Badger Balm Cocoa Butter Lip Balm

Badger Balm Cocoa Butter Lip Balm Trio
Available at Wegman's, local health stores, and here
$9.99 - $13.99

[Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter, Natural Golden Yellow Beeswax, Castor Bean Oil, Organic Extract of Aloe Vera, and CO2 Extracts of Rose Hip, & Seabuckthorn Berry]

I came across Badger Balm a few years ago when I was in Salem. An herbal and Wiccan store was carrying the line. This was when they only have a few balms out and just began their lip care line. I purchased some and was very pleased. When I went to Williamsburg, VA, I found even more Badger Balm products that rocked my socks!

These balms come as a trio pack. They are each .25 oz or 7 grams of great lip balm. They glide onto your lips. When you first put them on, from my experience, they seem a bit dry and you have to breathe on them to warm the balm up. This only happens with the first time you use them. I'm not too sure why, but all three of these were like that. But now I can just grab one from my purse or pocket and glide it right on. It is a great smooth feeling. This lip balm feels refreshing when you put it on and it keeps on feeling that way for at least two hours.

The only down side is that the warmer it gets, the softer these balms become. I have yet to have one melt, but when they are in your pocket you may need to use a little less force to apply it otherwise it oozes out and leaves your lips icky with chunks of balm.

The flavors...

Cool mint... It tingles and smells amazing. It even makes your breathe smell a tab minty!

Coffee roast... I always shy away from flavors like these. I feel lip balms should be fruity or sweet. I do not know why but that is just my prerogative. However, this balm smells just like fresh ground dark beans. It's so amazing. It doesn't taste as great as it smells, but that's okay. I really enjoy smelling this one. It is invigorating.

Creamy cocoa... it's my least favorite. It does not really have a taste, aside from the cocoa butter. I wish they would have made this vanilla. It would have been the best flavor to compliment this trio.

Overall, these balms are great. They are rich in organic and natural ingredients. They are bigger than your typical lip balm, but they are a bit pricey. A tube, individually is $5, yet I do feel you get your money's worth.

Rating: 4.5 outta 5

Lucia's Lip Love in Mango

Lucia's Lip Love in Mango
$2 (+ $1 S&H)
From Red Head Designs' Etsy shop

[cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, beeswax, mango flavor]

When I first saw this balm on Etsy, I was really excited with how simple it was. Through this blog I've come to find I enjoy the lip balms with a lot less of the added oils and stuff. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and a place for those awesome and fully loaded balms, but look at my favorite lip balm. Pussy pucker pots are simple ingredients. Your basic wax, oil, and maybe a butter. This balm had it all.

Let's first observe how adorable the label is. This label is created by pixelbypixel and is well done. It's simple, femme, and just plain cute! You could pull this outta your purse, be it a Todds, Marc Jacobs, Harajuku Lovers, or even a cheap bag from Aero, you're gonna make a statement with this tin.

This balm smells like a really really REALLY sweet chocolate. You can tell this is made with cocoa butter. You may like this. I am not a big fan. If I invest in a mango lip balm...I would like to smell some mango.

I would recommend swiping your finger a few times in this balm to get a good coat going. It goes on a little slick, but there is a gloss aspect to this balm. A nice aspect of this balm is in the texture. I was shocked that is was a beeswax balm. It felt much more like a vegan lip balm.

The flavor of this balm is rather yucky. It tastes like dry cocoa powder. It is not sweet, nor is it mango. I think this balm, and maybe it was just the batch I received, did not get the proper proportion of flavor oil.

This balm does seem to wear for a great deal of time. The cocoa butter is very rich and provides amply moisturizing action for your lips.

Overall, this balm is majorly lacking mango and is a bit heavy on the cocoa. It is super cute, but it is more than likely going into my sick balm bag.

Rating: 2.5 outta 5

Eco Lips Lavender

Eco Lips Lavender
$2.99
from Ecolips.com

[Organic sunflower oil, organic beeswax, organic jojoba oil, organic calendula, essential oil of lavender, Vitamin E, rosemary extract]


This is a crappy photo. I'm sorry but I'm having some digital camera issues.

