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Bite Beauty Barberry & Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipsticks Reviews, Photos, Swatches

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick ($24.00 for 0.15 oz.) is a cool-toned, muted, medium-dark pinky plum with a satin finish. It had mostly opaque color coverage that applied evenly and smoothly. The finish had a definite sheen to it, which lasted for hours, and then it became more semi-matte. It had a light, creamy texture that glided on without tugging on the lips. The color lasted for six and a half hours, left a stain behind, and was hydrating while worn. This one seemed harder to dupe for me, based on products I’ve reviewed in the past. Bite Beauty #002 (LE, $36.00) is lighter, brighter. Bite Beauty Burgundy (P, $28.00) is more shimmery, cooler, glossier. Too Faced Metallic Jelly (P, $21.00) is more shimmery. Chanel Erik (456) (P, $36.00) is warmer. MAC Goddess of the Sea (LE, $16.00) is lighter. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lydia (P, $18.00) is lighter, more muted. MAC Fashion Revival (LE, $16.00) is darker, warmer. Kat Von D Bauhau5 (P, $19.00) is lighter, brighter, less glossy. Guerlain Bee (LE, $51.00) is more shimmery, less pigmented, warmer. Guerlain Bee (LE, $51.00) is more shimmery, less pigmented, warmer. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick ($24.00 for 0.15 oz.) is a lightly brightened, dark reddish burgundy with warm undertones, very fine ruby shimmer, and a glossy sheen. It had semi-opaque color payoff that applied somewhat evenly, but the color could have been smoother at the end. The texture had a lot of slip to it, which made it prone to sliding around. I had some light feathering along my upper lip after five hours of wear, and the color lasted for almost seven hours in all. It was lightly hydrating over time. Bite Beauty Plum (P, $24.00) is darker, warmer, glossier. Bite Beauty #001 (Reformulation) (LE, $36.00) is warmer. Bite Beauty #001 (LE, $36.00) is warmer. NARS Bette (P, $32.00) is lighter. NARS Ingrid (P, $32.00) is darker. Marc Jacobs Beauty Saboteur (132) (P, $30.00) is lighter. See comparison swatches / compare dupes side-by-side.

FORMULA SUMMARY | Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick ($24.00 for 0.15 oz.) is supposed to leave a “velvet, soft focus finish” with “highly pigmented, moisturizing wearable color” that is also “longwearing.” If you’re not a fan of mattes, don’t fret, these aren’t really matte (and if you’re a fan of matte, you might want to keep looking). There are five shades, and all of them have a satin or glossier finish (two are pretty glossy). The glossier the shade, the more poorly it applied with streaky, uneven coverage that was prone to feathering along the edges of the natural lip, while the more satiny shades were more pigmented with more even application and longer, better wear. On me, I found the formula to be lightly to moderately hydrating with wear ranging between four and seven hours. The formula has a sweet, fruity scent but no discernible taste.

P.S. — A few of mine arrived with an almost jelly-esque bit on the edges of the lipstick itself, and I’m not sure if it was heat-related as my samples came from NYC (I’m in California) or not.

P.P.S. — Reviews for the other three soon! 🙂

Barberry

LELimited Edition. $24.00.
A
A
9
Product
9.5
Pigmentation
9
Texture
10
Longevity
5
Application
94%
Total

Black Cherry

LELimited Edition. $24.00.
B-
B-
8
Product
8.5
Pigmentation
7
Texture
8.5
Longevity
4.5
Application
81%
Total

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Barberry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick

Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick
Bite Beauty Black Cherry Matte Creme Lipstick

Makeup Look
On face:
  • Guerlain Parure Gold Foundation
  • Urban Decay Naked Loose Setting Powder
  • Too Faced Justify My Love Blush

102 Comments

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Olivia Avatar

I wonder why they call them “matte”… Some of their matte lip crayons aren’t actually very matte either. Barberry is a very pretty color and looks great with that blush!

Alice Avatar

They’re both lovely colors! I think the slipperiness of Black Cherry would keep me from getting it, but I will definitely get Barberry. I really like Bite formulas, they’re some of my favorite lipsticks. Thank you for the reviews, can’t wait to see the others!

Amy B Avatar

The Black Cherry one looks beautiful. Though, it looks like a shade you can easily find. I have been searching for that exact dark maroon/red color forever. Not easy to find. Thank you! I am certainly buying that one now!

kodomojanai Avatar

I really want to like BIte’s lipsticks, but they slip around way too much for me. The creaminess makes it so transferable, it’s not funny. When I take a sip out of my coffee mug, I feel like all the lipstick I put on will just leave my lips and stay on the mug.

Maybe I’m not doing something right… I don’t know. For now, I will stick to my beloved Givenchy Le Rouge. <3

Katherine T. Avatar

OMG, my wallet is in a panic! Every color will look great on me. I want them ALL! Did you also get the Opal shade?

Vijaya Avatar

I was skeptical about Bite releasing ‘mattes’. I love their formula, don’t get me wrong, but it would just be so different from everything else they offer. On another note, I had high hopes for black cherry! Colors like that always seem prone to bleeding and feathering, even though they look SO good on me.

Julie Avatar

Love the look of Barberry! I’m thinking MAC Capricious might be a possible dupe? I looked in the swatch gallery, but it doesn’t look like you’ve ever swatched it….it figures that the only MAC lipstick that I own is like the only one you don’t

Julie Avatar

Yes….50 bajillion MAC swatches just aren’t enough!! (Sorry…I had a smiley at the end of my previous comment that I must have deleted…you totally rock!)

