Lips don’t lie: They may be dry and chapped for a reason

So you like wearing liquid matte lipsticks because their flat no shine finish is definitely flattering. Can’t blame you.

A matte lip goes with almost any look. You can wear it with a full face of makeup or with nothing at all except groomed brows.

However, most of these liquid mattes are extra drying and no amount of lip balm or petroleum jelly will make it better.

Maybe it’s not just moisture or the lack of it that’s the problem.

Here are some tips to make sure you don’t have dry and chapped lips:

1.Exfoliate Before anything else, you need to exfoliate your lips to get rid of dead skin. You can use a toothbrush to scrub your lips before you shower (there’s no specific reason for this; this is just so you won’t forget). Or you can get the MAC Lip Scrub here which exfoliates your lips and moisturizes them. 

2. Don’t apply lip balm every two hours or so. There is a belief that using lip balms frequently can actually make your lips “lazy,” meaning the glands around our lips which provide moisture stop doing so or do so at a rate slower than normal. We swear by Burt’s Bees Lip Oil because it’s made from 100% natural ingredients. You can also use a thick lip product like Tromborg Lip Cure.

3. Stop licking your lips because saliva evaporates really quickly and this can cause your lips to become more chapped. Licking also strips lips of moisture.

4. Protect your lips from the sun as too much exposure can also dry them. Burt’s Bees All-Weather SPF 15 Moisturizing Lip Balm is perfect if you love the outdoors and are constantly exposed to the elements.

5. Low levels of zinc and iron can also cause lip dryness so make sure you’re not vitamin deficient.