Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve

Okay, it's confession time! Before trying this lip salve, I had never even heard of the Balance Me brand before! I think this came free with a magazine (probably Glamour), I probably wouldn't have even picked it up off the shelf otherwise as it retails for £12 which is a touch extortionate for a lip balm in my opinion.

Balance Me is marketed as a natural company that uses natural ingredients, and so I was quite excited to try this lip salve. As you can see, the claim on the packaging is that this will plump, smooth and hydrate your lips.

Here's the nozzle - simply squeeze out the amount you'd like to use and slather all over your lips. The first thing I noticed about this product is that a little goes a very long way. And so every though you 'only' get 10ml, it's likely to last you a long long time. I think mine has lasted me almost a year now!

The lip salve itself is a very sticky substance, as you can see above. It gives quite a glossy finish once applied to the lips, which was something I liked. I'm not sure how well this would work under lipstick though.

As I mentioned, I have now been using this lip salve on and off for about a year (I keep it on my desk at work). My verdict is that it's a nice, sweet smelling natural lip salve that was a good freebie from a magazine. But that's about where my praise ends. I wasn't impressed with the soothing qualities of this product, it didn't seem to make much difference at all to my chapped lips and I needed to apply almost 10 times a day just to keep my lips from going dry. It's safe to say I will not be repurchasing, as this is by no means a HG item and I feel that I would only ever really spend £12 on a lip salve that was a show stopping HG!

If you'd like to try Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve, you can purchase at online stores including HERE. So it's back to my trusty Nuxe balm for me. If you haven't seen my Nuxe review you can read it HERE.

Have you tried Balance Me before? How did you find their products?

xx

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NUXE Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm - in stick form

Happy Sunday evening everyone! I hope you're all having a lovely weekend. You might have read my rave review of the NUXE Reve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm a month or so ago. I was really impressed with this allegedly HG lip product, and I've been using it religiously ever since! However the 'original' product comes in a gorgeous glass jar, which is somewhat impractical for travelling around with. I decided to try out the same product but in stick form to see if I would love it as much, and here's my review!

Although it's exactly the same product, I think the stick version feels a lot less thick and luxurious on the lip. I'm almost certain that the formula must have been changed if only just a little to make the balm more 'solid' for the stick, and so it doesn't apply to the lips as smoothly.

Another thing worth mentioning is that I found I had to reapply this more often than when I use the pot. I said in my original review that reduced reapplications was one of the big bonuses of this product for me, so I was disappointed that the stick version seems less effective. That said, when compared to other 'stick-form' lip balms this is still a definite winner for me, and I will definitely repurchase so I have one handy in my bag for lip emergencies!

If you like the sound of this product, it retails for £5.50 and you can pick it up in all sorts of good beauty stores, including Feel Unique HERE. Alternatively, if you'd like to win it for FREE make sure you enter my giveaway for the chance to win HERE!

xx

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NUXE Reve de Miel Baume Levres Ultra-Nourrissant Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm

NUXE Reve de Miel Baume Levres Ultra-Nourrissant Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm - bit of a mouthful isn't it? I came across this when Googling around for a HG lip balm as my lips are in the worst condition at the moment! Probably a result of it being winter and me being a fan of cheap lipstick! Anyway, I bought this from feel unique for £9.50 - much more than I would usually pay for a lip balm, so I had high hopes for how it might change my life (an exaggeration perhaps??)..

I was really happy with the service I received from feel unique - having never ordered from them before I didn't really know what to expect but was delighted to find my order was dispatched super-quick and arrived equally as fast! As a bit of an eco warrier I was slightly dismayed at the amount of packaging the product came in, but they chucked in a little sample which made me smile.

The lipbalm itself came in a tiny little box which I thought was a nice touch. I don't often invest in higher end items so I was pleased to find the jar, although small, lived up to my expectations in terms of packaging...

It comes in this decidedly simple, classic and just beautiful little glass jar - it feels quite heavy and substantial in your hand and I will be delighted to have this little beauty grace my bedside table in the winter months!

