Although I love my Luminous Crème Lipsticks from Bite Beauty and was heartbroken that they were discontinued, I will admit that many of them do not last for a very long time and can thus be a bit high-maintenance, since it is essential to bring them with you whereever you go, because you will have to re-apply in often less than one hour. Nonetheless, they are extremely comfortable to wear, and I like the way that many of the colors look on me. It is for that reason that I consoled myself about the end of the Luminous Crème line by buying all of the colors I could have ever possibly wanted, which brings us to this swatch-fest to come.
I realize that it may seem futile to write a review on a discontinued line of lipstick, but the purpose of this is twofold. Firstly, I still hold out hope that the line will be re-introduced, since many people liked the Luminous Crème line and prefer them to even the newest Amouse Bouche line. Whereas I prefer the latter in theory, as I generally gravitate toward more pigmented, matte finishes, the former is great for people who like a sheer, many times almost glossy/satin finish. In addition, I use my Luminous Crème lipsticks quite a bit if my lips are particularly dry, as they are almost as moisturizing as a lip balm.
Recently, Bite re-released a few of the Luminous Crème lipsticks in bold (Zivoli, Tannin and Mulberry) and nude (Retsina, Musk and Fig) sets, and additionally, Cava was re-released by itself. This leads me to hope that Bite may re-introduce the Luminous Crème line at some point in the future, since both of the sets sold out in less than 12 hours on the U.S. Sephora site and within 24 hours on the Canadian Sephora site.
Some of the Luminous Crème colors have already been reviewed in m review of the Mix and Mingle lipsticks, since some were available as mini-duos in those holiday exclusive lines. Those that were part of the holiday line and the regular Luminous Crème line will be listed below the new swatches.
Arm Swatches
L to R: Retsina, Musk, Fiano, Salut, Cava, Pepper, Shiraz, Cin Cin, Apricot, Zivoli, Mimosa, Kir Royale
My Naked Lips (for reference)
Retsina
Retsina is a very light, yet fairly opaque nude color that is very creamy but tends to emphasize imperfections. It also appears a bit streaky, which means that it requires a couple of swipes to reach opacity. That being said, lips must be exfoliated before applying Retsina, but as long as your lips are prepped properly, Retsina is a lovely color.
Musk
Musk is a pinky-brown nude that is much more forgiving than Retsina. Originally, I had been a bigger fan of Retsina, but I find myself wearing Musk more and more, since it is a much more natural-looking nude for my lips.
Fiano
Fiano is a yellow-based, sheer nude color that has a bit of sparkle to it. Had I known about the sparkles in this one, I would not have purchased it, but they are actually not noticeable at all in everyday life, so Fiano functions almost like a lip balm for me, seeing as how it is so sheer. I had started wearing this in place of lip balm a while ago, but after a day of being in my purse, I smashed the bullet upon application, so I don't dare to take this out of the house for fear of breaking it even more.
Salut
Salut is ever so slightly more opaque than Fiano, but it is also a more yellow-based, sheer nude that works almost like a balm on me. The only difference between Fiano and Salut is that Salut does not have any sparkles and that it is somewhat darker than Fiano, albeit not noticeably so.
Cava
Cava is a gray-based lilac nude that is also on the sheer side of things. It only provides a light tint to my lips, which is nice for days when I am looking for a twinge of color but not a bold lip.
Somehow Cava decided to break on me when I did this arm swatch. It is a bit warm here, but I did not think it was that warm. However, I have the feeling that some of the colors, the nudes in particular, are softer than some of the others.
Cava is now the only lipstick of the Luminous Crème formula that is currently available, although some of the others appeared briefly in sets.
Pepper
Pepper is a good, warm-toned MLBB color for many people with lighter skintones. I really like Pepper, but I tend to favor cooler tones on the nude side of the color spectrum.
Pepper is another one that has proven to be rather heat sensitive. Although it has not yet broken on me, as Cava and Fiano have, it has come close in the summer heat, and the side of it is full of dents from the bullet bending into the packaging.
Shiraz
Shiraz is a gorgeous cool-toned MLBB color that works for many people with lighter skintones, as well. It is much like Pepper, but it is cool-toned, while Pepper is warm-toned. This is my go-to MLBB color for when I just want my lips to be about the color they are after I work out.
Although Shiraz does not seem to be quite as heat sensitive as Cava or Pepper, this one has also shown some signs of denting and bending in the heat.
Cin Cin
Cin Cin is a sheer orangey-coral-red color that is nice for anyone not wanting to go full-out red. I first bought this when I heard that the Luminous Crème line was being discontinued, as I had not had any desire to try out this color before that, but I am very glad that I got this one after all. It is great for a flush of color on days when I am not in the mood to line my lips for my reds or other bolder colors.
Apricot
Apricot is a somewhat sheer warm-toned red that is almost like a darker version of Cin Cin. I love this color, as it is sheerer than many of my reds but dark enough to make my lips pop.
Zivoli
Zivoli is described as a "brick red" (Sephora), which doesn't really fit very well in my opinion, as Zivoli looks like a typical blue-based sheer red to me. This one is similar to the VIB red color that Bite and Sephora had released a few years ago, but it is sheerer than the VIB red.
Mimosa
Mimosa is a bright, warm-toned red that is bolder and applies to a more opaque finish than all of the previous colors. Mimosa is said to be a dupe for Candied Maple (Canada-exclusive LE) and Cayenne in the Amuse Bouche line. It was released along with Belini and Kir Royale as a limited edition color shortly before the Luminous Crème (LC) line was discontinued. For that reason, I am a bit sad that I only have the sample size from one of the Sephora Rewards sets and that I never bought the full-size before the LC line went out, because since Candied Maple is one of the few lipsticks that I have used up completely, I know that this one will not last long for me, and it would be nice to have this color in the LC finish.
Kir Royale
Kir Royale is another one that applies fully opaque and is quite bold. It is a berry red that leans purple/magenta and was also a special edition color that was released shortly before the Luminous Crème line was discontinued like Belini and Mimosa. It seems to be a close dupe for Jam in the Amuse Bouche line.
Summary
Overall, the Luminous Crème lipsticks are wonderful. They are moisturizing, creamy and lightweight, and they feel like a lip balm. The nude colors seem to be a bit heat sensitive, and they do not need a liner in my opinion, but the darker colors are better paired with a liner (although I am normally too lazy to use a liner with them). I really hope that Bite decides to bring back the LC line because it differs enough from the Amuse Bouche (AB) line that both would most likely still sell very well. For example, I love the LC lipsticks, in particular when my lips are drier or when I am looking for a sheerer lip.
Disclaimer: I did not receive any financial or material incentives for this review. All opinions contained herein are my own.
Related Websites:
Sephora: http://www.sephora.com/bite-beauty?node=1050000
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