This was supposed to be my lipstick revival year. And while I made some progress thanks to barely-there lip products, the real reason I didn’t fully embrace my lipstick stash is because of how chronically dry my lips were.

While lip balms are handy and portable, they just don’t have enough oomph in terms of hydration to get the job done. My scaly lips needed something heavy-duty and powerful, which is where lip treatments come into play. They come in pots, creams, masks – you name it, there’s a lip treatment to get you through the flaky stages.

As they say, there’s no time like the present, and by that I mean the freezing temperatures we’re currently wading through. While I struggle with cracked lips all year round, the winter weather takes more of a toll. I’m not the only one who thinks so: according to Space NK, searches for ‘winter lip treatments’ on their site have gone up by 176% year on year.

In my quest for smooth, plump lips, I’ve tried and tested a lot of treatments out there. These are the ones I kept reaching for in my stash. 

Images: courtesy of brands