Bite is technically cruelty free, which is why I purchase their products, but evidently they are owned by a larger company that is not cruelty free.
As a non-Canadian, I was extremely sad to find out that the Bite Beauty Maple Matte Crème Lipstick collection, which was released in autumn 2015, was a Canada-exclusive collection. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, however, I was able to procure the entire set for a slightly higher price than I would have paid on the Canadian Sephora website.
Here is the collection with original packaging (with flash).
From left to right: Warmed Maple, Candied Maple, Braised Maple, Sugared Maple, Mulled Maple
Here is the collection without flash.
From left to right: Warmed Maple, Candied Maple, Braised Maple, Sugared Maple, Mulled Maple
This set is a gorgeous line of fall colors that really do tend to mimic the colors of the leaves in autumn. An added bonus for anyone who likes the smell of maple is that these lipsticks all have a light maple scent to them, which is reminiscent of the scent of maple doughnuts. The scent is not overpowering, and although it does fade over time, it may leave you craving pancakes or maple doughnuts upon application.
Some people may not be big fans of reds, and if this applies to you, this may not be the ideal line of lipstick for you. However, as someone who loves reds, I was ecstatic to see this line. The only other downside to this particular collection, other than it being exclusive to Canada, is that it was limited edition, and as such, it is also sold out even on the Canadian Sephora website. That being said, the only chance to puchase these would likely present itself on some external website such as ebay or the like - that is, of course unless Bite decides to re-introduce the collection sometime in the future.
Each of the shades applies smoothly and has a creamy consistency. Therefore, the term "matte" seems to be applied rather loosely to this product, as it has more of a satin or cream finish. However, once blotted, the finish does appear a bit more matte. Each of the colors wears for a considerable amount of time, which in my experience, depending on whether I eat or drink while wearing the lipsticks, can last from two to five hours. As someone who always has lip balm on hand, I tend to press my lips together at random, so for anyone who does not do this, the lipsticks may last even longer. Over time, each of them tend to settle into the wrinkles of the lips, which can be remedied by pressing your lips together. They also tend to gravitate toward the creases between the lips, which must eventually be wiped away. Nonetheless, this does not seem to happen until maybe the second hour of wear.
My Naked Lips
Here are my lips with no lipstick, for reference.
The following swatches were taken with no liner or primer so that they show a truer picture of how each of the lipstick colors look by themselves upon initial application and before blotting. Some of them may appear more sloppy due to the lack of lip liner, but at least you can get a good idea of how the colors look on my lips against my skintone. The pictures were all taken using only natural light.
Warmed Maple
Warmed Maple is a medium orange lipstick that applies very smoothly and has a bit of slip to it. As such, it seems to be the only color in this collection that needs two swipes to achieve full opacity. Even though I really like the color, I tend to wear this one the least of all of them, which is probably due to the fact that I tend to wear less orange to work on a day to day basis.
Braised Maple
Braised Maple is my favorite of all of these lipsticks. I wear it all the time because it is such a unique lightly toasted brown-red shade that I don't find very often. This color applies very smoothly and evenly and has a thicker, creamier consistency than Warmed Maple. Opacity is achieved with one swipe for Braised Maple and all of the remaining colors. Braised Maple wears very well for about five hours before beginning to fade, but I often don't have to reapply at all at work, except after eating lunch. It seems to leave behind a stain that is similar to the original color, which makes it difficult to tell that the lipstick has even faded at all. This one seems to be the longest lasting of all of the colors in this line.
Candied Maple
Candied Maple is a bright, warm-toned red that is great for everyday wear. It also applies smoothly and evenly. This color seems to fade a bit quicker than Braised Maple, but it also leaves behind a light stain.
Sugared Maple
Sugared Maple is a berry-red that is also wonderful for everyday wear at the office. It applies smoothly and evenly, and it tends to leave behind a noticeable bright pink stain. It also tends to settle into lip lines and creases more quickly than the other colors. This is the one that I find myself having to reapply the most of the whole collection, but this is mainly due to the pink stain it leaves behind. I am not a huge fan of pink, and I normally do not wear pink to work anyway, so this one is a bit more high maintenance for me.
Mulled Maple
Mulled Maple is a beautiful, dark, brick red. It applies smoothly, evenly, and mostly opaque, but it has a bit of slip to it so it needs a couple of swipes to fill in any inconsistencies in the application. Once opacity has been reached, however, the coverage stays even throughout wear until the color begins to settle into lines and creases. This one also seems to leave behind a slight red stain.
As an aside, Mulled Maple is rumored to be the same color as Black Cherry, which is one of the lipsticks from the Frozen Berries collection that was originally the USA-exclusive reply to this Canada-exclusive collection, but it was later released on at least the Canadian Sephora site, as well.
Overall, I love these lipsticks, and I wear them every day work and to most any occasion. They are wonderful, and aside from the maple scent, they wear very similarly to my other Bite Beauty Luminous Crème lipsticks. I really hope that Bite decides to make these available every autumn, especially Braised Maple. Even better would be if these were available worldwide on Sephora, but I guess we will see what happens.
Disclaimer: All of these lipsticks were purchased by me, and I received no financial or material incentives for this review.
Here are some links related to Bite Beauty and their products.
Bite Beauty's Official Website: http://bitebeauty.com/
Bite Beauty's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/bitebeauty
Bite Beauty on Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/bite-beauty
