[REVIEW] INNISFREE TREATMENT TINT: Cherry in Honey

I use to love matte lipsticks and I still love them but lately with the anticipation of spring, I've been really digging the glossy look. Glossy lips reminds me of youth and freshness like gentle warm breezy, sunlight and dewy grass. Can you just tell that I can't wait for spring to roll in?

It has been a long time since I've found something I can truly deem as HG status. Today, I'd like to introduce one of my recent favourites - the Innisfree Treatment Tint in Cherry in Honey! When I first saw this product online, I knew I had to buy it because 1) Innisfree rarely disappoints 2) Treatment + tint? Yes! 3) The packaging reminds of me of the Beyond Alice in Glow Oil Tints (they're actually really different. A review for those ones will be coming up soon).

I have #1 CHERRY IN HONEY.

This product comes in two colours: #1 Cherry in Honey #2 Orange in Honey.

I couldn't find much information about the product and it also didn't come with a box, just a sticker seal with the product name on it.

PRICE

10 000 Won ~ 5mL 

TEXTURE

It has a slightly, slightly thick consistency that reminds me of honey. 

SCENT

Very light to non-detectable

WAND

This lip treatment has a funny wand that reminds me of a little punching fist. The tip of the wand is small and curved into a C shape. I've never seen this type before and it really provides excellent precision in application.

PERFORMANCE

Although initially I thought this was an oil tint, it's actually a honey "tint". I put "tint" in quotations because it really does not tint. However, that's the only disappointing thing about this product! Upon application, it gave my lips a slight warming feeling and a gloss of colour. The consistency of the treatment is just like honey but without being overly sticky. I can really feel the moisture sinking in. The thickness of this treatment allows the product to adhere to my lips better. While it was on, the colour didn't intensify but remained the soft wash of pink with a lot of shine. Within an hour, the super, pretty shine fades into a dimmer shine, and eventually within 2-3 hours, the shine wore off. However, my lips remain moisturized even when most of the product disappears because the honey had provided a barrier to keep moisture in. This is just what I expect from a treatment. Within 3-4 hours, the product is completely gone but my lips remained moisturized for another couple of hours. 

If you're looking for a long lasting oil tint with nice pigmentation, this is not it. However, if you're looking for a lip treatment that looks natural, glossy, and beautiful while providing suppleness to your lips, this is it!

BEFORE
(My top lip looks a bit full here because I accidentally, slightly busted it by dropping my iPad on my face that morning - D'OH!)

AFTER

Overall, I'm really impress with this product. Even on days when I'm not going out, I like to put this on because it really makes my lips feel good - dare I say this makes my lips feel softer than my lip balm? If I wasn't so terrified of corals making my skin look shallow, I'd even go for Orange in Honey. 

10 comments Innisfree, lip, lip tint, review

Aritaum Pudding Tint: Lollipop Review

Hi everyone! How are you?

Today I've got the Aritaum Pudding Tint in #4 Lollipop to review for you. I'm not quite when this product came out but I'm certain that it was sometime not long ago.

As many of you know, Benefit came out with Lollitint this year. It's suppose to represent the color of the year, orchid (according to a Sephora sales lady).  Although I love the color purple, it hasn't always looked all that great on me. Because of this, I haven't picked up the Lollitint. 

When I saw this in stores at Aritaum, I thought, "Wow, that's just like Lollitint" and so I picked it up.

I love Chupa Chups lollipops. They always have really yummy flavors like chocolate vanilla ice cream and strawberry and creams... They remind me of my childhood when I would always buy one whenever I visited the Asian supermarket. 

The model is wearing Lolli Pop.

There are four colors available in this line. Polka Pink - a baby pink, Swing Coral - an orange, Tango Red  - a red based orange, and Lolli Pop - an orchid color. They retail for 5 000Won (about $5 U.S.)

Gradient Lips Vs. Full Color

Packaging: It's a glass bottle with a doe foot applicator and a plastic lid.

