A Lip Balm Collection Round-Up and Mass Review

Lip balms, lip balms, lip balms. Where on earth would I be without these? They’re just an absolute essential in everybody’s handbags/purses/pockets/vanity. Mine usually live on my vanity as I wear lipstick out every chance I get, and tend to wear balm only in the evening and when I am at home all day.

I wasn’t sure how much to write for this  – on one hand, it’s lip balm… On the other hand, it’s lip balm! Important necessity!! Anyhow, here are some mini-reviews.

 Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss Lip Balm SPF 15

First bought in a teeny haul two years ago. It’s simply a clear balm – I like the sweet smell, it’s a little greasier than I would like, and it doesn’t last long on the lips as it’s thin – it just melts onto my lips when I apply. I imagine if I had actually used this every day, I’d have finished the tube in two months or even less. It costs £5.49 for 3.8g, which is pretty pricey and I can’t recommend it when there are better value options. Nothing at all stands out about this balm, even in the ingredients.

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Lip Balm Stick SPF20
Despite the higher SPF than many of my other lip balms, this has the slight taste of something that shouldn’t really be in one’s mouth. Apart from that, it ticks the right boxes – it’s unscented (but has a generic cream smell and tastes a bit funny), it’s moisturising and nourishing. It also has a drier formula which does decently at sealing in moisture.  Also, what is Norwegian about this formula? I want to know. The main website says it’s the inclusion of Glycerin in the range of products but I can’t seem to spot it on the ingredients list! This is £2.50-89 depending on where you buy it for 4.8g.

Blistex Daily Lip Conditioner
I liked this, I really did, but then I decided tub lip balms were not going to have a place in my life. That was years ago and it mostly still applies. I really do prefer tubes and sticks much more because the less of my fingers needed, the better. That aside, whilst it also had a thin texture I found this to be generally good at keeping my lips soft and moisturised, and Derp seems to really like this and actually uses his tub.

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser
This is nice as a change from a lip balm – I like to let this sink in before layering with something else on top. It’s not really all that ‘intensive’ though and doesn’t last as long on the lips as other balms.

Lipsmackers
I’m not sure what to say about these – they’re a classic (but sort of novelty) option for sure but they’ve served me well through many lipstick-less days. They’re generally an OK option for conditioning and such (better than the Rimmel, by the way) and the dry layer on my lips comes off way easier after having a thick layer of this on for two hours. I seem to always have a tube in rotation.

Dr Organic Lip Balms
After a friend gave me one to try, I used up a whole tube in three months – which is probably a new record, and I attribute that to the fact that I actually wear this nightly almost without fail!
I like to slather this on overnight and it just so happens to give me really nice lips in the morning. It’s a ‘melts-on-the-lips’ kind of product but not as much as the Rimmel option.
It’s a bit more expensive than the usual drugstore balms but still very affordable. I also have a gripe with the packaging as it doesn’t twist the same way as others to get the product out, and with a little pressure, it’s easily pushed back into the tube. This is £3.49 for 5ml.

Dr Organic Hemp Oil Lip Serum
I was expecting something that, like the Blistex Intensive moisturiser, would be a good option to layer under a more oily balm, but it turns out this probably has more oil content than the balms – bit of a dumb moment for me as the product does state it’s a Hemp Oil Lip Serum! As an intensive treatment, I think this packs even more of a punch than any of these other options. This is, surprisingly, cheaper than the balm (per ml) at £4.49 for 10ml.

Dr Pawpaw Original Balm
I keep seeing this everywhere so I wanted to give it a go and bought the tiny pocket sized tube in Primark. This was very underwhelming. It’s essentially just Vaseline with an added extract that, in my opinion, does nothing for me.

Dr Palmer Cocoa Lip Balm
This has a strange texture that’s a cross between a silicone and a wax. It contains 4g of product for under £2. This isn’t bad, but nothing about it stands out either, so I probably won’t buy it again.

I am moving on to trying more lip mask products like Laneige and possibly the Nuxe Reve de Miel. I hear lots of good things about the Lanolips range too. I can’t try them all at once, though – they’re all a bit more expensive than the ones listed above.

I hope you found this helpful and thank you for reading! Let me know what your favourite balms are, too.

Until next time,

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