Not being able to wear or buy makeup when I was a teenager (gotta love strict parents) has really turned me into a makeup hoarder.
I feel like I am making up for all the things I didn't have when I was a teen. My favorite item to buy? Lipsticks! I currently have two makeup bags stuffed with lipsticks, but I'm still not satisfied. For the longest time I've been on the hunt for the perfect nude.
I recently learned that you can customize your own lipstick at New York City's Bite Beauty Lip Lab, so I ran right over and got to mixing.
Bite Beauty Lip Labs are open to the public in Toronto, New York, and San Francisco. Lipstick addicts can choose from two packages:
CUSTOM LIPSTICK: Customize a pigment that's already carried in the Bite Lip Lab by adding the scent and finish of your choosing. Price: $55 for one lipstick or $80 for two.
BESPOKE LIPSTICK: A lab expert mixes pigments until you find your unique shade. You can also add a scent and select from a matte, glossy, or sheer finish. Price: $150 for two lipsticks.
I wanted full control and a hands-on experience, so I opted for the Bespoke package.
First impression: Everyone was super friendly and the lab was full of containers filled with a variety of pigments.
Since I had not made an appointment, I waited a short 15 minutes for my turn to create a custom lipstick.
I waited in a small lab area that had oils, lip pigments, cotton pads, and scent tubes.
Before I even started to customize my lip color, I was offered the sweetest tasting lip scrub.
Yum!
Next I was given a mask to help my lips endure all the swatching.
After discussing with the technician on the unique shade, a brown nude, I was looking for she began to mix random pigments.
After explaining my dream nude shade to the technician, I started looking at pigments and the mixing began.
She measured out the pigments and went H.A.M. with a small spatula.
Pro tip: Make sure to test your shade in natural light.
The first few mixes weren't what I was looking for, so we tried a few more times.
Eight different concoctions later, she nailed it.
Each swatch had the exact measurements just in case I wanted to go back to any of the previous mixtures and tweak the formula.
We went through the same process for my second shade — a bronzy wildcard — and then it was time to get cooking.
She measured a fresh batch for each color and put them in two different containers.
The next step was to mix the pigment with the matte balm I had selected.
After a few seconds of mixing, she decanted the pigment into molds.
Five minutes later, the lipsticks were ready!
Seeing her fit the lipsticks in the packaging was so satisfying.
The hardest decision of all: Which style cap should I choose?
I couldn't decide so I went for one of each.
The lipsticks need two hours to fully harden.
It was so hard to wait!
When I opened the bag, I noticed the extra goodies that came along with the lipsticks.
The purchase included a lip scrub, lip mask, and primer.
Finally, it was time to try my bespoke lipsticks. I went for my wildcard first; perfection!
I was so sad that I couldn't actually give them a name since that feature had recently been removed from the Lab offerings.
Now it was turn for my perfect nude.
I think I'll call her, "Cries in Spanish," after my favorite GIF.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I was so excited to have control over a custom lip color. The staff and location were lovely and I would definitely recommend any makeup lover to try it out. The only downside of the lipstick is that the matte finish doesn't feel matte at all. I guess you can't win them all.
