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 :(

Cindy-Lou and Mary-Lou; the Great Luminizer Combo from TheBalm

Beauties,

Let me introduce you to the most wanted girls named Mary-Lou and Cindy-Lou. They are the highlighters from TheBalm. I have to tell you that I am deeply and totally in love with them BOTH!

I was introduced to Mary-Lou from one of my cousins (actually I saw it already at TheBalm counter in Plaza Senayan yet I was being so ignorant about highlighters). I thought, how would I need a highlighters on my face. Doesn't it just accentuate my gigantic pores and imperfections?

The answer is NO. These highlighters are just very pigmented. They make you glow but not glittery. They do not accentuate large pores, even somehow could diffuse the texture of your skin and make it look polished. Just a tiny amount, and you're all set. Are they that magical?

MARY-LOU

Mary-Loumanizer is exactly reflects its name as luminizer. It has champagne, subtle gold color that will be great to be applied in your upper cheek bone and brow bone. It gives you something to get everyone's attention, if you use it in the right amount. Mary-Lou can be wearable during the day, but it looks better to wear at night. Works better if combined with bronzer, and of course, suitable from the lighter skin (they can use it on eyelid as well to create no-makeup eye make up) to darker skin. I've never seen a highlighter that is so subtle and blendable like this before in my life!

I bought mine as one of my self birthday present on January. I love, super love, that it has a large mirror in the packaging, the mirror is even better than my MAC compact powder. One night when my daughter had tantrum (you may have to check what tantrum is on google, if you're still single, it's hard to explain :p), she kicked everything around her and voila, my one-month-baby Mary-Lou was dropped onto floor and broken into pieces. Seriously.

So I found that the packaging, though it looks sturdy, but fragile :( One minus, I guess. I moved it to the small jar, at least, instead of bringing the broken one because it would be so messy. I am so sad, yet suddenly I saw this newest baby on.

My score is 4.1 out of 5.0 for Mary-Lou :)

CINDY-LOU

It comes as a surprise, when I was really disappointed because my Mary-Lou compact must be rest in peace at home, I found the other version of Mary-Lou, named Cindy-Loumanizer. And it's corally dusty pink. At first minute, I was thinking that buying this could relieve my broken Mary-Lou :)

And it turns out to be my new favorite, as I can use it as BLUSH ON instead of just a highlighter. Perfect! Even if I use it on my cheeks, it's barely noticeable, only a slight pinky peach flush with subtle glow. Wearable in office hours, I guarantee :)

My score for Cindy-Lou is 4.0 out of 5.0

Below I compare my look with Cindy-Lou and Mary-Lou:

With Cindy-Lou on both cheeks. See the glowing pink flush?

With Mary-Lou as highlighter, on top of MAC Blush in Aquaerotique

If I had to choose, I would definitely choose BOTH!