Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon (with Resveratrol): Glace, Peche, Sophie, Lola, and Eddie

Oh, Bite Beauty, words cannot justify the exceeding exceptional quality of your lip products! I am certain that this sentence - with an exclamation mark at end - sums up my feeling for this purely lip-products brand.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I first came across this brand five or so years ago while perusing a Sephora in Vancouver, British Columbia.  Although there are a few Bite Beauty lip products that I not liked, such as the Agave Lip Mask and Cashmere Lip Cream, overall I am fan. I have enjoyed wearing the Luminous Creme Lipsticks (review coming soon), Matte Creme Lip Crayons (Spring Limited Edition), and High Pigment Lip Pencils (more shades coming soon) in several shades. 

Recently, Bite Beauty released two collections of the Matte Creme Lip Crayons.  The first collection is a collaboration with J. Crew, consisting of three shades (Sophie, Lola, and Edie), and once again this is a limited edition collection like the one released in the Spring.  The J. Crew Bite Beauty collection is J. Crew exclusive and only available on the J. Crew website.  I ordered all three at a store location, which allowed me to get free shipping.  The lip crayons were already marked down 25% (I believe) all beauty was 25% off) and then the sales person gave me an additional 20% off (I am not sure why) and 15% off student discount.  Ultimately, I paid about $11 per lip crayon (originally $24) and received the goodies within a few days (it took less than a week).  



Next, Bite Beauty released a full permanent line of Matte Creme Lip Crayons ($24 each), which are available at Sephora now.  So far I have purchased the shades Glace and Peche.  As if these were not enough, I have Leche, Amaretto, Sucre, and Tatin on my wish-list for the Fall.  I am content with the bright beauties below at the moment. 


I am not a fan of true matte or "retro matte" lip products.  Imagine Stila Stay All Day liquid lipsticks or MAC Matte lipsticks or Too Faced Melted Lipsticks (Uh, yeah!) or Kat Von D liquid lipsticks - I cannot handle these lip products that just absorb the moisture out of my lips and then make me look extremely dehydrated or like I recently recovered from frost-bite or pneumonia.  My lips are naturally very pouty and wrinkly (not in an aged way), so at times even lighter creamy shades can exaggerate my lip lines.  My point is that the Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayons are a god-send in terms of the formula, color pay-off, selection of colors, price-point, smell, taste, longevity, and so on and so forth.  

If you are a "lip color wearer," but obviously not as "taken"(I will not use the word obsessed because it sounds negative and people these days use certain words quite loosely and out of context; I realize I am fond of lip products a little more than the next person, but it is my one and only "materialistic-love") with lip products as I am, then you must own at least one of these even if it will be the only one you have. 

Anyways, let us carry on with the shades shall we! As you can tell from the pictures below, I could not resist trying out Glace and Peche.  Usually, I do not wear anything (beauty products) before taking pictures of it for its review.  So apologizes for the "used" appearance of these two shades.  However, the three J. Crew shades are pictured in untouched condition, so now you have an idea of how these look before use and gradually lose their pointed shape after use.  

I was so eager to post the lip swatches that I decided not to wait to take lip swatches showing my full-face.  I was able to get a decent full-face snap wearing Peche, which I have posted at the end.  I realize that seeing one's full face with a lip color on gives a better idea of how the shade looks, what overall effect it gives, whether it is too bold, and whether or not it will suit you.  It is difficult to take nice full-face pictures though when you have a busy schedule and especially when you are old-school and only like an actual camera (not the phone camera).  If I take any pictures wearing the other four shades in the future, I will add them at the end of this post. 

Lola, Glace, Edie, Peche, and Sophie (see above / bottom to top) 

Peche, Glace, Edie, Lola, and Sophie (see above / bottom to top) 

Peche, Glace, Edie, Lola, and Sophie (see above / top to bottom)  

Glace and Peche (see above / top to bottom) 

Sophie, Lola, and Edie (see above / top to bottom) 

The formula is superb.  The lip crayons do not have a slip to them like creamy lipsticks, but feel smooth while applying and once applied.  The pointed smaller tip allows for precise application, like having both lip liner and lipstick as one product.  Some of the shades, like Lola, Edie, and Peche are not completely matte, but have a subtle sheen (extremely subtle glossy appearance). I don't feel like the sheen compromises the matte appearance because these definitely stay in place nicely and have a different feel to them than creamy lipsticks.  Bite Beauty has figured out a non-drying matte formula, which allows you to retain the moisture in your lips. Kudos! 
Peche (see above) (And my infatuation with red-coral, red-orange, orange, poppy-coral continues... ) 

