Take a Bite out of Beauty With Bite Lipstick

I’ve never really been a make-up kind of girl, but lipstick has always been the exception.

I can’t get enough of those slim little tubes, which reveal a kind of swivel-crayon to color your lips with, which is fun/childish/ladylike all at the same time (flashback to actual swivel crayons in 3rd grade, which always made me feel fancier than all my classmates with regular crayons. hah!).

Bite Lipstick in “Apricot.”

Regular lipstick often has weird, nasty chemicals in it, like silicone, parabens, artificial dyes like FD&C Red #40 and synthetic oils. Even worse, a lot of online merchants don’t even put the full ingredient list on their site for their lipsticks, for good reason… they only let you look at the shades. I’m looking straight at you, Lancôme. And Chanel. And Dior… etc, etc.

And, technically, you do end up EATING the lipstick you put on your lips, so it’s good to invest in something that’s not, you know, disgusting.

Bite’s claim to fame is that they use all-natural, food-grade ingredients, with Trans-Resveratrol, which is that antioxidant found in red wine. They use a good bunch of natural oils and butters, too:

Organic Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Organic Cera Alba (Beeswax), Organic Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax, Polypropanediol Dimer Dilinoleate (Vegetable-Derived), Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax, Silica, Lauroyl Lysine, Natural Flavor, Phenoxyethanol (Coconut Derived), Trans-Resveratrol, Natural Rebiana Sweetener, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherol. May Contain: Mica (CI 77019),Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), Carmine (CI 75470), FD&C Blue No. 1 (CI 42090), FD&C Yellow No. 5 (CI 19140), FD&C Yellow No. 6 (CI 15985), FD&C Red No. 40 (CI16035), Manganese Violet (CI 77742).

From left: Apricot, Zivoli, Cassis and Mulberry

But wait a minute– there ARE FD&C dyes at the end of the list! What does that mean? Take a look at their company statement, printed on their only distributor, Sephora’s site:

“This product is free of synthetics, polybutenes, and petroleum byproducts and made exclusively with lip nurturing food-grade ingredients that are healthy enough to eat.”

So I guess the dyes are sort of like the ones found in Skittles, Twizzlers and other artificially irresistible candies. Ok, I can live with that.

Here’s how my lips looked after applying the “Apricot” shade.

Bite lipstick does contain carmine, which is technically crushed beetles, but it doesn’t bother me, since I don’t mind killing bugs. Yeah, shame on me for not being a true vegan, blahblahblahwhateveridontcare.

Anyway, I really do enjoy using Bite lipstick, for quite a number of reasons. Here’s a good rundown of why I like it:

  • Great range of colors – It’s hard to find natural lipstick lines that have this many colors in one collection, though collectively, Nvey Eco, Zuzu Luxe and Gabriel Cosmetics all have great colors.
  • Creamy consistency – the very first ingredient in Bite Beauty lipsticks is castor seed oil, which is incredibly moisturizing and a much better base than petroleum. The lipstick also contains argan oil and shea butter, both of which moisturize and keep your lips kissably soft.
  • Pronounceable ingredients – The main ingredients are all thing I can say and recognize, which is always a relief!
  • Lasting pucker – the lipstick stays put pretty well until you start eating (after all, it’s not supposed to like, stick on your lips like paint or something.).
  • There is a subtle berry-ish scent that I like very much… can’t really describe it, but it certainly smells nice!

I personally like to apply lip balm under the lipstick for a creamier feel, usually a Yes to Carrots lip butter with SPF in the morning, and regular lip balm in the evening, since the lipstick doesn’t have SPF. It’s worked out quite well for me.

The major complaint I have is the price– at $24 a pop, it doesn’t come cheap! Still, you are paying for a better quality product, so I say, treat yourself.

I’ve tried out 3 colors so far-

Apricot – a “Warm Red” color as described on the site – it goes on as more of a bright coraly-orange red.

Zivoli – “Brick Red” – this one goes on as a deep, but bright, red color. Almost like a true red, think xmas red.

Cassis – “Aubergine” – I wear this one when I want to feel mysterious (I know, so cheesy). It goes on as a rich berry purple color.

One interesting aspect of all Bite products is the shape of the caps. Each cap shape signifies a different color family (taken from Sephora.com):

Berries have double-angled caps, neutrals a slanted one, and reds a curved one.

REDS – sharp angled tip
Energetic and impulsive, you are a social butterfly. You’re envied for how well you wear those red shades! Quick, sharp strokes from the heart to the edges of your lips create the distinctly angled mould conveying your contagious passion for life.

NEUTRALS – natural slant
Always calm under pressure, you take your time with things, even when applying your lipstick. Perfectly even, your lipstick moulds into a natural slant which reflects your trustworthy and likeable nature.

