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Balm is the Bomb

Balm+is+the+Bomb
Annie Haroun ’16

I counted the other day, and in pre-calculus alone, I applied lip balm four separate times.

Health classes at Staples talk about addiction to drugs and alcohol, but they fail to mention the addiction to lip balms.

Emphasis on the plural.

For me, it usually starts in September, when the balmy summer breezes are replaced with icy winds that leave my lips lifeless and parched.

I just won’t stand for it. I cannot tolerate that feeling when the layers of skin on my lips begin to crack and peel.

Just thinking about it, I have to pause to apply Ultra Conditioning Lip Balm with Kokum Butter that according to Burt’s Bees,’ will give my lips the hydration sensation I deserve.

I have discovered that it’s not just about moisturizing your lips anymore; a lip balm must provide a thirst-sating solution for my lips, giving them the love and care they deserve.

Interestingly enough, I am not alone in the battle against chapped lips.

There are a multitude of blogs and articles dedicated to the subject of a lip balm addiction, namely various versions of “10 signs you might be a lip balm addict.”

I have acquired most, if not all, the habits associated with the addiction, such as the strategic placement of tubes, pots and sticks of the stuff, so I am never without the ability to quench a dehydrated lip.

On lipbalmanonymous.com, “The Original Site About Lip Balm Addiction,” it became clear that I have a seasonal lip balm addiction.

It’s all about easy access. In order to make sure I am never without a balm or a butter I stow a Burt’s Bees’ Beeswax Lip Balm next to my bed, in my desk and in my car.

I have three or four Eos Eggs scattered in my backpack, lunch bag and bathroom. I also pack a Fresh Sugar tube in my make-up bag and pencil case.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a serum or a salve. I don’t discriminate.

I can’t stop buying more either. Every day I find new types, textures, and tints that are destined to end up half-used and forgotten about in the back of my make-up drawer.

It’s like I’m on a quest for some Holy Grail of lip balm that will provide the perfect smooth silky shield from the winter air.

My mom says step one is admitting you have a problem…which I plan to do…eventually.

 

 

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Sophia Hampton, News Editor
Sophia Hampton ’15 can’t quite decide what she wants to do mainly because she wants to do everything. “I can’t tell you what I want to do,” she said, “Because it’s going to change.” Hampton described how, in the past, her varied ambitions ranged from being an editor of Vogue, to being owner of a restaurant, to even being a member of the Peace Corps. Now, however, she has become fixated on another career. After a five week journalism course at Northwestern University over the summer, Hampton decided to take the parts she loved best about journalism- connecting with people through interviews and talking about important issues- and use them it construct her new life plan. With lively passion, she detailed how she would love to be a lawyer. She discussed how she thinks it’s very similar to journalism, since they both would allow her to uncover the truth and “give a voice to the voiceless.” Of course, with Hampton’s ambition, she wastes no time getting started. When she wanted to own a restaurant, she became president of the culinary club.  So when she wanted to become a lawyer, she took up a summer internship at a law firm right after her journalism program. But she playfully acknowledges that her dreams have changed before, and makes sure to add, “Right now I am so down to be a lawyer, but don’t be surprised if you find me in 30 years and I’m a marine biologist.”  

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