Peche is my favorite shade of all the ones I have shown you.  It is very unique, not only in my collection, but generally unlike any other coral shade I have seen before.  In my opinion it is a true coral and perfect for someone with my skin-tone.  I have observed that this shade looks deeper on girls with lighter skin than mine.  On me it appears deeper coral in dim light and looks like a muted, dark peach in sun-light.  Have you ever imagined an ideal shade in your mind and then you find it. Voila! Peche is that shade for me.  

Added (09/19/14): Edie 
I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated.  Come back soon. Please follow, like, share, connect, and subscribe. Thank you!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

LIPSTICK QUEEN JUNGLE QUEEN

Lipstick Queen is a cosmetic brand that has always caught my attention.  I first learned of this brand a from a shopping network website a few years ago.  My interest in makeup developed as I entered my undergraduate studies and I began researching different brands online.  I knew about brands such as Lipstick Queen and Bite Beauty before they were in the spotlight.  Now Lipstick Queen is available in select ULTA stores and Bite Beauty is sold at all Sephora stores.  Lately, the popular makeup enthusiasts on Youtube rave about both these brands.  I only wish I had joined the makeup blogging community earlier than I did because I feel like I had a lot to share back then, which has now caught on like wild-fire.  As a side note,  I have reviewed a few Bite Beauty lip products already, so in case you are interested here are the links: 

Anyway, let us get on with today's review.  I first heard about Lipstick Queen Jungle Queen on the "Musings of a Muse" blog (I adore Isabella).  I recall her saying that this color pulled more red on her than what she had anticipated.  Back when Isabella posted her review, I believe the Jungle Queen was not yet available in the U.S. So, I was awaiting its arrival eagerly even though I was reluctant to purchase it because I did not know how the color would appear on me. Of course I wanted it to be a fierce orange shade! Finally, I saw preview pictures of Jungle Queen on Lipstick Queen's Instagram page. Marketing experts obviously know how to entice consumers, but it still leaves me in awe how they know exactly how to get a person to buy their product. Lipstick Queen posted a picture of the Jungle Queen bullet against a leopard print background on Instagram and something about this image flipped a switch in my mind. "You must get this lipstick, Meesha!" Sadly, the brand name "Lipstick Queen" alone would allure someone like me. 

Lipstick Queen has two main lines of lipsticks in addition to her smaller lipstick collections. One line has opaque (90% pigment) lipsticks called Sinners and the other one consists of sheer lipsticks (10% pigment) called Saints. I have tested both forms of lipsticks on my hand in the store. The Saints lipsticks seemed too sheer for my liking and Sinners lipsticks felt dry.  I was tempted to purchase the nude shade, but I have a feeling it will look dry.  Most of the time lighter shades, like pinky-nudes, make my lips look very dry. I don't really know why this happens.  None of the other shades pleased me until Jungle Queen arrived.  

Lipstick Queen Jungle Queen is currently available at ULTA for $22. Jungle Queen is a gorgeous reddish orange lipstick. I am very happy with it.  If you are a fan of the current orange lip color trend and secretly hoard every red-orange or orange lip color that you come by, then you need to purchase this lip color.  If you like such a color on others, but feel shy to try it, then this is a good choice to test the waters.  Please refer to the pictures below to get an idea of the color. 

The best part of this lipstick is the formula.  I would describe this lipstick  as a translucent (think jam or jelly) gel-creme.  This lipstick is extremely pleasant to wear.  It feels like you are wearing a high-quality lip balm.  This may be a very bold statement, but other than my Fresh Sugar Lip Balm, this is the most comfortable wearing lip product I own.  For being such a buttery-smooth, creamy, moisturizing (not a treatment for dry lips) lipstick, the pigmentation of this lipstick is excellent and easily controllable (i.e., build up or keep it subtle).  In a nutshell, Jungle Queen is a must-have. 
I hope this post was informative and helpful. Your friendly comments are much appreciated.  Come back soon. Please follow, like, share, connect, and subscribe. Thank you!