#026

Bite Beauty #026 The Lip Pencil ($18.00 for 0.05 oz.) is a brighter, medium-dark rosy plum with cooler undertones and a satin finish. It had semi-opaque color coverage that applied with minimal tugging. The pencil felt soft enough to line with lips comfortably, but it took a little more work to blend and even out the color once applied (it was easiest to do so by pressing and gently rubbing my lips together). This shade stayed on well for almost six hours and was a touch drying after four hours.
Bite Beauty recommends wearing this particular shade with Fig; I think it would work well with Cotton Candy (brighter, cooler), Kimchi (darker, brighter), or Gin Fizz (cooler) -- see comparison swatches.

The Lip Pencil formula is supposed to have "perfect, allover, opaque lip coverage" with a lightweight feel. I think the formula worked exceptionally well for lining the edges of the lips and keeping color on longer and more within the lines (e.g. a lipstick feathers on its own wouldn't feather when layered over one of the lip pencils). Some shades worked well for filling in the lips for all over color, but some applied more unevenly or were less comfortable to fill in with. The consistency was soft, just barely creamy--almost more velvety than creamy--and oddly spreadable, as I found the best way to "even" out the coverage was to press my lips together, and while there was a touch of tackiness, the color almost always appeared more even after that than if I kept trying to maneuver and push the color around with the pencil itself. They do feel lightweight, and they lasted anywhere from five to six hours on their own. They weren't spectacularly long-wearing as a standalone lip product, but they extended the wear of lipsticks by two to four hours.

FURTHER READING: Formula Overview, which is a detailed review of the range as a whole.

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