Bite Vitamin Gel Trio Review

This is a quick review I wanted to post for a friend before the Sephora VIB code expires...

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of my own. But, truthfully, besides the packaging, there's not much to photograph as the glosses are clear.

So. The Bite Beauty Vitamin Gel Trio. I've been curious about these ever since they showed up on Sephora.com and now that I've briefly tried them, here's what I think.

First thing I noticed was the size of the tube. They seem like they'd be bigger based on the picture on the website. They contain .31oz each.

The packaging is nice. The box of the trio contains three boxes inside, each containing a full size Bite Vitamin Gel. The tube is a molded clear plastic with a slant tip applicator and a very lovely grey rubberized cap.

The flavors/scents are:
Pink Grapefruit: This is what drew me in. Pink/red grapefruit are one of my favorite things ever. The scent and flavor of this one is a very light grapefruit. Much weaker than I was hoping for,

Blood Orange: I like blood oranges, too, but this doesn't smell or taste like one. It starts off smelling just like Orange Pop LipSmacker, but after a second that scent fades and it becomes pure bergamot scent and flavor. That's okay because it reminds me of Earl Grey tea, but not what I expected.

Mint: Just a light, sweet mint. Reminds me of something else... C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine? Very similar.

The texture is thick, oily/waxy and smooth. It's not so much a gel as it is a balm. It actually reminds me of the texture of Rosebud Salve, just not as slippery once it melts. It's more waxy, but it becomes melty and slick on the lips with a little thickness left over. It stays on for a while, but it doesn't feel particularly moisturizing or soothing. I actually find it a little bit irritating, but I've only worn it for a day, so this may change.

The color? There's no color. From the description online I thought there would be some tint, and there is a visible tint in the tube, but it is invisible on the lips.

These retail for $18 EACH. Seriously. $18 for an average lip balm, just because it contains Resveratrol. Thanks a lot, Dr. Oz. But, the set is only $28, $24-ish after the discount, so that's not so bad. But still, I would never pay $18 for one of these. They're quite ordinary.

Final verdict: Absolutely nothing special about these. I'm going to return mine because I don't feel that they're worth the $24 I paid for the set. I'd rather have some amazing Jack Black lip balm (if you haven't tried Jack Black lip balm, what are you waiting for?! You need to. I mean it.)

Weak scents, unimpressive formula. Pretty packaging, but that's just not enough for me to justify the price tag on these. If they were in the $7-$10 price range individually I might consider keeping them, but not at this price point.

EDIT: I used them a few more times just to be sure I was giving them a fair review. During this time, I discovered a few more things that I didn't notice the first time:

-The caps are loose. Once you unscrew them a few times, they become loose and spin too much, they never align properly or feel secure again.

-They last a really long time on my lips and look really nice, not too much shine. Good texture but still not very moisturizing.

-They sorta irritate my lips a little... A slight itching/tingling/raw sensation. Hm.

-Scents are still way too weak.

New items from Pixi Beauty for 2011

These items showed up on my doorstep the other day to announce the re-launch of the Pixi Beauty website. I had almost forgotten about Pixi! I used to love to look at Pixi when it was at Sephora- it may have been the picture of the hot Swedish chicks they had- the blonde, brunette and redhead sisters? In fact, I think that picture is still up here... And Target has carried Pixi for the past few years, too, now that I'm thinking about it... Anyway, their new website is here and they're currently running a 20% off sale with code TWENTYOFF.

Here's what I got to review:

Succulent Lip Twin in Nude Lily, Lumi Lux Radiance Powder and Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Blue.

Look how pretty the pencil is!

It's a very deep blue black shade. It says eye pen but it's definitely a pencil. It has an extremely silky, smooth, soft texture and it's very smudge-able. I tried to swatch it alone, but the tip snapped off; I think getting frozen in the negative temperature weather messed with it a little.

