A couple of months ago, I went to Hull with Martin and his family and ended up doing a bit of shopping. I decided to pop into Lush for a browse, as their Christmas products had just arrived in store and this particular store didn't seem to have such a potent scent as the Leeds one! Does anyone else get a headache when they go into Lush stores? I'm sure it's not just me, the scents can be so overpowering sometimes and it really does put me off visiting the stores. That aside, I managed to get a good look at everything they had to offer and at the back of the shop I spotted this - Santa's Lip Scrub.

This product is fairly self explanatory - it's a sugar-based scrub that you use to help exfoliate and smooth your lips. You can then apply some lip balm or something like a lipstick and in theory, it will help that product apply better. I have never had a lip scrub before; I did once try and make one myself but it didn't work out particularly well and tasted pretty weird to boot. I was ecstatic then to find that this lip scrub from Lush was cola flavoured! I love cola and in particular fizzy cola sweets so this sounded right up my street. Formulated with coconut oil with extracts of cherries and dates, this not only tastes good but smells good as well - pretty much exactly like cola cube sweets!


What surprised me was just how bright the lip scrub is - it's is an almost neon red and therefore looks very messy indeed when you're applying it to your lips! However, despite it's alarming shade it doesn't stain the lips and the surrounding skin at all; something I have to admit did concern me when I first saw it. When I opened the little tub I was surprised to find some little hearts on the surface. These apparently are edible but when I tried the scrub for the first few times, they were a nuisance more than anything. They seemed to cling to any available surface (Including my teeth - too much information perhaps?) and certainly didn't seem edible to me - they were rock hard and felt like bits of plastic! Therefore, they seemed like a bit of a waste and I would have preferred for them not to be in there at all to be quite honest.


I apply this to my lips using a finger, and then try and scrub my lips gently. This is easier said than done - as soon as you start scrubbing, bits of scrub start to fall off! I try and stand over a bin or a sink to catch all these bits. It does feel a bit drier than I was expecting; I knew it was going to be messy but I wasn't expecting bits to come off my lips so easily. After about a minute or so of scrubbing I either lick or wipe it off with some tissue and water. Licking it off is actually quite gross when you think about it, because you're basically eating your own dead skin - mhmm! However, it is more convenient to do that, so needs must. As for smoothing my lips, this did a pretty good job but didn't manage to get rid of all of the flakes, and my lips still felt a bit chapped afterwards. I do think that this product should be used as a prevention rather than a cure, but if it is to be used as the latter then you need to use it in conjunction with a good, petrolatum-free lip balm to keep chapped lips at bay.

Final verdict: A good product for keeping dry, chapped lips at bay but it needs to have a little more moisture. As you may have seen in my 'Christmas Stocking Stuffers' post this would make a great little gift for anyone who struggles with their lips during the winter - men included!

Lush Santa's Lip Scrub is available online or in store for £5.50.