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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick Roundup and Thoughts

March 9, 2016

After playing with the new Amuse Bouche Lipsticks from Bite Beauty for several weeks now, I have a roundup post with some final thoughts and a list of my top picks. I’ve been a fan of the other lipstick formulas I’ve tried from Bite Beauty and I think the new lipstick formula definitely is the best product they’ve launched to date. Long-time readers know I like colors with shine and some transparency versus the rich pigment full coverage kind of colors since they often look flat, emphasize fine lines and are a nightmare for any dry patches. There have been some exceptions in the last year including the Louboutin Lipsticks, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution, Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Cremes (to name a few) all of which have somehow managed to launch full coverage lipsticks that look luminous and have depth on the lips. In a world filled with thousands of lipstick options I’m always impressed when a brand manages to create a new and improved formula because at this point it seems like it’s all been done before (but somehow they manage to surprise us). I have been thoroughly impressed with the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick formula. To sum it up in a few words, all I can say is that it is a really good one. At the time of this post there are already over 1,700 reviews on Sephora.com and they are overwhelmingly positive which I think is huge.

Thoughts on the formula: I have full semi-sensitive lips that usually are prone to dryness with lipsticks. Some of my favorite lipsticks suck out the moisture from my lips and leave them dry and peeling by the second day (ie MAC). When I swatch batches of lipsticks I often have to split up the swatching process because the swiping, wiping, cleaning and reapplying process usually kills my lips. With the Bite Beauty formula, I did swatches over the course of 4 days and my lips were fully intact without any peeling issues. I personally feel this is a good indication that the formula isn’t drying and is indeed hydrating like it’s described. If you have dry lips or any flakes the lipstick will emphasize lines due to the rich pigment and texture – I’d recommend prepping the lips with a primer or balm first. That being said in my experience, these are hydrating but still manage to feel weightless.

Thoughts on the lasting power: I wasn’t able to test all 34 shades for a full day of wear to see how long they lasted. I did test about 7 shades for the lasting power test. I found each color lasted extremely well. All of them lasted remarkably long through several cups of coffee, tea and snacks. The darker shades do seem to have a slightly longer lasting power – the colors give the lips a slight stain so the color lingers longer.
A few other thoughts and tips on how to wear these: I found all the colors to be one-swipe wonders with no pencil needed to tweak colors. However if you find you have lips that can’t really handle full coverage lipsticks well you might want to consider a primer or balm. The only issue with lip balms is they have a lot of slip. Sometimes the emollient texture is good to treat the lips, but when you add color on top it’s prone to sliding off or weakens the lasting power in general. Two products I like to use as primers include the MAC Prep + Prime Lips and Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. Both will smooth the lip surface and help lipstick apply on the lips more smoothly. I’ve repurchased both a few times now and have no intention of switching to anything else when it comes to lip primers (although if you have any recs I’m open to trying something new but will probably still call these two my all time favorites).

Thoughts on the colors: I think the color selection is really quite good. 34 shades makes for a lot of options to choose from and Bite covered a lot of categories with this launch. All the shades are creams, so there’s no shimmer in any of the options. I think it would be interesting if they did add some pearl finish colors in the future – I’d definitely check them out, but as far as I can remember, I don’t think I recall any of their lipsticks or pencils having any shimmer. All but two of the colors have extremely good application with a smooth streak-free finish. The only two I had slight issues with include Liquorice (it was prone to smudging around the edges for me) and Black Truffle (the sharp contrast made for a slightly patchy application with one swipe, but it was easy to fix but swiping 3-4 times).

