Local treasures (for your lips)

Since I have a few new favourites, I thought I'd recomend some more lip balms. This is a bit of a local edition, which wasn't planned, but is nice if you happen to live near me. Which most of my (five) readers don't. Oh well! If you ask me I will probably send you one as a gift. Sending out gifty packages is almost as much fun as receiving them.

So, as for the lip balm.

Honey Pie Hives & Herbals ~ Chai

This spicy treat was purchased on a vacation to Sand Banks and Prince Edward County, Ontario. I'm pretty sure it was from the Bean Counter Café but it has been a while and I forget. So this isn't really a new favourite, but rather a tried-and-true old favourite. It's light, fragrant, spicy and smooth. I've had my little pot for a while now (I hardly ever use up a lip balm, since I have so much of the stuff... which is sort of wasteful of me) and it still smells and feels great. Not that I recommend holding onto it for a long time. I recommend using it up and then trying other flavours like Fennel, Cinnamon Hearts, or Rosemary! Maybe I will have to go on another vacation. Actually I don't have to go that far, their wares are sold right here in Montreal, and I plan to go scout out that café very soon. Not just for lip balm either, I wouldn't mind some beeswax candles or trying out their loose leaf teas. But I still think I should go on vacation.

Naturally Upper Canada Warm Honey Nectar and Sweet Vanilla Fig

(but mostly the honey one)

I got these at the Jean-Coutu so I am betting that they are more widely available than the others I'm mentioning. The Vanilla Fig one is pretty good, but it does have a kind of shimmery white-lip thing going on, which I don't always (ever?) want. It is subtle though. I wouldn't classify this as lip gloss or anything. Still, the Honey version is a lot nicer. It really is a lip balm, no other secret sparkly agendas. The smell reminds me of the Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm (not their original pepperminty one, which is what started my whole thing with lip balm in the first place, but this one). They both smell good, almost floral (like you can smell the flowers that made the honey or something) but the Burt's Bees one has a rough, crumbly texture that I've never really liked. This one has a perfectly smooth texture, so it is the winner. In the honey-flavoured lip balm contest. Incidentally I also tried the Vanilla Fig hand lotion, which feels nice, but is a little perfumy for me. Even though it's all NATURAL! and paraben-free etc, I still wouldn't use it around my (asthma-prone) mother.

Amarille ~ Crème Vanille

I bought this one from a table at a craft sale that I stumbled upon in Mile End a few weeks ago. Now I wish I'd bought more, and other stuff too, like cream and bath salts! Not that I have the budget to outfit myself with a bathroom full of such luxuries, but still.

I have to admit that this one is my (current) absolute favourite. It smells exactly like real vanilla beans. Not sugary like vanilla cookies or perfumy or wrong in anyway. I want them to make perfume that smells exactly like this. I know they make scented oils, but I want perfume. Spray, or rollerball, I'm not picky, I just want to smell this smell all the time.

The one small problem I have with it is that the product is not as solid as it could be. It seems prone to cracking or breaking off (and as enthusiastic as I am about lip balm, I am not exactly vigorous in my application of it). Since it smells effing awesome and feels great on my lips, if a tiny piece does break off, I smoosh it back on top (lest I loose some) and it seems to stay put. Probably this is one of the problems of homemade goods, sometimes things are not always as uniform as they are when made in commercial proportions. But that is a tiny complaint, and has not deterred me from using it nor from opening it just to sniff it. So vanilla-y. Next time I come across their stuff I will be tempted to try the Lune de miel too, but I find it hard to imagine that it will beat out this one!