I’ll be glad to see the back of Winter – if only for the sake of my poor lips. I’ve been getting through so much balm. It’s not been unseasonably cold or windy, so I’m guessing the main cause of my dehydrated smackers is central heating.
I have four lip soothers on the go – one I keep in the bathroom, another in my bedroom, a third in the kitchen and the fourth in my make-up bag. One is an old favourite, another a workhorse, the third decadently luxurious and the final one, well, a massive disappointment!
Trilogy Everything Balm
This has been my lips’ best friend for the past few years. It’s instantly soothing and moisturising, and sits on the lips as light as a feather. It smells gorgeous – it contains more than 10 oils including rosehip (one of my all-time favourites), evening primrose, marula and jojoba. If green credentials are important, it ticks that box too. Trilogy Everything Balm costs £12.50 for 45ml (such a bargain).
Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips
This is the workhorse, for lips in need of some serious TLC. It’s the thickest of the four balms. It is almost paste like in consistency and sits on the lips like a coat of amour. It is a little sticky, though, which may not be to everyone’s liking.
Dr Lipp is made from ultra pure medical grade lanolin. It was originally developed as a nipple balm for breastfeeding women (hence the name), and like the Trilogy product can be called on to do more than lip duty – use it on dry cuticles, feet, eczema, small grazes (and, yes, nipples!). Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips costs £11.50 for 15ml.
Elemis Lip Revive
Oh dear, the fail. My husband bequeathed this to me some time ago after he got given it as part of an Elemis in-flight ‘comfort’ kit. Now, I’m not sure if I’ve got a dud here. The thing is, mine contains horrible tiny grains, yet I can’t see mention of exfoliation on the Elemis website. I can’t abide the grains - they irritate my lips.
Elemis says the formula protects, repairs, heals and soothes. I just can’t see any of that going on for me. There are two customer reviews of Lip Revive on the Elemis website (at time of post). While that’s not many to go on, they do both give this a 5 star rating, so perhaps I’ve just been unlucky. Elemis Lip Revive costs £16 for 7ml.
By Terry Baume De Rose
This is a cult classic and the most luxurious of the four featured. It’s a dreamy texture –as smooth, rich and creamy as gourmet Echiré butter. The scent is subtle, yet unmistakably rosey. It contains rose flower essential wax to soften, pastel oil to boost cell renewal, and shea butter to soothe. Yes it’s pricey, but everyone deserves an affordable luxury from time-to-time. Plus it’s another multi-tasker – use it on cuticles as well as lips. By Terry Baume De Rose costs £39 for 10g.