Links to the swatches and other posts:

  • All colors arm swatched here
  • Sorbet feature here
  • Neutrals Souffle, Sugarcane, Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper and Rhubarb here
  • Cool-Toned Pinks Gin Fizz, Cotton Candy, Dragonfruit, Kimchi, Radish and Sangria here
  • Peach and Browns Verbena, Sorbet, Fig, Chai, Molasses and Nori here
  • Warm Reds and Corals Pickled Ginger, Gazpacho, Persimmon, Cayenne, Gingersnap, Sweet Cream and Maple here
  • Cool-Toned Purples and Plums Spritzer, Eggplant, Jam, Beetroot, Liquorice, Tannin, Sour Cherry and Black Truffle here
There are so many good colors, but if I were pressed to pick my favorites Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper, Fig, Sweet Cream are the winners for me. If you’ve picked up any of the colors let me know what you ended up with! If you’re passing on these what’s your favorite lipstick formula or color of the moment?

You can find all 34 shades of Amuse Bouche exclusively at Sephora. I have yet to spot all the colors in store yet – if you’ve seen them please share in the comments! These are permanent so there’s no rush to order colors before they sell out. You will have plenty of time to research reviews or find a store to test these.

The Amuse Bouche Lipsticks were provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration. Many thanks to the team for kindly sending them to me to play with, I don’t think I’ve had this much fun playing with lipstick in a long time.

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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick Swatches – Spritzer, Eggplant, Jam, Beetroot, Liquorice, Tannin, Sour Cherry and Black Truffle

March 9, 2016

I have the last batch of the Amuse Bouche Lipsticks ($26 each, Sephora) lip-swatched in the cool-toned purples, plums and blue-based reds. Above left to right includes Spritzer, Eggplant, Jam, Beetroot, Liquorice, Tannin, Sour Cherry and Black Truffle. Out of all the colors, the only shade I had issues with was Black Truffle – but that is probably due to the sharp contrast the color has to my natural lip color. It was the only shade I found slightly patchy in application with one swipe. A few swipes evens out the color though. Swatches and descriptions of the colors:

Shown above from left to right:

  • Spritzer is described as a plum rose, to me it’s a lilac color that has some depth
  • Eggplant is described as a smoky plum, I find it to be a cool-toned purple
  • Jam is described as a rich merlot, it’s a deep berry plum
  • Beetroot is described as a bold berry, this is one of the brighter colors in the cool-toned plum color family, on my lips it looks more pink but doesn’t turn fuchsia
  • Liquorice is described as an oxblood shade, it’s a deep wine color with brown tones, this one had a bit of migrating around the edges on my bare lips, it didn’t slide off, but I found it slightly more emollient than the others
  • Tannin is a described as a poppy red, this one is more of a neutral-warm red on me with slight brick undertones
  • Sour Cherry is described as a maraschino red, I found this to be my perfect deep blue-red and lasting power is phenomenally good with this one
  • Black Truffle is described as a black violet, I think that’s an accurate description, this one frightened my husband when he saw it on me but he did say, “I guess some people might really like a dramatic look” – so there you go, my husband calls this shade “dramatic”
Lip swatches:

All the colors in this particular post are bold cool-tones. All of these are clearly outside of my comfort zone although I found myself smitten with Sour Cherry as the perfect blue-toned cherry red. I’ll have a roundup with final thoughts on this formula in the next few hours. I hope you found these swatches helpful! I’ve done several lipstick swatch posts in the past where I’ve been fortunate enough to receive all the colors in a launch to swatch for you such as the Marc Jacobs Beauty Le Marc Lip Cremes and Buxom Bold Gel Lipsticks. In the past I swatched all the colors in a single post – I know some of you have mentioned it can be hard to see swatches with smaller images for the lip swatches. This time I split up the colors by category into a mini-series with larger lip swatch images. Let me know which format you find easier to follow or if you have a preference!

You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks at Sephora for $26 each.
Lipsticks provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration.
 
