These Work: Three Essential Lip Balms

If you're like me, you've searched high and low for the perfect lip balm. You've hopelessly tossed brand after brand into your shopping cart at Target, only to end up with something that either dried up too quickly, felt too sticky or, worse, made you break out around your mouth. It's enough to drive anyone absolutely crazy.

So it wasn't with enormous expectation that I recently decided to give several formulas a chance to become a part of my beauty rotation. I'm no snob - I just expect a product to work (isn't that what this column is all about?). As luck would have it, I experienced success with several of them. Check out a few of my standouts that have earned genuine pride of place in my makeup collection.

What really intrigued me about glominerals The Mint Balm ($12.50) was the size of the tube. It's at least twice the width of a traditional lip balm, and it's something one might easily describe as "chubby." The Mint Balm is loaded with nourishing ingredients, like sunflower seed oil, hemp seed oil, meadowfoam and mango seed butter, plus cooling peppermint and rosemary oils. As I applied it, I was struck by the truly buttery consistency of the formula - it felt incredibly soft, and the mint sensation was immediately evident, too. This may be the most effective lip balm I have used to date! It's almost shockingly long lasting (I applied it at 8am and could still feel it doing its thing over three hours later). I also wake up with pillowy-soft lips every time. Big bonus: It contains broad-spectrum SPF 15 to protect lips from harmful UV rays. Holy grail alert!

If you're like me, you like to head out the door with some color on your lips. When it comes to lip balms that add a little life to sallow complexions, almost nothing does the job better than Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15 ($22.50). Available in several colors, this creamy treatment absolutely drenches lips in moisture. Its ingredient list is a dream cocktail for anyone who suffers dryness, from humectant sugar to nourishing avocado, jojoba, meadowfoam seed and black currant seed oils. My pick for this season is coral, a juicy peach-meets-orange-meets pink that works on any skin tone.

When Neutrogena introduced its line of pure, chemical-free skin care, I was intrigued. The line includes everything from moisturizers and scrubs to the decadent Naturals Lip Balm ($3.30). If I had to purchase only one lip balm from the drugstore for the rest of my life, this would be it. Made with antioxidant-rich vitamin E, it protects lips from harmful free radicals and also contains a lovely blend of moisturizing oils, including olive fruit, sunflower and sesame, plus a hearty helping of shea butter. I love that this all-natural formula doesn't lack anything whatsoever - it's easily one of the most effective and long-lasting lip balms I've used, and there's something so great about knowing you're using a product that's just as good for the planet as it is for you.

Follow @aolshopping