I'd been meaning to buy a new lipbalm for ages. Since my Lush 'Lip Service' ran out a few weeks ago I'd just been using Vaseline on my lips, but a few days ago, I was shopping and decided to buy a new lipbalm. So I did... But first I had to choose where to buy it from: Boots, Superdrugs or The Body Shop? Desicions, desicions, eh?

As you've probably already guessed, I decided to buy a lip balm from the Body Shop. This was because I'd used a Boots lip balm before (And reviewed it...), and I'd already been in to The Body Shop (quite a few times, actually...) to sniff their lip balms, and they smelt gorgeous!

So in The Body Shop, I was faced with a little shelf of lip balms in about 6 different flavours... They all smelt so lovely, I didn't know which to choose, I wanted one of each!! Finally, though, after much sniffing, and trying out the testers, I decided on The Body Shop's 'Born Lippy' Lip Balm in Mango Peach flavour. The first impressions were very good - The lip balm not only smelt good, but it also had a lovely bright colour which caught my eye.


*** THE BODY SHOP ***

Well... I'm sure everybody's seen a Body Shop, or been in to one! But, incase you haven't... The Body Shop has stores in most towns' shopping centres. The Body Shop sells a whole range of... you guessed it.... Body products, including bath products like bubble bath, soap and shower gel, as well as body sprays and perfumes, body lotion and make up. There's a good range of products in the Body Shop, in lots of lovely fragrances, but I don't often buy stuff from there. Why? Well... I think the products are a little over priced, so if I can buy something equally as good elsewhere for a cheaper price, then I will!

If you do decide to try this lipbalm, or any other product from The Body Shop, then you don't have to worry about The Body Shop testing their products on animals, as The
Body Shop is against animal testing. Not only that, but The Body Shop have teamed up with Greenpeace, they have a Community Trade programme... and lots more. If you want to find out about any of the good work that The Body Shop does, go to:

http://www.uk.thebodyshop.com/web/tbsuk/values .jsp


*** THE LIP BALM ***

On to the lip balm...

*** PACKAGING ***

As I've mentioned, something which first attracted me to this lipbalm in the first place was its lovely bright packaging. Packaged in a small, 10ml plastic pot with a screw on lid, you can see the lip balm through the clear plastic. As this lip balm is a bright orange in colour, it's really eyecatching. Each different 'Born Lippy' lip balm pot looks different, as each different flavour is a different colour, making spotting a certain flavour on the shelf very easy.

On top of the pot sits a brightly coloured sticker, which displays the name and flavour of your chosen lip balm. On to the bottom of the pot, and there's another sticker, but you have to peel this one up to read the information...This proved quite difficult for me because I've got long nails, but I bet it would be even harder with no nails! When I'd finally managed to peel the sticker, it was revealed to me that the product I am holding is a lip balm. Yes very helpful indeed, especially now I know how to say 'Lip Balm' in 13 different languages...

I thought all that effort getting the sticker to peel up was for nothing, until I peeled again and this time the information was a little more helpful! Under the second sticker, you'll find a list of the ingredients contained in the lipbalm and you'll discover that the lipbalm is made in the USA. I bet you can hardly contain your excitement.


*** THE LIP BALM ITSELF ***

The lipbalm itself, as I've mentioned, can be seen clearly through the plastic pot. It's a really bright
orange colour, and it reminds me a bit of an orange ice lolly... it's certainly a very summery colour.

As soon as you unscrew the lid, a fresh, fruity scent will hit you. The peach and mango scents go together really well to create a gorgeous smell, one that reminds me of Hubba Bubba bubble gum (Anyone else remeber that?!) I remember a peach flavoured one that smelt just like this lip balm!

As soon as I got home I gave my new lip balm a try... when I first dipped my finger in, I noticed that the lip balm was quite firm in the pot, but melted on to my lips as soon as I applied it. The lipbalm goes on quite well - It's not at all sticky, so it can be easily spread over the lips without having to use too much. Even after being applied, there's no stickyness at all, there's no greasy feeling to your lips, the balm just sinks in to your lips, leaving them really smooth. You can still smell the lip balm once it's been apllied to your lips. The smell is so lovely, I was a bit worried about being tempted to lick it off straight after applying! Luckily, I managed to resist that time, but I have tasted it, and it's lovely!!

