Best Lip Tint in Town⎜Holika Holika Waterdrop Tint Stick

I am trying to avoid blogging about products that are not easily accessible, but then again, what is the point of a blog if it isn't to let readers aware of new brands and foreign products right? I want to continue on from the January Favorites post I did here and tell you in depth why I love this lip tint so much.

It is the Holika Holika Waterdrop Tint stick. I never heard of it until I walked into their store and the girl there recommend I try it. She said it was quite different from other tints out there.

Rightfully so! This tint is by far the coolest formulation! It feels like you are dabbing water on your lips but the color payoff is amazing! And it stays on. Seriously, put away the Benefit tints. They can't compare!

The color lasts so long and because it is water based, the color won't transfer on your coffee mug. You can maintain those beautiful lips even while drinking and eating. You feel like you have nothing on your lips, which is always the best. If anything, the color is so vibrant that sometimes you might have to wipe a little off right after you apply. Otherwise, I have nothing bad to say about this. It doesn't dry out the lips. It doesn't quite moisturize it either. It really does feel like anything because it just disappears right after you apply it.

They have this in about five or six colors. I have the shade 02 which is a red-orange. I've been wearing this a lot because I love how easy it is!

Leave a Comment holika, holika holika, holikaholika, lip tint, tints

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Brand Discovery: 3 Concept Eyes, Lip Lacquers Review

Left to right: bumble gum, pink boom, bon bon, xxorange, fever

Another Korean brand coming your way. This time: 3 Concept Eyes (briefly, 3CE). This was a totally new brand for me, so I was excited to try them out the minute I got them. The colors looked amazing, and the model made it look super fun. I went for their lip lacquers.

A beauty trend in South Korea seems to be the lip tint, where they apply on in the inner parts of the lips and then smudge it slightly towards to outer. They don't seem to like the full-on, lip-fulling look. I don't quite like the whole lip tint concept (really don't), but their lip tints looked really fun to wear.

How to Wear Tips:
This lip lacquers are so fully pigmented, that you seriously only need two dabs! Because these are so saturated with vibrant color, I take two dabs and smudge it all over my lips up to my lip line.
Because this is on the drying side, I like to wear a matte lip balm (like my Nuxe Reve de Miel) on top or under it. If you want to wear in accordance to the Korean beauty trend, you can dap a bit on and smudge it only in the inner parts without really defining the lip line.

Formulation:
Liquid goes slightly powdery, something similar to the Giorgio Armani lip maestro lip lacquers, in terms of how it goes a bit powdery.

Wear:
At first, I was blown away by how good they were. How good they suited most skin types, and how vibrant the colors were. But I was let down by how they wore off. They do dry in parts, and cling to any lip scar or scab you might have. You will want to prep your skin first, and keep applying this throughout the day, WITH a lip balm. As long as you do, you're lips will be looking pretty :)

Packaging:
Perfect. I love their logo, it's so fun and cute. Considering they aren't anything luxe, (bought them for $16), their packaging definitely makes them feel like something worth more! Perfect to chuck into your handbag as well :)

Shades:
I have to say that I love the shade "Bumble Gum" the most! It's that true purple violet shade that when you take pictures, it looks really pretty. I've been looking for a shade like this, and I've got a few lipsticks that are similar shades as to this one- but this one is really right on the mark.
Then, I've got two orange shades. One is super uber bright shade called "Fever", and rightfully so. The other is a more yellow-toned, more true orange shade called "xxOrange". Both are hot for summer!
I've got one coral nude that I love and instagrammed before. It's the shade "bon bon", and it's their best-selling shade.
Then finally, a great hot pink- "Pink Boom" is pretty amazing as well!

