Balmaholic has grown up into something bigger than I ever imagined. Because of this, I felt that good ol' LiveJournal wasn't quite big enough, and I've brought Balmaholic to it's very own site.

I will still be updating this LiveJournal (most probably with links to posts on the new site), but in case you would prefer to read from the site directly: Balmaholic.net!

Invader Zim: Gir Candy Apple Fat Lip Balm


Okay, admit it. When you're waltzing through a store, and you see a product with a cartoon character on it that you happen to be a little nuts over, the little kid in you freaks a little bit and you have to fight the urge to buy it because, dammit, you're an adult! And silly rabbit, cartoons are for kids!

Clearly, Cyra doesn't have this problem. And she is here to review a lip balm with a cartoon character that she is nuts over. Except, unlike so many out there, she's not ashamed to admit it. ..'Cause seriously, who's ashamed of cartoon characters? Oh, what I said up there? Ignore it. I was talking crazy. Okay, anyway..

This one's for the kid in all of us. Unless you are a kid. Then um, pretend you're an adult. Okay! Go!

PRICE: Pretty inexpensive, considering how much you get. I got it for $2.99 at Hot Topic, but Amazon has it for the same price.

PACKAGING: This is much larger than your average lip balm. It's almost the size of a jumbo glue-stick. The tube is black with two wrap around labels. They feature Gir himself scarfing down lollipops and other sweets. The background is an eyecatching violet pattern. It also has "I LOOOVVVEE CANDY" written in the infamous font used by creator Jhonen Vasquez in almost all of his works. The bright colors and adorable picture is almost magnetic to the interest of any Invader Zim fan.

TEXTURE/GLIDE: This goes on so easily and smoothly. It's not sticky or waxy as it looks... it's creamy. It's light on the lips, but you can definitely feel it. Be aware though: Don't put too much of this on at once, or it will get heavy, and your lips will turn purple. This happened to my friend Julie when she tested it on her hand.

SMELL/FLAVOR: When you first take a look at this stuff, you think you're getting grape. Not only that, it looks like it's gonna taste, smell and feel like glue. I felt that way too. But then, I smelled it, and put it on - Candy. It smells and tastes like pure, honest-to-God candy. It tastes so good that I find myself licking it off at times, and I would seriously smell it all day long.

LASTING POWER: If you don't wind up licking it off, this stuff will last a good amount of time. And with the size and amount you get, you won't need to buy more for a long time.

OVERALL: I'm a devout Jhonen Vasquez/Zim fan, so I knew when I bought this that I'd like. But I never expected it to be so great. So, in all honesty... 4.5 out of 5

Organic Island Shell Lip Balm


Remember when I posted about these shell balms?

Well, the lovely Vanessa (who has previously reviewed) has conveniently tried this balm, and has so graciously reviewed for you and me (but mostly for me). And let me tell you.. I'm so glad she did because I know I was curious.

PRICE: $14.95 as stated on their official website

PACKAGING: Absolutely gorgeous! It comes in a 100% real Australian beach shell along with a little mirror in the inside so you can see what you’re doing. (Note the mirror is only in the bigger sizes). There are lots of different shell sizes to choose from and each is a little different from the other due to the fact not all shells look the same! I purchased a large White Frangipani which is a very pretty pink and cream color.

TEXTURE/GLIDE: It has a nice creamy texture which goes on and sinks into lips very well.

FLAVOR/SMELL: It doesn’t have a particular flavor but to me it smells like sweet, natural strawberry ice-cream. It’s a very pleasant smell and definitely one of my favorites. It smells so edible and being natural, it probably is safe to eat. I wouldn’t advise it though!

LASTING POWER: I’d say it defiantly lasts for a good while. About 2 hours plus. I put it on about an hour ago and it’s still wearing well.

ANYTHING ELSE: It comes in a cute drawstring bag and if you order online it comes packaged in a good box so it doesn’t brake along the way. The shell itself is quite strong so it won’t brake being in your handbag, make-up bag ect…

OVERALL: I absolutely love this product. Not only does it have gorgeous packaging but the lip balm is great quality too. I’m happily giving it a 5 out of 5!

Reviewed by Vanessa.

C.O. Bigelow My Favorite Lip Balm


You know those products that you see all the damn time, and you hear about them even more than you see them, but you just never seem to get around to trying them out? That curiousity is there, but there always seems to be something else that's so much more important to buy. And when you're left with absolutely no money left to your name after a shopping spree at the mall, you walk into Bath & Body Works, and you see that one product that you never seem to get around to buying, and you think, "Shoot, I did it again."

