Can’t find the perfect shade of lipstick? Make your own!

Anyone who’s ever lived in New York City knows how great it is to go back to visit, because you don’t feel the pressure to do “touristy” things. Instead, you can return to your favorite once-local haunts, whether restaurants, parks or just wander around your old ‘hood to see how things have changed. But when you’re beauty-obsessed there’s always a new destination, and Bite Beauty’s Lip Lab was a highlight of my NYC trip a few weeks ago.

We stayed in SoHo this time around, and I stumbled upon this little storefront when we were looking for a place to have lunch. I was hoping they accepted walk-ins, but the first appointment available was three days later—and just a few hours before I would have to leave for the airport. But naturally I booked it, and it was so worth the wait!

The Lip Lab offers two options, Custom Lipstick or Bespoke Lipstick. The Custom service allows you to select from roughly 200 pre-made pigments before choosing your finish (glossy sheer, matte cream or Amuse Bouche) and scent (cherry, mint, vanilla, citrus, mango, violet, coconut, wild berry and fresh citrus). The Bespoke option takes things a bit further, and you work with the Lip Lab artist to create the exact shade you crave by mixing as many pigments as necessary to get it just right. The Bespoke finishes are different (luminous, matte and sheer cuvée) but the scents are the same. Oh, and all of the ingredients are food-grade, so there’s no need to worry about ingesting chemicals (especially if you’re one of those who wouldn’t be caught dead without lipstick).

I went the Custom route, and it was fascinating to watch the artist blend the pigment and waxes before heating them up in a centrifuge to blend them seamlessly together. The resulting liquid is then poured into a mold, and placed on a cold plate to harden before the perfect bullet is transferred to a case. The whole process too about 45 minutes, and I went home with the perfect berry (and matching lip liner). Best of all, my unique formula is saved in Bite Beauty’s system so I can reorder when I need a refill (no trip to NYC required).

This was such a fun experience, and I’m already thinking about going back to get a nude the next time I’m in town, since finding the right shade for my skin tone has been an ongoing challenge. I almost wish my friends and I were still in the engagement/wedding phase since this would be an amazing bachelorette party idea (and a lot more civilized than traipsing around town decked out in penis paraphernalia).

Beyond NYC, you can also experience the Lip Lab in Toronto and San Francisco, so maybe you should make either of those your next vacation destination!