ELF Exfoliating Lip Scrub Review

As we've established by now, I'm a sucker for lip products. And I'm not the only one, right? But what good are they if your lips are dry, chapped, and flaky? Your lip colors won't apply evenly, and it will look terrible. Sure, there are some great moisturizing balms out there, but sometimes they're just not enough. What is a girl (or guy!) to do?  Well, fear not, with just a little effort, you can have the softest, most kissable lips around. Here are some helpful tips on getting awesome lips:

• What is internal shows up on the external. That means what you eat and drink will affect your appearance, not to mention how you feel. Did you know that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated? If you're not sure, keep a food diary for a day or two. Not much water in your diet? Good news is that it's 100% treatable and preventable. How much should you drink? Personally, I find a good rule of thumb to be to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. So, if you're 130 pounds, divide that in half (65) and drink that number of ounces in water. So 65 ounces. That's a bit less than 4 standard bottles of water per day. How does this help your lips? If you aren't getting enough water, then there isn't enough to go around. Your lips and skin will suffer. So drink that water!

• Have a side of lemon with your water. If you find water a bit dull, squeeze some lemon into your glass. Make sure the lemon is room temp and the water is cool, not cold. Lemon water is said to help flush the body of toxins. Less toxins equals less crud which means looking and feeling better. As an added bonus, lemons are alkalizing and will help restore your natural PH balance, which will have your body working and looking its best.

• Exfoliate your lips! Just like the rest of your body, your lips will shed dead skin. Remove it by gently exfoliating the surface of your lips. A great product for this is ELF's lip scrub. Used correctly, it will help remove dead skin and moisturize your lips. See the review and how-to below.

• SPF! Use a lip balm with SPF in it everyday. Your lips are very sensitive andthey will quickly show signs of damage and aging if you don't protect them from the elements. 

As mentioned, ELF's exfoliating lip scrub is a great product. For $3, it's hard to beat. 5 out of 5 stars from me! There are some tips on how to use it. Here's what to do:

Remove any lip products you may have on.

If you're using a brand new tube of this product, take a tissue and rub off the top layer until you reach the sandy-feeling part.

Rub the surface of your lips with the product in small circular motions, focusing on the dry areas. Only roll up a small quantity of the product, so you won't accidentally break the stick of product off. Exfoliate for about a minute, or until you're satisfied. 

Leave the scrub on! The scrub has a lot of moisturizing as well as exfoliating ingredients. Leave it your lips for at least 10 minutes, then wipe off. At night, I allow it to stay on my lips until it has almost completely absorbed, sans the exfoliating beads.

Lastly, apply a good lip balm. I recommend any of the EOS balms.

Ok, now a bit more about the product. I only have one semi-negative thing to say about it. When starting to use a new tube, the top layer is made up of just the moisturizing ingredients. After removing the top layer, the exfoliating beads can then be reached, but it does take a little work, and I feel like some of the product goes to waste. With that said, other than that, I love this product! I usually use it morning & night and my lips are awesome because of it. The scrub does its job, but doesn't hurt. The moisturizing balm that coats your lips while scrubbing doesn't burn, it soothes and moisturizes, plus it smells and tastes sweet. There isn't anything I don't like about this product, and for $3, why not give it a go?

Follow my advice, and your lips will thank you. :-)