Bite Beauty Agave+ Lip Care Review

Skincare
Bite Beauty Agave+ Lip Care

I’ve got some new lip care goodness from Bite Beauty to natter on about today! Bite has rebranded and updated their Agave range to become the new Agave+ line. They’ve changed a few of the formulas to ensure that they’re all clean, cruelty-free, gluten-free and vegan!

Bite Beauty Agave+ Daytime Lip Balm
Bite Beauty Agave+ Daytime Lip Balm

The first item I was keen to try out was the Agave+ Daytime Lip Balm. Several months ago I had run through a full bullet of this in it’s previous formula, so I was anxious to see if the new formula did anything different to my lips… and thankfully, it was the same as ever! If anything, I’d say this one is slightly more emollient. I can use this at night or during the day, and it does wonders to restore my lips.  As it’s labelled a “daytime” balm, it’s not nearly as thick as it’s nighttime counterpart below.

Bite Beauty Agave+ Nighttime Lip Therapy and Agave+ Weekly Lip Scrub
Bite Beauty Agave+ Nighttime Lip Therapy and Agave+ Weekly Lip Scrub

Bite has also launched their Agave+ Nighttime Lip Therapy and Agave+ Weekly Scrub. I still have the older formula scrub in my arsenal, and I’ve been using it… but I like this one more. The Agave+ Weekly Lip Scrub formula is less watery in comparison to the older one which makes it easier to get on your lips and scrub it around. The sugar particles feel thicker, but it’s likely because there’s less goop in the base (which I appreciate). I’m not a regular lip scrub user, but when I use this it does leave my lips feeling soft and supple.

And finally, my absolute favourite product out of this Agave+ range is the Nighttime Lip Therapy. I have occasionally struggled with some of Bite‘s agave lip masks over time (unfortunately the Candy Cane and Original formulas dehydrate my lower lip and cause flaking, whereas the Maple one works really well for me), so I was worried that this one may react poorly on me. To ensure nothing went sideways with this review, I used this balm nightly for three whole weeks so that I could be confident in saying that this product wasn’t doing anything terrible to my lips… and I am so happy to report that this balm is fabulous! It’s a thick, luxurious balm that I look forward to putting on my lips every night before bed. The smell is also incredible – rich, sweet and has a faint orange scent to it too.

Comes with a teeny, tiny spatula!
Comes with a teeny, tiny spatula!

Both the Lip Scrub and the Nighttime Lip Therapy pots come with a seal on the inside and a little spoon to help you scoop up the product. I found this helpful for the Lip Scrub, but opted to throw them away for the Nighttime Lip Therapy since it was just easier to apply with my fingertips. If you’re someone who doesn’t love sticking your finger in your potted balms though, you’ll definitely love this added feature.

Final Thoughts

I’m so glad this whole range did wonderful things for my lips. Whenever a brand updates a formula I get a bit nervous that it’s going to react differently on my lips. While I liked everything quite a bit, my favourite item was definitely the Agave+ Nighttime Lip Therapy. That stuff is GLORIOUS!

The Bite Beauty Agave+ Lip Care range can be purchased on sephora.ca or on sephora.com.

Products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration. Post contains affiliate links.

Fitness Friday: 2019 Scotiabank Rat Race

Fitness, Running,

2019 Scotiabank Rat Race for United Way

I’ve run this Rat Race quite a few times over the years.. I think this was my 6th time running it? This was definitely my first race in absolute pissing down rain though! I’ve never experienced rain like this for a race before (and I was certainly long overdue for a weather event such as this)… the closest I’ve come to something similar was a light, but damp, misting in Reykjavik several years ago.

However… I was so thankful for the rain. SO thankful. I was not even remotely trained for this race. I had come off training and finishing a half marathon last month in England and never switched gears to training for speed for a 5K. I went into this race knowing that I would perform poorly, especially given that the heat in the last few weeks in Toronto had been uncomfortably warm and humid. I operate exceptionally poorly in the heat – I just can’t breathe properly and my body slows down immensely. So when it started to rain the day of the race I got super excited. The rain was cooling down the city and lowering the temperature!

By the time the race started (it’s a weird one – it starts at 7:30 pm on a Thursday), the temperature had dropped to just shy of 18 degrees and it was PISSING down rain. It was the kind of rain that absolutely soaks through all of your clothing. There was SO much rain that I felt like I had peed myself because everything was so, so wet. Luckily I had a ziploc bag to keep my phone safe because absolutely everything else on me was completely drenched.

2019 Scotiabank Rat Race for United Way - course map
2019 Scotiabank Rat Race for United Way – course map

I started out strong – I was dodging around people to clear out of the pack. This also meant stepping into massive puddles, completely soaking my shoes (ughhhh what a horrible feeling) and socks. The start of the race is a very slow incline up to Bloor Street, which is a great way to get rid of the incline at the start of the race, but it very much sucks when you’re doing it. Thankfully the second half is all downhill down Bay Street!