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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks – Pickled Ginger, Gazpacho, Persimmon, Cayenne, Gingersnap, Sweet Cream, Maple

March 9, 2016

I have two more sets of lip swatches for the Amuse Bouche Lipsticks ($26 each, Sephora). This set includes warm reds and orangey colors – all bright high-impact bolds. Shown in this post are the colors Pickled Ginger, Gazpacho, Persimmon, Cayenne, Gingersnap, Sweet Cream and Maple. All of these performed equally well. The color is rich and opaque and finish is smooth and streak-free. For colors this bold I do find myself needing to even out the edges with a lip brush since there is such a sharp contrast with the color to my natural lip tone. The colors cover the lip entirely with one swipe. I swatched straight from the tube and fixed the edges with a brush to show the full color. I do think some of them look best when blotted slightly – that’s for my own personal taste though. I have very full lips and bright colors tend to make them look bigger and fuller – I need to blot to tone down the color but even with one blot the colors are still very pigmented.

The color descriptions and also how I see them:

  • Pickled Ginger is described as an electric coral, which I find accurate, it has a slight pink undertone to it on my lips
  • Gazpacho is described as a true blue red, on my lips it’s a bright cool-toned red
  • Persimmon is described as an intense red-orange, I find it as described with orange undertone very visible in the finish
  • Cayenne is described as a bright red, this what I’d call a true red
  • Gingersnap is described as a fresh peach, it looks more neutral in the tube, but once it goes on my lips, it looks like a bright almost Miami-peach kind of shade
  • Sweet Cream is described as a muted peach is a deeper and slightly more muted version of Gingersnap (I find Sweet Cream more wearable)
  • Maple is described as a brick red, this is one of the prettiest brick reds I’ve tried that isn’t too brown, but has enough depth to look like a stunning deep red

I rarely ever wear colors as bold as these. I’m a neutral lip lover because it’s what I feel most comfortable in. Out of all these my top two favorites are Sweet Cream and Maple although I am really pleased to see that Bite Beauty launched a number of reds that don’t turn fuchsia on my lips (my lip tends to make reds look blue or bright pink). I put three of these to the test for a full day (Sweet Cream, Pickled Ginger and Maple) lasting power of the colors was excellent. They lasted about as long as Sorbet did (around 4-5 hours without fading). I was pleased to find no bleeding or creeping occurred with the edges of the colors.

I’ll have one last set of swatches and a final roundup soon. Have you picked up any of the bold reds? You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks at Sephora for $26 each.

Lipsticks provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration.

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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks – Verbena, Sorbet, Fig, Chai, Molasses and Nori

March 7, 2016

The next batch of lipstick swatches for the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks includes Verbena, Sorbet, Fig, Chai, Molasses and Nori ($26 each). I’m working my way through posting lip swatches of all 34 shades that just launched at Sephora. Today’s roundup includes some more shades that are kinda in the neutral category but ones with a bit of kick and color. For quick reference in case you missed the previous posts, these lip swatches are simply that – just swatches of the colors on my lips. For the full review on formula, lasting power, texture, pigment etc, see this post here.

Colors and how they appear on my skin (in the lip swatches below I’m wearing the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint in St. Moritz):
  • Verbena is described as a rose terracotta online, it’s a warm peach that pulls orangey on my lips, I can see how they might describe it having a bit of rose since it’s not a true orange
  • Sorbet is a watermelon pink, full feature on this shade in this post here (you can also see lasting power demonstrated by a fresh swatch, and another swatch 5 hours later)
  • Fig is a muted soft nude rose, you can see the original vs. new formula swatched here, this is a good pinky rose for those who want something natural and pinky but don’t want a pale shade
  • Chai is described as a mauve brown, to me it’s not quite mauvey – it’s more of a warm brown with a hint of pink/brick undertones – do note I pull a lot of red in lip colors so Chai will most likely appear more neutral on you and less red
  • Molasses is described as a rich toffee, I agree with this assessment, it’s a neutral medium brown shade on the lips, there’s no hint of pink or red
  • Nori is a deep brown red, it’s almost a vampy color but it has enough red and lightness to it that it’s not too dark, it’s still very deep in undertone though

You can probably guess which ones are my favorite in this roundup: Fig, Sorbet, Verbena and Chai. I do think Fig and Sorbet are very similar and if you’re trying to decide between the two, go for Sorbet if you like brighter shades. If you want something safer and slightly more muted, Fig is the safe no fail color.

