Vaseline Aloe Vera, Carmex, Butter London Black Knight, Burt Bees with a hint of Colour and Marshmallow Blends (created by Nicoletta of Nicoletta’s Beauty Blog!)
Here are some lipbalms that I’ve enjoyed using this Winter, including newbies and a couple of long term favourites…
Clarins Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm - a long term favourite of mine, I’m on my second tube - and while not cheap, it really does last a long time. In fact the first tube wasn’t even done, I just felt a bit icky about using it for longer than two years (use by date suggests 18m). Made with Essential Rose Wax it has a soft waxy texture, contains spf and can be applied from the tube. Although it contains rose, it doesn’t smell rosy, or smell of much at all really. It leaves a subtle glossy finish on the lips and works well under lipstick. When I use it consistently I don’t get sore lips - ever. I can’t fault it at all.
£17 for 15ml, though Escentual.com has it for £13.60 at the moment
Ultra Repair Lip Therapy by First Aid Beauty (FAB) - this is a relatively new brand to me and I love this balm! It tastes/smells of sweet spearmint and I’ve used it a lot over the past few months. Paraben free, healing and moisturising, ingredients include Glycerine, Shea Butter and Colloidal Oatmeal. The soft waxy texture applies beautifully and feels so nourishing and soothing.
£9 for 14.8ml at Beauty Bay or Boots
Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid - am I the only person on the planet not in love with this product? I was ridiculously excited about trying it, spent a stupid amount of time reading reviews, trying to choose which formula to try first… and in the end, the idea of lemony loveliness drew me in. I liked the pretty, verging on vintage style tube, though was disappointed that the top is not slanted for direct application like most lipbalms in this style. And when I squeezed it, nothing happened, until I squeezed really hard. It initially feels slightly gritty on the lips and is naturally exfoliating. It smelt - and felt - gorgeous and looked glossy... I was happy. But it didn’t increase the moisture levels of my lips or appear to improve their condition. I needed to reapply it often, which was a pleasure at first as it smells so damn good, but, ya know…
Anyway, 99% of people seem to adore Lanolips, so please don’t let me put you off - the same products can’t work for everyone and that seems to be truest when it comes to lip products. It comes in a range of tinted shades too… perhaps I’ll try one some day. Maybe it was just the lemon that didn’t work for me.
Lemonaid is £8.99 at Victoria Health (mine took 3 wks to arrive from Boots, though some Boots sell them in-store)
Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm - The Nuxe brand is a long term favourite of mine, the first product range that made a tangible improvement to my skin. I’ve raved about it for years when most hadn’t heard of it (I got mine from Escentual at the time) - and am delighted that it’s now so readily available. This ultra nourishing balm contains honey and precious oils… it smells gently of honey (I don’t like a lipbalm with an overpowering smell), is soft straight from the cute little glass jar and does an amazing job of keeping lips beautifully soft and smooth. I used it years ago and was very happy to be reunited again! It’s just become available in a handy stick, priced at £5.50 for 4g.
The pot is £9.50 for 15ml at Feel Unique and you only need the teensiest amount.
L’Occitane Shea Butter - not strictly an actual lipbalm, this little tin of 100% Shea Butter is feather light for carrying in your handbag and has endless softening and nourishing benefits for dry or chapped skin anywhere on the hands or face. I mainly use it on my lips, but it also feels soothing and moisturising on cuticles or any little dry patches. Retrieved from the fruit of African Shea trees it’s reassuringly natural and very unisex. It sets quite hard in the tin, but softens quickly with warm hands.
£6 for 8ml at L’Occitane UK
Ultrasun Ultralip - I mentioned this in my last blog post, so won’t go into too much detail, but wanted to include it here as I love it, especially the fact that it contains spf15 - delicate lips are worth protecting from UVA and UVB rays every day of the year. The formula is soft and easy to apply.
Normally £5.50, Fragrance Direct has it for £3.99 at the moment.
If I had to choose a favourite from all of these, Clarins would be first as it ticks all the boxes, except price! FAB Ultra Repair Lip Therapy would come second - as it’s genuinely wowed me and is great value for such a high quality product. And Nuxe would come third as it’s pure, beautiful to use - and it works.
But I don’t have to choose - yay - I enjoy using all of these at different times and keep them dotted around the house, beside the sofa, bed, kitchen sink, hall table, handbag, coat pocket, car… actually I seem to require 3 more!
What’s your favourite lipbalm?
FAB & Nuxe were samples, which shall both be replaced when empty!
