Blistex Simple and Sensitive Lip Balm Review

Lovely followers! I can’t believe I have followers already hahaha. I recently found out about this one and I was asked to review it! I don’t normally use Blistex because I am a little snobby when it comes to the stuff…but I love to make the reviews soooo why not, right?

1. Price: $

Amazingly, this was only $1.59! WHAT?! I’ve paid close to $10 for some of my lip balms and this thing was so cheap I love it.

2. Appearance:It’s a basic 0.15 oz tube in sky blue. The label is darker blue and has classy writing on it.

3. Feel
GLIDE - SUPER SMOOTH…like, I normally find that Olive oil lip balms are super slippy and kinda, well, oily, but this was pretty smooth. In
SMELL - The smell is something fruity. I thought it would be a mint or something but it’s fruity. I liked it, so it wasn’t bad. I want to say it had a lemony smell, but I’m not terribly sure.
ALSO: You know how if you leave it in your pocket, your lip balm gets warm and softer to apply? Well, because this one is Olive Oil-based, it god kinda gooey. See the pic:

If you can’t tell, it’s really oily at the surface. Not sure if i like that…but i let it sit for a while and it returned to normal so that’s fine.

TASTE - Okay, so I normally don’t find a taste in lip balms, but this one tasted a little weird…it reminded a lot of lotion or petroleum jelly. It got on my tongue and i felt super uncomfortable…it tasted gross. But luckily lip balm isn’t mean to EAT.
SHINE - The sheen factor is kind of minimal, but it’s pretty decent. It doesn’t show at all to be honest, but I kept thinking it WAS shiny, but it wasn’t. NO SHINE, don’t worry.
LASTING TIME - So the lasting time on this one is short…I found that it was still on my lips after an hour, but it was fading. It started fading after about 30 minutes! But maybe that’s just me…I found that i was reapplying after a short bit of time, but hey, I enjoy putting it on my lips anyways haha.

4. Manliness: 5/5Manly. It’s manly. Low shine, all you need and very basic. Love it.

CONCLUSION: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 /5 stars. Another winner, Blistex. It was good one, granted it didn’t last too long, but that’s fine. A plus is that it only has 6 ingredients! WHAT?! Jojoba, Shea, Vitamin E, Olive Oil, and…i don’t remember the last one, but yeah, this one is all you need if you are low maintenance. 

Nivea Lip Care Lip Balm Review

This review is for the “Nivea, A Kiss of Moisture" and the “Nivea, A Kiss of Protection" Lip balms that I’ve owned. I can’t say too much for the rest of the Nivea Lip Balm, but I’m assuming the main difference is just the scent. Hopefully all the ingredients are similar. To the follower that asked for this one, I say, take my review with a grain of salt. I can’t be too certain about the entire line!

When I got the Kiss of protection lip balm, i actually took it from my Mom because she didn’t want the SPF that came with it…so I didn’t have to pay for that one! Yay! But because of getting the Kiss of Protection lip balm, I decided to buy the “A Kiss of Moisture Lip Balm" too a few weeks after and had a generally similar experience with both.

1. Price: $$
Both were $2.99 at Target and CVS. Not bad, but I had some reservations about the lip balms. I only paid for one of them, but still, shelling out $3 on a lip balm can add up, so i expected great things from this not-so-cheap stuff.

2. Appearance:The tube is actually thicker than a standard tube size, and therefor more product, it is listed on the packaging at being 0.17 oz (not bad, eh). ALSO the cap is kinda different.

this photo is from Luuux.com (i realize I would’ve used a pic of my own, but I didn’t bring these balms to UVA with me).

The cap is almost the entire length of the tube! I was like…huh? Why is that even necessary? And, it gives the lip balm, a more…feminine feel. No offense to the ladies or anything, but us guys don’t want to be walking around feeling like we’re applying lipstick. It’s lip balm!

