The air of a Berlin winter is dry. So dry that it leaves your skin feeling like straw and your nose painfully raw. One of the most physically affected of this plight is the lips. If left untreated, winter lips can become a rough and unfamiliar landscape. Unlike your ears, arms, toes, and hips, your lips are normally left exposed to the elements. Neither hats nor wooly socks can protect them. 

It’s time to take matters into your own hands and protect yo’ lips! Keep your pout kissable all winter long. In order to figure out how best to go about doing this, I sampled seven of Amazingy’s most popular lip care products. Here is what I found.

Balm Balm Rose Geranium Lip Balm

The first balm to grace my lips was the super glossified Balm Balm lip balm. This product comes in adorable baby pink packaging and I was pleased to read that this balm is 100% organic. Made from shea butter, calendula, sunflower oil, beeswax, jojoba, and rose geranium essential oil, the stand out ingredient is appropriately the rose geranium. I wasn’t thrilled about the slightly soapy taste, but this ingredient gives the balm its signature refreshingly feminine scent. Surprise your love with a kiss – they will love the bursting bouquet springing from your nourished lips.

Ilia Beauty Balmy Nights lead to Balmy Days

The next two that I reviewed come as kind of a package deal. Balmy Nights is the lip exfoliator, which is best followed by Balmy Days—a lush solid balm stick.

Balmy Nights

I’m not going to lie, this lip exfoliator feels a bit like rubbing your lips against a gravel-y path. That being said, these tiny rock bits, which are actually granules of volcanic stone powder, really do work to exfoliate the lips. The smooth lip surface you’re left with makes up for the rock’s salty taste. And it’s so convenient! Unlike a DIY coconut oil and brown sugar lip exfoliator, this product is already blended for you, and packaged all together in a convenient to-go size. I was impressed with how healthy my lips looked after my exfoliation. I will definitely repeat this process on a semi-weekly basis, because as a daily lipstick wearer, an exfoliated lip makes lipstick look much smoother.

Balmy Days

I uncapped this balm and out wafted the aroma of dulce de leche. Yum! Upon application, my first reaction was: “Dammmn, that’s a nice lip balm”. It’s super firm, smooth and it really adheres to your lips. This is what I think a good lip balm should do, so that you’re not constantly reapplying it. Organic cocoa butter and jojoba oil explain the wonderful scent and pleasantly sticky feel. Perfect compliment to Balmy Nights. Well done ILIA!

Yüli Cellular Lip Conditioner

This lip care product is not at all what I was expecting, and honestly like nothing I’ve ever used before. The consistency is slippery and wet and, at first, I couldn’t get used to the idea of having it on my lips. But it helped when I started to think about it as a serum; a lip conditioner instead of a lip balm. Perhaps, I thought to myself, this is the perfect product to layer under lipstick or to wear overnight as a sort of lip mask. The glass vial container and roll-on top gives this product a luxurious feel. The selling point for me, however, was the subtle peppermint taste and avocado oil’s presence on the ingredient list—seeing as I’m avo-crazy.

Nuori Lip Treat

First thing I noticed about the Nuori Lip Treat package, besides the striking yellow triangle on the design, was the expiration date, which read ‘start using by November 29^th 2015′. That’s the thing that sets NUORI apart from all other brands; their unswayable devotion to freshness.
Almond and apricot oils are the main ingredients here, while berry extracts and beeswax seal in the moisture. I found that my lips felt very wet, but that the product did stay on my lips. The smell is fruity and fresh, but the taste is  pleasantly minty. According to an outside source, this product accentuated the natural color of my lips. Victory!

Kahina Giving Beauty Lip & Face Balm

I’m a big fan of lip balms that come in little tubs, so when I got a look at the petite Kahina Giving Beauty Jar, my heart was instantly won over.  The jar and the packaging itself look and feel opulent.
What’s unique about this product is that you can use it not only on your lips, but also on those other tender and dry parts of your face. Wherever you apply it, your skin absorbs this balm naturally, without being too oily. As promised, mango nut butter deeply conditions while preventing future moisture loss. All that being said, my favorite aspect to this luscious balm was the neroli scent and taste. The flavor is sexy, citrus-y… and addictive.

Amazingy Coconut Lip Balm

For just under 3 euros you can get a top-notch lip balm. With a price you can’t beat, this lip balm actually does measure up to the other pricier contenders in this review. The scent is a warm vanilla coconut and the balm goes on firm and smooth. The best part about this product is the size of its eco footprint, which is exceedingly small. With a biodegradable formula, sustainable manufacturing, and a recyclable tube and cap, this is almost a zero waste product.

Before I zip my lips

My final remarks to you, dear reader, would be to remember that everyone’s lips are different and, thus, they will respond differently to these products. At the end of the day, you’ve gotta be your own skincare guru, test-test-testing what will work for you. Keep your lips safe this winter and invest in good lip care. Your lips will smooch you a big thank you.