A Long Very Long Wait for Bite’s Lip Lab

After two months of waiting for an appointment I finally got to visit Bite’s Lip Lab to make a custom lipstick with my good friend Mili, and it boy was it worth the wait.  My journey began this past spring when I ran out of my favorite lipstick, Apricot by Bite.  I went to Sephora to buy a replacement and to my absolute horror they had discontinued it.  Those of you that know me know that red lipstick is part of my DNA, and not having my go-to lipstick was not acceptable. Bite Lipsticks are the best, they are super pigmented, creamy, don’t bleed or dry out your lips and, best of all, taste delicious.  Oh and they come in a tube that looks like a worn-down lipstick, basically the coolest lipstick tube ever.

After searching multiple Sephoras and the entire internet to no avail I discovered that Bite has a shop in Soho where they will mix up custom color formulations for you, I had found the answer to my prayers.

How a Custom Lipstick Works

After booking your appointment and waiting for it to arrive for what seems like an eternity, you are greeted in the store and asked to sit at a station where one of their beauty experts has you take off the lipstick you’re wearing and then apply a lip mask.

Mili getting ready to have her custom lipstick formulated

After some discussion around what you’re looking for and what colors you like your expert starts mixing and you get to try on the options and change based on what you like and don’t like.

My color combinations.

I was in luck – it turned out the Apricot color I wanted to match was actually a base color they have on hand, which means it’s a lot cheaper to buy than a custom color ($24 vs. $45).  Since I still wanted the custom experience I played around creating a new color that was a bit more orange so I’d have my favorite and a new option to go with it.  Once you decide on your color you get to pick finish (Creme, Matte, Sheer, Deluxe) and Flavor (Cherry, Mint, Vanilla, Citrus, Mango, Violet and Superfruit).

Fabulous flavorings that smell like heaven.

You also get to pick your tube!  I picked different tubes for my two different colors so I’d always know which was which.

Lipstick tube options.

Next your lipstick expert mixes up your choices and pours it into a mold, sets it, and pops it into the tube for you.

Pouring the color formulation into the mold.

Setting the lipstick.

New lipsticks going into the tube!

When you leave they give you the instructions for what you bought so if you want to buy the same colors again you don’t need to make an appointment, you just bring in your color cards.  All in all a really fun experience with my friend Mili and the experts at Bite Lip Lab!

Bite Custom Lipsticks are $45/each or two for $60.  Bite Lip Lap is located at 174 Prince Street in Soho.