#4: Skin Edit - Lips' Saviour!

I'm sure you won't be unfamiliar with these 2 products - they are practically saviours for my really dry lips through the whole year.

So here's the thing: I drink water, and other liquids, and I still manage to get some really dry lips. It's really a pain in the neck because it affects lipstick application and general discomfort throughout the day. On days where I don't drink enough, it's super evident as I will have thick dead skin on my lips that...occasionally my pesky fingers make their way to pick at it. And then I bleed - don't give me that, we've all been there before!

I have a fair share of lip balms that I use and have lip balms everywhere so I can grab one and start covering my lips with inch thick lip balms. I've made my own lip balm with beeswax, almond oil and shea butter (melts onto your lips, really lovely), but if I have to really count on products that will for sure give me good lips, it's these two: Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream and Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask.

1. Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream Skin Protectant

Left to right: 1. Eight Hour Cream; 2. Lips before application; 3: Lips just after application; 4: Lips after 5-10 mins

The Eight Hour Cream doesn't normally come in this form - it's usually a tube (now also has an intensive lip protectant) but I passed by the store at the airport and they were doing a bundle where it came with the tube and this mini one. Both work in the same way, I don't believe there is actually a difference except for the packaging - of course this is going to be a lot easier to carry around.

Excuse my mini breakout at the moment, but if you look at prior application, my lips are dry and a little cracked. The skin is also "harder" along the centre and if they get any drier I could peel them with my fingers (and then bleed out, as per usual). Granted this isn't the worst my lips have been, but this is not acceptable for any lip makeup application at all and I certainly wouldn't be walking into a photoshoot with lips in this condition.

2nd image shows after a layer of application, which is what I normally do before any makeup application if I'm about to put my face on, or if a makeup artist puts my face on. When my lips are drier than the image, I would "marinate" my lips with the cream protectant every now and then. Essentially the ingredients inside will soften, exfoliate and moisturise your lips (and you can use this for other parts of your body too).

The consistency of creams like this is like vaseline and it is 56.8% Petrolatum, plus other ingredients such as lanolin, mineral oil and salicylic acid. Since it's got petrolatum in it, I wouldn't apply it to my face and only on really dry patches of my skin because petrolatum can clog pores.

Usually after marinating, my lips would be super soft and supple and plump. But since I was only really going to the gym when I took these images, the 3rd image is probably 5 mins later, when I've changed into gym gear. You can already see that my lips are a lot softer compared to the 1st image. So you can see that it's a pretty immediate relief of dry lips and continuous application will give you softer and smoother lips, which is usually what I do when I travel from home to a shoot location - train ticket and 8 hour cream in one hand and consistently applying it the instant I feel my lips are starting to dry out. By the time I'm in makeup prep my lips would be in an ideal state for lip makeup application.

2. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

1: Lip sleeping mask; 2: before application; 3: layer of mask applied; 4: the next morning after wiping mask off with tissue (with my pimple, Percy (as my hubs calls it), edited out so it doesn't haunt you)

Without doubt this is one of the most popular k-beauty products at the moment and I can totally understand why. If you have dry lip problems like I do, using this during the night will save you so much trouble in the morning. 

With lip masks, you've probably seen the ones that you open from a package and stick onto your lips - don't get me wrong, they're great too and I'd happily use them if I can just sit down somewhere and not have to use my mouth, like watching YouTube. But how much are one of those pieces and if you consistent dry lips like me, it's probably a little more economical to get a pot of these and apply it to sleep in - guaranteed that you won't be using your mouth either, so no waiting around for it to soak in, straight to bed!.

I was hesitant at first because I've used sleeping masks before for my face and the mask just slip and slided everywhere. Partly because I didn't let it really soak in my skin before sleeping, also partly because the product was prone to moving around a little. So I was wary with this lip mask and wary that it might slide on to my face.

It didn't. And it doesn't.

The consistency is thick. And as it should be as it contains different forms of wax and silicone in the product. In the product description they also mention their technology, the "MOISTURE WRAP™", which is a hyaluronic acid mineral network that forms a moisturising film to lock-in active ingredients so the skin absorbs and retains moisture through the night. Honestly the product, after application, does not budge, unless you drag your hand across your mouth or sleep with your head in the pillow - nothing is going to not budge, really.

The mask is rich in vitamin C, or as they call it, contains "Berry Mix Complex™" that are berry extracts rich in Vit-C and anti-oxidants that act on dry, rough skin. This product also exfoliates dead skin as well as add moisture into the lips, much like what the 8 hour cream does, but the product doesn't actually get thoroughly absorbed throughout the night. You will wake up with the a layer of product still on your lips, which you will have to wipe off with tissue or cotton pad.

1st image shows my lips without the product - it's dry but it isn't too bad. Again, I wouldn't leave my lips like that before shoot day. 2nd image shows my lips with the product - it looks shiny and slippery, but it really isn't. I didn't actually put enough product on and usually I would actually put a little bit more. Final image shows my lips after wiping the product off in the morning. Because I haven't actually put as much as I normally would, there is still some dryness in them, but nowhere near as dry as before. These lips are actually a lot softer and any dead skin can be removed with a cotton bud (clearly I was lazy in removing them, but you can see that the dry skin is not the block-y type that when peeled, the lips will bleed), and all I needed to add is a layer of lip balm to rejuvenate and plump the lips up again. I might have wiped it a little too hard this morning whilst half asleep too.

You can get this mask here.

So there you have it, 2 products that I for sure will use before big days or shoot days to keep my lips moisturised and ready for lip applications. If you will be using a matte formula on your lips, honestly it's so important to get your lips as prepped as possible or you will end up with dead skin the colour of your lip product (speaking from experience!)

Have you used these popular products before and do you think it's worth the hype? Let me know in the comments! Want to see what else I'm up to? Stalk me on Instagram and follow me on Facebook!