That was this product for me (amongst others), until I recently caved and bought it. What can I say? When I procrastinate, I procrastinate to the extreme.

PRICE: $5.50 at Bigelow Chemists

PACKAGING: It's a..*gasp*..squeeze tube! I will rarely use these, let alone review them, so please, I hope you realize what a very special event this really is. The applicator is one of those slant-tip plastic things, which I will also rarely use because I hate them almost as much as I hate cheese (yes, I hate cheese). The label is simple, in the signature C.O. Bigelow font that appears on all of their lip products. Nothing too fancy to report there.

TEXTURE/GLIDE: The only thing I dislike more than sticking my finger in a tub of lip balm is applying lip balm with one of these slant-tip applicators. Simply because you can't evenly distribute the product on your lips. It's either too much, or too little, and it's just frustrating. So, the way I use this balm is I squeeze a little onto my finger, smooth it over my lips, and voila! The glide is really, really amazing, considering the way I apply the stuff. And the texture! The texture is, hmm, buttery? Yes, buttery. It has a slightly thick feel on the lips, but it's a comfortable-thick, so no complaints there.

SMELL/FLAVOR: A great deal of the C.O. Bigelow balms have that very strong menthol smell, which I'm really not a fan of (and menthol has a tendency to dry out your lips, don'cha know). I was half-expecting, like a moron, that this would smell similar to those other balms, even though it says absolutely nothing about there being any trace of menthol in the ingredients. This one doesn't smell anything even remotely similar to the other balms, and thank the little baby Jesus for that. This smells like creamy vanilla, and just swoon-worthy.

LASTING POWER: For-eh-ver. Okay, maybe not forever, but it certainly lasts a good long time. Even a few hours after applying, and after eating and drinking, I still felt the remnants of balm coating my lips. Pretty darn impressive.

ANYTHING ELSE: I will rarely comment on the softening abilities of balm, because I think in most cases it goes without saying that a balm will soften your lips, and if it doesn't do the job, I'll say so. But I just had to mention how incredible my lips feel after using this balm. I mean, my lips always feel pretty good ("Toot! Toot!" goes Kelsey's horn), but there are few products that make my lips feel this good. They're not kidding when they call this an "everyday balm for super-soft lips".

OVERALL: Holy moly. Well, I think it goes without saying that I am mighty impressed with this balm, and it just might be, haha, "my favorite lip balm". Okay, maybe not my favorite, but it's definitely going on my Top 5 list (whenever I make one of those). I regret not buying this sooner, but hey, it was well worth the wait. 5 out of 5

After receiving an incredibly rude email today from a company who won't be mentioned (because unlike said company, I have respect for the people I am in contact with), I felt that this needed to be said.

As Balmaholic grows and starts to, more or less, blow up into something I'm incredibly proud of, I have drawn quite a bit of interest from a great deal of companies. I do occasionally send emails out to companies, and let them know that this blog is floating around on the internet. Because you know, if you sell lip balm, why wouldn't you want to know that there is someone out there willing to give you some extra publicity at no cost?

On occasion, a company will offer to let me try their products. I appreciate this immensely, but this is not what I'm about. I do not run this blog, in hopes of robbing people of their lip balm. Whether or not a company decides to do this is entirely up to them, and my opinion of that company isn't based off of if I got free stuff. Clearly, I have a passion for what I do, regardless of how ridiculous it might or might not be, and I am not going to stop doing it just because I have to pay for something. I assure you, a great deal of my own money has gone into the creating of this blog, and I hold no grudges against the companies I have bought from because of it. 'Cause trust me -- if I wanted to blog about something just to get free stuff out of it, I wouldn't be blogging about something I could just pick up at CVS for a couple bucks.

However, my opinion of a company is based on how they treat me. If I receive a rude response to an email I sent to them, I will be less likely to purchase from that company. I am not at all rude to any of the companies I have dealt with, and I hope to be treated the same way in return.

I'm just a gal from New York who's having a whole lot of fun running a blog on something she has a little too much love for. I don't ask for much from the companies I take interest in. Just treat me with respect, and I will be more than happy to do the same.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled balming..

The Savannah Bee Company Beeswax Lip Balm


If there's anything I love more than lip balm, it's lip balm I received as a gift. It just says something about the person who gave it to you. And you suddenly feel so much more connected with them, because they just knew to get you lip balm. It's a special thing. A very special thing indeed.

