Beauty Balms: Three Multi-Purpose Balms All Women Need to Try

No beauty bag is complete without a multi-purpose balm to see its owner through all weathers and skincare woes. And these are the ones that have stood the test of time as the others have come and gone.

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Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

Anyone who knows the first thing about beauty will be familiar with this wonder balm. The thick balms contain ingredients such as lanolin, mineral oil, salicylic acid and castor oil, and can be used to hydrate, protect and heal head-to-toe. The scent isn’t for everyone, but its skin-soothing powers certainly are. First made in 1930 by the woman herself, let its 90-year history assure you.

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Lucas Papaw Ointment

You’ll be hard-pressed to find an Australian skincare buff that hasn’t tried the elixir hidden within this famous bright red tube. The sticky substance is kept on hand to ease dry lips, cuts, nappy rash, bites and chapped cuticles, and is made from fermented paw paw (or papaya) fruit as well as petroleum jelly and a small amount of gum balsam of Peru for scent. Founded in the earlier 1900s, it’s likewise a skin saviour for the ages.

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Egyptian Magic

Okay, so it hasn’t been around quite as long as the others – it’s been available to buy since 1991 – but its near-thirty years have earned it a rock-solid spot on so many beauty shelves. Use it as a body moisturiser, face mask, flyaway tamer, scar treatment or just about anything else you can think of. Olive oil, honey, royal jelly, propolis, beeswax and bee pollen make up the base, and the ingredients are completely natural. In our opinion, the magical name is no exaggeration.