Autumn has arrived and the season has definitely turned - and almost literally overnight my skin seems to have changed seasons too, getting a head start on winter by blessing me with horrible chapped lips.
With my lips feeling cracked and dry, I went out over the weekend and stocked up on my sensitive skin-approved go-to remedies for a multi-pronged attack to fix them: cheap and all-natural Dr PawPaw for healing (and to carry in my bag at all times) and French pharmacy cult fave NUXE Honey Lip Oil ($21 / £15) for soothing, and as lush overnight lip mask.
But then, as luck would have it, I spotted Kylie Jenner revealing her own hack to fix chapped lips: nipple cream! Yes, really. And the best part is that her budget-friendly go-to is on sale right now.
© Instagram / Kylie JennerThe Kardashians star popped up on Instagram showing off her pre-show beauty prep before attending the Schiaparelli show at Paris Fashion Week.
Opening a half-empty tube of Lansinoh nipple cream, $6.89 / £8.49 and applying it to her pout, Kylie whispered, “Nipple cream for your lips, it’s like the best secret.”
Kylie's fave: Lansinoh Lanolin Nipple Cream
© AmazonI’m no stranger to a good drugstore product with a secret multitasking power - for example, I can tell you Meghan Markle’s MUA has used Aquaphor as a highlighter (and Beyoncé reportedly has used it as an overnight mask!).
It turns out the nipple cream trick is a go-to for celebrities and celebrity makeup artists alike.
© John Salangsang/Golden Globes 20In fact, none other than Margot Robbie has said she also swears by using nipple cream as lip balm. As far back as 2017 the star was singing the praises of her mother-approved moisturizer of choice.
“I use Bepanthen, which is actually a nipple cream for breastfeeding mothers or diaper rash cream for babies,” she told Elle at the time. “I have a conspiracy theory that lip balms actually have additives in them to dry your lips out so you keep buying them. But because Bepanthen is just a cream for dry skin, it works. It's what I've used my whole life.”
I’m betting that Margot, now pregnant with her first child, will probably find that the multipurpose must-have will come in even more handy when baby arrives.
© Dia DipasupilAnd as it turns out, the celebrity-approved hack is more common than I thought - the HELLO! Shopping team’s Carla Challis also uses the same nipple cream as Kylie as a balm.
“Like Kylie, I often use Lansinoh lanolin nipple cream on my lips,” she told me. “Yep, I bought it after the birth of my daughter for its intended purposes, but a friend said they swore by it for dry lips. And it is, hands down, one of the best lip moisturisers I've used. I've dabbled in other nipple creams - Dr Lipp, ($9.50 / £6.99), which actually markets itself as an 'everything' balm now - and they all are incredible for cracked skin in general, not just lips - cuticles, dry rough patches and smoothing brows too."
In the meantime, I’m taking notes and adding this unusual beauty hack to my autumn-winter arsenal. And although my lips are back to being supple (my trusted combo really does work!), I’m wondering if I could have saved myself some cash by checking out the baby aisle instead…
