lip balm 101

Hey guys!

I am a serial lip balm collector. I just love trying new flavours and if I actually manage to finish one, there must be something special about it because it is super rare for me to focus on just one at once.

I'm especially into lip balms right now because the weather in Sydney has finally started to cool down. Autumn is finally here, and Winter isn't far off. But guess what else comes with the colder months? Chapped lips. Something that I am not a fan of.

Typically, without a good lip balm, my lips will always be dry and chapped. I lick my lips alot unconciously, and this really dries them out.  In the spirit of that, I decided to go through my lip balms and give you guys the lowdown on my favourites for making my lips super duper smooth and lipstick ready - even in Winter.

Chapstick

I adore Chapstick lip balms - they make my favourite flavour lip balm (Cake Batter)! This actually isn't even my whole collection of Chapstick lip balms, but I thought it wasn't too necessary to post all of them. Basically, Chapstick is unbelieveable. They have such a huge variety of flavours and scents, plus special ones made specifically for conditioning and sun protection. They also recently came out with a Night Treatment which is the bee knees!

Not only are they super good with flavours, scents, and making your lips super hydrated, they're also really affordable considering the quality of the product that you are getting. Basically, if you have never tried Chapstick before, head out right now to your local supermarket, chemist or drugstore and pick up a couple to try.

EOS

I have to admit - these are not a favourite of mine. The reason I'm including them in this is because I just want people to know that not all lip balms are worth the hype. They aren't bad lip balms persee.. They do the job. But considering that lots of people say that they are 

the best lip balms ever, and that they are fairly expensive, they really aren't all that. Sure, they look cute and smell like Zappos (any Aussies remember those? My netball days are coming back), but you can find a much better lip balm at the drugstore for a lot cheaper.

Vaseline Lip Therapy

I have these in the Cocoa scent, which if you didn't know is one of my favourite scents in the entire world, and I used to use these all the time as a night treatment. I would put another lip balm underneath and this on top, and because it is super thick, it kept my lips so moisturised all night long. Love this, it smells amazing, and I would recommend it for night use, as it is a little too thick to be used during the day.

Nivea Lip Butter

This is an old faithful, and one of my all time favourite lip balms. I used these exclusively for 6 months or so, and have gone through countless tubs of them. I stock up on them when they're on sale! These are amazing, they have the best scents, that basically smell like cookies, caramel popcorn and raspberry yoghurt. They are just really moisturising and are thick, and light, at the same time. I really love these, I have never had an issue with them and I will always repurchase!

IWTheLabel

I won a competition along with Kirsty from A Lipstick Addiction on Instagram to try these out, and although I haven't used them for long, I am so far really impressed. I have the flavours Very Vanilla and Creamy Coconut, and the vanilla smells like ice cream (yum). So far, I have noticed that they are really moisturising and light on the lips, plus its easy on the nose with the fantastic flavours. They are a little pricey at $5 a tub, but they are made with all natural ingredients so you know that they are going to be super good for your lips. You can find these on her Instagram IWTHELABEL.

Hurraw! Lip Balms

I have a rave review on the Hurraw! company here, plus I also included these in my March Favourites. I love these, and I'm super glad I finally decided to buy them. Like Chapstick, they have a huge variety of flavours, and I have seven of those (six are pictured because I have already finished one), which are smell unbelievable and natural, not sugary and processed. These are raw vegan balms and are only made from natural ingredients, and are fairly priced at $3.79 a balm. & adore them, and would really recommend you pick these up! You can find them here at http://hurrawbalm.com/ .

That's it for today's post! Let me know what lip balms you love to use in the colder months!

Until next time...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner

*Some of these products were sent to me to try, but this in no way influences my opinion of the product itself.

rave review: hurraw! lip balms

Hey guys!

