Top Lip Treatments

Why is it important to moisturise your lips?

Lip treatment is very important if you want to maintain soft/subtle lips; especially if you're using lipstick all the time (which can often dry out your lips). 

The skin on your lips is very thin and just like your eye area, it doesn't contain any oil glands so the they are very susceptible to become dry, dehydrated and chapped. 

A good lip treatment should provide a protective layer to seal in hydration as well as replace any natural oils that have been lost from all the drying environmental conditions.  

Ive always been a quick spender when it comes to cosmetic products and I find this habit especially so when it comes to lip balms. 

Lip balms are usually the quick to grab add on product, one of the most affordable beauty products in the market, and the one cosmetic product that people often waste their money on. You can even say that buying them is almost like an addiction. You know that feeling when you're just browsing around the shops and wanting buy something but theres no luck of finding anything good? Well in my case, this is where the quick to grab lip balm comes in handy - to ease that retail therapy itch. 

So through many years of my occasional  or rather compulsive lip balm purchases, I have tried many different types and brands of lip treatments; from the primary school Lip Smackers, to the high school Strawberry Chapstick/Lucas Pawpaw Ointment, and to the now luxurious spends on Dior and La Prairie. After years of experimenting, I have finally found my top picks for lip treatments.

I've got to admit.. In the past I have wasted a lot of time and money on buying beauty products purely based on their packaging, but these favourites that I'm going to mention in detail below are majorly based on how they work in terms of hydrating and conditioning the lips (which really should be what lip balms are for anyway). 

TOP LIP TREATMENTS

Clarins Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm

($32 AUD David Jones)

PROS

- extremely nourishing

- lips feel instantly hydrated

- works on super dry and chapped lips

- melts into lips (feels very silky and comfortable on)

- slight rose scent

- my HG lip balm (the one lip balm I have almost finished)

- SPF 15 helps protect the lips from the ageing effects of UV rays

- even when it wears off lips feel nourished and protected

CONS

- none

Shiseido Benefiance Full Correction Lip Treatment

($57 AUD David Jones)

PROS

- plumps up the lips

- improves your lip contour

- not too glossy/shiny when applied (almost looks like you don't have lip balm on giving you a natural moisturised look on your lips)

- not so waxy therefore can use it underneath as a base or on top of lipstick

- long wear/lasts on lips for hours

- doesn't have that thick gooey feeling on your lips

- hydrating without being too oily on the lips

- increases collagen levels (plumps up existing lines/wrinkles and prevents new ones from forming) 

- even when it wears off lips feel nourished and protected

CONS

- a bit pricey

Lip treatments with a bit of colour and tint

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector 02

($26 AUD David Jones)

PROS

- mixture between gloss and lip balm

- slight sheer tint of peachy pink (very nice neutral colour)

- softly textured lip gel

- deliciously sweet scent (smells like vanilla cake)

- gives a sheer and soft colour on lips

- leaves lips feeling smoothed, silky, and moisturised

CONS

- doesn't work that well for extremely chapped lips

- not much colour pay off

- not as moisturising as the original Clarins moisture replenishing lip balm

Dior Lip Glow

 ($48 AUD David Jones)

PROS

- cute packaging

- applicator makes it easy to apply on lips 

- can use it just like a lipstick

- enhances your natural lip colour with a beautiful berry pink glow

- can use it by itself without a lipstick for a more natural youthful look 

- SPF 15 to prevent any aging/discolouration on lips

- pleasant minty vanilla scent

- nourishing and moisturising

- can use it as a base before lipstick as it isn't very waxy/slippery

CONS

- doesn't last on the lips for a long time 

Lip conditioner and exfoliator

La Prairie Cellular Lip Renewal Concentrate

($140 AUD David Jones)

PROS

- continuously hydrates without that thick rich layer on top of lips

- lightweight formula

- feels watery but soaks into the skin after a couple minutes and leaves a nice matte appearance

- rebuilds lips natural moisture barrier

- lips feel firmed and smoother after using it 

- smoothes out any fine lines and cracked skin on lips

- AHA based formula (fruit acids that deeply exfoliate away dry skin on lips)

- lips appear more plump and pink after using it

- pleasant citrusy scent

- quite a large bottle

- a little bit of the product goes a long way

CONS

- the pump bottle can disperse too much product sometimes

- quite pricey