The Best Lip Balms for Cracked Lips, Tested By an Editor

I am not built for the cold. My hands turn purple. My toes lose any iota of sensation—and turn purple. (It’s cute.) And, perhaps most frustratingly, my lips devolve into a chapped, often peeling, and bleeding landscape. (Really cute.) Now, not to brag, but I’ve spent the past year really cracking the code on how to get soft lips. When it’s normal weather, my regimen consists of hydrating lipsticks, oils, and glosses. But with winter almost here (we’re hitting the low 40s this week in NYC), it’s time to kick my routine up a notch.

Most of the heavy lifting is done at night—exfoliating (no matter how scary) is key, and a series of lip masks and balms is my main line of defense against drying, moisture-sucking radiators. But daytime is where habit kicks in. A simple morning swipe of lip balm doesn’t cut it. I reapply my special cocktail of lip hydrators 9,000 times a day—as if my life depends on it.