CARMEX review || My holy grail

If there is one product that I swear by, it has got to be Carmex. 

I know a lot of people are aware of this product but my blog felt incomplete without a Carmex post!

My love for Carmex began 10 years ago (when I was 10). I was in London visiting my new baby cousin, Cián. His father's two twin girls, who are the same age as me, were there. One of them had unbelievably chapped lips to the point where there was about a centimetre of red, flaky skin around her lips. My mum told her to use some Carmex and her lips healed fully in about a week. During this time, I decided I loved the smell and wanted to start using it (party because I thought her London accent was cool and therefore, she was cool). And the rest is history...

I love how soothing this product is. It fixes your chapped lips within no time at all, smells like no other product and is unbelievably long-lasting. I could apply it before bedtime, have a 10 hour sleep and wake up still wearing it! Of course, if you're applying it in the day, activities like eating, drinking and talking will wear it off sooner but it will still last a good few hours.

I recently ran out of my current tub which lasted me almost two years. I usually buy it from Boots or Superdrug and it costs about £2.69 but my new tub (the fancy, comic-book inspired pot) was from Body Care and cost £1.49, I think. 

The tubs have a 24 month shelf life which is roughly how long it takes for me to use them all up so if you thought the cost was a bit too much for lip balm and you're a £1 ChapStick kinda person, then at least you know this will last you a long time.

I usually get the original Carmex lip balm (pictured above) but there are so many different smells, packagings and types.

Smells: Original, cherry, strawberry, vanilla, lime twist, pomegranate, mint... I think that's everything.

Packaging: Carmex lip balms are available in little pots which help moisturise lips and relieve the symptoms of cold sores (SCORE!); squeezable tubes which have an added clear, odourless mineral oil for extra smooth treatment and sticks which contain more wax to help keep its shape.

Types: The standard, original product (pictured above) comes in lots of flavours and all three different types of packaging. An Ultra Smooth stick is available in Lime Twist, Vanilla and Pomegranate. These flavours are unique to this type of Carmex, also containing additional moisturising ingredients. Ultra Hydrating Moisture Plus also comes in stick form but with super funky packaging (I think the hounds tooth is my fave). These contain aloe, shea butter and vitamin E and leave a clear finish whilst protecting your lips from the sun with SPF15.

I get cold sores and honestly, this product helps relieve them. It has a minty feeling all over your lips but it doesn't sting (super soothing on cracked and chapped lips) so when applied to my cold sores, it completely relieves any tenderness or that annoying itchy sensation. This year, I've had about 10 cold sores so far and last year, I had about 15 in total. Before that, I only ever got them twice a year - my birthday and Christmas. I think all the stress of university has caused my recent outbreaks (as well as eating almonds which I have developed an intolerance for. If there is even a sniff of almond in something, I will 100% get a cold sore). Carmex has been really helpful during these times.

I also got my boyfriend into the product... Yep. He loves it now!

I love how retro the packaging is. My newest tub is a limited edition design for Selfridges so I'm not quite sure how I managed to get it in Body Care but I'm not complaining.

With all the different options, Carmex is bound to suit anyone! I honestly recommend it and would give it a 10/10 - it's truthfully that good. Totally justifiable, even on a student budget.