Simply Lip Balm: Vanilla, Citrus, Iced Pear, Fresh Mint

When I ran to the store to do some last minute Christmas shopping (this was obviously two months ago) for my sister and my mom, my boyfriend and I ran to Walgreen's and I decided to pick up all of the eos lip balms for my sister and turned around to find these hanging in a display. I was intrigued that they were so cheap and had one really interesting flavor. Obviously, I had to pick up them because I'm always eager to try new brands (especially if they're cheap and look decent!).

Company: Simply Lip Balm

Flavors: Vanilla, Citrus, Iced Pear, and Fresh Mint. All of them are just lovely. The flavor I had to pick up because it just drew me in was Iced Pear. I had yet to acquire a Pear flavored balm, which made me question why I've waited so long to get one. I LOVE pears, they're so delicious! It was pretty dead on for the pear scent and flavor, it was a delicate scent but you could definitely tell it was pear. The Citrus was also a light scent and blend of all things citrus-y. Vanilla and Fresh Mint were also as to be expected, pleasant and light with a good scent and taste. I think it's pretty hard to mess up Vanilla and Mint since they're some of the most common lip balm flavors found in stores and online.

Wear: It goes on smooth and has pretty good coverage. It was your average application, nothing made me go "WOW!" like some balms do. It lasted an hour which is good, which means there was no need to reapply continuously.

Packaging: Just like their name implies, the tube has a very, very simple design on it. An average sized lip balm tube that's white with the company's name in big letters and flavors color coded by a segment of color. It's not crazy flashy or anything, very quick and to the point.

Price: About a $1 a piece, I believe I paid $2 for 2 balms. Very cheaply priced for a decent product. It's below my price range which in this case isn't such a bad thing (unlike the e.l.f. balm I reviewed before).

Overall:
Pros: Cheap, simple packaging,flavors, decent lasting power
Cons: Hard to find elsewhere besides Walgreen's, website doesn't offer options to buy online

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 twists, it was your average balm. There wasn't anything crazy fabulous about it, besides the unique Iced Pear which was a surprise. It's good if you're in the market for a cheap, effective balm.

Alba Botanica: Passion fruit, Coconut, and Pineapple

I picked one of these balms up a long time ago and absolutely loved the scent, feel, taste--basically everything about it--and wanted to pick up any other delicious looking flavors they had. I've finally got around to buying the last two to complete my collection and am absolutely in love with them.

Company: Alba Botanica

Flavors: Coconut Cream, Passion Fruit Nectar, and Pineapple Quench. The Coconut Cream is amazing, very pleasant coconutty (I know, I just made that word up). This balm was the one that made me fall in love with coconut lip balms. It's a sweet coconut smell. I think the Passion Fruit Nectar is the absolute BEST smelling out of these three. It smells like candy and just overall deliciousness. Even my boyfriend was trying to guess for forever what flavor it was because he liked it so much. The Pineapple Quench smells like pineapple with a little sugar...sugared pineapple I suppose. It's almost candy like but still very nice. Overall, all three are absolutely amazing!

Wear: Not the smoothest application, it's not terrible--still very easy to apply--but not like some other balms. It is a little stiff when you start and goes on thick but it's very nice. One swipe on top and one on bottom and you're good to go. Great coverage and no having to guess if you applied enough. Lasts at least an hour, it's fabulous.

Packaging: It's your average sized lip balm tube with a Hawaiian themed label and design. The flavors have different color coded caps, very simple yet pleasing to the eye.

Price: About $3 which is right in my price range. It's worth it to add at least one of these balms to your collection, I really doubt you will be disappointed.

Overall:
Pros: Price, long lasting, packaging, flavors
Cons: There could be an improvement in how smooth the balm goes on, but not a huge problem

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 twists

Coming up soon!

I thought I'd give you all a sneak peak into what new balms I've recently acquired and will be reviewing shortly (with time permitting).

I also have been obsessed with checking Etsy.com for tons of handmade balm and different brands and crazy unique flavors. My boyfriend promised me at least 11 sticks of balm for Valentine's day so I'm holding him to that--which means I'll have even more awesome balms to review!

Here's what's coming up:

--The Chapstick Wrangler