The Balm! The best balms that won’t cause addiction.

 

Can you think of at least one person you know who claims to be “addicted” to lip balm? Thought so…She’s constantly reapplying that tube of balm that sits on her desk. Well there’s some truth to the “addiction.” The active ingredient in many balm brands is petrolatum, a derivative of petroleum (which in its primary form just doesn’t sound like something you want to be putting on your lips all day long). After doing some extensive research on the topic, we learned that some experts believe that once the lips get used to petrolatum they stop producing moisture on their own, so we keep applying balm to keep that dry feeling at bay. Not to worry dolls, we’ve rounded up a list of our favorite balms that happen to be petro-free.

The letter ‘B’ in the Gloss·a·ry, PrettyCity.com's official guide to lip gloss from A to Z, proudly stands for Burt's Bees Lip Balm. Call us biased but this time-tested, best-selling Beeswax balm has been a staple at bedtime for overnight hydration since the early ‘90s. When Roxanne Quimby and Burt Shavitz decided to add the natural balm to their collection of beeswax soaps and candles (by-products of Burt's honey business), their beeswax, would never be the same.

 

Check out the infinitely beneficial Beeswax Lip Balm, $3; and see why millions have been stung by this natural wax that’s made by bees in the cell walls of honeycombs. www.burtsbees.com.

Like any forward-thinking cosmetic company, Burt’s has added more modernized and fashion-friendly balms to its line. A new favorite is Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil, $3; an updated spin on the old standby that incorporates pomegranate oil, an extract touted for its antioxidant and moisture-renewing properties. And then there’s our lip addiction of the moment, Lip Shimmer, $5; the same old balmy goodness in a bounty of shimmery shades like merlot, watermelon, toffee and guava. www.burtsbees.com; for a list of the brand’s participating retailers, click here.

 

NARS Sabrina Lip Balm, $24.
This high-fashion brand certainly knows how to go low-maintenance, but not without style of course. Nars Sabrina Lip Balm smoothes on a soft, shimmery pink hue while soothing lips with Vitamin E and an SPF 20 to protect the pucker from those dangerous UVAs and UVBs. Buy it online at www.drugstore.com; to search store locations, click here.

Tarte Cosmetics Lip Balm Slide Tin, $12.
Tarte’s soft little pot of pout protection serves up a retro-style sliding-top tin of healthy balm in three tangy, sheer shades: Bee Stung (red), Mouth Off (berry) and Pucker Up (baby pink). All three pack Vitamin E and avocado for natural moisture, straight from the good earth. And the SPF 15 makes this compact a no-brainer. Buy online at www.dermstore.com; for a list of the brand’s participating retailers, click here.

Joey New York Curb the Urge Lip Balms, $12.
Now here’s a novel fix for addiction – balms that curb the urge to indulge in other vices. Joey New York offers three clear lip balms that include the lip plumpers Maxi-Lip and Dermaxyl in their unique formulas that purport to curb the urge to smoke and eat and encourage the urge to attract a man. CinnaMEN contains cinnamon and vanilla (an aroma Joey says is proven to attract the opposite sex); LipFIT uses peppermint, grapefruit and spearmint to suppress the appetite; and LipNix combines lemon, geranium and heliochrysum to hit that “nic fit.” Available at www.makeup.com. To learn more, check out www.joeynewyork.com.

L'OCCITANE en Provence Shea Butter Lip Balm Stick, $10.
What more can we say about this coveted French label? It’s made in France! Even Plain “Jeanne” can stop traffic on the Boulevard Saint-Germain with her luscious lips. Merci to
L'OCCITANE, for its restoring, hydrating balm based in Shea Butter, a moisturizing paste extracted from the magical shea nut. Shop online at www.usa.loccitane.com; for a boutique locator, click here.

gloss·a·ry: n: an alphabetical list of technical terms in the specialized field of lip gloss; i.e. PrettyCity.com's guide to lip gloss from A to Z

 

A = Application, a wand is better than a pot, keeps the fingers clean.

 

B = Burt's Bees Balm, always use a balm at bedtime to lips hydrate overnight.

 

C = Clinique, this department store brand is one you can always count on.

 

D = Delux Beauty, this darling brand is from Hollywood makeup artist Jillian Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy hottie Patrick Dempsey's wife).

 

E = Everyone who comments on our perfect pouts.

 

F = Fresh Lip Sheers, our perennial favorite with flawless texture.

 

G = Glitter, a kiss of glittered gloss puts a sparkly touch on a night out.

 

H = Hard Candy, a kitschy brand for flirty girls, and those who dare to go bold with color.

 

I = "I", as in "it's all about me and my gloss."

 

J = Jane Iredale's PureGlossT for Lips. Organic ingredients impart pucker perfection without preservatives and chemicals we can't pronounce.

 

K = Kiehl's, the brand's Lip Therapy is cold-weather catch.

 

L = Lips and all the things we do to make them luscious.

 

M = Maven, the line's Lip Exotics are a healthy alternative.

 

N = Nars, the Barney's of lip gloss, with such a delicious color range, you can't buy just one.

 

O = Orgasm, the must-have shade from Nars based on the line's famed blush, available exclusively at Sephora.

 

P = Pout, it's not how you do it, but what you do with it.

 

Q = the Queen you are.

 

R = Revlon - a rock-solid drug store brand that's got serious celeb power.

 

S = Smashbox, never tacky, always shiny.

 

T = TheBalm, an excellent brand that packs a lot of punch with its plumper.

 

U = Undeniably Addicted.

 

V = Vincent. Vincent Longo. The make-up artist to models and celebs has a gloss that's super silky.

 

W = Wet. Wet shine, wet slicks, anything wet, that's the look.

 

X = XXX Shine Lip Gloss from Urban Decay, ultra-glassy and minty-fresh.

 

Y = the Yummy flavors infused in Jessica Simpson's Dessert Beauty line, like chocolate, caramel and vanilla.

 

Z = Zipper pocket, where gloss should always be stored.