Release the cracken -- Help combat cracked lips

As I mentioned in my last review, I said I would share with you how to stop your lips from cracking. I use a variety of products and I have a range of lip balms that I favour. When my lips are particularly dry and cracked I like the greasy formula of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Lip Care. It doesn't stay on the lips for long but I like to re-apply this throughout the day as it helps to soften and moisturise the lips. A downside is that it doesn't taste particularly nice if you accidently lick your lips. I bought this from Boots some time ago and priced at £2.80 it's a bargain. Quite a lot of the make-up I use has SPF in it and this is no different. I originally bought it for a holiday to protect my lips as it has SPF 20 in the formula. I have different lip balms and glosses that I use when I'm abroad (depending on the SPF factor), unfortunately I don't take this one away with me. When I'm on holiday I prefer AVON's 2 in 1 lip colour and eye duo or Hawaiian Tropic lip-gloss (the SPF are quite high for both products, and, they double up as make up as they give a bit of colour to the lips).

When my lips are dry and sore from constant cracking I use Rituals lip balm. I love the creamy formula of this and as it's small and light, you can pop it in your handbag. I received this as a free sample (along with a miniature hand cream) after a commercial flight. Unfortunately it seems they're no longer available to buy, although Amazon promises that it will eventually come back in stock.

I'm a sucker for quirky things and when I saw Anatomicals had a lip gloss called Stop Cracking Up, I had to buy it. They've updated the older package and the tube currently resembles cheap lip gloss that you might have bought when you were younger. I prefer the older tube which was really simple in its' design. Unfortunately, it's not practical to carry around with you as the lid on the older tube is a lot less secure. It dries clear and helps soften and moisturise your lips and lasts all day so top ups are unnecessary. It adds a really nice shine to your lips too. Again, I'm a huge fan of products that have natural ingredients so apart from the quirky labelling, I originally bought it as it has almond oil and beeswax in the formula. It's no wonder your lips end up soft and the product is honest when it says it gives your lips "therapy... with this soothing balm." Another benefit to this product is that I bought it on a weekly shop in my local Morrisons supermarket so you can pick it up whilst you shop. It's priced at £3.38 from Amazon so it's fairly cheap.

Finally, if I'm planning on using lipstick I use a lip scuff beforehand. This essentially is a lipstick shaped exfoliator that buffs and scrubs away the dead skin cells. It leaves your lips really smooth and free of dry skin. I cannot recommend lip scuffs enough. I bought mine from the Body Shop and it was priced at £8. They're a little pricey and if you're on a budget a dry cloth or flannel works just as well to buff away the dead skin cells. Unfortunately, I've used mine so much that I've squashed it inside the lid but it still works really well.

Ideally you should use the lip scuff first and then put a base coat of Vaseline or another greasy lip balm on before you apply lipstick. The final stage should be an application of Lipcote to set the lipstick. Personally, I don't believe this works, I've tried it time and time again. By using a greasy base the lipstick has nothing to stick to and slides off easily.

I have to combat dry and cracked lips on a regular basis and I decided to post this review after reading an article on cracked lips. Having read it, it suggests that lips that excessively crack could be a result of a vitamin D deficiency. I'm not too worried about mine as they're easily treated with the above lip balms.

If you're interested the article is here: Mind Body Green article