The Chapstick Theory: A Path to Authentic Living
Look in your purse. Check your car console. Scan your bathroom counter.
How many chapsticks do you count?
If you’re like most of us, you probably found at least five. Different flavors, colors, scents, and brands. All vying for your attention while that shiny new plumping gloss catches your eye at the store.
This is what I call the Chapstick Theory.
The Chapstick Collection Conundrum
Do you remember purchasing each one? That moment when you thought this would be the perfect shade, the perfect formula, the one that finally makes you feel complete?
Maybe one melted in your purse while others sit untouched in your bedroom drawer. Some you’ve used once or twice before moving on to the next promising tube of gloss.
Why can’t we just finish one and buy another?
Why can’t we be happy with a decision, live with it, and accept it?
The Deeper Truth
Here’s what the Chapstick Theory reveals: our relationship with lip products mirrors our relationship with ourselves.
Every time we reach for a new chapstick or gloss before finishing what we have, we’re essentially saying the current one—and by extension, our current selves—isn’t quite enough. We need something shinier, plumper, more moisturizing, more perfect.
We pile new things into our lives before fully experiencing what we already have. But how do you know your authentic self if you’re constantly covering it up with the latest trend?
Beyond Chapstick: The Pattern Everywhere
This isn’t just about lip products. Look around—how many half-used bottles of shampoo, skincare serums, or nail polishes do you own? We do this with everything: clothes with tags still on, books we started but never finished, hobby supplies gathering dust.
The chapstick is just the most obvious example of our inability to be satisfied with what we have.
The Challenge: Finish the Chapstick
I decided to challenge myself: What if I only bought one lip gloss? One type of shampoo? One skincare routine?
The results? I save money. I feel less shame about overabundance. Most importantly, I learn to love the product—and myself—exactly as it is in this moment.
Finishing the chapstick becomes an act of self-acceptance.
Your Authentic Trend
Maybe this theory sounds silly to you, and that’s okay! But if something in you is nodding along, try this:
Before buying another lip product, finish what you have
Give yourself space to truly enjoy the item that once sparked joy
Accept that you are perfect as you are—no new shade needed to cover that up
Be proud you accomplished something without rushing to the next trend
Create your own authentic trend instead of chasing others
The Gloss of Authenticity
Whether it’s chapstick, lip gloss, or any product we collect, the real shine comes from within. When we stop seeking external validation through new purchases and start appreciating what we already have, we discover something beautiful:
We already are enough.
So finish the chapstick. Make decisions you feel 100% about. Give yourself permission to be satisfied with your choices—and with yourself.
Your authentic self doesn’t need another coat of gloss to be beautiful.
The Chapstick Theory is about more than lip products—it’s about learning to love and accept yourself exactly as you are, one small choice at a time.
