Sephora lip balm alternatives?
October 13, 2015 8:43 AM Subscribe
On a shopping trip yesterday I happened to walk into Sephora and try Ultra Repair Lip Therapy balm. It felt great and lasted forever! However, it's $12 for 0.5 oz. Is there a similar lip therapy out there that's a bit cheaper?
I real love Balm Balm products, particularly the Rose Geranium balms.
It's sold in tiny pots as lip balm and in tubes as a face balm (it's the same product in both, as it's a multi-use product). You can buy it here - free delivery to the USA.
posted by essexjan at 9:16 AM on October 13, 2015
It's sold in tiny pots as lip balm and in tubes as a face balm (it's the same product in both, as it's a multi-use product). You can buy it here - free delivery to the USA.
posted by essexjan at 9:16 AM on October 13, 2015
While I haven't used the balm you linked, I am a convert to Weleda Everon lip balm, which happens to boast some of the same main ingredients: shea butter and jojoba oil. (I used to use Burts' Bees lip balm and would reapply every couple of hours. This stuff moisturizes so much better that I only use it once or twice a day.) It has the faint scent of roses which quickly dissipates.
posted by purple_bird at 9:18 AM on October 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by purple_bird at 9:18 AM on October 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
You can buy both shea butter and jojoba oil in bulk online (many 3rd party sellers on Amazon carry it, I believe), and there's a thriving online community of DIY'ers who make their own lip balm, hand cream, foot cream, etc. My wife made her own for Christmas gifts last year, with drops of essential oils for fragrances, and they were great.
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:05 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:05 AM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you can afford it, I'd just buy the $12 lip balm from Sephora for now. Yes, it's a lot but you're really getting a quality product that you love!
posted by smorgasbord at 4:24 PM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by smorgasbord at 4:24 PM on October 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have tried a lot (A LOT) of lip balms and Alaffia is my favorite. Really quality ingredients, three bucks. Actually moisturizes & heals my perpetually chapped lips.
posted by gennessee at 10:08 PM on October 13, 2015
posted by gennessee at 10:08 PM on October 13, 2015
Hard to know what you mean by "similar", but my current favourite lip balm is Eos. Like your Sephora balm, it has shea butter and jojoba oil, and it's super cheap so it's not a big risk grabbing one to see if you like it. They also smell amazing.
posted by randomnity at 1:29 PM on October 14, 2015
posted by randomnity at 1:29 PM on October 14, 2015
Best answer: Aquaphor/Eucerin lip balm. Very affordable and very similar.
posted by SassHat at 7:39 AM on October 15, 2015
posted by SassHat at 7:39 AM on October 15, 2015
Burts bees is great. Sephora also carries Yube which has a great lip balm for $5.
posted by thischarmingirl at 1:59 PM on October 22, 2015
posted by thischarmingirl at 1:59 PM on October 22, 2015
Response by poster: I bought some Aquaphor healing ointment today and I love it. Thanks for the input everyone!
posted by cozenedindigo at 8:34 AM on November 25, 2015
posted by cozenedindigo at 8:34 AM on November 25, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
However, plain old shea butter (one of the main ingredients in this stuff) is fantastic. Other similar ingredients: hemp oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter, etc. The difference between this and, say, ChapStick is that ChapStick and Carmex are mostly wax, which protects your lips by simply covering them (it's occlusive). It doesn't heal or moisturize (although perhaps other ingredients in various lip balms do); it may actually prevent moisture from getting in.
Shea butter, or others like it, are fats that may also contain humectants (keeping things moist) and have other moisturizing properties. Shea butter is available on its own or in a bunch of other stuff, but it can be really cheap and easy to carry around. You can make your own really easily.
The dimethicone makes it slick and smooth, although shea butter tends to be pretty smooth once it melts on your fingers. Dimethicone is often used in anti-chafing gels, as well as a makeup base.
Aquaphor gel is also good. It's clear and fragrance-free, but it is better than plain old Vaseline because it is semi-occlusive. It has glycerin in it, like your Sephora balm, but that's not the be-all, end-all of lip stuff. However, if you prefer a squeezable gel, that might be an option.
posted by St. Hubbins at 8:55 AM on October 13, 2015 [10 favorites]