little white truths

If you're a beauty junkie then I suspect you'll have already heard people rave about this lip mask for years. It constantly shows up in yearly favourites and many people talk about it being their HG.

Unsurprisingly I wanted to get my hands on it - I have chronically dry lips and always need something to treat them - so I finally did at the beginning of the year and I'm back to let you know how I went.

I like it. Yes I can see why people love it and yes it's done something extra for my dry lips, but am I as convinced about it as everyone else seems to be? Perhaps not, although I do plan to keep buying it. More on that below.

Laneige claims/product details:

• A leave-on lip mask that soothes and moisturises for smoother, more supple lips overnight
• Helps with dryness and fine lines
• With a softening balm texture that closely adheres to lips for quick absorption
• Enriched with vitamin c and antioxidants, its Berry Mix Complex™ offers a nutritiously sweet and fragrant blend of raspberry, strawberry, cranberry and blueberry extracts
• Exclusive Moisture Wrap™ technology boasts hyaluronic acid and minerals to form a protective film over the lips to lock in moisture and active ingredients
• A generous layer of this soothing mask at bedtime helps reduce flakiness so you can wake up to lips that feel refreshed, supple and soft to the touch
• Formulated without parabens and phthalates 
• Dermatologist tested and recommended for all skin types
• Cruelty free
• RRP $19.95 AUD for 20g, but do shop around

There's what it looks like:

And there's the spatula it comes with:

Verdict

I really like this product but I'm not sure it's been as life-changing for me as it has for others, and of course it could be a case where too much hype has undermined a product so it was never going to live up to all that praise.

It's a pink, balm-like product that smells of berries. It's thin enough that it spreads well and it's not so greasy that it slips off too easily or feels odd on the lips. Indeed, the texture is something I like about it and it's one of the better balms I've tried in that department.

I've been using mine most nights for around five months now and I'm only about one-third of the way through the tub, which tells me that it should last me a year or so and it only costs $20 for 20g so I think it's good value.

It also comes with a sweet little spatula that's a bit fancier than those plastic spatulas that come with higher-end skincare, so I like using it and it's a nice added touch. The pink 'spade' bit on the end is soft and it has a silicone feel so I think it adds something to the experience of using the product and it also saves me from getting my fingers dirty when I use this.

The first thing I noticed about it was that it didn't feel as hydrating as I expected it to, given how much people rave about it. For me, I can still feel my dry lips underneath the balm and I don't think it penetrates the lips and keeps them feeling nourished as well as other products do. Indeed, my NYX Butter Glosses feel more hydrating than this does.

For this reason it's taken some getting used to, and there have been nights when I've applied this and wanted to apply something else over the top to help keep my lips feeling comfortable, but I've stuck with it to see how it fares alone.

Thankfully it does do a better job of keeping my lips feeling ok overnight than any other product I've used. I only need to apply it once and then forget about it until morning, while with other lip products I need to reapply them at least a couple of times during the night when eg I wake up to go to the bathroom. That's a big plus for me and it's definitely worth noting.

Also worth noting is that when I wake up in the morning, I need to apply lip balm straight away because my lips feel a bit dry but they're not so dry that they're uncomfortable, and I can still feel some of this lip balm hanging in there so I think it does a great job of lasting for hours overnight. 

I've also noticed that my lips look slightly less lined during the day while I've been using this, so I think it has a cumulative effect that improves the look of lips with continued use.

Overall I do like this product and think it does a pretty good job, but it's also not quite as hydrating/nourishing as I'd hoped and while it has improved the overall condition of my lips, they still feel a touch dry when I apply this because it doesn't penetrate and juice them up quite as well as I'd expected. Still, it lasts nicely overnight and I can see why so many people rave about it - plus you get a lot of product for your money so I think it's good value.

Definitely one to try.