Beauty sticks, especially of the skin-care variety, have been a big hit over here at Allure HQ. They're quick, easy, and pretty much free of any mess, factors that have made them a game changer for me, an admittedly impatient (maybe you could even say lazy) person. So when I was tasked with testing Kora Organics Noni Glow Face Balm for Allure’s Best of Beauty Awards, I was happy for the opportunity to add another swipe-and-go item to my lineup of time-saving beauty products.
The Noni Glow Balm is exactly what it sounds like: a thick, moisturizing product for the face, in stick form, that's packaged in what looks like the cutest, chicest tube of lip balm you've ever seen. It fits ever-so-snuggly in the palm of my hand and slides easily into every makeup bag and handbag I own — essential if you’re always running around, which I always am. The tube is a pretty, cheery shade of robin's-egg blue, which makes me smile every time I take it out to swipe it on.
And one swipe is all it really takes to start seeing the effects of this super hydrating, all-natural moisturizer. After gliding the slick — but not greasy — balm over my face, I can immediately feel my combination-to-dry skin soaking up all the moisturizing ingredients (a list that includes coconut oil, shea butter, rosehip oil, noni fruit extract, and calendula — more on that in a second). I'm not sure if my skin is just unbelievably dehydrated or if the formula is just that good because it absorbs instantly; I barely need to work it into my skin after I apply it. Another point for team lazy!
Oh, and speaking of all-natural, the Noni Glow Balm was so popular among the Allure staff that we decided to give it a 2018 Best of Beauty Award in the supernaturals category, which means it's amazing and free of parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, silicones, polyethylene and polypropylene (microbeads), metallic aluminum, triclosan, talc, mineral oil, petrolatum, formaldehyde, toluene, and chemical sunscreens (such as oxybenzone, avobenzone, and octinoxate).
Because I have combination skin, I’ve been focusing the balm on the most parched patches of my face, which are conveniently the same spots where you usually apply highlighter: my brow bones, my temples, and the upper part of my cheekbones. The balm leaves behind a sheer, dewy layer that gives my skin a natural, glossy sheen like no shimmery highlighter can. In fact, I’ve completely stopped wearing highlighter now that I use the Kora stick regularly. Why add the extra step when this balm nourishes my skin and makes me glow like the sun? Sometimes I even just lightly tap a bit of the balm onto those key areas with my fingertips throughout the day for a quick hit of moisture and shine.
Most impressively, this balm quickly calms down any redness and smoothes out uneven texture like bumps and flakes. I'm going to take a guess and chalk that up to the calendula in the formula, which I and a few other people have found to be super effective as a skin-soothing toner. When my skin is feeling particularly dull, a few extra swipes of the Kora balm make that all go away. What more can you ask from such a cute little stick?