Innisfree unveils new store at VivoCity and launches new home and body fragrance line

All-natural K-beauty brand Innisfree unveils their largest store in Singapore at VivoCity today, 1 July 2015, and will also launch their range of scented candles, diffusers and perfumed body water here.

Fans of natural home and body fragrances will have fun exploring the 2,450 square foot outlet and sniffing the fragrance range which includes:

• 10 soy-coconut candles (150g, SGD$42)
• 20 reed diffusers (100ml, $30)
• 7 perfumed body waters (150ml, $26)

The hand-made soy and coconut wax candles aren't cheap compared to the typical large candles you can get from Yankee and Bath and Body Works, but these are 100% natural, phthalate-free, made without paraffin, and have soot-free wicks. The scents I've smelt so far are all quite subtle and fresh, and are great for smaller spaces. Plus they make gorgeous little gifts.

The available scents are:

Apricot Blossom
Champagne Supernova
Cherry Blossom
Green Jasmin
Jeju Camellia
Jeju Green Tea
Jeju Volcanic Ash
Risky Citrus
Sleep Well
Pear

I've yet to smell the full range, but right now my favorite is Jeju Volcanic Ash, which sounds odd but smells SO clean and fresh. I'm also curious about Apricot Blossom and Cherry Blossom.

The sleek, minimalist diffusers come in a whopping 20 scents that mimic the plants and outdoor scents of Jeju Island in Korea, and these are stronger than the candles in my experience. If you don't want to light candles at home, or you just want the convenience of reed diffusers, these are quite affordable.

The available scents are:

Berry Blossom
Bija
Camellia
Cedar Wood
Cherry Blossom
Cotton Blossom
Daphne Blossom
Freesia
Gardenia
Green Tea
Hallabong
Lavender
Lilac
Lotus Flower
Orchid
Peach
Pure Soap
Rose
Tangerine
Blossom
White Powder 

Dior Vibrant Colour Powder Blushes

This is a super-quick post for those who requested to see swatches of the 2 new Diorblush Vibrant Powder Blushes (SGD$70) which have been released for a limited time at the ION Dior Backstage beauty boutique as well as a few other counters like Robinsons Raffles City.

Like most of the Diorblushes, these 2 are very finely-milled and smooth. They aren't chalky and go on subtle at first so you can wear them sheer or build up to moderate intensity.

The 2 new striped Diorblushes come in 2 opposing tones.

• 001 Coral Shimmer - soft warm coral; it looks very orange/yellow in the pan but the red strip actually adds a beautiful soft salmon tone when all the colors are swirled together.
• 002 Pink Shimmer - cool-toned fuchsia pink.

Both shades go on quite soft at first but quickly build up to a more vibrant tone. They would work well on both pale to medium skins, but I think if you have a tan complexion, these would be very soft glow against the skin.

If you have dark skin however, these might only work as highlighters. They don't really look as chalky as some, but there isn't enough of a sheen to make a very noticeable highlight either, so I won't actually recommend these if you have a deep skin tone.

MAC Matte Lip 2015 Releases

Once a year for the past couple of years, MAC has launched shades in their retro-matte lipstick range. And aside from Satins, MAC's Mattes are my favorite lipstick texture from them. It's not that Cremesheens, Lustres, Dazzle Lipsticks, and Frosts are not nice. It's just that MAC does matte so much better than most other brands. 

Maybe I'm biased because MAC's mattes are some of the first mattes I ever tried, and they are certainly the first mattes that I fell in love with, so to some extent they have always been the benchmark against which all other matte lipsticks are compared.

Lipstick texture is a very personal thing, and I know not everyone loves MAC Mattes because they have quite a traditional texture. They are very dense, very pigmented, build up well and completely opaque. They aren't all the same of course. A few of the newer colors released in the past few years like Candy Yum Yum, Force of Love, etc have a slightly lighter-weight finish which many people enjoy more because it doesn't feel quite as thick.

But I'm old-school. I think if you're going to wear matte, you should go big or go home.

A lot of the newer matte lipsticks are quite sheer, overly waxy, and don't build up well. Revlon's Super Lustrous Mattes are so raved about, but there are actually several shades which are patchy, dry, sheer, and just all-round disappointing (Stormy Pink, Pink Pout, and Smoked Peach come to mind). Give me a rich, dense, retro matte any day - because nothing looks worse than a patchy matte that looks like your lipstick has dried up and worn off.

