Since we’re in the thick of winter, I decided to finally write this review that’s been in my drafts folder for almost a year now. When it comes to lip balm I’m sure many people are like “lip balm is lip balm” so why pay more? Well I’ve never been a chapstick addict (coming from Hawaii, dry flaky lips are a foreign thing lol), and I’ve never been loyal to a lip balm before, that is until now.

So which is better to me, the Hermes lip balm or the Augustinus Bader one? It’s the AB one for me! And it’s mostly because the AB one is more moisturizing, without feeling greasy. And I feel like it actually works in preventing dry lips later. The Hermes one is probably no better than a chapstick (sorry if I’m offending the chapstick addicts here). The Hermes one is not very emollient and so I have to keep reapplying throughout the day. I also have the Hermes Rosy Lip enhancer in Rose Confetti, and I have to say I like that one the least. It’s quite dry and not much of a “lip enhancement.” It’s kind of a dud and that’s probably why I lost it lol. The only pro about Hermes one is that there’s no fragrance (which is also true about the AB one), and it comes in a reusable case (which is not true for the AB one). However, the AB lip balm at least comes in aluminum so it isn’t all bad.

As for the AB OG lip balm vs. the newer AB tinted lip balm (in collaboration with Sofia Coppola), I still prefer the OG one because it’s a tad more more moisturizing. The formulation is just different enough that the tinted balm is a little less emollient (though still more so than the Hermes lip balm). I ended up getting two shades of the tinted lip balm, and if I want a little color to my lips, the AB tinted balm is a good option. But in the end the OG AB lip balm is honestly the only one worth it in my book.