The only lipstick you'll ever need? As Bite Beauty claims to make the perfect shade for each woman, FEMAIL puts it to the test and follows the process from pigment to pout
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From Marilyn Monroe to Rita Hayworth, red lipstick has always been revered as the ultimate leading lady staple. But finding that elusive 'perfect' shade is a code most women spend their lives trying to crack.
Now, a new beauty store in New York is set to change the way we adorn our mouths forever, giving women the opportunity to make their own lipstick from scratch - customizing the color, finish (matte versus sheer), and even the scent.
'Customers can channel their inner-Willy Wonka as they dip and dye, mix and match, modify and mold,' explained Bite Beauty's store manager, Stephanie Spence.
The perfect red: Bite Beauty, located in SoHo, is giving women the opportunity to make their own lipstick from scratch - customizing the color, finish, and even the scent
For $28, each customer chooses a combination of various shades; the store then mixes it, melts it, freezes it, puts in it a black bullet-shaped tube and packages it while you wait.
'We help people choose colors that are right for them,' said Miss Spence, who is bare-faced as she takes me through the process. 'A lot of women will come in with a notion of what they can't wear, or what they shouldn't wear, which is usually never accurate.'
A table scattered with color pots, ranging from nude to dark berry, bright orange, deep red and fuchsia pink, looks daunting. But trial and error is part of the experience.
'I think people get really scared of colors, or certain color families,' she explained. 'They say, "I don't want to do that," but once they end up trying it, experimenting, going through the process, they can see that the number of shades that suit them is much wider than a lot of people think.'
Mixing color: For $28, each customer chooses a combination of various shades; the store then mixes it, melts it, freezes it, puts in it a black bullet-shaped tube and packages it while you wait
Mix and match: Each color pot is a mixture of two Bite Beauty ready-to-wear colors; mix three color pots, and you have a six-shade custom lipstick
In less than twenty minutes, my custom-made color - a mix of Pomegranate and Zinfandel - is ready to walk out the door.
'I usually will pull two reds, and ask what color a customer likes more,' said Miss Spence, who graciously explains that my pale complexion would benefit from more orange, and 'less brick'.
'We'll try it on, have a look at it, then if you don't like it we can add different pinks or nudes or oranges until you get to a space where you feel more comfortable,' she said.
'We look both at what you like and what your skin is doing when you put that color on.'
Each color pot is a mixture of two Bite Beauty ready-to-wear colors; some are a mix of a pencil color and a creme lipstick, and some are two lipsticks. Mix three color pots, and you have a six-shade lipstick.
Personalized: In less than twenty minutes, my custom-made color - a mix of Pomegranate and Zinfandel - is ready to walk out the door
Timeless beauty: From Marilyn Monroe to Elizabeth Taylor, red lipstick has always been revered as the ultimate leading lady staple
Lady is a vamp: Bite Beauty helps women 'choose colors that are right for them,'whether it's a deep red a la Dita Von Teese (left) or an orange red like Angelina Jolie (right)
Your color choices are then cut from their respective pre-made pigmented bullets, placed in a pot with your chosen scent, heated for 30 seconds at 176 degrees, and spun in a patent-pending mixing machine.
The mixed liquid is then put in a metal bullet-shaped tube, which sits on a cold one-degree plate where the oils and pigments spend a few minutes bonding.
'Customers walk away with an understanding of not only how a lipstick is made, but what ingredients go into their beauty product,' explained Miss Spence.
Bite Beauty, 174 Prince Street, New York, NY 10013; open from 11AM – 7PM, Tuesday-Saturday, 11AM – 5PM Sunday.
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