The great news is this year's releases from MAC are all pigmented and rich. Some are from a 2013 Retro Matte collection and some are old Matte releases, but all of them have that dense satiny texture that is more Russian Red (thick, sticky, creamy) than Ruby Woo (ultra-matte, dry and almost powdery).

There are a number of repromotes which I have not swatched here:

• Ruby Woo - classic true Hollywood red
• All Fired Up - rich pink-red
• Flat Out Fabulous - intense magenta
• Kinda Sexy - kitteny peachy-beige
• Please Me - soft nude-pink
• Heroine - deep vivid purple
• Pink Pigeon - vibrant fuchsia

I have all the shades except All Fired Up, and I recommend every single one of them.

As for the rest, some are actually re-releases from past years. I swatched them in generic groups of 5 by undertones. 

Warm tones

• Runway Hit - subdued coral-hued nude; this makes a fab lip color to pair with strong eye makeup
• Tropic Tonic - this looks like a brand new shade but I might be wrong; I've never tried it. And it's gloriously bright. It reminds me of a warmer, more orange version of Force Of Love from the Chen Man collection.
• Dangerous - lovely intense tangerine; if Morange and Lady Danger had a baby, it would be this.
• Studded Kiss - a deep liver red with brown undertones; this would look BEAUTIFUL and quite dramatic on most skins.
• Antique Velvet - Ooh, I love this deep dark brown with a hint of prune. If you have dark skin, this would look gorgeous. If you have pale skin, try it only if you want a rather gothic look. It has almost no red or purple in it, so it will look very "noir".

Pinks and Violets

Mary Kay MelaCEP Plus+™ Ultimate Serum

Mary Kay is in Singapore, and one of their newer star products is the MelaCEP Plus+™ Ultimate Serum.

Formulated in South Korea, this skin-brightening and -evening serum is designed to target hyperpigmentation and unevenness. It contains:

• edelweiss extract - a powerful plant extract which not only has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-microbial properties but also has some natural UV protection abilities
• niacinamide - Vit B3 that helps improve skin barrier function and also evens out the skintone
• algae extract - mainly emollient and possibly some mild anti-inflammatory benefits, but because the exact type of algae extract is not stated I can't tell you for sure
• vegetable amino acids
• Hexylresorcinol - used previously as an antiseptic but now popular in skincare for its ability to target and block processes in the skin that lead to hyperpigmentation 

About Skin Brightening Serums

Back in the day, Western "whitening" products initially contained Hydroquinone, which literally BLEACHES pigmentation from your skin but has a lot of potentially severe side-effects which defeat the purpose. Improper use can worsen your hyperpigmentation and dark spots.  

Whitening products as we know them today (protective and healing, rather than bleaching) primarily took off because of the huge appetite for skincare products in East Asia. Women want radiant, luminous skin, not so much because they want to look like they are a different race (many East Asians are already paler than women in the West), but more because it is the ultimate symbol of youth. Unevenness and spots are frequently far more aging than fine lines, and in general, a lot of time and money is invested into maintaining its appearance from quite a young age. (Skincare makes up the bulk of money spent on cosmetics in the East, while makeup accounts for a majority of the revenue in the West.)

There are broadly speaking 2 kinds of "whitening" products.

1. Bleaching/lightening agents - the faster way to even out skintone and remove existing pigmentation. These are done through use of ingredients such as Hydroquinone (no longer in use by most brands, and NOT recommended due to the potentially severe side-effects, including making hyperpigmentation worse) and more recently, Tranexamic Acid, which is a far safer option and a drug previously used internally to help increase blood clotting.
2. Repair/Antioxidant agents - these work slower because they neutralize free-radicals and other environmental stressors, and support the skin's ability to repair itself naturally. These are to me almost a must for everyone who is concerned about slowing the aging process, because unlike lightening agents, these give other positive benefits such as preventing DNA and collagen damage.

You can always use a tranexamic acid product in the short term to reduce the appearance of scarring and melasma, but make sure you also supply a regular dose of antioxidants to your skin and continue to wear sunblock on a daily basis so your skin stays in optimal condition. Otherwise you would just be pale and wrinkly as you get older.

What do I think about the Mary Kay MelaCEP Plus+™ Ultimate Serum?