You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks at Sephora for $26 each.
Lipsticks provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration.
 
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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks – Gin Fizz, Cotton Candy, Dragonfruit, Kimchi, Radish and Sangria

March 6, 2016

There are a lot of bright cool-toned pinks in the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick lineup. I’m not typically one who likes to wear cool-toned pinks because they often clash with my yellow/olive skin undertones. Every one of these pinks is perfect in terms of perfect coverage and smooth texture. I personally can only see myself wearing a couple of these colors comfortably (Radish or Sangria) – most are outside my comfort zone but they are remarkably gorgeous. If I’m feeling brave I will probably wear one of the lighter shades mixed with a bit of a neutral liner to tone down the brightness. In this post includes the colors Gin Fizz, Cotton Candy, Dragonfruit, Kimchi, Radish and Sangria. They are bright and creamy but don’t bleed around the edges (with or without liner). I think there are a few shades in this lineup that are extremely similar Gin Fizz and Cotton Candy look almost identical and also Dragonfruit and Kimchi are very close in color.

Color descriptions:

  • Gin Fizz is a cool-toned bright pink described as an orchid pink
  • Cotton Candy is also a cool-toned pink, described as a blue-toned violet, it’s similar to Gin Fizz but Cotton Candy is slightly lighter and has a more powdery looking feel on the lips
  • Dragonfruit is a fuchsia pink 
  • Kimchi is a bright high impact hot pink, it’s also similar to Dragonfruit, Kimchi is slightly lighter while Dragonfruit has a slightly deeper undertone and finish
  • Radish is an amazing magenta berry red, the flash brings out some of the brightness, in natural light it looks a bit deeper on the lips
  • Sangria is a rich blue-toned pink but has more warmth and red compared to the others

Lip swatches on bare lips, they have full opaque coverage with one swipe. For skintone reference I’m wearing Becca Aqualuminous Foundation in Beige on the skin.

Bite just may have changed my mind about cool-toned pink lip colors. I’ve been kinda liking the look of Gin Fizz on my lips. Radish is the perfect special occasion date night kind of lip when I’m feeling bolder. I do think some of these are very similar – but the best thing about these is that they have different undertones. I know many beauty lovers are very particular about undertone for their skintones – so even though they are similar I can appreciate the fact that Bite seemed to take this into consideration to suit different skintones – you can find one whether you’re skin undertones are olive, pink, peach or neutral or cool.

You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks at Sephora for $26 each.

Full review on formula, ingredients, texture, lasting power posted here.

Swatches of neutrals Souffle, Sugarcane, Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper and Rhubarb in this post here. 
Lipsticks provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration.

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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick – Souffle, Sugarcane, Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper and Rhubarb

March 6, 2016

For lip swatches of the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipstick launch, up first are the neutral nudes and pinks. Shown above from left to right is Souffle, Sugarcane, Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake, Pepper and Rhubarb (same order as what’s swatched below). As a neutral lipstick lover, I was thrilled to find so many light color options available. Many nude lip colors are hard for me to pull off as I have pigmented lips and they often look concealer-like on my lips. Most of the shades in this formula have enough color to be wearable. I have swatches of these on bare lips. In lip swatches I’m often asked what lipliner I’m wearing in swatches. I have naturally pigmented lips so the outer edges often show through if I don’t swatch precisely. Unless the labels specify a lipliner shade, the gloss or lipstick swatches are just the color featured. There are some days where I’m all about wearing lipstick + liner and gloss. Other days I just do a sheer lipstick or gloss and skip the liner. If you’re in search of a good one, I swatched quite a few options in this post here.

