I have this bad little habit, which I suppose comes with the territory when one is enough of a product junkie to maintain a website entirely devoted to cosmetics. Whenever I lay eyes on an object resembling a tube of lip gloss, I immediately uncap it, smear said product on my lips, and then, only then, examine the packaging.

It was immediately following such an incident that I found myself discreetly scanning the room for a tissue, napkin, or even a clean sleeve. I will spare you all the details, but the bottom line is that I had unwittingly applied peroxide tooth whitener to my lips.

The product in question? SexySmile by Dr. Pia Lieb. And now that I've actually read the instructions, I can tell you honestly that this is quite a fantastic little invention.

On one end of the double sided tube is a pretty lip gloss, and on the other is a brush-on tooth whitening solution (which I mistook for, uh, "clear" and smeared all over my lips). It's so well thought out and intelligently formulated that I wanted to kick myself for abusing it with such reckless abandon the first time around. And here's why:

• All 6 available shades of the lip gloss have a blue base, to make teeth appear visually whiter

• You can whiten on the fly, up to 6 times a day, especially after eating foods that tend to stain

• The whitener has a clear gel texture similar to the that of Crest Whitestrips (minus the actual strips, of course), but doesn't get as gloppy or foamy once it's on your teeth

• The whitening solution doubles as a breath freshener thanks to the inclusion of peppermint oil!

I've been test-driving Wear-it-to-Bed Red, which is a lovely sheer red with no shimmer, and have become slightly addicted to the whitener on the other end. It's useful, practical, and portable. Just read the instructions first!

Oh, and Dr. Pia Lieb? Prettiest. Dentist. Ever.