As part of its new Honeymania range, The Body Shop recently introduced this Honeymania lip balm.

The Body Shop describes this lip balm as “luxuriously sweet with Community Fair Trade honey made from the nectar of wildflowers. It has a sweet, floral scent and leaves lips feeling kissably soft.”  I love a good, moisturizing lip product, so I decided to give this one a shot.

I’ve tried a few Body Shop lip butters in the past and had problems with them being greasy not lasting very long I’m happy to report that I didn’t have any such problem with the Honeymania lip balm.  I think the most important distinction between this and a lot of Body Shop’s other lip products is that this is truly a balm and not a butter.

As you can see, the Honeymania lip balm is a honey-colored, semi-translucent wax. In contrast, most of the other Body Shop’s lip products are opaque, white or cream colored butters.  After comparing the ingredients of the Honeymania lip balm to some of their other lip products, I found that most of the lip butters are comprised mostly of shea butter, whereas this one is mostly made of beeswax.

Shea butter is better for a quick shot of moisture (but prepare for a bit of a grease slick on the lips), and beeswax is superior when it comes to longer lasting moisture and protection.  The beeswax acts as a protective barrier, sealing every bit of moisture in and keeping cold, drying air out.

I really like this lip balm! I’ve been carrying it with me everywhere and swiping it on if my lips feel dry or it gets a bit windy outside. The scent is very sweet and light, very soft and subtle.  I’m looking forward to trying out some more products in the Honeymania range. I really do love soft and sweet scents. It looks like I’m in luck, too, because this scent is also available as an Eau de Toilette!

The Honeymania Lip Balm is available at The Body Shop for $6. Doesn’t everything in this line look absolutely lush? I just love the melting honeycomb imagery. Oh, and how about this Honeymania Cream Body Scrub? Mmmm…

The Basics

Sleeping packs are wildly popular in  Asia, but are just breaking into the North American skincare scene. While formulations vary from brand to brand, they are typically masks that are applied to the face before bed at night that aim to protect, nourish, and hydrate the skin while you’re asleep. In the morning, most masks are meant to be washed off before applying the rest of your morning skincare.  Laneige claims the Water Sleeping Pack EX provides “intensive hydration, vitality, and brightening effect while restoring skin with deep relaxation”.

This sleeping pack also contains what Laneige calls “Sleepscent”.  The essential oils used to scent the product are meant to help you relax and ease into a restful sleep.  Specifically, orange flower, rose, ylang ylang, and sandalwood. I found the sleeping pack to have a moderately strong soapy, floral scent.

Like the rest of Laneige’s product line, the Water Sleeping Pack EX’s packaging is sleek and simple. The moisturizing mask comes in a sturdy, plastic jar and is also bundled with a small spatula to aid in application if you would rather not use your fingers to apply the product.

The sleeping pack itself is a icy blue colored gel cream.  In the tub, the gel cream looks fairly thick, but once on the skin it becomes quite watery and slippery in consistency.

The Ingredients

There were several ingredients in this sleeping pack that caught my eye.

Camelia Sinensis Leaf Extract– also known as green tea, known for it’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.   Prevents the breakdown of collagen in the skin and reduces UV inflammation.

Beta-glucan– found in oats, barley, and mushrooms, beta-glucan has been found to speed wound healing while providing moisture to the skin.

Trehalose– by replacing the water in skin tissue, trehalose helps skin to retain its moisture as well as stabilizing internal cell structures.

Himalayan Snow Water is touted as this sleeping pack’s star ingredient, but I wasn’t able to find any information about its supposed skin benefits.

The Review

As I mentioned earlier, the sleeping pack looks somewhat thick in the container, but once you apply it to your skin, it becomes very watery and thin, melting almost instantly. The gel feels cool and refreshing on the face and for me, completely absorbs approximately 10 minutes after application.  Once I’ve applied the sleeping pack, my skin feels slightly tacky to the touch, but not at all sticky enough to warrant concern while I’m sleeping.  I really enjoy the Sleepscent and find it especially calming after a long day. The fragrance is strongest immediately after application and then slowly fades until it completely dissipates 30 to 45 minutes later.

I applied this sleeping pack as the final step in my nightly skincare routine, lightly patting it in with my fingers.  When I woke up in the morning, I can’t say I saw much of a difference in my skin. It looked and felt normal.  As someone with moderately dry skin, I was really hoping the Water Sleeping Pack would help add some moisture to my skin while I slept, but my skin felt no different than normal and I still had to apply my morning moisturizer as usual.  I don’t really feel as if this product did anything for me – good or bad. Many claim this as their “holy grail”, but I can certainly live without it and most likely will. This sleeping pack would probably better suit those who have combination to normal skin that doesn’t need as much moisture.

Pros

+ Beautiful packaging that would look great on any bathroom counter

+ Relaxing fragrance that fades over time

+ Pleasant gel-like texture

Cons

– May not be suitable for those with very dry skin

– Doesn’t seem to protect skin from drying effects of heater/aircon

This sleeping pack is definitely worth checking out if you have combination-normal skin without intense moisture needs. The scent is lovely and the texture is soothing and relaxing before bedtime.

Where to Buy

If you’re interested in purchasing the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX, you can find it here:

Cosme-De has it available for $29 with free shipping. They are also currently offering $5 off when you register with them, bringing the total cost down to $24, but it looks like there’s a minimum purchase of $60.

Amazon has is for $23 and it’s eligible for free shipping with purchases greater than $35. Check it out!