Bite Beauty French Press Lip Gloss in Dirty Chai - Swatch, Review, and Photos

Gift Affiliate Links 

Hey everyone!

Today I have a review on the Bite Beauty French Press Lip Gloss in Dirty Chai. Though I'm not a coffee person, I can still appreciate the theme and fresh look behind the glosses. I saw swatches of the glosses online and really wanted to get Dirty Chai. I ended up getting it for my birthday and wanted to share my thoughts on the limited edition gloss before it went away.

Click through to read a review, see a swatch, and photos!

Bite Beauty Best Bite Set: Swatches and Review

I Purchased This

When I got the $15 Beauty Insider Reward Certificate in my hands (I just hit VIB but not in time for the system to figure it out I guess), I had it in my mind to get this Bite Beauty Best Bite Set. 

The set contains four minis of the High Pigment Matte Pencils in Quince, Rhubarb, Cranberry, and Madeira in this compact metal tin (that has a mirror inside!). Quince, Rhubarb, and Madeira are part of the permanent line but Cranberry is limited edition (I'll show how it compares to a few other colors I have from the line). Unfortunately they've taken it off the website but they are available in stores!

The set is great because a) it costs $25 for FOUR pencils, each containing .05 oz when a full size is $24 and contains .09 oz. b) the tin is cute and I love minis c) you get to have a set of four colors
Click through to read my thoughts and see both lip swatches and full face photos!

Top 6 Lip Colors of 2012

As part of an end of the year compilation, I wanted to talk about my top six lip colors of 2012. I wasn't as into lip products as much as eyeshadows this year which is why I could only come up with my six favorites (my next post will be on my top twelve favorite eyeshadows) These are all equally my favorite and aren't in any particular order. Nearly all of these lip products are essentially permutations of a red lip with one lone exception.

All the links go to my reviews on the lip product.

Besame Classic Color Lipstick in Besame Red: "True red, cool base, not warm. Like a navy red, bright and vibrant". A basic red but it's anything but a boring red. $22.00 for 3.5 grams

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick in Tannin: "Poppy Red" If you're looking for more of a berry red, Tannin is perfect for that. A hint of wine adds depth to the color. $24.00 for 3.74 grams for

Darling Girl Cosmetics Hologloss in Mai : "Cherry red with golden green flakie" Why yes I am a narcissist at heart so the fact that this color is named after me is all the more reason to have it. 3mL for $5.25

Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Siren: "Metallic red" The gorgeous metallic and copper red is unconventional but enough of a reason to get it. $28.00 for 5 grams

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Radiate: "True neon red" This is a bold watermelon red that works great to brighten up the winter days. $16.00 for 10mL

Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Flirt: "Pink mocha" When I want an everyday lip color, I go for this lip gloss. It's a my lips but better color. There's a bit of a tingle but nothing too painful. $19.00 for .12 oz.

Disclaimer: I purchased all the lipsticks. All opinions are my own.

*****************************

Can you guys tell me what your top lip colors of 2012 have been?

Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick Palette: Swatches, Review, and Photos

With the onset of grad school applications and the subsequent fees, I've had to get rather creative when it comes to being on a no/extremely low-buy. Hoarded gift cards, manufacturer's coupons, and store coupons have made it so I pretty much haven't spent any money on recent makeup buys. When Sephora had their annual Beauty Insider gift card, I used it on this Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick Palette that previously was one of their Black Friday promotion and combined with Ebates, I got awesome cashback on my purchase (if you're not signed up for Ebates, feel free to use my referral link).

I really loved the outside packaging for the palette, the gold accents on the textured material feels much more luxe. The palette itself is a magnetized and there's a plastic sheet covering the lipsticks. I think it's so in theme to have the pans be shaped like B's.

Where to purchase: Sephora*

Price: $10.00 for .075 oz or 2.1 grams (.025 for each color). I know companies get to deicde the value of their product but I think it's a little difficult to reconcile where Sephora is getting that it's valued at $38.00 because the total amount of lipstick is approximately 57% of their full size lipstick (which is .13 oz), coming to about $13.84. Unless the brush is somehow worth $25.00, I don't see how it's worth $38.00. I do understand the labor involved in producing the palette, but I don't think the packaging (which is fairly basic) is enough to compensate for the fact that a palette with a lipstick content 43% less than a full size is somehow worth 56% more (including the brush).

Cruelty Free? I believe they are cruelty free.

Packaging: This is packaged in a sturdy textured beige box with gold accents. The palette  itself is made out of dark grey/almost black cardboard with a magnetic closure and mirror on the inside. It also includes a good mini paddle lip brush with synthetic fibers. There's also a piece of ribbon underneath the brush that makes it easier to pick up (a feature I love seeing in any palette!)

