Two Sheer Lip Colors from BITE: SPF 15 Sheer Balm and Lip Shine

BITE Beauty is an alluring collection of lip products, available at Sephora. All of BITE's products feature the super-antioxidant, resveratrol, to protect your lips. Ranging from the lightest to the darkest shades, the long-lasting shades were designed by leading makeup artists. In addition to featuring resveratrol, BITE's formulas have all-star, natural ingredient lists that include organic shea butter, superfoods, and food-grade coloring, making them "good enough to eat."

I've been exploring my way through BITE's products, and I'm very happy with everything I tried. Today, I'm featuring two different products: SPF 15 Sheer Balm and BITE Lip Shine. I'm a sheer lip color worshiper, and I know that I don't sit alone in that pew.

SPF 15 Sheer Balm ($19) caught my eye immediately. The slim tube, transparent color, and SPF protection reminded me of one of my "old favorites," YSL's Gloss Volupté Sheer Sensual Gloss Stick. This soothing Sheer Balm formula features delicious organic mint and blood orange essential oils to refresh and cool the lips. With every application, a micro-delivery of super-antioxidant resveratrol provides age-repairing benefits. Each balm contains the amount of resveratrol found in five glasses of red wine. More has to be better, right?

There are eight shades available, ranging from Sparkling (pale peach nude) to Burgundy (berry rose). They had me at the berry description, so I ordered Burgundy. With transparent lip colors, I like to go darker so that I can see some color on my lips - it lights up my face.

BITE Lip Shine ($20) is a gloss, a translucent lip tint available in 10 illuminating colors. There's something for everyone, from the sheer nude Prosecco to Raspberry, a blue red. As with the balm, I was looking for a little color, so I selected Plum, described as sheer aubergine.

This high-tech gloss is infused with time-release jojoba beads and an antioxidant resveratrol complex that imparts soothing hydration and intense shine. Like the SPF 15 Sheer Balm, each Lip Shine contains a high concentration of resveratrol, but no nasty stuff, like synthetics, polybutene, and petroleum byproducts.

I took a few photos for you - all in full, afternoon sun, but all with my arm turned at slightly different angles to the sun. My photos were taken in front of a Kousa dogwood. Mine is in full, glorious bloom.

I applied SPF 15 Sheer Lip Balm in Burgundy at the top and Sheer Lip Shine in Plum at the bottom of my arm. I think both shades are gorgeous. They are different products, but have very similar levels of pigmentation - or sheerness. It's like describing a glass as half-full or half-empty. Since I selected pigmented shades in sheer lip colors, they have color - on my arm and on my lips. I love that.

On my lips, Burgundy isn't burgundy. Instead, it's the beautiful berry color you see on my arm. Plum Lip Shine is plum-rose or rosy grape, beautiful to my eyes.

The Balm has no discernible taste. The Lip Shine does. It's not one of those bubble-gum tastes, though - nor does it taste like red wine, which would be "interesting." The ingredient list of both says "natural flavor," but I have no idea what it is - and I can't taste it at all in the Balm. Figure that out!

There is retinyl palmitate (far down on the ingredient list) in the Lip Shine; it's not present in the Balm. For that reason, I would buy a second Balm before I buy a second Lip Shine. My regular readers know that's a personal preference. Unless you are also sensitive to retinyl palmitate, you shouldn't care; you might even like having the vitamin A derivative for its anti-aging benefits.

Enticed to try one? I think they deserve a look-see. There are many other BITE lip products to tempt you. I also purchased the Vitamin Gel Trio, which I'll tell you about very soon. All of BITE's beauties are exclusive to Sephora.

P.S. I've started spelling out my blog name in the photo credits because of content theft. BTiB was too vague to indicate to those reading my stolen features on other sites that it's my arm!

Product photos courtesy of Sephora; swatches by Best Things in Beauty

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News You Need to Know: YSL and BITE

One's history, one's new: sheer lip colors...

YSL is discontinuing its Gloss Volupté Sheer Sensual Gloss Stick SPF 9 - very soon. I would guess that production stopped long ago, since its replacement is going to hit the counters in April. The replacement sounds divine, but...if you are as addicted as I am to the Gloss Stick, hoard now!

Yesterday, I asked my favorite Neiman Marcus sales associate to pull every color they had left except Tangy Orange. Today, I found that Sephora has only one shade left to sell. Why don't companies warn us? If you like these fabulous Gloss Sticks, it's time to search and buy. The replacement may be stunning - and probably is. The gals in the stores have been trained, and they think it's going to wow us. I just like what I like, and I hate to lose favorites.

Not long ago, I got a very nice sample from Sephora. BITE Lip Rouge ($22) is a multitasking lip color and blush, rich with buildable layers of color and a satin texture. This lip color delivers the super-antioxidant resveratrol, which fights free radicals with potent long-term anti-aging benefits. Each Lip Rouge contains the amount of resveratrol found in five glasses of red wine (so do we or don't we ingest our liptick?). For weeks, Sephora has had an offer of a free sample with the promotion code BITE.

The Geranium sample shade comes in a pot that's generous for a free sample and well worth your selection. The sample was still available last night. Now that I have a few of the samples (perfect for my purse for lip and cheek color on the go), I plan to order another shade. This is a nice tinted balm - worthy of a look-see.

Here's a swatch of Geranium, the shade Sephora sent. It's very pretty. On my lips, it's light pink. I applied the Lip Rouge with my finger and took my photo in outdoor sunlight. When I order one, I will select a shade that is slightly darker - maybe Raisin.

BITE is new to Sephora. In addition to featuring beauty's hottest antioxidant, resveratrol, the all-natural ingredient list of their many lip products includes organic shea butter, superfoods, and food-grade colors, making them good enough to eat. "It's beauty that's better for you."

While I am telling you about Sephora, the company just started a sample promotion. You can select five samples of skin-care products until April 5. No special code is needed. While the samples are the typical packet samples, it's a nice offer. You'll get five samples, and you can still get your BITE sample. You won't even have to look at smelly perfume samples.

I'm toying with making News You Need to Know a periodic feature - appearing when I have news bytes to share ("half-posts" to combine) - so please let me know what you think.

Photos courtesy of Sephora

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