Review: Rohto Mentholated Lip Fondue in Rose Pink

I feel like I start off a lot of blog posts these days with the sentence,"So, while I was travelling overseas/out and about in a different country/on a stroll through the streets of New Zealand etc", but I think this is what happens when you combine two of your favourite things - beauty products and travel! I always like picking up random goodies while I'm away, and I'm still making my way through them, which is why I'm only talking about the Rohto Mentholated Lip Fondue in Rose Pink now, approximately seven months after my trip to Tokyo!

 

I was definitely swayed into getting this after doing some hardcore googling prior to my trip, because I wanted to narrow down some options. I mean, I was no stranger to Japanese beauty products, and having been a fan of a few brands previously, I was really looking forward to trying a whole bunch of others, but I'm not going to lie - I was immediately overwhelmed when I first started my research on what I wanted to get, and it took me ages to narrow things down. Once I made my list, however, they were incredibly easy to purchase, because everything I had on there was really accessible and ubiquitous, so it was never a concern that I wouldn't be able to fill my luggage!

 

The one thing that I seemed to find on everyone's list was the Rohto Mentholated Lip Fondue, and it was everywhere in Rose Pink, so naturally, that was the one I picked up! This is a tinted lip balm that is meant to help moisturise the lips, keeping them soft and hydrated, as well as subtly tinted, so that your own lip colour can come through. It said to help keep the lips stay chapped-free, and have the lips feeling comfortable, all with it's lightweight formula. 

 

This comes in a clear tube packaging that is a little longer than most lip balms I own, and it also has a soft pink colour to it, in addition to what's added by the lip balm. I was certainly suckered in by the word fondue, because, much like the word sherbet, it's one of those that I can't get enough of, and the first thing I thought of was cheese, which made me think of soft cheese, and then I was instantly hungry. As you can see, it doesn't take much for me to purchase something! Now, I'm going to be completely honest with you - I didn't love it immediately when I tried it.

 

To give you some context, my lips were chapped and flaky when I picked this up, and I think that having compromised skin made the menthol more prominent, and impossible for the lip balm to work it's magic properly. Instead, it just sort of clung to the skin, and didn't do much. I persisted, however, and used it again, but more as a preventative, and let me tell you - it's much better that way! This actually provides a medium shine that I wasn't expecting, as well as more of a colour, although still subtle, than I would have thought. The consistency of this is soft, and you don't have to drag it across the lips, which I love. Above all, this stays on the lips for quite a while, which surprised me initially, because I caught sight of my lips in the mirror an hour after applying it, and I could still see the sheen and colour. For about $9. this is a decent lip balm, and I can see why people rave about it! Have you tried the Rohto Mentholated Lip Fondue before?