While we all look after the skin on our faces, our lips are often overlooked
Your search for the best lip balm stops right here. Whether it’s a serious dose of hydration or a sheer healthy shine you’re after, you’ll find it here with our edit of the best lip balm choices on offer in the UK.
There’s nothing worse than trying to apply lipstick on cracked lips. Even the very best red lipstick won’t combat it – in fact, this particular shade will pick up on chapped-ness the most.
So, keep dryness at bay with a slick of the best lip balm you can find; it’s the one beauty essential you should never leave home without. And the beauty is, they’re small enough to stock in your handbags, purses, car and coat pockets, so you’ll never be caught out again.
Choose a penny pinching, super simple hydrating formula that simply gives lips a moisture hit. Or, opt for a luxury lip balm that boasts a host of other skincare benefits, from SPF protection to smoothing and plumping properties. There’s something to suit everyone.
You can also go for a skincare, cosmetic hybrid that contains sheer pigment, which means you can skip the lipstick part of your make-up routine and top up on hydrating lip balm throughout the day without compromising colour.
As well as investing in one of the best lip plumpers, try improving the texture of your lips with a sugar scrub treatment once or twice a week too. It will make sure your lip balm works twice as hard.
What’s more, you can use your lip balm to highlight your cheekbones and brow bones, or add a touch of gloss to your eyeshadow. You can even tame split ends by smoothing a little through the tips of your locks. But, if you really want to reap the benefits of these multi-purpose balms, make sure you choose one with a high concentration of hydrating ingredients, like hyaluronic acid.
You can also use your lip balm to transform any lip colour into a more sheer, moisturising formula. Just use a lip brush to mix the colour and balm products together before applying to your lips.
It’s a real beauty multi-tasker – find your new favourite in our edit below.
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EOS Strawberry Sorbet Lip Balm, £6.50, M&S
Thanks to the fun packaging and flavours, EOS has quickly become the millennial go-to for lip balm. Enriched with vitamin E, the shea butter and jojoba formula is nice and softening.
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GLAMGLOW Poutmud Wet Lip Balm Treatment, £16, Boots
We're obsessed with their face masks, so it's no wonder that GLAMGLOW's lip balm is just as good. Available in six tinted shades, the treatment will quench dry and sore lips with a formula that can be used day or night. Shea butter, sweet almond oil, coconut butter and murumuru butter are just some of the mastermind ingredients at work here, and it's got a lovely tingly finish.
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Burts Bees Coconut and Pear Lip Balm, £4, M&S
When it comes to lip balm, few products are as iconic as a yellow tube of Burt's Bees. They come in a range of different flavours, including original Beeswax, but Coconut and Pear is a personal favourite at MC.
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Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Intensive Lip Repair Balm, £20, Boots
Your favourite heal-all beauty balm specially formulated for the delicate lip area and packed in a pocket-sized pot.
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By Terry Baume de Rose
A favourite of beauty editors worldwide, this multi-purpose balm contains rose wax to soften and smooth, botanical oils to boost cell renewal, and hydrating shea butter to soften. It can be used all over on dry skin, and is particularly effective to soften lips and repair cuticles.
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La Mer The Lip Balm, £50, Fabled
This beautifully packaged lip balm packs a seriously powerful moisture punch. Containing a high concentration of the brand's miracle broth, it banishes dryness in one application and leaves lips looking and feeling softer. A little goes a long way so it's worth the high price point, and has a subtle, sweet mint flavour. Delicious.
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Carmex Lip Pot Original, £2.69, Boots
An absolute beauty staple, this tingling lip treatment clears up any dry skin in seconds. Apply as often as necessary for softer, smoother lips.
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Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Treatment, £8.99, Boots
Our top pick for very dry lips, this sweet smelling balm contains lanolin to hydrate and organic lemon oil to exfoliate for extremely soft and well-hydrated lips.
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ESPA Pink Pomelo Lip Balm, £12, espaskincare.com
Enriched with (delicious) grapefruit oil, ESPA's Pink Pomelo balm is one of our go-to lip saviours. And need we add how pretty the packaging is?
