I've got extremely naughty lips. They are chapped practically nonstop & refuse to heal no matter what I do. They also have some odd discoloration but that's another story. The point that I'm trying to make is that it's really difficult for me to find a decent lip balm which works. At least a bit. I hate lip balms in pots because I just don't wanna have half of the pot on my fingers (although I still buy them sometimes, how logical, right?) and the ones in 'sticks' has never really worked for me very well. Put one & one together and you can guess that my favourite lip balms are in tubes!
They are fairly hygienic (you can wipe the top) & the following ones actually provide a level of relief and comfort to my lips! I also feel they last longer, because I don't waste any product & they are rarely your average vaseline (which most of cheaper pots seem to be to me, for some random reason).
Balance Me. Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve is pretty new to me, it came as a freebie in this month's Glamour as a really nice surprise! It claims to have 100% natural origin and contains loads and loads of natural oils (sweet almond, lavender, mango, ylang ylang and loads of other oils) and has got almost overpowering smell of rosehip. The scent is really really strong, which I assume could be unpleasant to people who aren't keen on rose scent. Luckily it's one of my favourite scents in products, so this is an ultimate winner! I'd also say it sorta reminds me of Kiehl's lip balm, which is just fantastic (and damn expensive)! This one retails for about £8, but you can still snap it in shops with Glamour for £2!
Balea Urea Lip Balm is a strange one, at least regarding the ingredients. It contains about 5% of artificial urea (read wee). I have to admit, it does feel a tad odd when I'm putting it on my lips thinkin it's wee, but it's just artificial one, don't panic! I've noticed quite a few products lately contain artificial urea for its healing properties. Just to make it clear - this lip balm doesn't smell like wee nor does it taste like it (not that I know what wee tastes like, urgh). It's pretty much neutral in all its aspects (smell, taste, texture), and it does what it's mean to - and really well! You can buy it in DM drugstores in Germany/Austria/Czech Republic for about £2! Absolute bargain, so don't forget to pick it up whilst travelling!
Manufaktura Beer Lip Balm is another interesting one. It's made by traditional Czech brand Manufaktura, which uses some freaky ingredients, which actually seem to be working pretty damn good! This lip balm contains shea butter and hop extract (I basically grew up in a hop field, so that's maybe where the inclination comes from), and is a part of a line called 'original beer cosmetics made of traditional Czech beer'. Well, can't complain - beer is my favourite drink (yeh, what a dude I am, right) and this lip balm makes my lips extremely soft right after I use it. You can get it in Czech Republic (or a few online stores) for about £3-4.
What's your favourite lip balm in a 'tube'?