From personal experience, you will not see fast results if you have existing hyperpigmentation and unevenness. Results will come gradually over weeks or months depending on the severity of your skin damage, and only as you shed your old layers of skin to reveal healthier layers beneath. What it CAN do is help to reduce the severity of scarring and darkening from new blemishes and sun exposure, and to speed up the lightening of new marks. It will not be able to significantly lighten old marks or more serious melasma quickly. If you need to deal with those issues, you might want to add a tranexamic acid product into your regime.

I would say it's always good to have a serum like this on hand for daily age-prevention, even if you're not looking for skintone-brightening. Whitening skincare ingredients are just too good to pass up in favor of "regular skincare".I would use it not just at night but also in the day, under moisturizer (if you have dry skin) and sunblock. If you are oily, you can just use it in place of a light lotion, under sunblock. If you have not been using a proper antioxidant serum regularly, you might start to see your skin looking fresher and more radiant quite quickly.

The cons? At SGD$160, this is not exactly cheap compared to what you can get in the drugstore. Sure, that bottle of Olay Regenerist might not contain exotic edelweiss extract and hexylresorcinol, but Niacinamide is a chief ingredients for both, and probably the ingredient doing most of the heavy-lifting here. And if you're going to be stingy and apply just a tiny bit of this to certain parts of your face, then I'd rather you just get a cheaper product that you are more likely to apply generously all over.

Still, if you have the budget and you want something more sophisticated than the average drugstore anti-aging or brightening serum, this might be a nice one to check out. I can't compare proportions of active ingredients just from looking at the ingredients list, but all else being equal, I feel it is comparable to many of the high-end brightening serums from brands like Estee Lauder. 

MAC Eyeshadow Times Nine Palette Swatches

MAC's launching four Eyeshadow Times Nine palettes at Sephora ION on 27 June, 3 July at other counters, and these nifty compact palettes have nine small 0.8g pans (a tiny bit more than half of a regular 1.5g MAC shadow) of shades in the permanent line. If you're new to MAC and interested in trying a cross-section of shades without paying a ton of money for 9 full-size shades, this is nice and neat.

Plus, there's the extra bonus that this is compact and portable. If you're traveling and you want options for day and night looks, these are going to give you those.

I've got swatches of all 4 here and I'll share some opinions on each one if you're not quite sure which you like more.


Amber Times Nine 

The Amber palette is a great option for beginners who love neutrals. It's got a nice mix of transition shades, as well as pale shimmery highlights and deep smoky browns; not too warm and not too cool.

I love all the mattes and shimmers in here, although I'm not a fan of Lustres (shades marked with an "L") because they tend to fall right off the lid unless you apply a good base first. Still, Don't Tell is a gorgeous shade which I believe is not in the permanent line.

Recommend this for girls who are just starting out and don't own many neutrals.

Navy Times Nine

I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the shades in Navy Times Ten. If you are not someone who typically goes for blues, don't worry because this is actually more like a Cool Neutral palette. Aside from a couple of shades, everything else is actually a neutral.

And even the 2 blues are quite beautiful; especially the matte navy shade called Mulled Over. With the exception of Black Tied, which is a bit patchier and hardier to blend than the others, the rest are beautiful soft cool shades. Definitely worth a look if you like greys and taupes, because the options are very chic and there is NOTHING 80's about the blues.

Purple Times Nine

I'll just say upfront that Purple Times Nine is my least favorite of the four. Not because I don't like purples. I love them. I just feel a couple of the softer shades (Poignant, Lightly Sugared, Mancatcher) can look a little similar once applied on the skin so it would have been nicer to get shades that were a bit more different.

MAC Le Disko Collection Swatches and First Impressions

MAC’s Le Disko Collection is about to hit Singapore (3 July at all counters except Isetan Scotts), and I hear Robinsons MAC Counters will launch these a week early - so today, 25 June - if you can't wait until next week. I will say right now that if you love color and sparkle, you will LOVE this ultra sparkly, uber-glam collection.

Ironically, I’ve never been the biggest fan of Dazzleglasses. I always felt they look pretty in the tube, but most of the softer shades all look the same once on the lips. The 5 shades in the Le Disko collection are pretty, but they’re pretty standard-issue, and my picks would probably be:

• Rollargirl - (yes it’s spelt like that) taupe-beige with pink sparkles 
• Cherry Popping - magenta with violet sparkles

I can imagine a lot of people will love Sugarrimmed though. It's a can't-go-wrong topper for nude and pale lipsticks.