Texture: It's kind of milky and watery, like the Peripera Milky Tints.

This tint sets really quickly. As you can see in the picture, during the time it took for me to take a picture and to blend it out, some of the product has already set.

Color: Looking at the swatches of this and Benefit's Lollitint, I can't say that they are exactly the same shade. They are both orchids but the tone is different. 

However, for me, it's close enough.

Performance:

Because of it's milky - watery texture, this product is really easily to spread. I usually dot it across my lips and let it sink a bit before blending it and adding a seond layer. If you blend right away, I find that the color  disappears really quickly. Although this is a light color, it's still really powerful! I have pigmented lips, but even just one layer allows the color to show up. It's more of  a berry pink color instead of a true orchid (which I don't mind) due to the pinkness of my lips.  Two layers allow the color to show up even deeper. If you want to create gradient lips, you can use a lip concealer and add this in the middle. I like to use to do this and then add another lip color onto. The color sinks in really quickly, so it's hard to blend it out after 10 seconds. 

My, oh my. Lip tints have gone a long way since they first came out.  Although this is in the traditional lip tint packaging, it is not drying at all. Even after this product set, I didn't notice any dryness. 

This tint, lasts pretty darn long!  I would say it lasts for over 6 hours. Even after using a cleansing oil, it is really hard to remove everything.

One layer hid the dry patches - very impressive.

I used a lip concealer over the lips before adding the product to the center. After applying the lip concealer, the product looks truer to color.

The Good:

- very cheap

- pretty close dupe to Benefit's Lollitint

- light color that still shows up on pigmented lips

- easily spreadable

- unique color

- great lasting power

- not drying

- sets quickly 

The Bad

- can't see the condition of the product or how much product is left because the bottle is opaque.

Overall:  I would say this is absolutely great if you want to try out Lollitint but don't want to splurge. As you know, it colors come and go. Although this product isn't disappointing, it's not mind blowing either. This is a decent lip tint with a unique color.

1 comment Aritaum, Korean, lip product, lip tint, review

Etude House Color Lips-Fit in PK003 Fantasy Fit Pink Review

Hi everyone, for the spring collection, Etude House came out with a line of lip liquids for matte lips. Matte lips seem to be the it item of Spring 2014 because it seems like every brand is coming out with some kind of product for matte lips - Skinfood, Innisfree, Etude House.

I was really excited for this product since I'm usually a fan of matte lips. Being in Korea, matte lip products were kind of hard to come by until last year when Aritaum released their Wannabe Tint Cushion Sticks. I was also excited because Sulli from FX girl group looked absolutely amazing with this on.  So naturally, I got the Etude House Lip-Fit in PK003 Fantasy Fit Pink - Sulli's pick.

Claims: "This is a revolutionary liquid type Lipstick that moistly glides onto lips with its vivid color and finishes off with a weightless powdery texture."

Directions: 

1. Shake well before use

2. Apply smoothly with tip. Lightly dab onto center of lips for gradation. Delicately apply for full cover

3. Apply a layer of Color Lips -fit WH901 after color for a moist gloss

         

Performance

Lesson: You need to exfoliate and prime your lips before you apply this product.

One of the things I really like about the product is that it's buildable. If you want a sheer pop of color, just add a tiny bit of this product. A little goes a long way. If you want a bright pop of color, you can slowly add more. The moment the you spread the product on your lips, it becomes powdery matte. It feels like powder too. As a girl who is used to moisturizing lip products, this feeling is quite new to me and I'm not I like it. If you smack your lips together, it feels like powder too. Although the surface of the lips become dry, the product itself does not make the lips feel drying until a few hours later. It also wears off slowly as the day goes on, like most products.

