Review: Hurraw Lip Balms in Chai Spice and Mint

Identifying Information Product name: Hurraw! Chai Spice Lip Balm and Mint Lip Balm, 0.15oz/4.3g Price: PhP 280.00 Description: (taken from their website) "Hurraw! Balm started out of pure intent; a personal obsession to create the perfect balm: all natural, vegan, made from premium raw, organic and fair trade ingredients, complete with a bunch of natural and fun flavor options! It also had to meet some tough criteria... Criteria: Super smooth, not draggy, not sticky, not sweet, not too glossy, not too smelly, never grainy, long lasting; plus, it had to hold up to being in a back jeans pocket all day without melting! It took us several obsessed years to formulate Hurraw! Balm and put it through all the rigors. We love it, use it, and hope you do too."
Taken from the official website of Hurraw:
Chai Spice: "Nothing compares to the spicy-magical-garam-masala-ness of chai tea!  It’s been a favorite since we first experienced it out of a huge cast iron cauldron in Arizona circa 1992! Chai done right! Now we get our chai on all day long with our chai spice lip balm! It's not quite like a milky coffee shop chai latte… but the real deal; a real blend of black pepper, cinnamon, clove, anise, and vanilla. Spicy divinity!"
Mint: "The awesome tingle and crisp. The icy scent of our mint lip balm reminds us of those old peppermint patty commercials :) We get our organic peppermint oil from Oregon's Willamette Valley. It's the best mint we've found and oh so unique! A long lasting minty treat for your lips!" Product Origin: USA Where I bought it: Purchased online from www.beautymnl.com History: I purchased these two balms some time in June 2015 and I have been using them daily since then. The first one I tried was the Chai Spice variant because I love Chai flavored stuff like teas/lattes. Last week I opened the Mint one because my curiosity got the best of me. I initially wanted to save it until I'm done with the Chai Spice one or my other lip balms (I have several lip balms waiting to be used up >.<) but gaaah, I gave in to the temptation of opening it. Well, at least I can talk about it here in my blog now. 
Physical Examination:

Swatch of the Hurraw Chai Spice lip balm

EOS Blueberry Acai on the left, Hurraw Chai Spice on the right. The Hurraw lip balm has more sheen compared to the EOS one. 

Ingredients: Chai Spice: Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, ‡Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, *Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, *Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, *Theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, *Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, organic flavors, Elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) oil, Tocopherols (sunflower) 
Mint: Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, ‡Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla)wax, *Cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, *Simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, *Theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, *Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, Olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, Mentha piperita (peppermint) leaf oil, Tocopherols (sunflower) 
Salient Features Positives:

• The lip balms smell as labelled. The chai spice truly smells like chai teas!
• These are not flavored lip balms; they do not taste like anything. The "flavors" are just scents.
• The scent does not irritate my nose and it wears off after some time.
• The mint lip balm feels cool on the lips.
• I like minty lip products~ The minty sensation doesn't last very long though and I find that okay. It also does not sting or burn my lips.
• Glide easily and smoothly on the lips
• Give immediate comfort and relief to dry lips
• Not sticky or tacky
• Don't feel heavy on the lips
• Don't slip or move around
• Long-lasting
• Can withstand eating and drinking
• My lips feel moisturized even after the product is gone from my lips. I don't find myself needing to reapply this often.
• All natural, vegan, organic ingredients
• Did not cause any allergic reactions on my lips or on the perioral area
• These lip balms have a unique oval shape to them and it actually makes it easy to apply them on the lips. 

Negatives:

• A bit too glossy for my taste
• The slight glossiness isn't really that bad; it doesn't look like you just had a fatty meal. My other favorite lip balm which is the EOS Blueberry Acai has a less glossy finish compared to this and I prefer that. ;)

Hurraw Chai Spice lip balm. The pink tinge on my lips is from a lip tint I used earlier in the day. Note how shiny this is compared to the EOS Blueberry Acai photo below. :)

EOS Blueberry Acai lip balm

• No SPF
• Our lips are also covered in skin and prolonged sun exposure can lead to sunburn. If you will be exposed to sunlight, it is advisable to use a lip balm with SPF. Hurraw has a variant called Sun Balm that has SPF 15.
• Expensive compared to lip balms easily available in local drugstores here in the Philippines
• Personally I think these are well worth the money because of the aforementioned positive features and this: "We source honest, fair trade, organic, vegan and raw ingredients from reputable suppliers and are thrilled to share the labors with other balm lovin' individuals. Your purchase supports legit fair trade, organic farmers and suppliers here in the States and around the World." 
• This point is added here in consideration of the product's competitors. :)
• Limited accessibility
• This is available for purchase online at beautymnl and cutieverse so it would cost 280pesos + shipping fee. I think these are also available in some retail stores here in Metro Manila but I'm not sure which ones. I will update this entry when I find out.

Impression/Rating: 9/10

Discussion: I've been using lip balms since I was in 7th grade and I've tried a lot from different brands. These ones from Hurraw are excellent clear lip balms and are currently my favorite. I love how moisturizing they are, how they feel on my lips, their scents and the minty sensation from the mint balm. I usually put some of this on my lips before starting my makeup then I wipe it off when it's time for me to put on lipstick or lip tint. It provides sufficient moisture to the lips for a smooth lipstick application even when wiped off. I use these lip balms before I sleep and I find them moisturizing enough to last me throughout the night. I do not wake up with dry, cracking or bleeding lips.   

Prognosis: I think these are fabulous lip balms. They are highly moisturizing and they come in unique, lovable scents. I will most likely repurchase and try other kinds--perhaps the Rootbeer and Coffee ones because, heh, I love rootbeer and coffee too! I highly recommend these lip balms!