I am sure I have more than five lip balms at any one time in rotation in my purse or at my bedside table or in the bathroom! I cannot live without the creamy feeling on my lips, so much so that it has become an obsession that perhaps has made me have permanently dry lips! But enough of me, I do think it is very important to keep the lips properly hydrated and I always prep the models’ lips with a swipe of nourishing lip balm before doing their makeup.
Most of the time when I make up a face I’ll finish with the lips so by that time the lip balm should have been absorbed and if not I will remove any excess. This is especially important if you are doing a pale lip as I often put a drop of foundation or concealer on the lips to tone down the natural hue before applying the pale color. This can be drying so you need to have the lips already prepped. If the models lips are really dry I will recommend they drink more water but also that they do a mini exfoliation, either naturally with a bit of sugar mixed in olive oil or with an exfoliating lip balm. (like Fresh sugar lip polish)
But back to me, my current obsession is with Burt’s Bees lip balms! Although the claims that women may ingest up to 7 pounds of lipstick over a lifetime may not be true, I still thought it best to search for a natural one. What’s great about these ones is that they have the plain balms, tinted lip balm, lip shimmer and lip shine! Something to cover all the bases. I use the ultra conditioning balm everyday , then the tinted lip balm in Blush Orchid for a bit of natural color. This can be topped with The Lip Shine in Blush for a bit more. Then for evening I’ll use Lip Shimmer in Raisin for a lovely red mouth. Their website has a wonderful tool called the Lip Shade Finder that takes into account your coloring and recommends lip colors and combinations for you. They are natural and affordable so you can play around.
Burt’s bees is currently what I am using for personal use, but here are some others that I carry in my professional kit.
Laura Mericer Lip Balm- here
Korres Lip Butter in Guava- here
Homeoplasmine (from Boiron)- amazon.com P.S. This super ointment from those fabulous french pharmacies really will heal your lips. Finally I have found it on Amazon!
Cute read. We’re obsessed with lip balms as well so you can never have too many. Color is so pretty would love to see how it looks on! xx
I’ve never used the Burt’s Bees lip balms before. I am a little lip balm obsessed as well, but I have a horrible habit of losing lip balm. I don’t know what it is about them, but every time I buy a new one, I lose it in a couple of weeks. Sigh. Regardless, l’ll give the Burt’s Bees a try next time they go on sale!
Thank you for also mentioning in your posts what you use in your professional kit! As an aspiring makeup artist it is always awesome to see what other people use and recommend on the professional level 🙂