Review: Etude House Face Designing Brightener

Hello all! Back today with another Etude House product, the "Face Designing Brightener" in the shade Cutie Face. (Gotta love that name!)

This has quickly become my HG highlighter. It was one of the first products I picked up in Korea, and I completely bought it on a whim. There are two shades available, but I picked this lighter pink shade because it seemed different from other highlighters I had seen before. It was pretty cheap, somewhere between USD $10-15 if I recall. I'm glad I got it!

Packaging: This product comes in a large pan with an equally large mirror on the lid. The packaging feels sturdy, I've dropped it *quite* a few times and it hasn't come unhinged yet! The lettering on the front has already started to wear off, which I notice happens frequently with any drugstore or lower-end beauty products. The powder itself has a raised sparkle design which hasn't rubbed down yet, so it still feels like new.

Application: I found this product especially hard to swatch out with my fingers. That's one of the things that drew me to this product originally - I thought there would be no way I could overdo it. However, when applied with the brush this goes on very nicely and is quite noticeable. Something I don't like about other highlighters I've tried, such as the Revlon Skin Lights Powder or the Paul & Joe Highlighter Powder Duo, is that it seems barely noticeable once applied. Of course a highlighter shouldn't be over the top, but I don't like that some products get lost on the skin completely. This shows up and doesn't look over the top even when I apply extra.

Top: Flash

Bottom: No flash

Wear: I use this on the tops of my cheekbones and on my brow bones and tear ducts. The effect on the eyes is especially nice when I'm not wearing much makeup. My new everyday eye look is just a little transition shade in the crease (a bronzer if I'm especially lazy) and this highlighter. You do have to be careful not to over-do it on the brow bones, as it can look overdone with a very neutral eye look.

I find that this product looks especially nice with matte blushes. Recently I picked up MAC Peaches, and this over Peaches and whatever bronzer lightens up an otherwise very dark cheek look. 

This product is especially long-wearing. I notice it more at the end of my day in my tear ducts than I do on my cheekbones, but I have the very bad habit of touching my face during the day, especially when I'm studying. I'm sure I wear most of this off my cheekbones but I still notice it's there. Even when I rub my eyes this product stays in the tear ducts, which is really amazing. 

Overall: This product is it for me. It's pigmented, long wearing, and you get a lot of product for your buck. I won't be shopping for a new highlighter any time soon! 5 stars! I recently found an Etude House in Japan and I might consider getting the other color, whcih was more beige/nude. Stay tuned!

What Etude House products are your favorite? What kind of reviews would you like to see next? Let me know! 

Review: Etude House Lip Tints!

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I posted. I went to Seoul and hauled a TON of skincare, beauty, etc. and can't wait to share it with you!

I heard a lot of buzz on the internet about Etude House's various lip tints. I won't even lie, Etude House was my first stop in Korea... our hostel was right next to one! Needless to say I dropped in multiple times. Over the course of my trip to Seoul I picked up five different types of tints from Etude House, all of different varieties. I assumed at least one of them would have to be a hit! I tried to get a range of colors to try out, but many of them wound up looking similar. I'll have all the tubes with their swatches at the end. Enjoy!

Rosy Lips Tint #4: Sweet Potato

Packaging: This is the only tint I bought with a sponge applicator. The product is dispersed through the opaque squeeze tube and comes out on to a white sponge. Mine was new so I assume the sponge would get much more drenched with product over time.

Application: It applies smoothly to the lips and is highly pigmented. The finish is semi-matte but does not have an overly drying effect. It blends beautifully and can be worn either very dark (like the swatch above) or blended out as a very cool-toned (i.e. blue) magenta shade.

Wear: This tint is moderately long wearing. The color stays deep and lasts through eating and drinking, with touchups required. I imagine the sponge tip would make it easy to create the trendy "ombre effect", but without a good YouTube tutorial I can't see myself trying that!

Color Pop #2: Sunny Pop

Packaging: I'm a sucker for the design on the tube! This tint comes in a solid tube with a sponge applicator. The tube is solid white and black on the inside, making it impossible to see how much product is left. The applicator is nicely curved so it contours to the lips. If I could take this applicator out, clone it, then stick it in all the other tints that would be great!

Application: This product has a semi-sheer consistency. It wears much more red than orange on the lips, which I like. Its a very dramatic color payoff for a semi-sheer formula.

Wear: The formula doesn't feel drying but it isn't very long lasting either. I would say this wears 2-3 hours without eating or drinking. It does not stain the lips as much as I would have hoped, and performs more like a long-lasting gloss.

Fresh Cherry Tint PP501 (limited edition?)

Packaging: This product comes with a sponge applicator, which is straight and can be somewhat difficult when applying to the curves of the lips. The handle is quite long which is nice. The packaging is opaque and the container is quite light, so I wonder how much product is actually in there.

Application: This product has the sheerest consistency of all the tints I picked up. It has a high gloss finish and feels moisturizing on the lips. It shows up more pink than purple on the lips, which was somewhat of a disappointment for me - I wanted to rock the purple look!

Wear: The shine of this tint fades with any eating or drinking, but the color LASTS! Out of all the tints I bought this has one of the best staining powers. It also stains the lips evenly and isn't as much of a problem for flaking lips, which is kryptonite to lip tints (: Also, it smells like sweet tarts. I can't get over the smell!

Color Lips-Fit #RD301: Perfect Fit Red

Packaging: This product comes in a sturdy tube with a long handle and a sponge applicator. This product is the heaviest of all five reviewed here. The tube is see-through so you can see how much product is left.

Application: This product has a matte finish and dries quickly on the lips. Unfortunately the lips dry along with it, and without a balm on top this tint looks very ... crusty. Ew. Despite being labelled "red" this is absolutely a hot pink. Perhaps it was labelled red because it is more orangey than other pink colors I bought in Korea, which were almost all cool toned.

Wear: This tint is very long lasting considering the intensity of its pigment. With eating the middle of the lips wears down and reapplication is required. However, if you're not eating a full meal this product wears well for most of the day. I wore it walking around Seoul and didn't have to reapply while drinking bottled tea or iced coffee. It also showed up nicely in photos.

Kissful Tint Choux #4: Tangerine Choux

Packaging: Shout-out to the cutest, girliest packaging! How could I resist the little hearts and sparkles?? haha. This product dispenses in a toothpaste-like tube. Its quite malleable so I know just how much is in there, and I think I'll get every last drop out of this little guy!

Application: The end of this applicator reminds me of lip treatments. Its extremely imprecise, which is frustrating. If you wanted to get a crisp, defined lip out of this you would have to use a brush. I usually dispense this in the middle of my lips and move it around. It has a very glossy finish and feels moisturizing on the lips.

Wear: This is the most effective tint out of the whole bunch. The color lasts through eating and drinking, BUT the color changes throughout the day! It goes on the light tangerine color you see in the swatch above and becomes hot pink within about 15 minutes. Both colors are lovely but the first time I put this on I was surprised to see myself in the mirror an hour later!

I'm glad I invested in these little guys. They're a lot of fun to play with, and I see myself using the brighter shades in the summer. Out of all of them, I would have to say the Color Lips-Fit and Color Pop are my least favorites, whereas the Fresh Cherry Tint and Kissful Lips Choux are my #1s. (These names are ridiculous!) Three shades were very similar: the Rosy Lips Tint, Color Lips-Fit, and Kissful Tint Choux (after 15 minutes). I'm slightly disappointed that I would up with three similar hot pinks, but hey, I suppose I won't need anything else in that shade for some time!

Do you own any Etude House tints? What do you think? Let me know & I hope you enjoyed!