I received this lip balm as a gift from my cousin Yvonne. And now, I know this is a lip balm blog, but I urge you all to check out her Etsy store: Zuzu's Petals Creations (plug, plug, plug)

PRICE: Do you know how tacky it is to ask the gifter how much the gift was? Very. Don't do it. But on Amazon, it is going for $4.25. If you're just dying to know how much this particular one that I own was, take it up with Yvonne.

PACKAGING: It's a small tin (.26oz). Small, yet cute. Small, cute, yet thin. Small, cute, thin, yet strong. Strong little cute, small, thin tin. It has a very vintage feel to it, and these days, everybody loves old crap.

TEXTURE/GLIDE: I'm not sure if any of you noticed this in your balm travels, but judging the glide of a balm in a tin/tub/pot/cupcake can be a difficult task. Because you're gliding it from your finger, and not from the actual product itself. However, some balms you can tell that the glide is great, even from using your finger, and this is definitely one of those balms. Very smooth, and light in texture.

SMELL/FLAVOR: I couldn't get the picture of the actual flavor I have, so I used one of Peach, because it asked nicely. I actually have Pecan. At first, I wasn't too sure how I felt about this flavor. It's more sweet than nutty, and doesn't exactly smell like any pecan I've ever had. But the more I smell it, the more I like it. Probably not a flavor for everybody, though.

LASTING POWER: This is where the problem lies. I think that if this was a balm-in-a-tube, it would have more lasting power (or maybe I'm wrong?). But because the texture is so light, I don't get too much on my finger. And because I don't get too much on my finger, I don't get too much on my lips. And because I don't get too much on my lips, I don't get too much lasting power. I would also like to mention that wearing it causes this weird waxy build-up where my lips meet. I'm not quite sure what that's about.

ANYTHING ELSE: Well, it's 100% natural, and boy, don't we love that these days!

OVERALL: This is a fairly good lip balm. I wish it lasted longer, but the results are good, and it leaves my lips nice 'n soft after using, so I'll just deal with reapplying. And I'll just scrape that funky film off my lips when need-be. 3.5 out of 5

Google Lip Balm! The most loved, most used, most known search engine on the web has lip balm, and that just goes to show you how popular lip balm really is (but how popular do you think this stylish shirt is?). I don't know whether to laugh, or to think this is awesome, but either way, I know I'm interested.

If you decide to give Google Balm a shot, I suggest that you also purchase this swanky lava lamp. You know, mood lighting for when you're applying your super cool lip balm.

The Lip Cafe


Oh, The Lip Cafe.. I'm almost positive that they knew what was coming for them in this review, and that would be why any time I went to retrieve pictures from the website, it would conveniently be down. But haha, I'm a bit too quick, and I was able to nab this picture. I couldn't get pictures of the individual products, because the other pages on the site continue to remain broken. So, this will be somewhat of a combined review. I apologize for any confusion.

This is a company that I really, really, really want to love. The selection of flavors is incredibly impressive (and I wish you could look at them, but as I've mentioned twice already, the website is broken at this time), and I've heard some great things about them. Have I experienced any of these great things? Uh, no, but.. Whatever. Let's continue with the review, shall we?

Just so you know, this is a review for the Twist & Pout (the tin in the middle), and the Butter Me Up (the tube to the left).

PRICE: The cute little tin is $6.00 each, and the tube (to the left) is $4.00 each at The Lip Cafe.

PACKAGING: Oh, where do I even begin.. Well, first of all, the tin for the Twist & Pout is a little difficult to open. It's one of those tins that has a very snug-fitting cap, and requires a little fingernail action to pry the thing open. The label on top is cute, and the label on the bottom lists the ingredients, which I'd love to read to you but I think only Superman could read that font. Second of all, the tube for the Butter Me Up.. It's your standard-sized tube. The ingredients are written in a much, much better font-size than on the tin, and the label itself is pretty cute. However, they don't stay on. I've been struggling to keep the labels stuck to these tubes, and it just isn't happening.

TEXTURE/GLIDE: The texture/glide of the Twist & Pout is frustrating. One of those ones that you need to warm up before even attempting to apply. Once warmed, though, it glides on pretty nicely. The texture/glide of the Butter Me Up is smooth, and pretty creamy. I definitely enjoy the texture and glide of the Butter Me Up more than the Twist & Pout.

