Tag Archives: Bite Beauty

Fall Beauty Wardrobe Heads West

October 23, 2017

A woman spun out of the finest silk makes the strongest robe. This line stood out to me when I devoured Eve’s Hollywood on the flight to LA. It was the book my friends and I decided to read together for our trip to LA. A vacation book club is a fun tradition my friend Lindsay started when we went to Mexico together earlier this year. And we always try to base our choice off of the destination.

Traveling with friends is different than a vacation with your partner. I’m sad it’s over. Since the spring, I’ve been looking forward to a trip to LA with my dear friends. One lives in Chicago, so I see her regularly, and the other in Northern California and I miss her so much. I lean on these ladies for laughs, advice and strength. They are my strong robes.

It was a much needed four day getaway. The highlight was all of the food we ate, with a close second just being able to hear the sounds of the ocean and see a western sunset. There was one night when we took a Lyft to Manhattan Beach during rush hour to make a dinner reservation and ran from it to soak up the sunset. We had about two minutes to spare and it was.WORTH.it. It wasn’t so much of a makeup trip, but I did pack a fair share of options from my fall beauty wardrobe. I’m realizing that so many of my additions this season are base and concealer versus color and that’s what exciting me most. It’s also more bronzer heavy than my summer beauty wardrobe. Mainly because I use Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar as contour, blush and eyeshadow. This felt especially appropriate in the LA heat.

Some days I used my Glossier Skin Tint and layered over Dior Dreamskin Cushion for a little more glow and SPF power, especially on our hike. I skipped concealer under the eye most nights (we were well rested!) but I did layer NARS Soft Matte Concealer on redness, around the nose and a few travel blemishes. Always travel zits. Without fail, there’s always one reminder that I was on an airplane for several hours.

I did incorporate a little bit of color with Bite Multistick in Cerise on lips, cheeks and eyes. But, the go to lip combo was a mix of Bite Beauty Lip Pencil 10 and Glossier Rose Balm Dot Com.

Since I’ve been back this past week, I’ve been using mostly the same makeup. I had a moment the other day where I realized that I’m halfway through my beauty wardrobe. Fall is flying by. It’s clear that there are a few things that I just don’t need to own and a wish list that is growing for the holiday season.

Best of Beauty 2016

December 30, 2016

I am all about the reflective year in review. I do it through a beauty lens here and from a personal POV in my journal. I used to find this time of year rather sad because it was saying goodbye to a year but now I see it as hopeful. And, let’s be honest, is anyone else really sad to see 2016 go? Peace out, you were ruthless.

And about that beauty lens. This year was awesome from that view. The 90s came back with a vengeance, YouTubers put 100 coats of makeup on for fun and rainbow highlighter was a sensation. Not all my jam but trends that made this year what it was in beauty. We’re also living the rise of skincare as makeup and individualism, ala Glossier – an ascension I am 100% on board with moving into 2017.

I’ll get to it. My top 10 favorite beauty launches of 2016.

Honestly, Glossier everything. But especially the Stretch Concealer and Super Pure serum. I use two shades of the concealer (Light and Medium) and often use that combo in place of any other face makeup. They are so creamy and dewy.

Lancome had maybe the best idea for a liquid eyeliner: make the handle bend so application is easier. It works. And, to boot, the eyeliner formula itself is extra inky and concentrated so there’s never any tugging or skipping.

Technically, this is not a 2016 launch but I didn’t discover it until this summer. Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara is the best drugstore mascara, ever. It lengthens and curls lashes, holds them in place all day and is 100% budgeproof – even the non-waterproof version.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Cleansing Oil squeezed in just under the wire – but I’ve been using it for a month now and it’s love. This definitely has a place in every top of the year list. It breaks down makeup beautifully but its power is in bringing you the zen. I swear using this at night this helps separate me from the stress of the day.

As I said in my original review, it’s really rare that I want to use a multiuse product as intended. Inevitably, they are always best on the cheek. Not so with the Bite Beauty Multistick at all. Somehow every color works as an eyeshadow, wears comfortably as a lipstick and looks good on cheeks. Cashew is my favorite shade.

I love having a Diptyque boutique in Chicago. I remember trying their spring fragrance, Eau des Sens, on a freezing cold spring day. It gave me hope of warmer days to come. The best way to describe it is like an orange tree. But not just the sweet blossom but also the greenery and tree itself. In-freaking-credible.

