GET LUSH LIPS THIS JAN

This is a harder balm – made of beeswax, shea butter, almond oil and avocado – so it won’t slather all over your lips, but it is well worth the effort once you get it on. A little pot lasted me six months, and because it’s all natural I even pop it on my hands when they’re feeling dry. The cardamom smell is very strong, though, so if that spice isn’t your thing, you really won’t enjoy it.

Cast your mind back to home economics classes and you’ll recall that lipid means oil – Inca Inchi oil specifically in this case – so a little goes a really long way. Get a drop or two of NIOD's fragrance-less concoction on your fingertip and rub into your lips twice a day for a month (then just once daily after that) and it promises to make your lips more pink, soft and full. I’m two weeks into the month and mine are definitely a nicer shade, and so much softer. It tingles a little at first but stick with it, it pays off. 

I didn’t realise you could have a balm that smells in equal parts minty and fruity, but this magic potion really reminded me of a smell from my childhood for some reason. While the NIOD treatment is all about boosting your lip colour, this one does the opposite. So if you don’t like your lips too rosy, the clear white balm actually softens red and pink undertones. Even though it's technically a lip colour, it's so nourishing and moisturising that the overall effect is much more balm than lipstick.