Since then I've started a little routine and it's worked wonders for me. My lips are smooth and soft and perfectly ready for any and all matte lipsticks you want to throw at me.
All you need for this is your regular everyday toothbrush, a good lip balm (I've using my Maybelline Baby Lips Dr Rescue in Too Cool, but any deep hydrating lip balms will do – I would recommend a medicated one), and a lip scrub (I've got Lush Santa's Lip Scrub but, again, any brand you like is fine). The steps are pretty simple and it's quickly become a regular part of my nighttime and morning routine.
The first thing is to use the toothbrush to buff away any dead skin. I do it right after brushing my teeth before bed. Just brush over your lips in little circles. You can change the pressure depending on how rough of a shape your lips are in. In the beginning I was really getting in there because there was so much dry skin that I really needed the extra elbow grease to get rid of it all. Now I just do a light little swipe around and I'm good to go. You just want to make sure you really are getting rid of all the dry dead skin so the lip balm can really penetrate.
Next I apply a very generous layer of lip balm – like really slather it on. The idea is that you're about to go to sleep so it's okay if you kind of get it all over. Sometimes the skin above and below your lips can get a bit red and sore so go ahead and get it all over. Don't be afraid.
Then you just get in bed and go to sleep and then when you wake up your lips should be pretty noticeably smoother. That's not to say that this is an overnight treatment, but I always find the morning after sleeping with a good lip balm on really does leave my lips feeling much softer.
After the other bits of my morning routine (face washing, tooth brushing, hair combing, etc.) but before starting my makeup, I'll pop on a decent amount of lip scrub just to polish. You can then lick off the scrub (I think most are edible) but I usually only get a little taste and then rinse the rest off with water because it is sugar and I don't want to have a sticky mouth (plus the Lush one I'm using at the moment does live a little bit of a red stain behind).
Lastly I put on a thin layer of lip balm again. I try to do this right before starting my makeup so that after I get done with foundation and eyeshadow and blush and all the other fun stuff it's absorbed mostly because having too much lip balm on my lips when I go to apply lipstick makes the color just slip right off. You can then reapply lip balm throughout the day as needed, of course.
A few other chapped lip tips are to really try and keep yourself hydrated. I know it's hard in the cold months to really want to chug a cold bottle of water but it's so important. You can even try some teas or something (but try to stay away from caffeine).
The other thing is to try and avoid very drying lip product when you're really suffering. If you really want some color try a tinted lip balm or anything that is moisturizing. Even with a layer of balm underneath, so many lipsticks can really affect your chapped lips, making them go from bad to worse. You can go back to your favorite matte lipsticks in a week or so but hold off while you're trying to bring your lips back to life.
That's it for my chapped lips routine! After about a week and a half of this I really did have soft and smooth lips. I've still kept up with this though, just now as more of a preventive measure than as a fixer.
Let me know if you've got any tips or good products for beating those winter dry lips. Thanks so much for reading!
Caitlin xx
GOD YES I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
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