Lip Balmy

The cold weather has well and truly arrived and our lips are left crying out for nourishment even more than usual. I've always been particularly prone to chapped lips, and so am constantly on the hunt for the latest super moisturising balms to leave my lips soft and supple. Recently I've taken my search for the ultimate lip balm up a notch, as I'm moving to the French Alps for four months in December, and I just don't know how my lips are going to cope in the freezing temperatures out there.
Fortunately I've found a few miracle-workers and here's a list of some of my all time favourites:

Eve Lom: Kiss Mix

This has got to be one of the best lip balms on the market at the moment. It's unusual for me to completely finish a tub of lip balm before I lose it or it gets forgotten about in favour of newer purchases, but I scraped every last bit from my last pot, and I can't wait to get a fresh one. It has quite a solid texture in the pot, which melts when you dip a finger in and smother it on. Menthol ingredients make for a cooling and very refreshing lip balm experience. I will say that whenever I have this in my handbag I find myself reapplying all the time, so I'm not convinced it's particularly long-lasting (I'm probably just doing this because I love the feeling of it on my lips). Although it appears white in the tub, it goes on clear and leaves a beautiful subtle shine. The luxurious formula contains zinc oxide, which moisturises lips as well as protecting from UV rays. Kiss mix retails at £16 for 7ml, which seems pretty expensive but this is one lip balm that really delivers and so I can't recommend it enough.

9/10

Eve Lom Kiss Mix available from spacenk.com

Dr Lipp: Original Nipple Balm for Lips

I know what you're thinking, nipple balm?! I thought exactly the same but I heard such good reviews of this product I had to try it. And I'm pleased to report it does live up to the hype. The balm emerges from the tube as a kind of thick yellowy wax that when rubbed onto lips leaves a subtle shine and moisturised feel. It doesn't all sink in immediately, it sits on top of your lips forming a protective barrier while moisturising at the same time. This is a 100% natural product (made from "medical-grade lanolin") and when you apply it you can tell that it's going to do your lips the world of good. At £11.50 for a whopping 15ml of this wonder balm it's definitely good value for money. Still not convinced? It's multipurpose too - use it on dry skin, eczema, burns, as a brow tamer, to highlight cheek bones, and of course on your nipples if you so desire!

8/10

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips available from spacenk.com

Crème de la Mer: The Lip Balm

For the poshest lip balm out there head to your nearest Crème de la Mer counter. This balm really is the height of luxury, unscrew the silver lid to find a white balm that melts on your finger tips and into your lips. For best results you're advised to pat this on your upper and lower lips to moisturise and protect. It has a similar, although slightly less pronounced, menthol feeling to Eve Lom's Kiss Mix (see above), but for a considerably higher price. This product costs a hefty £40 for 9g. I did like it, but I didn't like it enough to justify the price and so doubt I'll be buying it again (unless I win the lottery). When I purchased this I assumed for the price tag it was going to be revolutionary, that I'd never look at lip balms in the same way, and that dry lips would now be a thing of the past. Unfortunately this wasn't quite the case. It did feel lovely and it is a good lip balm, but it doesn't provide anything you don't get from Eve Lom's Kiss Mix, which is less than half the price.

5/10

Crème de la Mer The Lip Balm available from cremedelamer.co.uk

Elizabeth Arden: Eight Hour Cream

It would be impossible to do a post on dry lip remedies without mentioning Elizabeth Arden's legendary Eight Hour Cream. This stuff has been around since 1930 and over the past 80 years has earned a huge cult following - and quite rightly so. To call this a cream is a little misleading as it's not very creamy at all; it comes out of its tube as a soft orange wax and has a distinctive smell which may not be to everyone's taste. The scent is quite medicinal, which I take to be a good sign its healing powers. I usually put this on before I go to bed if my lips are feeling a little dry or chapped, then leave it to do its magic for eight hours and invariably I wake up in the morning to a vast improvement in their condition. I don't tend to wear it during the day, mainly due to the strong scent, although it does leave you with a glossy finish if you wanted to. As with Dr Lipp's Nipple Balm, this is a multi-purpose product that can be used on a whole range of dry skin issues as well as having anti-inflammatory benefits. A massive 50ml of Eight Hour Cream costs £25 and I think it's a must-have in any woman's cosmetic armour. It's now available in a lip protectant gloss that I'm just itching to try.

6/10

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream available from Boots

Hurraw! Balm

I stumbled across this handy little balm stick when I was shopping in American Apparel a few weeks ago. I'd forgotten to take any lip balm with me and I could feel my lips getting dryer and dryer by the minute so I really just wanted something cheap to get me through the day. When I smelt this one at the tills I had to have it. I love the smell of almonds and I always go for almond scented shower gels because they just put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. One of the main reasons I love this product is the oval tube, the balm shapes to your lips after a few uses, and the tube is designed so that it fits nicely inside your pocket (genius!). It also has a twist bottom that makes it perfect to apply on the go. The balm itself glides onto the lips and leaves a subtle glossy sheen, which I love. It's not intensely moisturising like some of the other products I've mentioned, but it still does the job. Hurraw! is a vegan brand and the primary ingredients in this lip balm are almond oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter - who wouldn't want to smother all that all over their lips?! Your own stick of Hurraw! will set you back £3.45, which I think is such a reasonable price for such a great little product. Oh and if almond isn't your thing, other flavours include earl grey, chai spice, cherry, coffee bean, chocolate and coconut, to name but a few.

7/10

Hurraw! Balm is available from supersmoocher.com

Vaseline

And finally, everyone can benefit from a lovely layer of Vaseline on their smackers from time to time! My current favourite is the Cocoa Butter one (pictured above), although I can't wait to try out their new limited edition Pink Bubbly flavour - champagne for the lips, yes please!