Review: Bite Beauty Lab in Soho NYC

To start off this blog post, I would like to note that I have never done a poor review before on a NYC retail experience. The purpose of experiences with a product in a retail store it to make customers feel connected and interact with a brand. The experiences tend to be "over the top" and make for the best memories that make you crave wanting more.

And today, I officially have my first less than par retail experience. I am shocked I am saying this too. To explain the experience in a factual way, I have split it up as a pro / con list.

Lip Lab by Bite Beauty is a custom lipstick made to order experience. My friend Brooke and I went to make a fun lipstick color for an everyday look. They use a color palette to mix colors, in different pigments below for what you are looking for. The idea of making your own lipstick in a beauty lab is AWESOME, but they haven't perfected the experience.

The little Soho beauty store had 5-8 make up artist working, each one busy with a group making lipstick! We visited on a Sunday night, and the store was PACKED. When you enter the beauty lab, you are greeted by the person closest to the door. If you want to come visit, the best is to have an appointment, and make it a few days in advance.

Pro: The beauty lab is set up as a bar, and each person/duo has their own little section. I really liked how the store was set up and how they utilized their small Soho space. When we came to visit, each seat was taken. Luckily, we were able to grab this picture at the end of the night once most people left.

Con: The customer service was not very friendly. We were greeted, but ignored for 10 minutes until there was a seat for us at the bar. Once we sat down, they started giving us instructions to scrub our lips and ointment to put on. I would of loved to learn more of the history of the brand, how this concept was created, etc. Once I realized we weren't getting good service, I told the make up artist I am a blogger doing a review, and disappointingly, none of her actions changed. Seems like discussing the brand and how make up is unique in their store wasn't what I was going to get.

The lipstick custom made in the store cost $60. Each one.

Pro: It's great for someone looking for one custom color for a special occasion, such as a wedding or prom.

Con: When Brooke and I asked what color the make up artist would recommend for us based on our skin tones, she said she did not want to recommend a color because it may not be what we want and we need to like it, not her (????). If we are paying $60 for a lipstick, I want ALL THE HELP! Otherwise, why would I come in...

We tried out different color combinations for picking out the lipstick shade we each wanted.

Pro: It was fun asking for different color combinations and trying different shades on.

Con: The colors we tried were colors we created ourselves, but when we put them on, it didn't feel like something I couldn't get ANYWHERE! The color combinations are easy to buy on the beauty market, so if you're coming for the experience, it really is the EXPERIENCE. I wish the products / coloring were more unique, or we were guided to make something more unique, but our make up artist wasn't helpful in that area.

When picking out colors, the make up artist would put them on a clear sheet and let us try a swab, and then she would save the rest so she could make a new one.

Pro: I liked how we could compare the colors we did previously because it's hard to always remember the exact combo for colors.

Con: I wish they told us more about the ingredients, how colors work together, what makes Bite Beauty more unique. While the make up artist sat quietly making our combinations, we kept asking questions because she wasn't talking about the experience. We learned that their products are vegan and may contain oils from nuts.

Once your lipstick color is decided, they put in the mixture, including the scent and lipstick finish (matte, creamy, sheer, etc), in a few machines to make it. They didn't explain a lot about the machines because they were patent products for Bite Beauty.

Pro: Confidentiality is important! Watching them actually mix and show the final result was the coolest part of the experience.

Con: Even though we couldn't learn about the exact machine, I would have loved to learn more about the process for how my lipstick was made.

Brooke and I each had our lipstick custom made with our names on it, in their signature bite beauty lipstick case. The lipstick is ready to wear 20 minutes later.

Pro: I love how they customized the lipstick by putting our names on it!

Con: The lipstick was ready to wear 20 minutes later, but not very long lasting. I've been testing my lipstick out this week each day, and the lipstick doesn't last on my lips for very long in comparison to their competitors. Maybe ours was mixed weird? Bite Beauty does have great lipstick, but our formula must of not been long lasting enough for a work day.

Overall, this experience was expensive and we didn't learn very much about our products or ingredients. Everyone can have different experiences, but I wish ours included discussion more about the brand, ingredients used, and more help with selecting the right colors. I hope the customer service improves, because making lipstick in a beauty lab is a cool idea!

Website: https://www.bitebeauty.com/lip-lab

Location: 174 Prince St, New York, NY 10012

Disclaimer: I only post content I 100% stand by. If I did not love the experience, I will not post about it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#beautyexperience #nycexperience #bitebeauty