Shiny Lips lip balm from Not Soap, Radio is meant for everyday use on the lips. The packaging (and product type) will probably appeal more to a female audience, but people of any gender can use this product. Due to the adorable packaging and cute scent, I would suggest this product as an inexpensive stocking stuffer, or as part of a gift basket, for women of all ages, particularly tweens and younger teens. It is small enough to be carried in pretty much any bag, and even in some pockets (though I would not advise this as it could melt).

This product is small enough to be air-travel friendly.

ALLERGIES: This product contains cottonseed oil. So, if you have an allergy to it, steer clear! The ingredients list for this product was suspiciously short, and I feel that the company must have left some things out, as the balm clearly contains an artificial colorant and yet none is listed. I have no allergies myself, so I cannot determine if this product would set off allergies in others.

I found Shiny Lips to be surprisingly thin for a lip balm, especially one in a tub as opposed to a tube. It is almost as thin as a lip-gloss, but not quite. It is very easy to remove from its tub and apply. I was pleased that the balm is extremely smooth, with no grit at all, unlike some similar products.





While at first I was kind of put off by the thinness of the balm, I quickly got over it. It is so easy to apply, and I love the smooth feeling of it during application! Sadly, it absorbs into the skin pretty quickly, so the sensation does not last.

According to the Not Soap, Radio website,

"Flavors vary from batch to batch – we like to mix it up...We play around with citrus, fruit, candy flavors. "

My lip balm has a very distinct watermelon scent and flavor. It is not natural, but is very much like any other artificially scented product meant to smell like watermelon. The scent while in the container is very strong, but once applied it is much more pleasant, and it tastes great too! It is not overpoweringly sweet, and is just the right amount of fruit flavor. I'm not a big fan of watermelon, but I really like this scent.

Personally, the fact that my flavor will be random makes the product seem more fun, but I can see why not having control over this aspect of the product will turn some buyers off, so be aware that you don't get a choice!

Unfortunately, this product did not keep my lips moist for more than fifteen minutes or so. What a shame! It really does not do anything for you moisture-wise, and the shine only lasts as long as it isn't absorbed. As much as I love applying this stuff, constantly re-applying is too much to ask. The taste and texture are great — if only it was long lasting!

This balm is packaged in a very small, 1/3 oz. container with a black lid and white base. On the screw-top lid is a sticker with the name of the product and brand, and a picture of cartoon lips. On the bottom is a sticker with the ingredients, company website and company address.



As you can see, the packaging is small enough to fit pretty much anywhere, though I would caution against keeping it in your pockets as it could leak out of the tub if it melted.

Ah yes, the lid. While I haven't experienced any leaks so far, and will take measures to avoid them, there is a gap between the lid and the base that makes me kind of nervous. However, I panic easily, and the lid does screw on very tightly, so it is probably nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately this product does not have any special properties. Even though the balm is marketed to provide shiny, glossy lips, the glossiness lasts only as long as the product is freshly applied — and even then it is more of a 'shimmer' than a 'shine'. This was a huge disappointment, and I would not suggest it to anyone hoping to find a nourishing replacement for their average lip gloss.

Overall, I will probably use this gloss, but only for fun — for a night out I'd definitely want something functional. The fun scent and great taste, as well as the fact that these are chosen at random by batch, are very appealing to me, but it just doesn't perform as a gloss or a balm.