I received this in a beauty box and had never heard of Carol Priest before but was excited to give it a go as I am both a lip product fiend as well as a lover of all things cherry flavoured.
The packaging is handy, the black and white tube simple but nice and the tip of the tube is slanted making it easy to apply straight to the lips.
This has a nice cherry scent to it with a pink tinge that doesn't tint your lips. I really dislike the texture of the balm though, I have no idea what does it but it feels like it has rough grainy bits in it which is really off-putting.
On the lips I found it felt oily, and while it momentarily hydrated my lips it wasn't long before they felt dry again.
I really dislike this lip balm and it's sat in the back of a draw since last year as I just don't want to use it, and wouldn't recommend to others. I also think the price is a bit on the expensive side for a lip balm.
This lip balm is New Zealand made, 100% Natural Origin and 99% Certified Organic and was a product that I was really keen to try.
Their website states that: "This intensive lip care balm infused with natural botanicals, hydrates and repairs dry, damaged lips with a powerful blend of antioxidants and nutrients", while the tube advises that it's "Free from artificial fragrances, colours, synthetic preservatives, alcohol and mineral oils. Not tested on animals. Please use within 6 months of opening. Patch test before use. Store in a cool place."
With all that said, I expected this organic lip balm to be utterly amazing! Unfortunately, it was a huge let-down.
The light pink balm comes in a white plastic squeeze tube with an angled tip, which makes on-the-go application easy and fuss-free, but the formula is so thick that it's really difficult squeeze out of the tube. I really expected the lip balm to smell like cherries but it reminds me more of Christmas cake as it smells just like marzipan! It's not a bad smell, just very unusual for a lip balm.
When applied, the balm has a rather unpleasant gritty feel, although once it warmed up on the lips it becomes quite liquid and thin. It isn't long-lasting at all and needs to be reapplied frequently and it's not very moisturising either. Even while wearing the balm, my lips still felt dry.
Would I purchase it again or recommend it? I don't think so. The 10ml tube is not exactly value for money (probably because it's "certified organic"), although this would actually be a nice product if the lip balm didn't feel so gritty, was actually moisturising and stayed on for longer. However, with the current formula, I won't be purchasing another tube or recommending it to anyone.
Tips: Try rolling the tube between your palms to warm it up slightly, it makes squeezing it out the tube a little easier.