The 2 Superslick Liquid Liners in a kitschy retro silver and gold are also fun as well. 

But where I feel they’ve knocked it out of the park is with the 12 Dazzle Shadows. 

 Texture

I was half expecting these sparkly shadows to be like the Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadows (which have a tendency to be inconsistent in pigmentation, gritty to the touch, and fall all over your face), but once I swatched these I was sold.

These are creamy smooth, intense, buildable, and highly pigmented (except for Last Dance which has a slightly more crumbly texture than the rest). And most of them are duochrome and multidimensional. The sparkles often come in contrasting tones with the base colors.

Which means you can apply a wash of a single shade all over your lids and it will look like you put in a lot more effort than you did.

Lasting Power

Biotherm Miracle Mobile - Get a free Miracle Gift Pack on 27-28 June 2015!

Biotherm is celebrating the launch of the jumbo-sized 200ml Life Plankton Essence treatment water by giving away hundreds of free Miracle Gift Packs in Singapore.

This coming weekend, just spot the Biotherm Miracle Mobile at these locations:

27 June - Somerset Orchard outside Mandarin Gallery (from 12 PM)
28 June - TANGS Vivocity entrance Lv 1 (from 12 PM)

Grab one of the generous gift packs of their best-selling skincare and pick a Miracle sticker with a variety of personal pledges, like "donate $10 to charity" etc. The first 100 people on each day also receive a deluxe 30ml bottle of Life Plankton Essence free.

Win a 2D1N Luxury Staycation!

Early birds who post a picture of themselves on Facebook with their Miracle Sticker and Miracle Gift pack on 27 June, and then show themselves fulfilling their pledge on the very same day, stand a chance to win a 2D1N staycation for free. 

Just make sure you hashtag #biothermsg and #ibelieveinmiracles on Facebook to enter.

Results will be announced end-July. 

5 Favorite Neutral Eye Palettes: Jan - Jun 2015

I'm a huge fan of neutrals, obviously, and I have a ton, but I figured I should narrow things down and just feature 5 of my absolute favorites - the ones that are not only in permanent collections (no limited editions!) but that I would pick over the others for various reasons.

And no - there isn't a single Naked palette in here because nobody needs another post about a Naked palette!

Wet n Wild Silent Treatment Trio - Budget/Drugstore

This one I've loved for a few years now and forgot about it until I did a clean-out and rediscovered it earlier this year. Not only is it cheap as chips, the quality and color combination are absolutely outstanding. A little powdery and crumbly maybe, but that's small price to pay.
That metallic taupe is one of the most gorgeous shadows around, and I'd say the palette is worth the price just for that shade alone, although the other 2 shades are pretty good too.

Sephora Colorful 5 Pale to rich taupe palette - Mid range

With the exception of the dark matte shade, which takes a bit of effort to build up in intensity, this palette is BEAUTIFUL quality. In fact I would say the pearlescent shades are actually equal in quality to high-end Dior or Marc Jacobs palettes.

The palette isn't much to look at packaging-wise, but the product itself is great and can take you from subtle day looks to dramatic smoky or sparkly looks as well.

Dior Eye Reviver Illuminating Neutrals palette 001 - High-end

Dior has several neutral palettes, including the very beautiful Cuir Cannage which I have a deep love for. But if you have to pick just one, I believe the Eye Reviver palette gives you more options for the price because it's got a matte base shade, and a gel liner as well.
I'm not a huge fan of having cream/gel products in the same palette with powders, but even if you ignore the liner, there are 5 beautifully creamy powder shades. Definitely a worthwhile investment in my opinion.

Tom Ford Eye Color Quad in Cognac Sable - Luxe

Tom Ford quads are - in Singapore - some of the best high-end shadows to invest in considering how much product you get for the price, high though it might be. The colors are all tastefully assembled and the textures are ultra flattering even for mature eyelids. Plus, they are very silky and have minimal fall-out.

I've loved almost every single Eye Color Quad I bought but my favorite warm palette has got to be Cognac Sable. Golden Mink is pretty but in terms of versatility, it loses to Cognac Sable, because this is a palette where you can get away with putting any single shade all over your lids, and you would be able to get 4 completely different effects, from soft to sparkly to smoky to dramatic.

With Golden Mink, the differences between the shades aren't that apparent compared to Cognac Sable.

