I know my new year's resolution was to post regularly, but unfortunately this is actually the first weekend of 2018 I've had to myself. One of my grandparents was quite ill so we've spent every weekend up until now in the hospital, they are doing much better now though and I've got some catching up to do!
Starting with this post that has been in my drafts forever. For some reason, every winter my lips get incredibly dry, like so dry they would literally get quite swollen and the skin underneath starts to shrivel up, and I then have to wait until it peels off for it to fully heel. It is as gross as it sounds (that is one ID pass photo you do not want to see!) Not only have I been missing out on trying out all of my Colourpop liquid lipsticks (or any lip products for that matter), but this year it was particularly bad as I was living out of a suitcase for a few weeks. The only option was to apply Vaseline every 10 minutes to soothe my lips.
I've since brought a few more products so I thought I would just run through them all, and show you when I'd use them.
Vaseline
First of all, Vaseline is pure petroleum jelly, and this is a by product of the oil industry. Therefore, it's available in huge quantities and it's quite cheap, it's also included in a lot of health/beauty products. In my opinion, I really don't think Vaseline is a moisturiser because petroleum jelly basically forms a barrier to trap moisture within it but does not moisturise itself. However, it works really well as a barrier to stop your lips from drying out further, and I find that it helps them heal quicker. Therefore, when my lips are really dry I'll apply an intensive lip cream at night, and then apply this over the top to help it work over the night. I'll also use it during the day sometimes when my lips are so dry that lip balm just disappears every 5 minutes, because I find that it soothes my lips and it helps stop the skin from cracking anymore.
Your best bet is to get a lip balm/cream that really works for you. Personally, I don't use the cheaper lip balms or products like Chapstick anymore because they're a very short term fix and I found that they made things worse for me in the long run. Some lip creams will look like a big investment for a tiny bottle, but honestly these tiny bottles last ages and you will see the difference!
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask £15.60 (here)
One of the new products I purchased was the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. I've been umming and ahhing about this for years. After I saw it on Hannah's old blog (post
here) I put it on my to buy list for definite, but it wasn't until this whole dry lip episode I finally purchased it. It also arrived so quickly (from Hong Kong), which was great because at this point I was loosing all patience. I put it in my suitcase to take with me, and although results were slow (but that was because I left my Lush lip scrub at home, and that would probably have helped with speeding things up), my lips just felt so much better as soon as I applied it. They didn't dry out within 5 minutes of applying it, and slowly they started healing. They weren't as swollen when I woke up in the morning, and after 2 weeks they are almost back to normal. I say almost, because one side has cracked again! I guess that's what happens when you get complacent, so apply it regularly.
The formula of the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is a world away from what I was expecting. It looks like a pink jelly or slime (however you wish to phrase it) in the tub, and it applies like a thin layer of jelly on the lips. It's hard to describe, it's completely unlike a lip balm but it doesn't feel like a lip cream either, it's almost like a serum but for your lips. Plus, let's just talk about the packaging! One word; AMAZING! It's a huge 20g tub, that will not only last ages, but it looks pretty impressive with the pink stained glass. It also comes with the cutest applicator which is just perfect for applying it with, honestly, how did I live without it?! The lip mask also lasts a reasonable time on the lips if you don't eat or drink. However, it is something most people use at night, and it does seem to work well throughout the night, although my lips could do with another application in the morning.
Nuxe Reve de Miel Nouishing Lip Balm £9.50 (here)
Moving on, the Nuxe lip cream was my firm favourite (before Laneige came into my life). I previously wrote about it back in 2016 (
here), and it's now more than a year later that I've almost finished it. This was one I swore by, and it's also one I know a lot of people love. However, my problem was that because the consistency of this is very creamy, it didn't really work if my lips were really dried out and covered with dead skin, it kind of just sat on top of them. With the Nuxe lip cream, I really think it works best just after you've already exfoliated or if your lips are in an okay-ish condition, it helps to maintain them. I still think it's one of the best available lip creams on the market though, and definitely worth the price tag because it lasts ages! I've repurchased another tub of this already. The Christmas gift set is still available on the Nuxe website
here, although it seems like they upped the price because it was only £12 when I brought it (they do pop in a lot of free samples with your order though!)
Nuxe Lip Moisturising Stick £5.50 (here)
Before my Laneige arrived, I was so bored in my hotel room that I decided to just go and browse the local M&S. I don't really buy stick formats of lip balm, but I figured if it works it would be really handy for on the go, plus I was in one of those treat yourself moods! I actually didn't open it until I got back home, but guess what, it is actually good! It feels very similar to the pot version above, maybe a bit more emollient-y, but it's perfect for wearing underneath lipstick or if you're in a hurry. This will definitely be going in my handbag all year around.
EOS Lip Balm (Summer Fruits - £6.50 here)
I did initially dismiss EOS as being another one of those gimmicky lip balms, but I'm now on my second one. Sure, it's not as moisturising as say the Nuxe Lip balm, but it is still a good choice if you're in a hurry or if you're lips are in pretty decent shape already. I like using it whilst I'm doing my makeup so my lips will be softer when I get around to them. I do think the ingredients in the EOS live up to it's 95% organic claims as well, as I find that my lips stay hydrated if I have it on. However, I think EOS does go off much quicker than other lip balms, my first one got an odd smell and wasn't as moisturising as it was previously after having it opened for a while. Although, I think that could be a design fault as the whole lip balm is effectively exposed when you're using it. I think EOS is best for on the move or in the morning. (A quick update: I haven't had my second one opened for that long and even that one has started to smell a bit off which is annoying).


Lush Lip Scrub (Bubblegum - £5.95 here)
Lastly, we have the Lush Lip Scrub. Just like skincare, you can put all the fancy products on your face, but how effective will they be if you haven't exfoliated to get rid of the dead skin beforehand? Even with lip care, I find that if you carry on piling the lip products on, it just leads to a gunky mess rather than a solution. That's why I already reach for the Lush lip scrub when my lips are especially dry to get rid of any flaky, dead skin, so that when I apply lip products they actually stand more of a chance of working. Although, you don't need a specific lip scrub, you can always make your own solution (honey and sugar), I've heard a toothbrush works well too! I've had this pot for a long time (probably a bit too long), but I'm not even half way through it yet.
There you have it! I hope you enjoyed this post! These are my tips and tricks that have worked for me so far, I'd love to know what works for you?