[Review] Laneige two tone lip bar in #2 Red Blossom & #3 Pink Salmon

Gradient lips! It’s the lip trend in Asia now hailed from Korea and I find it really clever and flattering. It’s basically the technique of focusing more intense colour in the inner lips and gradually fading into the lip line with a nude / skin / another lip colour. The effect is gorgeoussss. Clever marketeers cuz we now have to get more lip products – lip concealer, at least two lippies, maybe a lip stain as a base omg. 

Today I’m going to review the Laneige two tone lip bar created for the very function of gradient lips that has two lip colours in 1 lipstick! Gradient effect in one swipe, it claims. I was so intrigued by this and it is still the only product in the market like that. Let’s get down to the review!

Brand: Laneige
Product: two tone lip bar
Shade: #2 Red blossom & #3 Pink Salmon
Type: Lipstick
Price: SGD34 (or around USD30 online)
Origin: Made in Korea
Website: Laneige website

THE PACKAGING

  

A rectangular lip bar packaging, different from the typical round lipstick. 

 
 See the little button at the side? Slide that down to get the product up. 

 
Innovative yea? It is retractable by sliding the same button up. But guess what, after photographing these, one of the sliders malfunctioned and it won’t retract even with sliding up! Gosh! Had to use a tissue to push the product back in so the cap can close. Thankfully it wasn’t too hard but don’t play with the sliding up and down unnecessarily!

THE PRODUCT

  

Song Hae Kyo is the prettiest!

   

They have 10 shades. #2 red blossom and #3 pink salmon suited me well when I tried it at the counter so into my bag it goes! 

THE SHADES

      

#2 Red Blossom has a bright red-pink and a nude pink-beige colour. 

# Pink Salmon has a bright true orange and a baby pink colour. 

Love these two lip bars as the colours are really complementary and brings out the gradient very nicely. Some of the other shades have more contrasting colours if you like, and some not even much contrast (like 7 cashmere nude) which defeats the purpose.

On my lips!

   

I find both shades brighten up my complexion in different ways! I don’t own any red red lipstick yet but I find #2 red blossom works on me! 

The texture is smooth and glides on easily. It also feels comfortable on lips, just like a moisturizing lipstick. The lighter colours may accentuate lines so lip balm or scrub first. 

The gradient effect is not achieved in one swipe though. Although I like the diagonal slant which helps create a softer effect, you need a Q-tip to blur out the harsh line between 2 colours. Fingers (even the last finger) don’t do the job as it ends up smearing the line too much that you lose the gradient and end up with one mixed colour on your whole lip. I also tried to use the lipstick edges to blend but then you kinda get both colours onto your lipstick, which you need to clean before your next use so you waste product. 

Staying power is so-so, maybe 3-4 hours? I haven’t found any lipstick which can last beyond 3-4 hours. Except Etude House play 101 pencil #11 with a very matte/dry texture. 

MY VERDICT

Pros:

• Gradient lips with less fuss! No need two different lip products. 
• Innovative design, fun product
• Sleek and light packaging 
• 10 shades, each made with complementary colours and good range from light to dark colours. 
• Comfortable moisturizing texture and wear on the lips

Cons:

• Still need a Q-tip to blur out the gradient line. Fingers too fat. 
• Need to be careful with button sliding thing as mine malfunctioned before using!
• Find the size of the product quite little (only 2g) for the price. It is not as wide as typical round lipstick due to its small rectangular design. 

Overall, I had fun! I’m especially happy with #2 red blossom since I could finally add some red to my lipstick collection. I put #3 pink salmon in my pouch and it is great for daily use and the bright orange really brightens my face with one light swipe. 

You don’t exactly need these lippies to create a gradient effect. Sometimes I actually prefer to use different products and play around with my collection, but for something to carry out and you want gradient lip as quick touch-up, then this is great 🙂

Brazil Haul and Travel 2015

I was in Brazil for 2 full weeks for work and hauled a couple beauty items from duty-free airport shopping, and of course grabbed some must-get Brazil goodies! 

1. YSL baby doll kiss & blush 

  
Got this in #4 Orange Fougueux and #8 Pink Hedonista. Been wanting this for the looooongest time since its launch! Finally…I succumbed and even got 2! First impression, I love its soft matte texture and dual functionality of a blush and lippie. Just what I need for travel ^_^

2. Laneige two tone lip bar

  
Uh huh…yet another lip product. I got #2 Red Blossom and #3 Pink Salmon. I don’t even apply much lipstick actually, but I can’t stop buying! What’s wrong with me LOL XD 

These have two tones in 1 lipstick – and so far the only product in the market like that! I’m just very intrigued by this idea, saw some good reviews, tested #2 Red Blossom and #3 Pink Salmon and it flattered my skin tone.. so into my pouch it goes!

