Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick ($24.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a deep, chocolaty brown with subtle, warmer yellow undertones and a natural sheen. Milk Makeup Spaced (P, $24.00) is less shimmery, lighter (95% similar). By Terry Savannah Love #6 (LE, ) is more shimmery, lighter, less glossy (90% similar). MAC Film Noir (P, $24.00) is cooler (90% similar). Tom Ford Beauty Intensity 3 (Contour) (PiP, ) is less shimmery, lighter, cooler (90% similar). Salt New York Deep (P, $16.00) is cooler (90% similar). MAC Swiss Chocolate (P, $24.00) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). Bite Beauty Anise (P, $24.00) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). Tarte Grunge (P, $20.00) is cooler (85% similar). Fenty Beauty Toffee Tease (P, $32.00) is brighter, cooler (85% similar). Tarte Brownie (P, $20.00) is lighter, warmer (85% similar). MAC Earthshine (LE, $34.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar). MAC Pressed Amber (LE, $29.00) is more shimmery, lighter (85% similar). elf Deep-Rich (P, $9.00) is less shimmery, cooler (80% similar). See comparison swatches / view dupes side-by-side.

For an in-depth look at what the formula is supposed to do and how it performs generally, please check the overview below the rating. The formula felt really smooth and lightly creamy without too much slip; I can feel what they mean by having 35% powder in it (but it doesn’t feel dry and doesn’t drag across the skin at all). It is intensely pigmented if applied directly from the tube as a wipe, but if applied with fingertips or a brush or dabbed on, it is very buildable. The texture has enough slip that it spread easily across the skin, blended without becoming uneven nor did it lift product underneath it.

As a cheek color, I had no trouble diffusing and blending out the color to semi-sheer coverage, but it could easily be applied more heavily or built-up in layers. The formula did not fully dry down, but I didn’t notice any issues where the color moved or separated over time. It lasted for nine and a half hours on my cheeks. As a lip product, it was opaque applied directly from the tube with a light-medium feel and weight, which was comfortable to wear and more flattering than I would have expected for a multitasking product. The color lasted just over five and a half hours on my lips and was neither drying nor hydrating. I only had trouble with wear on the eyes, which was a trip to Crease City within ten minutes.

Please note, the rating is an average across performance on eyes, cheeks, and lips.

FORMULA OVERVIEW | Bite Beauty Multistick ($24.00 for 0.17 oz.) is a cream formula that can be worn on eyes, lips, and face, and it is supposed to be “blendable, breathable, and buildable” with a “soft focus finish.” In general, it has a more cream-like feel than powder-like, even after it “dries.” The consistency is medium in thickness–more noticeably thick when used on the lips, as it is quite dense–and is quite blendable across the majority of shades. They don’t have a true cream-to-powder dry down, as the Bite formula does not dry down completely. I did notice that the exposed portion of the bullet itself (like the flat top) gets drier and firmer after each use, as if it dries out a bit on the exterior, but a light swipe on the skin reveals a much creamier interior. When I’ve used it directly from the tube on the lips, I can sense that “35% powder” part of the formula as well. I really liked the formula as a cream blush, as it was blendable, buildable, and long-wearing. As a lip product, it was decent to good (performance depended a lot on the shade), and as an eye product, it was a total miss for me due to poor wear.

As an eyeshadow: The texture was blendable around the edges, while the thicker consistency and buildable coverage enabled me to get better coverage that didn’t just sheer out immediately. The issue I had with wearing the formula on my eyes was that I could not get the formula to wear well on eyes, as they continuously settled into creases within minutes of applying; I would smooth the color back out after the initial creasing, but it would just happen again after another five to ten minutes. I tried using the formula over different primers (Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, MAC 24-Hour Prep + Prime Eye) as well as dusting with translucent powder, but the wear was only improved to a couple of hours of wear before creasing occurred (instead of minutes).

As a cheek color: The formula has performed the best as a cream blush (or bronzer/contour). The were very much as described–blendable and buildable–and could be worn as true-to-tube color if desired, but it was easy to diffuse and blend out the blush on the cheeks. I liked to use a synthetic blush brush to swirl on the color and then used my fingertips to blend out the edges. While the formula didn’t dry down completely, it yielded a natural sheen that was glowy in a subdued way (and without shimmer), and it didn’t seem to result in wear issues, as the shades I have tested have all lasted between nine and ten hours as a cheek color. If I patted lightly at the blush on my skin, there would be immediate transfer onto my fingertip and a missing splotch of color on my skin. It set well with translucent powder but does lose its sheen (no transfer if I set it).

As a lip color: I was surprised to find that the formula wore about as well as an average lipstick on the lips, and the formula wasn’t drying at all. If you apply it directly from the tube like a regular lipstick, it’s very, very pigmented and totally opaque, but if you apply with fingertips or use a lip brush, it is more buildable. You can also apply directly from the tube to the center of lips and then use a fingertip/brush to blend and diffuse to the rest of the lips for sheerer coverage. It is most comfortable and flattering worn at a higher opacity, as the denser texture seems to help lips look smoother without emphasizing lip lines. Some of the lighter shades settled into lip lines while worn (after an hour or two), while others didn’t have such issues. Some shades were also more prone to fading more noticeably from the center of lips. What I was most impressed by was the fact that they did not feel dry or clingy on the lips, and the formula itself wasn’t drying at all, even after six hours of wear. Bite’s Amuse Bouche formula is a far superior lipstick formula, but these were absolutely wearable as a lipstick. It took as long as four hours before the color would start to look more matte, but it never felt truly powdery or dry.

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick

Bite Beauty Cocoa Multistick