Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm, $30/.17 oz @ Barneys, beauty.com, dermstore.com, beautyhabit.com

My luxury lip balm experiments have been highly unsuccessful (I'm looking at you By Terry...and you In Fiore!!!). And until now I haven't been convinced that any luxury balms were going to be as good as my trusty Aquaphor. But...enter Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm!!!

I really enjoy the simple, stark black and white packaging...reflective of the product bottles and tubes. And then...

...you get the pretty-in-pink surprise!!! Feminine and completely lovable!!

The clear lucite compact is a fresh take on traditional pots and small tins...something about it makes me a little giddy and I find it a joy to pull out and apply! It feels really soothing - I've been applying this at night instead of Aquaphor, and I wake up with a soft, happy lips :-)

Occasionally I would get small, clogged pores around my mouth from using Aquaphor every night. Then I'd switch to something else that I liked less until it went away. I've been using the Rodin balm consistently for about 6 weeks...I no longer get the small clogs...and the ones I did have went away. Yay! 

This sheer pink color enhances my natural lip color beautifully and has teeny bits of pink sparkle. The sparkle isn't obvious or obnoxious - it's just enough to give your lips a bit of shine instead of leaving them flat/matte as some other balms do. I really love how this makes my lips look...natural, but better, but not lip-glossy-shiny...simply perky and fresh!!!

I would prefer this to be in a tube...I don't think the texture lends itself to being in a stick form, but a squeeze tube would work. I'm going to be hopeful and keep my fingers crossed! And since I mentioned the texture...here it is...

Since this balm is mainly oils and shea butter, it is solid in form but melts on contact. You have to move your finger around a bit to warm it up and to be able to get enough to apply to your lips. 

When melted the consistency is a bit thin - nothing thick or hearty like a traditional balm or lip butter. Imagine running your finger over a cold stick of butter to warm it up, and then trying to apply that to your lips. Weird imagery - sorry!! - but that's pretty much the consistency (okay it's a little thicker than that, but not much). For this reason it takes several finger-balm-lips cycles to feel as though I have enough on my lips. More time consuming than traditional application, and slightly annoying. I find it quicker and easier to scrape a little with a plastic spatula and then rub it in with my finger.

And the wear time isn't that long...maybe a couple of hours during the day when you are talking and such, though it does last through the night. Fussy application and wear time are the reasons why I have been sticking to wearing this at night.

Despite the application and wear time, I adore this little gem and am so happy I took the plunge!!! You know how some products just get to you? Well this one gets to me and I absolutely love it :-)  I've been on the lookout for a good Beauty.com GWP so I can repurchase...and repurchase I will!!!

Rodin Olio Lusso Lip Balm ingredients:

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Jasminum Officinale (Jasmine) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Oil, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Extract, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI77891), CI 75470, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene, Linalool, Farnesol, Geraniol