Lipsessed

I have horribly dry lips. I live in an area with cold, dry winter air and have a medical condition that resulted in pretty severe malnutrition this year. All that meant my lip are DRY AF. I tried all the lip balms this fall and winter. Thought all of that could benefit someone else, though obviously what works for me may not work for everyone. I tend to prefer my lip balms super strongly scented and obviously need them very moisturizing. I am also sensitive to some products, but have no idea what it is.
Epically Epic: Great variety of scents, though I wish they were more strongly scented. My lips love this stuff; it works so well for me. Smooth to go on, has pretty decent staying power. I ordered about a hundred when they opened back up again. Best scent I bought: bridal veil falls
Quality: 10/10
Scents: creativity: 10/10, strength: 7/10
Variety: 5/10
Lipsessed: Strange little (not so little) Etsy store with big social media presence. Release themed sets mostly using what seem to be stock fragrances with cuter names. Huge variety, but not all available at once, and many need to be bought in the set. Quality is actually decently moisturizing and lasting, but I tried this one when my lips were in decent shape. Shipping was slow and scents don’t smell necessarily like you expect based on name. Best scent I bought (of 2): strawberry pound cake
Quality: 7/10
Scents: creativity: 5/10; strength: 9/10
Variety: 7/10 (release / sets)
Messner Bee Farm: I was super nervous about these because I am allergic to something in Burt’s Bees lip balms (the bottom half of my face ends up in hives / rash) and also may or may not be allergic to bees. But they are great! Very similar to Long Winter Farm but without ANY grittiness and have longer staying power (on me at least) which helps my lips dry out less. Smell is strong but subtle, if that makes any sense — no one is going to wonder “what is that?!” because it is fairly natural. Best scent I bought: strawberry rhubarb
Quality: 10/10
Scents: creativity: 7/10; strength: 8/10
Variety: 4/10 (there just aren’t many in stock)
Delight Naturals (etsy): Shockingly, for a large Etsy store with tons of lip balms using both stevia and boxed scents, these aren’t bad. Most of them work well for my lips and about half smell really good. The worst of them smell like nothing (the rest smell good, but not as advertised). Some do cause minor irritation for me but I don’t know what ingredient that is (they all have the same ones so I assume it’s the scent/flavoring). Best scent I bought: maple donut, hands down
Quality: 7/10
Scents: creativity: 3/10; strength: 7/10
Variety: 10/10
Simple Traditions (Etsy)
Another Etsy store that uses boxed scents. But their lip balm is amazing for my lips. It is a total mystery to me why. The balms are very lightly scented (hate that), but they work (love that) and are very inexpensive. Best scent I bought: creamsicle. One warning — I hate everything else I bought from them.
Quality: 9/10
Scents: creativity: 3/10; strength: 3/10
Variety: 6/10
Sweet Clementine (Etsy)
First, the lip scrub is great, but I’m not rating that. The lip balms are awful, like truly awful. They don’t always smell like they’re supposed to (or scents are weak), they dry out my lips (stevia?), the horchata one left my mouth on fire and in a rash (why would you put cinnamon oil as like the 2nd ingredient in a lip balm?!) I am basic and love their lotions but now know to stay far away from the lip balms. Best one I bought: cookie dough (I do still use this one, but only if my lips are in good shape)
Quality: 3/10
Scents: creativity: 3/10; strength: 7/10
variety: 5/10
Long Winter Farm
LOVE THESE. I know they’re kind of divisive. They’re not as smooth as the rest but they become smooth from the heat of your lips even in the tube as you apply. They work on my nasty cracked lips, AND they smell good. Also, superficial, but I like the oval tube better. Some of the most popular flavors were sold out when I ordered but there’s so much that gets good reviews it really didn’t matter. Best one I bought: tie between hot cocoa (my partner loves this one) and blueberry crumble.
Quality: 10/10
Scents: creativity: 10/10; strength: 8/10
Variety: 6/10 (lots sold out)
Luvmilk
This is lovely and actually does work on my lips. They only had moon milk when I ordered, so I don’t know if someone might have a different experience with a different one. It works on my lips when they’re like an 8/10 dry. Smells amazing (one of my favorite scents), scent did change slightly from tube to lips (more waffle cone). Stays out for a good long time. Best I bought: moon milk (haha, it’s all I could buy)
Quality: 7/10
Scent: creativity: 8/10; strength: 9/10
Variety: 1/10
Bubblecakes Soap Co (Etsy)
These are not good. They dry out my lips and make them hurt (am I allergic to them?) I got them because I was ordering other stuff from them (which is really nice), but NO to these. Not a single one smells like the label, either. It was one of the few maple lip balms I found so I am bummed (still gave my sister the other maple one I bought her though, maybe she’ll have better luck). Best one I bought: I guess the pumpkin cheesecake? It smells like cinnamon. It’s not coming anywhere near my lips again though. My partner does like the bath bombs I got him here and we like most of the wax melts — just staying far away from the lip balms now.
Quality: -5/10
Scent: creativity: 1/0; /strength: 3/10
Variety: 3/10
Treat Beauty
These are sold in Whole Foods but aren’t owned by anyone else so not sure if they really count. But if you’re like me you’ve been eyeing those jumbo lip balms for a while. Let me save you the $$$ — NOT WORTH IT. In case it’s not obvious, it’s just lip balm in a huge tube. So less practical for pockets, harder to put on, more expensive. I picked up one for cheap on sale at Whole Foods because I was curious. It’s fine, better than average even. But not worth 13 or whatever the ridiculous price it is normally. Medium lip-saving, very nice scent (with good staying power), a little gritty (not as much as LWF), but overall just too much $$$ when there are better products out there. Best thing I bought: pina colada (the only one I bought)
Quality: 7/10
Scents: creativity: 3/10 (very standard scents); strength: 7/10
Variety: 3/10