**

These will last you so long because they are so pigmented. All you need is a little! Google for wholesalers who stock these up and can ship to the US. I got mine on www.honestskin.com :)

4 comments 3 concept eyes, 3CE, giogio armani, korean, korean makeup, lip lacquers, lip tint

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KORRES Lip Butter in Wild Rose

The great thing about having two sisters, both older, is that you can often cruise into their rooms and take a good look at their topshelves and makeup collections. Then, when they aren't looking, you can kind of steal it and use it. If they notice, oh well you'll return it to them. If not, it's kind of yours to keep forever! And sometimes, they even abandon some of their beauty products by letting it just sit in my room! Then, I'd casually snatch these bits and pieces up and try them. If I like them, in my pocket they go! If not, then I place it nicely back onto their topshelf :)

Okay, so getting past the story of sounding like a selfish sister, in all honesty having girls in the house means getting to try that much more products! The one I recently found in my sister's room was this Korres lip butter. She just left it on her desk, and it well, seemed "abandoned". So, I snatched it and tried it. She had this Wild Rose shade as well as this pink nudey shade. I opened the pink nude first and I thought... yucky. 

The reason being was because it was this really pastey thick looking nude shade. I didn't like the smell of it and when I did poke my finger into it, it just didn't seem that nice. Then, I smeared it on my lips and thought... no. 

But, this shade in Wild Rose was quite the contrary. Now of course, the consistency is the same. I saw my sister use this time to time and each time I thought, nah. But as you know, there's quite a hype around this item. I applied some on my lips and I liked the way it went on my lips. I found it really hydrating and just easy to bring out a nice rosy lip shade without looking overdone or underdone.

I honestly don't like lip "pots", especially ones with color. Most of my lip products are all sticks or tubes. The whole poking into a mess of color doesn't seem pleasing. This product is quite gel-like in that when you do poke it and give it a swirl, it feels like jelly and is a bit bouncy! It doesn't seem like the usual lip tints that we know of (or rather, what I know of!). 

However, besides the stain I get on my ring finger after applying it, I have enjoyed using this product for a week now. I haven't gravitated towards any other product. It's just so easy to use, carry around, and bring some life back to your face. Because it is in fact quite hydrating, you don't have to worry about getting streaky or chapped lips after application!

So in summary (since that was quite rambly!):
PROS:

• Lovely shade. Your lips but better kind of red :)
• Easy application
• Hydrating
• It's a tint kind so you have this pretty decent lasting color on your lips!
• Smells neutrally floral, and nothing too empowering.

CONS:

• This is totally subjective but I just don't like poking my fingers into a color pot for lips! It leaves a stain on my finger and I hate having to wipe the excess product on the back of my hand to take it off. 
• Don't like the other shades, especially the nude one!

Leave a Comment korres, lip balm, lip butter, lip tint, red, rose

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Tarte LipSurgence Tints

I'm loving Tarte products at the moment! Everything I try from their line seems to make me happy. Recently in my search for different lip tints and stains, I came across this Lipsurgence tint from Tarte. It looks similar to the lip stains+balm from say Clinique and Revlon. I haven't tried any of them, but as for the Revlon, I heard it can be drying especially for those who have overly dry lips.

Now, without further ado I'd like to say that this lip product says to increase lip moisture up to 6000%. I don't even know what 6000% means, but I sure can see where the moisture comes to play. When you put this on, it simply just glides on your lips. Your lips feel absolutely moisturized, as though you were putting on a lip balm. It has a smell of a lip balm as well, and overall you see your lips just glossy and moisturized throughout the day. I've worn this the entire day and never had any cases of chapping.

If you've read my Sephora Haul post, you'll know that I had some problem with lip tints and stains because they had a tendency to be drying as well as blotty. The product would not apply evenly and over a few hours, it would be blotchy and uneven. I wanted clean and almost perfect lips even when using the lip stain.

That's what's so great about this Tarte one. It has such an efficient and easy applicator. It's a stick that you don't need to sharpen. You simply scroll the bottom part and up it goes! It's shaped as a pencil so when you want a precise lip line, this is ever so handy. I also love that it's thick so it wouldn't take so long.

The pigmentation is gorgeous and buildable. I don't want too heavily pigmented stains that just give you an explosion of color that if you were to mess up, there's no other way out (like I've heard of the OCC lip tars). I wanted something that was rich but buildable. You can start sheer and make it a full on lipstick texture. I tend to go for that full-on color because I think it brings out such a nice vibrancy.