3. Feel
GLIDE - Both were very smooth, but thick. I felt that the kiss of protection one was thicker because it has SPF (Which means there’s sun-blocking ingredients that will weigh it down). Overall, the glide was nice and smooth, but…it felt very heavy after a while.
SMELL - The scent on both were similar, kinda like lotion, but in an expected way. I liked the Kiss of Moisture one better. The Protection one smelled more fake to me.
SHINE - Kiss of Protection doesn’t have much shine. It’s not supposed to because of the SPF, but Kiss of Moisture does. It’s not super bright, but it’s not terribly noticeable. I just want to make it known that IT DOES SHINE a little bit.
LASTING TIME - The lasting time is maybe 2.5 hours. I found that my lips were a little flakey after 3 hours (I’d peel my lips, bad, I know) then I’d reapply it. If you don’t mind putting it on every few hours, you should be okay.

4. Manliness: 2/5It shines. It’s got shine. I know. Yeah, I didn’t like that too much, but it works as a moisturizer if you really need it.

CONCLUSION: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 3/5 stars. Okay so these two weren’t quite my favorites because of the quirks with the tube and the shine, and the fact that i felt like I was actually reapplying them kinda often. They moisturize when needed and aren’t a bad choice if you’re not in the market for those “organic" or special lip balms. I wouldn’t feel torn to choose this over a regular Burt’s Bees or other $3 lip balm though, I wasn’t too much of a huge fan.

Blistex Moisture Melt

I was asked to do this one…so here it is for you dear follower!

1. Price: $
This one was $2.00. But i’ve seen it for $2.59 also so be weary.

2. Appearance:I wasn’t a fan of the design of the tube itself. The crimped end isn’t my favorite kind to use, but I don’t mind it. What really got me was the bullet end! It wasn’t shaped like a bullet at all! It was like a ball with a hole in the middle of it where the balm and ‘moisture’ beads come out of. I was like…"nooo this won’t work!" So design wise, I didn’t like it. It’s also a clear tube so it looks like the lip balm is a hand moisturizer. It’s 0.35 oz. That’s a lot. Like…a lot. So that’s pretty good since regular lip balms only have 0.15 oz. Yes!

3. Feel
GLIDE - Goopy. Can I use that word? It’s kind of goopy. Imagine really soft or warmed lip balm, that consistency. It’s a decent consistency, don’t get me wrong, but I thought it would be thicker. And the moisture beads felt like sand at first but all you have to do is work them in with your lips (rub them together a few times till the beads get squished).
SMELL - The smell is something fruity. I thought it would be a mint or something but it’s fruity. I liked it, so it wasn’t bad. I want to say it had a lemony smell, but I’m not terribly sure.
TASTE - No taste
SHINE - There is a slight sheen on the lips with this one. The moisture beads don’t leave any residue behind which is great since I thought my lips would turn blue or something! No, but there is a very slight sheen. If you don’t want that then go for a specifically-male balm, otherwise, if you don’t mind rubbing your lips together a few more times than necessary, go ahead and get this one.
LASTING TIME - The lasting time for this lip balm is…maybe 4 hours? It felt like it lasted very long… I wanted to reapply it but i didn’t really have to after a couple hours. It stayed on. It didn’t sit…but it wasn’t completely absorbed. It stayed on for a while. I appreciate that. I do. 

4. Manliness: 3/5It’s just a tiny bit shiny, but you can’t even see that from a distance. The thing that took the 4th star off of it is the style of applicator (beads? Really?), the style of tube, and the name of it instead. How unmanly is “Moisture Melt"? Wow. But again, if you could care less, then those are just quirks i found.

CONCLUSION: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 /5 stars. Well gosh, Blistex. Good job. You guys made one that i pretty much approved of. It works as it’s supposed to and it even has sunblocking properties! So you can wear this in the winter and summer! Great for outings to the beach and it smells…lemony (I think it’s lemon?)…so lemons are summery, right? It’s very long-lasting and super affordable.

Here are a few tips for storing, using and taking care of your lip balms!

1. If you have a LOT of lip balm like me, make sure you ROTATE your use of them. Like, say, use two different ones and change it up just so that you make sure you make good use of the ones you’ve got. It’s always nice to have variety right? And it also combats the possibility of reliance. YEAH it’s possible. Some people use it so much that they become accustomed to using it and reliance goes to dependency. NOW, not saying that this is easily reached (you’d have to use the same lip balm every day, constantly for like a year or two) but this is just a reason to switch things up.

