May 10, 2014

A glimpse at the lips: Bite Beauty's Deconstructed Rose Library

May 10, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

Well, folks, it's taken me a couple of weeks to get through all twelve shades, but we made it!

Phoe. I'm pooped.

I peeled back each petal, layer by layer and eventually reached the matter of things.

While Bite may offer long-lasting lip pencils, these glosses, however, won't stick around for all that long -- two to three hours is all you'll really get. Luckily the darker shades will leave behind a subtle stain.

To boot, like a moth to a flame, my hair got blown onto my lips way more than I would've liked.

What is with that phenomenon?

Another downer? The petite tubes (.05oz/1.40G per tube) have narrow necks which made it difficult to pull out enough product on the first go; Amy of Cafe Makeup shared the same experience as I.

As for the rose scent, I feared it would be too strong and overbearing for my nose. Yet in the end it was quite delicate and pleasing -- never fake or forced and it [the scent] typically wore off in a matter of minutes.

Oh and it tastes sweet, like honey, which may or may not effect wear time. Nom, nom.

Swatches of the Deconstructed Rose Lip Gloss Library (without flash)

Swatches of the Deconstructed Rose Lip Gloss Library (with flash)

Smeared swatches - from left to right (top) and from right to left (bottom) to get a better idea of what they'd look like when layered

Shade  8 - muted cherry — Shade 8 - muted cherry

Shades 1 through 6 are for the swipe and go kind of gals. The only colour disparity, to my eyes, was shade 4 (lower left corner) -- doesn't it stick out like a sore thumb? It's loaded with pigment and throws off the colour scale, don't you think? Perhaps my bouquet got a bit confused.

Shades 7 through 12 hit the sweet spot. They're all loaded with colour -- this, my friends, is what Bite is all about -- high wattage colour that doesn't quit (most of the time).

The Deconstructed Rose Library IMHO is great value for money. You get a few of your go-tos and several shades you might not necessarily gravitate toward.

I really hope you enjoyed this comprehensive look at Bite's latest compilation of colours. Now, please hand it back, because this book is long overdue.

And to all the mothers out there -- Happy Mother's Day! This includes you, P-Cakes! Call you tomorrow :)

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Bite Beauty's Deconstructed Rose Library:

$49.00 USD - exclusively sold at Sephora

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

8 out of 10 bags — Plush, never sticky and always sweet.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

BB for lips! What will they think of next?

April 27, 2014

Bite Beauty's Deconstructed Rose Lip Gloss Library

April 27, 2014/ Nicole McIntyre

When Scott's colleague Tacita mentioned she was heading to the US for the Easter break, she kindly offered to pick a few things up for me while there. Mind you, I sat on this for a few weeks with the hope something would eventually tickle my fancy.

Laurie of 312 Beauty absolutely stole my heart when she shared the news about Deconstructed Rose, so on the list it went.

Bite Beauty's Deconstructed Rose Lip Gloss Library* contains 12 shades (.05 ounces/tube) -- these were specifically picked for their delicacy, likeness and also for the emotions one feels when given a rose or bouquet of roses.

Here's what Bite Beauty has to say about their limited edition collection:

"The glosses are infused with the powerful and potent distilled essential oil, Rose Otto. This highly concentrated ingredient offers a complex array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants perfect for a deliciously glossy lip."

I've only had a chance to swatch Deconstructed Rose on the inside of my arm, but here are a few of my initial thoughts..

rose scented
slightly tacky
the lighter shades are on the translucent side
the size of the doe foot applicator was not reduced

For kicks I smeared the swatches from left to right (top) and from right to left (bottom) to get a better idea of what they'd look like when layered

Over the course of this week I'll try out all 12 shades in order to write up a proper review; I'll also post pictures of my smacker wearing every shade (not all at once, of course :P).

The Deconstructed Rose Lip Gloss Library ($49.00 USD) is exclusively sold at Sephora.

*Christian Slater not included.

August 26, 2012

Painting my face for the work day in less than 10 minutes

August 26, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

In just a few steps...

1. Start with your foundation and or face powder of choice. I used Bobbi Brown's BB Cream in light. I also applied Bobbi Brown's Concealer Kit (not pictured) in order to minimise the blue circles under my eyes.

2. I then filled in my eyebrows with MAC's Mystery, a satin, true brown which matches my brows to a T.

3. Thanks to Madison magazine I now own something from BECCA. I picked up an Eye Tint in Vicuna with my magazine purchase the other day. I skipped the primer and applied Vicuna (think MAC's Shroom, but in cream form) all over my lids. BTW, this formula stays put!

4. MAC's Something Special gives me that subtle, natural glow on my cheeks. I grabbed for my liquid foundation brush and stippled the colour onto the apples of my cheeks.

5. I coated my lashes with Benefit's They're Real - Diana, I promise to review it soon! The brush is a cross between Givenchy's PhenomenEyes and Chanel's Sublime de Chanel.

6. Finally, I painted my pout with Bite Beauty's Zinfandel to last me the day.

What's your morning makeup routine like?

Bobbi Brown goes Naughty

In The Know: Chanel CC Cream

August 26, 2012

A glimpse at the lips: Bite Beauty's High Pigment Pencil in Zinfandel

August 26, 2012/ Nicole McIntyre

At the end of my visit with Kleins Perfumery last Saturday I picked up a few more bits and bobs and Bite's Zinfandel happened to be one of them. I was so happy with how well Velvet performed, I felt inclined to add one more colour to my collection.

Zinfandel, as Scott described it yesterday, "is a pinkish red with a scant of orange." I would've just said a lighter shade of red :) After all, he is the wordsmith of this kinship. Sephora thinks it looks like "electric coral."

Before swatching Zinfandel I attempted to pull the cap off, I struggled a bit and then off it came with the product stuck to the inside of the cover. Zinfandel pulled away from its base during transit - oh no! In that moment I realised I had a bit of a lemon on my hands. Should I go back or should I keep it?

Instead I made some lemonade. I carefully grasped the lipstick and gently slid it back into its vessel, while hoping with repeated use Zinfandel would glom back onto the base *fingers crossed*

Zinfandel wore beautifully all day and faded down to a light berry red stain as the day progressed. During those six hours, I ate breakfast and lunch and drank a vanilla latte and an orange juice. The first hour of wear is the tricky spot because it kisses off and appears on silverware, napkins and drinking glasses - you've been warned. The other amazing thing about Zinfandel is it didn't dry out my lips; I didn't apply chapstick until I went to bed last night.