The color I bought was "Joy" and although it is a light orange, somehow it transfers coal on my lips! It has an orange with a slight red to it and I love it so much! They have brighter oranges available, but I love that a seemingly subtle color actually transfers so richly and nicely on my lip! I guess the contact of orange on red lips make it that coral, who knows! The point is, it's a really nice color.

Now the wear is amazing too. It lasts hours and eventually the balm texture disappears, or dries. However, that doesn't mean it dries up your lips. The balm texture simply disappears but your lips are hydrated from all that moisture lock-in. You are then left with a fine tint of the color from before, and it's gorgeous.

It isn't thought as permanent as some lip stains can get. If you wash your face, this'll come off. That could be something you want or not, but I don't need to tattoo my lips for THAT long. Also, I know I will be carrying this in my bag 24/7 and with the application so easy, I wouldn't mind popping this on any time during the day.

GAH! Love this so much. I feel like PR-ing this everyone I know :) Go try it out guys, it's AMAZING! They have three different kinds-- luster, matte, and tint. The tints are the most famous ones and preferably my favorite as well. Luster is glossy and shiny. Matte is... well, matte. Tints are everything I just said it was. Each kind has about six shades I believe, and they are all so nice!

I'm going to save up and get myself another shade because I love this so much! Until then, I shall enjoy this as much as I can :)

Leave a Comment lip tint, lips, lipsurgence, liptints, orange, review, sephora, stains, tarte, tarte lipsurgence, tints

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Sephora Haul ♥f Shame

I'm calling this a "Haul of Shame" because honestly, I think I bought a lot. Still I proceed by saying that  this is by far one of my most exciting hauls! I am so in love with each and every product that I sit now to remind myself that I must contain myself in order to write this blog in a professional manner. That being said, I believe I was in Sephora for 40 minutes plus and my primary goal was to find "THE LIP STAIN". With the summer full on approaching, even lipsticks seem to be bother me. Tints are long-lasting, dyed into skin, and just an easy flush and prettiness to the face. I've tried the all famous Benetint from Benefit several times but I don't seem to get along with that at all! It dries me out, and the color does not evenly work on skin. Also the applicator bugs me a lot. That being said, I wanted something that would give me great pigmentation, wonderful texture, zero heaviness, and efficient sleek applicator.

I picked up three of the ones that does just what I was looking for! First off is the Tarte LipSurgence in the color "Joy". Can I just say now that I am really starting to love Tarte products? After that one blush I bought a few weeks back, I'm building trust with that brand. That being said, this lip stain  is beautiful. The shades are various and though I wanted the pink or red shade, this orange shade seemed to suit me very well. It is oh so moisturizing that it will leave your lips swimming in its own moisture. (Don't mind my weird descriptions!) There were darker or brighter shades of orange than the one I bought but this color was pigmented enough! It made my lips look clean and supple and the color was gorgeous!

The second lip stain I bought was from a brand called Perfékt. This brand is very new to me but it seems it's been in Sephora for quite some time. I came across this brand through instagram. One of the girls I was following posted a picture of this babe and said it was the PERFECT LIP STAIN. So, I had to go try it out for myself today. And lo and behold! It truly was astoundingly nice! I bought mine in the color Hollywood and it's this really glam vibrant red color, the perfect shade I was looking for! It has such a unique texture and the applicator is more than amazing. This is supposed to be a lip treatment with intense pigmentation, that leaves your lips not only feeling great but looking great. I can also say that this lasts ages. I still have a blot of this on my hand where I swatched it, hours since I erased it with a makeup remover. I can't say enough about how this is very quickly becoming a fave of mine!

Next is the well hyped about lip stain from YSL. Yes, I know. I'm much behind the hype but I'm with you guys now, aren't I? I was hesitant to buy it but I thought I'd give it a try. It's a lip gloss like "thing" that dries as a matte finish, leaving your lips looking like they have lipstick on when it's been merely transferred as a stain! Complicated? Well, I believe that's what it does. Whereas my Tarte lip tint is glossy, this is less like so. I heard it could be a bit drying so I'll have to watch out for that. So far, I don't have a problem with it. The shade I have is in 10, a beautiful vibrant red again! The content is creamy and the packaging shouldn't even be a discussion. It's a beaut!

