My thoughts on the highly pigmented gloss after wearing it just once.

i have been keeping a look out for these lip gloss ever since they made their debut last year. i didn't buy it immediate because 1) i wasn't in the right condition or mindset to wear makeup last october, 2) the price is too jarring.

each pop costs SGD 20.90 normally.

i got it a few days ago as it had a 50% discount. it's a weekly special at watsons, so i took my chance and made my long awaited purchase. there's only one shade that have captured my heart since a year ago, so i brought it home.

005 PARISIAN PASSION is a deep purplish-berry shade. 

similar to the maybelline lip polish/elixir and innisfree creamy tint lip mousse, this lip gloss-lip balm hybrid has shine of a lip gloss, the colour of a lipstick, and the moisturizing capability of a lip balm.

COLOUR: you can call it a burgundy shade, to me it's more like a purplish-wine shade. 005 parisian passion doesn't contain any shimmer or glitter.

PIGMENTATION: the gloss is rather pigmented. one layer gave me a translucent wash of colour (photo below) while two coats fully coloured my lips (as seen above).

FINISH: it has a glossy finish.

PACKAGING: the colour of the squarish tube reflects the colour of the product within. i think it's quite true to how it looks on my lips!

a paddle applicator with a tapered end for precise application. the colour payoff is good and that's just one coat of product!

TEXTURE: a very thick liquid, some skills are required to spread it out evenly over my lips. thanks to the stickiness, it adheres to the skin very well. when i smack my lips, they didn't stick together like i had expected it to do so (as with the revlon ultimate suede lipstick), which is a pleasant surprise for me.

does it stain? see for yourself!

STAINING POWER: it stained my bare lips pretty well within 10 minutes. the longer i have it long, the darker the stain. i love the natural look of my wine stained lips! (note: my lips are clean and bare prior to application)

FORMULA: the product is very hydrating and can be worn on its own (without any lip balm). in fact, i think it's best to start off with a pair of bare lips if you want to get stained well. the viscosity of the product allows it to be spread out evenly, thus ensuring an even stain. even though it adheres well to the skin, it isn't overly sticky.

STAYING POWER: the gloss itself isn't long lasting, but the stain is.

SCENT: lightly scented, i can't quite pin point what's the smell but it doesn't smell unpleasant.

taken under yellow/warm lighting

taken under white/cool lighting

HOW TO PERFECT YOUR APPLICATION: when i said some skills are required to fully maximise the benefit of this product, i just mean for you to utilise the paddle applicator for a perfect application. i find that the best way to apply this new kind of liquid balm (similar to the maybelline lip polish/elixir and innisfree creamy tint lip mousse) is to use enough force to smooth the product over your lips. lip smacking pre-maturely may result in an patchy application. also, make sure your lips are clean and bare without a trace of lip balm for the best application experience.

OTHER PRECAUTIONS: you may also want to dip the applicator slowly back into the tube to prevent over spilling of the product because the thickness of it will increase the risk of trapping air and thus, spilling out of the tube. you don't want to get this sticky mess onto anywhere that's not your lips.

VERDICT: a lovely formula with amazing colour payoff. i love how it moisturizes my lip which packing the colour on so intensely. i would prefer it to the loreal shine caresse glossy stain as the former is more hydrating and pigmented. one layer of product gives you about 70% of the colour, but if you're aiming for super dark lips, two coats might be necessary.

Nature Republic By Flower Triple Volume Tint 05 Peony

the nature republic by flower triple volume tint is a water tint that gives you a pop of colour AND shine. this is a little different from the l'oreal shine caresse in terms of consistency, as this is definitely more watery. this is actually a lip stain with a glossy finish, after long hours of wear the shine wears off, but the colour stays.




05 peony



one swipe on the left, two swipes on the right.


the colour is more milky right off the tube, but it changes slightly after some time as it sets into a more vivid colour. these thing stain really well. i removed them with a tissue paper less than 2 minutes after application.





when applied lightly (one layer), the colour is a tint of hot pink. it was about 3 layers of the product on my lips in the photo above, what you get is a full bodied dark hot pink, and a very glossy finish (but not sticky!). i think the glossy is a very lightweight oil. there are no glitters or shimmers in this product, just pure colour.

the product is watery and spreads relatively easily. the doe foot application makes application easier as it's more precise and can get to the corners of my lips pretty well.

it is heavily scented, something that took me time to get used to. it's not unpleasant i would say, it's just too strong. i wish it's more subtle because it's actually a pretty nice fragrance.


it stains really well! this is after i wiped my lips with a piece of tissue. it's not the gentle blotting, ladies. the shine comes off but not the colour.

IMHO:
i really enjoyed its staining power and the glossy finish. the fact that it's not sticky is a very big plus point in my opinion. there's something really special about its watery formula, and that it needs time to set into the gorgeous colour. i don't know what's going on, but it feels like the gloss is changing from that milky state into a clear protective sheen. when i blot it right after application, there'll be a lot of color that comes off. but after it sets, it's just the glossy layer that comes off - i can't see any obvious lip colour on the tissue.

however, i do have a slight problem with the water formula, when i tried to use this to create a gradient lips, i realize it doesn't stain my lips evenly - i can't get a gradient with this product! it's something that my lip smacking can't correct. i think it's partly my lips too, because i seem to have more dead skin cells towards the inner part of my lips, and those are typically the cells that the stain works on. while this is a good lip stain to stain the entire lips, the formula makes it harder to control precisely where i want the colours to be more intense. therefore, i'd much prefer a more viscous formula if i wanna get a gradient lip effect.

and that scent, it takes some time to get used to.

i got this as a gift from my gf when she travelled to korea.

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