Saturday, April 17, 2010

Smith's Rosebud Salve

I purchased the Rosebud Salve trio kit from Sephora back in January or February for $16 -which is a good deal considering that you save $4 if you buy each individually. (Rosebud Salve is $6 purchased individually. The Strawberry and Minted Rose balms are $7 each.) The kit includes the original Rosebud Salve, Strawberry Lip Balm, and Minted Rose Lip Balm. The picture only shows Rosebud Salve and Minted Rose Balm (I left the Strawberry in my luggage which was at my cousin's house at the time!) Click the link to see what all the balms look like. However, I'll only be doing an indepth review on the Rosebud Salve. I opened the Strawberry balm and tried it for a few days but didn't like it. I used the Rosebud Salve for over 2 months so I can do a way more detailed review on that. I didn't open the Minted Rose Balm -will pass that on since I did not like the other 2 so I have not had any experience using that one. Anyways, here we go..

The Packaging: I like the vintage feel of the tin that the Rosebud Salve comes in. What I don't like is that it's pretty unsanitary having to dip my finger into the stuff everytime I want to apply it since this is going onto my lips. That means that when I'm out and about, I have to break out the hand sanitizer everytime I want to use this -which can be a hassle.

The Product: I tested this for over 2 months straight so I did get to really see how this wore on my lips. At first, I was totally addicted to this stuff. This contains a "petrolatum" base -same thing as petroleum jelly (Vaseline!) I hate Vaseline on my lips which is reason why I just usually steer clear of any products that contain petroleum. I still wanted to give this a try though because I've heard so many good things.
The texture is "jelly" like and the smell isn't overly strong -just a light "rose" scent. I only wore it on my lips. When I tried to wear it on other places (like rashes), it felt too greasy and uncomfortable since it would rub against my clothes. On the lips, the Salve gave instant moisture. I have extremely dry lips -especially in the Winter and early Spring season so this was pretty much the ultimate test. I liked that immediately after I applied it, there would be no signs of flakiness on my lips. My lips would look super smooth and full with a glossy finish. I couldn't feel or see any dryness. (However, when I wore it on my dry lips with lipstick over, I could still see the original dry state of my lips. With just gloss, I could see no dryness whatsoever.) It gave me that "instant relief" so I was addicted -that's why I wore it for so long.
What I noticed though was that finally after nearly 2 months, my lips were really addicted to this stuff -not in a good way. My lips became dependent on the Salve. I think a good lip balm/treatment should cure your lips. This basically made the dryness go away for those brief couple of hours but in the longrun, my lips actually became drier (or dryer?) My lips became so dependent on this stuff that when I didn't use it, my lips were drier than before I started my Rosebud Salve "regimen." I found myself having to constantly reach for this (about every 2 hours) just to keep my lips moist. If I didn't reaply it, my lips would become ridiculously dried up.
Compared to Vaseline, I do think it feels different although others may disagree. This doesn't feel like Vaseline to me. It feels smoother and more "buttery" and comfortable on the lips. I can't stand Vaseline on my lips -it's sticky and waxy. This isn't.
The Color: The color a tinted peachy rosy color -on the lips is one step away from clear but I guess it still gives a nice tint. I usually wore lip gloss on top though.

Overall: I won't be repurchasing this for obvious reasons -it doesn't help my lips at all in the longrun. I do carry it in my purse still for "emergencies" when I absolutely need a quick moisture boost but it's not good for my lips in the longrun whatsoever. It's like giving me false wonderful results that are actually terrible with longterm use. I'll continue to stick with my Jack Black balm which gives me good instant and long term benefits. I'm still searching for something that can totally cure my dry lips once and for all though.

For those who wanted to know about the Strawberry Balm..
I did try this for a few days but didn't like it at all. Unlike the Rosebud Salve, this did not even give my lips some "brief, instant moisture." The texture was also a lot more stiff than the jelly-like Rosebud Salve. After a few days of no "instant" or "over time" benefits, I just stopped using it. I think the Rosebud Salve is a lot better (but not the best lip treatment out there.)

5 comments:

  1. I've always seen these at Sephora. Thanks for the review! I can save some money and try something else.

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  2. Great review, once again : ). I bought this a couple years ago but never repurchased after it EXPLODED in the glove of my car, lol. I have since fallen in love with Carmex and never looked back!

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  4. @ NaturalChicMakeup.. Yea I'd def skip these.. but hey, they might work for you. Something I'd 100% absolutely recommend though are Jack Black Intense Therapy Balms. They come in a tube so they're more sanitary plus they have SPF! =)

    @ TheStartSteam.. Thanks! So sorry it exploded on you. That's no fun. =( Glad you're liking Carmex though -it didn't work out for me but I'm tempted to give it another shot now.

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  5. I can tell you that nothing can cure your lips. I would suggest exfoliating also which will help but if you want to cure your lips youd have to have something that lasts forever which won't happen sorry. I have the Strawberry but am going to purchase this one or the minted rose soon. (Next Mall Haul) It isn't terribly priced and My eos lip balm felt less sanitary to me because it always got dirt in it.Also, it lasts a long time on my lips. I use it around the day and I use an Avon one, one of my 4, at night. If you use a non-greasy lipstick, it slices right through it to your lips to moisturize. It works well for lip stains to so I have no clue what youre talking about but it's not true.

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