They Call Me Mr Balmbastic

I rarely wear lip colour. That is in part because I've always done my eyes up, and there's only so much makeup you want to frighten your colleagues with at 10am on a Monday, but mostly it's because my lips just plain do not like it. They are sensitive little fuckers, and they need careful handling. I've lost sleep over it. OK, maybe not - let's all hope not - but it's still annoying, and for those of you with the same problem, there are remedies out there and here are a few I've found. 

I’ve just started using lip scrubs in the last few months and I am a total convert. You can exfoliate your lips in a number of ways, the most well-known of which is probably using a toothbrush, but to be frank that hurts and, generally speaking, if there’s a product for it, I want it, and so I discovered this gem: LUSH Popcorn Lip Scrub (£5.50 on their website). It tastes of caramel, you guys, and smells of HEAVEN and actually is also really good for exfoliation but, even if you don’t get dry lips, you should buy this, just as a present to your SOUL.

ELF do a version in a twist-up tube (£3.95 on their website), which is great, nice and portable with very useable lipstick-style format. Not quite as delicious as the LUSH version but a good gentle exfoliator and a nice thing to have in my handbag just in case I ever run into Channing Tatum. I just feel like he’s a fan of super soft lips.

Lip balm is your friend. Your best friend (sorry Poppy). If you can get your hands on it, Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream (and all of its balmy salvey iterations) is the essence of the gods and will work to save your lips and your hands and probably also your credit rating or your job or your life or something. Probably.

If you’re not of the Elizabeth-Arden-buying budget, however, NEVER FEAR. Help is at hand. These are my current more purse-friendly favourites. They all live in my handbag (which is why some of them are looking a little worse-for-wear, because who knows when you might need seven different kinds of lip balm at once. All prices are from Boots, unless otherwise stated.

Carmex (£2.69). This is a recent find. I think it’s going to be great in the winter (which has started already, because England). Do not be afraid of the tingle. It is a good tingle. A friendly tingle.

Vaseline (£1.99). Everyone loves a classic. This one is the aloe vera version, but I’m also partial to cocoa butter and the tinted ones if I’m feeling fancy.

Nivea Raspberry Rose (£2.10). This is definitely more of a lip moisturiser than a balm; gorgeous creamy texture and INCREDIBLE DELICIOUS SCENT. There is also a vanilla-y version that smells just as yummy. Top tip: do not eat it.

Maybelline Baby Lips (£2.99). I love these. They feel incredible, they’ve got a subtle sort of lemony scent going on and there is a huge range of different tints and types to choose from (I have Hydrate and Intense Care) so there’s something to suit absolutely everyone. Particularly excited to try the new colours that I keep hearing about but cannot find, like pixie dust.

Benefit Balms (£14.50 on their website). On the higher end of the price spectrum, but SO WORTH IT. I was so mesmerised by the Chachabalm when I first saw it in store that I bought it immediately and then panicked about how much I’d just spent on a lip balm, but any of my anxieties about the price were immediately by HOW INCREDIBLY FANTASTIC IT IS. It smells gorgeous, I’m obsessed with the colour and I use it approximately six million times a day so the price per wear is about 0.01p. I’ve just recently got my hands on the Benebalm colour as well and I love it; it’s more of a berry colour, which is going to be great for autumn.

Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm (£8 on their website). I bought this when I was browsing their website after their super famous Glow Tonic (more on that angel juice in a future post). I first put it on without a mirror. Don’t do this. It is stupid. When you DO use a mirror, however, the colour is great, really bright, and it’s got a very light, smooth texture. Can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on the other colours.

No7 BB lips (£9). I adore this. It’s very smooth and the colour is great – I have it in Geranium but I also have my eye on Blush Coral (such pretty names!). If you only use a tiny bit it feels more like a balm, or you can layer it to get more colour and it gets a bit more lipgloss-y but without the stickiness.

At some point in the not-too-distant future I will do a post about lip colours I’ve found that do work around my particular sensitivity, but until then I hope some of these will help keep your lips petal soft for kissing all those handsome princes, or sweet babies, or unwilling cats. Enjoy!