Delightfully Tipsy over the Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayons

Whenever I have an extra glass of red wine, I claim that I’m indulging because I want to benefit from the resveratrol content — which is, of course, not even remotely the case. But there’s nothing faulty with the central premise since red wine does, in fact, contain antioxidant-rich resveratrol. Dark-skinned grapes boast a higher resveratrol content, constituting part of the fruits’ defense arsenal so that they produce the substance in response to stress, UV radiation, and infection. Dermatologists have discovered that resveratrol is seventeen times more potent than idebenone, the strongest antioxidant in a skin care product. Because of this, resveratrol has been found to slow down skin aging, protecting against UVB and UVA rays, inhibiting UVB-induced oxidative stress, preventing the proliferation of abnormal skin cells, and helping skin retain its collagen, elastin, and moisture content. For all these reasons then, resveratrol has become a key ingredient in many a skincare product — in fact, it’s at the center of every Caudalie product. But it was makeup brand Bite Beauty that pioneered the use of resveratrol in lip care products since its official launch in 2011.

Three years ago, when I first tired Bite Beauty’s Luminous Creme Lipsticks, I raved about how they left lips feeling smooth and moisturized thanks to the incorporation of antioxidant-rich fruit extracts like açai, cranberry, pomegranate, and blueberry, as well as their high resveratrol content (the equivalent of five glasses of wine) and the fatty acid-rich jojoba oil, shea butter, and argan oil in their formulas. All of these ingredients worked together to offer a product that felt indulgently creamy and which smoothed any ridges, lines and crevices within the lip area, making the color deposited atop them look all the more lustrous and alluring.

My only reservation at the time was that the color selection was a bit limited and that few colors had the intensity to feel really edgy and youthful. But that, folks,was three years ago.

Much to my delight, Bite Beauty recently introduced its greatest offering to date: the Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayons ($24 each at Sephora.com). Each of these jumbo-sized lip pencils delivers high-voltage, bewilderingly long-lasting color and boasts a sophisticated matte finish. As with all Bite Beauty lip care products, the lip crayons are superbly moisturizing so that, even if your lips are dry and slightly chapped, you won’t find yourself reaching for lip balm. And the colors are bold, fun, edgy, and risk-taking — as exciting as anything you’d find in a NARS or Make Up For Ever collection (and that’s high praise, folks!)

Each Matte Creme Lip Crayon contains the following ingredients: resveratrol; grape vine extract, which in addition to resveratrol contains polyphenol nutrients that protect lips against oxidative damage; organic shea butter, rich in fatty acids that soften and condition lips; organic castor seed oil, a natural skin conditioner; orange peel wax, which offers antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits, adn which contains phytosterols that work as emollients; sunflower seed wax, which is rich in vitamins A, D, and E, and which is hard enough to give each lip crayon the strength it needs to retain its structural shape without it being too abrasive on lips; jojoba wax, which prevents skin from losing necessary moisture; organic beeswax, which creates a protective coating over the lips to prevent moisture less and safeguard against oxidative stress; and carnauba wax, a natural emollient that also helps to thicken skincare formulations.

Thanks to this genial formulation, these lip crayons are worth toasting since they coat lips with statement-making pigments while also nourishing the skin and making them look smooth and kissable. The lip crayons are available in six shades: Kumquat, a feisty neon pink; Grape, a bold violet; Clementine, a zesty tangerine orange; Blood Orange, a deep vermillion shade; Satsuma, an intense fuchsia; and Sweety, a perky honeysuckle pink.

I tried out two of the Matte Creme Lip Crayons, and I’m so in love with them, I want to buy the other four shades! Not only are they easy to apply, but they last for hours — even after you eat, drink, and chit chat. They actually last longer than most of NARS’ Satin Lip Pencils,which shocked me!

Below, check out swatches of the Kumquat and Grape hues:

Aren’t the colors lovely? Next, check out how they look on lips!

Below, check out how the Grape shade looks on lips. As you’ll hopefully notice from the photos, the violet shade looks a bit more muted on lips than it does when initially swatched, but it’s still a killer hue!

Next, check out how the Kumquat shade looks on lips. Talk about a statement lip, right?

Will you be taking a bite out of these lip crayons?