As for the product itself, I had read plenty of reviews prior to parting with my hard-earned cash and expected it to be a waxy, thick substance. The lip balm contains Plant Oils, Shea Butter and Grapefruit Essence and you can tell as it is very thick and sticky and you don't need much product to cover your whole lips. I massage the balm into my lips a little and find this warms it up a little and makes it easier to apply.

It's so thick that it forms almost a barrier over your lips & isn't easily licked off. I think I am a bit of a fidget when it comes to my lips (that sounds strange) - I am constantly chewing my lips, licking them etc and as I constantly drink water I find most lip balms need reapplying at least once an hour. Not this bad boy. When I apply it on a night before bed (which I now do as a ritual every night!) it still lingers on in the morning, and when applied during the day I reckon it takes a good 2-3 hours before I don't feel it on my lips anymore. But the really good thing about this product is that even when it's worn off, I don't feel like I have to reapply instantly. My lips are so soothed, moisturised and generally happy after wearing this lip balm that I only apply it 2-3 times a day, and once before bed. This is a substantial reduction for me, which I think demonstrates that this lip balm is a HG product and really does WORK!

I find this a relief as it means I haven't wasted £9.50 on just another lip balm that does nothing for my chapped lips. But honestly, I really recommend you try it if you haven't already. If the price is putting you off, bear in mind that because of the consistency of this product and the reduced amount of applications you'll need, this apparently small jar will probably last you months and months and months! I can't really see myself having to repurchase until 4-5 months' time!

So overall it's actually very good value for money, especially in these harsh, vulnerable lip months. Now I've tried it, I can't imagine facing winter without it!

Have you tried the Nuxe lip balm yet? Are there any other brands you recommend for people with chapped lips this winter?

xx

A bit balmy! (balm of the lip variety)

Evening all! I'm not feeling too hot tonight so having a nice quiet evening in, preparing for my gorgeous friend's wedding tomorrow! I thought I'd do a little post to keep you all going in case I get too busy to post anything over the weekend.

I have always been a bit of a lip balm freak. Ever since I was about 11 years old I've been in pursuit of the perfect lip balm, and I've tried SO MANY different kinds! I've never stuck with one.. so in the 11 years since I started you can imagine the number I've gotten through! (that's right kids, I'm 22 years young! Don't tell anyone..)

SO, my latest purchase is a mega cute and ethical one that I have been desperate to share! ASOS had a free next day delivery thing on recently and I'd just run out of lip balm so I thought I'd see if they had any to save me a trip to the shops! I found this!

It is Love and Toast in 'Prickly Pear'. A few things to explain. ASOS have 3 varieties of Love and Toast lip balm on sale at the moment (and on offer!) - 'Lemon Mint' and 'Cherry Lemonade'. I picked this one because I'm not a pink kind of gal, and the other varieties came in pink tins! This one has a lovely mint green container, and came in this cute box!

Second thing to explain is the brand, Love and Toast. L&T is a company which donates a portion of its profits to an American charity called Regional Chapters of Girls Inc, which is devoted to educating girls in high-risk areas on all sorts of important things crucial to everyday life. For more info click here -> Linky

Now, I do my bit for charity and try to make ethical choices, so despite this lip balm being a bit more expensive than the ones I normally buy I thought the charity link made up for that. I bought this for £4.95, reduced from £12.00 from ASOS. Linky!

I've put up a few pics of the packaging the balm came in because I thought it was a very quirky touch to have the flaps of the box have a heart shaped hole (love!) and a toast shaped hole in them! Adorable! I'm proud to have this quirky little jar in my handbag!

The balm itself comes in a glass jar with a cute decorated lid, as you can see. I find that jars of lip balm work better for me, I've tried dozens of sticks and although they're generally smaller and more convenient, there's just something about having a little pot that works better for me. I've used my new balm for a couple of days now and can report good things! My lips are smooth, conditioned and happy! The ingredients list of the balm is vegan friendly and full of nice things for your skin and lips, like vitamin E, shea butter, aloe vera etc! Overall I definitely recommend this lip balm!

xx