Hey!
So I read not long ago that Kate Winslet (you know, the one from Titanic... she sang "What If I", it's great, Spotify it) LOVES By Terry Baume De Rose lip balm. Apparently she's been wearing it for years and it's, "one of the few beauty products she can't live without".
At £39, this is not for the faint hearted (seriously, I almost passed out upon seeing the price... jeez!) But I figured if it's good enough for Rose, it's good enough for me!
I LOVE lip balms, especially luxury ones. There's something about having a lovely, premium-feeling product in your handbag that makes me feel so boujee! As I constantly use lip balms, I always have one on me, so I try to find ones that really hydrate, aren't sticky, smell nice, feel nice and have attractive packaging.
So to start with the packaging! This comes in a lovely little frosted glass pot with a shiny metal lid. It's weighty (I love an expensive product to have a big of weight to it) and it's understated yet pretty.
Inside, Baume De Rose is a looovely light pink shade - exactly as you'd expect. I mean, if it was bright yellow it would throw you, wouldn't it?
Smell-wise, it smells of wet tarmac. JOKE, it smells of roses, obvs. It's quite strong smelling, but then again if you didn't like the smell of roses would you be buying a product called Baume De ROSE? I think not.
So what does By Terry say about it?
"Our signature formula is now a cult favourite the world over. Unparalleled in its velvety richness, Baume de Rose is considered the 'Rolls-Royce' of lip balms. With its delicate, rose-scented fragrance and decadent texture, the balm leaves a subtle, non-sticky shine. In an instant, lips are transformed with long-lasting smoothness and a plumped-up appearance."
Apparently, this can also be used on nail cuticles. Win!
Space NK say:
"With the sweet scent of rose, By Terry Baume de Rose Lip Care is formulated from rose flower wax, pastel oil and nourishing shea butter, and fortified with vitamin E to offer protection against the elements and environment.
Smooth onto lips or massage into cuticles for instant moisture and enjoy the regenerative properties of this unique complex.
Key Benefits:
Multifunctional balm—can be used on lips and cuticles
Soothes and protects
Fortified with healing vitamin E
Provides instant moisture and regenerative properties"
So how did I find it? The texture itself is NOT what I would call "velvety", but I would agree with the "rich" part! It's actually very thick, creamy, bordering on sticky for me... I used my fingers as advised to put it on, and I found immediately that a weird sticky film was left on the lips. Not good! I then went on with a thicker coating. I had much better success with this, and found my lips to feel very protected, hydrated and plump. They looked nice, too - not too shiny, with a very faint, subtle pink sheen.
As time went on and the lip balm wore off, I did find my lips starting to feel really sticky again - I had to put more on to get rid of the horrid feeling. It's also actually quite difficult to get off! I tried to remove the thin, worn layer in order to replace it with a lovely new thick fresh layer, and found the tissue paper got stuck to my lips! If felt like a proper face wipe or wet flannel would have to be used to remove it properly.
SO what are my overall thoughts? Well, I wouldn't buy it again if I'm honest. £39 is EXTORTIONATE for a lip balm unless it's driving your car for you and paying your taxes. I just can't justify this price point for something that is pretty, yes, but actually a bit sticky and annoying to apply. It smells beautiful, the packaging is lovely, and it's filled with some great ingredients - but I don't think it's any better than a lot of cheaper lip balms I've tried. Perhaps the worth of this product is shown after many weeks of use rather than a couple of days - so I'll continue to use it and see what happens! Melissa x