Subtle glitz: Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Holiday Lipstick Duos in Opal/Jam and Gold/Sour Cherry

Disclosure: Affiliate links.

This purchase was not a typical one for me. I rarely seek out limited edition products (though sometimes I am pleasantly surprised). I don't usually go for holiday releases/sets. And I don't usually buy more than one item from a line, sight unseen.

But here I am with two of the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche holiday duos. I was having a day, I guess. It was the same day that I ordered that Kat Von D blue lipstick (reviewed here), but the Bite lipsticks worked out better.

These duos are double-sided, like the Luminous Creme duos from last year, which I liked. And in fact, the price is good. It's actually cheaper to buy these minis (0.05 oz. of each color) than to buy a full-size Amuse Bouche lipstick. The full size comes out to $173 per ounce, and the duos are $140 per ounce. Mind you, the packaging of these mini lipstick may mean that more of that product is buried below the edge of the tube, making it harder to get out, but it's still a respectable price, in my reckoning.

I've been happy to see that metallic lips are, apparently, a big thing this season. I like a little shimmer and all matte all the time was starting to get boring. I once had a sheer, gold lipstick from Avon that I got as a gift as a teenager, and it was really pretty. So a new, sheer, gold lipstick from a brand whose lipsticks I've enjoyed in the past was exciting to see. I was also intrigued by Opal, which Bite has brought back in one of these minis. In fact, I originally almost bought all four of the duos but eventually (fortunately) talked myself down to two. I didn't think I would wear the pale pink Fig much, and I already have Pepper in the old Luminous Creme formula. So I went for Gold/Sour Cherry and Opal/Jam.

I was also curious about the Amuse Bouche formula, having read mixed reviews of it. I suspect, as with most lipsticks, the performance will vary based on the shade. For these two/four, I've been really impressed. Sour Cherry is particularly wonderful: pigmented, smooth, long-wearing, and moisturizing. Yes, moisturizing! It's extremely rare for me to find a lipstick that actually makes my lips feel better as I wear it. Revlon Cherries in the Snow does that, but the Bite Luminous Creme lipsticks do not.

Swatches:

Left to right: Gold, Sour Cherry, Opal, Jam.

Okay, get ready for many, many more photos.

Good fortune: Wet N Wild Limited Edition Color Icon Trio in Plain to the Bone

Disclosure: Affiliate links.

You know when you see an acquaintance coming toward you across the street, so you cross to the other side of the intersection to avoid an awkward stop-and-chat? But then you realize they're crossing too and you're forced into small talk that neither of you particularly wants to engage in anyway? Just me? Well, anyway, there was a CVS on that side of the street. so I ended up wandering in, and found one lone Wet N Wild Color Icon trio in the fall display, and it was the one I wanted: Plaid to the Bone. The universe was in balance again.

I don't know how likely it is that you will be able to find these eyeshadows in your local drugstore. I think they only appeared in my CVS 1-2 weeks ago, but like I said, the display was almost picked clean. I hope you do find them, though, because they are perfect and beautiful and you know I don't often gush about things. Either way, gaze on the duochrome beauty here and be in awe.

Unlike some of the weird combinations of shadows Wet N Wild sometimes comes up with, these are really well coordinated. The duochrome is basically a combination of the other two shades, which is a cool idea. I wouldn't wear them on the places they suggest you wear them (the "Browbone" shade is too dark for that part of my eyelid), but I think it would be possible to create a look using all three together. So far I have worn the duochrome on my mobile lid and the brown in the crease, and I wore the navy/teal as a liner with a matte brown shadow.

Swatches:

These swatches were done with a brush, not over primer. The teal took a little extra work to build up, but they're all very nicely pigmented, and they work wonderfully over primer. It's interesting that in sunlight, the middle dark teal shade, which looks like a completely matte navy blue in the pan, actually has a slight sheen to it. It does look pretty much matte on my eyelids though.

Here are a couple of comparisons (again on bare skin with a brush). The duochrome from the Wet N Wild Comfort Zone palette has a similar teal shimmer, but a much redder base. The Plaid to the Bone duochrome is a neutral brown base, and the shimmer might be slightly greener. The Comfort Zone shadow is a little softer and more intense.

I also compared the teal shade to Makeup Geek's Time Travel (reviewed here). It's so interesting to me that Time Travel looks teal in the pan, but often looks navy when you use/swatch it, and the Plaid to the Bone shadow looks navy in the pan and teal when you use/swatch it. I like the Plaid to the Bone teal better.

Swatches in indirect light: Wet N Wild Comfort Zone duochrome, Wet N Wild Plaid to the Bone duochrome, Makeup Geek Time Travel and Wet N Wild Plaid to the Bone.

Swatches in direct sunlight: Wet N Wild Comfort Zone duochrome, Wet N Wild Plaid to the Bone duochrome, Makeup Geek Time Travel and Wet N Wild Plaid to the Bone

I haven't had time to take photos of these on my eyes, but I thought I might as well post swatches and review details sooner rather than later, since this won't be around for long. I'm not usually someone who goes after "limited edition" shit, and I wouldn't have made a special effort to hunt this down, but I'm very pleased that I happened upon it. It really is great. I think Wet N Wild should seriously consider making it permanent. It's much more interesting and useable than some of their other Color Icon Trios.

If you really want it and can't find it in a store, some intrepid entrepreneurs resellers gougers have snatched some of these up and are selling them for $8+ on Ebay and Amazon. Otherwise, happy hunting! An excellent duochrome for under $4 is truly a blessing unto all who find it.

A failed quest

In what I'm sure was an excellent use of my time, yesterday alone I went to three CVSs, two ULTAs, one Walgreens, one Bed Bath and Beyond and one Meijer looking for that fucking limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoo (Seashore Frosts). Nothing. I mean I found a bunch of the displays and all of the other colors, but not that one. Boo. So I guess that's not happening.

Anyone so lucky as to find it? Is it worth it? I'm not searching any more, because I have better things to do. And no car. It's mostly the car thing, let's face it.