I was lucky enough to spend almost two weeks back on the east coast with family and friends this summer and part of that trip landed me in New York for a few days. As some of you may know, the Bite Beauty Lip Lab is in SoHo so of course I had to go check it out and make my very own custom lipstick!

Bite is probably my favorite brand for bullet-style lipsticks so the opportunity to take that amazing formula and create a custom color just for me was far too exciting to pass up. I scheduled my appointment online well in advance, but I do believe they take some same day appointments. Still, if you know you want to go, just schedule in advance to be sure you can get a spot!

I walked in to this tiny little alley-style shop absolutely filled with lipstick making ingredients and signed in. I was only waiting for a few minutes before it was my turn to have a seat at one of the booths and get started on my personal creation.

The tech sat down and talked with me for a few minutes and we discussed what I was looking for while I showed her a few photos of what I had in mind. (I feel terrible, she was so nice and I completely forget her name). I explained that I am cool toned and I’ve had a hard time finding a good dusty rose / mauve type shade to suit my skin tone – most brands pump out warmer shades that tend to pull brown on me. I showed her NARS Audacious lipstick in Anna on Temptalia as an example of what I was looking for and we got to work!

First she gave me a doe foot applicator with some of their whipped cherry lip scrub to exfoliate my lips, several tissues to wipe it off, and then their agave lip mask to moisturize (which I already own and love).

She asked what kind of finish I wanted for the lipstick (surprise surprise, I said matte) and then mixed up several different base shades as a first run for my color. Then I got a little brush to test it on myself but we both agreed it was way too dark for what I wanted.

For the second attempt she added a lighter pink to balance it out. I still wanted it a bit lighter, more pink, and more cool-toned so she (very happily) mixed up a third concoction for me to try.

The third mix was pretty perfect to me so I snapped a few pictures and ran it by some opinionated voices in my life. This one was definitely the winner.

Once we figured out the color I wanted, she wrote down the shade ingredients on a card for me and put together a bigger batch of it to turn into my lipstick. The shade and formula ingredients, along with the wild berry scent/flavor I chose, were mixed together and then poured into a mold over an ice-cold anti-griddle to set for five minutes. At this point I also got to choose the packaging I wanted for the shape of the lid. I chose a smooth angled cut to separate it from all the Bite shades I already own from current and previous collections.

The bottom was shaved off to even out the bullet and then, once it had set, the tube was lowered onto the lipstick. She allowed me to take a few photos, but then packaged it up and suggested I wait at least 30 minutes before opening it again to make sure the lipstick was fully set (otherwise you risk breaking the bullet!)

Overall, I am so very happy I got to experience the Bite Beauty Lip Lab! It was really fun and I was able to fill a gap in my collection with a custom shade after years of failed purchases. If you’re ever in New York and have $45 to spare (plus tax), I highly recommend giving Bite a visit at their Prince St. location.