Etude House Aloha V-Line Slim Maker Review

It took me a long time to realize that not all bronzers are orange. I had encounter so many orangey bronzers in the western drugstores that I had almost given up. I heard a lot of good reviews on NYC's sunny and I have that but for some reason it had always look a bit orangey on my skin tone.

After living in Korea for some time, I decide to venture back into the bronzer field and find myself a good bronzer. I've heard a lot of good things about the Etude House Aloha V-Line Slim Maker.

The Aloha V-Line Maker is a bronzer and highlight duo. There are two choices: #1 Sun Gold / Wood Brown and #2 Sun Pink / Cherry Brown.

  I picked up #2 because #1 seemed like it is more suited towards darker skin and the highlight of #2 was definitely more flattering on my skin when I switched it in stores. 

Isn't the print so gorgeous? 

This picture can be found on packaging. It illustrates a sad square shaped face turning into a happy v-line face. It's kind of cute but don't expect this kind of dramatic result using only this duo! That would be impossible.

In case you are not familiar with the term V-Line, it basically means having a slim v-shaped chin. Having a v-line is something many Korean girls want. It's very appealing in Korean society, just like double eyelids, being fair and bright in coloring, having a tall nose and so on.

Here you can see the happy model contouring. In the After picture, you can see her v-line chin is more prominent. Keep in mind, her face angling is also more to the side compared to the Before picture.

Performance

#2 Sun Pink is a really rosy highlight with nice sheen. It is very pigmented so you'll want to be careful and not over apply. I usually just tap my brush lightly on the product before applying it to my face so that I have more control over the highlight.  It just adds a nice natural glow after being blended out.  I would say that the powder is not extremely fine but unless someone is nose to nose with you, all they will see is a nice glowy sheen. Cherry wood is a soft, warm tannish brown. Although it is more pigmented than #1 Wood Brown, I definitely do need to swipe it over my skin a couple of times for it to show up. On my skin, I don't find it to be orangey. It adds a bit of warms and shadow to my face when I use it to contour. It definitely looks very natural and it blends nicely.  [* I don't use the brush that comes with this product - I've lost that. I use my Real Techniques brush].

Of the many Koreans bronzers which I've came across, I haven't experience any that has heavy pigmentation.I think the reason for lack of heavy pigmentation in Korean bronzers is because many Koreans don't like the heavy obvious contoured look. They tend to prefer the more subtle "no makeup" makeup look. So bronzers with lighter pigmentation allows for more subtle and natural shadows which is more wearable for everyday life. Let me know what you think. 

I used the bronzer in this picture to create some depth under my blush and also along my chin. It looked really natural and gave my face more dimention.

Packaging

I really love the sleek slimness of this duo. I rarely find compacts this thin. It's quite easy to slip into my bag and it has a large mirror, definitely a plus. It also comes with a separate small, dense flat brush which is housed in its own plastic cover. One complaint I do have is, I don't think the fun cuteness of the cover matches the elegance of the print design on the product.

Comparing the Tony Moly crystal blush to the Étude House Aloha. I consider the Tony Moly blush to be of regular width. You can see the Aloha duo is about 2 millimeters slimmer than the Tony Moly. It may not sound like much, but you can definitely feel the difference. I don't think the Tony Moly blush pans are much wider than the Aloha but its plastic case definitely adds more bulk to the package. 

Note: There is a small hole at the top of the back which allows you to easily depot this item. If you want to learn how to safely depot Korean eyeshadow/ pan items check out my post on depotting the Holika Holika eyeshadows. The procedure would be the same for this item.

Price

14 000 Won (about $14 US) and available at all Etude House stores in Korea.

What I Love About It

• very natural but effective bronzer
• highlighter gives a nice and natural glow
• convenient
• slim packaging
• the compact contains a large usable mirror
• elegant flower print on the product
• affordable 

What I Don't Love About It

• may be difficult for people outside of Korea to find
• the highlighter powder is slightly noticeable up close 

The Bottom Line

I highly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for an affordable highlighter and bronzer. It is a really convenient duo that I would carry with me when travelling. 

5 comments bronzer, contour, étude, étude house, highlighter, Korea, Korean cosmetics, makeup, review