Dear Carmex, We Did It!

I have had this lip balm for over a year and a half. If you know me, you know I can barely keep one chapstick for longer than two weeks. But, a year and a half ago I bought a little tub of Carmex and decided that 1. I was not going to lose the tub and 2. I would use every single bit of lip balm in the container. 

This was a big commitment to me, but I took it seriously.

I'm the kind of girl who likes a bit of sting with my lip balm. I love the tingle you get when you put on Carmex or Burt's Bees. So, I figured it wouldn't take me a long time to use the entire tub of Carmex.

Oh boy, I was wrong.

This little guy lasted through my last year of college, traveling across the country several times, many internships and moving twice. How did I not lose it? Who freaking knows. It was a miracle. As you can see in the photo above, there is still the tiniest bit left, but it will take maybe a week to finish it.

Since this is a beauty blog, I want to explore what I liked and disliked about Carmex and if I will continue to use it.

Sometimes I like to be a bit positive, so let's start with what I learned that I loved about this lip balm!

The Good Stuff:

• A big plus for me is that Carmex does not test on animals. I will always be drawn to products that are animal friendly.
• It makes my lips really soft if I use it daily.
• I love the tingling sensation caused by the ingredients menthol and camphor. I know it's a placebo effect, but I like to think that it means it is working.
• I've left this in the car on many hot days and without fail, it always cools back to the same waxy consistency.
• It's not sticky.
• It's a perfect moisturizer/primer to use before matte lipsticks.
• Soothes chapped, sunburnt and peeling lips. Trust me, I have had them all.
• It survived two washing machine incidents without leaking onto my clothes!
• If I put the balm on before bed, my lips were extra hydrated in the morning.

The Bad (But Not Really) Stuff:

• If my lips were not super dry, it took too long to soak into my lips.
• Can be messy on hot days. It always cooled back to the same consistency, but when you're outside on a hot day for a few hours, it will melt. This can make it difficult to not waste product when you are opening it.
• I wish the packaging was more eco-friendly. I have the old tub packaging where there seems to be too much plastic, but they have done a redesign so I have to check that out.
• I wish the squeeze tube and the screw top tub had the same thickness. It might be, but I used the squeeze tube version one day and hated it.

Clearly, my love it list is going to be longer than my hate it list. But, there were a few things that I did dislike about the product. Let's be real though, they are very superficial things.

I've included a what my lips look like before and after photo so you guys can have a reference point for how glossy the lip balm is below:

This is the before picture in the morning with slightly dry lips.

This is about 15 minutes after putting Carmex on. It has a nice sheen finish. My lips felt way better.

So, would I challenge myself to keep up with another tub of Carmex? You betcha. I think it is an absolute classic product that everyone should have for those rough lip days. It's not fun to have chapped lips, but Carmex makes it easier to handle.

I bought a tub of Smith's Rosebud Salve when my Carmex was 95 percent done. When I use all of that product, I'll do a comparison of the two to see which one I prefer more. But until then, keep your lips soft and stay beautiful!

       - Christina

*Disclaimer: We are not professional skincare consultants. We highly encourage that you do your own research or consult a skincare professional if you have any specific questions about a product. We also do not make any money off these links / these are not affiliate links. We are making it easier for you, as the reader, to find the products we use. We just want to keep it 100% real with you.