My latest natural beauty discovery is one that hails all the way from New York, and despite the big journey to London, it has small, homegrown roots.
I’ve been trying out four vegan, natural lip balms from Kingdom of Stars, an Etsy shop run by a wonderfully warm, passionate lip balm artisan called Laura. Her store stocks small-batch, plant-based balms that combine high quality ingredients sourced globally; from Japanese matcha green tea, to French perfume, her particularly fine tastes have made for four beautifully scented, well presented balms.
Forestry
The first balm I tried is Kingdom of Stars’ Forestry lip balm*. It combines a soft, smooth coconut and shea butter base with pine-tree scents for a trip back to colder times every time I glide the balm over my lips. As Laura has noted, all of these balms leave your lips supple with a hint of gloss.
Cardamom
Cardamom holds a special place in my heart; I associate it with the baklawa I used to make with my dad and sister when I was small, and with the post-dinner black teas I would make for my dad with one smashed cardamom floating in it for fragrance. This cardamom lip balm* is well fragranced and a pleasure to smell and use.
Matcha
Kingdom of Stars’ Matcha lip balm* is quite something – possibly the best example of the strong green tea scent being used in a sophisticated way. My friend Sara enjoyed trying this balm so much when we were pouring over my natural beauty box that she took it home with her!
Jasmine
Another scent, another memory – although it’s not unusual seeing how closely smells and the mind are linked. Jasmine sends me back to being a girl and the gardens of our few neighbours; sweet, purple jasmines growing in the summer. This jasmine balm* is the sweetest of the lot, with a heady floral scent and lovely glossy finish.
Behind the brand: Laura
When Laura first got in touch with me to try her balms, I knew she was the type of person I’d been waiting to feature on Curiously Conscious. She spoke with heart about her independent business, and delved into the sourcing process for her balms with passion. For so long, I’ve felt the same way about sourcing the items in my life and putting this blog together over the years has felt like a curation of beautiful products with beautiful people behind them. Laura is a stellar example of this. If you try her balms, I hope you can feel the care that’s been put into them, and enjoy knowing who made them too!