That being said, with all matte product exfoliation is essential. For this product, it is even more so. However, as I've experienced, even if you do both of those things, this product will still cling onto anything that's not smooth. It will also make little bits on the lips, as if you've got dry skin. To completely, get rid of that you need to apply a balm or  a gloss on top. You'll get smoother looking lips but they're no longer matte lips - thus defeating the main selling point of this product.

First Impression: I absolutely hated it. My lips aren't chapped nor dry but when I put this product on, it clunged and accentuated hundreds (maybe an exaggeration - but definitely a lot of dry bits on my lips. It was nothing like any product I've ever tried. I took the product off, I exfoliated my lips, put a lip balm on, shook the bottle, and applied it again. The dry bits disappeared by a lot but still this product found and clung to the edges of skin I had exfoliated. I applied gloss on top, and it made the edges less accentuated but my lips were no longer matte.

Although I have moisturized and exfoliated my lips, there are still many bits that appear. This makes this product a pain to use.

The Good:

- beautiful color

- affordable 

- very pigmented

- completely matte lip color

- gives the lips a nice tint

- buildable

The Bad:

- it will accentuate every broken or dry piece of skin on your lips

- difficult to get a smooth lips look even with exfoliation and priming

- if you apply too much, it will get on your teeth

- has a powdery feeling on the lips

- artificially sweet smell

- drying after a few hours

- its messy to apply a second coat after the first coat has completely dried

Overall: I think Etude House makes many good products but this one didn't really work for me.  I'm really glad that I didn't pay full price for this and waited for the Etude House sale. It takes too much of my time to make it work for me. I love the appearance of smooth lips but no matter how much I exfoliate or prime, this product creates bits on my lips and that's not ok for me. The color is truely lovely though. 

6 comments etude house, Korean cosmetics, lip product, lip tint, makeup

Aritaum Wannabe Cushion Tint Review in #3 Blondie, #4 Janet, and #18 Fergie

Hello everyone! Today I have a review on the Aritaum Wannabe Cushion Tint. I know these came out Summer of 2013 and this review may be a bit late but it may still be useful if you're looking into ordering some.  I  love how there is a wide range of colors available for this line ranging from oranges to bright pinks to reds.  If you love a bright lip, then these should be right up your alley. The colors in this line are "matte" but they do have some moisture shine.

Although most of the colors in this line are very bright, I truly think the intention of this product is to make a lovely gradient effect. Most girls go for the gradient effect by applying this product to the center of their lips and blending outwards for a fresh and pretty small lips effect. Gradients lips were a big trend during the summer and even now in the winter, I still see many girls in Seoul rocking the gradient lips.

Nowadays, due to influences from celebrities in dramas like Yoon Eun Hye in "I Miss You" and Jun Ji Hyun in "My Love From Another Star" bright pink to fuschia lips are really trending.  I think is great because I love bold lips and I am just not good at gradient lips at all. It's takes a lot of effort to create a good one. 

Currently, there are 21 colors available according to promotional materials. Aritaum release 10 colors at first but it was such a hit that they quickly added 11 more.

*the two pictures above are from promotional materials. All the other pictures are mine.

I have three colors: #3 Blondie, #4 Janet, and #18 Fergie. As you may know sooner or later, I love bright pinks and red lips. I really have a hard time pulling off nudes and peachy colors due to my skin tone. 

Blondie: Blondie is a very bright, slightly cool toned pink

Janet: Janet is a slightly cool to neutral bright red

Fergie: Fergie is a bright neutral toned pink

Packaging: These come in giant crayon form just like the Wannabe Longwear Sticks. One eye contains the products and the other end contains a tapered sponge for smudging. I think the purpose of the sponge is for blending out lines if you wanted to make gradients lips.  

Scent: I've noticed products have different scents depending on their color. They're very subtle and not bothersome at all. Blondie and Fergie both have very sweet, fruity candy scents and Janet has a rose scent. 