This is one of Eco Lips's Beta Balm, which means its on a sort of trial basis. So far, as evidence from the customer feedback section on the website, people think this lip balm is amazing. As do I.

This is just another example of Eco Lips greatness. (I'll pretend that they never invented those EcoTints....) The glide is typical of their fantastic beeswax products. (Sorry Vegs...this isn't for you!)

It does not feel waxy or greasy, just silky smooth on your lips. And let me GUSH about the scent...

Lavender has never smelt this great in anything other than the actual herb. WOW. This lavender is so real and so relaxing. It is one of the greatest scents I have ever encountered.
I put this on before I go to bed or whenever I get really stressed.

This stuff really is cream of the crop of the Eco Lips lip balm line.

Overall, You should buy this. Use it daily. Feel your lips getting smoother and smoother and feel stress melt away.

Rating: 5 outta 5

Pink Quartz Mineral Sparkle Shimmer Lip Balm

Pink Quartz Mineral Sparkle Shimmer Lip Balm
(100% Customizable)
From Pink Quartz Mineral Etsy
$3.50 (+ S&H) for 5 gram sample pot
(Bigger sizes are available)

[castor oil, palm kernel oil, avocado oil, cocnut oil, aloe extract, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, minerals, stevia, flavor]

First, these balms are 100% customizable, which is something I love. This make up shop offers dozens of natural, mineral colorings to add to your balm as well as at least a hundred available flavors ranging from alcoholic beverages, fruit, coffee, and food. You can even combine the flavors, have your balm sweetened or left natural. Amazing options from Pink Quartz Minerals!!

I opted for a strange, but pleasantly surprising, combo.... Mango Loganberry. (I call this MangLo) I also got a iridescent coloring added it for more shimmer. It smells DIVINE!!! Just like candy. I can adequately equate it to the scent and taste of one of those unicorn horn candy suckers you'd get at a fair. SUPER YUMMY!!!

The pot is really small, but it is a sample and it is also deep. I'd advise you to use a brush because if you have big fingers it's a bit tricky. As you can tell, my pot was even made especially for me. My name is on the label! Yeah! It easily glides on and your lips feel silky smooth. Right after you put it on there is a bit of stickiness, but I do put a lot on...I just can't help it...the flavor is intoxicating. It absorbs nicely into your lips and you really can tell after just one use that it is effective in moisturizing.

The shimmer is just the perfect amount. This is a true balm, not a gloss, even though there is castor oil. I love how the mineral shimmer reflects the eye make up I am wearing too. This balm would be even better is it were in a tube. It would be any Vegan's first choice compared to a lipstick. I would highly recommend if you are a Veg looking for a nice lip color that isn't chalky and wears for a great while to check out the vast options you have through Pink Quartz.

In the picture above the balm is much yellower than it actually is. The hue of the color changes depending on what surface it is near. I chose my desk because it was the closes thing that showed the real color of the balm.

Oh, and you also get a nice little velvet pouch to carry your balm in. Not that you may use it, but it is a very nice presentational touch, just like the personalized label.

Overall, this balm is the bomb. I am so glad I can across this company. First, their options are endless which gives you almost a creative control of what you are putting on your lips. Second, their colors are fantastic because vegan lip stick is hard to come by. Third, it is just delicious and nutritious for your lips!!

Rating: 4.9 outta 5
(It really needs to be in a tube!)

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!]

Karma~Naturals Natural & Organic balms

Karmic-Klutter

Lip balms: $1-$1.99 (S&H)
A large variety of flavors

[cocoa butter, shea butter, aloe butter, beeswax, sweet almond oil, candedilla wax, vitamin e, grapefruit seed extract, fragrance, natural mica colorant]

Lotion Bar: $1.25 - $7.98
A great many scents

[Beeswax, shea butter, aloe butter, coconut oil, macadamia oil, sweet almond oil, cocoa butter, mango butter, modified wheat starch, Vitamin E oil, fragrance, and natural mica colorant]

I found this site through Ebay. It was an organic lip sample and I was like, "OHHH skinny cute tube!" I was super pumped to get this balm along with another sample of lip balm and a sample of lotion bar.

