EOS vs Balmi - battle of the lip balms

I wanted to give an honest review of these two lip balms, both of which I've bought recently. They look similar and one could say that the Balmi is a UK version of the EOS lip balm.

EOS:

This has a sturdy shell that twists open to reveal the semisphere of lip balm. I bought the lemon scent, which i love and the packaging is in a corresponding bright yellow.

It applies easily, but i find that the balm is quite big and sometimes goes over the edges of my top lip (it's quite narrow). It has an SPF 15 in it, but to my knowledge, the lemon is the only flavour with this in at the moment (in the UK).

It goes on easily and lasts for about an hour before i feel like i need to reapply. The texture is kind of waxy - i prefer slightly creamy lip balms, so this is a bit of a downside for me.

For all you natural product lovers, the EOS balms are all pretty natural ingredients wise. It contains Shea butter and vitamin E, and contains no petrolatum or parabens.

Balmi:

This has a similar sort of packaging, with a twist off top, but feels ever so slightly less secure than the EOS balm. It also has a little tag that i think you can attach to your phone (not quite sure this would look right, but here you go...)

I have this one in Raspberry, so it has a bright pink case and also quite a strong raspberry scent. Unlike the EOS balm, this is quite a synthetic smell rather than the nice natural lemon of the EOS.

It too has a semi-spherical shape and goes on really easily (same issue with my skinny top lip!).

Also with an SPF 15, this one has a slightly different texture and feels a bit more greasy on the lips (not like Vaseline, but more like my usual blue tubed Nivea lip balm).  It lasts for about an hour too before i feel the need to re-apply.

Now, the  Balmi also lists vitamin E and shea butter among it's ingredients  but i couldn't find any mention about being paraben free, so can't comment there. If this is a particular concern for you, i would recommend emailing them to find out for sure.

The verdict:

For me, it's a tie. I prefer the texture of the Balmi, but the smell of the EOS. EOS are quite hard to get hold of in the UK, whereas Balmi can be found in larger boots stores, so access might make the decision for you.

Neither are cheap: I paid £6.50 for my EOS at Beauty Mart in Harvey Nichols and the Balmis are £4.99 in Boots (currently 3 for 2).

I think it will come down to personal preference  - the designs are great, super easy to use and both have lots of product in.

Have you tried either?

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