Product Review: Bacon Lip Balm from The Plaid Mushroom

For those of you know dont know... I have a slight obsession with a certain kind of food. Well, I have obsessions with a few kinds of food, but the focus of my latest splurge was bacon (see use my Google search bar to search my site for "chocolate" and "bacon"...). I happened to be in the red chat room on Etsy when The Plaid Mushroom (TPM) was also chatting. She started to talk about how she was thinking of making up some bacon lip balm but that she thought no one would buy it. I told her right on the spot that I would... even if the receipt was not refined yet. After a little convincing, she got of chat and listed it... which I promptly bought. I then, in my excitement, spread the word about Etsy... increasing interest as I went. TPM soon ran out of her first batch of Bacon Lip Balm and had to make another... in like 24 hours!
Patiently I waited, and yesterday my anticipation paid off when TPM's envelope arrived in my mail box! The envelope itself looks hand crafted from some very heavy card stock. Upon opening the very securely sealed envelope My Bacon Lip Balm packaged with a business card and two "trail size" samples of Peppermint and Pina Colada Lip Balm. The packaging of the trials was really interesting and reminded me of what coin collectors keep their coins in. They are very slim, but hold a decent amount of balm. The only issue I had is, once opened, you have to fashion something to keep them closed. I just use paper clips, no biggie. The Peppermint Lip Balm was minty smelling, and warms and tingles on the tongue when tasted. The Pina Colada aroma is very strong, smelling perfectly sweet and buttery. The Pina Colada tasted spot on as well, with delicious hints of coconut.
Now on to the big pay off, the Bacon Lip Balm! The smell was not as strong as the Pina Colada, but you can defiantly smell the bacon-y goodness trapped in this little tube, salty and meaty. TPM uses real bacon oil (refined from real bacon!). The other ingredients include avocado oil, beeswax, vitamin E oil and shea butter. I love that all these ingredients are all natural! The balm also tastes slightly of bacon, a lighter flavor but still noticeable. The only real slight negative I can give to this product is that it is not as solid or viscous as most other lip products are. I found that applying the Bacon Lip Balm in a "lip stick" manner messy. I much prefer and recommend using your finger to apply it. It left my lips feeling very silky and moisturized.

Overall Impression: I am unsure if I can give a fair assessment as I love bacon so much, but this lip balm is so unique I just had to have it. The price is great too, under $4 with shipping. Other than the application, I cant think of any faults unless you either dont like the smell or taste of bacon. Even my kitty loves it. I had to hide it once she got a taste of it!
Also, it should be stated that (according to TPM herself) "all handmade lip balm can 'expire'. it's a part of not having chemical preservatives in them...but that's also one of the benefits and by the time that happens (about a year), the balm will probably be used and gone anyway." If you happen to get a chance to try this unique and fanciful product it is well worth the step outside the box!