Review: Peripera Rouge Pang in PP08 Serious

Korean beauty brands have some of the best lipsticks in the market. I don't know how they do it. High quality lip products with affordable price tags. If you haven't tried any lipsticks from Korean brands, I highly recommend that you try some from Etude House and Innisfree - amazing products with wallet-friendly prices. 

Or, maybe you can try Peripera Rouge Pang! I bought mine in shade PP08 Serious from Qoo10 on a whim and it actually turned out to be quite a stellar product. It's S$10.99 with free normal mail on Qoo10. 

Packaging: The lipstick cover has a similar shade to the lipstick shade, so it will be easy to find the colour that you want to apply if you have many of these in your collection. When you close the cover, you will hear a click to indicate that the cover is secure. A sturdy packaging that will not accidentally dislodge itself in your makeup bag.

Colour and pigmentation: PP08 Serious is a slightly deep berry colour. There's more pink than purple, but you still can see the gorgeous tinge of purple after application. The Peripera Rouge Pang has impressive pigmentation. The swatch below was achieved with one swipe. Great stuff!

Application: This lip product applies so smoothly and evenly and it does not settle to your lip lines. It's like applying lip balm to your lips, but without the unpleasant greasy feeling. It has a slightly glossy finish that will dry to a semi matte finish after a couple of hours. Very moisturizing but not sticky at all.

Longevity: The Peripera Rouge Pang fares averagely in terms of longevity. Actually it highly depends on whether you eat and drink on that day or not. With food and drink, the lipstick faded quite a bit, but you still can see the tint your lips - definitely require touch-ups after food intake. Not something that I will be bothered about since the lip product performed excellently in other aspects.

Will I buy it again? Definitely. I'm interested in getting OR05 Chit Chit but I'm not sure if I can pull off the orange-lip look. I also want PP02 Secret - a gorgeous magenta colour. For those of you who want more glossy and shiny finish, there's also the Peripera Lumi Pang line!

Have a great day guys! :) 

Review: Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips (OR04 Secret Trip and PK07 Mini Dress)

Peripera is a Korean cosmetics brand that I'm highly unfamiliar with. A quick Google revealed that it's owned by CLIO, which is a brand that I associate with high quality products and relatively more expensive prices. So I guess the company is trying to reach out to a different target demography now? 

To be honest, just by these Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips alone, I don't think I'll ever go in to Peripera to buy any of their products. I didn't like these lip products and I would not recommend them to anyone. 

It's not nightmarishly bad (still good for those who are not as fussy and want to support the current spokesperson, A Pink's Son Na Eun) but you can definitely spend less money on other brand's lip products and they will be more of higher quality than the Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips.  

I got mine on Qoo10 for S$11+ each with free normal mail. 

Packaging: Cutesy and questionable. Initially, I thought the packaging was adorable and fitting for the younger customers that Peripera is trying to target, but it's not functional at all! The "cushion" part in Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips is for the application head of the product. You have to squeeze the tube so that the product is dispensed on the cushion/sponge, then you apply it on your lips as per normal. The cushion is designed to aid even application. Well, it's a great intention, but that's provided you can get product dispensed to the cushion! I squeezed, and squeezed and squeezed and squeezed on different parts of the tube, and NOTHING came out. After like my 2856th squeeze, the product was finally dispensed but it was like a volcanic eruption - I had lip product all over my fingers!

I thought okay, maybe it was blocked due to difference in air pressure while it was being mailed to Singapore, so I tried with the second tube, and this time I squeezed gently once and the product SQUIRTED OUT. I think I wasted like 1/3 of the product. ZZZ.

Yes you have cute packaging and all, but can make it a little bit more user-friendly and function or not???

OR04 Secret Trip

PK07 Mini Dress

Left: OR04 Secret Trip
Right: PK07 Mini Dress

Pigmentation and application: After I got some product out of both tubes, I decided to ignore the packaging blunder and try out the products on my lips. Initial swatches on the back of my hand (also called "opisthenar". I just Googled hahaha) were very assuring because at least the colours were intense and both were decently pigmented. The Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips also swatched very evenly and I was glad that the packaging mishap did not affect the product quality. 

I thought too soon.   

As soon as I applied the Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips on my lips, I realised how much I didn't like them. Here is a list of reasons for my dislike:

• Application was streaky. In the photos below, you can actually see some of the unevenness. I tried my best to apply evenly already but still cannot! Why like that one?
• Pigmentation was not as satisfactory on the lips. I had to go over a few times to get reasonable pigmentation.
• Not long-lasting at all. I made myself coffee after applying PK07 Mini Dress and after I finished my cup of coffee, most of the lip product has transferred to the cup. I understand that all lip products transfer but this one too fast and furious already! It was only a cup of coffee gulped down in less than 10 minutes!! 