3. Havaianas flip flops

  
THE must-get if you come to Brazil. 
They are so much cheaper in Brazil and probably nicer designs too. Two for about USD35 including accessories add-ons!  Pretty sure you can’t get that price outside Brazil. I love how you can add accessories or bling bling to these flip flops. See the diamond heart and pink turtle? ❤ 

 

4. Kopenhagen chocolates

  
This is the Godiva of Brazil and I must say I love what I’ve tried from this chocolate cafe/shop. Bought 3 types of their 70% chocolate – should be dark chocolate in 3 different flavors but I can’t read Portuguese so not exactly sure LOL. 
I’m still in Brazil and going home in 2 days! Gotta take a 25 hour flight – oh my gawd…. Probably won’t travel here for personal trip cuz it’s simply too far! But Latin Americans are sooooooo friendly I really enjoyed their hospitality ❤

As a bonus, sharing some travel pics!

Iguazu falls weekend getaway. This is a world heritage site and won the 7 new wonders of nature! Seriously..just breathtaking. 

Argentina side~ nope this is not from a postcard and there are so many rainbows! 

  

Brazil side. Also worth visiting!

 

And my next favorite is the street art gallery at Vila Madelena. Love this place and the art is so diverse! 

   

  
I had fun taking selfies lol. I wonder if I’ll ever come brazil again cuz it’s so far but definitely a unique and friendly city! 🙂 

Best BB Cushions for Oily Skin – HERA (Long Stay) vs Laneige (Pore Control) vs Innisfree (Long Wear)

I’m always on the hunt for the best base makeup for oily / troubled skin, and it sure is a difficult mission.  Sometimes it seems impossible to find the dream balance of coverage, matte yet non drying finish, troubled-skin-friendly formulas, a shade that matches your skin tone and the list goes on.

Among power foundations, liquid foundations, BB / CC creams and BB cushions – my clear favourite today is the Korean-invented BB cushion.  I have tried the following 3 brands for over a year now, and would like to share my opinion on which I think is the best!  Hopefully this helps to make your hunt easier 🙂

HERA UV Mist Cushion Long Stay in C21  (full review here)
LANEIGE BB Cushion Pore Control in #21  (full review here)
INNISFREE Long Wear Cushion in #21

All 3 are ‘long stay’, ‘long wear’, or ‘summer friendly’ versions best-suited for oily skin and in the most universal #21 shade.   Note the difference to their more dewy and more moisturized finish counterparts.

So let the comparison begin!

THE PACKAGING

For the top of the case:  HERA – Glittery purple.  LANEIGE – Skyblue.  INNISFREE – White.

HERA and Laneige are both manufactured by the same parent company – Amore Pacific – so they have exactly the same size and width.

Innisfree is less ‘thick’ and smaller than the other two, and is lighter.

HERA is slightly dome-shaped for the top cover, where the other two are flat surfaces.  You can also see from this pic Innisfree is less ‘thick’ than the other two.

HERA and Laneige has shiny reflective sides, while Innisfree is just pure white throughout the entire case.

All 3 has a mirror inside, and a central area to house the BB cushion pot.

HERA and Laneige cases are interchangeable – meaning a Laneige BB cushion pot would fit perfectly into a HERA case (and vice versa).   But Innisfree is a stand-alone and no inter-changing for this one.

Winner on Packaging:

To me, HERA win hands down in this category with its beautifullllll shimmery purple casing.  Since all 3 packaging are almost the same, the deciding factor is really the colour.  Next up, I love Laneige’s Sky Blue top too.   Then, Innisfree.   Don’t get me wrong – Innisfree’s pure matte white casing is very sleek and clean-cut but looks a bit boring next to the other two XD

THE AIR PUFF

HERA’s airpuff is the firmest of all.   Followed by Innisfree.   Laneige is the softest of all.  Laneige and Innisfree has blue airpuffs, and HERA’s airpuff is purple.

I find Laneige’s airpuff is the best for its softness and flexibility – and hence could bend to the natural contours of the face for better application.   HERA and Innisfree are abit too firm to apply smoothly around the nose area where surface is not flat – but can still be done.   Just that when you try all 3, the difference is pretty clear.

Winner on Air Puff:

Laneige – for its softness and flexibility that can bend to any contour of the face.  For this fact, I find it easiest to clean too!

THE SHADE, TEXTURE AND FINISH

The colour you see from the BB cushion mesh.  This is not good representation of the product colour itself since the mesh can be of a different colour.  Nevertheless, you can already see that Innisfree shade is the brightest out of the 3.

Tada!  About 2-layer swatches of each product.

