More Than Lip Service

Your lips are an essential part of your face. They surround your smile, form your words, perfect your pout, and seal your kisses. You can dress them up with a power red or keep them natural with a coat of clear shine.

With so much that your lips do for you, isn’t it time for you to show them some love with better lip care? Your lips need to last your lifetime, so take care of them now and every day so they always look their best.

It’s Elementary

Lips are delicate, thin tissue without the ability to produce melanin and fewer oil glands, so they have no way to protect themselves from sun damage, wind, dry air, and extreme temperatures. With all that environmental abuse, is it any wonder that your kisser stays chapped and is prone to cracking?

The damage caused by the environment is only compounded by the damage we do ourselves.  Highly pigmented or matte lipstick may last for hours, but it also can dry out your lips. In addition, lipsticks may contain ingredients that are not lip-friendly.

Are you a lip licker? That constant licking and touching that seems to moisten your lips is actually doing the opposite. Your lips can become dry, chapped, and irritated from different foods as well.

If you are a smoker, you have one more reason to quit: the sake of your lips. Smoking accelerates fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth, which can cause your lipstick to bleed. Aging does the same on its own, but why speed up the process?

Time to Shine

What’s the easiest way to hydrate your lips? Start with a quality lip balm and use it regularly. In fact, get a few so you can stash one in your purse, one in your gym bag, another in your car, and one by your bed.

A moisturizing lip balm may contain beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil, or almond oil; even petroleum jelly can protect your lips when they are extremely dry.

Jane Iredale LipDrink Lip Balm is a great product to soothe lips with the sheen of a lipstick.

You may also look for a quality balm that has vitamins A, C, and E or an alpha hydroxy acid that can exfoliate the chapped surface layer. Sunscreen is a must when you are outdoors, and some lip balms can block the sun’s harmful rays.

When you do use lipstick, you should limit your use of mattes or all-day products. Rotate them with more hydrating formulas to keep your lips plump and soft every day.

Here are more helpful tips to protect your pucker:

• Remove any traces of lipstick before you go to bed
• Use a humidifier at bedtime if you are prone to splitting lips
• Gently exfoliate your lips to remove chapped skin
• Never leave your home with bare lips
• Stay hydrated and maintain a healthy diet

The good news is that lips improve quickly with a little TLC. Just visit LaLa Daisy to see the best products for lip care to take your lips from parched to perfect. Shipping is always free with orders over $35, so stock up and save on lip balms, makeup, haircare, and more.