I ordered Pink Cotton Candy. I'm a very big fan of sweet flavors. This cotton candy lip balm is very spledidn. It smells a little heavier than actually cotton candy, but it is scrumptious. The flavor however is not as delightful. It is not terribly but it tastes chalky for cotton candy.

The sleek and adorable packaging on this balm is wonderful. The clear label allows you see the naturally colors balm. This is a light pink, it is sheer when you put it on.

It glides right on and absorbs at a moderate pass. Yet it does not feel slick, greasy, or waxy. This balm has the perfect blend and proportions of oil, wax, and butters. It is one of the best made balms, in regards to texture and consistency, that I have come across.

The other sample flavor I received was Pina Colada. I'm not a big fan of the flavor, but it smelled just like one. I was going to give it to Jb to review but it has gone MIA....but when it surfaces, I will surely post her thoughts on it posted.

The lotion bar was also an awesome balm. It was the scent of vanilla, and the idea of a lotion bar excites me! I've been using this balm (in an oval lip balm tube) on my elbows and dry patches of skin. I keep it in my put and application is so easy and wonderful. You don't have to worry about your hands being slippery after applying this or being smelly. Putting the lotion, in a bar form, which I think helps seal in moisture and increase it's effectiveness, is a genius idea!! I plan on getting one of these in the big size because this is a must-have in the purse. I would even recommend this on your hairline. With the changing weather, your scalp often dries out and it can be extremely noticeable around your forehead/hairline. This stuff is a great way to help moisturize that because in the tube you have accuracy and it is not as greasy as a fluid lotion.

Overall, the lip balm is a good product, especially for it's price. However, the star of this review is most certainly the lotion bar...bar none. (Pun-alicious)

Rating of balm: 4 outta 5
Rating of lotion bar: 5 outta 5

Ecolips Hemp 98% Organic

Ecolips Hemp
Vanilla, 98% organic
$3.49
from Ecolips.com


[Organic jojoba oil, organic beeswax, organic hemp oil, organic calendula, natural vanilla flavor, Vitamin E, rosemary extract]


When I reviewed the Merry Hempsters hemp lip balm, I was told that Ecolips had a way better version. Well... it's time I put this balm to the test then. As you may recall, the Merry Hempsters Lemon-lime lip balm got a 4 outta 5. Let us begin...

This balm is very sophisticated. The tube, label design, everything about it. I would expect, like with the Merry Hempsters, to have some random funny stoner label or something that would make thing of Dead Heads, but Ecolips has stepped up. Although the cannabis leaf is on the label, it is presented well in the contrasting green. As a straight edger, I am not insulted by this label whatsoever.

It smells divine! It smells like vanilla bean gellato. De-lish! And it tastes just as splendid. It is vanilla-ish but it has a hint of chai...just a little dash of it though.

It glides on very well. It is not the slick greasy glide the Merry Hempsters provides. This is representative of a typical Ecolips glide. Smooth but not slick. Silky.

And this stuff wears long, like a typical Ecolips balm. I put it on after I ate, but this stuff wears for hours. And it also begins to absorb right away but even as its absorbing it leaves your lips just feeling so soft and quenched. It's the perfect feeling a lip balm can provide!

The only con to this lip balm, in regards to the Merry Hempsters hemp lip balm, is the lack of SPF. Some people swear by SPF balm so if that is you, I'm sorry. But I'm not too sorry 'cuz that means more for me.

Overall, I find this balm to be superior to that of Merry Hempsters. I'll risk lip-burn for the quality that Ecolips provides in this hemp balm.

Rating: 5 outta 5

[Officially getting the best Hemp Lip Balm Award. If you think this is wrong, let me know and I will try what you think is better.]

Ecotints tinted lip balm in Rose Quartz

Ecolips Ecotints
Naturally glistening lip moisturizer
Color: Rose Quartz
$3.99 from Ecolips.com

[Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Castor Oil, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Vanilla, Organic Aloe Vera, Tocopherol, Iron Oxides, Mica, Titanium Dioxide, Candelilla Wax]

There are three colors to choose from: rose quartz, plush red, and mocha velvet.