OR04 Secret Trip

PK07 Mini Dress
The streakiness is very obvious here. 

I was not a happy camper.

After that day of trial, I have thrown the Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips aside. What a waste of my money! :(

Perhaps I got defective products....

Have a great week guys! 

Review: Etude House Color Lips-fit (PK003 Fantasy Fit Pink)

I'm back, I'm back!! Hoorah! 

A new digital camera really is different. iPhone 5's camera is amazing, but the Canon G7X is still much better for review posts. The problem is I still can't figure out how to use the macro function properly. Like how come always looks great on the screen, but when the photo is taken, there's this strange blurring effect? I read so many forums and I still don't understand. I'm going to meet Chay at the end of the month and she's going to analyse this strange phenomena for me since she's the expert. 

For now, the photos still nice lah, but not as sharp as I want them to be. Hopefully they will get better once we figure out the blurring problem! 

A couple of months back (before my old camera died on me), I bought a lot, a lot, a lot of Korean beauty products from Qoo10 (this post!) and now I finally have the resources to properly review them. First up, the Etude House Color Lips-fit in PK003 Fantasy Fit Pink. I bought PP501 Brave Fit Berry as well, but that was sold out. I'm going to hunt for that shade because I like the consistency and wear of this lip product, and Brave Fit Berry is a gorgeous deep berry pink! 

I bought the Etude House Color Lips-fit for S$10.90 (additional S$0.60 normal mail) on Qoo10. I think it's S$15 in Etude House Singapore stores. 

Expectations:

• moisturising
• easy application ("glides")
• high pigmentation
• lightweight
• dries to semi-matte finish

Packaging: I'm always a fan of lip tints/liquid lipsticks that have clear packaging. This way, I can quickly choose my lip product without opening 10+ other lip products. The Etude House Color Lips-fit has that ideal packaging! Other than that, the product packaging is fuss-free and nothing too special or fancy.

Pigmentation: Well, one expectation fulfilled! The Etude House Color Lips-fit is incredibly pigmented. The swatch photos below were taken only after one swipe from the doe-foot applicator. Very impressive ah. Just like the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams! Now I'm really excited to hunt down that deep berry colour!

Colour: PK003 Fantasy Fit Pink is a subtle barbie pink. Nothing too loud or neon, but still has that appealing factor. It's suitable for everyday wear, perfect when you want to add a little bit more colour to your lips. I prefer this shade of pink because you don't look too OTT. Pink shades like Barbie pink or Nicki Minaj pink are too flamboyant for my liking.

Lighting: Normal daylight

Lighting: Normal daylight + camera flash

Application: Very smooth and easy application. No streakiness at all! It's quite moisturizing, and yet it's not sticky/glossy. This is the type of liquid lipsticks that I love the most. Some liquid lipsticks are sooooo moisturising and sooooo glossy. Go out of my house 5 minutes and I'll be eating my own hair already. The Etude House Color Lips-fit and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream have now become my top 2 liquid lipsticks! I need more shades!

Longevity: This product dries within 5 minutes of application and it dries to a beautiful semi-matte finish that I always prefer in a liquid lipstick. The Etude House Color Lips-fit feels lightweight on the lips, and there's no stickiness. The vibrancy and pigmentation lasted for a good 5 hours. It's not as long-lasting as I want it too, but touching up doesn't bother me at all. Some lip products are nightmares to touch up because they feel so caked up on your lips. For this one, touching up feels like no touch-ups at all. Very strange ah, but I like it.

Special mention: THIS SMELLS SO SO SO SO GOOD. If you grew up in Indonesia, you will know of Sugus. It's like the Indonesian version of Japanese Hi-Chew. The Etude House Color Lips-fit smells just like the grape-flavoured sugus. OH MY GOSH. NOMS.

Here is my favourite sugus.

Wait. I just googled and Sugus is actually Swiss. MIND BLOWN! But aiyah, I only had them when I was in Indonesia, so ok lah, they are "Indonesian" to me.

Have a great week guys! :D More review posts coming soon! 

Review: innisfree Creamy Tint Lip Mousse in 03 Fresh Coral

Innisfree is one S.Korean brands that I truly trust because their products are always formulated from the goods of nature. Natural products that work for even the most sensitive skin (of course, please choose a range of Innisfree products that are specially formulated for your skin type. If you're clueless, just go in to any physical Innisfree stores and the salespeople would be more than glad to explain everything to you. I'm actually quite impressed by Innisfree as an entire brand because even the salespeople in the Singapore physical stores are friendly and informative. That's saying something you know?). 

