Summer drugstore products that work!

I know, summer is over, but I want to share 3 drugstore products that I've tried over the summer that works wonders! These are now included in my beauty regimen:

1. FX Moroccan Moisture Healing Argan Oil Spray (4 fl oz.) $5.99
Ever since I discovered the flat iron, I've been hot-ironing my hair everyday because it's fast at putting in volume and shaping my hair in the right place. Of course the consequence of daily ironing is brittle hair. My tresses have been dried out even more by living in the hot, dry heat of the desert, and maybe "aging" has something to do with brittle hair also. I use to have naturally silky hair (when it was not permed) back in my tweens and have not had hair like that ever since. Until now! I feel like an infomercial, haha. But it's true, this spray is like a miracle. I've tried random oils before that always left the hair feeling more dirty and greasy. This FX Argan Oil actually does what it claims. After I flat-iron my hair, I spray this stuff on my palms and rub in my hair or mist it directly into my hair depending on how I feel that day.....and my hair instantly feels and looks shinier and softer without any grease or weight. The oil seems to absorb right into each hair strands. There's no greasy residue left on my palms after I apply this stuff...so the hair really absorbs it. My thin hair is usually prone to clumping with most hair products....but this actually seems to prevent the clumpy kind of greasiness too. My only complaint is that it does have a perfumey-scent, but luckily it goes away after half an hour or so.  Other than that, this product is HOLY-GRAIL status. I highly recommend this product if you are a daily flat-iron user or have dull dry hair. It's only $5.99 or cheaper with sale, so go get it!

2. Nivea A Kiss of Milk & Honey Lip Balm (0.17 oz) $2.99
I learned about this lip balm from this review by Ella Pretty. Remember my previous lip balm hunt/review? Forget all of that. This lip balm is better than all of them! It moisturizes longer than all the other ones, feels great on the lips, and no peeling or annoying residues. This is now my favorite lip balm and the only one I use. My only complaint again is the weird scent...it's a sweet scent..almost like baby-powder...but I got used to it. I'm just happy that it works!  Please note though that only this Milk & Honey flavor seams to work. I've tried the Nivea Cherry, Strawberry and Berry Swirl version and they were horrible and icky. I would stay away from the "tinted" ones. I wonder if the new Olive Oil & Lemon one is any good...anyone tried that one?

3. Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-cream (1.7 oz) $7.99
I purchased this product after seeing a magazine ad about it and rave reviews from Musings of a Muse. This is my first time hearing about "gel-cream" so I had to try it out. Truthfully, I don't think this can replace the usual creams for major dry skin. This gel just makes for a great "morning/day" moisturizer on hot summer days, because it feels cool on application and does not grease-up the face as with regular creams. I'm usually picky about scent, but this scent is nice...like refreshing cucumbers and it doesn't linger. My skin does not break-out with it. It helps sooth some dry patches on my cheeks. I recommend this for morning or throughout the day moisturizing if you don't want the grease or heavy-feel of a cream, especially on hot days. But when the cold winter comes, I'm sticking to my old creams, since I don't think this gel-cream will cut it for super dry, peeling, wrinkling skin. Yet, I recommend this gel-cream especially if you have oily skin and want a light moisturizer that doesn't make the face shiny.

What are your recent drugstore beauty-miracle finds?

Best Lip Balms on the market

It seems like I've suffered dry lips all my life, even as a kid. I remembered my lips were always cracked, peeling, and bleeding, even after using my mom's Chapstick or that yucky-tasting Vaseline petroleum jelly. It wasn't until high school that I found relief, thanks to a wonderful lip balm sold in a fundraiser catalog by one of the cheerleaders. It was an unexpected miracle product! The 1 oz container of  "tropical strawberry" SPF 6 lip balm cost $10-12, but worth every penny! According to the label, it was made by Bath Works for Great American Opportunities. Oh, it was my holy grail! My lips stopped peeling and bleeding for the first time in my life. The product was perfect in every way...tasted good, felt nice on lips, and lasted a long time. One of those 1 oz containers lasted me a year it seems. I purchased in bulk from them (was sold online also) for the next decade or so. Then the devastating day came when Great American Opportunities decided to stop carrying that particular Bath Works product. I tried to order their new line of lip balms, but the ingredients had changed for the worse. Thus, I've been trying to find a replacement product ever since.

