Bite Beauty Lip Lab San Francisco

Let me tell you about one of the coolest experiences of my life so far. 

On the corner of Sutter and Fillmore Street in San Francisco is the Bite Beauty Lip Lab. One of only four locations in the world, this little shop isn't just a place to buy Bite Beauty makeup. Oh, no.

It's called a Lip Lab for a reason.

It all started when I made an appointment for the Bespoke lipstick experience a couple of days prior. On the day of the appointment, Mom and I walked into the Lip Lab. 

I thought I knew what to expect based on what I saw on YouTube. I had what lipstick colors I wanted in mind (including names!), but it was a whole different ballgame when the technician pulled out an entire tray full of colors. It was like an artist's palette, but with any lipstick I could think of or imagine. 

Still, I stuck with exactly what I wanted; one blush pink, the other a bubblegum shade with a violet kick. And I chose a matte finish, which, in Bite Beauty terms, means a creamy, no-shimmer base. No chalky mattes here.

So, the technician (shoutout to Rhianna, who was AWESOME and totally got my vision) went to work. She first put together a version of "Savannah in Wonderland" (the blush pink) that was more orange-leaning. 

"Savannah in Wonderland", version 1

I decided to definitely go more pink - since I modeled this shade after this blog - and once she added that extra pink pigment, it was perfect. (In fact, comparing it to this website, I can't believe how well it actually matches.)

"Savannah in Wonderland", version 2; the winner!

Next, she went to work on the second bubblegum/violet shade, "We're All Mad Here." Rhianna got the shade exactly perfect on the first go, and I fell in love with it immediately.

"We're All Mad Here"

Finally, I got to pick some scents. I chose cherry, and y'all, it smells like cherry Kool-Aid.

Once we had the two shades down, we went over to the actual lab to have the lipsticks made. She whipped together larger chunks of the pigments, put them each in the microwave, softened them, and put them in molds. Then, after in sitting in dry ice for a few minutes, the molds came off, and I had two lipsticks.

It's one thing to have your lipsticks be mixed together on a piece of plastic, but it's another ballgame entirely once they're in tubes.

Overall, this experience was a dream come true. If I had the opportunity to do this again, I would, and with the same colors, too. (They make a color profile for you that has the "recipes" for each lipstick so you can reorder them easily.)

If you want to do this, you can. It's $150 for the entire appointment, and it took about an hour for the consultation and for everything to be mixed and made. Plus, you get a goody bag filled with lip scrub, a lip mask, and a lip primer/liner.

If you prefer a less expensive (and faster) option, though, there's a $55 option where you can choose just a premade color, a finish, and a scent (and for two, it's $80). But I can't recommend the custom experience enough to y'all.

If you do decide to go for the Bespoke option, here are some tips:

• Know what you want beforehand. Do some research. Look at your own makeup collection. Do you find yourself looking for specific shades, but find they just don't work with your skin tone? Do you have favorite colors that you would prefer to wear everyday, but would rather them be more sheer or more pigmented? Need that perfect shade of red, but can't find it? Those situations would be perfect for this appointment.
• Make an actual appointment to do this. Walk-ins are welcome, but there are quite a few who come in parties, so keep that in mind. It's best to make an appointment a couple days in advance at least by calling them ahead of time.
• Work with your technician, and don't be afraid to speak up if something's not exactly the way you want it. Explaining your vision further and as clearly as you can will be helpful for you both. She's there to make your dream lipstick, so make sure you're in love with it. 
• Most of all...have fun!!

If you go to the San Francisco location, ask for Rhianna (and tell her I said hi!). Otherwise, you can go do this in San Jose, New York, or Toronto (for all you amazing Canadians). 

Would you go do something like this? What lipstick would you make? Let me know in the comments! :)