I love, love, LOVE their Volcanic and Jejubija series. Especially great for those with oily, problematic skin and pore issues.

This time, I decided to get some beauty products. A curious mind needed to be satisfied I saw Lisa Eldridge's video on her S.Korean beauty haul and I was SO intrigued.

Hence, I browsed Qoo10 and was quite pleasantly surprised with the many products that were available for purchase. Trust me when I say I went a little overboard. I spent over S$100 on products that I want to try.

Anyway, I got the innisfree Creamy Tint Lip Mousse in 03 Fresh Coral for S$13.40 (free shipping).

Qoo10 link

I'm on the fence with this lip mousse... Gorgeous colour and texture but incredibly painful wear after 4-5 hours. How like that?

DISCLAIMER: All photos from this review post onwards are taken using the iPhone 6 because my camera has died (Goodbye my awesome Canon G10 :( I have used it for a good 5-6 years haiyah). Quality may not be as good as previous review posts, but bear with it yeah? I'm planning to get a new camera soon yay!

The things that I love about the innisfree Creamy Tint Lip Mousse is how pigmented the lip mousse is and how wonderfully velvety the texture is. 

However, it's not long-lasting at all and after 4 hours of wear, my lips started to peel. Obviously I'm not a lip person, hence I don't take good care of my lips at all. Some people exfoliate their lips daily and then apply a copious amount of lip balm before bed. But, I don't do any of that because I'm way too lazy. I think this laziness contributed largely to why the innisfree Creamy Tint Lip Mousse didn't work as well on my lips in terms of longevity and hydration. 

Packaging: Fuss-free and makes me feel like I'm an environmental warrior. They use recycled materials for their product packaging and use soy-ink for printing. Talk about dedication! This is why I love innisfree as a brand. They don't talk talk, say say only. Action speaks louder than words!

I'm not sponsored by innisfree hor (although I'd love to! HOOK ME UP LEH SOMEONE), I just love their brand ideals and their products in general. 

Colour and pigmentation: innisfree Creamy Tint Lip Mousse in 03 Fresh Coral is a gorgeous mixture of rose-red and orange. Some corals are very unforgiving because of how much orange pigment is added, but this coral shade is more suitable for everyday wear. Especially for those days when you just want to look more awake and refreshed. Pigmentation is also extremely impressive. The above photo was taken after just one application. 

Texture and application: I love applying the innisfree Creamy Tint Lip Mousse. The texture is very peculiar. Never have I applied anything that had a similar texture before. It applies like a thick BB cream, then as you spread the product out, it feels like velvet/silk?! The "mousse" part not play one. Really like chocolate mousse. Super smooth, super velvety, super downy (like feathers). 

You can apply this lip mousse in two different ways - the gradation way that S.Koreans love so much, or the usual all-over way that is foolproof for anyone. 

Longevity: As mentioned in bits and pieces above, I had quite a problem with the longevity of this lip product. My lips must be in really bad condition because after 4 hours my lips just started to crack so bad! I could peel dead skin off my lips leh! Why like this?! The moisturising properties obviously didn't work that well on me, which is quite disappointing lor. :(

Will I buy it again? I'm seriously on the fence. I saw Orchid Pink and I wanted to get it. But then again, will my lips crack every single time I apply this? Maybe I'm going to pay more attention to my lip regimen now that I'm more interested in lip products. But as of now, I'm not going to get more shades of this. Settle my own lip problems first!

Hope this is useful! Have a great weekend yeah! :)

Going crazy for Korean cosmetics

This photo is a lie. 

I have 3 more products coming from Korea, so the entire haulage is way bigger. Oops.

I just find some Korean cosmetics way more advanced than some Western brands. Traditional is almost always good, but good innovation can make traditional more convenient and more captivating. For one, the BB Cushion is an excellent revolution - even Lancôme is coming out with their own BB Cushion (which under-performed when compared to those from Korean brands, according to some online reviews)!

Fortunately Qoo10 has plenty of listings for Korean cosmetic products from sellers based in South Korea. That means prices are somewhat similar to those in South Korea (additional a few bucks for shipping lah). This is very excellent because as most Singapore dwellers will know, prices are marked up considerably in the local stores. I got the Innisfree Long Wear Cushion for less than S$20 on Qoo10 and it's retailing for more than S$30 at local Innisfree stores! Very excellent indeed, this Qoo10.

This also means I need to rethink and reorganise my makeup cupboard. Time to throw away things to make space for new things! Just in time for CNY cleaning!

