With winter on its way, the wind is blowing and the temperature is dropping: my lips are drying up just thinking about it. Vaseline is one of those little beauty essentials that does the job you need it to for a great price. This twist on the bargainous basic contains rose and almond oil, and has a rosy tint to give your lips a bit of colour when you apply.

My version is the popular small, metal, pink and white tin, with 20g of product in it, although I have noticed that for slightly more you can get a stick version instead. The tin is £1.99 in Boots and the stick £2.03, although it's definitely worth keeping an eye out for special offer and sales. I've picked it up for as little as 99p in the past. Whilst I haven't tried the stick version of the Vaseline, I have tried other stick based products such as Lypsyl which I'm not as keen on. Tinned Vaseline is a much softer product, so it glides on much more easily than a stick, and I think it lasts a lot longer, too. The tin is a bit bulkier than a stick, but it's still a lovely size for your makeup bag.

When you first open the tin, the product looks to be quite a strong shade of pink, although it doesn't retain those levels of colour when applied. There's no very obvious smell, but if you do get really close you can get a whiff of the rose element. When wearing it I sometimes get a light scent of roses as well, which is lovely.

To apply, just rub your finger across the surface of the balm until you pick up some of the product, then transfer to your lips. As I said before, it glides on very smoothly and gently. Just applying it and rubbing your lips together makes them feel better - I assume because it increases the blood flow to the area. After applying, you're left with some of the product on your finger, but it rubs in extremely easily, or you can wipe it on a tissue. You will be left with an oily coat on your lips for maybe 20 minutes, but that soon sinks in and starts working its magic. I know some people find this unpleasant, but I don't mind it at all as it soothes dry lips so noticeably. It probably takes a couple of days of using this regularly to heal my chapped lips at their absolute worst, although I know other people suffer worse than me.

I've applied about three times today, and my lips feel really smooth and soft. In fact I can't stop rubbing them together - I probably look like a bit of a loony!

The colour isn't dreadfully noticeable, but I do have very pale lips and it makes them look a bit bolder and more defined, so it's definitely worth getting this version of the product, for me.

I don't use this product all the time - just when I remember really - but on average I'd say I might apply it ten to fifteen times a week. I've had my current tin for three months and used less than a third of it, which is great value. I'd expect to be using it a lot more in winter though, so I'll probably have to buy a new one by Spring.

There are a couple of downsides to this wonder product though! If it's too hot, it gets really soft, which makes things a bit messier. The tin can be a bit difficult to open, especially if you dint it, which is quite easily done. Also I'm aware that a lot of people aren't keen on how oily the product can be - personally this doesn't bother me at all though. Finally, it's not quite as versatile as its plain counterpart (which can be used for all sorts of things) because of it's rosy tint. So, for these misdemeanours, I'll knock a star off and leave it with a respectable four.