Performance: I really like this product. It's very easy to use because it's in crayon form. It's very opaque. You can get the color in one swipe. When I have a product this opaque, ease of use is really important. The color is super opaque. It's really creamy enough that you can easily smudge it out with the sponge smudger at the end but not so creamy that it will get all over your lips and teeth. It's also a bit moisturizing and not drying at all. Awesome :)

You need to exfoliate your lips before you use this product or else the product will catch on and accentuate any dry bits. 

The top layer of moisture and color is a bit trasferable so the color may transfer onto a napkin or a cup. However after the top layer is absorbed or wiped off, the color will still be on your lips in the form of a stain that won't transfer at all. The stain is the same color as the lip crayon but without the top layer of moisture and shine. It doesn't feel drying at all which is really impressive. You'll need to clean it off with a proper lip makeup remover at the end of the day.

There are two ways to stop the product from transfering. 1: Apply the product just to the center of your lips and blend outward. You will be using less product and there won't be that layer of moisture and shine. 2: Blot your lips after applying this product on your lips. In the pictures above, the product was fully applied to my lips and unblotted.

Price: They're around 9 000 Won at Aritaum.

What I Love About It:

- very vibrant color pay off

- easy to use

- very creamy

- the stain is very long lasting

- the leftover stain is the same color as when the product was initially applied

- very affordable

- lots of fun and beautiful colors in the line

- they have pleasent scents that aren't distracting at all

What I Don't Love About It:

- it will accentuate any dry bits so you need to exfoliate your lips before your use it

Overall: 

I highly recommend this product. It's cheap, it's moisturizing, long lasting, and vibrant. I can easily achieve a bold lip with no hassle. It's a winner for me. 

6 comments Aritaum, bright lips, cosmetics, cushion tint, Korea, Korean cosmetics, lip tint, lippie, makeup, pink, red, wannabe

Korean Cosmetics Haul: Nature Republic, The Face Shop, Innisfree

When makeup brands have sales, it's usually around the same time. It's like a huge competition for them and it makes my wallet a whole lot lighter. So when Nature Day happened at the same time as the The Face Shop and NYX happened to be on 70% off clearance (which makes it the same price as you would get it in the States. NYX is ridicolously marked up here) I had to pick some stuff up.

Mise En Scene 3NT DARK CHOCO HELLO! BUBBLE FOAM COLOR - I've used this before.  It's really easy to use and the color goes on evenly and lasts for a long time. It comes with a color packet, container, pump, plastic gloves, plastic cape, hair mask pack, and essence oil.

2x Nature Republic Forest Garden Chamomile Cleansing Oil: This had the Get It Beauty sticker on it and the sales assistent said it is soothing for skin. I've been waiting for Nature Day to get this as I have just ran out of my Shu Uermura Ultim8.

The Face Shop Lovely me:ex blusher in #5 Pink Affair - it was just too cute to pass up. The color shows up as a slightly cool-tone pink.

Nature Republic Angel Lip Balm in #01 Peach Tint Balm and #02 Cranberry Tint Balm - What a lovely name. Nature Republic always gets me with their sweet names. I bought #2 first because it was the only color the store had. After putting it on, I got so many compliments on my lips that I went for a hunt in Myeongdong for the more natural #01 Peach Tint Balm. They leave an awesome long lasting stain on the lips and feels quite moisturizing. Simply amazing.

Nature Republic Botanical Stick Highlighter - This was a total impulse buy. I swatched it on my hands, it gave a nice glow and it blends really well.

Innisfree Melting BB Cushion Refill: I'm not sure if this will fit into my Hera Air Cushion case (it doesn't) but its worth the try. I'm tired of having cases everywhere. I've heard many good things about this BB Cushion and I can't wait to try it.

NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee - I wanted to like this color but nudes just don't go well with my fair skin at all.

3 comments bb cushion, blusher, cranberry, hair dye, haul, highligher, Innisfree, Korean cosmetics, lip balm, lip gloss, lip tint, mise en scene, Nature republic, nyx, peach, Seoul, shopping, The face shop