photographed by rene vaile

Beauty

face off: the un-lipsticks

a new generation of products that are making us smile.

by rebecca willa davis

New year, new you?

OK, um, no...but how about a new beauty product? Yeah, that's more like it. I'm a huge lipstick girl--I'm that person who never has a pen or pack of gum in her bag but keeps at least five different lipstick options in there--so for 2014 I'm looking to mix it up a little with what I like to call the un-lipsticks. They're this new(ish) breed of lip product that don't look like the traditional tubes but deliver pretty awesome results.

Whether it's a lip balm that delivers color like a lipstick or a straight-from-Asia gel-based formula (side note:could this be the BB cream of 2014?!), they're basically what happens when your lipstick makes New Year's Resolutions to be brighter, bolder, more moisturizing, and extra cool--and actually follows through on them.

Click through the gallery to see a breakdown on each of the three un-lipsticks.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm - $8.99 each

Get It: If you're more of a tinted moisturizer girl but sometimes want to try out crazy colors like hot pink and Bordeaux red. Bonus points for the minty scent.

MAC Huggable Lip Colour - $20 each

Get It: If your lips are perpetually dried by traditional lipsticks but you love yourself some color. This just might be the most moisturizing tube I've ever tried--it goes on like buttaaaaah.

Topshop Lip Bullet - $16 each

Get It: If you love the coverage of lipstick but like a bit of control when it comes to application. (I'm super into the deep Wine Gum hue right now, FYI.)