Review: Mad Gab's Holiday Tins & Tubes Gift Set (I have found my Holy Grail Lip Balm)

I recently received some Mad Gab's products for review and today I'd like to show you this cute little holiday gift set. Before I even get into my review, I want to say that I honestly wish I could give this set to every single one of you for the holidays (well, those that aren't vegan--they do contain beeswax).

Mad Gab's Holiday Tins & Tubes Gift Set

(retail: $14 on the Mad Gab's website)

Available for purchase at lots of gift shops, tourist attractions and indie retailers across the nation (you can find Mad Gab's at the San Diego Zoo and Legoland here in San Diego!), I've been wanting to try Mad Gab's since I first spotted their lip balm tins back in the 90s. For some reason, they have always been on my to-try list, but not until I received these products had I ever actually tried their iconic lip balms (the shame!).

So let's start with the tins:

How cute are these??

I find both of these flavors to be spot-on with their names. The Candy Cane balm smells and tastes just like candy cane, while the Sugar Cookie balm really smells and tastes just like a sugar cookie. The balms themselves are smooth, hydrating and feel very moisturizing on the lips. However, I think that the REAL star of the show in this gift set is the tubes:

Mark this date as the day I proclaim Mad Gab's Moose Smooch with SPF15 my holy grail lip balm. I am not kidding around, folks. I am in LOVE.

I have tried probably hundreds of lip balms over the course of my 40 years on this planet, and I've reviewed probably dozens just on this blog alone. So what makes this lip balm my new Holy Grail Lip Balm? Allow me to explain.

Lip balm is all about texture for me. I don't want a balm that's too thick or dry, yet I don't want one that's too slick or greasy either. There's a very fine balance that feels PERFECT on my lips, and this one feels absolutely flawless to me. No grainy texture, no heaviness, no weird waxiness, yet it's substantial enough to feel like it's actually coating and protecting my lips. The weight of this balm on my lips is pure perfection. It feels smooth, buttery, perfectly hydrating and the best part? It LASTS. One application in the morning can take me all the way to the mid-afternoon. One application at night and the next morning my lips feels amazing.

And I haven't even gotten to the flavors! I keep switching back and forth as to my favorite, but right now I am loving Hot Cocoa. It really does smell and taste like hot cocoa, but Sugar Cookie and Candy Candy are also spot-on and AWESOME.

I could go on and on about the virtues of this lip balm, but like I said in my opening paragraph, I would love to give each and every one of you this gift set for the holidays if I could. THAT is how much I love these products. So I'll just go ahead and leave it at that.

FINAL VERDICT: If you have yet to find your Holy Grail Lip Balm, I don't know what else to say other than that you might want to give Mad Gab's a whirl. I realize that lip balm is incredibly subjective and I can only offer you my own personal opinion, but if what I've described above sounds appealing to you, consider giving these a shot. All of the other lip balms in my vast lip balm collection are now collecting dust. Sad for them, but happy for my lips!

To see where Mad Gab's products are sold in you area, click here. You can purchase this gift set on the Mad Gab's website, where you can also purchase individual tubes. The Moose Smooch Sticks are $3 each when purchased separately.

Do you already own any Mad Gab's lip balms or other Mad Gab's products? If so, how do you like them? 

A sample of this product was given to Nouveau Cheap for editorial purposes, either directly from the manufacturer or from the agency that works on behalf of the manufacturer. All reviews on NouveauCheap.blogspot.com are the honest opinion of its author and editorial samples do not, in any way, affect the outcome of product reviews.