No, Seriously: This Balm Is Magic
For Vogue, Kehlani revealed her no-makeup makeup routine and I’m still here for it. Clearly, the girl-crush is super real. One product that had me at hello: the Honest Beauty Magic Beauty Balm. I quickly fact-checked - it’s cheap and has hundreds of 5-star reviews. SOLD! I tried it (honestly, everywhere) for myself.
What’s in it?
Is it really clean though? The first ingredient listed is Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, which comes from the common sunflower. The next ingredient is Olea Europaea Fruit Oil, which literally means “European olive.” The third ingredient, Beeswax (Cera Alba), is a natural wax produced by honeybees. The following ingredients include coconut oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil. All of these primary ingredients listed are organic. The inorganic ingredients are: Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Kaolin (type of clay found in nature) and Iron Oxides (CI 77491) (red cosmetic colorant of mineral origin and UV filter). Overall, this is a worthy ingredient panel in my book.
Multipurpose: lips + cheeks + eyes
This is a buildable balm so you can use as much or as little as you want, wherever you want. I used it on my cheeks for a dewy highlight, on my lips like chapstick and on my eye lids for a shine. I don’t like to use the same product on my lips that I’m using on my face - it’s unnatural to me. But this balm works - it doesn’t have an off-putting taste or smell. However, it did nothing for my eyelids. They felt kind of sticky so I had to remove it. I even used it for pesky baby hairs around my hairline and to tame my unruly eyebrow hair. I know - I basically used it as an overall moisturizer. I’m not ashamed. Also, it’s small and portable enough to fit into my pockets as any proclaimed lip balm should be.
Moisturizes and softens
It claims to have 8 hours of locked-in moisture. Although it did provide a hint of moisture and hydration, it lasted less than 8 hours on me due to the lightweight nature of the formula. It’s more like 3 hours of moisture. It works well with dry skin in smaller areas, especially the sensitive areas around my nostrils (like when I use table napkins to blow my nose instead of soft tissues…every time) and ashy cuticles around my nail beds. I love that the formula has natural botanical oils in it so I can use it more liberally. It’s the most affordable magic bang for your buck! Though I wonder if it’ll do anything for my dry elbow skin. That’d be real magic. Stay tuned!
By Asna E.Shah