Lip Service

You really know it’s winter when you feel the skin of your lips crack when you smile. Ouch! As it happens, I neglected one step of my duty to beauty and am now suffering the consequences with a rather tender pout.

I don’t know what happened; I used to be such a devout Vaseline worshipper, religiously applying it every ten minutes, even when I didn’t need it. Luckily, I’ve shaken myself out of my minor make-up mishap, and will banish dry, flaky lips forever; by learning a few tips and tricks to ensure my lips stay luscious.

How and Why?
Although the skins of our lips are very similar to our ‘regular’ skin on the body, did you know that our lips don’t actually produce their own moisture? This is why our lips are so vulnerable to extreme elements such as hot summers, central heating and cold blustery winters.

Incidentally, other factors that will dry out that pout include smoking (the simple solution here being, kick that habit), and of course, dehydration

Prevention Tips!

• Resist the temptation to lick your lips; it’s hard, I know. Whilst you may think this is a temporary remedy to the situation, once the saliva evaporates it will cause your lips to dry out even further. So invoke your inner scout and always be prepared with a moisturising lip balm.

• It’s a good idea to gently exfoliate your lips daily. This will renew skin cells and brush away any stray flakes from the surface of your lips. You can purchase a lip scuff from The Body Shop or you can simply brush a toothbrush over your lips for the same effect.

• If you like to keep your central heating on full blast, then leave a bowl of water under the radiator. It will act as a humidifier and disperse water in the air, thus keeping your lips and skin hydrated.

• Don’t forget the sun can damage your lips, so always opt for a lip balm which contains SPF for added protection.

• You can still get dehydrated in winter so always drink more water.

• Use special overnight balms to keep your lips baby soft such as Aquaphor.

Recommended Products

1) Look for a lip balm that contains cocoa butter in its ingredients to ensure your lips are baby butter soft, such as this one from the Body Shop.

2) Aquaphor Healing Ointment is the perfect solution for extremely dried out lips. Gently scrub lips with a toothbrush and apply the ointment to leave in overnight. Come morning, your pout will be perfectly peachy!

3) For something a little more upmarket, you could try Mac’s lip conditioners which come in a wash of tints. It’s packed with moisturising boosting ingredients such as almond oil, shea butter, avocado extract, wheat germ oil and vitamin a and e.

4) Or how about this new lip treatment from Dermologica? This Climate Control Lip Treatment (£6.50) contains “clogging ingredients to block air and moisture from getting in and from escaping, stopping skin from functioning healthily.”

5) Or if all else fails, plump for a trusty balm with natural ingredients like Burt’s Bee’s lip balm