Smith's Rosebud Salve

When it comes down to it, there are very few beauty products that I can't live without. Well, that may not be strictly true. In fact, I daresay it is one big-fat-lie. And if we must speak honestly, then I suppose I had better confess that I am a bonafide beauty product junkie. In all, there are probably about a million and three products that I can't live without. (What? It's not like it makes me a bad person or anything.)

The first time I went to Scotland, I remember wandering into Boots (or, Boots, the Chemists, as my husband insists on calling them). For those of you not in the know, Boots is probably one of the best drugstores around. And I remember wandering down each of the aisles finding all sorts of things to load up my suitcase. (In fact, I think I still have that pair of WonderBum stockings that I insisted on buying. And really, you would be an idiot not to buy something that makes such a claim.) Hands down my favorite find was a pot of lip balm — Mediterranean Olive Almond & Sage Wonderbalm. Boots' own brand, of course.

After that trip it was all I could do to keep myself stocked with the stuff. Thank goodness for my wonderful friend Polly (who would either mail it or bring it over to me in her suitcase), and my sister who has an annoying tendency to frequent London without me. Anyway, after all that hassle, it would appear that you can now buy most Boots (the Chemists) products from Target. Convenient, yes. But now the allure has begun to fade. (And besides, Target is usually sold out of it.)

Which brings me to the lovely Smith's Rosebud Salve.

During this Boots lip balm craze, I began frequenting all sorts of beauty websites in order to procure the rest of my beauty regimen. That is where I first stumbled on Smith's Rosebud Salve. (I'm fairly certain that if I spent 100 bucks I would qualify for free shipping, and lip balm is always an excellent choice when already teetering toward that $100 mark, as it typically costs less than ten dollars.)

Meanwhile, all these years later, I've switched my face lotion, my vitamin C serums, and my mascaras around like crazy, but I still keep coming back to this wonderful little balm. In fact, I've even taken to giving it as gifts to a few select people. And rightly so, it is a remarkable product.

Smith's started in Maryland in 1895 and this little salve has managed to become the mainstay of the company. What is so lovely about it is that it offers a slight rosy shade to your lips without adding any color. Not sure how they do that, but they do. It is also the perfect salve, balm, moisturizer, et al without an overwhelming fragrance to alter whatever you happen to be drinking at the time. (As much as I love Burt's Bees, I am not a fan of it when I have a cup of tea or a glass of wine in front of me...)

And so, even though I don't need to fly to the UK in order to obtain my favorite lip balm, I am satisfied. I don't even need to go to any particular beauty website to find it (although if you must, on account of the fact that it is easier, and who doesn't like getting a package in the mail, try http://www.beautyhabit.com/), because it can be found in all sorts of posh stores: such as Anthropologie and Sephora and the like. I suppose it is only a matter of time until one stumbles on this product at Target. And in all honesty, I know I would buy it anyway. What can I say? Smith's Rosebud Salve is part of the beauty regimen, and one must always take their regimen seriously.