Lip Balms: EOS vs. Balmi

Hey there!

So today's post is going to be a comparison, recently I was given an EOS lip balm by a family member and I loved it straight away! It fast became my favourite lip balm and I was using it very quickly. I then began to wonder if there were and English equivalents and saw a 'SprinkleofGlitter' Drugstore beauty haul video on YouTube that she mentioned 'Balmi' in. It from watching that video that I decided to go and buy some! I ended up buying the mint and raspberry ones and both are great, however I'm not sure if they live up to the EOS one or not!

For those of you who are not familiar with either brand, EOS is mostly found in America but can be brought in 'Selfridges' (a big UK department store chain) and also on 'Amazon' or 'Ebay'. EOS stands for 'Evolution of Smooth' and also sells hand and body lotion and shaving creams. (You can find their website: here) 

Balmi is a more recent brand but they originally designed their packaging to be very similar to that of EOS and therefore had to change it to be the cube shape it is today. Their website is here but I am guessing it is not quite finished yet because many of the different tabs do not work and they only have the 4 flavours of lip balm as their only products. Although I do like both products they each have their own pros and cons. 

~Balmi~

Ok, so Balmi is up first and I have to say that it is an excellent brand and it must be very difficult to try to engineer a new lip product that already has an overflowing sector of the market and also when the EOS lip balms already exist and are very similar to your design.

Pros
Some of the pros of Balmi include that it is very easy to apply, it's conical shape makes it very easy to glide on and be quite precise. It also has a very silky feel once it is on your lips but doesn't feel too heavy and also isn't sticky. 

It also comes in very cool packaging (I wish I'd had the thought to take a picture before I took it out but alas, I forgot) the actual cube is also very nice to hold and is made from a 'soft' plastic. It doesn't feel really more smooth but has more of a 'rubbery-ish' texture.

Although there are pros there are also characteristics that I cannot decide whether or not they are good or bad. The smell is one of these for me, personally I find that the raspberry Balmi has a very strong smell and although it is quite pleasant it can be very sickly and overpowering (it smells like a raspberry maoam sweet for me, if you're from the UK you will probably know the smell I mean). However, I do love the smell of the mint one, the only fault I can find with it is that once it has been applied it makes your lips very cold around the edges and slightly numb and I'm not sure if this happens to anyone else but I can't decide whether or not I like the feeling. *I have since researched this and turns out it does happen to other people* The actual lip balm, I find, doesn't last as long as you would like  but when it is on it is very smoothing and nice.

Cons
I do like these products but they also come with their faults. For example; the actual design of the cube is quite bulky and is slightly less portable than a traditional 'Chapstick' or a Maybeline 'baby lips'. However, I think it completely makes up for this in the appearance and the feel. 

The only other con I can think of is the one revolving around the method of opening the cube because it is not just a regular twist top. The way you open it is you twist slightly and then pull up as there is a little plastic slot for a tiny chip to fit into and that was totally not what I was expecting at all! Overall, it isn't too bad but can be quite fiddly.

Another con could be that there are only 4 flavours so far (raspberry, coconut, mint and strawberry) which does limit the market to people who like those flavors.

~EOS~

EOS, I think, is a very good brand. It is well known and used by many beauty and fashion bloggers and is, overall, quite trusted. The flavour that I have is the 'summer fruit' one and it is lovely!

Pros
I found quite a few pros for the EOS lip balm and most of them are key selling points for it. I like the experience that my senses receive from it. It smells gorgeous and is not overpowering at all! Another thing you would not really expect to like is the taste, it has a very sweet taste that is nothing like that of Balmi (which just tastes a bit like Vaseline to me!) and I have to stop myself from licking my lips when I wear it! In fact, it tastes a little like sugar and I absolutely LOVE the smell and taste! Both of those factors completely sell it for me!

The overall feel of the product is also a good one! It is very smooth and nourishing when it is on but is not waxy or heavy at all! It also lasts quite a long period of time, I can apply some in the morning and it will last until around lunch which is when it comes off when I eat or drink!

You would think that with the spherical shape of the actual balm it would be difficult to apply but it is quite surprising that it isn't at all! It is very easy to apply and you can still be very precise with it!

The composition of the balm is also very 'allergy-friendly', people with gluten, petroleum or phthalate allergies  can use it without worry which increases the available target market.

There is also a very wide range of flavours at EOS; Lemon drop with SPF 15, Medicated tangerine, Sweet mint, Summer fruit, Blueberry acai, Strawberry sorbet, Honeysuckle honeydew, Pomegranate raspberry and then the slightly newer ones of; Vanilla mint and Coconut milk. There has also been many previous flavours and limited edition ones.

Unlike the Balmi packaging, it is very easy to open, with a standard screw top and the outer packaging is also very cool and 'trendy'. (again, I wish I had taken a picture!)

Cons
It was quite hard to find fault in the EOS lip balm because I did like it a lot but I guess there are 2 main points. Like the Balmi packaging, the sphere is quite bulky and isn't very portable which is difficult if you want to take it with you on a night or day out and you are only taking a clutch bag! 

The other con is the pricing, however, there is reason for it being slightly more expensive in the fact that better materials and ingredients are used which means you get a very good product for a not unreasonable price tag.

Overall, I still can't decide which product is my all-time favourite and I don't think I ever will be able to! They each have their own unique selling points and are quite difficult to compare, despite them being very similar products!

I think that I am going to make the most of the amazing weather here and prepare a take pictures in the sun for future posts! I hope you guys all enjoy whats left of your weekends! :) 

Until next time

-G-

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