Been on a leeetle bit of a mini Bite Beauty binge over the last month or so, scoring some shades in a couple of bulk buys that I would not have normally considered. I paired Bite Cin Cin + Vento (both Luminous Creme formula) in this review with the thought that they will both probably be of interest to the mmmm... less dramatic amongst us. I'm not talking Duchess-level Basic here because let's face it; those hos might be freeqs in the sheets (BIG question mark) but they're not bringing much to the damn streets. Just saying. I think it's a lack of consistent nutrients thing. Just saying. | For the uninitiated, Bite Beauty's Luminous Creme is, broadly speaking, forgiving and wearable in contrast to their more matte/saturated Amuse Bouche and Crayon product. It's a formula for people who sort of hate lipstick but are trying to get into it, out of boredom or a sincere desire to reform their homely ways or whatever. Easy to apply, delightful to wear and unlikely to inspire fear in the unwary. So: Cin Cin. It's the gelato-gingery-orangey one in these pics. I've been wearing it a lot since I took them, which is something of a surprise as it's not a massive shade. Like almost all Bite product, Cin Cin is a pliant, non-feathering dream to wear with far longer persistence than you might expect from this kind of formula. |
Cin Cin provides slightly less coverage than say, a Nars Satin Pencil-type situation, hence the wearability. The only conceivable downside to this paragon may be its tendency to look pretty no on most cool-coloured citizens; obviously, these shades play best when referring to those yellow, red and brown tints present in the warmer face. Edgelords might consider flipping this gack potential into creative wtf with Cin Cin + clown-coloured hair + a cool face; one could certainly play up the uncomfortable combination. |
On to Vento. I'm just going to say right now that this shade could not look more fucked on my face if it consented to some sort of whole-Smurf-village gangbang. We may not be simpatico but I will put on my objectivity cap and review it in that noble light. Though it is a wee bit difficult to accurately represent, we are dealing with a light-medium, blue-leaning rose pink satin and a moderate degree of translucency (think MAC Lustre). Vento is not quite as ghostly-pastel as it may appear against my pasty hand, so subtract a wee bit of the white cast and take your lip colour into account. It'll still look like this to varying degrees though- it is definitely a thing for arctic blondes, ash-kissed brunettes and lovers of soft-focus, just because it's so modest and blue-leaning. |
Vento's charm lies, counterintuitively, in its lack of graphic heft; it is subtle, casual, vintage, conventionally pretty, completely SFW and a nice foil to a big eye. It offers a nice alternative to those of us wanting a bit of polish without the slimy grossness of lip gloss- Vento's lustre is low, satiny and durable. It's just the smidgen of sneaky pastel that strikes the wrong gong for the warmies; oh well.
I wear it around the house anyway, purely for the pleasure of its sublime texture. This shit be angel grease, second only in my experience to the crushingly expensive Chantecaille stuff (which I must get around to reviewing) as far as conditioning and comfort are concerned. And Vento is so visually lightweight and stable that I also sneak it under all those chalky-arse mattes that will suck you dry if you don't amend, which is why it's staying in the stash.
L 2 R, MAC unless stated: Russian Red, Bite Cin Cin, Nars Iberico, Chili, Bite Vento,
Girl About Town, Bite Amarone, Nars Afghan Red natural outdoor unflashed