Dry lips de-glamorize even the most glorious lip color. You slick on that gorgeous gloss or creme color, and what do you see? Little bumps, cracks and bits of flaky skin, sticking to it! Ewwwww! Even the silkiest, most hydrating lip product can't mask dry, flaking lips.
In order to keep your lips in top shape, you need to regularly do two things: exfoliate them, and hydrate them. Two companies that have budget-friendly, effective and seriously fun to use products that lick the dry lip problem (pun, intended) are LUSH Cosmetics, and Softlips.
The first way to love your lips and make them look good, is to exfoliate them. You can do this with a chemical exfoliant or one with rough pieces of seeds or nut hulls, but sugar is a sweeter and kinder way to do it. You can use simple sugar, but it is messy, and not much fun. However, LUSH Lip Scrubs are my newest obsession. They use castor sugar to gently eliminate those nasty flakes and dry patches. The Lip Scrubs are packaged in 0.8 oz. glass jars with screw caps, and they come in unbelievable flavors. each and available in three different flavors. The main ingredients are castor sugar, flavor, and vanilla extract. The product is in a semi-solid state which could be a bit messy if you use too much. But here’s the thing: you need only to swipe your finger lightly over the surface pick up a tiny bit of the product, and rub it over your lips for a few seconds before licking off the residue. You need so little, and it’s so effective, there is no mess, and the jar will last a long time. Sugar provides the sweet taste and the exfoliating power (along with the additional, yummy fragrances and taste), and it’s a grainy, but not grating, exfoliating experience that you can simply lick off your lips instead of having to wipe it off. How about chocolate and peppermint? That’s the winning combo of Sweet Lips Lip Scrub, while vanilla extract helps you moisturize. The Mint Juleps Lip Scrub, smells like like mint-chocolate chip ice cream, without the calories and it features tingly peppermint oil, and also has vanilla extract to lock in moisture. My favorite of the three, because it leaves lips feeling tingly and refreshed, as well as soft and smooth. I also tried BubbleGum Lip Scrub, an homage to Lush’s Snow Fairy Fragrance. It’s pink, just like Double Bubble and smells just like Bazooka. It was a whole lot nicer to rub this fruity, pink scrub on my lips, than most anything else I have tried in a tube or jar. In fact, using a tiny bit of one of these sweet treats, mid-afternoon- might just help you avoid cravings in an afternoon slump AND slough off any dry skin that’s lingering on your lips. Yes, I’m in love! The only downside if you can call it that, is that only danger is that These are addictive!!!!! You could overdo the exfoliation. Stick to once a day. Next time someone says “give me some sugar, sweetie” you can just hand over your jar of lip scrub!
Now that you have lips that are smooth, you need to protect and hydrate them just as you would the skin on the rest of your body. They're out there, 24/7, doing their duty, so do yours back.
I have long been a fan of Softlips products They’re effective, easy to use, pleasant, and very, very affordable. They come in a variety of formulas and flavors, most of which are subtle and not too "sugary." All have SPF because even if the sun isn't shining, your lips are always exposed to the sun's rays, and to wind and other "drying" elements. All these products are also free of preservatives, phthlates, parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, and even, gluten. The Mentholatum Company, marketer of the USDA-certified organic Softlips Pure Lip Conditioning Balms, has expanded it’s line with new Softlips 100% Natural. The Pure 100% Natural Lip Butter $4.99 and Pure 100% Natural Lip Gloss $5.99 100% Natural Lip Tint $3.99 and Natural Lip Polish $5.99 give your lips SPF 15 (except for the exfoliator) protection with 6,5 % Zinc Oxide, and, depending upon the product, hydrating natural oils, including beeswax jojoba seed and other natural seed oils, coconut oil, and/or shea butter.
The 100% Natural Lip Gloss arrives in is packaged in a slim-ish squeeze tube with slant tip for easy application., and adds a sheer, moistly-matte. hint of a tint to your lips in three shades: light pink “Shell Pink;” “Coral charm” (deep rosed coral) and”Natural Honesty,” a soft beigey pink.
The Natural Lip Tint comes in the slim, swivel up tubes I love. You can fit it even into the teeniest bag or tightest pants pocket. Like the Lip gloss, this product has a silky, hydrating, protective coat for your lips, with the same three colors: Shell Pink, Coral Charm and Natural Honesty. This product also has coconut oil as one of the hydrators. In all honesty, the tints are nice, but for those who are used to really wearing lip color, these are really less color than usual. The tints are so subtle it really doesn’t matter which one you pick—and they are sheer enough to let younger girls enjoy the “beautifying” effect without turning them into hoochies. The color may not be seriously strong, but the point of all of these products is, first and foremost, to keep your lips well hydrated and protected from the sun.. The color tint is just an extra bonus.
One new product without any color, but with a glossy shine (and a fruity taste), is the 100% Natural Lip Butter, also packaged in a slim-ish squeeze tube with slant tip for easy application. The one I tried, Pure Vanilla Berry, smelled sweet and fruity, and moisturizes very dry lips with a shiny, glossy balm that feels silky and luxe, and does the job, very well.
Finally, lips need to be smooth to keep lip color looking nice, and also to avoid cracking and peeling. The Softlips Pure 100% Natural Lip Polish uses organic coconut flakes, and sugar, to exfoliate, while bees wax and natural seed oils like sunflower, cacao, mango and castor seed help to deeply moisturize. The .28 oz. product is semi-solid, but well milled, and come sin a little screw top jar. It is gentle, tastes sweet, and you may find yourself actually inventing excuses, to exfoliate! All of these products are affordable, too.
Softlips Products are available in mass market retailers nationwide, and you can also check them out ONLINE.
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There are also grand accessories, such as a metallic handbag with silvery chains and dangles, reminded me of Betsey Johnson. A heart-shaped 
