I’ve no idea why Korean lip products are as great as they are, no matter which texture. I bought liquid lipsticks, matte lipsticks, glossy lipsticks, lip masks – all great. Here’s the review of some of my new favourites from peripera, Clio and Chateau Labiotte (yup, that famous wine bottle lipstick!). Why they’re all some shade of red – I guess I have a type?!
I swatched all lipsticks on my bare lips, without any primer or liner. As you can see when you’ve a look at the arm swatches, the liquid lipsticks leave a serious stain, and if you follow us on Instagram (you should!), you’ll see that after my little swatch session I looked as like I’d still wear a pink-red lipstick – and that was after removing the colour with cleanser and micellar water. It was insane.
peripera peri’s ink velvet
These are liquid lipsticks with a doe foot applicator and a mousse-like texture. The finish is (surprise) velvety, their longevity is awesome the formula is non-drying on my fussy lips and they stain wonderfully. I’ve worn them quite regularly, and am in love with them. I want more. They’re exactly what I like: a satin-matte finish that fades evenly and leaves a great stain.
Be careful though – I found the application with the slightly unwieldy applicator a bit difficult, and the formula doesn’t tolerate mistakes. If you overdraw or something, tough luck, that’s nearly impossible to correct because of the stain it leaves. When you open the cute little bottle, the formula smells a bit like gummy bears.
Don’t expect that they survive a three-course dinner intact (or the constant snacking on popcorn during the course of The Beauty and the Beast. Ahem.). They aren’t really transfer-proof, too. Nevertheless, I’d immediately exchange all my liquid lipsticks for these (apart from the Lancome Matte Shakers.).
I bought gorgeous clear cherry-red No.1 Sellout Red and the cool burgundy red No. 9, Love Sniper Red. There’s 8g in the tubes, and I paid about 9.000 Won for them (about 7-8$). You can easily order them from online shops that specialise in K-Beauty, like Roseroseshop or Jolse. peripera and Clio (see below) belong to the same company, so you can buy both at the US site (see below).
Clio Mad Matte Lips
The blurb on the packaging says “pigment-rich lipstick provides velvety-smooth payoff and a matte finish that will not dry the lips”. I’ve nothing to add to this. Although the Ink Velvets and this one are totally different in every aspect, the feeling on the lips and the finish are very similar. The formula does definitely feel very smooth, also it is on the firm side, and it might drag on not-prepped lips a bit. They come in a traditional (and very chic looking) tube, the finish is a satin one as well and it’s definitely a non-drying formula.
They aren’t as awesome in the longevity department as the Velvet Inks, though – but this is a very, very nice satin lipstick nevertheless. They smell a bit like MAC lipsticks, slightly like vanilla. Also a bit of a fail on my side, because I actually wanted Sensual Pepper and got Red Surprise. Well, next time… (around $12). Like the peripera inks, you can easily order Clio online at the aforementioned shops, Clio also has an US-online store. Items tend to be a lot more expensive there, though (see here, for example).
Chateau Labiotte Wine Lipstick
Yes, I totally went there and bought the “wine bottle lipstick” just for the sake of its cute packaging. I got the shade RD01, Malbec Burgundy, another cool wine shade. The lipstick comes with a smudger in the “bottle” cap to achieve the Korean ombre lip. It’s actually a rather nice lipstick, with a wonderful satin formula that just glides on. Like all the lipsticks I mentioned above it’s neither drying nor uncomfortable to wear. Weartime though isn’t the greatest, although it leaves a nice stain. It transfers, too.
Labiotte’s lipsticks are supposed to wine extract in it to condition your lips, and some other benefitting ingredients that smooth the lips and make the lipstick adhere to them (the “fitting” part of the lipstick description). Sadly, it doesn’t smell/taste like wine, but rather like wine gummies. It’s funny, with this one I came for the packaging and got a wonderful surprise. A lipstick that performs great, with a really enjoyable formula. Memebox has a bit more info, including incis. (Around $14.) Labiotte (sister brand to Tony Moly, btw) has an US-site, but same deal as with Clio and peripera – it’s easy to order them in Korea, for example here, and cheaper on top of that.
Best K-Beauty lip products?!
Generally, I was very impressed by peripera’s and Labiotte’s lipsticks. Clio is nice, but not as special as the other ones. I’ll definitely pick up some of peripera’s velvet inks in some nudes, pinks and corals, because those shot right up into my top three favourite lipstick formulas of all times.
