Lather Lip Conditioning Balm

I had a whole list of tubes I was going to get through and review (hence the delay) but I was stopped in my tracks by an unexpected addition. A few days ago my friend Natalia handed me a tube she got on one of her recent international flights. It's made by a beauty company called Lather, which got started in California in 1999 and now operates spas and boutiques in Scottsdale and New York. They make a wide range of holistic products and have a lovely and simple aesthetic.

Price: $6.50. Grumble.

Appearance: Like all Lather products, it's colors and fonts are simple and spare. Very unisex. I like that the text is oriented height-wise rather than length-wise. Also the turning wheel is a tad thicker than normal, which is nice. Not that any of this is something to care about, but there really isn't much else to talk about when reviewing lip balm.

Glide: Oh, man. This may be my all-time favorite glide. Smooth, easy, not too slick. Sometimes I want to put it on just for the feel of it.

Flavor/Smell: The tube I have is the Lip Conditioning Balm (sold on the site in a pot), which is different from the Lip Protector SPF 15 pictured but looks exactly the same. It's Unscented, but they also make Sweet Almond, Spearmint + Tea Tree, and a potted Lavender Lime variety. There is actually a very subtle and pleasing citrusy smell to the Unscented that I love.

Lasting Power: Great. I put it on this morning at around 9am and almost two hours later it still feels the way it did in that first few minutes of application. Despite the cold, dry air, my lips are soft and moisturized and free of the dry patches that have plagued them all winter.

Product Pluses: Lather doesn't test on animals (member of PETA) and uses some exotic ingredients like vegetable jelly (?), squalane oil and extracts of Night Blooming Cereus. Sounds like a Harry Potter potion.

Verdict: 5 4.5 out of 5 tubes. Yeah, I know! The expense would normally give me pause, but sometimes I'm willing to pay for quality. If the rest of Lather's products are anything like this lip balm, I want them all. I might have to visit that NY spa.

UPDATE (2/26): Alright, I gotta knock it down a half point. The consistency is just a tad too thick to be a perfect 5.