The shade:  Innisfree is clearly the brightest – almost the same as Laneige #13 shade (brighter than Laneige #21).  Note that all 3 swatches are #21 but different brands certainly have a different shade despite the same number.

Laneige has the best match to my skintone, and is also the middle shade out of the 3.  HERA is darkest out of the 3, and has a stronger thicker colour – a bit more yellow tone maybe?

The texture:  Oohh… HERA is clearly the most dewy / shiny – and hence my least favorite texture.   On the opposite, Innisfree has the most matte and dry-est finish.  Laneige seem to have cleverly balanced both matte and dewy (but not shiny).

Now I will blend and pat the product and wait for it to settle to observe the finish.

This is the blended finish look!

HERA’s dewi-ness is toned down by the blending – but still has the most moisturized/shiny finish out of the 3.   Innisfree really looks matte… almost dry eh?  Laneige, again seem to achieve the clever balance of matte yet non-dry finish.

Winner on Shade, Texture & Finish:

This is a very personal thing – some people prefer abit dewy, some people prefer all-matte.  And everyone has different skin tones.

For me, Laneige is the winner here.  Not only its shade offers the best match to my skin tone, its texture and finish is also my favourite.  High on matteness, but has slight moisture retained so it is not drying.  Innisfree felt too dry for me, and HERA is way too dewy for my liking.

THE LASTING POWER

I think you can guess this one.  HERA lasted the shortest on me because it is already rather dewy to start with… I definitely needed to pat off the oil and touch up by lunch time.  Laneige and Innisfree has similar lasting power on me, and looked fine for a good 7-8 hours!  Of course I will turn slightly oily by the end of the day, but touch-up is more like a nice-to-have rather than a must.   However, Innisfree had some oxidation around nose area while Laneige stood pretty strong on this one.

Winner on Lasting Power:

Laneige and Innisfree is a draw here.  Lasts all-day… what a saviour!  Innisfree had abit more oxidation than Laneige around the nose area, but also nothing too disastrous. 

THE COVERAGE

Trying to cover up a dark brown eyeliner with BB cushion *mad*

I applied about 1-2 layers, waited for it to settle, then applied another layer on top.   I think all offers pretty good coverage!  If I had to pick a loser, it would be Innisfree because of its brighter tone hence less likely to cover up marks or scars.

Winner on Coverage:

HERA and Laneige is a draw here.  All 3 offers good coverage, but because Innisfree has a brighter tone, and HERA/Laneige has better undertone, they do offer slightly better coverage.  But don’t pack on too many layers, they may turn cakey – especially HERA.

THE SCENT

Winner on Scent:

Laneige (1st).  Innisfree (2nd).  HERA (3rd).

HERA’s scent is a bit too strong for my liking – especially in the morning.  Abit like artificial fragrance maybe?

Laneige and Innisfree scents are very pleasant and lovely.  A bit like spring, a bit flowery.  Mild and just nice, not too strong.  So refreshing in the mornings and makes me smile 🙂

THE PRICE

Gmarket sells all 3 products online and ships worldwide.  Off to the prices and links!

HERA UV Mist Cushion Long Stay in C21 – KRW48,000 (About USD 45)

Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control in #21 – KRW37,000 (About USD 35)

Innisfree Long Wear Cushion in #21 – KRW19,000 (About USD 17)

Note!  HERA and Laneige comes with free 15g refill so there are TWO BB cushion pots.  Whereas Innisfree does not have any free refill – so don’t get mistaken that Innisfree is half-priced.

Winner on Price:

Innisfree (1st).  Laneige (2nd).  Hera (3rd).

Just ranking from cheapest to most expensive.  No frills.

SUMMARY!

Laneige wins on shade, texture, finish, coverage, lasting power and scent.  It also has the best airpuff.  (See full review here!)

HERA wins on packaging and coverage.  (See full review here!)

Innisfree wins on lasting power and price.

Pretty obvious – the overall winner is Laneige Pore Control BB cushion for me!

And yes, it is my daily holy grail base makeup.  I’m pretty skeptical I’ll find a better alternative to this, but always waiting and hoping for the next launch of a ‘long wear’ ‘summer-friendly’ BB cushion 🙂

Please share with me your finds for great base make-up for oily skin!

[Review] Laneige – BB Cushion (Pore Control) in No. 21 Natural Beige

Hi ladies! Today, I will share a product which in my opinion is THE greatest revolutionary invention in the history of foundation makeup ever.  See the pretty ambassador in the pic above?  Her name is Song Hae Kyo and she is the most gorgeous Korean actress ever (my favourite!). I am not the type to follow latest hypes so I was reallyyyy late in trying a BB Cushion despite all the raves going on in the Asian market and despite Song Hae Kyo… what was I thinking… –__–

Now that I have joined the brighter side, please let me introduce you to this awesome product!

