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Thursday, February 20, 2014

My Holy Grail Lip Balms: Osmia Honey-Myrrh Lip Repair & Nuxe Rêve de Miel

In truth, I originally planned this post to be a strict comparison between two fantastic honey lip balms, with one clear winner emerging at the end. But I can't do it, you guys - I just love them both, and nobody wants to be forced to pick their favorite child lip treatment. Still, would you like to hear my thoughts on these bedtime staples and why you need them in your life? Yeah, I thought so.
Osmia Organics Honey-Myrrh Lip Repair* ($22 for 0.28 oz) contains beeswax, cocoa butter, Vitamin E oil, manuka honey, as well as myrrh and bergamot essential oils to heal dry and cracked lips within one to two days. The balm also contains lanolin to help it stay on your lips overnight. Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm ($19 for 0.52 oz/ 15 g) is a concentrated formula to nourish and repair chapped and dry lips, and contains beeswax, shea butter, sweet almond, rosehip and Vitamin E oils, honey as well as grapefruit and lemon essential oils.
As you can see, both of these lip treatments contain beeswax, Vitamin E oil and honey (which hydrates dry lips beautifully on its own - you need to try it!), plant oils and butters, as well as essential oils; essentialy, the ingredients for both are very similar. Osmia's Lip Repair contains 79% certified organic ingredients, while Nuxe Rêve de Miel contains 80.2% ingredients of natural origin.
In terms of texture, Osmia Honey-Myrrh Lip Repair is more solid (you need to break the hard surface with your fingernail - I actually use my nail to scoop out the right amount of both of these balms) but thinner and more oily once warmed up on the skin. Nuxe Rêve de Miel is softer in the jar, but thicker and more waxy on the lips. Osmia's balm feels very smooth and quite light on the lips and gives a slight sheen, while Nuxe has an almost grainy, heavier consistency and a matte finish. I like the feel of both of them equally for different reasons. Both lip treatments stay on the lips overnight (I can still feel some in the morning), but Nuxe is probably a touch more tenacious - it can even withstand drinking and a small breakfast. The smell of Osmia's Lip Repair is resinous with a touch of citrus, while Nuxe's scent reminds me the most of candied orange peel with a touch of honey.
In terms of effectivess, both Nuxe and Osmia are fantastic at nourishing and hydrating very dry, peeling lips - which I get on a daily basis, so an intense lip balm like these is an absolute must in my night skincare routine, and I always keep one on my bedside table. The similarity of end result is in fact the reason why I can't choose a favorite; while you might nit-pick over packaging, texture, scent, organic versus natural ingredients, in the end those factors are simply a matter of individual preference - but the effectiveness of product is what matters most to all of us.
Lastly, let me touch on the price point and availability of both products. In terms of price per ounce, Osmia's Lip Repair works out to be roughly twice as expensive as Nuxe's already pricey balm. Osmia Organics products are also only available online through their website, while Nuxe products are offered by a number of etailers, as well as in some drugstores (Duane Reade Look Boutiques in New York, for example). Osmia's product are handmade in Colorado with high quality natural and organic ingredients, while Nuxe's are made in France with a touch more lab-derived fillers. So yes, it's cheaper and easier to get the Nuxe Rêve de Miel... but I really like my Osmia (support small businesses!), so I'll probably just end up rotating purchases of both.

Have you tried Osmia Organics Lip Repair or Nuxe Rêve de Miel? Which lip treatment is your Holy Grail?

*Disclaimer: Osmia Honey-Myrrh Lip Repair is a press sample I received directly from the brand for review consideration, and I purchased Nuxe Rêve de Miel lip balm myself. All opinions are 100% honest and unbiased, no matter if the products featured were purchased with my own monies or provided as a free press sample. All links are non-affiliate and simply provided for your convenience. Thank you for reading!

13 comments:

  1. Hey Monika, gah I really need to try Osmia! Some of my bloggy pals seem to be really taken with the brand, and now I am just so, so tempted! I am still trying to wait for the brand to be available on UK-based sites though. They do ship internationally, but they also say that once the parcel leaves the US, they are no longer responsible for it. That scares me a little...

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    1. I hear you, Sunny! I remember being so frustrated when I lived in Poland that I couldn't get any interesting US brands - I think the problem with international shipping is that either it's super expensive, or there's no way to track the parcel. Hopefully it lands in the UK soon!

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  2. I've not tried either lip balms but I've always wanted to try the Nuxe one for so long! I even picked it up and put it back down today when I went shopping :) I will definitely give it a go when winter rolls around and my lips turn into the Sahara Desert though!

    Thanks for the great post and comparison hun! :)

    x
    Phoebe
    Eat. Live. Love. Repeat.

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  3. I've heard lots of good things about both and am on a good lip balm hunt right now. But I've grown to despise beeswax recently and want to try coconut oil based products instead.

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    1. I remember you saying that you wanted to try using neat coconut oil on your lips - let me know how it goes! I have a big tub for kitchen purposes but I want to start using it on my skin as well.

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  4. Hmmm, thanks for the comparison! I don't know if I want grainy, haha. Perhaps I shall stick with Osmia!

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    1. The little grains dissolve as you massage the balm into your lips, so it's not a big deal for me. But if you have Osmia, you certainly don't need the Nuxe!

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  5. Ah, STOP TEMPTING ME WITH OSMIA D:
    Since my nighttime honey lipbalm (RBR kiss elixir) was discontinued, that has shot to the top of my 'to try' list, but as you say, the limited availability is annoying. Nuxe works as a sealant only on my freakishly dry lips -- it doesn't seem to do anything for me on its own :(

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    1. Hmm, maybe you could try layering something like coconut oil under Nuxe, as per Reductionista's comment? It does seem to me that Osmia would be more for moisture rather than just a barrier... but it also has lanolin to seal things in.

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  6. i haven't tried either of these but hear about the nuxe a looott! since they both have the same end result they seem comparable enough to me and i would buy on price. i think it would be a pain to dig something out with my nails and wait for it to melt so thats another thing against the osmia.
    Jenn
    A Beautiful Zen

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    1. Once you break the surface, you can just scoop out with your finger - but my nails are long and I don't like having lip balm stuck under them, so prefer to use my tips instead. But yes, the price difference is quite substantial once you factor in the size!

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  7. Oh Monika thank you for the comparison! Nuxe Rêve de Miel is my all time favorite, can't live without it and I also use my nail to pick up the amount I need at night. :) I've been very curious about Osmia but the online thing is a no go for me so maybe one day I'll get to try it. I'm glad to know you like both.

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  8. I haven't tried either one, but would love to try the Nuxe one. The only issue I may have is that I don't entirely like the scent of honey, and the orange scent I'm thinking of is similar to the REN Glycol Lactic "orange scent" which I hated. Hope it doesn't smell like that!

    Des | Simple Charm Beauty

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