A Winter Diversion: The ChapStick Challenge - Week 3

My ChapStick Challenge continues!  This week:  The Cool Kids!

(And don't forget . . . leave a comment to be entered in my ChapStick Challenge Sweepstakes!)

So, based on the feedback I'm getting so far (comments, email, people stopping me on the streets of Kalamazoo to "talk chapstick"), I'd guess that Burt's Bees has a LOT of fans out there!

Burt and his Bees. . .

are definitely GROOVY these days!

Before I started my ChapStick Challenge, I was already a fan of Burt's Bees -- it has been my favorite, Go-To, daily lip balm for a couple of years now.  I especially like the just, plain Burt's (the original Beeswax Lip Balm; slightly waxy/sort of mint-y) and the Nourishing Burt's Bees with Mango Butter (VERY nice; not at all waxy; long-lasting). 

Lately, my Burt's-of-Choice has been the Tinted Lip Balm (I like Hibiscus).  It goes on smooth, feels nice and light on the lips, AND provides just a hint of color. 

(NOTE:  I don't wear lipstick except on VERY rare - and special - occasions.  Tom HATES lipstick.  HATES.  I think he was scarred as a very young child by too many forced-kisses by various lipstick-wearing females.  So.  No lipstick.  He doesn't seem to mind the tinted Burt's, however.) 

For this week's challenge, I decided to try to new Burt's Bees products:  Refreshing Burt's Bees with Grapefruit (it's okay; didn't seem to last as long as the Mango variety), and this one. . .

Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm with Kokum Butter (whatever THAT is).  It's supposed to provide 4-hour moisturization.

LIES!  4 hours?  More like . . . 4 minutes!  It does feel very nice when you first put it on.  But.  It doesn't last at all!  This is really the first Burt's product that was a dud for me.

Burt and his Bees have a huge Facebook following.  (1,375,555 "Likes" at the time of writing this post.)  They even promote their Facebook presence right on their tiny tubes!

That's pretty dang groovy.

The other Cool Kid product I tried was. . .

eos (short for Evolution of Smooth).  This one?   Definitely groovy!  Bright colors.  Appealing flavors.  Unique, spherical shape!

eos' tagline is "lip balm that makes you smile."  And. . . it does!  It's fun to use -- and it gets noticed.  Whenever I got out my "sphere" of eos this week, people around me would want to see it.  They'd ask, "Is that lip gloss?"  I could tell they were just dying to ask if they could try it!  (And I would've let them . . . if we were BFFs in middle school.)

eos is trendy enough that it's hard to keep in stock at most stores in my area - especially the sweet mint flavor (easily the most popular).  (I finally nabbed a sweet mint last week at Walgreens.  DEFINTELY the best.)

The eos works well -- I'd say it's comparable to Burt's Bees.  It's smooth, feels good, lasts quite a while.  And. . . it does make you smile!  (For those of you paying attention to ingredients, eos is gluten-free, paraben-free, and petrolatum-free.  It contains jojoba oil, olive oil, shea butter, and coconut oil.)

The drawback of eos, for me, is the size/shape.  Fun, sure.  But a bit bulky for most of my usual lip balm storage spots (mostly pockets).  It is great in a desk drawer, though.  Which is where my eos is hanging out now!

Next week, I'll be looking at some of the heavy-hitters in the lip balm world:  Nivea, Aveeno, Aquaphor and Neosporin . . . with a little Vaseline thrown in for good measure.

Don't forget . . . leave a comment to be entered in the ChapStick Challenge Sweepstakes!

 

Comments

[Patty]

Fun, fun! I think I have to go to CVS at lunch!

[Debbie]

Plain Burt's Bees is my favorite lip gloss and I always have it in my purse. For tinted gloss, I like Sugar by Fresh. You must be having a great time testing all of these lip glosses!

