Lip balm glams up
The humble lip balm is having a bit of a makeover. The biggest news comes from Bkr, the brand of glass water bottles that has recently launched its Paris Water Balm (5, €23): a lip-conditioning vegan offering with 16 plant actives and without parabens, sulphates and phthalates. Buy it on its own or get the alternative Compact Cap (€9), which has a neat little slot in which the pot can nestle, so you can attach it to the Tutu Black Cherry Lip bottle (€32, all available from mybkr.com). Then, drink and perform lip care on the move. Good times. A strange leap from beakers to balms? For founders Kate Cutler and Tal Winter, it isn’t: their brand has always been about beauty – drinking water is a key part of a skincare routine. ‘We tried every treatment on the market, but couldn’t find our cosmetic soulmate: a moisturising, protecting, nourishing balm that actually improved the quality and condition of our lips. It had to be clean, but it also had to really work.’ The result certainly is good. Ramping up the glamour is Givenchy Le Rouge Perfecto (2, €35.50, debenhams.ie), which nourishes lips and adds a burst of colour from four different shades of pink – Perfect, Intense, Sparkling (pictured) and Blue. The colours adapt to your lips’ pH to look natural with a punch. For cuteness, go straight to Paul and Joe and its Lip Treatment Balms in the Christmas-themed Stollen (1) and Vin Chaud (3, mulled wine, €16.80, both available from feelunique.com). Housed in adorable little screw-top tins, these balms have a base of lavender and organic olive oil. Urban Outfitters’ vegan Ohii Lip Jelly (4, €9, urbanoutfitters.com) comes in a dinky tube, is hydrating and has a choice of Rose (pictured), Agave and Mint scents.