By Terry Eye Designer Palette - Luxe

I probably don't need to say too much about this 10-shade matte palette because I have a full post with swatches of every single shade right here. You definitely don't need to spend so much on a neutral palette when there are many other options around, but if you're in the market for a splurge that is as practical as it is luxurious, this is it. 

Sunday Night Chilling with BBW Pink Petal Tea Cake

Sometimes when I'm home alone on Sunday night, it's the perfect time to dig into my stash of candles and wax melts. I have so much stored away that it's easy to forget what's sitting at the back of the cabinet.

Earlier I discovered a half-burnt tumbler of Pink Petal Tea Cake from Bath & Body Works that I was nuts for when it just launched. This isn't one of those candles that I can leave burning for hours though. It's VERY sweet. Imagine one gigantic, intense, rose-flavored macaron. Beautiful in small dozes but potentially cloying on hot days or in small spaces.

I left it burning just long enough to get an even wax pool and then blew it out. My living room is still smelling of rose macaron right now. Lovely end to a weekend.

P.S. Yes that is my Innisfree Sleep Well candle, alive and well. I decided not to burn it last week. I usually have a bunch of very different scents sitting out and then I'll look at them and decide what I feel like burning most.

Olive and Bloodrose: KATE Tokyo Monochrome Shine palette GN-1 and Kevyn Aucoin Bloodroses lipstick

It's been awhile since I did a proper pictorial, because some of you know I broke out into a face full of sore, red rashes a couple of weeks ago after testing some face washes and my skin's been recuperating since then.

But now I'm all back to normal and slapping on the makeup once again, so I wanted to do a quick review + demo using 3 new KATE Tokyo products I haven't tried before. The Monochrome Shine palette, Lasting Eyebrow W duo, and the best-selling Super Sharp Liner.

Japanese palettes tend to be very shimmery and usually lack really deep shades for definition, so I was pleasantly surprised when I first swatched GN-1, an olive/neutral quad.

Like most Japanese formulas, the shadows are very silky, but the best thing is there are 2 pale shades and 2 deep shades so you can create a proper look without having to add your own definer shade. (All-pale palettes can make eyes look puffy and flatten eye contours.)

Before I get into the tutorial though, I do want to also highlight another recent love. I applied my current favorite highlighter, Estee Lauder's limited edition Courrèges Illuminations face powder, onto cheekbones and brow bones.

This drop-dead gorgeous multi-dimensional champagne has slightly opal-pink hues mixed in with a beige-gold. The sheen is beautifully translucent and doesn't go on chalky, so it would look beautiful even on darker skins. You also get 7g of product (The Balm's Mary Lou Manizer has 8g) so this is going to last ages. 

It can go on intense or it can be brushed out for a softer glow so it doesn't look too fake or metallic.

Now that we're done with the side-track, let's move on to framing the face.

Brows are one of the most important things for me, behind concealer and lip balm, and before mascara or blush. My brows are quite sparse and patchy and I really need to fill them in in order to look polished, so I'm always happy to test new brow products. (Especially Japanese ones.)

KATE Tokyo's Lasting Brow W duo is a pencil and powder combo that allows you to really fill out and define your brows. 

You do feathery strokes with the pencil end first to draw in "hairs". The flattened shape is designed to allow hair-like strokes, a la Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 pencils, so I really like this end. The powder end I'm not a huge fan of simply because I don't tend to use brow powders personally.

You only ever need 2 things for brows;

1. a color/shape enhancer (pencils, inks, or powders) to fill in gaps and bring out overall shape
2. a texture/hair enhancer (mascara or wax) to keep hairs in place and/or emphasize brow hairs for a fuller effect.

The one flaw with this product is that it has 2 ends in the first category, none in the second. And my impression is most people use EITHER pencil OR powder. But maybe that's just me. If you want a very filled in brow and aren't in the habit of using brow mascaras to brush your hairs into place, then this might be a great product for you.

For me, I had to apply colored brow mascara after applying any powders just to re-emphasize brow hairs and add the "natural" effect back, and I can see myself using just the pencil end from now on so the powder end is a little bit of a waste on me. 

On to the tutorial!

Ink Lipquids from THEFACESHOP: First Impressions!

