Why Don’t You… Create A Custom Lipstick?

03 Nov Why Don’t You… Create A Custom Lipstick?

‘Why Don’t You’ is my weekly tribute to legendary editor Diana Vreeland who penned a column of the same name for Harper’s Bazaar for 26 years begging, “Don’t just be your ordinary dull self. Why don’t you be ingenious and make yourself into something else?”

Every time I read about something cool going on in the city, I email the link to myself, and save it in a folder labeled ‘Datin’ the City.’

That folder is full of interesting ways to explore New York. It comes in handy when I want to show visitors a good time. I always feel pressure to make sure the city leaves a lasting impression — New York Board of Tourism, feel free to add me to the payroll — though, I think my excitement usually rubs off.

I’d been waiting for the perfect time to visit Bite Beauty’s Lip Lab. My mom and her best friend, Ms. Cynthia, were coming to visit, Serena and Yasmein were coming into the city, and I wanted to make sure that everyone had a good time.

And who doesn’t like lipstick? Bespoke lipstick?

We were a little late getting to the 500-square-foot space but didn’t take long before the oohing and ahhing started. Bite Beauty prides itself on using only all natural food-grade ingredients safe enough to eat and high-impact color pigments. We all decided we wanted something vampy for fall.

We were instructed to wipe our mouths clean and apply a scrub to our lips to prep for the custom color the blending specialists were hard at work to create. I wanted something dark, dramatic, purple and asked that it not dry my lips out. What I thought would be a tall order, the specialist whipped up in mere minutes, blending colors together from pots labelled Mulberry and Garnet.

The first color was a no-go, pretty but not dark enough. The second blend was closer, though, a few shades deeper would make it perfect. As she mixed the color, Stephanie asks me about the finish (créme, matte, sheer, or deluxe) and if I would like to scent (cherry, mint, vanilla, citrus, mango, violet, superfruit) the color. I chose to créme, and to mix Vanilla and peppermint.

Next, she whisked the formula into a centrifuge (I was proud of myself for remembering this machine from biology class), and then pours it a lipstick mold, allowing it to chill. Once it hardens, she puts my new baby into the tub I selected, popping it into a box with my name handwritten on the label. Voilà!

The Lip Lab is definitely worth a visit. At just $45 (or $60 for 2), you can create a custom color is under 30 minutes. A nice date with the city, if I may say so myself.