As you can see in my photos, I am about to squeeze the last drops of my Elizabeth Arden Prevage City Smart SPF. This isn’t merely a really fancy sunscreen (but forgive me, I’m known for that at times…) but the most essential step in my daytime skincare routine. This formula is the color of pantyhose and the consistency of a thin lotion. It is loaded with Elizabeth Arden’s Prevage and helps protect against all of the damage you encounter outdoors – sun and pollutants. It truly is for city girls.

Like Glossier, Ouai had a sensational year. This line cropped up what felt like out of nowhere and for months it was all I heard about. As soon as I tried the line (review here) I understood the hype. The Hair Oil is a standout for me. It helps my hair dry shiny and bouncy and smells like an exotic vacation.

I try and love a lot of lip color. But most of all I love MAC Liptensity Lipstick in Driftwood. It’s a pinkish mauve that runs cool. I’m always attracted to these colors but find they can go awry. Not Driftwood – I give off healthy vibes with this one. I love that it is unlike anything I have in my collection.

So there you have it: my year in beauty. What rocked your world in 2016? Beauty or otherwise.

Back to Cool

September 13, 2016

Forget that I haven’t been a student for a while, that back to school energy seeps out to the masses. And I’m not just talking the hundreds of “first day of…” photos on Facebook. I’m not saying anything except I saw them…we all saw them. Those sweet familiar looks of hope and excitement on a kid’s face on a year that is unwritten. A backpack with no scuffs. Clean sneakers. A new box of crayons. All of those things make me smile big for the camera, too. Except my crayons are for my face. Fall is a breeding ground for new beauty and one of the most exciting launches is crayon-esque Bite Beauty Multisticks. We’re talking so good I can’t describe it with fewer than two really geeked out smiley face emojis.

In my opinion, multi-use products usually don’t work as intended. They’ll do really great at one thing but fail miserably at the package deal. I’m the first to proclaim love for the NARS Multiple but only on my cheeks. Most highlighters that can be used everywhere don’t typically hold up as eyeshadows. And the multiple variety for lips are usually always a nope.

Bite happens to do lipsticks amazingly well. It’s what they’re known for so I was curious. Lipstick on your lids? RED LIPS on your lids? Well, not quite. Each of these colors were developed to be universal for eyes, lips and cheeks and complementary to all skin tones. So, while there’s no cherry red there is a beautiful almond with cherry undertones. And pinks with the right balance of mauve. Neutrals for days. Even some coral-y hues.

What makes them special is they have 35 percent powder in each stick. It applies like a cream and wears like a powder. You can easily work with these, blending with a brush or your fingers—I like a brush best on eyes/cheeks. It certainly doesn’t feel like you are wearing lipstick on your eyelids nor does it look like you are. The tubes are tiny (as in $24 for that?) but it’s really concentrated so a little bit goes a long long way. I first tried the taupey nude Blondie and could not resist going all in from there with a handful of colors.

Gelato is a grey-toned plum that looks incredible on cheeks and lids. I use a fluffy brush and put this all over my lid and in my crease. One and done eye color! Cashew is similar to Blondie but slightly more rosey. This shade would look awesome on everyone – I love using it on eyes, cheeks and lips at the same time for a monochromatic look. Cerise and Almond are in the same reddish brown family but I couldn’t resist trying both. Cerise is really unique – a deep cherry bronze – and I love it as a lipstick above all else. I’m calling Almond my “fall bronzer” – it definitely gives a nice contour on my cheeks and in the crease of my eyelids.

Has anyone tried these?

Need to Know: Bite Beauty Deconstructed Rose

April 4, 2014

Last fall while I was in NY for a hot second, I made a spontaneous trip to the Bite Beauty Lip Lab in Soho only to have my hopes of making my own custom Bite lipstick dashed. It was my own fault for not planning ahead as there were a few lucky gals with appointments ahead of me. So instead I headed to the airport without that tube of rosy pink with a touch of coral that I was going to make. That experience is still on my to do list but Bite just did me one better with its new Deconstructed Rose Lip Gloss Library. A dozen lip glosses inspired by every color you’ll find in a bouquet of red and pink roses. Each color looks prettier than the next and the gloss itself is infused with Rose Otto oil which is super precious and beautifying. And the icing on the cake is this set came out at the exact moment Sephora is holding its spring beauty event….15% off through April 11. Happy Friday, indeed!