Karma Creatives: Buddha Balm

Karma Creatives Buddha Balm
$2.50 - $4.00 (+ S&H)
From Karma Creatives (wholesale and retailers)

Ingredients vary by flavor. I purchased the Honey and also got Mint through an accident. They have similar ingredients.

Honey
[beeswax, carnauba wax, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, sweet almond oil, soybean oil, castor seed oil, vit E, rosemary extract, zinc oxide, flavor, yellow #5 and Karma creatives proprietary herbal blend (I could not find what this was or contained)]


Mint
[beeswax, carnauba wax, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, sweet almond oil, soybean oil, castor seed oil, vit E, rosemary extract, zinc oxide, flavor, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, Blue #1, yellow #5, K.C. herbal blend]


Now, some may remember Buddha Balm from a few years ago. It had a wide variety of flavors (mango, green tea, tangerine, jasmine....etc...) and it was in a round tin. I was very excited when I came across these from someone's Etsy store. I figured they were a take on this retired balm. I did not realize how "loaded" they were until I received them. I've looked at some of my other lip balms that are not natural or home made and they don't contain these color numbers...I was a little shaky on a balm that utilizes a color differentiated by it's number. Nonetheless, I love Buddha stuff so I was pumped.

I ordered Honey but was sent Mint on accident, then had the correct balm mailed to me.

These balms have this really weird told layer to them. I thought it was maybe just the mint but it was the same with the honey. It is like this thick waxy layer of something. I ended up getting a tooth pick and scrapping it off because you couldn't actually get to the lip balm at all through it. After scrapping it off, you aren't left with a whole lotta lip balm. Major bummer.
This is the aftermath of the balm from the scrapping. It looked like a whipped lotion more so than a balm.

This balm has the weirdest texture and consistency that I have ever encountered. I'm saying that the original grainy Balm Shoppe Balm I got was more like a lip balm than this is. This balm, both the honey and mint, are grainy with small sand like particles. It feels extremely uncomfortable on my lips.

The mint smells like mint and tingles a bit, but i wiped it off because of the texture and also the taste is disgusting. I wasn't even licking my lips, just breathing it in through my mouth was icky.

The honey is worse than the mint. It doesn't even smell slightly pleasing.

These balms don't feel waxy or gritty they just feel like a half-ass sugar scrub minus the granulated sugar and with added sand. Ick.

I cannot attest to their durability because I can't go minutes with them on my lips, they are just that bad.

However, I have found a great purpose for them. They do offer great moisturizing products in the make up, so I thought about putting them on dry spots on my body. (ie. elbows and hands). They work pretty good. You skin is a tad shiny (darn you castor oil!) but the gritty helps exfoliates and the mint tingles and cools. The Honey is rather useless, but the Mint can be used as a conditioner for dry patches of skin.

This is cruelty free balm. Cool. It says its "natural" eh. I see some there but it does not smell, taste, or feel natural in any way.

Overall, this lip balm is the pits in the cherry bowl of the balm world. I regret spending $3.75 for this. And sadly I got two... but I guess on the bright side if I were to just get the honey, my elbows would not be feeling this soft. And it is a shame because these are presented so well, and the slidder tins are rad. This is not the original Buddha balm....and as an attempt to possibly equal the original, this balm falls so far beyond short, I don't even think it began to go any distance at all.

Rating: -1 outta 5
(They should have paid me to put this on my lips.)


[at least this photos came out stellar. These are RocketUSA's Pocket Buddhas, available through:
Rotofugi
(I recommend you go there if you are interested in these and other super rad vinyl toys...this is my vinyl shop of choice!)

Pocket Buddha Official Site
(They have cool key chains but they are expensive!! Beware of their exorbitant shipping prices)

Enjoy! and Happy Jesus Loves Bunnies Day!]