Product Review: Korres Lip Butter & Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm

With winter fast approaching, I have been on the hunt for a new hg lip balm to help counteract the damage caused. The fact that I have the most insanely sensitive lips that are prone to peeling at the slightest provocation means that I’ve had to test a ridiculous amount of balms, serums, salves and treatments to try and find the perfect one.

Recently, I stumbled upon an old favourite and discovered a brand new product that has blown every other lip treatment out of the water: Korres Lip Butter in Pomegranate and Rosebud Perfume Co’s Strawberry Lip Balm.

Korres Lip Butter:

Korres, the Greek beauty and skincare brand, uses natural ingredients to create an intensely moisturising lip treatment with a decently pigmented coral sheen. This lip balm has a slightly thicker consistency than usual balms however lacks the stickiness of a gloss, making it fairly long wearing. The colour also leaves a slight stain after the balm dries down, making it a great day-time balm.

I find that most lip balms have a tendency to sit on top of the lips, where as a select few actually sink into skin. This balm does just that, softening any dry patches and healing cracks. It applies smoothly, with an almost spongy gel-like texture. The scent is a very sweet, fruity one, reminiscent of figs, not overpowering in the slightest but those with sensitive noses may find it a tad cloying.

The down-sides to this balm include the packaging. The pots are a hassle to use and unhygienic, not to mention the plastic feels a little cheap. Another down-side is the colour, while a beautiful coral, tends to catch on any dry flakes, making them more obvious. However, this can be avoided with the clear lip butter in Guava.

Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm:

Out of the entire Rosebud line, including the minted rose, original rosebud salve and the mocha, this one has been the most moisturising. The ingredient vilvanolin provides an extra emollient, helping skin soften and serving as a moisture based exfoliant- the ingredient penetrating any dead skin and separating it from the new skin underneath (kind of gross I know). There is no colour in these, it applies like an ordinary balm and it has a strawberry-ish scent which is much stronger than the Korres and a little more artificial, so those who don’t like smells- avoid this. The wear time for these is very typical for a balm, about one to two hours.

Again, the downsides for this product are mainly about the packaging, which is a potted tin. Also, the balm does contain petroleum, basically what Vaseline is made of, which acts as a barrier between the lips and air- locking in moisture rather than actually penetrating the skin. If you have sensitive lips, you may find this balm a touch irritating after prolonged wear, for example at night.

The thing about lip-balm, like any cosmetic designed to have a healing property, is that each formula reacts differently to separate skin-types. The key is to pin-point what your personal lip-needs are and hunt down a formula that will suit you. For instance, people who are prone to very dry lips naturally should avoid anything with petroleum as a main ingredient, people with sensitive lips should stick to organic products (here I stress, organic and natural are NOT the same thing) and anyone with obvious or deeper lip-lines should use a harder, waxy formula.

If you guys have any lipbalms you swear by during the winter, let me know in the comments!

Xx Jen