I selected the rose quartz. It was the lighter of the colors. When you put it on it is a light shimmery berry pink.

When you put it on it smells like cocoa and coconut. It is pleasant, but it does not taste that great. It does not easily glide on your lips. I'm not to sure if it is the mica or what but this balm feels very dry and almost chalky. It tastes chalky.

I can't really testify for its durability because my lips do not like it. It lasted about an hour before i wiped it off because my lips felt so dry.

The color is nice and simple. This balm is a great alternative to lip stick, for those who want a natural product. This is a 90% organic lip balm.

My major problem with this balm is that it dries my lips out. On the Ecolips web page, they have customer testimonials of people who swear by this balm. It just did not work for me and i have never had any problems with the minerals found in it.

I am a HUGE Ecolips fan, as you can tell from my previous reviews, but this balm falls so short of their amazingness.

Overall, this balm makes a great natural lip color, if you are willing to have dry and chalky feeling lips.

Rating: 1 outta 5
(It smells really good.)

BathLife Candied Apple Lip Balm

BathLife Lip Balm in Candied Apple
$3.95 (+ $1.50 S&H)
From BathLife Etsy shop

[shea butter, vitamin e, beeswax, castor oil, candy apple flavor, mica]

This simple lip balm is quite the Americana favorite. Who doesn't like a candied apple?? I'll be honest. I never was a fan. I preferred the caramel. I digress...

This balm smells so sweet and scrumptious. It smells like Koolaid though! I don't know about apple Koolaid, but the red Koolaid. I love it!

It tastes more like apple when you put it on. It is easy to apply, and glides over your lips. The castor oil in this balm makes it more of a gloss, which some may be bothered by. For instance, I would not recommend this to most of my guy friends.

It wears very well as a gloss more so than a healing balm. It does appear very pink, almost red, but when you apply it, it provides a sheer cover. I have found that when you really put it on heavily, then you begin to see color...but then your lips feel really greasy and heavy....so I'm not recommending that.

It does not wear that long. More than likely because of the gloss but also because it is pretty tasty. I would recommend this as a fantastic summer lip balm/gloss. It is light and refreshing, fun, and the tin it is in is well presented.

Overall, this is a really cute item to have in your purse if you're going out on a summer date, picnic, or to the fair. It satisfies a sweet tooth, but I do not see a great deal of lip treatment, but that's okay. Not all lip balm needs to be super duper lip healing... this is really a great lip balm to make me realize summer is right around the corner!!

Rating: 3.5 outta 5
(This is an ideal balm for a kid! Its sweet, fun colored, and natural!)

The Balm Shoppe Vegan Healing Balm

The Balm Shoppe Vegan Healing Balm in Peach
$2.75 (+ S&H)
From The Balm Shoppe

[Candelilla wax, Carnauba Wax, Mango Butter, Cocoa Butter, Sweet Almond Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Sunflower Oil, Aloe Vera, Evening Primrose and Vitamin E]

This was one of my first Etsy purchases. It is a vegan lip balm with evening primrose and tea tree oil which is rumored to be very good for your lips.

When I first got this lip balm is was all gritty. Turns out cocoa butter and mango butter can crystallize if they get heated up and cool too quickly. The owner of the shoppe quickly sent me a new balm that was properly solidified.

This balm smells so perfectly peachy. It is also sweetened so it tastes like just a juicy peach! I love it!

It glides on but it does feel a tad greasy. It absorbs quickly but I've found that as I've gone farther down in the tube, it is gritty. It is by no means as gritty as the first balm....imagine bleached sand mixed with peach jelly.... but it has some little flecks of something. At first this freaked me out but I realized as I rubbed my lips together this balm was more like a sugar scrub for lips....in a balm. I kinda like it. It make be a weird texture for some, but I like to look at the bright side.

This balm does not last that long. It is very lick-able, but in its defense, it does absorb. It makes your lips feel nice, after you wipe off the girt.

Overall, this balm can go either way. The texture can make or break it, but the quality ingredients do have benefits. When it gets warmed up it gets a little greasier, and gets very hard when cold. The scent and flavor is amazing, but it is not the most amazing lip balm.

Rating: 2.5 outta 5