Reviewing Lip Balms
Some of the Best-Known and Yummiest Lip Care Products on the Market
Lip Therapy with Aloe Vera – Vaseline, £0.99
Possibly the cheapest lip balm on the market, but also produced by one of the most trusted brand names for skin repair. As a company, Vaseline has built its reputation on healing dry skin, and their lip balm comes in a generous 20g light-weight tin which is easy to carry. There are also original and citrus versions, but added aloe really gives your lips that extra moisturising attention they deserve. This is a good basic product, both affordable and long-lasting. You can usually find it by the counter in Boots and Superdrug.
Rating: * * * *
Classic Cherry – Chapstick, £1.59
Chapstick is one of the longest-running and best known lip balm brands, and their classic range comes in four flavours: original, strawberry, spearmint and cherry. They come in a twist-tube which does make them more durable in the handbag, if tins get too battered they can be difficult to open. However, the cherry brand does leave your lips looking a little garishly redder and it has a slightly waxy consistency which isn’t entirely pleasing. It’s available in most chemists and does provide sun protection, but for the money it certainly doesn’t beat Vaseline.
Rating: * *
Highland Mint – Badger, £3.99
One of the newer brands on the market that is absolutely adorable. Like Vaseline, these come in little carry tins of .75 oz in a wide range of intriguing flavours such as: Cinnamon Bay, Ginger & Lemon, Chai Rose, Tangerine Breeze and Lavender & Orange. Their Highland Mint gives a wonderful tingly sensation to the lips and all of them can be applied to dry skin on other areas of the body. Their website is American-based but you will find some of the flavours available in larger chemists such as Boots and Superdrug.
Rating: * * * * *
Hemp Lip Conditioner – Body Shop, £4
Another twist-tube like Chapstick but a bit more up-market. It certainly has an unusual, but not unpleasant, smell and applies like warm butter, providing instant relief to sore lips. It also contains Community Trade beeswax from Zambia to provide long-term resistance to the elements. The main active ingredient is hemp seed oil, said to be high in essential fatty acids, which help to repair damaged skin and return moisture and suppleness. Not too sure about the science, but it certainly feels nice.
Rating: * * *
Honey Trap – Lush, £4.25
It seems the more you spend the less you get, but Lush products do tend to be worth that bit extra and their lip-balm range is no exception. Honey Trap smells delicious, a sort-of marshmallowy goodness that offers enduring protection in a cute little 10g tin. It’s best used warmed-up though and can go a bit solid on cold days, when you’re likely to need it most.
Rating: * * * *
Prices are a guide and may be available cheaper online.
