This Intensive Lip Care Routine Has Been A Total Game-Changer

I admit it, while I take great pride in the carefully researched and curated skin care routine I’ve cultivated over the years, I’ve done my lips so wrong. For years I thought my avid use of fruity-smelling lip balms was enough to keep things soft and moisturized. But, alas, I’ve continued to battle ultra-dry and flaky lips, which have only gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. Considering I’m a bright lipstick devotee, this constant dehydrated look just wasn’t working for me. Then, one fateful coffee date with beauty brand founder Sara Happ introduced me to the lip care routine that would change everything for good.

I met the bubbly entrepreneur and founder of her namesake lip product line on a particularly sunny Los Angeles day. Upon sitting down, a bare-lipped Happ immediately informed that she had to livestream her lip scrub application for her loyal Instagram followers. I was hypnotized as she proceeded to thoroughly spread the granular, sugary substance all around her lip area with her finger, gently massaging it onto her mouth in a circular motion. As she worked the substance onto her lips, she explained to viewers how the sugary crystals were dissolving and simultaneously sloughing away the dead skin. After about 20 seconds seconds of this, she wiped the exfoliant with a tissue. Her once pale, ash-like lips were now pink and plump. Happ then reached for an ivory tube that I would soon know as the brand’s Lip Slip Gloss and generously applied it her lips, leaving them glistening and full.

After this demonstration, Happ explained that this process would indeed leave lips shiny and moisturized all day long, even if she didn’t reapply her gloss. I was obviously intrigued and eager to see if it would work its magic on my chronically dry lips. During our post-demo chat, I learned that many of the lip balms and moisturizers I’d been using were actually packed with ingredients that perpetuated the dryness in my lips. In fact, certain flavors and fragrances in these formulas can dehydrate, resulting in a vicious circle of constant reapplication that’s doing more damage than good. A solid and effective lip care product should contain things like mineral oils, shea butter, and petroleum jelly that retain moisture instead of draining it.

I immediately ran home, equipped with Happ’s scrub, gloss, and the brand’s Dream Slip overnight mask that I learned was another crucial part of the lip care puzzle. For the next week, I diligently applied the mask to my lips before bed every night. I was so impressed by its thick creamy texture that surprisingly stayed strong through my six- to seven-hour sleep cycle. I woke up to soft, supple lips, that felt like I’d just applied lip balm seconds earlier. As the final step in my skin care routine, I’d apply the scrub just as Happ had demonstrated, wiping it gently with a washcloth. I finished with a generous swipe of the Lip Slip and either went about my day or topped it with a lipstick or tinted balm for some color.

I kid you not, the results were truly immediate. In addition to my soft morning lips, my scrub-and-slip routine also kept things smooth and pillowy all day long. That strange feathered dryness that would develop around the borders of my mouth and at the corners was no longer. The lines on my lips were softened considerably, leaving the surface clear and considerably plumper. I looked like I had fresh lip filler, sans injections.

Over the past month, this daily (and nightly) lip routine has become as important to me as the rest as that of my face and hair. I think we often forget that, just like the rest of the body, the lips can age and weather without proper care. Ahead, check out the products I reach for daily for a foolproof lip care routine.