Tuesday, May 16, 2006

La-La-Labello!

Some years back I was on some form of public transportation (as I frequently am, what with lacking a license and all) and I overheard a conversation wherein someone was discussing their time abroad and the discovery of "the best chapstick ever". Naturally I was intrigued, and I paid attention to the product name that was mentioned, but I promptly forgot what the hell it was before I wrote it down. I did remember that it had an L and a B in it and that it might have meant "lips" because it sounded a lot like "labia". But then I got distracted with life for a couple of years and didn't really follow up on it.

Then in one of my many recent forays into chapstick research, I discovered that the product I'd heard recommended so highly is called Labello. It originated in Germany and is not sold in the States, so I had to go to great lengths (Google) to find it , but when I received it the stars shone more brightly and a choir sang some Handel and somewhere a school of dolphins jumped dramatically out of the ocean in front of a sunset.

Price: Because Labello is not sold in the US, I had to go online to find it. This might change as Labello was recently acquired by Nivea, I believe. It ranges in price from $1.89 to $6.00 (are you kidding me, Amazon.com?), not including shipping. The more tubes you buy, the better the value. I bought three: Labello Classic, Labello Rose and Labello Gloss & Shine.

Appearance: Classic Labello is distinctive in that it resembles a lipstick more than a traditional chapstick. It's larger and thicker and its entire outer cover comes off to reveal a lipstick-like twisting mechanism. Although it's slightly larger than a chapstick, it's much sexier because it has more substance and it's all curves and feels good to hold (insert penis joke here...actually anywhere, really). Sometimes when I'm pulling it out I feel like I'm unsheathing some sort of large, powerful chapstick Sword of Moisture.The Gloss/Shine comes in a nice compact squeeze tube with an angled applicator.

Glide: Labello goes on smooth and thick, not unlike frosting on a cake. The good thing is that it's not greasy or waxy and it quickly absorbs into your lips, leaving no residue and very little shine (the Gloss/Shine is shiny without being ho-ey and has a nice subtle color). It may be a little too thick for you if you're into applying every ten minutes, but if you're looking for a once-or-twice-a-day-er, it's fabulous.

Flavor/Smell: Simply delightful. Light, pleasant, not overbearing. I can't put my finger on what the Classic scent is, but it definitely has vanilla in it. The Rose smells like roses and I assume their other flavors follow suit. Surpringly, there is no taste- waxy, fruity or otherwise- on any of the varieties I tried and that is a welcome relief.

Lasting Power: I put on Labello in the morning and was fine until the evening. That's ONCE a day, people. Unheard of. The Gloss & Shine lasts quite a while into a night out as well and stays on impressively even after a few smears onto the edge of a beer bottle. I must mention that Labello's motto is "Nobody kisses better", and after a few trial runs in the field I can verify this claim.

Product Plusses: So many flavors and colors! It's like a chapstick pride parade. There's a scent for every flavor you love and a type (active/sporty, gloss, etc) for every kind of lip care you need. The balm also contains Vitamin E and ProVitamin B5. No default SPF, but you can buy the special SPF 30 UV Care Labello.

One minus is that Labello seems to be a bit fragile in hot conditions. Because it glides well without having to be warmed up, overwarming the tube can cause the balm to deteriorate a little. Keep it in a jacket pocket or bag as opposed to right up on you.

Conclusion: Reliable, well-moisturizing, luxurious glide, pleasant smell, fun, long lasting and kick-ass. Plus it's foreign! Think of the social cache...4.75 out of 5 tubes.

48 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

i live in canada so i can buy this easily at walmart or any drug store without having to go online. but for somereason the kinds and flavour that i bought are not really on the internet like orange and cherry flavoured with no spf,

12:39 AM  
Blogger greebs said...

I can't even remotely believe I JUST found this blog. I am freaking addicted to lip balm, and Labello is one of my favorites. I just picked up a few new tubes while in Italy on my honeymoon. (Sadly, my wife still swears by Chapstick brand lip balm, which drives me crazy, but it's cute I suppose...)

Keep up the great work!

8:09 PM  
Blogger JavaJive said...

Thanks, and welcome!

10:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Labello is hands down my most favorite lip balm ever. I too am obsessed with balm so this blog is awesome!!! My parents are Italian so my mom and dad go to Italy often. Labello is the only thing I ask them to bring me back...sigh...

1:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am absolutely addicted to labello lip balm! I live in Canada, and so it pretty easy for me to purchase these babies. Oh WOW! The picture above with all the different flavours and colours are incredible, I can only find the original, spf, hydro, and shine & shimmer one though. My goal right now would be to own the whole collection!

6:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In Europe Labello is simply called Nivea Lip Balm. I am totally obsessed with it and so is everyone who I gave it to so far! I like the Most Nivea Med one. It's awesome! Got to try it!!

6:45 PM  
Blogger PF said...

I've been a Labello fan since, 15 years ago, I bought it in a pharmacy in Italy and discovered it would keep my nose warm with a light coating on the skin. Since then I've only used it on my lips. And I've got the rainbow-order collection on my bureau with vials from Mexico, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Canada and pretty much every country that sells it aside from the U.S.

11:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

LABELLO (which is called LABELLO in Italy) has been my first one and my only one lipbalm since I was a child. The blue one, the "classic". If u ask to many italian ppl blue Labello IS the lipbalm and I DO hope they will never and ever change the smell or the look of it (it has changed a bit in the last 25 years, but just a bit, luckily).
The word "Labello" is used to mean "lipbalm" here, as u use "chapstick" ^_^

8:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

discovered it way back in 1999... havent been able to use any other chapstick since.. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! and always make sure i carry it specially to the US. Glad i can order it online..! :) am wondering if they still make camomile.. thats my favourite! :)

11:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Labello is called "Nivea Lipbalm" only in the UK. I lived in Germany for 2years and have seen it only as Labello as well as other countries I have visited. I gotta say that I love these cute little tubes of balm. My favorite at the moment is the Passion Fruit which recently came out. Ich Liebe Dich Labello.

9:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where can I buy it in the US? The prices are outrageous online!!! Help!

2:52 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i have been using labello for about 12 years and it is the ONLY lip balm i will use! i love this stuff sooo much.

9:50 PM  
Blogger KimberAKoch said...

We have a French exchange student and she turned me on to this stuff. I LOVE IT! Her mom just sent me two tubes of it - the Classic and Milk & Honey. I'll never buy Blistex again!!

7:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can anyone suggest where to get it online? PLEASE!!!!!!! I want to see other options than Amazon!

Thank you

2:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Here in the Philippines, Labello is under Nivea's name, but the product is JUST AS GOOD! I love their velvet rose balm. It's matte and glides on soooooo nicely.

10:24 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

One Labello benefit that hasn't been mentioned is that the lipstick-like tube is better for preventing "cap-loss" where your cap gets knocked off and your balm gets coated with lint (yecch!).

I too am an American who discovered Labello abroad (in Ireland) and am looking for a source in the US. It looks like there are lots of Canadian pharmacies (ha-ha, we Americans LOVE Canadian pharmacies!) that carry it fairly inexpensively but I wonder if one of our Canadian comrades-in-lip-balm-ery would be willing to do a buy and ship for some of us Americans. I imagine it'd be easy for you to make a few bucks in the deal and of course you'd be supporting the Balm community ;D. If you want to help, email me at labellohelp.20.tpk@xoxy.net

Thanks!

James

9:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah, Labello, how I love thee, let me count the ways . . . I discovered Labello in a pharmacy in Paris during a romantic weekend getaway. While that love affair is over, my love affair with Labello carries on. Last time I traveled abroad, I had a layover in the Rome airport and bought every tube of Labello in the duty-free shop. My Canadian friends bring back cases every time they visit the family. I saw some online at a Canadian pharmacy for $1.89, and that seems to be as cheap as it goes. Enjoy!

5:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i started using labello when i was quite little. my aunt sent them from swisserland and since then i use labello regularly. here in kosova u have it under both names labello and nivea lip care.. but they are both equaly good! my favourites are velvet rose and passion fruits, and when i cant find either of them i usually buy mandarin vanilla. i never leave home without it, and i can feel my lips' need for it whenever i eat or drink and it's whiped out. and the prices in US are outrageous.. here u buy labello for 1.40-1.80 euros... so i guess its pretty cheap.
p.s. does anyone know which fruit is the main component of the passion fruits.. cuz i simply love it but i cant point a finger at one particular fruit.:(

1:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

While all variations are great, the Hydrocare is the best if you're simply looking for maximum hydration. The hydrocare almost melts onto your lips. I order it from Canada. They changed the Hydrocare bottle now that Nivea stamps their name on it for the North American market. It was a cool foam green...now it's some generic looking blue.

