Smoked Salt Lip Elixir by TokyoMilk

My fascination with the products and scents available from TokyoMilk continues, so I picked up one of the lip elixirs to try out.  I chose Smoked Salt, as that seemed such a strange combination for a lip balm.  The flavor notes listed are  smoked sea salt, burnt sugar, molasses, and vanilla bean.

Danish Viking Smoked Sea Salt

"Sweet temptation is beckoning.  Remarkably uncommon essences infused in to a smooth, luscious balm.  Elicit a kiss with lips tamed by a lush, silky blend of sweet Jasmine & Bee Balm laced with crushed extracts of hydrating Aloe Leaf & Vitamin E.  Femme fatale incarnate.  A supple seduction.  Not for the faint of heart:  An unexpected mixture of fragrance & flavor.  A remarkable lip elixir for a remarkably uncommon experience. (Source:  TokyoMilk)

Fortunately, I like how it both smells and tastes!  There is indeed a slight smokiness in the fragrance, along of the lines of a smoked ham with a sugar glaze as opposed to a wood fire smoke.  Apparently, smoked sea salts get their distinctive flavoring from different hard woods in a fire that  infuses the sea salt with a sappy smokiness.   I've seen reviews that compared the smell of Smoked Salt to a Lapsang Souchong tea, and another said they found it to be a comforting scent.

The taste is slightly sweet, and I do see Stevia in the ingredient list.  Neither the smell nor the taste is overwhelmingly, although I can smell the balm after I put it on if I curl my lips up towards my nose.

The packaging reflects one of the things I like the most about TokyoMilk products - distinctiveness and flair.  The tin is slightly larger yet thinner than one of the Rosebud salve tins, and you get .7 oz for $7 vs. the .8 oz for $6 of the Rosebud salves.

This is a petrolatum based lip salve, although there are some other interesting ingredients in the blend.  The texture is what you would expect from a petrolatum based product, slightly thicker than Vaseline, smooth, and non-sticky.

The thing I do not like is that I find the tin difficult to open at times.  I've actually cut my finger on the edge of the tin before, which is problematic, to say the least.  I consider that to be a design flaw and it did make me reluctant to use Smoked Salt afterwards.  I may end up transferring the balm into another container so I can continue to enjoy it without having to fight with the container.

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.