As the lip balm is such a bright orange in colour, I was hoping that it wouldn't turn my lips that colour! Thankfully, it didn't, my lips were left with a clear, subtle shine, great for when you shouldn't be wearing any make up, but don't want your lips to be bare! I applied the lip balm with my fingers, which was okay as the lipbalm wasn't sticky, so it didn't leave my finger all greasy. You could also apply it with a lipbrush, if you prefer, and if you can be bothered to carry a lipbrush around with you!

My lips looked and felt great just after aplying the lip balm, however, this soon wore off. In less than an hour, the lip balm had all sunk in to my lips, leaving them feeling a bit dry. The shine which my lips had had after first applying the lip balm had gone. I wa
s a bit dissapointed, as my lips had felt so soft when I had first applied the lip balm, now they were feeling drier than they had before I used the lip balm. Surely that's not right!! To ensure that my lips stayed soft, I found I had to apply the lip balm regularly throughout the day. This wasn't a problem, though, as the pot is very small, light and hassle-free to carry around. And, due to the bright colour of the lip balm, the pot is unlikely to get lost even inside the most cluttered of bags! Still, it would have been nice if it had lasted more than an hour!


***HOW DOES IT COMPARE WITH THE BOOTS LIP BALM?***

I thought I'd compare the Body Shop lipbalm with the Boots one which I'd previously used, because they are both supposed to do the same job, and they both come in little pots!!

-Packaging-

*BODY SHOP* 4/5 > The Body Shop packaging is bright, attractive and colourful, yet doesn't have a description of the lip balm.
*BOOTS* 4/5 > Pretty simple packaging, lots of information about the lip balm.

-Smell-

*BODY SHOP* 4/5 > Wide range of different imaginative smells.
*BOOTS* 3/5 > Wide range of boring smells!

-Feeling When Applied To Lips-

*BODY SHOP* 3/5 > Soft, easily to apply.
*BOOTS* 4/5 > Soft, silky, easy to apply.

-Lastability-

*BODY SHOP* 2/5 > Wore off quickly, leaving my lips dry
*BOOTS* 4/5 > Lasted a good while, left my lips feeling soft long after it had worn off.

-Overall-

*BODY SHOP* 13/20
*BOOTS* 16/20

Overall then, the Boots lip balm beats the Body Shop lip balm, but only by a few points! The Boots lip balm may also prove to be better value for money, as the Body Shop lip balm is 90p more expensive, and also has to be applied more frequently, so going for Boots is probably better value. Even though the range of smells of the Boots range aren't as imaginitive as those in the Body Shop
range, the lipbalm itself smells just as lovely.


*** OTHER INFORMATION ***

* This lipbalm is available in a range of flavours, each a different colour. Other flavours available, besides the Mango Peach one that I use, are Raspberry, Strawberry, Watermelon and lime.

* This lip balm costs £3, but there is currently an offer on, where you can buy 2 'Born Lippy' lip balms for £5, saving you money

* To find out more about Body Shop products, Body Shops' values, or to find your nearest Body Shop store, go to:

www.thebodyshop.com


*** OVERALL ***

Overall....I'm not quite sure about this lipbalm. Yes, it had a lovely smell, it gave me soft lips, and wasn't sticky, but it soon wore off, leaving me with dry lips. Because of this I think it's a pretty average lipbalm. There's definitely better lip balms out there, and I'm sure there's worse!

The variety of 'Born Lippy' lip balm was good; there was some different flavours, not just the boring ones like strawberry. For a lip balm that, after using, doesn't make your lips feel any softer, I think this lipbalm is a bit overpriced, at £3 for the little pot.

This probably wouldn't be the lip balm for you if you wanted a long lasting lip balm which you didn't have to re-apply regularly. But if you want a great smelling lip balm, to only stay on your lips for a short period of time, then this is for you!

I also noticed that this lipbalm melts very quickly in the heat. It's best to keep it out of direct sunlight and preferebly somewhere cool so it stays solid. It's a good idea to keep it in the fridge in really hot weather if you can. Otherwise it'll just turn on to a sticky mess, like mine did when I left it in my bag in the sun for an hour!

Bearing in mind that I'll have to apply this lip balm quite frequently during the day if I'm going to keep m
y lips soft and shiny, I think this lip balm will last me 3 - 4 weeks of using it regularly.

Will I buy it again? Well.... No... I'd much rather spend my money on a longer lasting lip balm, even if this is the best smelling lip balm around!