PINKS – curved
You prefer to wear pink shades because you’re bright and optimistic. A true romantic, creativity is your strength and draws people towards you. You apply your lipstick in long flowing strokes, producing this smooth angled curve that reflects your cheerful outlook on life.

BERRIES – point
Loveable and curious, you’re a free spirit who enjoys going on an adventure. Your adoration for berry colors reflects your breezy, no-fuss persona. Many call you charismatic, exotic even. You like a shade that is easily worn day or night and you apply your lipstick in a way that creates the double slant of perfect symmetry.

Overall, I really enjoy Bite lipstick, but at $24 a pop, you probably want to try one of their value sets instead. I recommend the Bite Discovery Set, which has 5 little mini lipsticks. What’s great about Bite is the amount of shades offered.

Just a note: Bite Lip Shine does contain lanolin (an oil from sheep’s wool), so it’s not considered vegan. And again, if you don’t like bugs, it’s not the right product for you.

Carrot Rating (out of 5) –

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12 comments

  1. Be aware that Bite lipsticks containing Carmine or other certain FD&C reds are not Vegan. The red color is extracted from beetles… Beetle juice!
    Unfortunately, I learned this after I bought them and was upset. I will return them to Sephora and stick with my other brands. I had high hopes that the company stood behind its claims of edibility. Cruelty free and natural don’t carry anything FD&C red in them. If they wanted red,they could have used plant based beet or berry juices instead.

    1. Thanks very much for your comment! I do realize that the lipstick does contain carmine, as I stated in the above post. I’m a vegan that does wear silk and eat honey, so our ethics may be a bit different. If you’re looking for a truly vegan lipstick, I do recommend 100 percent pure’s lipstick line, they are fully vegan and use fruit/berry pigments for the color ingredient!

      http://www.100percentpure.com/collections/lips

        1. Awesome! I’ve never heard of them, but will look into trying them out too! Thanks for the recommendation.

      1. Definitions of veganism aside, why do you see lanolin as ethically acceptable? I live in Australia which is a major wool producing nation and the wool industry is just horrific – they shear the sheep in winter (causing deaths from exposure), shear so close to the skin that cuts and wounds affect virtually every sheep that is shorn… mulesing is also very common and the sheep are slaughtered after several years, sometimes even after being exported half way across the world in overcrowded ships (i.e. live export). I understand lanolin is a derivative of wool, but it still financially contributes to the industry. I fully sympathize with people who use medically necessary products that contain lanolin, and I respect and admire people who avoid most animal products but aren’t fully vegan. But I feel that promoting a lipstick with lanolin on a vegan page could send a confusing message about wool, especially given that there are so many alternatives available.

          1. Hi Lizzie,

            Thanks for your comment! Yes, you are correct – Bite lipgloss does contain lanolin, but the lipstick is lanolin free. You can check their site for the full ingredient listing.

            I would never use a product containing lanolin, rest assured :)

    2. Why wouldn’t you care for beetles? Am I correct to assume that you purchase Honey as well? It’s really pretty sad that you name this site Veganchao yet you forsake small insects just for beauty. It’s really JUST lipstick, you can get another vegan lipstick anywhere. You set a poor example for veganism when you make excuses for yourself that are not actually necessary.

      1. Hi Jennifer,

        Thank you very much for your comment. I do believe we set our own distinctions for “how vegan” someone may or may not be, and I think it’s very important to be conscious of what personal restrictions each individual chooses to uphold.

        Having said that, I feel the judgmental tone of your comment doesn’t set a very good example of being innately compassionate, regardless of veganism.

        Do you judge your loved ones, the mailman and your teachers who have inspired you in the same light as you are judging me as someone that is “a poor example for veganism?” I would hope that as a vegan (as I am assuming you are), you can be more openminded to how others function within the life practice of being vegan.

        I do not live by excuses, I live by my own rules. If you decide that my rules are unfit for your definition of veganism, you are free to peruse blogs or other media of your liking by authors you feel are more genuine. It’s a free country, after all.

      2. Also, for the record, the plants we eat have been pollinated on the backs of bee labor, so being vegan isn’t really entirely “vegan” unless you live on your own farm, raise all your own fruits and vegetables and don’t use a computer, because computers are not vegan, either.

        Oops, I guess both of us aren’t really “vegan.”

        Further reading:

        http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2008/07/the_great_vegan_honey_debate.html

        https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100928161603AAOh9gr

  2. I’ve tried a few Bite Beauty lipsticks (so far), and I love them!
    I’m eyeballing Apricot, because I’m on a never-ending quest for a dupe of MAC “Powerhouse,” my all-time favorite red lipstick. That shade was discontinued, and even so I no longer buy from any of the Lauder brands since they became nasty animal-testers.
    However, I’m a little afraid that Apricot might be too orange for NW15 me.

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