RIP Bonne Bell Co. How Will I Keep My Lip Smacker Obsession Alive?

Now, I don't want to seem overly dramatic here. But when I tell you that I am obsessed with Bonne Bell Lip Smackers, I'm not kidding. I'm fairly certain that at any given time I have at LEAST 10 of them in my possession. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. No matter how many other lip balms I've tried over the years, I always come back to my trusted Lip Smackers. So when I got the news this weekend that Bonne Bell is closing up shop, I was -- as one might imagine -- devastated.

That photo you see above is just a very small sampling of my current Lip Smackers collection. I usually have about 3 or 4 rattling around in my purse, one on my desk at work, two on my nightstand, one in my kitchen, one on each of my end tables ... seriously, they follow me everywhere. I love the different flavors, of course, but I also love how much softer my lips feel every time I use one. So many lip balms are waxy, sticky or tacky -- not so with Lip Smackers, which are just super moisturizing and nourishing. They last for HOURS -- I can slick one on before bed and I wake up with my lips still feeling pillowy soft. I've NEVER found another lip balm capable of this.

And yes, I know I'm now 35 years old. Coincidentally, that happened the same day Bonne Bell announced the news. And, yes, maybe 35 is a little old to say Lip Smackers are my favorite lip balm -- but, you know what? I want to maintain a childlike innocence as long as possible.

My hometown paper, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, broke the story on Friday. Bonne Bell is a Cleveland-based company, which this former Clevelander always loved. California-based Markwins is acquiring Lip Smacker, but I'm worried that the formula will change.

Now I'm off to buy and stockpile every single Lip Smacker I can find before they disappear for good.

RIP Bonne Bell.

If you want to stockpile Bonne Bell Lip Smackers just like I do, you can find them for around $2 each at beauty.com.