 |  It was sold out when I ordered it through Shezza from the US, so I had to wait, and I can see why. Bite Beauty Amarone High Pigment Pencil is a pretty, pretty colour, a dreamy, lucent pink lying somewhere between fuchsia, violet and watermelon, bright enough to stand up and say hello without going for the throat, if you know what I mean. I expected it to be more chromatically intense, but the actual effect was not in any way disappointing. This is why I don't mind buying blind; you're more often pleasantly surprised than not. |
I also thought it might be closer to MAC Rebel than it is, a concern that struck me as I pulled it out of the box. You can see from the swatches that they're not really close- Rebel is much more purple. Their gloss level is similar, with Amarone being a little more slippy and a little more flattering on the lip, so if you fancy Rebel or even MAC Girl About Town but feel you look like a twit in them, go for this instead. It's in a similar direction, will possibly fulfil your fuchsia desires and is more muted and universally wearable. Totally safe for work.
 I was tempted to post a lip swatch because of Amarone's 60-70% translucency. The High Pigment range usually resembles a MAC Amplified finish but I would compare this guy to one of the thicker Lustres, with much better pigmentation and no subsequent dry horrors. It will respond to your natural colouring and my dark lips pull it toward berry-lite; prime your mouth to get a blank canvas if you want the mauvey pink you see below right, sheered out and built up on my hand.  |   This swatch was taken in outdoor sunshine. See how it's neither fuchsia nor berry nor watermellon but somehow all of the above? Warm light makes it less mauve-tinted and more complex. Perhaps it's best to just say fruit pink. It might be somewhat less saturated than my other Bite pencils but Amarone has the same lovely, moisturising mouth feel and charming (rather than nastily synthetic) fruit scent. This level of comfort usually means the lipstick will move around and Amarone does tend to migrate toward the edges of the lip when applied heavily; fortunately its gloss and smooth, stain-like pigmentation mean distribution isn't critical. |
Another thing it has in common with my other Bite stuff is the ability to be rich and glossy without bleeding into my wrinkles, which is super-weird and super-awesome. Amarone as one of the few lustrous shades of any intensity that I can wear without checking the mirror every five minutes to make sure it has neither roamed toward my earlobes and/or evanesced completely.
I see it as a prettifier and a delightful, low-key alternative to the stronger matte and Amplified pinks that have predominated lately. Things like MAC GAT, Full Fuchsia and all those big shades in the new Nars Audacious line aren't for everyone. I love its half backed-off look on the lip. Blend it with either Bite Cranberry (for more punch) or Rhubarb (to make it even more demure). Bite are cruelty-free and formulate with largely organic/natural compounds.
I see it as a prettifier and a delightful, low-key alternative to the stronger matte and Amplified pinks that have predominated lately. Things like MAC GAT, Full Fuchsia and all those big shades in the new Nars Audacious line aren't for everyone. I love its half backed-off look on the lip. Blend it with either Bite Cranberry (for more punch) or Rhubarb (to make it even more demure). Bite are cruelty-free and formulate with largely organic/natural compounds.
MAC Rebel, Bite Amarone, MAC Heroine, Bite Rhubarb, Bite Cranberry
slightly cool/neutral indoor natural light. Pretty true to life.
slightly cool/neutral indoor natural light. Pretty true to life.
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