Jeans, Japanese and Jazzy Lips

2 weeks ago, I suddenly felt that there were very few good pairs of good jeans in my possession. So naturally, I went on a jeans shopping spree. 

Luckily, ZARA, H&M and Pull&Bear had amazing discounts on most of their items, and I scored three pairs of jeans for less than S$100. 

The most expensive pair was this from ZARA - S$49.90. The best thing about this pair is that it stops right at my ankle - no folding needed! Also, the material is really soft. I love it so much, I wore it more than 3 times to work already. 

I got some basic ones from H&M as well. This pair was S$24.95, but I had a S$20 voucher, so I paid less than 5 bucks. :D 

Not as soft as the ZARA one, but still incredibly comfortable. The thicker waist band also helps to flatten any food baby. 

I realised after many applications of matte lipsticks that I have very dry lips. Mostly my fault, because I don't take care of my lips at all. No lip exfoliation and no lip balm. So now, I'm regretting lah. Haiyah. Time to pay more attention to my lips if I want my lipsticks to look polished all day long! 

If you haven't noticed, it's one of my random blogposts, where I swerve sharply from one topic to another without warning. 

Yes, so I had ramen again at Ramen Bar Suzuki and I sincerely love the ramens here. So so so good and so many Japanese dined here! 

More Japanese food - this set was from Tampopo. 

I cannot call Dorabanana xiaomeimei already. She's going to be 21 this year liao! No more xiaomeimei!

One more swerve, 

on Sundays, I love making nice healthy breakfasts for myself!

Hope none of you got headaches from those swerves. Have a good week ahead! :D

BLOGMAS Day 4: Review - NYX Matte Lipstick in MLS 10 Perfect Red

Funny how a few months back I'm adamant about not wearing lipstick, and now....I'm all about matte lipsticks. NYX is incredibly reliable (not to mention extremely affordable) when it comes to matte lipsticks. I have tried both the soft matte lip creams and the matte lipsticks, and I love them both! I'll highly recommend both products to those who love matte lipsticks - more so if you are a fan of bright/dark coloured matte lipsticks. All of the NYX brighter/darker colours that I have tried have not disappointed me. 

This post will be dedicated to my favourite red lipstick - the NYX Matte Lipstick in MLS 10 Perfect Red. Different stores (online or physical) sell this at different prices but most of the stores will not sell the NYX Matte Lipsticks for more than S$15. If I remember correctly, I got mine for less than S$10!. 

However, please be wary when shopping for NYX matte lip products online. Due to the huge following of the soft matte lip creams and the matte lipsticks, there are some nefarious people who sell fake NYX lip products for the same price. I found a brilliant article on facebook on how to differentiate the real and fake soft matte lip creams and do take a look! I have yet to find one for the matte lipsticks but I'll definitely update this page if I find a reliable article. 

Proceeding with the review...let's go!

Packaging: Truly brilliant packaging - chic matte black texture for a matte lipstick (very appropriate and also damn smooth) with a clever addition of the transparent panel in the middle. No need to open the cap and search for the shade that you want to wear because you get to see the actual product shade from the packaging. Genius!

Colour and pigmentation: MLS 10 Perfect Red is a true red colour with quite a lot of blue undertones. Blue-based reds are great for those with cool toned skin! If you're looking for a true red with lots of orange undertones, then MLS 08 Pure Red is good for you!.

When I had Perfect Red on my lips, my teeth looked whiter than they actually were. Major love please!

Pigmentation-wise, oh my NYX Matte Lipsticks are beyond amazing. The swatch below was done with a single swipe. SINGLE! But of course, incredible pigmentation can lead to some application trouble, especially for beginners, hence I will suggest that you use a lip brush to apply this, or to apply any bright-coloured lipsticks.

Swatch under natural lighting

Swatch taken with camera flash

Application: The NYX Matte Lipstick in MLS 10 Perfect Red glides oh-so-smoothly on the lips. Even when using a lip brush, it's not that hard to get product on the brush. It will not apply matte - after application, it will take a good 10-15 seconds to mattify, or even more depending on the temperature/humidity level.

Longevity: The NYX Matte Lipstick in MLS 10 Perfect Red is not as transfer-proof as the soft matte lip creams. This will definitely transfer to any mugs/straws when you drink. However, very strangely, even after transferring to mugs and after two meals, I still had bright red lips. Yes, it did fade a little bit and it wasn't as bright as initial application, but the fading was minimal! Lasted me a good 12 hours with NO touch-ups. Two thumbs up!

Will I buy it again? More colours for me please! I'm loving Tea Rose and Angel. Maybe I'm going o get more soon! :D