Long Winter Soap Co. - Maple Bacon (lip balm), The Bearded Bella - Pancake Bacon Flight Magic

maple syrup? yes. fresh sizzling bacon? heck yes. maple bacon? aww yeah, bring it on.

a while back, i had the opportunity to visit a local cafe The Bearded Bella for brunch with a couple of close friends, and the first dish that caught my eye was their Pancake. Bacon. Flight. Magic. (maple infused pancakes, barbeque butter, onion jam, bacon three-ways (maple glazed, bacon back, paprika-spiced)).

the plating was stunning, with soft fluffy pancakes, a literal flight of crisp bacon fresh from the pan, and enough maple syrup to drown everything in. everything was so delicious and i don't know how they do it but especially the barbeque butter paired with the bacon and pancakes - it was simply to die for.

it was such a stars-aligned moment that (without planning for it beforehand) i had in my bag my Long Winter Soap Co. lip balm in Maple Bacon which went perfectly right in the centre of my plate for this shot, ignoring the drippings of bacon fat, sticky maple syrup, and the oohs and aahs of my friends all around.

Maple Bacon's description overflows with the brand's signature wit (When we were kids we used to freak out when maple syrup got on our bacon. Kids are stupid.) to which i find myself nodding in agreement - as perfectly exemplified by the magic of The Bearded Bella's pancake bacon flight, there is no better combination for breakfast than sizzling bacon and sweet sticky maple syrup.

this one is a light yellow beeswax colour in the tube, though popping off the lid reveals a subtle aroma of lovely sweet maple syrup undergirded by a smooth savoury bacon, so fresh you can almost hear it  still sizzling in the pan.

on application, the smell just intensifies, and i enjoyed the contrast of sweet and savoury scent which is just spot-on to the notes in its name. application was quick and easy, especially with the size of the tube; the lip balm also didn't transfer any colour to my lips though it did leave a soft sheen and gloss which is enough to look good enough on its own without the need for lipstick.

Long Winter Soap Co.'s lip balms live up to their well-deserved hype - these balms are really great in the moisturising department. one application effortlessly lasted for a few hours even with drinking water and having light munchies.

another aspect i like about the brand is their attention to product integrity - each and every single item i purchased was individually shrink-wrapped in plastic to protect it (and others around it) from any accidental spills or damage on its way to me.

all things considered, i enjoyed Maple Bacon just as much as my pancake bacon flight, and if the stunning performance of this one is anything to go by, i'm quite glad that i have three other scented variants of Long Winter Soap Co.'s lip balms just waiting in the wings. 9/10.

==

this was an undercover reviewer experience - the staff at The Bearded Bella were not aware that i was a reviewer when i visited, and hopefully it stays that way for a while ;)

this review is of a product that i had purchased at regular price with my own money. i wasn’t asked to review this as a condition of receipt and didn’t receive any incentives for writing this. i’m not affiliated with Long Winter Soap Co. or The Bearded Bella and as always, all opinions remain my own.

Long Winter Soap Co.'s catalogue is available here. prices are US$5 for a 0.15oz lip balm (before shipping).

The Bearded Bella's website is available here.

all information correct at time of publishing.