I don’t remember exactly when I first heard about Bite Beauty Lip Lab NYC, but I do remember totally geeking out about it with my teenager sister. We both oohed and ahhed over the idea of getting to make our own custom lipstick. But being that it was in New York and I was in Virginia (and she was in California!), we never really thought it would happen. Well, fast forward to her high school graduation. I planned sisters-only long weekend in NYC to celebrate, and after booking plane tickets, the very first thing I did was look up the Bite Beauty Lip Lab. I mean, I am a self-diagnosed lipstick hoarder after all. ? And since Morgan and I had been talking about our dream of going for several years, I knew it was a must.

I won’t bury the lead for y’all: my experience at Bite Beauty was everything I had hoped for. From the moment we walked in, I felt like I was in lipstick heaven. The wall is lined with over 200 pigments and trays of lipstick shades in pots cover the counter tops.

We went with the custom lipstick service, which allows you to select not only your color, but also the texture/finish and a scent! For one lipstick, it runs $55. There is also a Bespoke lipstick service, which is much more in depth, involving two hand-mixed custom colors and a lip kit.

The Process

To start, we described the shades we were looking for. Morgan was hoping for a coral, and I decided I wanted a pinky-red watermelon. We also selected our lipstick finishes. We both went with the luminous finish, which Bite calls their Amuse Bouche formula.

To prep our lips, we did a lip scrub followed by Bite’s Agave Mask. (If y’all haven’t tried the Agave Mask before, it is SO GOOD and super-moisturizing!! You can pick some up here!) Our artist, Edianis, then had us try samples of several different colors. After we tried each color, she listened to our feedback and gave us other samples. Edianis was fabulous and found me the perfect watermelon shade after only her second try!

Then we selected our scents. We were allowed to mix up to two scents from nine yummy options. I went with vanilla coconut, which Edianis told us was one of the most popular choices. Morgan chose coconut lime, which also smelled amazing!

And then the mixing began! It was so cool to see the entire process start-to-finish right in front of us! Edianis put all of the ingredients in a pot and then mixed it in a centrifuge-type machine. Once it was mixed all together, she poured it into a lipstick mold and put it on an ice tray to set! Morgan’s set right away, but mine was being a little difficult. Apparently the more pigmented colors sometimes need extra time! So, mine took a little trip to the deep freezer before being taken out of the mold and slid into the lipstick packaging!

The lipsticks have to set for twenty minutes before using, but since we were still wearing our selections, it wasn’t quite as painful of a wait. ?

Final Thoughts

So, would I do it again? HECK YES, Y’ALL!! I might even be convinced to try their Bepsoke service next time. From start to finish it was a beauty-lover’s dream. I am obsessed with the color I ended up with, and I love that I can reorder my custom lipstick at anytime! They keep all custom orders on file and will ship to you or you can pick up same-day if you’re in NYC!

Words of Advice

If I’ve convinced to you go, which I totally hope I did, here are a few things that helped our process go smoothly!

Head in lipstick-free.

They do provide makeup remover if you do end up wearing something, but I liked that we were able to go straight into the lip scrub and agave mask. We also didn’t have to worry about stained lips that could influence the look of the colors we tried.

Come in with a general idea of what you’re looking for.

With the 200 different pigment options for the custom lip service and literally endless options for the bespoke service, it would be seriously overwhelming to walk in without a clue! Take a look at what colors you gravitate towards, ones you wear most often, or select a bold option you’ve always wanted to try! You’ll get to try on every shade your artist suggests, so you’ll know exactly how they look on you.

Communicate!

For the service to go as smoothly as possible, be sure to let your artist know what you like and what you don’t! Edianis offered to let us try not only different shades but different finishes/textures as well. They are there to help you find your perfect lipstick, so be prepared to communicate!

Should you do end up going, I definitely recommend Edianis! You can request her when you make your appointment!