Colors and descriptions of how the colors appear on my complexion and skintone (I’m wearing NARS Velvet Matte Skintint in St. Moritz in the photos):
  • Souffle is a super pale pink cream, this is the only color I found too pale to pull off for a natural look, it’s very pigmented and smooth but on my skin almost feels like pink white-out
  • Sugarcane is a baby pink that has enough color to show up, it’s borderline a bit too pale for my complexion, but works if you’re a fan of light pink lips that aren’t too light
  • Honeycomb is one of the most perfect beige nudes I’ve ever tried, everyone has a different definition of what they consider nude, to me it’s something that is close to beige or my natural skin color, this one is perfect!
  • Meringue is another baby pink with a hint of peach, it’s similar to Sugarcane but just a tiny bit deeper and warmer in undertone
  • Sake is a cool-toned mauve, these kinds of colors are hard to pull off for my olive skin, but it has enough pink in it to work, it’s one of the most unique mauve pinks I’ve tried
  • Pepper is a classic pinky-brown neutral, I think out of the entire collection, it’s the most classic kind of neutral pink lipstick
  • Rhubarb is a soft plum rose cream, it’s a neutral with a rosy kick to it, I think it’s a lovely color for everyday

Swatched on the lips:

Out of all the neutrals, it’s hard to pick a single favorite. The only color I can’t see myself wearing on a regular basis is Souffle. If you pressed me to pick my top three in the neutral category I would say my top picks would be Honeycomb, Meringue and Pepper.
You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks at Sephora for $26 each – all shades are permanent. They have apparently launched in stores now, but I’m not sure if all stores have received all colors yet (I stopped by one last week on a Thursday and they only had 5-7 colors on display). Full review on formula, texture and wear in this post here.
Do you find any of the neutrals calling your name?
Lipsticks were provided courtesy of Bite Beauty for review consideration.
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Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks – A First Look + Swatches of All 34 Shades

March 4, 2016

Bite Beauty reformulated their Luminous Creme lipsticks into a new and improved formula called Amuse Bouche ($26 each for .15 oz/4.35g, made in Canada). There are 34 shades total that are exclusive to Sephora (instores and online). I had a few favorites in the original Luminous Creme formula (they had some really good neutrals) which I found to be a creamy lipstick with a glossy finish and medium coverage. The new Amuse Bouche Lipsticks offer a lot more pigment and coverage while still maintaining that creamy feel. I feel like the new ones are creamier in texture with a super lush finish and look but they are lightweight in the way they feel. I teamed up with Bite to feature one of the shades Sorbet (a gorgeous watermelon pink) – if you follow them on Instagram @bitebeauty you will see a new shade showcased each day in a fun way by different digital influencers and swatches on different skintones too.

I have a first look at all the shades plus thoughts on the formula as I’ve been playing with all 34 shades over the past few weeks. I’ll say upfront that I give the new Amuse Bouche lipstick formula an A+ rating. They are one-swipe wonders with a luminous full coverage finish that doesn’t look flat. As one who often finds nude shades hard to pull off, I was thrilled to find a number of good wearable neutrals in this launch (although there are a couple that are too pale for my liptone).

My thoughts by category:

