Etude House Rosy Tint Lips #7 Tea Rose: Pretty but Sticky

I guess I am now in my active phase for blogging.

Three posts within a week. Even this week is yet to finish. So, I probably will post some more. Just be prepared :D

This time, a lipstick. Well, not exactly a lipstick though, some say it's more like a lipstain. They claim this range as liquid creamy lipstain that dries in matte velvet finish. This is my first Korean product that listed in my lipstick stash. 

At first I was very attracted with the packaging and color selections. So cute, feel like in the middle of the blooming roses somewhere outhere. But our parents always said not to judge the book by its cover.

I chose the shade #7 Tea Rose, simply because I am a fan of nude lipstick. Tea Rose is the most neutral shade of all. It has a slight peachy brown undertone and looks wearable on any occasion.

So, even though shade #8 After blossom is the most favorite, I insisted to buy Tea rose instead. See the swatches picture above, don't you think Tea rose is pweety? Alright, let's start my review:

PACKAGING 4.0/5.0

Beautiful. Even the box looks stunningly elegant. I love the combination of white and pink flowers. However, the tube is quite hard to press so it needs effort to squeeze the product out from tube. It also has weakness on the sponge tip, if you are considering for hygiene, it definitely will turn you off.

The oh-so-pretty box...

...and overall packaging.

SHADE 3.5/5.0

The shade is a little disappointment. It washed me out! At first I was confused on how this lovely peachy color could wash me out. I am even regularly applying Make Up Forever Rouge Artist #1 Mat Flesh which is super pale, but it doesn't wash me out at all.

MUFE Rouge Artist Intense #1 Mat Flesh

CONSISTENCY 3.0/5.0

Gosh, I was expecting more for this creamy lipstain, but I ended up thinking that the consistency is way too creamy to blend out. I even felt it more on sticky side. Meh.

Swatch

Didn't you see that even the swatch looks uneven on the back of my hand? It's worse on lips, and it accentuates the dry patches.

FINISH 2.5/5.0

Nevertheless, besides the uneven consistency and the color that successfully washed me out, this lipstain also dries out my lips, right after application. I know, I probably need to apply lip balm underneath or scrub my lip first to make it smoother, but that's not what you supposed to do before applying a matte finish lipstick/lipstain because it wouldn't give you the real matte effect. So, I would say NO to this. I only used it 1x, I even could not sell this as preloved because the sponge tip applicator is not hygienic at all. After all, I think this product would just sit on my make up case forever. ~xoxo~

I am sorry Etude, you failed me this time :(

Review: TheBalm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer in Medium

Hello, beauties!

Another review from TheBalm today, don't get bored, since I've been reviewing TheBalm so often lately. Yes, I'm currently a fan! None of their products I found disappointing, even a little, until I tried out its well-known tinted moisturizer (TM): TheBalm Shelter.

I have been eye-ing this TM since months ago. As I have typical of super oily skin (especially during summer like now!), I used to avoid myself using TM. TM is usually good for drier skin, and for someone who doesn't like to apply heavy make up daily. As for myself, without intention to get the heavy make up, I always pick the foundation which provides long-lasting and matte finish. My HG for drugstore in Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation shade True Beige and MAC Studio Fix Fluid NW30 for high-end. BUT, I have a big 'BUT' here. As I am now under dermatologist's medication (oh how I hate to comeback!!), she would strongly recommend me to use TM instead of foundation because TM's consistency is much thinner to let the skin breath.

So, with all my pleasure, I purchased this TM, hoping that all good reviews and raves in neighbor's blogs are true and accurate. To make sure to which shade I belong, I went to its counter at Debenhams and the BA said that my shade is Medium. Heard from the beauty bloggers that TheBalm Shelter has darker types of shades, I was thinking to buy myself the Light/Medium, but suddenly afraid of having my face with ghostly effect. Nay!

It's longer than my palm!

TheBalm describes this as:

"This weightless, silky-smooth tinted moisturizer with SPF 18 offers sun protection for everyday drama while helping to improve the look of your skin’s tone and texture, leaving you with a polished complexion."

My take after using this product:

1. COVERAGE is light to medium. It's great to even out skin tone, but not to cover acne scars or old blemishes. You definitely still need concealer.
2. CONSISTENCY is one of my likings. It's thick, not runny. A little goes along the way.
3. SHADES are only available in 3 (three) here, unlike in USA where they have 7 shades. The color is more beige-y than yellow-ish. For you who have fair(er) skin and used to love using BB cream the colors might a little bit too dark. You may choose the 'Light' one, because even 'Medium' doesn't match my medium-tan complexion. Since I have neutral undertone, I had to apply concealer with yellow-er shade to balance out the beige-y tone.
4. PRICE is not that cheap, originally sold for USD 25. Not a budget-typed of TM, but since they have 64 ml of product (it's even more than Etude Bright Fit BB Cream), the amount is worth the price.
5. LONG LASTING or not? It depends on the weather, I assume. Sometimes in Jakarta's current humid summer days, foundation with matte effect and long lasting promise is preferable. But again, as TM, this one would stay for around 4-5 hours. Not so bad.
6. PACKAGING is the winner! Even the tube is very sleek, soft, weight-less and travel friendly. I love it!
7. INGREDIENTS is paraben-free! That's why I fall in love with TheBalm products <3
8. OVERALL score is 3,9 our of 5,0. It's not a bad product, but maybe because I have been too impressed with my HG foundations, so this TM is not comparable. However, if you are looking for natural look, dewy finish and healthy glow face, this one is the answer.

