Get Lippy | Lip-Care Must-Haves

The lips are some of the thinnest skin on the body, which means they are particularly prone to feeling the effects of the elements; sun, wind, air conditioning and central heating all take their toll, and can leave your lips feeling dry, cracked and sore. Taking good care of your lips needn't take much effort, but I find it can make a massive difference - after all, who doesn't want soft, smooth lips!?

As a teenager, I was probably one of Vaseline's best customers, going through tin after little blue tin of the stuff - I loved it! Having weaned myself off it, however, I realise that it never really did anything for my lips; petroleum jelly will only trap in what moisture is already there, it doesn't add anything to the skin, so if your lips are already dry, you're wasting your time. Since then, I've been trying to use more natural lip-balms to add moisture rather than just create a barrier over my lips, which is where Burt's Bees balms come in. There's a massive range of scents available; I'm currently using the Coconut & Pear one (£3.69 here), which has a gorgeous flavour, and uses sunflower & coconut oils and beeswax to add hydration to the lips. A couple of times a week, I like to give my lips a little scrub to just remove any dead skin cells and soften them up nicely; I really love Lush's lip scrubs, I've had this Santa's Lip Scrub for a little while now and whilst it's only available around Christmas time, the Bubblegum, Popcorn and Mint scrubs are available year-round (£5.50 each here) - I adore the Bubblegum!! I just scoop a little out of the jar with my finger, massage it onto my lips for thirty seconds, and then lick off the excess before applying my lip balm. I try to use a more intensive lip balm at night to really get to work on my lips while I sleep; two of my favourites are Dr Lipp's Original Nipple Balm For Lips (£12 here) and Malin & Goëtz Lip Moisturizer (£10 here), both of which are a bit heavy for daytime use, but work beautifully as an intensive overnight treatment.
So, there you have my lip-care must-haves! Do you use any of these products? What are the essentials for you in taking good care of your lips? Do you have any recommendations for me?

xo