Bluster, Blister, Windy — What else is new in New York?
The weather in New York this week has been fairly brutal between the low temperatures and blustery winds. It’s capable of cutting into your skin and sending shivers into the depth of your bones. Perhaps it’s time to finally ditch the cream and slather on a balm!
My friend had actually inquired via a group chat as to what to do about the dermatitis around her eyes a few days ago and it sparked the inspiration behind this blogpost. If your lips, eyes, face, body are all feeling extremely dry, do stick around! If you have extremely dry skin and would prefer a cream consistency, please take a read on the Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream.
The balms today are not in any particular order, but are listed from general to specific uses. All these products are quite affordable, except for the $75 pick towards the end.
Balm #1: Lano The Original 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm $16.95
The first product is Lano’s Multipurpose Balm, the 101 from the name suggests that there are nearly 101 ways to use this product. This balm is very pure in ingredients, containing only Lanolin and Lanolin Oil.
The texture of this balm is incredibly thick, therefore a little bit goes a really long way. During the product application, make sure that the ointment really absorbs into the skin prior to leaving it.
Balm #2: Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment $10
This next balm is a fan favorite from the drugstores. Aquaphor mainly uses Petroleum as the skin protectant, but it does feature Lanolin Alcohol. Lanolin Alcohol is an organic result of performing hydrolysis on Lanolin. This product is not as ‘free’ of certain ingredients as the Lano products, but it is still preservative and fragrance free.
(Prior to Application) 
(During Application) 
(Post Application)
Since I have been utilizing my tube of Aquaphor lately, I thought that a short demo would be appropriate. The photo on the left is an accurate depiction of my hands fresh from a 30s soap wash. If you look closely you can see chapped skin waving at you next to the dollop of Aquaphor. The center photo shows the process of blending it out. And finally the last photo is where the product is completely spread out across my hand leaving a dewy, hydrated and slightly tacky feeling.
The following three mentions are more lip balms and ‘salves’. These products come in rather small containers, so they are not particularly ideal for moisturizing entire body parts.
Balm #3: Rosebud Perfume and Co. $7-$8
Next up are these salves from Rosebud Perfume and Co. Do not sleep on these while you are at the check-out line in Sephora. Not only are these great for exceptionally dry places such as your heels and elbows — they are also plastic wrapped to prevent any product contamination. In this day and age of COVID, every retailer should be taking precaution with the products that they sell. This product features a plastic shrink wrap around the covers so that ‘testers’ can be easily identified.
Balm #4: Biossance Squalene and Rose Vegan Lip Balm $14
As featured in one of my gift guides back in December linked here this lip balm was part of the pack for the rose scented lovers. This lip balm is hydrating, comfortable, and light-weight. It helps to maintain moisture on all the dermal layers during the day, and ensures that your lips remain supple overnight.
This is my favorite lip balm of all time! The scent is mild, the texture is really nice and the results are essentially near perfect. This product has so many yummy ingredients such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, squalene, rose wax and even wakame algae! It essentially protects, hydrates and repairs all in one tube!
Balm #5: La Mer The Lip Balm $75
Even though this is the most expensive product in this line-up, I felt that it was worth sharing. This is definitely a ‘treat yourself’ type of lip balm. I wouldn’t say that this is a miracle lip balm, but it definitely performs really well. After a single application, you lips should feel hydrated, velvety to the touch, and have a subtle sheen.
This luxurious lip balm has a lot of standout ingredients as well, such as seaweed, algae extract, essential oils, copper and even niacin. While a lot of the other lip balms previously listed help with mostly hydrating and protecting the La Mer one provides some other benefits as well. Copper and Niacin help with firming and smoothing lines and wrinkles, they usually help to restore elastin and boost collagen production.
Conclusion:
There you have it folks! I wanted to try to continue this blogging journey, but writing has a been a bit difficult lately. So please bear with me while I sort myself out in the next couple of weeks. Let me know down below what you thought of this post and if you would consider trying one of these products to beat the brutal winter of 2022. As harsh as this weather is, I keep reminding myself that this in fact normal conditions for January. Feel free to express what other posts you may be interested in!
Disclaimer: Please note that all images unmarked are my own and those marked are credited and not intended for any copyright infringement. If you would like to use my images please just ask for permission. All images and links are affiliated, meaning that with every purchase it will generate a tiny commission for the referral. This post is not sponsored and not paid for, all opinions are my own and always will be.