Is anyone else having the same problems as me? Halfway through the winter and my lips are red raw. It’s not a pretty sight.

In case you don’t know the single best way to avoid sore lips at this time of year is our old friend water. But, if you’re like me and forget to drink your two litres, you might need a little help along the way. I find a lot of lip balms such as Nivea, Vaseline and Chapstick usually only provide a quick fix and leave my smackers feeling worse than they did before. So here are my tried and tested favourites. If you’re interested, each title is the link that will bring you through to the manufacturer’s website and I’m definitly not making any money out of this!

Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1, £9.50

It’s not scented, it’s not fancy and it’s not cheap at nearly 10 pounds but it is effective. It’s also great value for money – the tube I have is still going and I’ve had it for years. I like the unscented version but there are also pear, cranberry, mango and mint versions. According to Kiehl’s it protects and relieves chapped and cracked lips. I like it because it seems to last forever on my lips and isn’t greasy.

Burt’s Bees Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm, £3.99

Another old favourite that I’ve had for years. Burt’s Bees are famous for their lip balm. They say it nourishes and makes your lips feel luxurious. I agree and I’m singling out the grapefruite flavour here because it’s tangy and sweet and zesty and offers a mini pick me up. This is the kind of lip balm you appreciate every time you put it on. You can buy it from Boots here.

Carmex Cherry Lip Balm, £2.69

Carmex comes in a few different flavours – original, strawberry, vanille, pomegranate, peach and mango and there’s even a limited edition sugar plum – it also comes in both pots and tubes, whichever you fancy. This is the one I tried and stuck with though. I like the smell and i like that it’s thick and stays on your lips for a long time, giving a sense of real protection. Carmex say it moisturises and relieves and having and SPF of 15 is never a bad thing.

Dior Lip Glow, £25.00

I’m sure you could find more expensive lip balms out there, but this is the limit of my budget (actually it’s beyond but let’s not go into that). As I’ve said before, I love this stuff. I love the smell, feel and particularly that the original glow (I’m not entirely sure they sell that anymore) looks different on everyone because it uses the natural pigment in your lips for colour. Dior have now brought out a whole range for this so if you think you deserve a treat, have at it.

Sportfx Candyfloss Lipbalm, £4.99

This little lovely arrived in my Glossybox a few months ago and I wasn’t entirely sure at first, but now I love it. It’s light and the smell is lovely and the shape is surprsingly easy to use – I’ve never had a balm shaped like this. Another SPF 15, SportFX say this provides instant dry relief for dry lips as it’s enriched with natural oils, vitamins and shea butter.

And a Brucie Bonus!

Clarins Instant Comfort Oil, £19

Is it a balm or is it a gloss? To be honest, since this was sent to me I’ve never really been able to figure it out, but I love this stuff. It’s heavy and it’s sticky but put it on before bed and you will wake up with supersoft lips in the morning. These come in different colours and flavours – I was sent Honey – but I couldn’t see any kind of tint when wearing it. Clarins say this harnesses the power of plants to nourish and enhance your lips’ natural beauty, I say it’s like a spa for your lips.