JP Avatar

According to bite’s facebook page, on one of their replies they had said that black cherry and mulled maple is actually an overlap. So they are not just similar, they are in fact the same. Haha

Andrew Avatar

I’m going to be totally weird for a moment and admit that the look of these make me hungry. They remind me of berry popsicles and that is A-OK in my book. None of these colors are the least bit wearable for me, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that I kind of want to eat them.

Emily Avatar

Bite lipsticks always drive me crazy, they look amazing but the bullet is always way darker than the actual colour, I keep thinking they’re coming out with 10000x lipsticks in my favourite shade-range XD

Mariella Avatar

Yeah, that jelly-oozey looking stuff is a bit off-putting but these are gorgeous. I so love BITE’s lipsticks and these look like mattes I’d actually wear – they don’t have that nasty dry look so common to matte lipsticks – these look juicy and moist and almost like their cream lippies. I know what I’m buying next time I’m at Sephora. Christine, are these all permanent?

Christine Avatar

They actually didn’t say they were limited or not, but I know the Canadian version is limited (totally different launch of five shades, but they are Matte Cremes), so my guess these are limited as well. They called out the Opal shades as limited edition, though.

Kat Avatar

I still like the texture they do have, more of a satin maybe, but I wish they hadn’t listed them as a matte if they weren’t. Black Cherry is downright glossy! Barberry does look stunning and pretty un-dupeable as well as being at least more satiny than glossy, so I’ll get it if I can!

Lulle Avatar

That jelly-like thing oozing out looks a bit… gross. I’ve never seen that happen before. I’ve seen lipsticks “sweat” or even melt but that is just weird. I also wonder why they would call these lipsticks “matte” when they have a rather high level of sheen.

Elena Avatar

I have yet to see anything that I would purchase from them considering their price point. There’s always something slightly off. The texture of Black Cherry looks uneven for a pretty standard colour. Also, they’ve misrepresented the finish which looks rather glossy for something that is described as matte in the name. Add feathering to the mix and I might write off this brand altogether. At least they’re not claiming that this was hand-cut for “our” benefit.

Elena Avatar

The swatches and reviews that you do really tell the story. You have the most helpful reviews on the planet! That’s non-negotiable! 🙂 I don’t even want to think how much money I would waste if I would not check your site. Even if everyone preferences or physical attributes are different, you do such a thorough job that it’s so easy to get an accurate scope of the product without physically applying the colour in person. Thank you!

Roxana Avatar

thanks for the reviews, christine! these are definitely must-buys for me. any idea when these will be available online? I know the press release just said “july 2015,” but I wasn’t sure if you had any additional information other than that. thx!

Diana Avatar

That “jelly” is so strange! I’ve had lipsticks or cream products arrive with droplets of water on it but not jelly. Anyway, I’m excited to see the 1st shade from the right. Looks like it might be a browny, dusty, rosy deep plum? 🙂

Michele Avatar

Oh my! I didn’t expect to fall in love with any of this release but already I’m loving Barberry! (Black Cherry is a bit too warm for me but nice on you!) These look like good Fall shades too. I’ll be anxious to see the rest of your reviews of these (although my credit card, not so much – LOL).

Antonia Avatar

Barberry is SO beautiful! I think I need it 🙂 in a way it sort of reminds me of Flat out Fabulous which is one of my faves!

Sarah Avatar

Oh my goodness, everything about these is amazing. The whole berry thing just makes me think juicy, delicious, sexy lips! I think they should have ran with that and marketed the sheen instead of calling it matte! Nevertheless… Yum!

MichelleChefNYC Avatar

Ooooh… that Barberry color didn’t look like much to me in the tube, but is gorgeous on the lips! Will definitely be picking that one up!

_An_ Avatar

Barberry is so nice!!! Loving that color. Hope it doesn’t pull too dark on me. This type of color looks so familiar…to something else I’ve been wanting. But I can’t remember what, haha.

Veronica Avatar

Black Cherry is one of my favorite kind of reds, so I’m kind of sadface that it’s under performing here. Barberry is quite lovely, though.

Also, no joke on there being nothing matte about these “mattes.” 😛

Chris Avatar

Hi Christine! Could you let us know what the third lipstick from the left is in the top photo? It looks a lot darker than Black Cherry, which I suspect is second from the left.

Lotus Avatar

I’ve seen all of your reviews on these now and I think they look stunning and you wear them so well! For me, these are an obvious pass as my storage is full of colors like this to be MLBB shades and I’ve been working instead on formulas I love that I can achieve a illusion of a lighter lip with, but I thank you for these! I imagine they’ll sell super well & fast! Obviously they got the formula and colors perfect, which makes me so happy for everyone interested in these colors as they aren’t TOO pricey & will be effortless deeper neutrals with a hint of color to whatever your face is! 🙂

Rebecca Avatar

These are very prone to melting even if it weren’t summer (I’ve seen Bite lipsticks melt in Sephora stores with the AC going), so some people might want to wait until it’s cooler outside to order them.

Yvette Avatar

I just received Barberry and the color is not even close to what’s pictured here. On my computer Barberry is a deep pink with some purple, the swatch on my arm shows it to be medium dark plum. Could Bite Beauty have made a mistake?

Nancy T Avatar

Ok, so yep, I’m late to this party, but I have a question: I am crazy about Barberry, however, I couldn’t help but notice semi-liquefied jelly, and wonder how this will fare for someone living in the desert SW? Specifically, metro Phoenix area in ones handbag when temps will stay 100°+ for another 2 1/2 months?

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