I had brought water with me, and I vowed not to stop at the water station. I’ve lost so much time there on 5Ks in the past that I resolved to just suck it up and keep moving, using only the tiny water bottle in my thigh pocket. And honestly, I felt really good during this race. I didn’t get an enormous side stitch like I think I developed last year (from eating dinner too late in the day), and I was moving quickly. I was *definitely* pushing myself, because I was approaching lightheadedness which only happens when my heartrate gets really high (around 190 from what I remember), so I know I was doing as best I could given my lack of training.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 26:47! Not my best, but not lightyears off my best either (course record for me on this one is 26:10). Given my lack of speed training, I was over the moon! I had fully expected to come in over 27 minutes, or even potentially over 28. And that always depresses me when I do that because I expect so much better of myself. Honestly, the thing that had the most impact on me was the reduced temperature and conditions. Yes, it was absolutely pouring rain, but that reduced the temperature made it easier for me to breathe, and since the sun wasn’t out either, I also wasn’t having my energy sucked away by the sun.

So, in short, I was really happy with this race! The only let down was that the photography was garbage compared to the year before. I don’t know if that’s because of the rain or what, but yeah not impressed in that regard. What DID impress me, however, was the people who were cheering us on – I couldn’t believe they were still out there in the rain with their noisemakers and signs. Good on you guys!

Race Results

  • Finish Time: 26:47
  • Pace: 5:21 per kilometer
  • Overall placement: 293/1030
  • Age group placement (Female 30-39 years): 26/166
  • Gender placement (F): 67/448

Escentric Molecules – Molecule 01 Perfume Review

Miscellaneous
Escentric Molecules - Molecule 01 Perfume
Escentric Molecules – Molecule 01 Perfume

Perfume reviews are something I’ve never touched on before, because, at their very core, they are exceedingly boring to me. Perfume is so subjective and so personal, that talking about them just don’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Having said that, I recently fell madly in love with a perfume and absolutely had to discuss it.

I’m talking about Molecule 01, which was created by the brand Escentric Molecules. I’m only somewhat familiar with the brand as I vaguely remember Estee Lalonde (aka EssieButton) mentioning them in a favourites video many, MANY years ago. I had some idea that they were an English brand and that the scent was unique, but that’s about it.

When I went on vacation to England last month, I ended up having lunch with one of my subscribers (and now friend!), and when I went I got up close to give her a hug the scent of her perfume absolutely intoxicated me. We sat down to chat over lunch, and I kept getting wafts of it. I was smitten – I demanded to know exactly what it was because it was unlike anything I had ever smelled before and it was WONDERFUL. She told me it was Molecule 01, and I went out and bought it immediately at Liberty London. I bought the largest bottle I could get my hands on – the scent was that intoxicating to me!

Escentric Molecules - Molecule 01 Perfume
Escentric Molecules – Molecule 01 Perfume

So what is Molecule 01, and why was I basically drunk off this perfume? Well, the basis of the formula is that it’s actually completely synthetic. It’s an aroma-molecule that doesn’t exist in nature called Iso E Super. It was created in a laboratory in 1973 and used in low doses in some perfumes. Geza Schoen (the creator of Escentric Molecules) decided to use Iso E Super in isolation – wearing it alone as their perfume of the day. The basis for the perfume that I’m obsessed with is basically that it’s a singular molecule – it’s Iso E Super in its purest form at 100% strength (there is also the Escentric 01 Fragrance – which is different. That version contains Iso E Super at 65%).

To me, the scent is  wildly intoxicating. That’s the best way I can think to describe how it makes me feel. I am very drawn to aquatic scents and I feel like this is one, although the scent profile for it makes no mention of water notes whatsoever. People tend to refer to this scent as being quite woodsy – and I do get that scent off it, but not quite as much as I still get a watery, aquatic, oceany scent. It’s fresh and clean, but somehow deep and enticing.

However… I need to point out that this perfume comes and goes on me. There’s some witchcraft voodoo going on with it because it’ll often disappear off my skin (to my nose), only to come back later on. On application to my inside wrists, the scent is absolutely gone within an hour. It’s the weirdest thing ever. If I spray it in areas where I’m more likely to get more heated skin (like the insides of my elbows) the scent lasts longer and wafts up to my nose in waves throughout the day. I found I also had good luck with it when I sprayed it on my clothing, but it was a bit all over the place – some days the scent lingered for hours on end, and other days it disappeared. It’s the weirdest thing – I’ve never encountered a perfume that’s behaved this way before. Apparently some people can’t even smell the Iso E Super molecule (which is a dang shame), I can – I just wish it had somewhat more consistent properties so I could sniff myself all day. (And this isn’t a matter of me getting used to the perfume – the scent really does come and go on me throughout the day!)

In short – Molecule 01 is my new favourite perfume to wear. I love everything about it – the fact that it’s manufactured synthetically (it just FEELS cool!), the oceany, woodsy scent, and even the binary design of the bottle. The whole thing is just absolutely, deliriously wonderful.

Molecule 01 perfume can be purchased at Liberty London for £72.00 or amazon.ca for ~$150 CAD.

Post contains affiliate links.