You know, lip balms are those easy things to buy (and try) and yet, they can be trivial. Their purpose is to moisturize the lips and sometimes, more often than not, they do the opposite. I can see why this can be frustrating. When I found the one that I really love (NUXE Rêve de Miel Lip Balm), there’s no doubt I would use it until the last dip. However, it took a really long time and I started to get the itch to try new ones.
This is a problem for beauty junkies. But if we don’t try new products every now and then, we’ll never know where they could take us. We’ll wonder and I can’t handle it.
In this post, I’m going to share some of the lip balms in my repertoire that I’ve been enjoying in the past few months.
For the first one, it’ll be about Sisley Confort Extreme Levres or its English name, Nutritive Lip Balm. I’ve heard good things about it. When I was walking around the mall, I decided to pay a visit to the counter and asked for it, literally and metaphorically. I knew what I was getting into so IDR 720.000 was something I’m willing to gamble on.
The pink pot has 9 ml of product and a spatula, which I appreciated very much. The texture is a very thick yet emollient balm and honestly, if the spatula wasn’t given, I’d find one myself to scoop up the product. It is quite sticky initially but once I massage it on my lips, it warms up and spreads easier. Because of the thicker texture, I prefer to wear this at nighttime where I know I won’t be doing any munching (or movements) anymore. I can feel it on my lips and it’s not necessarily comfortable.
But, I also know realize how comforting and protective this is. I can feel an instant soothing sensation, as if my lips are being enveloped and encased, out from harmful environment. Then from inside, it starts to repair what is broken; chapped, dry, cracked, thinned lips. This is currently my go-to after days of wearing matte lipsticks or after swatching multiple different ones in a day. I’d apply it thicker to provide intense repair action. At first, that’s how I used it. Until I started to wear this almost every night and it hard not to now.
As much as I hate to admit it, Sisley Nutritive Lip Balm is probably the best repairing lip balm I’ve ever tried, for now. The price is exorbitant but that’s probably the length I go for because healthy lips are hard to achieve and maintained.
The second one is Yojiya Yuzu Lip Balm. This was acquired on my trip to Japan, specifically Kyoto. Yojiya itself is a famous cosmetic brand from Kyoto and it can be found quite easily in the city. It can be found in select shops in Tokyo but it felt much more special buying the goods from the origin. I bought the lip balm thinking that it’s winter and my lips could use all the help they need.
Unfortunately, it didn’t do it for me in the cold season. So I ended up not using it that often until I came home. This turns out to be a lovely daytime lip balm. The texture is quite ideal. It’s thin and lightweight on the lips while still providing moisture to last through a meal or two. I wished this is slightly more emollient because I have to rub my (clean) fingertip several times before getting a sufficient amount of product. The pot’s proportion is making it tricky once I made a hollow in it. I find my nail started to scrape the balm underneath when I rub my fingertip and it’s a waste. So instead, I use my top (clean) nail to scrape a little bit of the balm on my top and bottom lip then massage it in. I ended up finding the lip balm works better this way. The texture is softer and more emollient.
Yojiya Yuzu Lip Balm is also fantastic underneath lipsticks (bullets and liquids). It’s not glossy in finish, so it won’t alter the finish of mattes that much. I do blot a little bit just to take off any excess before proceeding with the lipstick application. With this, I find myself can bear wearing mattes for longer.
Did I mention that it has a refreshing orange scent? Yum.
Isn’t fun having these little pots stacked up in the vanity? Every morning and every night, I’d take a pick of which one I use, depending on how my lips’ condition is.
The last one was part of a summer package I received from TATCHA when I was in Toronto a couple of months ago. It’s their famous Camellia Nourishing Lip Balm*. I’ve been wanting to try this for a while now but this often went sold out in the website, for good reasons because this.. is beautiful. Between all of my other lip balms, this one has the most ideal texture that fits my preference. It has everything that I wanted. It’s emollient without being greasy or sticky. It glides on effortlessly but not too slippery and doesn’t smear everywhere.
The 24k gold leaf is added for an aesthetic touch. It gives an extra glow to the lips, but not obvious to the naked eye. Again, it’s aesthetic. I tried so hard not to touch it but it’s impossible. Eventually the gold leaf will be long gone before the lip balm does. But that’s okay, because the actual balm is what matters. The pot is also short and wide and I’ll have no trouble finishing this up with my fingertip (no nails needed). Actually I can’t wait to swipe and savor that little last bit of goodness until the very end.
I don’t mind wearing them night and day. It’s enough for nighttime and more than I could need for daytime. TATCHA Camellia Nourishing Lip Balm feels not only moisturizing, it also feels hydrating; the element that I don’t get from Yojiya. It works great under lipsticks as well (blotting is definitely needed before a matte lipstick) although I personally prefer to enjoy it on its own so I don’t waste anything by blotting *HA*. The only downside is that this runs out pretty quickly. I’ve been using it for a little over 2 months, not everyday either, and I’ve made quite a dent in the pot. Probably almost 1/4 of it.
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If you have a favorite of your own, please do share! I’m sure there are great lip treatments out there and I’m always up for some tryouts!
Disclosure: TATCHA Camellia Nourishing Lip Balm was received as a PR sample. All opinions, good and bad, are 100% mine. And I would gladly repurchase this on my own.
