Rediscovering lipstick (pt 1)

I told myself no beauty buys this month. I did.

Then I lapsed a little in my resolve. I mean lipstick? What's a girl to do without a lil bit o lippie? Never mind she still has quite a few in her stash.

So curiosity got the better of me when I went to local beauty chain, Shins, that carry a few different brands for hair, face and accessories. I was pretty tempted by their offers on Bloom...and so far they're the only store that carries Real Technique brushes (which I have resisted to get for now) but then of all things I saw a bunch of lipsticks I've never seen them carry before. And of all things, the lipsticks were a Korean brand, something the store has not done before. It's a weirdly named brand too. I mean calling something mik@vonk? I don't even know how to really pronounce it. The sales assistant claims it has mostly natural products and really helps to moisturise the lips. And before I knew it, I was swatching all the colours on my hand

Lippie "splurge": mik@vonk on the left and Maybelline Color Sensational on the right. More weird pseudo-English Korean copy on the mik@vonk box: "Magically inspired Know-how in the creation of sparkling beauty"...rofl

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While its outer packaging is seriously boring and really run the risk of no one giving it a second look, the lipstick itself has a most unusual shape. It has a somewhat geometric shape, which I found pretty useful in filling in the corners of my lips. Yes, I bought one. It had 10% off and I got it for around RM23. I got the colour RD201 Noblesse Red, a bit misleading because it isn't as red as its name.

mik@vonk unboxed, in RD201 Noblesse Red

It was redder when I swatched it on my hand but when I slicked in on to my lips (I did it in the shop right after I paid for it), it turned out to be a bit more of a berry colour with more pink in it than red. It also has a bit of fragrance and that certain taste, like a castor oil sensation on the lips, which some people might really not like. Then I noticed it has grapeseed oil as one of its ingredients; I believe that weird aftertaste and sensation is due to that.

All being said, I ended up really liking the lipstick. It looks natural on my lips and has a subtle satin finish. It also stayed on reasonably well, better than other drugstore brands within that price range. I also found it really does moisturises the lips plus I found it even plumps up my lips. You really have to applaud the Koreans for their dedication in make-up (and everything else it seems eg electronics, medicine, food etc). They were probably dabbling in cosmeceuticals before the term was even coined.

RD201 Noblesse Red freshly slicked on

After a meal of chee cheong fun :P I was amazed color was still on

The colors in the range looked really wearable and after seeing how gorgeous the one I chose turned out on my lips, I do recommend the lippie to anyone. The fragrance, taste, and slightly minty sensation could be a turn-off for some but I got used to it and I rather focus on its wearability and how it actually makes my lips look better on its own.

And my lippie adventure went on. At Watsons. With Maybelline Color Sensational..in a separate post..