No filter, no edit, just using self-focus and natural sunlight

Products I used: 

Base: TheBalm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer in Medium, Inez Corrective Cream in Dark, TonyMoly Dear Me Petite Pact in Natural Beige.

Eyes: Maxfactor Smoky Eyes Effect Eyeshadow in Purple Dust, Maxfactor Wild Shadow Pots in Ferocious Black, Silkygirl Gel Liner in Brown, L'oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black.

Cheeks: MAC Extra Dimension Blush in Autoerotique, TheBalm CindyLou

Lips: Stila All Day Liquid Lipstick in Dolce 

See ya later in my next review! ~xoxo~

Natural Plum Make Up: TheBalm Pinstripe & NARS Tonkin Review

Hello, Missy!

Duh, mau blogging tapi kok lagi gak mood nulis bahasa Inggris, jadi mari yuk kita review produk kali ini dengan bahasa Indonesia aja (walaupun berasanya jadi aneh tapi marilah kita coba).
Jadi hari ini judulnya aku mau share pengalaman aku yang paling seneng sama warna ungu, pake baju nuansa ungu, dan ber-make up pun hobi banget sama warna yang satu ini. Nah, berhubung kulitku ini gelap (hey, I'm proud of having tanned skin loh!), jadi mesti rada hati2 juga milih warna ungu, karena gak semua ungu cocok untuk kulit gelap.

Lavender mood

Lavender looks good on Natalie's Portman skin!

Jenis ungu yang menyerupai warna lavender atau ungu muda akan lebih bagus kalau diaplikasikan di kulit cenderung terang. Selain warnanya akan lebih kelihatan, warna ini juga akan menonjolkan kelembutan di wajah. Dan buat yang bosen sama warna abadi yang namanya 'pink', warna lavender bisa jadi alternatif yang paling oke selain peach/coral. So, princess-y look is no longer boring :)

Glam plum

Untuk kulit yang mendium-tan alias lebih gelap, warna ungu yang bisa dipilih adalah warna ungu cenderung plum, magenta atau berry. Kalau saya pribadi prefer plum atau magenta, karena berry akan kelihatan lebih cocok untuk kulit yang warnanya olive (seperti orang Latin atau Italiano).

Plum does match the darker skin tone

Warna plum di atas bisa kelihatan sangat glamor kalau diaplikasikan dengan tepat dan sesuai proporsi. Maksudnya, antara mata, pipi atau bibir, kita harus milih dua diantara tiga yang bisa dipakaikan warna plum. Yang satunya harus dibiarkan nude/polos. Biar nggak kayak nge-lenong ya Ciin :p

Nah, untuk urusan make up plum, aku serahkan sama blush on favoritku yang satu ini: TheBalm Instain Blush Pinstripe. Seperti yang para bloggers udah tau, Instain ini punya 6 shades warna yang cantik-cantik, yaitu Swissdot (orange/peach), Houndstooth (mauvey pink), Toile (strawberry/red), Lace (bright/barbie pink), Argyle (petal pink) dan Pinstripe (plum). Pinstripe bisa dibilang warna paling gelap dari keenam shades yang ada. Alasan kenapa saya pilih ini karena jarang sekali ada blush on merk lain yang warnanya menyerupai Pinstripe.

TheBalm Instain in Pinstripe

Vintage design, lovin' it!

The bold plum looks much softer on my skin

TheBalm sekarang ini jadi brand make up favorit aku. Selain packaging-nya yang super vintage dan cantik, kualitasnya juga worth it sama harganya. Oiya, kalau beli Instain baiknya sih di online shop, karena mereka biasanya beli saat TheBalm lagi diskon besar di negara asalnya USA sana, kalau beli di counter-nya (Debenhams Senayan City, misalnya), harganya sudah hampir dua kali lipat. Overall rating untuk blusher ini 4.0/5.0

Kalau untuk bibir, aku prefer warna plummy nude alias lipstik yang judulnya nude tapi punya hint coklat keunguan sehingga kalau diaplikasikan ke bibir jatuhnya plum. Bulan lalu, aku nitip salah satu temanku yang business trip ke USA karena aku penasaran sama lipstick NARS. Harga lipstick ini kalau pre-order di online shop berkisar di angka 380 ribuan. Wow, it's so pricey! Harga aslinya di Sephora adalah usd 26 plus pajak, jadilah aku beli NARS Pure Matte Lipstick ini 'cuma' seharga 320 ribu. Tetep mahal, dan officially jadi lipstick termahal dari semua koleksi, tapi it's definitely recommended for matte & nude lip lovers!

Kenapa?

Look how small NARS lipstick is!

Plummy nude colour

• NARS Pure Matte Lipstick ini gak bikin bibir terasa kering. 
• Konsistensinya bagus, kelihatan banget kalau ini barang high-end
• Opaque dan pigmented
• Tahan lama, kalau gak pakai makan (hanya minum) warnanya bakalan stay di bibir sampai 6 jam
• Gak gampang faded 
• Review lebih lengkap ada di sini

It's plummy but natural

Kalau ada pro, pasti tetap ada cons ya. Aku gak suka banget sama kemasannya yang walaupun sturdy, tapi KECIL! Saking kecilnya, lipstick ini baru aku pakai 3 minggu dan sudah habis hampir sepertiga walaupun cuma apply 2x sehari.

Courtesy of Karlasugar

Tonkin sendiri dideskripsikan oleh webiste Sephora sebagai "Cinnamon Plum", dan buatku warnanya memang jadi plum di bibir dan bukan beige seperti swatch di atas. Overall rating 4.0/5.0 untuk lipstik ini.

Finally, FOTD! Till the next review... <3