my top lip balms to stop dry lips

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If you’re anything like me, you’re never further than 20 ft from a lip balm. I need them all year around, but most in winter. Open any drawer or pocket in my house (or car, or coat, or handbag) and you will find a balm. Although I find drinking the right amount of water and taking collagen supplements really helps, I do seem to be prone to dry, chapped lips no matter what efforts I go to. I’ve been told the more you use, the more used to it your lips become - having asked a dermatologist they’ve said there isn’t any truth to it (which is a relief as I’d be royally screwed). Having tried a lot of balms I thought I’d share the best ones I have ever used…

la neige lip sleeping mask

I was told about La Neige as a brand ages ago and it’s only recently (in the last couple of years) come to the UK. This is my absolute fail safe, I bought one at the beginning of 2020 in LA on holiday and I’ve used it pretty much every night since. It’s also brilliant as a mask on flights to stop your lips drying out. Four years on, I’m now just getting to the end of it so whilst it’s more expensive than others I do think it’s good value (although as I type this you can get 20% off with the code ANNAHART). It comes in a variety of scents and flavours, I’ve only used the pink one and have a vanilla one ready and lined up to go for as soon as it’s predecessor finishes.

Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm

One of my first dips into a slightly more pricey lip balm, this was the one that made me go “okay, I get why we might spend more.” I cannot emphasise enough how much better this is than a regular Nivea or Carmex (and please god do not use Vaseline, I’m no professional so rarely warn against something without conviction –but petroleum jelly is heavily linked to cancers). The Lippe Balm smells very good, keeps lips going for a day with one application and lasts for ages. It’s one of very few I’ve ever used right to the very bottom. Brilliant present for someone who has everything.

beauty pie super healthy skin lip balm

The first in my round up to be have SPF in it (and 30, so the good stuff) this balm is an absolute bargain for any Beauty Pie member at £10 - but the formulation is so strong it’s even good value at the full RRP of £25! Like the rest of the Super Healthy Skin range, it smells divine - coconuts and butters and all things holiday - and it performs. It’s also water resistant so if you are sunning/skiing it’s a really strong option.

elizabeth arden eight hour lip balm

If you haven’t heard of Eight Hour Cream then you must be a young’un and have avoided reading any snippets of Prince Harry’s book… Both of which I am jealous of you for. For us oldies, those red and white tubes were in most of the women in our lives’ handbags and was used for absolutely every beauty or first aid situation you can imagine. This lip balm is a slightly altered formulation meaning it’s not as sticky and has cooling eucalyptus to help soothe chapped lips. I really recommend it.

burts bees lip balms

A staple, a classic - as seen at every US grocery store counter since its existence. My favourite is the cucumber mint but you can rarely find it in the UK - I’ll settle for the mango. Whenever I go abroad hunting these down is first on my list. Yes you can buy them at home (for a slight premium) but it’s just fun to go to a foreign supermarket, no? If you’re going on holiday or exposing yourself to a ton of air-con get the Ultra Conditioning one, if you’ve split or cracked your lips I can’t recommend the eucalyptus one more - pop it in the fridge for extra good feels. You really can’t go wrong with these and as much as they’re more expensive than other things at the checkout, theyre incredibly good value for the formulation quality.

Clinique Plumping Lip Treatment

I won’t lie, I thought lip plumping treatments were a fad and wasn’t sure I liked the idea. I had tried another brands (Rodial, which I otherwise swear by) and it did literally nothing so assumed they’d all be the same - wrong! Look, this isn’t going to achieve drastic results - but if you want them to plump up a little (think sort of 8 months pregnant rather than Kylie Jenner before/after) then the this lip treatment is for you. Use a few days consecutively and I’d expect a compliment as the more you do it the better it gets. The entire Moisture Surge range is incredible (check it out here and if your skin is dry, buy the mask) but this lip treatment is very, very good. It doesn’t make your lips feel tight and it isnt sticky so you can put a lip colour on the top.

soho skin lip balm

I wanted to mention this brand as I did a sort of eye roll when the brand came out, but credit where credit is due Soho Skin is actually really good. Soho House Inc does seem to be on a quest to have a toe in every area of our lives and the beauty line came out a year or two ago. When you stay at a house you are given travel size basics in the room including this lip balm. I have to say, it’s one of the best (so is the cleanser if anyone has dry skin - sorts it right out). One downside? It melts really easily so make sure this doesn’t end up near anything warm. But aside from that, its very effective.

nuxe lip balm

So many people told me to try this brand, including unwarranted constant prompts through my Instagram feed. I resisted for as long as I could and then took the plunge and bought a few bits (more on that another time) including the honey and shea butter lip balm. Damn, it’s really good. In fact it might be the best find of last year (tied with a Kate Somerville yellow mask, here). If you need an all rounder, this is for you.

Dermalogica Lip Renewal

So on writing this post I have gone into a little bit of a panic - this one is being discontinued! If you are lucky enough to live in the US dermalogica still have some on their website, but for UK I have linked to one of few places who still have it. I discovered this when I went skiing and it was the only product I could find that meant I didnt destroy my lips with the mix of snow and sun on the slopes. It lasts for ages and has a really useful turnstile to apply the right amount.