I am one of those people who is always applying lip balm, part habit (a good one) and part I don't want my lips to look or feel dry because it isn't a good look. If you think about it, your lips do so many things be it eating, talking, kissing and so on. One of the first things people look at when you meet them is your face and there is nothing worse than having dry flaking lips - as someone who suffers with coldsores, having dry lips is just not nice. So I do everything I can to prevent this - scrub, balm etc...the newest addition comes from ARK Skincare with the Plumping Lip Cream.
Ark Skincare is no stranger to my blog, in recent years I have featured them a few times, the last product being the Age Defend Regenerating Night Treatment. If you haven' come across ARK Skincare before, their formulations are split into three age intelligent families within the range; the first is age protect which is for teens & 20s; then we have age defend which is for those in their 30s & 40s and finally we have age defy which is for those who are over 50. These ranges are supported by skin perfectors which are highly effective treatment products to target any specific skin concerns, and skin essentials which are chosen according to lifestyle.
The Plumping Lip Cream, which is packaged inside a glass bottle, helpfully features a a pump applicator, is described as being an intensive treatment cream that hydrates, firms and protects the entire lip area for smoother lips with reduced vertical lines. I am at the age where the lines are going to appear any day now, so anything that helps is a bonus.
The Cream, which is enriched with clinically proven plumping Peptides which visibly increase lip volume through intense hydration, Macadamia Lipids which help to restore the skin’s hydrolipidic, promoting softness and preventing dryness and Allantoin which works to deeply moisturise and soothe sensitive lips.
The cream itself is a fairly thick texture, so you need the smallest amount to cover both lips. You can use it as a primer which is great before applying lipstick, especially if your lips are feeling dehydrated. For a more intensive treatment, this lip cream can be applied to your lips before bed and left to work its magic overnight.
As well as using on the lips, you can also use it around the lips too, this is something I do as my last skincare action before bed. I have always applied a balm of sorts to my lips. I just swapped a balm for this cream.
What I love about this cream is just how easy it is to apply. It isn't sticky, tacky or greasy, once applied you don't even know it is there, which for a fairly thick textured cream is really quite good. I can't currently say whether or not it lives up to its claims on fine lines around the mouth as I don't have any, but on the lips, it does an incredible job at moisturising and hydrating the skin on my lips.