When I was in NYC, I was itching to visit the Bite Beauty Lip Lab in Soho. I was desperate to custom blend my own lipstick, even if I wasn't sure what color I even wanted!
They don't take appointments, so going on a weekend might be kind of iffy. I first visited the shop on a Sunday afternoon an hour before they closed, and I wasn't able to sit down for a custom lipstick. However, when I visited around 3pm on a Wednesday, the shop was empty and we were able to get to work!
Bite Custom Lipstick Options: Matte, Luminous Creme, Sheer, & Creme Deluxe
First, the friendly SA and I discussed what sort of color I was looking for (an everyday pink) and then she showed me the lipstick formulas that were available. In the photo above, you can see the same shade in the four different options available. Matte, Luminous Creme (which is the formula sold at Sephora), Sheer, and Creme Deluxe. The first three formulas are $36, while the Creme Deluxe formula is $48. I chose Creme Deluxe because I loved how thick and smooth it felt going on, and it seemed to be the most moisturizing. The SA confirmed that it was their most moisturizing and long wearing formula!
Once I decided on my formula, it was time to get mixing! The SA and I both picked out some shade options to play with, which you can see opened and lined up in the photos above. (Click to enlarge)
I have to say that the outcome really depends on how well you can describe what you want. The SA first mixed up a peachy pink nude, and I quite liked the shade. I wanted to try on something with a bit more pink, so the middle mixture was born. In the end, "the one" was a shade in between the two mixtures.
This whole decision process took about 15-20 minutes for us to complete, though I can imagine if you had a lot of questions or were very unsure about your shade it could take longer. (During my first visit, there was a group of women who seemed very uncertain about what shades they wanted.) I have to say the SA I worked with seemed very knowledgeable about mixing shades even based on my poor descriptions. :)
Then it was time to choose a flavor! There were so many varieties to choose from, but I tried to make a quick decision and landed on Mint. The other choices I was deciding on were Wild Berry and Citrus Mango, and there were options like Mango, Violet, Vanilla and Cherry.
Ingredients on display at Bite Beauty Lip Lab
Naming lipstick & choosing a lid shape!
As the SA was making my lipstick, which took just under 10 minutes, I was given the option to name my new lipstick and pick a fun design for the lid! I thought it was cute that the lid options were various lipstick shapes - I once read a fun article about what your lipstick shade says about you - and I picked the shape that most of my lipsticks seem to end up in! (Click to enlarge)
Here's a shot of what I ended up with! You may have seen this photo in my recent post about my NYC beauty purchases, but I thought I'd share again. I love how they write out your lipstick recipe so you can have it made again! Plus the SA ended up making extra by accident, so she put it in a little pot for me and threw in some cool little samples too!
All in all, I think it was a lot of fun - I wish my friends were able to come with me! I think if I lived there, I would be making colors all the time! What do you think about my Bite Beauty custom lipstick experience? Is this something that you would want to do? :)