I seem to be spending a lot of time obsessing over my lips, lately. I think they’re shrinking. Or maybe they’re deflating. Thinning? De-plumping? Whatever. I’m not happy about it and it’s all I can think about when I’m layering on one of my 17 lip balms or when I’m out somewhere and ironically without one of said 17 lip balms, licking my lips and wishing I had one. It’s a bit like fighting with my dad; convoluted, confusing and with no real end in sight.
According to Dr. Nowell Solish, a cosmetic dermatologist at the Cosmetic Dermatology Clinic in Toronto, lip thinning is real. “It’s part of aging,” he says, when I ask. Apparently lips are full of collagen and our natural supply slowly dwindles away with every blown out birthday candle. “You also need to factor in that your body’s natural resource of hyaluronic acid—which keeps your lips moisturized and plump looking—isn’t replenishing itself as frequently either,” adds Dr. Solish. On the plus-side, I do have three options.
One: Avoid mirrors and wear a lip balm on a string around my neck circa 1970s Bonne Bell lip balm.
Two: Book a lip-augmentation appointment with Dr. Solish.
Three: Start using Bite Beauty’s Agave+ Superfood Lip Care Set.
I pick door number three. It’s the best one for me and Bite Beauty’s trio of fresh-smelling lippies is really appealing. They’re packed with superfood ingredients like the hydrating mongono oil in the Daytime Lip Balm, the nourishing antioxidant pomegranate extract in the Nighttime Lip Therapy and the exfoliating fair trade organic sugar and papaya enzymes in the Weekly Lip Scrub. The day, night and once a week application-routine is waaay easier than the obsessive-compulsive one I typically follow. Even though I’ve only been using the trio for a week, I’ve noticed that I’m applying the Daytime Lip Balm 50 per cent less than I was using the other 17 lip balms I kept in purses, jeans pockets and in every room of my apartment. I also like to think that my lips are beginning to look more like their 27-year-old plump selves now, so there’s that. Because obviously, it’s my thoughts (not to be confused with obsessions) that count.
Bite Beauty’s Agave+ Superfood Lip Care Set is $56, available online at www.bitebeauty.com.
