BITE Beauty Matte Créme Lipstick (Black Cherry, Elderberry) and Opal Créme - Swatches and Review

In 2015, BITE Beauty released USA-exclusive Matte Créme lipsticks in berry colors that later became available in Canada. Although none of these lipsticks can really be described as matte in texture, they are indeed creamy and very pigmented. At about the same time that these lipsticks were released, BITE came out with the Opal Créme lipstick, which is part of the permanent collection.

Here are a few swatches with my thoughts on each of the lipsticks that I have as a part of this collection.


Arm Swatches

From L to R: Opal Créme, Black Cherry, Elderberry
It is a bit difficult to see Opal Créme, depending on the lighting. Here it is barely visible, even though it was visible in my camera and on my arm. Go figure.


My Naked Lips (for reference)



Opal Créme

So this lipstick really takes me back to the late 90s when I had something similar, namely a blue iridescent lipstick, which I wore all the time. I love it! As with most of the Bite lipsticks, it is creamy and comfortable to wear. I would not call this one longwearing, but it is a nice replacement for lip balm when I feel like having a little shimmer on my lips without anything else. It is not quite as hydrating as a lip balm, but it applies smoothly and provides a bit of moisture. Many people seem to like to layer this with other colors, but I like it best by itself. This will surely last quite a while and get a good amount of use so I am happy with my purchase.

As a side note to this color, I have a few similar colors from other brands, and this is by far the most comfortable one with the nicest formula of all of them. That being said, before trying elsewhere, you may save some time and money by trying this one first.


Black Cherry

Black Cherry is a gorgeous, deep red that unfortunately has quite a bit of slip to it and therefore is a bit streaky upon initial application. This can be remedied by blotting and layering, but that means that this color is more high-maintenance than some others from BITE Beauty. Because of the slip of this bold color, a liner is recommended.


Elderberry

Elderberry is a beautiful deep berr color that also has quite a bit of slip to it. Again, this can be dealt with by blotting and applying layers, but this one also tends to settle into lines over time so a primer and/or lip liner is recommended.


Elderberry (blotted)

This is how light Elderberry gets once blotted after one layer, but I find it necessary to remove any excess before applying further layers of this or any other colors.


Elderberry + Opal

Due to the blue/purple duo chrome effect that the Opal Créme has, it seems to work well with other blue-based colors, like Elderberry. Although I don't often layer my lipsticks in general, this is a lovely combination that gives Elderberry (or any lipstick, really) a new dimension.

Overall, the Matte Créme Lipsticks in the berry colors are nice, albeit not matte. The colors are beautiful, but because there are better formulas out there, even within the BITE lines, I would probably not re-purchase these if they were to become available again, unless they were made with a different formula. In the Amuse Bouche line from BITE, a good dupe for Black Cherry would be Licorice, and an alternative for Elderberry would be Truffle from the Matte Créme Lip Crayons.

Disclaimer: Each of these lipsticks was purchased by me, and I received no type of compensation for this review.

Related Websites:
Sephora BITE Opal Créme site:  http://www.sephora.com/opal-creme-lipstick-P398401?skuId=1718733&icid2=products%20grid:p398401
Sephora BITE Amuse Bouche site: http://www.sephora.com/amuse-bouche-lipstick-P405057?skuId=1796689&icid2=products%20grid:p405057
Sephora BITE Matte Créme Lip Crayons: http://www.sephora.com/matte-creme-lip-crayon-P387705?skuId=1778786&icid2=products%20grid:p387705