2. Store in a Cool, DRY place. Make sure you keep track of them (especially if they cost more than say $2.00) because it’s a wasted investment if you find them at the bottom of your clean laundry…half melted from the dryer. Also! Olive oil based lip balms need to be stored in COOLER places in the summer. DO NOT LEAVE THEM IN THE SUN. They will melt. and get all over the place. AND don’t leave any lip balms in the car during the summer. That’s just asking for you to buy a new one.

3. KNOW the expiration date. EXHIBIT A:

"BB 08/12" uhh check the date, Alex. It’s JANUARY 2013. FML. My organic Olive Oil lip balm expired. Not saying you can’t use it…because you totally can. It’s most likely stale and smells bad…or the intended smell is gone. What a waste. It was $4.00 :( boo hoo.

4. Instant Moisturizer. Excess lip balm you don’t like? So if you saw my earlier post about the Burt’s Bees Honey Lip Balm…then this one is for that. So i know most people will say…"Eww, are you putting lip balm on?!" (gesturing to a place NOT near your lips) and my answer to that is YEAH. Your lip balm is essentially LOTION for your lips. And what are lips made of? SKIN. VERY THIN SKIN. So, you can totally use it sparingly on little rough spots on your hands, or maybe dry areas anywhere on your body. It’s meant to moisturize thin skin. Your body’s skin is thicker than your lips, so it will do absolutely no harm…except for possibly make that spot you just put it on a little shiny! But that’s okay. At least it’s not sandpaper anymore! Or ashy looking! :D

Burt's Bees Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm with Kokum Butter Lip Balm Review

So when I saw this in the store, I immediately thought…"holy crap, that’s the king of all Burt’s Bees Lip Balms. It’s gotta be. It’s got a silver cap!" And i bought it up right afterwards! I really had no idea what Kokum butter was.

1. Price: $$
This one was $4.00 and that’s crazy since normal Burt’s Bees costs like $3. I was expecting so much out of this balm when i bought it. You can find this one at most major grocers and drug stores. I bought mine from target.

2. Appearance:White tube, 0.15 oz and a silver cap with a white and silver label with the red writing. Standard size. I liked this tube a lot. It made me feel fancy haha.

3. Feel
GLIDE - This one was VERY smooth, like buttery smooth even before it warmed up in my pocket. Now, i like when lip balm glides well on your lips, but if it’s that smooth out of the packaging…it might be too oily. This one was leaning a bit on the oily side after a while.
SMELL - The smell is a little weird. It smells like pina colada mixed with some kind of medicine. It’s not off-putting at all, honestly, but It’s just…not a natural smell. I kinda liked it at first, but since I couldn’t name the stuff off the top of my head I don’t know how to feel about it. 
TASTE - No taste
SHINE - This one makes a very thin coat when it’s put on, but when spread out evenly, it has a bit of a shine to it. I could see it in the light when I was standing in the mirror, which was OK, but not great. The best lip balm for guys is one with minimal shine. This one I would put a final word on it as “slightly shimmery" 
LASTING TIME - The lasting time for this lip balm is…maybe 4 hours? That’s relatively long for me. I find that if my lips are really chapped and i put this stuff on, the skin softens after a while and i lips feel flakey (and then i start peeling them out of habit) which then makes me reapply it. It’s a generally long lasting time.

4. Manliness: 3/5It’s a little shimmery. Hmph. Not bad enough that I wouldn’t recommend guys to buy it though, so if you really want this and are concerned about the shine, go ahead and get it. The shine’s not that bad.

CONCLUSION: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 3.5 /5 stars. I find that i tend to think biased thoughts towards the Burt’s Bees lip balms and give them high ratings, but this one was mehhh. it was okay. It does the same job as a regular Burt’s Bees for me and honestly, the original Burt’s Bees smells better too.

Blistex Lip Medex, Medicated Lip Balm Review

So i got asked to review this one from an anon in messaging and (yay my first request hahah) it pushed me to finally buy this thing. I always saw it in the little bin thing at the store:

 <— ta-da. It’s tempting to buy. -_-" 

1. Price: $
This was around $2.30 something for a 0.25 oz tube. Honestly, 0.25 oz is A LOT. 0.15 is the standard oz size for a TUBE. so 0.25 is PLENTY. It’s super affordable.

