We love vampires. We love reading about them, watching them and maybe even dreaming about them. They’re sexy, mysterious, and never sleep (did we mention their sparkly skin and pale complexion just drive us nuts?). If you haven’t walked into a bookstore lately, or turned on your TV in the past year, you might have missed this unlikely phenomenon taking over the nation. Vampires are the new black, and now they‘ve sunk their fangs into our consumer culture as well.

Product company execs seem to instinctively know that if we’re all willing to buy broomsticks, wands and time turners to support our ongoing Harry Potter obsession, there’s a pretty good chance we’ll shell out for the latest Twilight or True Blood swag. So we here at UChic decided to make sure you get the most “bite” for your precious recession buck.

Products: DuWop Twilight Lip Venom vs. Tru Blood Beverage

Price: Tie

Both of these bloody products come in at the same venomous price. DuWop’s Twilight Lip Venom and Omni Consumer Product’s Tru Blood Beverage are both $16.00 (The Tru Blood price is for a 4 pack). Unless you are working behind the bar every night at Merlotte’s, or saving money by NOT going formal dress shopping with Jessica and Angela, you might reconsider both of these items and “suck it up” for now.

Packs the Biggest Bite:

The winner here has to be the Twilight Lip Venom, which is quite biting during its lip plumping process. While it leaves a shimmering crimson lip stain on your lips, the “super potent” and the venom-laced lip conditioner is sure to induce a slight sting. Meanwhile, forget fangs when it comes to the Tru Blood drink (which came out today). It’s “crisp, slightly tart and lightly sweet tang” – like taking a sip of Sookie Stackhouse without all the guilt (OR the Bill/Eric temper tantrums).

Packaging:

It’s a tie. The packaging for both of these products will please most vamp fans – splashy black with blood-red detailing should add to both of their undead appeal. Note to True Blood’s prop team: You might want to snag a container of the Twilight Lip Venom for future episodes. (Is it just us, or does this vial look like the perfect holder for humans seeking a quick V fix?)

Creepy or Cool?

There’s a fine line between sexy vampy and lame product tie-in (honestly, the Twilight Barbie dolls should really just be buried in some crypt somewhere). Sure, Harry Potter and Star Wars toys are usually pretty kid-friendly, but what happens when a bunch of pre-teen Twilighters start adding a faux vial of blood to their beauty regimen (cue the Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton jokes), or a group of frat boys get it in their head to suck down some Tru Blood beverages and then end up in a hospital room somewhere when their drunken regurgitations turns into a game of “guess the internal injury?“ We love vampires as much as the next guy (or gal), but when does it stop being cool and become a bit creepy? Our verdict is still out on this one.

So which vampire item warrants your hard-earned $16? Are you going to be knocking back some Tru Blood at Merlotte’s with Bill Compton or finding a sparkly Edward Cullen to kiss with your newly plumped lips?