[Marilyn]

Yay! Burt's Bees! My favorite!
I've never heard of or seen eos. Now I'm gonna have to see if it is in my part of the world... :)
xoxo

[Linda]

Burt's Bees is my favorite, especially the tinted lip gloss.

[margene]

Burt's is my least favorite. I break out in a rash and I suspect it's hidden gluten (or something). I'll use anything else on my lips expect BB. But, I'll be checking out eos!

[Suzy]

Mary Kay Suncare Lip Protector w/Sunscreen here...no scent, no taste, long-lasting, AND I don't have to go in any stores to get it! Good product, imo.

[bonny]

I wonder if your Walgreens has room for any other type of merchandise on their shelves besides lip balm! My local store only carries the original, but I can see I need to go on a quest for some Nourishing Burt's and sweet mint EOS. Ironing can wait!

[Rachel]

The simple bees is a nice one.

Those eos - I spotted them at Target ahwile back and immediately bought one or two for Sam the lip gloss collector of the family and I must admit that the shape and color made me want to buy one for myself too but the fruity smells - oy!

A little while later we found it in 4-pack at Costco much to Sam's delight.

Maybe I should try the sweet mint.

[Vicki]

Hahaha, that little mention of Vaseline makes me smile. That was my "first," I'm sure of it!! ;)

[Cheryl S.]

That eos looks so cute!

[kathy b]

So THATS what EOS stands for. Looks a bit slick....but I'll take your word for it!~

I like Vaseline at night before bed on my lips......
I snore...so I mouth breathe....TMI?

[Erin]

We carry and sell far too much eos at the store, but I've never actually tried it.

[Brenda]

Good to know about the tinted Burt's Bees. I'll have to check that out. The eos look like fun. You have an orange one that is supposed to be "medicated tangerine." What do they mean by medicated? I generally love citrus.

[Gwen]

Love the EOS balms. My sister introduced me to them - she bought them for my nephew, so that she could prevent his lips from chapping with just ONE swipe. I've currently got the melon-y one in my makeup bag; I'm going to have to look for the mint one the next time I'm at WM.

Burt's Bees - love. Just...love. I love the original, and I also love the "replenishing" (pomegranate oil) and the "rejuvenating" (acai berry) balms. I'm going to have to look for the nourishing" formula.

Apparently I am a lip balm/gloss addict. There are worse things to be...

[Carole]

I've never tried any of the Burt's Bees products and I've never even heard of the eos stuff. I live a sheltered life when it comes to lip balms!

[Pam]

I'm a Burt's bees fan as well (I even have an ancient tin "pot" of it in my knitting bag. But now it looks like I'll have to try the EOS and the BB's mango!

BTW eos has a shave cream that's really a cream -- I liked it a lot, except it's so thick, you can't get the last of it out of the bottle. That bugged me.

[Pam]

That parenthesis ought to close there somewhere. Sorry.

[Vivian Watson]

I have eos in my knitting bag....just right to carry there, because it doesn't get lost like a small tube. That, and a tiny jar of my favorite hand cream...

[Cookie]

Does anyone wear lip stick anymore? *L*

Remember when you could send in your empty tubes and Burt and the Bees would send you a new one? Now they're pimping faceyspace. My how times have changed.

I love the shape of the eos. Would be much easier to find on the bottom of my bag while driving. *L*

Is there any man who likes lip stick? *L*

[Melissa G]

Late (as always) but: like Burt's--we keep the shallow tins of balm in the vehicles as they don't leak when they melt in summer, if they stay level; really like the ChapStick Ultra--SPF 30 for outdoors (skiing, hiking), ok orange flavor and texture(?); most dislike Kiss My Face Sport--too waxy dry and awful orange flavor; for gloss with the barest pink tint--Smith's Rosebud Salve is perfect for my 14 yr old daughter.

[kitten]

Cookie pointed out my favorite thing about the eos shape - easy to find in the purse without having to look. (Or easy for the man-person to find in the purse without too much effort.)