I'm going to start this post by saying I rarely post a review on a brand or product without researching them  thoroughly and trialling their products for an appropriate amount of time (unless it's a first impression). But these arrived on my doorstop yesterday, and not only am I seriously impressed with the product, but to say I'm impressed with the brand itself is the understatement of the century!

Of course, I heard about the Hurraw! Lip Balms through Youtuber Shaaanxo, and decided that I would order some to try out. I adore lip balms, and I've been basically married to my Nivea Lip Butter since last July, so I figured it was time for a change. I ordered six balms (don't judge me, I go through lip balms like water) off the Hurraw! Balm website, with the prices ranging between $4.29-3.79US. The next day, I was sent a shipping notification, which is normal. Usually, packages from the US take 2+ weeks to arrive in Australia, regardless of how quick they are shipped. So, I expected to get them 3-4 weeks after they had sent them. So imagine my surprise when they show up yesterday, completely WITHIN the two week bracket.

These were all the items that were included in a completely sealed, travel friendly box sleeve. You can see the balms are completely protected within the brown paper wrapping! With them, I received a personalised postcard, a leaflet about Hurraw! and their brand, as well as two little mini bags, with their logo on them. Oh, and imagine my sheer delight when I opened the lip balm packaging and saw a seventh lip balm completely free of charge.

Close ups of the bags and the personalised postcard! How cute are those bags!

This is the information that is on the leaflet about Hurraw! and their balms:

"Hurraw! started with pure intent; aspiring to create the perfect lip balm.

Certified vegan! Highest quality raw ingredients! Handcrafted in small batches! Premium fresh pressed oils! Certified organic ingredients! No preservatives! Non-toxic! Gluten free! Natural flavours & colours! Oval tube fits perfectly in your pocket!"

I love that these are vegan and organic balms - you can rest assured that they are 100% good for your lips, as they don't contain any ingredients that are going to harm them. It really does impress me that they include these things in with your parcel. This demonstrates that they really care about their customers, and having them know how much time, effort and trouble that has gone into these making these.

The balms I got are:

Moon Balm

Vanilla Bean

Coconut

Green Tea

Chocolate

Coffee

and Grapefruit (free!)

These guys honestly made my day. Off the top of my head, I can't even think of a brand that would include one of their products, free of charge, plus a personalised note! Talk about great customer service! I am so impressed that I am ordering more later this week, because a brand that cares this much about their customers and their views deserves my money (plus, I need more. I can't help it, it's a sickness). I highly recommend them, and not only because of their great service. They're well-priced, especially for an organic product, and the international shipping price is so reasonable. You are better off shopping there than paying $5AU+ for a sub-par lip balm on the Australian market.

As I said, I can't really give a proper, informed review of the balms themselves. It wouldn't feel right, because I have only used them a handful of times and that is not fair to write home a review of them just because I am so impressed with the brand. However, my first impressions of them is that they go on really smoothly, and I can feel how moisturising they are! And they smell amazing. Seriously. They smell sososo good, and not in the processed way some lip balms smell (think Lip Smackers - no hate, but they really do smell sugary). These really smell natural and exactly like their proclaimed flavour. I don't notice a taste, but that could change with different flavours. Plus, the oval shape of the balm makes it really easy to apply onto your lips. If you would like to see a follow up review of the balms themselves, please let me know!

The only thing I regret is not ordering more with this round! I'm desperate to try the Earl Grey and Pitta Balms, but that just means I'll have to order more ;)

Overall - visit their website www.hurrawbalm.com and have a look around. They have so many great flavours to choose from, plus lip treatments as well. And, if you are feeling so inclined, make an order. I promise you this is one purchase you really won't regret. I know I say that a lot here on this blog, but it's not just the balms that have persuaded me - it's the brand and its staff themselves.

Have you tried these lip balms? Whats your take on them? Are there any flavours that you would recommend?

Until next time babes...

xxxx

in between blogging, you can find me here!

instagram: http://instagram.com/beautybybek

twitter: https://twitter.com/bekaaturner