I always seem to be prone to chapped, sore lips. In the summer it is the sunshine that seems to cause the problem, in the winter it is the harsh, cold, windy weather and whatever the season I find air-conditioning and the blowers in my car all seem to set them off.

I always seem to be buying lip-salves. I leave them in my various handbags and can't remember where they are or even worse, I leave them in my jeans pocket and send them through the washing machine so no wonder I need a constant supply of new ones. I have never found one that works a lot better than any other so I tend to buy whatever is on offer at the time. I purchased two different Chapsticks when Boots had them on offer but usually they are about £1.05 each and are sold loose although I have seen them backed on cardboard too.

I selected the Apple Chapstick because I fancied a change from the strawberry or cherry products that I tend to buy. It is presented in a white tube with a lid that has a plastic wrapper that is bright green. The outer doesn't tell you a lot; it lists the dozens of ingredients in the balm and just says that it offers everyday protection. When I had picked it up in the shop I was sure that the box holding all of the Chapsticks said it offered UV protection but there was no mention of this on the product itself. I have looked it up since and it seems that the Apple offers SPF15, as does the cherry one but the Strawberry is only SPF 10. I feel that this should be put on the packaging to prevent confusion.

The top simply pills off the tube and then you wind the balm up from the bottom like a lipstick. The balm itself is pale green in colour with a mild, sweet smell. If I was doing a blind "aroma" test I am not sure that I would have immediately said that this smelt of apples as the fragrance of fruit is very faint but I suppose it does smell a little like apple flavoured sweets.

I applied the product onto my lips. It slides on very smoothly and easily and I was very pleased to see that there was no hint of greenness when it was on my lips. The product does not sting at all, even when my lips have been quite sore. This Chapstick felt moisturising and protecting on my lips but it did not feel overly heavy or greasy and only added a very slight sheen to my lips not a gloopy shine like you get with Vaseline type products.

I have found with some flavoured lip balms I tend to keep licking them. I think it is the strong aroma that seems to trigger this response. I have found that the faint smell of this one means that I am not tempted to keep licking my lips. In fact when I do occasionally lick them I am surprised to find that they taste sweet. The flavour is actually really nice, it has no resemblance to apples but it is nice and sweet without being sickly.
I have been using this particular Chapstick for a few weeks now. I tend to apply it a couple of times a day and always try to put some on last thing at night. My lips have been feeling really soft and smooth so I really believe that this Chapstick is definitely better than the previous Lipbalm that I was using. I also feel that it is lasting really well and I have hardly had to twist the balm up at all.

I do not have sensitive skin and have had no problem with this at all but it does contain parabens which are commons allergens.

I am really pleased with this Apple chapstick and hope to keep hold of it and not be stupid enough to put it through the washing machine!