“Our best selling Lip Scrub, and the first one Sara created in her kitchen back in 2005. We’ve yet to find the girl who doesn’t love this flavor.”

If there is one product I truly could not live without these days, it is a good lip scrub.

I’m sure you’re all sick to death of my complaining about my dry, flaky lips but it remains one of the biggest beauty obstacles I face on a daily basis. The redness from my rosacea can be covered, my dry skin can be moisturized, hell–even my thinning hair can be covered by a bandana or a headband! But those lips? ::shakes head::

I’m talking the kind of dry that, in colder months, actually gets painful. In the winter, smiling or sneezing has been known to split my poor lips, which is just as obnoxious as it is painful. Thus, I have had a lot of trouble wearing lip products for many years. Everything seemed to highlight it–glosses, lipsticks, even some balms.

I had tried many lip scrubs over the years with varying results, but it wasn’t until I splurged on Sara Happ’s “The Lip Scrub” that I finally found an ally in my battle against flaky lips.

When I first began hunting out a new lip scrub last winter, I originally balked at the idea of spending so much on this scrub. The Lip Scrub retails for $24.00 and even discounted on amazon, it still goes for around $19.00–that’s pretty pricey for a 1 oz pot of sugar scrub!

Still; I was desperate. Lipsticks had become a no-go for me and I was down to wearing nothing more than Aquaphor or the occasional NYX Butter Gloss–and even those creamy glosses were settling around flakes and cracks! It was just gross all around and this balm lured me in with its promise to “eliminates dry, flaky skin to leave lips ridiculously soft and supple.”

Since nothing else was working for me and all of my attempts to create my own homemade lip scrub in my kitchen weren’t nearly as successful as Ms. Happ’s were, I gritted my teeth and decided to give it a go.

As I said before, this is a sugar based lip scrub. Additionally, this balm is pretty much as close to all natural as you can get in a pre-made product, without whipping it up in your own kitchen. The ingredients are: Sucrose, Petrolatum, Flavor, Caramel, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, VitiVinifera (Grape) Seed Oil. 

When I opened the pot and took a whiff of this scrub, I nearly drooled. It smells delicious! That “vanilla bean” scent really reminds me of some yummy, baked confection covered in gooey icing. Luckily, it tastes nearly as good as it smells, being sweet and caramel-y on the lips. Mmmm; delightful!

The texture is both gritty–from the sugar–and a little slick–from the oils. While it does have a slippery consistency, it is not at all runny (see the swatch below) and is not truly oily. It is not unpleasantly greasy while in use, though it can leave a bit of a film on the fingers after it washes away.

Only a tiny bit of this scrub is needed to achieve great results. I scoop a tiny blob up on one finger, applying it generously along my bottom lip (which is the flakier of the too). I then rub it in tiny circles with the tip of my finger. Once I can feel it starting to break down, I rub my lips together a few times to get some exfoliating action on my top lip as well. By then, most of the sugar bits have broken down, but I usually rinse my lips with a little hot water to get off any clingy particles that may remain. I then pat my lips dry with a clean, dry washcloth and go on with my beauty routine.

The result? My lips look smooth and plump, and my lip products go on oh-so-much more smoothly. I like to do this in the morning if I am planning on using a dark or bold lip color that day, as my lips still tend to dry out a bit overnight. (Yes, they really are that much of a pain in my ass.) If I’m doing this at night, I apply a nice, hydrating balm right after I scrub, so it can really sink in overnight.

While this Vanilla Bean scent is to die for, there are other options if you don’t like vanilla. I believe this scrub regularly comes in a few different flavors/scents–such as Peppermint, Brown Sugar, or Creme Brulee–and they may also sometimes have seasonal flavors as well. (I’ve seen them on Amazon with Peach or Grapefruit flavors.)

Swatches

Verdict

Buy this.

I know, I know–it’s on the expensive side, for a lip scrub. And yes, you probably could whip up something similar using household ingredients. (I tried and failed, but I’m sure a lot of you are a lot more crafty than I!) But it really just is a lovely product, and that flavor/scent is something–in my book–that can’t be beat!

If you’ve been searching for a good scrub, this is an excellent one and I can’t say enough good things about it.