Review: Henné Organics - Lip Balm

Henné Organics is woman owned and operated luxury skin and lip care company. Brand founder Laura Xiao places genuine care in the formulas producing their lines in small batches. Shipping is swift and I haven’t ever experienced an error with my orders. They use a racially and age diverse cast of models in their promotions which is something I always take note of when deciding whether to engage with a brand. I want to see everybody. As they continue to grow I look forward to seeing them keep with this inclusive approach as the brand is meant to be a “celebration of women and the beauty of our uniqueness as well as our common stories.” Right now models with deep brown skin tones are noticeably absent from their promotions.

Henné Organics is also one of the few brands whose newsletters I actually look forward to. They don’t solely promote their products although when they do it’s highly engaging like giving behind the scenes looks at product and brand development. In addition to promotions, they send messages of inspiration on Mondays with thoughtful quotes to get your week started right and a weekly Happiness Report with a round up of positive headlines from around the world.

On to the review!

My Natural Lips

Naked Lips

Products I Loved: the lip balms for a bit of color and whole lot of moisture

All swatches are applied with two coats of color with nothing additional like lip liners, gloss, or other color products.

Henné Organics "Desire" Lip Balm

Desire
This was the first color from them that I purchased. I always love a red and I think this is a great cool tone red. I don’t wear it often but I like it for an evening look or when I would go for a bold red lip but don’t have the attention span to keep up with a bold lip.

Henné Organics "Coral" Lip Balm

Coral
By far the color I reach for the most. I think orange and peach tones look so good against my skin. It helps brighten my whole face and like the other colors layers beautifully. For me, it’s an all seasons color but others may like it best for the warmer months. I highly recommend it for olive and brown skin tones.

Henné Organics "Azalea" Lip Balm

Azalea
I wanted a pinky rosy color for my lips and that usually means I have to opt for a brighter shade to achieve the look. Azalea came in with more color payoff than I anticipated. It didn’t fit my original vision but I love it all the same. After "Coral" I wear it the most. It looks particularly good under a gloss.

Luxury Lip Balm V2, not pictured
No color added. I go through this one the most. The original is available in both a stick and potted version. I’ve only used the stick since because I prefer this delivery method. It is the first thing I put on my lips in the morning and the last thing I apply before bed. It is truly the lip balm of my dreams: emollient, no fragrance, and absorbs beautifully.

What Was Okay

Lip Mask, not pictured
The formula is great but I avoid lip products that have the tingle factor and I didn’t realize this was one of those when I received it as a sample with one of my orders. This may be perfect for someone else. If they ever make a version without peppermint oil I’ll be all over it.

Henné Organics "Sunlit" Lip Balm

Tinted Balm Sunlit
I can make this color work with a lip liner but my goal with a tinted lip balm is to be able to throw it on quickly and not look crazy. I don’t have the attention to give to maintaining a lip color throughout the day so this one I rarely use. I don’t think it is as flattering for most olive and brown skin tones on its own but it can be worked with.

On My Wishlist

• Lip Serum I adore targeted skincare and their lip serum seems like just the thing I’ve been needing. It’s designed to firm and plump the lips with a blend of precious oils; packed with antioxidants and essential fatty acids. There is no added fragrance which is a bonus for me.
  
• Muse looks to be a sultry berry color which is a shade I think looks stunning on brown skin tones like mine. I also think it’s the perfect color for fall but I’d probably wear it year round.
  
• Blissful looks like it will be the rosy tone I was going for when I first bought "Azalea". If it packs the same color payoff, then I think it will be perfect. It has a cooler tone that I think will complement my skin tone just the way I like.
  
• Bare I first tried this color as sample, not sure if I would like it. This for me is a perfect “my lips but better” color. It’s the exact thing I need when I want to feel like I tried but I don’t want to do too much. The color intensifies beautifully as layers are applied, so I don’t really need a mirror when I need to touch up. I can’t wait to get the full size product in.

Packaging

My only criticism about the otherwise beautiful packaging is that it is hard to tell which shade you’re picking up without reading the label on the bottom. Which, like most paper labels, has a tendency to fade if not fall off over time. This isn’t a criticism unique to Henné Organics. Other luxury brands from Dior to Guerlain also forgo color indicators on most of their products in favor of eye catching fanciful embossed or sculpted tubes.

If Henné Organics found an elegant way to add a color indicator into the packaging while maintaining their minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic, I think that would elevate the utility of these color products and set them apart from other brands. It would be an added expense so it’s understandable why most luxury brands avoid it and leave color indicators to drugstore lines where the packaging is usually plastic or cardboard and not metal. MAC Cosmetics came up with a genius way to add color indicators to the tubing of their "Love Me" line of lipsticks using a color gradient. However, that line is limited to only three colors and the tube is made of glossy plastic.

I’ve been using this brand for over a year and always recommend them when someone is looking for a good lip balm and price point isn’t an issue. For me, cruelty free and with most products being fragrance free, this brand will remain a go to on my beauty counter.

Support an independent thoughtful brand and see what Henné Organics is all about at henneorganics.com . As a Henné Organics rewards member I also have a rewards link: https://henneorganics.com/r/7572b4a9. The first time you make a purchase of a full-size product I earn rewards points. Purchasing through this link would be a nice way to say thank you if you found this review helpful, but please don’t feel obligated to do so. If you try them out, please let me know what you think!

Truly,

Claire