An easy squeeze! (Balance Me Lemon & Spearmint Salve)

Member Name: Lunar_see

Product:	Balance Me Lemon & Spearmint Salve
Date:	10/10/08 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smells wonderful, pretty packaging, High Street Brand

Disadvantages: It is £6 and does'nt last as long as other products.

I hate the cold weather; it really does play havoc with my lips which I try as hard as I can using several different products, to keep them in good condition. My problem is I use lip balms too quickly and I get bored of them, so I am constantly chopping and changing what I use.

In a previous review I explained about my fussiness when it comes to deciding which lip balm I use and this is all down to past experiences, one particular lip balm by a well known reputable company left me with awful chapped lips after the promise of smooth and supple lips. So having now run out of my Burt's Bees Replenishing Pomegranate Lip Balm it was time to try something else and having found myself in Boots collecting their Christmas catalogue I wasn't short of options.

I noticed a newer range of products by a company called Balance Me which are bright and colourfully packaged and easy to notice on the shelves within the Beauty Boutique section of my local Boots store. The whole range of Balance Me was born by two sisters who go by the names of Rebecca and Claire Hopkins and the Balance Me range is promoted as being a luxurious natural aromatherapy range which using essential oils within its products. They have quite an extensive list of products which range from body washes, candles, balms, oils, lotions, creams, salves and body polishes, all of which they state are priced accordingly.

Balance me Lemon and Spearmint Lip Salve is relatively new to Boots and I certainly haven't noticed it in there before so I thought as it sounded so nice I would try it. The lip salve itself is the same size as your high street brands which are sold in tubes and contains 15ml of lip balm the one main difference is that this particular one retails for £6 which is a little bit more expensive than most people would usually pay for a lip balm and it is more expensive than ones I have bought in recent months. However, I decided I would give it a try. This lip balm is sold in pastel blue shade colour with a white pattern running along the bottom of the tube and it also features a screw on and off lid.

My first initial reaction when removing the screw off lid that spearmint and lemon smells were actually quite powerful and worked really well together and it was most obvious which flavour I had chosen. To look at the lip salve itself it is a slightly off-white colour, not pure white as I had expected it to me, but there is a definite sheen to it. When applying to the lips you simply rub it along the top and bottom of your lips and then leave the lip salve to soak in. As this salve contains spearmint it does feel quite cooling on your lips as it is applied and as soon as you do apply it, you can definitely smell the lemon but only slightly in this case as for me spearmint was the dominant smell. When it comes to using this lip salve, you only need to gently squeeze the tube for the slave to come out of the tiny hole at the end of the lip, if you squeeze too hard then you will release more cream than you need too.

The ingredients within this lipsalve are notably spearmint and lemon which are both refreshing and cooling when placed on the lips and there is also according to the tube Shea Butter which helps to replenish moisture & rehydrate lips. The one thing I do like about this lip salve is that it petroleum-free and instead it uses natural beeswax beads which melt onto the lips to provide them with that glossy sheen I mentioned.

As the weather constantly changes I do take extra care of my skin and lips and I need to use certain products on certain areas to help keep my skin in the best possible condition and this lip salve in my opinion is absolutely brilliant. I have to admit that I never let them get to the point of looking or being both sore and chapped but I do notice if I haven't applied any kind of lip cream, balm or salve at least one day and whilst I also drink a lot of water to keep my lips and skin nourished and fed, you can never be without a little something extra and for me this lip salve is just that.

Like any lip balm, cream or salve it is easy to apply and the good thing about it is that it is also non-greasy, so once it is applied to the lips there is no stickiness left, instead my lips are left feeling really smooth and soft for a long period of time. I am however a creature of habit and I do re-apply my lip balm several times a day, particularly when I go out for lunch and am on my way home and that means I tend to use a lot of lip balm, this one being no different because I really like the feel on my lips. I have been using this particular lip salve now for just over three weeks and whilst my lips I think are in great condition, I am almost to the end of the tube and I have at most re-applied it twice a day, so it perhaps hasn't lasted as long as previous lip balms have done, but I prefer the lemon and spearmint concoction.

If you are looking for a new lip salve then I cannot recommend this one highly enough, it is easy to use, smells wonderful, moisturises and nourishes the lips and it even tastes slightly nice but that isn't something I would recommend doing because licking your lips only adds to the dryness but using this lip balm helps keeps my lips super soft and smooth.

Summary: A lemony mint flavoured Lip Salve