The Beauty School bloggers find no greater joy than an amazing beauty discovery, but it's even better when a quality product supports a worthy cause. Lasting Smiles satisfies both of these elements, since they make on-trend lip products, and the proceeds from each lip balm purchased is put towards cleft lip surgeries for those in need.
The founder of the line, Zoe Mesnik-Greene, is a 21-year-old entrepreneur whose innovative ideas and motivated spirit have helped her get her business to where it is today. The products are sold on the Lasting Smiles website, and are now available at Nordstrom as well!
When she told me about her business, Zoe informed me of three important "firsts" in the lip care industry that Lasting Smiles hits the mark on that I thought were worth noting:
1. The products are fashionable, with a beautiful and sleek packaging and developed patterning language made up of smile marks.
2. Lasting Smiles is the only FLO fairtrade certified cosmetic brand in the U.S. They are working to support organic small-scale farming communities around the world as they sell products.
3. Lasting Smiles is the first lip balm with a built-in cause. They are working to change children's lives by providing a cleft lip or palate surgery for every 1,000 lip balms purchased!
Zoe mailed me some samples of the lip balms that Lasting Smiles makes, and I was happy to try them firsthand (and though the product was sent for review, all opinions are my own)! The flavors I received include: Simply Moisture, Peppermint Creme, Peach Blossom, Passionfruit Mango and Pure Pomegranate. They even came in this adorable zipped bag:
The first lip balm I tried was the peppermint one, and I immediately fell in love! The product smells wonderful, and gave me the perfect amount of moisture, soothing my chapped lips. The product is long-lasting, so I didn't have to apply more lip balm ten minutes afterwards, which I find often happens with other products. I also enjoyed the fruit-flavored balms when I was looking for something a bit more interesting; but the simple moisture lip balm has been my recent favorite. It doesn't have a special scent or taste, but I especially like using it to moisturize my lips before I put lipstick on.
The products are 100 percent vegetarian, are not tested on animals and contain no artificial colors. They are also free of gluten, parabens, alcohol and harsh sulfates. To get your own set of Lasting Smiles lip balms, visit their website, or buy them in-store at Nordstrom or Whole Foods. And be sure to check out the video below to learn even more about Lasting Smiles!
Let Lasting Smiles lip products be your first beauty purchase of 2015, and support Zoe's growing business and cleft lip surgeries while keeping your lips silky smooth!