Succulent Lip Twin in Nude Lily. It took me a minute to figure out what this was. The tip looked like a spongy applicator and I accidentally scratched it because I didn't realize it was a solid lip/cheek stain. The clear cap opens the stain end, but the entire green cap unscrews to open the balm. The stain has a very balmy texture and it applies much lighter than it appears. The balm has a very loose, melty texture and applies about the same shade as in the tube. It's a little too nude/foundationy/warm for my skin tone. The scent is really strong and rosy, it reminds me of old Avon lipstick samples.

Lumi Lux Radiance Powder. This is so pretty! It looks really dark in the pan- almost like bronzer and blush together, but it applies really sheer. It's a perfect highlighter-brightener shade and it really warms up my face without looking obvious or blush-like. It's not very shimmery on the skin, either, which is a major plus for me.


Here I am wearing the Black Blue Endless Silky Eye Pen smudged on my lashline and on my waterline. Very sultry. See how subtle the blue tone is? Really brings out my brown eyes. I'm also wearing the Revlon Lilac Shimmer eyeshadow that came with my Grow Luscious mascara (which I'm also wearing), and let me describe it in three short words: MASSIVE GLITTER FALLOUT. But the liner is nice. Really nice. I'd buy it again if I had the choice.


I like the liner and the Radiance powder the best. I like how subtle, brightening and non-shimmery the powder is and I love the smooth formula and blueness of the liner. The balm/stain duo was just okay- it was the wrong color for me, a little too perfumey and not as moisturizing as I'd hoped it would be with a name like Succulent Lip Twin. Cute packaging on all the items. I'm curious about the rest of their line now. They have nail polish and perfume that I might have to check out!

(These were sent to me for review.)

Last-Minute Gift Ideas: Korres Long-Wear Age-Repair Lip Kit and Line-Smoothing Lip Butter Glaze Trio

I never intend to be but I always end up becoming a last-minute shopper. I'm sure I'm not the only one judging by the massive crowds at all the retail stores this week.

Thought I'd share some of my personal picks for last-minute beauty gifts!

I was originally going to do two separate posts for these kits so it wouldn't be confusing, but they do kinda overlap a little so I might as well post them together!


This is the Long-Wear Age-Repair Kit. It comes with four full-sized Korres Cherry Oil lipglosses in 23 Light Purple, 22 Rose, 54 Fuchsia and 25 Natural Purple plus three full sized Lip Butters in Jasmine, Pomegranate and Quince. The price tag says this set is $39, but I got it for $30 on sale at Sephora.com.

A simple yet attractive presentation. The products are nestled into a pink cardboard tray.

Jasmine, Pomegranate and Guave Lip Butters.

22 Rose

23 Light Purple

25 Natural Purple


54 Fuchsia

As you can see, the shade names don't seem to match the color of the gloss at all. Rose is the only one that really looks like its name. Also worth noting- the shades in this kit vary greatly from the ones in the photo on Sephora's website.

23 Light Purple, 22 Rose, 54 Fuchsia, 25 Natural Purple.

The glosses are somewhat sheer but buildable. Natural Purple is a creme while the other three all have subtle shimmer.

The finish is glossy but not over-the-top glossy, it's a nice middle ground. They provide a nice amount of color and subtle sparkle but none of the colors are particularly flashy or outrageous. They're all very natural and flattering, 'my lips but better' is the phrase that comes to mind.

Korres describes these are 'Long-Wear' and I'd have to agree. The color and shine last on the lips for several hours, even after drinking from a cup (which usually obliterates my lipgloss). It could be due to the smooth texture of the gloss- it's not at all sticky. It's slick and smooth and it doesn't want to stick to everything like a lot of glosses do. They feel very moisturizing and my lips actually feel better after these have worn off- they're like a treatment and a gloss fused together. I really like this formula.

The special ingredient in these is Cherry Oil, which they claim creates a water-resistant shield. It does that, but it also has another benefit: It smells awesome. These have a very light scent of natural cherry. No medicine or candy cherry scent in here. Just light, sweet, unobtrusive natural cherries. It even tastes a little like cherries. It's not sweet or flavored, but the scent of the oil in these does add a little bit of a cherry taste.

