but they can use it, too, of course

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When I tell people that I’m obsessed with lip balm, I find that I often have to explain myself. Most everyone’s first thought when they hear those words [lip balm] is of the rotating display at CVS (no shots fired — I will use ExtraBucks until the day I die), containing racks of items nearly homogenous in design, price and promised benefits (Carmex, Aquaphor, Nivea — not to mention Old Faithful, Chapstick).

If they don’t instantaneously conjure up that staid image, they think of the (even more excruciating) items we obsessed over as kids: Lip Smackers. Gaudily-colored, misguidedly-flavored and of limited actual use, Lip Smackers are to this product category what Hoboken is to New Jersey. (I’m a Jersey girl; I can say that.)

But lip balm is so much more than any of the above uninspired, soporific or cringe-worthy images and the opinions that accompany them.

Lip balm is wildly diverse. It comes in many different shapes, sizes, colors and uses. It can be tinted or untinted. It can be for overnight use or day use. It is an item carried by nearly all high-end cosmetics brands. It is a staple of nearly every woman’s handbag.

It is both just as good as its “classier” cosmetic sister, lipstick, and also better because it serves a wide range of purposes. It hydrates, moisturizes, protects and adds pizzazz to your lips.

When I launched this blog, one of my best friends asked me, “Is there even enough lip balm out there for you to write about?” And the answers is, “Yes, David. There most certainly is.”