I also picked up a Clarins UV Plus Day Screen to wear with my new favorite foundation, NARS Sheer glow. The foundation doesn't have SPF so I needed something to wear underneath-- something that was lightweight and oil-free. I tried this on at the store and was more than impressed at the texture and finish of this sunscreen. FYI, I had wearing sunscreens so if I'm willing to use this, it means a lot :)

Next I picked up another NARS eyeshadow duo in the color Isolde, which was actually they first eyeshadow I really wanted to buy from Nars. But I resisted because I thought I could do away with my NAKED palette from Urban Decay. However, every time I pass by the Nars counter, this thing just begs me to be picked up. So, today I've caved in! Really creamy, beautiful pigmentation-- by far the best out of all the Nars eyeshadows!

Finally, I have two nail polishes I bought. One is from Dior. Their Safari Beige 219. A true nude I say. Not pink-nude, not brown-nude, and not gray-nude. Just a nude-nude! Lovely I say, just lovely! The other nail polish is the Nars Trouville which is the sweetest baby pink pea you'll ever see. It's just irresistible!

So here they are, my thoughts on them and why I bought each and every one. Now I'm going to take these essentials under the bush and resist myself from wanting to buy other things on my want-list. This is truly a bit of a haul of shame for me, but judge me not! I've been wanting these for ages and besides, a girl can splurge like this one in awhile... right? :)

xx

Leave a Comment clarins, clarins UV plus, dior, Isolde, lip perfection gel, lip stain, lip tint, nail polishes, Nars, nars eyeshadow, perfekt, sephora, sunscreen, tarte, tarte lipsurgence, trouville, YSL, YSL glossy stain, YSL lip

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What's in my June Birchbox?

I received a very unexpected mail today. It was the June Birchbox! The reason why it was so unexpected was because I had originally subscribed for a monthly subscription. I thought that meant you had to place an order each month. That being said, I disliked my first ever Birchbox which was the GossipGirl special. I blogged about it before, but long story short- I thought I had unsubscribed!

But I wasn't! So when I saw this in the mail today, I was like HUH?! But at the same time, I was really curious as to see what they would've filled it in this time. I hoped that it would be better than the last one and I thought, even if it wasn't... it was $10 and I could spare it... I guess...

But, it was so much better! I didn't feel ripped off at all this time. The misfortune is that although the products are good and all, they were compiled for those who love the bronzing and the tanning. Of the few girls in the world who stay away from those, I am one... so I found most of the products to not suit me very well. Yet, I thought I could give some of them a try.

One though that I was very fond of was the theBalm lip tint. I love lip products and I can't wait to try this one. The serum from Stila is also great, but again... I go for whitening brightening products... not so much the bronze look. It feels great and does great things I believe, but I don't know how often I'll be using this. Perhaps any one of you are interested in receiving it as a giveaway? Leave comments down below if you're interested. If no one is, I'll just keep it.

There were also self-tanning pads which I might use to fix the bit of discoloration on my legs and thighs.

I also received the Taylor Swift fragrance sample which is sweet and fruity, but not something I like all too much.

Lastly was their bonus item which was the chocolate peppermint bar. Yes, a food in the box! After I blogged it, I ate it right away :)

All in all, I'd rate it a 3.5/5 which is pretty good compared to what I would've rated the last box... a 1/5. However this time it's only my preference that got in the way. I'm sure the peeps who love the summer focused products will go jolly knuckles over them! (Jolly knuckles is not even a word.)

Anyway, what do you guys think? xx

4 comments beauty, birchbox, bronzers, bronzing, comodynes, fragrances, lip tint, LUNA, makeup, self tanning, stila, summer, summer products, tanning, taylor swift, the Balm, urban cosmetics

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