Key Lime Lip Balm

When I first saw the new collection of lips balms, I was rather underwhelmed by what greeted me in store. Firstly, the design itself was rather uninspiring and very basic to look at. While Lush tend to keep things simple when it comes to their recognised black and white packaging, the addition of colour on these tins actually made the lip balms look rather cheap. 

Secondly, the balms themselves didn't offer a very strong aroma in the tin. I was genuinely surprised when I read other Lush fans raving about them online and in store, because I just couldn't understand how a product could be so revered when they seemed so disappointing to me. However, it was only after the second use that I realised how wrong I had been and quickly made these products staple items in my daily routine. 

Key Lime is one of four new vegan lips balms that are currently available from the Oxford Street store. Described as a 'zesty treat for lips', this product has been designed to replicate the smell of the famous classic American dessert. While I cannot claim to have ever tried key lime pie, if it's anything like the scent of this balm, it would be a guaranteed hit in my house.

What is immediately noticeable upon opening up this tin is that this product has a different consistency to most of the lip balms that Lush have released in the past. Comparing it to two of my favourites, Eggsnog and Let The Eat Cake, Key Lime is much sturdier in the tin and offers a completely different experience to what I am usually used to when it comes to Lush. 

With previous releases, Lush have always produced balms that have a little 'give' to them. What I mean by this is that they're almost like a hard butter that melts under your finger and will soften very quickly to create a waxy, oily sort of balm. This makes them easy to apply to the lips - where they leave a thick and very moisturising layer that keeps you nourished and gives your lips a slight glossy look.

As with all of Lush's Oxford Street exclusives, this lip balm performs much more like one you would find in your local pharmacy. In the tin, it looks and almost acts like a solid perfume - melting under the warmth of your finger but not so much that it makes any sort of dent in the mixture. For this reason, I can see a single tin of this balm lasting for a good part of a year, perhaps even more, making it incredible value for money. 

When you apply this to your lips, you don't get that thick base oil -instead getting a thinner one that doesn't feel as nourishing at first, but one that still does a great job at softening and improving the condition of your lips. How this lip balm is more effective than older editions is that it still does the job it's supposed to do, but does it without saturating your lips with grease that tends to rub off over time. 

While this lip balm contains almond oil, cocoa butter and candelilla wax - all of which give Key Lime its moisturising properties, what sets it apart from other balms is that it also contains coconut wax and sunflower wax. Both of these ingredients help to create this unique but very effective consistency - one that allows this lip balm to last a lot longer than its older counterparts.  

While I wouldn't say this lip balm has a particularly strong aroma, it does offer a wonderfully sweet and fruity lime smell - one that smells of lime yoghurt, cheesecake and fruity jellies. It has a creamy element to it that gives Key Lime a well-rounded and very beautiful smelling lip balm - one that outshines None Of Your Beeswax in both performance and fragrance. 

Although I've never been one to carry lip balms around, this has now found its place in my school bag and gets used on a daily basis. I cannot wait to try the other three variations that I've bought and I only hope that Lush bring out even more scents for me to enjoy over time. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Coconut Wax (Cocos nucifera), Candelilla Wax (Euphorbia cerifera), Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Sunflower Wax (Helianthus Annus Seed Wax), Argan Oil (Argania spinosa), Glucose Syrup, Lime Oil (Citrus aurantifolia), Flavour, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sicilian Mandarin Oil (Citrus Nobilis), Citral, Limonene, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide, Spring Green Lustre (Colour 47005, Colour 42090).

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.