Product Review: No7 Protect & Perfect Lipcare

It's been warm in London recently and the air conditioning in our office has been on full whack all day. As I have the circulatory system of a fully-grown ox, I am totally down with having it set at 19 degrees all day, but it does play absolute havoc with sensitive skin. The important thing is to moisturise CONSTANTLY. Keep it on your desk or leave it in the bogs so you get into the habit of using it after washing your hands. A few years ago when I was a student, I got a job over Christmas at the local cinema. Because it was indoors and windowless, it was climate-controlled like a bitch. Every 45 minutes I ran to the loos to slather myself in Lush's Dream Cream and, unbeknownst to me, got a reputation as the most lubricious cinema minion in the building (!) But at least my skin was soft and not cracked and sore, which it would have been had I not been so obsessive over it.

I digress. What I am really getting it as that we often moisturise our hands but we often don't start moisturising our lips until they start to feel sore. If this is you, no NO NO - you are doing it wrong. If you protect your lips before they start to chap then you won't have to put up with unsightly smackers and the indignity of having to use a straw to keep your lips dry.Unfortunately, I didn't listen to my own advice and waited until my lips were really sore to reach for the No7 Protect & Perfect Lipcare.

Packaging
There really is no truly germ-proof way to practically package lip products, but the broad squeeze-action applicator can at least be wiped down with a wet wipe if it gets a bit grim.

No7 Protect & Perfect Lipcare, £7.99 from Boots

Application

This lip balm went on thick and greasy and wouldn't absorb into the skin. I suspect this is because it contains petroleum jelly, which is the devil in the form of pore-clogging slime. I can't be 100% sure because No7 has done a very good job of hiding the ingredients from me online and I no longer have the box, but it had the same sort of effect on me as Vaseline except it tasted a little bit like cocoa butter, i.e. something you shouldn't be putting near your mouth. 

Performance

Half an hour later my lips weren't chapped but felt incredibly sore and still greasy. I would have mugged an old lady for her Lush Honey Trap if there had been one available, but clearly these octogenarians are sly wenches when it comes to hiding their lip balm from me. 

The Bottom Line

The thing is, this product has had great reviews on Boots.com and independent make-up review sites, so clearly its poor performance must be something to do with my poor, over-reactive and angry skin. I'm not that bothered though, because at £7.99 a pop, No7 Protect & Perfect Lipcare is bloody expensive for a lip salve. 

Recommended for anyone who wants to spend nearly eight quid on what is effectively Vaseline. 

Rating: 0.5/10