2. Appearance:It’s in a cobalt blue finger pot with a screw cap lip. The size is pretty small too so it can fit in a jacket pocket or small backpack pocket without being too in the way.

3. Feel
GLIDE - It was smooth. Nice and smooth. I liked the fact that it wasn’t terribly oily either, since i find that most finger-pot sizes that i try seem to be…It wasn’t thick either so that was nice. ALSO because it’s medicated it has MENTHOL and CAMPHOR. These numb the lips slightly because they are medical analgesics (pain blockers) and they definitely leave a nice tingly feeling on your lips (and even on your finger if you don’t wipe it off). I liked this because if i did have chapped lips, they wouldn’t hurt as much!
SMELL - The smell is expected. It’s medicated so it smells like medicine, but the smell isn’t bad. It’s just…a medicine smell.
TASTE - I wouldn’t try tasting the medicated lip balms.
SHINE -There’s a very slight sheen with this one. In direct light it looks like there was a little bit of shine, but besides that, it’s not bad at all. Just don’t slather it on and you should be fine.
LASTING TIME - The lasting time on this one is variable. I found that the mentol and camphor feeling lasted the shortest time, maybe an hour, and it fades as the hour progresses. But after that, the pain on your lips, from being chapped, should be gone. Just as long as you reapply ever so often. This one lasted a total of maybe…3 hours. It’s pretty good.

4. Manliness: 4/5It’s not shiny, so i give it a good manly rating. It also helps that it’s blue and says medicated on the label so anyone conscious of those girly lip products will not have anything to worry about! It shows you care about your mouth!

CONCLUSION: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4/5 stars. I’m usually snobby towards cheaper products because I have some crazy notion in my head that the more expensive ones work better…but honestly, this one gets the job done. If you’re just looking for a practical lip balm with no extra frills this is the one.

Alba Botanica Lip Balm Review

Yeah, these labels above are older ones (they’re the ones that I have) but I’m sure that the 

1. Price: $$ 
$3.00 for a 0.15 oz tube. Just like a Burt’s Bees. You can buy these at most drugstores and major grocery chains, CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, Whole Foods etc.

2. Appearance:It’s a clear tube with a colored cap to match the flavor. The NEWER ones look like this:

Either way, they’re a LITTLE girly. GIRLY. But that’s okay. As long as you hold it properly it’ll pass as any regular chapstick for the super conscious guy.

3. Feel
GLIDE - I want to say waxy…but I mean more to say that it’s THICK. It’s kinda like spreading chunky gravy or something on your mouth. It’s not terribly at first, but constantly spreading it on your mouth and it gets pretty icky. I didn’t think about it till i noticed how uneven the spread was on the bullet of the lip balm.
SMELL - OKAY so these three:
"Pineapple Quench" - This one is TOO sweet. It became a little too much to handle after a couple of minutes. I sucked it up anyways since I paid $3.00 for it. Eh. Not my favorite.
"Passion Fruit Nectar" - THIS one smelled really nice. It had a little bit of tartness to it too. It wasn’t terribly over powering and i enjoyed the scent. It wasn’t too strong.
"Coconut Cream" - This one was my favorite one. I liked it a lot more than the Passion Fruit one because it didn’t smell as fruity. It had a ‘hearty’ feel to it…despite it being fruit. 
TASTE - Not really a bad taste…but i wouldn’t eat it.
SHINE -Not much shine. It had a slightly matted appearance because it was really thick.
LASTING TIME - This one lasted a while. It didn’t get absorbed very well. It just kinda…sat on my lips. My lips were soft and stuff, but the lip balm didn’t fade away, it just  stuck to my mouth. I’d say about 3+ hours.

4. Manliness: 3.5/5It’s matted and not shiny, but i’m gonna say 3.5 because if someone is standing close enough to you, they can see you’re wearing it.

CONCLUSION: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ 3.5/5 stars. Not bad, Alba Botanica. Not bad. I wouldn’t wear it EVERYDAY but once in a while because who likes to feel all that stuff on your mouth all the time, right?