The Lush Lip Lineup

Me? A lip balm hoarder? Guilty as charged. I can totally justify it though! Lip balms are easy to scatter everywhere so it's always good to keep a few around. Some of these stay in my handbag & some live on my dressing table. I like to be able to top up my lips with a balm no matter where I am at that point in time. I think my obsession started when I was at school & everyone had those horrific little tins of Vaseline. I cringed every time I saw people whip them out & practically told them off if they dared to offer me some. It just coats the lips leaving them even drier in the long run. If you use Vaseline on your lips stop it now or... I'm not sure we can be friends anymore ;) From that point on I made it a personal mission to find a better lip balm & convert my friends. Carmex is still an old favourite of mine because it saved me from the hell of Vaseline. I've gone through countless pots of the stuff but the tube packaging is lot more convenient. It has a lovely texture & that menthol tingle sure is addictive. My mint flavoured Balmi is quite similar but with the added bonus of SPF 15. The little keychain makes this a great one for handbags as you can just hook it onto your keys or a bag strap.

Much like the rest of your face or body, your lips need a little exfoliation before treating them to some moisture. I normally go over them with my toothbrush or a flannel but if they're still a bit flaky then there's no better treatment than one of Lush's lip scrubs. I adore the sugary sweetness of Bubblegum but my favourite has to be the Popcorn one. It tastes like salted caramel & will smooth over even the roughest of pouts. If you're a bit lazy then Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid* will naturally exfoliate & hydrate your lips all at the same time. The combination of creamy whipped lanolin & organic lemon oil is hard to beat. It makes your lips feel absolutely amazing & the fresh lemon scent is truly delicious. Another incredibly yummy product is the Super By Dr. Nicholas Perricone Lush Lips conditioning balm. I think the Super range has been discontinued as you can only find the products in TK Maxx or online now. This uses coconut oil which is renowned for it's hydrating properties. It has a nice buttery texture & over time it definitely makes your lips softer in general. I can't get enough of it's subtle coconut taste & scent. I only hope I can find another pot when mine runs out.

If you've never tried the NUXE Reve de Miel lip balm, what are you doing?! Go buy some pronto. This balm is a staple product for me. Whenever my lips get cracked & start bleeding due to the weather or illness then I can always rely on this stuff to sort them out. I normally reach for the stick during the day, it's a good one to take out with you & it is my go-to base for lipsticks. Unlike most lip balms it has a matte finish so it won't affect whatever you put on top. The pot stays on my nightstand as the texture is a little thicker. I always pop some of this on before bed to keep my lips moisturised overnight. Philosophy's Kiss Me Tonight is another brilliant overnight lip treatment. It makes my lips feel really soft & is very comfortable to wear. This stuff lasts for hours & I rarely have to reapply it. Whenever I use Kiss Me Tonight, it's always still on my lips when I wake up. It works just as well during the day for kissably soft lips 24/7. What's your favourite lip balm?

twitter / tumblr / youtube / instagram / bloglovin'

The SPF Quartet

Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+ / Nivea Sun Invisible Protection Transparent Spray SPF 50
Soltan Head & Hair Dry-Touch Transparent Suncare Spray SPF 30 / Balmi Mint Lip Balm SPF 15

Something I am very passionate about is the use of sun protection products. I don't think I've ever shared this with you before but in November 2005 my dad was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, more commonly known as skin cancer. He never wore sun tan lotion even when we went on holiday and would often sit in his room with a little tanning lamp. One day he noticed a tiny lump on the top of his head which he stupidly kept picking at. It developed into a huge scab and continued sun exposure only made it worse. After years and years of suffering he finally went to the doctors and soon after his diagnosis he started receiving treatment. He has been in remission for several years now but it still affects his life every day. The doctors treated him with too much radiation so his head has never properly healed. He still has to visit the doctor three times a week to get the dressing on his head changed and he has to wear a hat pretty much everywhere he goes. He travels to work every day in a suit and a baseball cap. So sadly this is something he will have to deal with for the rest of his life. Sorry for the horrid start to this post but I wanted to demonstrate what a horrible disease skin cancer is and how life altering it can be. I think it's pretty clear why I'm such a big advocate of products with SPF.

Skin cancer is obviously the most important reason to protect yourself from the sun but seeing as this is a beauty blog let's talk about how the sun can affect your looks. It is one of the main causes of premature ageing as it can give you liver spots and wrinkles. Too much sun exposure will give your skin a dry, leathery appearance and it increases sagging. The sun also causes the appearance of tiny blood vessels on your face. Once Summer finally rears it's head I never leave the house without slathering on the high SPF products. Don't get me wrong, I love going to the beach and sitting in the sun as much as the next person but I don't care if I never get a tan because I'd much rather be pale, look youthful and have healthy skin. There are four products that I know I can rely on to keep myself fully protected.

I first came across Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+ when I started using Liquid Gold. AHAs found in chemical exfoliants increase your sensitivity to the sun so I decided look for face products with SPF 50. A lot of the ones I tried left my face feeling greasy, broke me out, smelled gross and gave me a white cast. I figured since Alpha-H invented Liquid Gold that their SPF moisturiser might be the perfect accompaniment to it. Luckily I was right and now I use this moisturiser every day, even during the Winter. It feels really nice on the skin, gives me the right amount of hydration and doesn't come with any of the problems of the other SPF products I've tried. The best sun protection product I've ever found for my body is the Nivea Sun Invisible Protection Transparent Spray SPF 50. I got so fed up of using messy lotions that stained all my clothes and were annoying to apply. I first heard about this product last year from a goth YouTuber called Synthetic Doll. If it's good enough for a goth, it's good enough for me! You just spray this all over and rub it in. It is quickly absorbed, non-greasy and water resistant. It's so easy to re-apply when you're out and about too. Due to my dad's problems I'm very conscious of protecting my head. If I'm not wearing a hat I use the Soltan Head & Hair Dry-Touch Transparent Suncare Spray SPF 30. I spray this liberally all over my scalp and hair. It doesn't make my hair greasy and it contains conditioner so it helps to protect my bleached hair. Finally I whack on a bit of my Balmi lip balm because it contains SPF 15 and feels fresh & minty on a hot day. These products never let me down and it's reassuring to know that I can enjoy the sun safely.

twitter / tumblr / youtube / instagram / bloglovin'

Balmi Mint Flavour Lip Balm

I've been desperate to try the EOS spherical lip balms for absolutely ages now but they're really hard/expensive to get over here. Balmi is a new lip balm that is pretty much a rip off of the EOS concept but for me its definitely a welcome new product on the UK market. I saw these on a few blogs over the last week and headed to my local Boots where I bought it for £4.99. It comes in several flavours but as I have an aversion to really synthetic tasting lip balms I decided to go for the classic mint flavour.

The balm itself is really moisturising and leaves my lips feeling soft and looking shiny. The mint flavour is really refreshing and doesn't taste overly fake at all but it doesn't last very long. It disappeared after about 10 minutes whereas the balm lasted until I ate something. This product contains SPF15 so it'd be great for taking on holiday with you. I really like the packaging and I find that the shape makes it really easy to apply. Its so much more hygienic than sticking your finger in a pot. The little key chain part is a nice added bonus and the cute design makes me want to collect a few more to adorn my keys with. Considering the nice packaging and ease of use I'd say that a fiver is a fair price for this product. The strawberry and coconut flavours are definitely next on my list.