The Drugstore Wonder - Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia

The drugstore can sometimes be overlooked in the Canadian Princeza world, what with all the shiny, fancy luxurious pots cluttering my vanity and clouding my senses with their opulent textures and scents. Its sometimes easy to forget that the high price tag is not the only way to get a performance driven, premium quality product. And don't even get me started about all the ridiculously overpriced disappointments. 

Luckily all it takes is one product to renew my faith in the beauty god's and the fact that the item in question comes from a drugstore, heavy-duty bargain brand such as Nivea is only icing on the sweetly scented cake. I love discovering little wonders like the Nivea Lip Butter in Vanilla & Macadamia ($3.99 here!) and proving the little snob deep inside me wrong and proving a point that seems to reiterate itself over and over again - "price tags mean nothing". This lip balm indeed preforms as good or even better than some of my much more expensive contenders. A huge score for the bargain beauty category! 

Some of my other Nivea excursions have ended in disappointment and regret but this time the little tin of this comforting lip butter manages to impress and stun my skeptical, sometimes snobby, girly self. 

In Canada the Nivea Lip Butters are available in Original, Raspberry Rose Kiss, Caramel Cream and Vanilla & Macadamia but selection can vary greatly depending on geographical location. The huge success may prompt Nivea to release more flavors and even some limited edition tins - that is my hope, anyways! The fact that I am pushing for limited editions is a testament to how much i enjoy the formula used for these hydrating lip potions. 

Official Description;

The moisturizing formula of NIVEA Lip Butter with Hydra IQ contains Shea Butter and Almond Oil and provides intense moisture and long-lasting care. The indulging formula creates senationally soft lips.

Ingredients;
Cera Microcristallina, Paraffinum Liquidum, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Aqua, Glycerin, Glyceryl Glucoside, BHT, Aroma, CI 77891, CI 77492

I will admit right away that this was a complete impulse purchase at my local grocery store, bought on a whim and once again seduced by the "mini" packaging. I am the advertising teams dream consumer - pretty, unique or just plain amusing outer shells have made me purchase many unnecessary and disappointing products. 

Luckily this cute tin was inexpensive and the product inside turned out to be phenomenal for a change! 

Since I had only vaguely heard some buzz regarding the Lip Butter launch and hadn't done any of my extensive product research prior to purchasing, I wasn't really expecting much from the Nivea Vanilla & Macadamia Lip Butter. I knew it would moisturize of course but based on previous Nivea Lip Products experiences I didnt think it would do much more than that. To be perfectly honest the appeal of the little tin faded rather quickly and it almost got swallowed by the uber amount of other lip treatment candidates. 

When I am wrong I say I am wrong - and I couldnt have been more wrong when it comes to this little drugstore wonder! I fell in love with the Lip Butter with one single use and today the Nivea status has risen to a whole new level thanks to the Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss formula. 

This is one of those rare lip treatments that manages to hit all the important features when it comes to a successful, all-encompassing lip care.

First off the Nivea Lip Butters contain high concentrations of Shea Butter, which deeply hydrates the lip tissue and seems to almost "lock" in moisture even after just one application. The texture is smooth, balmy and somewhat tacky in the tin itself but that "stickiness" does not translate on to the lips and once applied there is no left-over greasy residue to deal with. On the lips themselves the Lip Butters create a glossy (not shiny!) sheen with absolutely no tint, which makes it ideal for achieving that coveted healthy, no-makeup, radiant look. 

The fragrance of my Nivea Vanilla & Macadamia Lip Butter has a very milky-sweet undertone, with vanilla being most prominent but the overall scent is best described as comforting and even soothing. I can't get enough of it! 

There is definitively a flavor associated with the Lip Butter, which is usually a negative for me but this particular formula makes it work nicely by keeping the taste soft and as un-artificial as possible. I would describe it as a very light vanilla sugar cookie variation but without the usual sweet cloying factor and temperament. I personally love it and haven't met a person that had anything negative to say about it. A clear winner for the gourmand-lover like me! 

In conclusion I really have absolutely nothing negative to say about this drugstore wonder - high quality, high performance lip treatment that does not make me cringe at the cash register! 

Thank you for reading!

Have you tried the Nivea Lip Butters? Thoughts? What is your favorite lip balm? 

XOXO

ANJA