Lip Service

This week, I set myself a little challenge.  I’ve been wanting to make my own lip balm for some time now and I just haven’t made the time for it.  So I decided, no more procrastination and more pro-activeness.  In order to manifest the best lip balm, I needed to sit down and think about what I wanted it to feel like and also what I didn’t want it to feel like. 

Summary:

1. It want it to be natural.

2. I didn’t want a thick, hard lip balm that takes ages to melt and apply.  That said, it mustn’t melt too fast either.

3. Then, I wanted a balm, not a gloss or anything in between.  A gloss somehow comes off too fast and isn’t  pampering enough.

4. It also needs to last long on the lips (no point in a lip balm that has to be applied every half an hour.)

5. Last but not least, the lip balm must not leave white patches on the lips as you apply it over and over again throughout the day (Of course you never see the white ghosty lips until you walk past the mirror and think “Who the f*** is that?”  It’s me!!!!!!!!!)

6. Oh! And I also wanted it to taste nice

In any case, I formulated a recipe with various oils, butters and waxes. 

Recipe number 1.  First test results: too oily and glossy. 

Back to the drawing board.

Recipe number 2.  Test results, my lips had white patches, CRISIS!!!

I do like failed tests as I then know what not to do.  If I get it rightish first time, I don’t learn and I am bound to making the mistake later anyway… 

Back to the drawing board.

Recipe number 3.  Test results, BINGO!!!  It is easy to apply, isn’t glossy, lasts hours on the lips and just to double check, I applied it every half hour for the past 5 hours and I have not a single white speckle.  YAY!!!

Now, the overachiever in me kicks in.  I now have the lip balm, but what’s the purpose of it if I don’t have a lip scrub, seriously? 

I must say, the first time I saw a lip scrub, I thought “why on earth would one need to scrub lips?”  I am very curious by nature, so off I went and checked for myself before eradicating lip scrubs from my vocabulary and BAM!!!  It is the best thing since sliced bread…  Oh my!!! My lips never felt like that before, so worth it!!!  I was hooked, so now I had to make one of them to match my dream lip balm…  Off I went, listed all the important things I wanted my scrub to be (this time I focused on all I wanted, not what I didn’t want as I seemed to manifest all the NOTs in the lip balm tests.)  Positive and excited recipe 1 was a major success. 

Then, I needed to find packaging…  I am NOT a fan of lip balm tubs.  In fact, I hate them…  It starts off a love story and as the tub gets emptier and emptier, lip balm finds its way under my nails and the once smooth and beautiful lip balm is full of uneven nail marks and my fingers are dirty.  It is clearly not for me.  I opted for a bottom twist tube.  I also chose the same tube for the lip scrub as it is neat, easy to use and carry around. 

Now that I have taken care of my sexy pout, my lips are soft, smooth and moisturized.  In fact picture perfect without photoshop!!! 

Here they are:

Oh and of course I named my little sticks the “Kiss me quick” lip care range.  The name somehow fits the picture perfectly.

Have a wonderful week end

ox Sarah xo