My goodness, I've tried so many brands....Bath & Body Works, Chapstick, Lip Smackers, Carmex, Soft Lips, Neutrogena, CVS/Walgreens brands, Aquafor, Kiel's, random ones,......in all sorts of flavors....all failed. My lips started peeling annoyingly again. I even attempted to make my own lip balm by buying ingredients from Makingcosmetics.com, but I could not find a formula that worked and my creations tasted horribly. So the search continues, and I finally found a couple of brands that seems to be working. They are not perfect but close enough for the time being:

Here's my review on each:

Burt's Bees with Vit. E and Peppermint - Made in USA ~$2.99 for 0.15 oz
Stronger minty flavor; ingredients appear most natural compared to the others. The negative is that it does not glide on easily as the others. The balm has a thicker/harder wax texture...like trying to apply candlewax maybe, I don't know how else to describe it. It felt heavy and sticky on the lips, yet the moisturizing effect did not last as long. I felt the need to reapply after 1-2 hours. But it is still better than other lip balms I've tried because it does not leave lips peeling or drier.

Lypsyl with Swedish Beeswax - Made in Canada ~$2.99 for 0.10 oz
This is definitely the best tasting compared to the others in my opinion. It has a mild minty flavor with a sweet undertone. Packaging is different with the sliding-bee lever thing, but for a bigger/bulkier packaging, it has less product than the other balms. Despite the love-it or hate-it packaging, this balm gets high points because it glides on smoothly and feels very nice on the lips. It also lasts longer than the Burt's Bees. However, I kept wanting to reapply this just to savor the yummy minty taste, haha.

Aquafina - Made in China ~3.99 for 0.28 oz
This one applies smoothly and feels just as nice as the Lypsyl, maybe a bit glossier. Somehow, this one seems to penetrate better, leaving lips moisturized longer even after product has rubbed off. I felt like I only had to apply this after I brush my teeth in the morning, after eating, and before bedtime, and my lips were satisfied. The downside is that these don't taste great. Even though the packet contains 4 flavors, they all have a weird "fake" flavor taste with a cooling effect due to the menthol ingredient.

EOS sweet mint - Made in USA ~3.29 for 0.25 oz
Strong minty flavor. 95% certified organic and 100% natural ingredients. Unlike the others, this one lists an expiration date (good for 2 years). The balm actually reminds me alot of the Burt Bee's in taste, consistency, and duration. The only difference is that it glides a bit easier on the lips than Burt Bee's. However, I felt I had to really roll the balm on my lips several rounds to feel completely moisturized. The egg-like packaging is fun and cute, but clumsy and bulky when it comes to practicality. Not great for hiding in pockets or small purses.

Overall, these 4 lip balms have been the best I've tried because they do not make my lips peel profusely or feel drier after use. They all are not perfect, but good enough for their purpose. So if you suffer from dry lips and other brands have no worked, these might do the trick. I believe everyone has different skin type, so one product may work wonders for a person but nothing for another. It's all trial and error. If you're strictly into "natural" ingredients, Burt's Bees or EOS are good choices, however I probably will not repurchase them simply because of their harder-waxy application. Aquafina is a winner for the price and long-lasting effects, but wish it tastes better like the Lypsyl. Aquafina is also harder to find. I think it's only sold online or at some Walgreens in-store. Definitely Aquafina and Lypsyl are my go-to lip balms right now.

What is your favorite lip balm?  Or what lip balm(s) have worked best for you? Please share in comments!

***UDPATE on 10/20/12 - Found the BEST LIP BALM on the market that beats out all the above. See review on NIVEA A KISS OF HONEY & HONEY Moisturizing Lip Balm***