One of my favorite local shopkeepers said it best, "March is a really &*$#ing weird month."

Especially around here. You don’t know whether you should hope for spring or just lump the slow, quiet burn of winter—and how to dress? I don’t even want to go there, and I’m a professional.

But something about Bite Beauty’s high pigment matte pencil in Bramble feels really, really right for this in-between season. (And let’s not kid ourselves; the March-ness of March goes right into April, the way the winter-ness of winter lasts well into spring.)

The color is deep, and kind of moody, but not in a maudlin way. It’s not red, it’s definitely not wine, and it’s not magenta either. The name suggests a berry tone, but it’d have to be the kind of berry you’d make a dangerous liqueur with. It’s a little too alluring for a humble pie.

The bruised jewel shade looks right against pale skin, and it goes well with the grays, beiges, and navys that are waiting patiently for the whites, lime greens, and funky neon oranges to come out and play. The thick tip means it’s more like a lip color Sharpie than a pencil—read: it goes on like a dream—and boy does it stay put.

But Bite’s Bramble is more than its beauty. I’m not sure we can make too much of the fact that its makers count resveratrol and other healthy stuff among the ingredients. I just don’t know how many free radicals you’re actually fighting with this stuff on your lips, but really, who cares? I think it’s enough to say that the red wine component and the superfruits (acai, pomegranate, et al.) definitely can’t hurt. No really, they can’t. Natural and food-grade ingredients are, as Bite likes to say, "good enough to eat." Lick your lips to that.

The company also offers kisser color in traditional sticks, in rouge pots, and in other delivery methods; and sure, they have nudes and corals, too. Find them at your favorite Sephora.