==Prepared for Winter===

Like many people I suffer a lot with dry cracked lips in winter, and even occasionally in hot summers [when did we last have one of those?] In winter the cold temperatures, coupled with the drying effects of central heating, mean that I need to take more care of them than usual. Like a lot of people, I suspect, I have various products on the go at any one time; I even use an ordinary pot of Vaseline occasionally. I picked up this Nivea product in my local Sainsbury store, probably about the end of November 2012. I don't recall exactly what I paid then; I saw it recently priced at £1.32 in there. I thought I'd try it as I quite liked one of the other Nivea products but found it a bit lightweight for really cold weather; this one looked rather more suitable for wintry conditions.

===Packaging and Appearance===

Like all of this Nivea range, the hydro balm comes with packed in a plastic bubble with a cardboard backing attached. I'm afraid mine has long been discarded. The lip balm itself weighs 4.8g and has a light blue outer casing or shell with the logo 'Nivea' prominent in a darker blue. The other lettering on this outer case is in white and is therefore not terribly easy to read against the light blue, but then I don't think many of us read these details too often. I can make out a website - www.nivea.com - and the name Beiersdorf, so I take it that the Nivea brand is owned by this company. The inner tube is pure white. The balm itself is a pale, light cream in colour.

===Application and Performance===

To use the lip balm I remove the outer case and twist the inner tube up from the base. I find no noticeable aroma or taste. Personally I don't mind this, particularly the lack of a discernible smell. Tastes I can take or leave, too, as I find some of them way too artificial and almost sickly. It's the moisturising and healing properties I generally want for a standard lip balm. So how does this one deliver?
I find this glides on easily, coats my lips well and is not at all sticky. Very few lip products have any lasting power on me. Lipsticks, for instance, seem almost a waste of time. I don't know whether I subconsciously lick them off - I'm not aware that I do - but this seems to last longer on me than most, which is a good thing as far as I am concerned! Timing it walking round the town in a bitterly cold wind today I'd estimate that it lasted about 2 hours before I needed to reapply it. I find that quite acceptable in those conditions. I also think I could use this under coloured lip glosses when I need a more dressed up look, due to its smoothness and lack of stickiness.

===A Bit of Research===

Because I no longer have the backing card, and there is no information on the outer casing, for ingredients I had to go to the Nivea website given above. No surprise that I was bewildered by a range of incomprehensible names. I say bewildered because, among those I could pick out, were substance like alcohol, which I thought was drying. There was ricinus communis, also known as the castor oil plant, which as a gardener I know of as a poisonous plant - rather disconcerting! Further research revealed that an oil derived from this is quite commonly used in lipsticks and so on, and I'm sure they wouldn't be allowed to use it if it wasn't safe, but I must admit for a moment it had me going. Other names, such as various plant oils and butters, glycerine and aqua, were more expected. Interestingly parfum came right at the end of the ingredient list, which explains the absence of any significant smell.

===Evaluation===

Nivea claim that this product is 'quickly absorbed thanks to its light formula' and that it 'leaves a sensationally soft feeling on your lips.' [Nivea website] I cannot disagree with this, although I think 'sensational' is a bit strong. It certainly doesn't leave your lips feeling sticky or wet, which is not a feeling I particularly like. I do notice that my lips feel in much better condition when I use it, even when I'm at the point where I know I should reapply it. My lips have not suffered significantly so far this winter. So for me it does everything I ask it to, and I can find no fault with it. I use it most days and it will last me a long time yet, so I feel it was good value for money. I'm sure there are other lip balms out there that perform as well or better, but for me this is a must have in winter at least, so I'm giving it a 5 star rating.

Thank you for reading my review, which may appear on other sites.

©Verbena February 2013