Working a job where you need to do a lot of talking takes its tole on one's lips. Maybe that's why I'm a lip balm addict. I'm constantly trying out new forms of lip balm, tinted lip balm or Chapstick, always in search of the perfect single tube to toss into my pocket to keep my lovely lips hydrated throughout the long day. I want to share my findings with you:
Here it is: My #1 go-to lip balm.
Blistex Five-Star Lip Protection. This is
better than Chapstick. This is the only lip protection that keeps my lips moisturized, soothes super-dry lips, and
lasts! It feels like it sinks in deeper than Chapstick as soon as it's applied. Seriously, its protective powers lock in and you don't feel the need to reapply it every ten minutes. And it's only about $2 at any given drugstore. I never run out of any lip product ever, but this was the first and only time I needed to restock.
I try to have
Blistex Moisture Melt in my purse to take wherever I go. This is a creamy formula with little moisture beads that.. do something, I'm sure. I'm not quite sure what the little beads do, but they melt away like butter and my lips are left feeling buttery-smooth and super-soft. It's heavenly.
While we're talking about Blistex, I've also tried
Deep Renewal and
Silk & Shine, and neither really wowed me. There's a slight scent/taste that is subtly-nice about both, but as far as lip protection or soothing, neither are worth talking about.
I've also tried a couple of
Nivea lip products, including
A Kiss of Mint and a couple of tinted balms, and again, there isn't enough staying power or sinking-in moisture for me to give a decent shout-out to them.
Baby Lips (by Maybelline): a smooth balm that leaves a decent amount of shine and has the ability to layer to the point where it almost resembles a gloss. I like the thickness of the stick of product and I appreciate the rounded tip when new, versus a flat, crisp edge that you need to wear down to make application a little more comfortable. I don't find Baby Lips to be particularly long-lasting, but it's decently hydrating and pleasant to reapply.
You have to have seen this little round lip balm around, at least in Miley Cyrus's music video for "We Can't Stop".
Eos lip balms are super-fun to apply-- the packaging is great! I like having one of these little guys sitting on my desk-- it's a good go-to lip balm. However... it's also not the most long-lasting lip balm. It's also a little bulky, so while you may think it's adorable, your skinny jeans will have different thoughts. These are simply not made for pockets, and I don't really find them too space-conservative.
While Miley loves her Eos, Katy Perry prefers her cherry
Chapstick. It's tried and true, and the cherry flavor is the best. There's a green apple-flavored Moisturizing Chapstick that is refreshingly-flavored (green apple, obviously) but not all that long-lasting. I believe I tried the medicated version a few years back and didn't hate it (it may have had cooling menthol, if I recall correctly), but more recently, I've been trying out the
8-Hour Hydration Lock. The texture of the 8-Hour Chapstick is a little less thick/waxy than the usual Chapstick, and I find that it does sink in and last longer than Original Chapstick, but it still falls short of the Blistex Five-Star. I think what may be missing is the feeling that moisture still remains on the surface of the lips rather than the product sinking underneath the top layer of skin. It's still a good product, especially as a base for lipstick or lipgloss for a moisture barrier you know will last a few hours.
Jack Black Lip Balm. This is a higher-end lip balm from a brand that tends to focus on men's products. These lip balms are AMAZING. The "flavors" (more scent than taste) are wonderful: lemon & chamomile, black tea & blackberry, asian pear & white tea, natural mint... The formula is thick (maybe a little hard to squeeze out of the tube), but a little goes a long way. I love these lip balms.
Bigelow Lip Balm. I grabbed one of these guys in stick-form and one in cream-in-a-tube-form. The formula is silky and fairly hydrating, but not in a sink-down-deep hydration-for-hours kinda way. (I did find the cream-form a little longer-lasting.) These actually do have a taste to them, and that taste tends to be some form of sweetened lemon, which is lovely. I'd recommend these for a date when you know you're gonna get smooched.
Jurlique Rose Balm. This balm can be used on lips as well as other rough areas of one's skin, such as elbows or knees. I love this balm. It does smell like roses (and, knowing Julique as a company to use ingredients straight from nature, I know there are actually drops of squeezed rose petals in here), and overall it's just a lovely balm. It's a light balm, not squishy and greasy, yet it's still very effective, and I love to dab some on right before bed.
Finally, I want to talk about fresh.
Sugar Lip Balm and
Sugar Lip Gloss. Sugar Lip
Balm is one of the best lip balms out there. It's super-moisturizing and it can be layered to the point where it almost looks like a gloss. It's especially awesome to use as a base for, say, a deeply pigmented lipstick that may lack moisture on its own. The only complaint I have about the lip balm is that there are two sizes out there, and the mini sizes are notorious for being easily-breakable, so you need to be careful not to press too hard with the smaller balm size. As for the lip
Gloss, it's okay but a bit of a disappointment compared to the balm. The gloss doesn't last very long, the texture isn't revolutionary (there's still a hint of stickiness to it), and it didn't leave my lips feeling conditioned. Unlike the balm, the gloss is just not worth it.
Last one, I swear.
Tarte made this amazing product that was half-soothing-balm, half-sugar-exfoliant. This thing was amazing, and I'm not sure what they called it, but I'm almost certain they stopped selling it. One side of the stick was a sugar scrub with a grainy texture that would get rid of dead skin cells, and the other side was a wonderful soothing balm that would leave one's lips wonderfully smooth. Additionally, the secure casing came with a pop-up mirror, which was the most clever lip-product casing I've ever seen in my life. Tarte still makes good lip products in general, but this one took the cake.
