Retail space Lip Lab, formerly Bite Beauty, has quietly set up shop on South Congress Avenue to offer its custom lipstick-making experiences to fashion-forward Austinites.
Though the South Austin location (1221 South Congress Ave. Suite 100) is not listed as an official store on Lip Lab’s website, real estate company Rue Realty first announced Lip Lab would be leasing the space in November 2023, and the brand reaffirmed its commitment to the space in a July 30 Instagram post. Austin Business Journal also reported on the brand's arrival last November.
Lip Lab currently operates 11 other brick-and-mortar stores across the U.S., including one in Dallas.
According to the booking website, appointments for the Austin location are booked out through mid-August. CultureMap has reached out to the brand to confirm an opening date, but has not heard back as of publication time. Any new information will be added to this article in an update.
How it works
Lip Lab experiences involve four “stages'' for individuals or parties to create their own custom lipstick, lip gloss, or lip balm at various price points. Individual sessions last an hour, with sessions lasting one to two hours for parties of two to six people.
All experiences begin with a consultation led by a “color expert” that will guide guests through picking their perfect shade to wear, mixing pigments measured on laminated sheets to ensure accuracy when creating the final product. Then guests can choose between a matte, satin, sheer, or balm finish for their lipstick, then they can optionally choose to add a fragrance.
The full-size custom product is then made separately by the color expert, and the guest can name their shade and have it engraved on the packaging. Guests can reorder their custom lipstick online by using their shade name in the future.
The overall experience may make the hefty price tag worth it; Shoppers can walk away with their custom lipstick for $65, a high-shine lipgloss for $55, or a butter balm for $45. Lip Lab also offers bundle pricing for those who want to have more than one custom product made.
The Austin Lip Lab location is open Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm, and on Sundays from 10 am to 7 pm. Experiences can be booked online at liplabboutique.com.