e.l.f. Theraputic Conditioning Lip Balm Review

I would not have tried the e.l.f. Therapeutic Conditioning Lip Balm except for the fact that it came in a kit I purchased.  That would have been a good call.

About e.l.f. Therapeutic Conditioning Lip Balm:

e.l.f. is a company that I respect for their stance on providing high-quality yet low-cost products and for their committment to not test on animals (and even donate portions of their profits to PETA).  Any company who has standards like that is likely to get my business. 

e.l.f. Therapeutic Conditioning Lip Balm, comes in a plain white tube, about the thickness of a pencil, with a small plastic cap to cover the balm.  The product is "infused" with vitamins A and E to smooth and nourish lips, and shea butter to moisturize them.  Twisting the bottom of the tube raises the balm so it can be applied.

The full list of ingredients: Paraffinium Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Polyisobutene, Silica, Synthetic Beeswax, Fragrance(Aroma), Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Iron Oxides (CI 77491 , CI 77492 , CI 77499), Manganese Violet (CI 77742), Mica (CI 77019), Red No.6 Lake (CI 15850), Red No.7 Lake (CI 15850), Red No.28 Lake (CI 45410), Blue No.1 Lake (CI 42090), Yellow No.5 Lake (CI 19140), Yellow No.6 Lake (CI 15985).

This particular e.l.f. balm is available in 4 different flavors: orange creme, strawberry creme, blackberry creme, and vanilla creme.  I own the orange creme, and there is a faint scent and flavor of creamsicle to the gloss.  While each balm is lightly tinted, the product goes on clear.  The balms are sold for $1.00 each.

My take:

When I picked up the tube, my first impression was that it's a pretty chintzy little thing.  The dollar price tag seemed very appropriate.  I applied the balm before putting on my makeup in the morning and was initally taken aback: it goes on smoothly and does not feel sticky, heavy, or oily.  Maybe my first impresion was wrong...However, about 10 minutes later, before I had even finished my makeup, the balm was pretty much gone from my lips with no trace that it had ever been applied.  That does NOT work for me...I'm a talker, an eater, a constant coffee drinker...I need a product that is going to be around for a while. 

This product is one that I would only purchase for a little girl who wants to "wear makeup," but with the list of ingredients, I'd be hesitant to allow a child to wear a lip balm with this many un-natural products (particularly since we ingest so much of the products we put on our lips).  It is not a high enough quality for me to even bother paying one dollar again.  Add to that the challenge that e.l.f. products are only sold online and at select stores, so there's no way I would pay shipping charges on this or track down a store that carries it.  Thumbs down on this one!