It started back in the winter of 8th grade, when it was incredibly dry and I had no concept of moisturizer or Chap-Stick. My hands got so dry they cracked and my lips were a mess of bleeding flakes--It wasn't pretty. Rather disgusting, actually, I'll come right out and say it. After that I vowed never to let myself get into that state again.
And I haven't! Since then, I put on moisturizer every morning. Plus my backpack/purse/pocket has always contained hand lotion; I can identify nearly any scent in Bath and Body Works with a sniff. But lip balms...lip balms I've gone a little too far with. There are currently three varieties in my backpack, one in my wallet, and another five on the bedside table next to me. Four of those I've bought in the last month in a desperate attempt to repair the damage that was done in the past few months (lots of sun plus constant Ctrl+Z'ing does quite a number in making lips scaly and gross, who knew? That's actually the reason I stopped, which is a tad superficial but still probably good) so I've really broadened my expertise. Anyway, I've become quite the connoisseur on which brands and flavors work the best and smell the best, so I figure now that we're coming up to the drier part of the year I could make some recommendations!
EOS
Aka "Evolution of Smooth". I love this brand, and have tried nearly all of their flavors. The balm comes in a little smooth sphere (google it if you don't know what I mean) and it's all natural and mostly organic, without parabens or any other icky chemicals. I find it really soaks into my lips fast and feels smooth but light. "Summer Fruit" and "Honeysuckle Honeydew" are really fruity for summer, "French Vanilla" is sweet and delish, "Sweet Mint" tastes a lot like the Orbit Sweet Mint gum (which I happen to adore) and gives you a nice cooling feeling. "Tangerine" is their medicated variety but it actually didn't do as good of a job in repairing chapped lips as I had hoped, and it tasted pretty disgusting. It's an excellent brand if your lips are already in good shape and you just want them to stay that way, but that's about it. Finding all the varieties is also a little hard (I ordered mine online from Target) and they spheres can get a little annoying to transport since they don't fit in your pocket easily. But overall this is probably my favorite brand, and once I get some birthday money I'll probably end up buying their new "Strawberry Sorbet" balm and new hand lotions as well.
Blistex
The medicine-y one. The "Mint" flavor is a little less that way, though. This does a better job at repairing damage, especially cracks from dryness. I use it the same way I use Neosporin on a cut. Not every day, but if you get a boo-boo it'll fix it up nicely. It didn't really help the summer damage either, though. Apparently it's also good for cold sores but I've never needed that so I'll just take the packaging's word for it.
Chap-Stick and other Chap-Stick Knock Offs
I actually don't know how people use this stuff. The other day I was in the car with my mother and I didn't have any balm with me because I left it in my backpack in my car. She offered me her Chap-Stick and like...ew. It coated my lips with a thick waxy layer that just sat there until it got crumbly in the corners of my mouth and I wiped it off anyway. That goes the same for Lip Smackers balm, and the collection of flavored Chap-Sticks I bought a couple years ago because they had flavors like "Whoppers" "Cherry Jolly Rancher" and "M&Ms". They smelled amazing but did next to nothing. Apparently Chap-Stick does have like a trillion different natural or shimmery or colorful types now, but I'm still not willing to try. It's cheap, but you get what you pay for.
Vaseline
The most basic of lip treatments. I use this mostly for after exfoliating lips (using an old toothbrush; I found the tutorial on Tumblr once and it works great), when I want something that'll really soak in. It's petroleum-based though, which means the oil can cause more breakouts around your mouth, so I use it sparingly.
Dionis
I picked this up at a gift shop in Cape Cod back in August and OH MY GOODNESS it's probably the best tasting lip balm ever created. The flavor I have is called "Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Coffee" and it's AMAZING. It has goat's milk and vitamin E and other relatively natural ingredients (beeswax, sunflower seed oil, jojoba seed oil, ooh and there's caffeine in here too, sweet!) which make for really nice smooth moisturizing too. Plus the label says it's made in the USA, not tested on animals, and asks you to please recycle the tube! Yayy going green! (Oh and that actually reminds me, I once got a balm made from bamboo. It worked fine but smelled horrible. Just a side note.)
Softlips
I got this because it's a really skinny tube that fit nicely in the crease of my wallet so it was easier to carry. I have it in vanilla and it's nice, nothing special except it's especially convenient. Neither this nor the Dionis helped with damage repair either, they're like EOS and better for maintenance. Plus this has SPF which is always good.
Baby Lips by Maybelline
I actually just got this one the other day at Rite-Aid, it's brand new and I love it. One caveat: the color of the balm is the color it makes your lips. I had to return the cherry flavor in favor of "Quenched" because it was clear instead of bright red. I actually really love this so far. I got it as a last resort to fix up the summer damage because the package guaranteed "Clinical Strength: 82% visibly less dry, 94% less rough (that's what I was going for), 77% more supple, and 77% better looking lips." I've been using it for only two days now and I'm already noticing a difference and loving it. There's no distinct flavor to "Quenched" but it isn't bad or anything, just neutral. The only downside is I'm not a fan of the huge list of unpronounceable chemicals under Inactive Ingredients, it's nothing like EOS's list of shea butter, various fruit extracts, and beeswax. I'll probably just use this one until my lips are back to being healthy and nice again and then go back to EOS or Dionis.
So there you go! Hopefully this is helpful and doesn't just make you think I'm hopelessly obsessed with lip balms. Because I am, but I mean I don't need people thinking it ;D.
Off to write more application essays and a One Acts script and a Haunted Hayride plan and study for the SATs!
*: "Fabulous" from High School Musical 2
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