By Zsarlene B. Chua
I’VE BEEN very fortunate to have skin that doesn’t give me trouble often and that I’ve been able to access a lot of skincare products that have helped me take care of my skin. However, finding a suitable lip balm that will keep my lips hydrated and prevent me from picking at my chapped lips is one skincare problem that I frequently struggle with.
Currently, I have a normal-to-dry skin type but no part of my face for that matter gives me as much trouble as my lips — they are almost constantly dry and chapped. That’s why I’ve always been on the lookout for really good lip balms.
While I still haven’t found my ride-or-die lip balm, I do have several favorites that I cycle through depending on the need or my mood. So, if you are a dry lips girl like I am or if you just want to add a good lip balm to your rotation, here are some I recommend.
Human Nature Lip Butter(P129.75/4.8 gm at Human Nature Official Store)
Human Nature (or Human Heart Nature) is a local personal and home care brand that is known for using sunflower oil and other natural and cruelty-free ingredients in its products. What I personally love about the brand is that its products are gentle and perfect for me whenever I find my skin being overly sensitive or irritated. The same is true for its lip butter. Containing jojoba oil, cocoa butter, and the ever-present sunflower oil, this lip butter is perfect for those days when nothing works.
I use it often as an overnight lip mask as its texture is thicker and oilier than regular lip balms. My current favorite variant is green apple mint as it’s refreshing and cooling. Do note that mint can sometimes worsen dry lips but that hasn’t been the case for me. The lip butter can also melt at warm temperatures because it’s mostly made of solidified butters and oil, so I often keep it in the refrigerator to make it last longer.
Hello Glow Lip Balm with SPF20 (P135/3.2 gm at Shopee)
Hello Glow Lip Balm with SPF20 is another lip balm from a local brand. Hello Glow is the skincare line of the Ever Bilena Cosmetics Group and is one that is making a name for itself for its affordable yet effective products.
Their Lip Balm with SPF20 is one of their newer releases and is said to contain two sunscreen filters, Vitamin E, and beeswax as the main ingredients. As a sunscreen fan, the moment I saw this lip balm, I knew I had to try it out because lips do need protection from the sun as well, plus it’s summer.
The lip balm has a melon-y scent and coats the lips thinly, which is perfect for those who don’t want thick, sticky, lip balms. And while it does have a bit of staying power, it’s best if you reapply it every few hours (just like sunscreen) to top up that sun protection and keep the chapped lips at bay.
Vaseline Lip Therapy Rosy Lips Mini (P164/0.25 oz or 7.08 gm at Lazada)
Vaseline is the OG of lip care, and this Lip Therapy Rosy Lips mini is an old favorite. Often, when I find that many of my lip products just aren’t working, I find myself gravitating back to the Lip Therapy Rosy Lips.
Its main ingredient is petroleum jelly which is often used to protect injured skin or keep moisture in. One can argue that you can get the same effect with a regular petroleum jelly as with Lip Therapy. To that I say, “yes, but does it give you a rosy tint?” which is why I keep coming back to it — it’s perfect for no makeup days and the “I can’t be bothered to do my face but still have to turn on my camera for online meetings.”
It’s thick but it stays on for so long that even a regular meal (but not an oily one!) won’t rub it off. If there’s one thing that sometimes puts me off this product is that it comes in a jar and not a stick, so either I put my fingers in it or use a cotton bud to apply it. Basically, it comes down to how hygienic you can keep this product until you use it up.
La Mer the Lip Balm(P4,700/9 gm at Rustans)
This product is so out of place in this article, but I just have to include it because, honestly, I still dream of this product. I was given a sample many years ago when I was attending an event, and this was the product that made me realize that I really needed to take care of my lips more.
It has that thin velvety texture that feels really luxurious, and it helped my lips get over a particularly bad dry spell where nothing worked, and everything was cracking. Of course, La Mer is a luxury brand so it’s all about the experience (not even the Giant Sea Kelp in its Miracle Broth), but it really did help me maintain my lips for more than half a year and made my lips feel expensive.
I don’t think I’ll ever get my hands on this ever again and I’ve found products which do the same work at a fraction of the price, but it was an unforgettable experience using it. Oh, and it’s also in a jar so the same caution as the previous product (Vaseline Lip Therapy) applies.
Zsarlene B. Chua is a former BusinessWorld lifestyle reporter who is now in the public relations industry. She has no clients in the beauty industry