SMELL/FLAVOR: Okay, this is my biggest, hugest, most gigantic beef with this company. Before I begin, I'll just let you know that their flavors are available in both balms, as far as I know. And now that that's out of the way.. I own Cannoli, Buttered Rum, Pancakes & Syrup, and Cream Soda. The Cannoli smells absolutely nothing like any cannoli I've ever eaten before in my life. The Buttered Rum smells only slightly like buttered rum but actually smells more like maple syrup. The Pancakes & Syrup smells remarkably like buttered rum (hmmm..). And the Cream Soda is closer to it's actual flavor than the others, but that's really not saying much. My guess is that when getting my order together, they mixed up a few labels on a few of them, while others just aren't good flavors (uh, hi Cannoli), and the reason why I think this is because my sister also has a couple of these and hers smell almost exactly like the flavor they're intended to be. I'm an understanding person, and I can tolerate a mix-up. People make mistakes. I get that. But the kicker? Mine were two separate orders! Unbelievable.

LASTING POWER: It's all right. The lasting power of the Twist & Pout isn't as great as the Butter Me Up, but overall, they're comparable and last about an hour and a half, tops.

OVERALL: I really hate giving the smaller companies a bad review. I really do. I know how hard people work, and I know that giving them a bad review gives them a bad name amongst "my people". So, to The Lip Cafe, I apologize, but messing up two orders when you charge that much for your lip balm is ridiculous. 2 out of 5 (just because Butter Me Up feels so damn good going on)

As a balmaholic, I often wonder if I'd be better off just making my own lip balm. You know, feed the addiction, and possibly make some dough at the same time. Doesn't sound too bad, right? But where do you begin?

Well, our questions have been answered, because the folks over at Etsy Labs have written a how-to on creating your very own lip balm.

Interested? Read about it here!

Perhaps there's Balmaholic Balm in the future..

Victoria's Secret PINK Lip Butter


I apologize for the microscopic picture. It was either a tiny picture, or a picture that would've taken up your entire screen, and I opted for the tiny version. If you're having trouble seeing, grab a magnifying glass.

Ahem..

If there is any other obsession that comes close to lip balm, it's Victoria's Secret. Everything about that store makes me want to spend all of my money on their stuff. I don't know if it's the way their beauty products smell, or if it's the quality of their stuff, or if it's that undying hope that if I put that on, I'll look just like the model wearing it in the picture. Whatever it is, I love that store. And when you put Victoria's Secret and lip balm together, you have a match made in Heaven (in my mind at least).

PRICE: $8.00 at Victoria's Secret. Do you see how ridiculously huge that picture is? Why, VS, why?

PACKAGING: I think this is my least favorite thing about this lip balm. It's a good size tube (.26oz), slightly bigger than your standard tube, which makes me feel like I'm getting more for my money ('cause, uh, I am). At first glance, I guess it's all right, nothing too special. But up close, it kind of annoys me. The ingredients are written impossibly tiny, the brand logo is needlessly small (in my opinion), there's this little blurb that's written in a font that's way too hard to read.. I'm just not feeling it. However, putting that aside, the things I really dislike about the tube isn't the label; it's the way the thing is built. First of all, it has that top-dial. I don't particularly enjoy top-dials to begin with, but I can deal. This one is really loose, though, and I find that just jostling around my bag makes it twist up. Stupid? Yeah. Also, I like that it's so big, but I don't like that it's so wide. The skin around my lips doesn't need balming, thanks.

TEXTURE/GLIDE: Glide-wise, this stuff is good. Oh, it's damn good. It just glides right on with the greatest of ease. Hell, this stuff practically glides itself on. And the texture is creamy, and feels really good on the lips.

SMELL/FLAVOR: This can be a tinted balm, but I got it in Pure (clear). I'm not 100% sure if the shades of the balms have anything to do with the scent, but in any case, this one has a vanilla mint scent to it. It's very crisp but pleasant, like a cool winter's day in January. Probably January 29th, actually, being that that's my birthday and the best day of all in that particular month.

LASTING POWER: Pretty decent. Maybe a couple hours or so. And this is one of those balms that you know it's working even after you don't feel any balm leftover on your lips.

ANYTHING ELSE: Because it is a part of the Victoria's Secret PINK all-natural, "go green!" line, it's 100% vegan. I have a hard time finding decent vegan balms, so if you're picky about whether or not your balm is vegan, I'd recommend giving this one a shot.

OVERALL: Okay, so the tube is a little retarded and probably shouldn't be so ridiculously wide, but I'll cut them some slack. 4 out of 5