I have a confession. I'm not ready for summer to be over and as far as I'm concerned as long as it's hot as hell outside, it's summer -- to me. But as habit would have it, when August rolls around, I can't help, but be tempted by all of the September issues dropping out of the sky and being seduced by all of the sumptuous fall offerings to come. And that includes deep, rich makeup for the fall. After a summer of my version of minimalistic makeup, I'm ready for structured, glamorous makeup.
So to usher in the pending fall season, I scooped up some new lip colors that scream rich and decadent. Since lipstick has enjoyed a resurgence over the last few seasons, lip gloss has been resurrected from the early aughts and its popularity is rising once, again.
Bite Beauty recently dropped the French Press lip gloss collection. This coffee-inspired collection features six skin tone friendly glosses and I picked up two at my local Sephora. I chose shades French Press (a deep chocolate warm brown) and Black Coffee (a deep rich decadent plum). Both shades are gorgeous. On my skin tone, the French Press is almost like "my lips but better" shade and Black Coffee is like a blackened violet on me and it's perfect for a night on the town.
The texture of the Bite Beauty gloss is not sticky, but it has staying power. It has a very faint vanilla flavor that's not offensive and the color payoff is good. It has a bit more pigment than a regular gloss, but, the Bite Beauty glosses aren't particularly special. They have a good selection of shades that can be worn everyday and you can apply it without the effort of a lipstick.
In addition to the Bite Beauty, I decided to try the new Lancome L'Absolu Lacquer Gloss. Now this lip product is an interesting one because the texture is almost like a lip stain with a glossy texture. It's a buildable texture that you can wear as sheer or full as you wish. The doe foot applicator is great because you can actually line your lips with it or that's been the case in my experience.
I like it because as I mentioned, the texture is like a stain, but it's not drying. From what I understand, it's a oil and water mix for a lightweight feel on the lips. The color payoff is excellent! The two shades I chose for starters are Vertige (a deep brown shimmer with a red undertone) and Gold For It (a shimmery beige gold).
The other plus about the L'Absolu Lacquer Gloss is that if you apply one coat of this product first, you can apply any other lip color over it for a completely new shade and texture.
I can definitely see myself adding a few more shades to both the Bite Beauty and Lancome collection I just purchased.