Brand:    Laneige
Product:  BB Cushion (Pore Control) SPF 50+ PA+++
Shade:    No. 21 Natural Beige
Price:    SGD59 
Type:     BB Cushion / Foundation / Makeup base
Size:     15g x 2  (comes with 1 extra refill)
Origin:   Made in Korea
Website:  Laneige website

By now, I think there are already 3 versions of the Laneige BB cushion — (1) Whitening, the first to launch with extra whitening and more ‘moisturized’ final look; (2) Pore Control, more matte finish and more suited for oily/combination skin; and lastly (3) Anti-Aging, the newest addition to the range.

I will be reviewing the Pore Control version – best suited for oily skin and/or in hot/humid weather like Singapore.  It was launched during summer in Korea and went viral.

THE PACKAGING

The Pore Control version has a skyblue surface top (vs a white top for the Whitening version, and a Greyish Silver top for the Anti-Aging version).  I love the skyblue colour!

The case is really sleek and clean cut, with metallic mirror-like circumference. Really sturdy and durable and easy to maintain.

When you open it, you’ll see a mirror and the puff on top of the product.

Taking away the puff and trying to open the product cover, you’ll see another safety seal for a brand new BB cushion.  I like the extra care taken to prevent drying of the product 🙂

THE PRODUCT

Now onto the actual BB cushion product.  I’ll let the brochure do some talking first.

Can you count 800,000 pores…?  I don’t know how they came to that number, but one thing for sure is yes, they are very very fine pores on the BB cushion ‘mesh’ mechanism which lets the product seep through when you press that puff into it.

Like this, tada! Savour this moment when it looks the prettiest and clearest in its brand-new state!

THE AIR CUSHION PUFF

In my opinion, the Air Cushion Puff is the key revolution in this product.  It is the most amazing application tool for a foundation/BB cream/the like.

“The Air-cell dual texture is processed with a special technology that holds nine times more moisture than its weight for supple and glossy skin.  It is slightly thinner than synthetic rubber puff, and has a soft centre that effectively absorbs BB and spreads it evenly on the skin.  Firm yet supple in texture, it conceals pores perfectly and gives the face a radiant and natural finish.”

I truly agree with every word above having used it for a year or so now!  I have tried other BB cushions and the Laneige air cushion has the best balance of firmness to sufficiently capture the product, and softness to apply on your skin flawlessly.

THE SHADES

These are the shades offered in Singapore – I hear it may differ by country but #21 Natural Beige is their global bestseller and most commonly used for Asian skin.

See, the coverage is quite awesome too! Definitely helps in attaining an even skin tone.

Now on the face.  Left side (very obviously) is my bare face revealing all the redness, acne and a thousand other sad problems….. and Right side is with Laneige BB cushion only, no concealer or other makeup base.

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The coverage is AWESOME, right??? Redness almost completely covered.  Also, it may be hard to see on pic but the finish is another mind-blower.  It’s the best balance of matte and glowy one can get.   I personally prefer matte finish but sometimes that can accentuate dryness, especially with combination skin where there are patches of dry parts among the oily T-zone.

MY VERDICT

Pros

• Semi-matte finish with light glow (just like flawless skin!)
• High coverage, no need concealer unless very red
• Lightweight texture makes it hard to get cakey.  One layer is sufficient to achieve dream skin, or maybe two at most.
• LONG staying power >7 hours for me.  I pat with dry tissue at times when my face becomes an oil tank.  Oxidation problems not particularly noticeable.
• Very easy application using air cushion puff. Use light hand for that dreamy flawless skin you see on magazines.
• Shade #21 is flattering for most Asian skintones, and I am lucky that it matches mine very well 🙂
• SPF 50+ PA+++  (what not to like about this)
• Cooling effect upon application  (a plus during hot weather times)
• Lovely flowery scent (the best among all the cushions I have tried)
• Value for money as 2 refills can last a good 6 months or more

Cons

• Not many shades available.  Some people complain shades are too ‘bright’, even #23 the darker one.
• The air cushion puff looks ‘dirty’ after use and needs some maintenance.  I wash it at least once a week but rubbing gently onto a mild soap and all the gunk gets washed out pretty easily.
• For very dry skin, the Whitening version might work better for a more ‘moisturized’ effect.

Overall

If you have not tried this product yet, you gotta put down everything and just buy one to try NOW…  that’s how confident I am that you’ll like the result.  You can choose either the Pore Control (like me if you have oilier skin), or the Whitening one (if you have dry skin), or the Anti-Aging one (which I am very keen to try next).

My skin is farrrr from flawless but thanks to Laneige BB cushion it definitely looks quite flawless! (^_^)