THEFACESHOP has launched a series of 12 new water-based liquid lipsticks called "Ink Lipquids" in Singapore this month. I was pretty excited about that nifty little press box containing 3 shades, but many brands have already launched their own gel/liquid lip products, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

It's designed to have the richness of lipstick, the moisture of gloss, and the long-lasting wear of lip tints. I do agree it delivers on the rich pigmentation if you apply it properly, and it's relatively moist compared to most gloss stains. As for long-wear, I will say it lasts longer than glosses and sheer lipsticks, but it still wipes right off with tissue so I'm not entirely sure about the 12 hour claim.

(That's a claim that can almost never be tested because - who wants to leave lip color on for 12 hours with zero touch-ups? Whatever's left won't look good anyway, so I wouldn't worry about things lasting that long.) It leaves a light stain on the lips, but nothing as strong or dark as YSL.

Like YSL's Glossy Stains, this has an "ink staying polymer" which is meant to keep the film moist and fresh longer. Where I will say it wins most of the glossy stains on the market is it has moisture-binders to provide a bit of additional hydration.

The name itself is one of those things that looks cool, but sounds silly if you ever try to pronounce it. Lip + Liquid = Lip:quid, and these come in dark, matte-black tubes with a see-through slit for you to check the color of the product (and hopefully notice before you run out).

What's probably most interesting is the fact that the vibrant color pigments are extracted from flowers, not liquid dyes. Pink and Purple tones came from willow herb, Beige, Coral and Orange from saffron, and Red and Brown tones from apple blossom.

I don't have all 12 shades to swatch, so I've included the Pantone shades here. Then again, do remember that the shades do DARKEN SLIGHTLY after set, so they become much closer to the Pantone swatches below. 

The 3 shades I received were

PK03 - warm coral-tinged pink

OR02 - vivid orange

RD02 - bright scarlet with a warm undertone

THEFACESHOP Ink Lip:quid swatches

I took these photos in pretty bright light, so they are a touch deeper and closer to the Pantone color boxes in real life.

I was pleasantly surprised by PK03 because when I saw the tube I had expected it to be overly bright, overly pastel, and completely unflattering. Surprisingly it's very pretty and wearable. 

OR02 of course, I love. This is one of those startling acidic oranges (like OCC Beta or MAC Morange) that's a conversation starter when you wear it out. It's impossible not to notice your lips.

But it's not just outlandish; it's also actually quite flattering on Asian skintones.

Lastly, it's hard to go wrong with the classic bright red, although I have to say this is the darkest/strongest shade of the 12 available in Singapore, so if you are looking for a dark red or wine, plum, etc, you're out of luck. 

These are a bit more liquid than YSL Glossy Stains. They do feel quite light and comfortable on the lips, and have a high gloss (as you can see above), but do take note that if you press your lips together after the product sets, you will remove a lot of that lacquered shine and end up with a less glossy finish.

The applicator has a nice shallow dip in the slanted side, so it picks up about enough product to apply a thin coat over the entire mouth. But if you want that full lacquered look, you will probably need to redip in the tube. 

Here's my "routine" for getting a more even and professional-looking application.

Why?
It's easier to get a nice neat edge if the applicator is not overloaded with product. So try to dab off most of the excess on your bottom lip first while you work on the top lip, and you can have maximum control when you're working on your top lip.

After you get the base layer on and your "borders" all mapped out neatly, THEN you can start building up color intesnsity.

When you are building up the extra coat of color, the applicator can rub product off the center and push it out towards the edges, making the color look uneven. But rolling your lips together gently once or twice can evenly spread and smooth the product out. If too much congeals at or goes outside your lip line, just use a finger to lightly blot the excess away.

NOTE: Don't press your lips together too many times. The product will "set" quite quickly, so if you keep rolling your lips you will end up creating a more matte look. Once it more or less looks even, stop. 

Do I like these?

Yes, especially when I'm looking for slightly more dramatic color.

These are much more pigmented than the LANEIGE or Innisfree glossy stains, which are translucent. In fact, I consider them a little closer to Dior Fluidsticks in texture and finish, although these feel a little thinner.

That's a pro and a con, cos they are more comfortable to wear, but also don't retain that glossy lacquered look as long as products that set thicker. Even if it can last 12 hours like THEFACESHOP promises, it's unlikely it can stay looking good for 12 whole hours without touchups.

I do like the fact that they've used plant pigments and added hydrating ingredients. Liquid lipsticks are not a new concept, but this is probably one of the few options available for those who are concerned about using more natural ingredients.

Is it ground-breaking or life-changing? Nope. But it's a very good liquid lipstick option, and definitely worth a look considering they are $17.90 each in Sg.