The colors are all extremely flattering on me. Like I mentioned before, they're subtle and natural, so they're likely to suit many different skintones. The Light Purple shade is my favorite- it's a perfect pink nude lip on me. I have pigmented lips so it's hard for me to find lighter colors that look right. This is light without being whitish/pale/pastel.

The packaging is also nice. The caps are a rich bronze plastic with golden shimmer running through it. It looks really classy and luxurious. The tubes are a little odd looking with all that random writing all over it- it sorta gives the impression of a medicine or a natural remedy type product that you might find in an apothecary. The wands are standard doe-foot wands that only hold a small amount of product- you will have to apply twice if you want full coverage.

I really love the Korres Cherry Oil gloss formula, and now that I know it rocks I want to try all the shades they make!

This kit also contains three Lip Butters. Last year when I was asking for good winter lip balm recommendations, these were suggested by quite a few people. I like them but they do have their flaws.

The lip butters are the top row. Jasmine, Pomegranate and Guava.

They're a sheer tinted thick balm with minimal shine. They actually remind me more of a lipstick than a lip balm. They have a very stiff, waxy texture that does last a long time on the lips, but it never feels very moisturizing to me. My lips don't really feel softer or less dry after wearing these.

They are lightly scented. The Jasmine seems to have a subtle vanilla-like scent, while Pomegranate and Guava have a subtle fruit scent.

I think the best use for these is to apply them after a lip scrub. That way you can lock in the moisture and smoothness, since these form a nice protective barrier to keep moisture in.

I would use these more often, but they have one fatal flaw for me: they come in a jar. I hate sticking my fingers in things and I also hate having to carry a lip brush. I don't carry these with me because of this; I keep them at my vanity near a clean lip brush and use them while I apply my makeup.

But, thankfully, Korres read my mind and created this:

The Line-Smoothing Lip Butter Glaze Trio!

This one has Jasmine, Pomegranate and Raspberry, but the Raspberry is almost the same as the Guava in the Lip Butter kit.

Here are the swatches again. Lip Butters on the top row- Jasmine, Pomegranate, Guava. Lip Butter Glazes on the bottom- Jasmine, Pomegranate, Raspberry.

The glazes have a much smoother, slicker texture but aren't quite a lip gloss texture. They're a spreadable balm with a high gloss finish. They melt when you apply them to your lips and that's a dead giveaway that there's a lot of nice natural butters or oils in the formula.

They don't last as long on the lips as the Cherry Oil glosses or the original Lip Butters in the jar, but they make up for less longevity with increased moisturizing ability. These do actually make my lips feel less dry and they have a less waxy texture.

All of the shades are shimmer-free and sheer. Jasmine is, of course, the lightest, providing a light pink tint, Pomegranate is a perfect bright coral tint and Raspberry is a subtle red-burgundy berry tint. The original Jasmine in the jar was unwearable for me because it left a white cast on my lips- too light for my coloration. Fortunately, the new Jasmine glaze is sheerer and pinker so it's not ghastly on me anymore!

They're scented the same as the Lip Butters- light, subtle scents.

They are packaged in a plastic squeeze tube with a slanted tip applicator. The tube for Jasmine is my favorite- soft pink tube with bronze writing and the same shimmering bronze cap as the cherry oil glosses. Very 'healthy' and spa-looking. Unfortunately, the outer packaging for the kit isn't as nice as the tubes- it's in a ziplock bag with paper label stickers. Not my idea of pretty!

I wish that they had these Glazes in squeeze tubes before! I greatly prefer them because they're lighter, glossier and much more sanitary- no more putting your fingers in a jar! These were a great idea and I hope they make them in every shade.

Both of these kits get my seal of approval. They're inexpensive, attractive, contain full-sized products at a reduced price and the items inside are great quality. I'd like to give these as much as I'd like to receive them!