  • Formula / Texture / Pigment – The Amuse Bouche are creamy and smooth. The texture is very soft and glides on the lips but there’s enough thickness so you can feel it adhere well to the lips. Pigment is incredibly rich – I can get full smooth coverage with one swipe, but as with most lipsticks I do at least a couple so I can get even application around the edges and then fill in. I like applying these straight from the tube. Some of the darker colors require a lip brush to get the edges precise. For me it’s always hard to apply dark colors evenly around the edges of the lips so I recommend lining with a lip pencil first if you’re dark-lip challenged like me. Texture is super creamy but still lightweight so you don’t get a heavy feel.
  • Lasting Power –  Lasting power is very good. If you look at my Sorbet review, I have the initial application shot and another lip swatch of the color 5 hours later. Some of the darker berry colors do stain the lips so the color will last longer even as it fades. I had on Eggplant yesterday while swatching and decided to leave it on to see how it would wear. It lasted from around noon until late evening and didn’t budge at all. Colors in general last a long time without budging or bleeding. I did have a tiny bit of smudging with Liquorice – it kept migrating on one side of my lips, but it could be easily fixed with a lip pencil first.
  • Color Selection – Color selection is incredible. All the colors are creams (so no shimmer). They are full pigmented creams but don’t look flat on the lips. I think Bite did an amazing job at color selection. There is a shade for everyone in this launch. The only category I can think of where the shades are a bit limited are browns and there are no taupes – but I don’t really wear colors in either category so I’m really thrilled with the selection of neutrals and mauves.
  • Overall Feel – These are creamy, lightweight, hydrating and have an incredible slight citrus scent. It smells delicious but they do not have a noticeable taste.
  • How it compares to other bold creamy lipsticks:
    • Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Cremes by comparison have a more velvety finish. The color selection for the Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Cremes in general is bolder and more edgy in color selection. There were a lot of reds and orange options while the neutral category was limited. The texture of the Marc Jacobs lipsticks is a bit thicker while the Bite Beauty formula is more creamy and luminous. Both are equally good in terms of full coverage pigment and lasting power.
    • Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G has a similar full coverage creamy texture, I would say the Bite Beauty formula has a more creamy feel and hydrating texture while the Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks aren’t as moisturizing. Color selection of Bite is a lot better and the shade range has more edgy options.
    • Buxom Bold Gel Lipsticks come in a Satin and Matte finish. I’ll compare the Satin Formula which I find creamy like the Bite Beauty Lipsticks. The finish and formula are different between the two. The Buxom Bold Gel Lipsticks in the Satin Finish being gels are more lightweight in texture. I can’t say I have a preference for one over the other, both are really good. Both have a creamy feel, a semi-glossy finish, good pigment, great color options.
I will have lip swatches for each set in upcoming posts. Since there are 34 shades in total I wanted to split up the posts into color category so it would be less overwhelming with the amount of photos. Here’s a quick repost of the packaging and ingredients in case you missed my feature on Sorbet.

First a quick look at some of the older Luminous Creme formula compared to the Amuse Bouche formula. I only had a few of the Luminous Creme Formula in Musk, Fig and Pepper. Below are some comparison swatches. You can see it clearly with Pepper the new formula is a lot more pigmented and creamy while the original has more of a glossy sheen.

________________________
Neutrals:
  • Souffle
  • Sugarcane
  • Honeycomb
  • Meringue
  • Sake
  • Pepper
  • Rhubarb

________________________
Corals and Oranges
  • Picked Ginger
  • Gazpacho
  • Persimmon
  • Cayenne
  • Gingersnap
  • Sweet Cream
  • Maple

________________________
Purples
  • Spritzer
  • Eggplant
  • Jam
  • Beetroot
  • Liquorice
  • Tannin
  • Sour Cherry
  • Black Truffle

________________________
Cool-toned Pinks
  • Gin Fizz
  • Cotton Candy
  • Dragonfruit
  • Kimchi
  • Radish
  • Sangria

________________________
All the others
  • Verbena
  • Sorbet
  • Fig
  • Chai
  • Molasses
  • Nori

________________________

Overall a solid lipstick launch. There’s lots to love and play with in this new formula. I think Honeycomb, Meringue, Sake and Pepper are the perfect neutrals (even for my pigmented lips). I can’t get enough of Honeycomb these days. I do wish I had been able to grab a few of the original formula before they were pulled from stores. There were a couple of shades I had on my wishlist for a while but they weren’t repromoted in the new launch.

Have you checked out the formula yet? I think you should! Lip swatches and lipstick photographs to follow in each of the five categories soon. You can find the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks for $26 each exclusively at Sephora.

Many thanks to Bite Beauty for sending all the colors for me to play with.

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