Like I Blister In the Sun: Supergoop! AcaiFusion Lip Balm SPF 30

Photo Credit: Sephora

My awesome mom is taking the family to Disney World! I'm completely excited for the trip; partly, because I'm a Disney nut, but mostly, because I get to go with my kid brother, who's thirteen, and officially the coolest age to tour the parks. He hasn't been umpteen-thousand times, so this is still a somewhat new experience for him, plus, he's finally tall enough to go on all the rides. And to pat me on the top of the head. I'm not sure how I feel about that, frankly...

Anyhoo, we're going in July. I KNOW!!! It's going to be hotter'n Hades (I'm Southern, so I'm allowed to make up my own conjunctions), but that was the best time for us all to go, so we're just going to deal with it. I, for one, have started dieting like crazy so I can get by with tank tops and shorts, and have gone on an absolute sunscreen binge. I have a heavyweight lotion for heading to the parks, an oil-free dry lotion for my face, a lightweight spray for touch-ups throughout the day, and need a high SPF lip gloss to keep my lips from blistering. Look, I'm a beach baby. I grew up in a town not 45 minutes from sugar sand. This little blogger has had many a horrid sunburn, and I'm not spending my vacation slathered in aloe vera gel, watching fireworks from the hotel window. Nosirreebob!

Okay, back to that search for a high SPF lip gloss. Years ago, I bore witness to a severe lip sunburn. Just trust me on this: it's not pretty. I swore I'd never go through that. Now, laying out by the pool, it's easy to either apply sunscreen directly to the lips, or keep a lip gloss/balm with SPF handy, or even layer. It's not as easy to do that at the Magic Kingdom. I don't know about you, but I'm normally too busy trying to figure out lines and schedules to even think about reapplying my lipstick, much less about making sure there's sunscreen layered under it or mixed in with it. Plus, there's only so much space in a totebag. I need an all in one, y'all.

Enter Supergoop! SPF 30 AcaiFusion Lip Balm ($8.50, Sephora). According to Sephora:

This three-in-one balm adds a sheer pink tint while moisturizing and protecting the lips. Shea butter provides long-lasting hydration while powerful antioxidant ingredients, including the fruit of the açaì palm, help to repair oxidation damage. Multiple sunscreen ingredients protect the lips from sunburn and photoaging.

According to me: It's clear and drying. It does protect the lips, though.

Let me back up. The balm comes in a squeeze tube with slanted applicator, and does have a sheer pink tint. If your lips have any color, whatsoever, the gloss will just look clear. It smells wonderful, though--like sunscreen mixed with berries. When I put it on, I immediately have a lovely sense memory of hanging out by the pool, and, for a few minutes, my lips feel really good and hydrated.

Then the balm dries, and brings your lips along for the ride. An optimist would say that that's just a good reminder to reapply. I'm not an optimist. I just say, "ouch", and keep on my merry little way. If I reapplied every time my lips felt dry, I'd be through the tube in a week.

As of now, it's going on the trip. I'll keep it in my pocket and apply it as often as I can, but I'll also carry another lip product with some color to it, for right before photo ops. Apparently, layering is still the name of the game.

Now, for the hard part: would I recommend this? Well, yes and no. Yes, because it does provide excellent sun protection. If you are susceptible to sunburns, or are planning a fun in the sun vacay, then yes, this should be in your arsenal. It's inexpensive and fights pre-mature sun aging. However, if you're looking for good, everyday sun protection for your lips, you really don't need SPF 30, and there much better feeling and more colorful options available. I'd go with one of those.

Final Verdict: 5 out of 10. Good protection, but that's about it.