Product Description: "This trio of universally wearable shades delivers exceptionally smooth long-lasting colour and moisture-rich coverage. Organic fruit butters soften and nourish lips with every use, while antioxidant-rich resveratrol fights free radicals and conditions around the lip line"

My Thoughts on the Formula/Wear Time:

The lipsticks are creamy yet firm at the same time. I found Retsina to be a little drier than the rest of the lipsticks. I find that the lipsticks, especially Rose, have some slip to them so it can be difficult to build up an even full coverage using the brush. I preferred applying them with my finger; I also think you use much less product that way. The brush isn't bad though, better than other palette brushes I've tried. I didn't detect any smell or scent in the lipsticks and I was very happy about that, I wasn't sure if the resveratrol would create a wine scent in the product. I found it moisturizing on me during the four hours of wear that I got.

A close up of the brush. It doesn't feel like one of those cheap brushes you get in a palette. I like that it's very easy to clean, I can often just squish it through a makeup wipe and it'll be clean. It looks to be made of synthetic hair. I tend to use up more product with the brush as it seems to absorb a little too much product. You may like it with other lipsticks but I think the slight slip to the lipstick formula makes it more prone to be absorbed into the brush fibers. You also get a plastic cap to cover the brush.



Swatches ahead! These were swatched using my fingers and pictures were taken in natural daylight.

Retsina

Retsina: A ballet pink with a hint of mauve. I wanted to like Retsina but I feel like it looks dry on my lips and the hint of mauve just ends up giving a grey tone to the lipstick on me

Rose

Rose: "Peachy pink" There's a part of me that's reminded of MAC Strawberry Blonde lipstick (which has gone MIA in my stash so I don't have it to compare to) so I couldn't help but like it. It's creamy and smooth, with just a hint of brightness. I know we're heading into fall where bright lipsticks like this may be considered out of season but I love it anyway.

Tannin

Tannin: "Poppy red" I absolutely positively loved Tannin. It's one of those deceptively dark looking colors which appears like a deep wine in the pan but applies berry red on the lips. This isn't fully opaque in one swipe but instead builds up to a nice opacity. You can definitely wear this sheerer as a stain on your lips. A perfect red when you want something with a berry tone to it.

Final Thoughts

Weird value pricing aside, I think the palette is worth the $10.00 since it allows you to try a few different colors across the Luminous Creme Lipstick formula. I was a little disappointed in Retsina since it looks a little gray and dry on my lips but Rose and Tannin made up for that (especially Tannin). I'm definitely interested in trying the Luminous Lip Library (a palette similar to this on except with nine colors [two are Rose and Tannin which is fine with me], a lip prep, prime, and protector) which is on sale for $30.00.

Disclaimer: I purchased this product for review from the brand. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for the review. The link marked with a * is an affiliate link which gives me a commission based off your use of the link. Feel free to use a nonaffiliate link for your purchase.

*****************************

I hope you enjoy my Bite Beauty lipstick swatches and review! Do you own anything from Bite Beauty? That Luminous Lip Library is definitely calling my name!

Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip Sampler Set: Swatches and Thoughts

I've got quite a fondness for sampler sets, especially the Sephora Favorites sets. They're a cost effective way to try out offerings from some of the popular Sephora brands for essentially the price of a full size item. This Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip set called out to me because it was full of lip products and included products from Bite Beauty, Hourglass, and Tarte which were brands I've had my eye on for ages. I got the set months ago with the use of a gift card I had hoarded.

That being said, I wish I liked this set more, I really do. I had really high hopes but they were dashed when I tried the products on and got a whiff of the scents. The products themselves aren't bad and if you're in the market for work friendly pinks and neutrals with a range of opacity, then it's the perfect set for you. I felt really sensitive to the scents which just made wearing the products an offputting experience.

The set includes six lip products, two of which are full size but the rest are nearly are.

(The group picture isn't color accurate so refer to the individual item pictures instead!)

Price: $25.00. The estimated value of the products inside is said to be more than $79.00. My math calculated the value out to be $96.67.

Where to Purchase: This is limited edition and available at Sephora online and it looks like it might be available in select stores!

Cruelty Free?: Bite Beauty, Fresh, Hourglass, Laura Mercier, and Tarte are cruelty free brands. Sephora Collection used to be until they recently started selling in China which means they are now not.

Product Description: "A set of six perfect pink and nude lip products from glosses, treatments, tints, and shines." I'll be talking about the individual formulas and my thoughts for each lip product.

Click thru to see pictures, lip swatches, and my thoughts on each product!