5:21 PM  
Blogger Sandy said...

I just discovered this, ordered it on Amazon at 7.95 and all I can say is WOW. I'm addicted for sure. I googled it and found your blog, although you posted this in 2006, wow I'm a little late in posting, LOL Thanks for the article. I look forward to ordering many more tubes of this stuff.

5:12 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This is too funny...I discovered Labello in Germany in 1994 and bought the Rose and Classic, and was simply WOWed! I am a self-proclaimed "lip stuff" freak but had never seen this product in the US--and I worked in a drug store for 4 years prior to going abroad so you know I was always buying the latest-and-greatest to try. I nearly shrieked in disbelief after finding it again (finally!) in 2002 in Mexico, and my family thought I was nuts...but alas! I have found you and therefore not alone in my devotion to Labello. :)
As my stock dwindles, on a whim I googled it and found it is available online, and oh so many different varieties! I can't wait to start shopping!

9:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FYI, Labello Classic is now being sold in Canada as Nivea Lip Care Essential.

6:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love Labello. I just bought a bunch at this Canadian pharmacy online. They shipped quick and I got my order in less than the stated turn around time.

http://www.granvillewellness.com/productslist.aspx?CategoryID=10&selection=7&categoryID2=101&selection2=4&categoryname=Lip%20Care

1:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello fellow lip balm junkies--I just bought a bunch of different tubes for $1.99, $1.97 and $3.84 for the Care Gloss tubes. Shipping was $6.95 but it was the same for 1 tube or 15, so I bought 15, naturally, which made shipping for each less than 46 cents. I went to Granville Wellness.com, a Canadian site. Just thought I'd share!

http://www.granvillewellness.com/non-prescription.aspx

5:16 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hello all,
I followed advice from this forum and also bought online from Granville Wellness in Vancouver, Canada. I am very pleased with entire transaction, and certainly recommend them! The Classic is $1.99.
Thanks for the tip!xydpxzb

6:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

omg i want labello sooo bad! My crush uses it because his brother mails it and im just so damn jealous. Gives me a better reason to kiss him. I want the star fruit strawberry! I want all of em pretty much. Theyre soo colorful, like a rainbow.

12:23 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

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3:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi everyone! I love lip balms, and was very intrigued with Labello after reading that it was a favorite in Germany in a Women's Health article. I googled it, found this site, and memorized what the tube looked like.

Four months later, during my first trip abroad to Greece with my boyfriend, I made him take me to the grocery store first thing to see if I could find this magical balm...

SUCCESS!!! Labello is called "Liposan" in Greece, but has the same tubes, and a quick look on the back will trace its origins back to Germany.

All I can say is that I LOVE it! I cannot imagine using anything else now, because nothing will ever be so perfect!

Thank you Chaptastic for showing pictures of Labello so I could know what it looked like! You helped me convert!

9:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love Labello, I don't remember when I discovered it, but I love it, My danish friends give it to me. I am all out for the time being and have resorted to chapstick....its good but not great like labello

7:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You should try the milk&honey one. I bought that one from a friend who went to germany for a day.
I live in the Netherland and unfortuanly we only have like 7 different labello's.
The US has burts bees, rosebud and so many more. Oh i wish i could lay my hands on a burts bees ;)
Oh i've added you to my favs!

2:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah, 1982, what a year. Received black Odor de Rosas Phebo soap from a Brazilian exchange student, and bought my first tube of Labello in Italy as an exchange student myself. Absolute love on both counts, absolute addiction that continues to this day and shows no signs of abating. With Labello and Phebo I feel like a goddess and I can do anything! I have a nice little stash of Phebo, and I usually stock up on Labello when I go to Italy, but it's been 12 years, so I ran out. I did find it at a U.S. drug store (can't remember which) while traveling a while back, and it was the same as the Italian one I remembered. I've written Nivea to ask where I may purchase their product locally.

1:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is now available in the US as Nivea Lip care at places like CVS or Ulta or Drugstore.com!

3:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The nivea/labello SOS Balm is the best one I've tried.

8:39 PM  
Blogger BAFTY BlOGGER! said...

You can now get Labello in the US. It is called Nivea A kiss of moisture essential lip care. I have seen 4 types, the classic, the hyrdating one, the spf one and the sos lip care. Its amazing. The best lip balm I have used!!

4:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have been addicted to the Labello Rose since an accidental purchase in Ireland in 2000. Before it was available in the states, every time I traveled I picked up a few tubes to last me until my next trip. My favorite without question is the classic Rose (which is now replaced with it's uglier kid sister, Velvet Rose.) I am down to my last tube of the wonderful ROSE, and it makes me so sad. The last one lasted about a year, so I might be good through 2009 (sigh!)

12:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wanted to try Labello after reading all these rave reviews. So one of the factors I like to look for in lip balm is SPF. Seeing that Labello had SPF 30, that was the one I went for. I'm not sure how I like the thickness of Labello during application, I usually like more glide when it comes to lip balms. I'm also not sure if it is the SPF version of Labello/Nivea Lip Care that leaves a white residue on my lips or if it is Labello in general. In any case, it does leave my lips looking a bit pale and the white residue actually makes my lips look chapped even when they're not. Sadly, I wished I liked Labello more. Although I will apply this once in a while before heavy sun exposure. I might still try the other Labello flavors and hope that it would be better.

4:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I live in the Netherlands, and Labello is one of the biggest brands here. I actually don't really like it, except for the Labello med one.

7:59 AM  
Blogger theotherworldly said...

I live in Singapore, warm, sunny, humid, tropical Singapore, and I absolutely revile Labello/Nivea lipcare. I think it's something to do with the heat, it melts here like mad and it feels like spreading lard.

My favourite lip balm is Sebamed (a German pharmaceutical brand) lip balm, which has a similar packaging to this and Dr. Hauschka's. It's very smooth, tasteless, fragrant in a milky way, has bisabolol, vitamin E and SPF 30.

5:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well...
I have a little problem with my lips and generally my skin especially when it is winter. My lips become chapped and my hands red and raw. I have been using Labello (it is called liposan here in Greece) and it was good as long as I didn't use it often. If I was putting it on my lips everyday they became very sensitive and I had the feeling that the skin of my lips was very thin. It was annoying and not so good for my precious lips. So I stopped using it and started using Propoline which I find much more better and it makes my lips feel and look better.
Apart from the above Labello ("liposan" here) is the most popular brand of lip balm here by far. I don't know why..:\ Probably good marketing. Because I asked some of my friends who were using it and some of them said that they also had that feeling when they used it too often.

11:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does anyone know where i can get a Labello in the US?? The one i bought was in Germany and now its almost over and i need another.

9:28 PM  
Blogger Kiss 'n Vinegar said...

Labello is sold under the Nivea name in the United States.

12:05 PM  
Anonymous twinkle said...

ohhhhh i didnt know there are so many labello fans out there. i discovered it may b 10 years back. when i was living in riyadh, saudi arabia. then i moved here to canada and i was only able to find nivea lip care. which apprently looks a lot like labello. but i want my baby back. is it the same thing??? or if i can find labello somewhere in toronto.

4:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I discovered Labello in Argentina on accident. It was the only lip balm available. I will never use another lip balm in my life again.

8:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

THIS STUFF IS A DING DONG RIOT !! I LOVE IT !!!

12:28 PM  
Blogger Hells Bells said...

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease can someone help me get my hands on some Nivea/Labello/Liposan Rose! I live in the UK and it seems that everyone has stopped selling it........my lips resemble dried crusty slugs and I am desperate to get more.......I know it's wierd but I love this lipbalm and it's the only one for me! Please help if you can! E-mail: helena_wynn@hotmail.com

6:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

my sister is called rawan and she is naging cuz her lips are dry she wants lebello but she cant afford it so any suggestions??!!!?!!? plz help me her email is thesaltshaker@hotmail.com add me. one love guysss

9:40 AM  
Blogger Solabello said...

Hello !!!!
I'm a labello addict too !!! I'm french, and if you want we can make some exchange :D

you can visit my blog and see my collection
http://solabello.wordpress.com

have a good day :)

5:28 AM  
Blogger Ana said...

I’m really surprised by your description since Labello (brand name around here) are known to be the ones for people who go for the brand name thing…
They sit on your lips. They’re relatively hard. You need to reapply them a million times and they’re still not moisturizing enough.

The reapplying means you go through them really fast and since they’re about 4 times the price of a good small-name, pharmacy-bought balm…

The only ones worth mentioning are the ‘men’s’ and the ‘med’ one, and those are not the best, either, just a bit better.
I liked the cherry, mango and green apple versions, alas, not for their performance but for their flavours/colour.

I see that a Greek user has had similiar experiences, hm...

4:56 AM  

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