Vegan Lip Balm

One of my favorite things in the world, and an essential in my day to day life is LIP BALM!!! I grew up obsessed with Lip Smackers lip gloss, with the amazingly delightful scents and glittery appeal, I had a ton of them. My absolute favorite was Strawberry Kiwi, which I used for yearrrrs. It was SO hard to give them up when I went vegan, but it was so worth it. Now, I use even smoother and tastier lip products that are cruelty free as well!!

At first, I just stuck to Merry Hempsters brand, which makes plain flavors like Peppermint and Vanilla, but then I was annoyed because only some of their lip balms are vegan. I made the mistake of purchasing one from Whole Foods in West Hollywood and it was labeled "natural," which I learned later just means it has beeswax in it. LAME. Although I do not recommend Merry Hempsters lip balm, they make a great Tattoo Balm for healing and sun protection. It looks like a huge lip balm, smells great, and isn't sticky. Grab it at Whole Foods for 5 bucks.

So, the next one I fell in love with is a company called Crazy Rumors. I discovered them at Food Fight, a vegan grocery store in Portland, OR. I was on a tour, my lips were dry, and I couldn't believe how delicious and soothing the orange juice and root beer flavors were!! They have a ton of flavors now, including pineapple peppermint and lemonade. They do little themed flavors like soda pops, teas, fresh squeezed juices, and gumballs. I've never had a flavor I didn't like. The best part is that these days they have Lip Tints called HibisKiss, and they are an amazing alternative to lipstick. They are glossy and lightly tinted. The darker reds are great, and I recently got the baby pink one which I love to put over a bright pink lipstick to add gloss and stay value. Check this company out at Central Market if you live in San Antonio. Otherwise, you can order them online at www.crazyrumors.com

The next vegan lip balm company I love is, Hurraw. I discovered it on tour in Miami, FL at a record store/vegan coffee bar/indie venue called Sweat Records. They sell vegan empanadas and killer almond lattes, lots of great records, independent magazines, homemade journals, and other DIY goodies....and Hurraw Lip Balm!!! I bought the vanilla one when I was there, and immediately wished I'd bought a million more. This company uses only organic, vegan, raw ingredients. The shape of these balms is similar to a lighter (kinda flat, instead of traditionally round) and I love the way it fits in my front pocket. My best friend, Jacque, bought me a three pack online for my birthday a few years ago and they came in the cutest little pouch! They recommend using it as a tea bag for loose leafs, but I have one of them filled with buttons. So cute. Since I am unable to buy them in San Antonio, I have ordered them online many times since then, trying lots of new flavors as I go. The only flavor I haven't liked is the Green Tea. I thought it tasted a little too perfumey and not sweet. I'm sure other people would like it, I just prefer sweeter flavors because I was raised on those damn Lip Smackers. In Portland I found a tinted Black Cherry one, but it wasn't nearly as tinted as I'd have liked. The flavor was great though. I highly highly highly recommend this lip balm!! Grab the root beer or almond one!! Check em out online at www.hurrawbalm.com/hurraw

Another company I am head over heels for is LUSH. They are a Canadian company that have stores all over the world. Jacque introduced me to them in San Francisco in 2005. They didn't have one in San Antonio until years later, but I was instantly hooked on the Rock Star soap. I could seriously rave about this company for hours, but that's for another post all together. Specifically, their lip products RULE. At first I wasn't too impressed with the vegan selection, but they had a "none of your beeswax" balm that came in a little tin which I purchased. It was pricey, I wasn't excited about the flavor, and it melted all over my purse a week later. Next time I went I got a lipstick by them called "a million kisses". The flavor, color, and texture is amazing. It's a dark deep red hue, which is awesome, but it smears way too much and is super hard to keep on. The mess of it isn't worth the color. My friend, Mia, had one melt all over her purse. Fail. The next one I bought is called "latte" and is my favorite out the tin balms. It's a kind of coral brownish color and I wear it in the mornings. The flavor is great and since its not such a dense color, it's not too messy and I like it to wear off before lunch. That one I keep at home on my vanity, so it has no chance of melting!! I learned my lesson. Now, since I didn't have much luck with these balms, I was a bit hesitant to try their new line of lip colors. The girl at the store got me to sample one though, and I freaked out. It was the best lipstick I have ever used ever. These ones are actual lipstick, not a balm, but they are the most vibrant, long lasting, soft colors of all time. I insist that your exfoliate your lips using their vegan sugar scrubs first though, or the color can look a little cracked. Also, these are pricey, but totally worth splurging on if you love lip stuff like I do. At $22 a piece, choose wisely which color you will use most!! I have the Passionate one which is a shiny magenta pink, and matched my hair perfectly when I bought it. One application will last you all night and you'll have to scrub it off the next morning before work!!! When Lush released these, they also released eye makeup too. I haven't tried them yet, but I look forward to trying em ASAP. That entire line is vegan. Check em out at North Star Macy's in San Antonio, or online at www.lush.com

K, now my last lip balm obsession is brand new to me. Brand new... as in I was gifted 3 flavors 2 days ago as a Christmas gift by one of my favorite people in the world, Julia Rowley. She has such good taste and supports independent vendors by purchasing off Etsy as much as possible. Since her family lives in Los Angeles, I don't see her very often, but I can't tell you how excited and charmed I was that she sent me these vegan balms. They are by a company called Epically Epic Soaps. (Best name ever!!!!). She got me Gingerbread, Red Velvet (has a slight tint), and Pumpkin Pie. The fact that they were dessert flavors made me appreciate them a thousand times more. They are so soft, strong in flavor, and made in New Mexico. I highly recommend you check out the other products by this company at their Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/EpicallyEpicSoap
or at the owner's blog: www.EpicSoap.blogspot.com
Got some other companies to recommend?? Send them to meeee!!! Please!!!!