When it comes to lip products, I generally find I tend to prefer a matte finish for the most part. So, when Etude House came out with a range of matte liquid lipsticks I knew I had to grab at least a few to try them out. The Matte Chic Lip Lacquer range is a collaboration from Etude House with Kpop group Red Velvet, who are the current faces of the brand. The range contains 12 different shades with a varied number being either cool, warm or neutral toned. Each member of Red Velvet was also assigned a lip colour which was, in turn, named after them. To help promote the line, the girls had a pop up store and spent time in the store helping customers, most of which were fans of the group.
The lipsticks aim to be mattefying without drying the lips out, long lasting, highly pigmented and smudge resistant. It contains a quick fixing oil which coats the lips and helps the colour fully lock in without worry of make a mess.
T H E S H A D E S
M Y C H O S E N S H A D E S
I didn't want to go all out and purchase a whole pile of these in case I ended up not liking the product so I thought two would be a good start just to give them a tryout. It was a challenge to narrow it down to just two because the majority of the warm/neutral shades are right up my street and I had to fight the urge to just add them all to my basket. In the end, I picked BR401 Wendy Brown and RD301 Ready For Red. My whole lipstick collection is almost 98% bold, bright colours so I wanted some more muted colours that would suit daily wear.
So the one that I knew I was buying before I looked through all of the shades thoroughly was Today is Wendy Brown, a shade that caught my eye when I saw the initial promotional photo of Wendy on the Etude House page. Was it because Wendy is my favourite Red Velvet member? Partially. But I wanted to add some more rose toned shades to my make up collection. This one in particular is a neutral (best suited for summer or autumn seasonal toned people) rose-brown.
This one is my personal favourite out of the two ♡
It also seems to be the most popular out of all of the shades
I N G R E D I E N T S
ISODODECANE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, SILICA, POLYISOBUTENE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, METHYL HYDROGENATED ROSINATE, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, POLYETHYLENE, ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE, ACRYLATES/DIMETHICONE COPOLYMER, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, LAURYL PEG-9 POLYDIMETHYLSILOXYETHYL DIMETHICONE, POLYHYDROXYSTEARIC ACID, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, METHICONE, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, TOCOPHEROL, FRAGRANCE [+/- (MAY CONTAIN) TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140), YELLOW 10 LAKE (CI 47005), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491), RED 22 LAKE (CI 45380), RED 6(CI 15850), RED 28 LAKE (CI 45410), RED 7 (CI 15850), RED 33 LAKE (CI 17200), IRON OXIDES (CI 77499), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090)]
A red lipstick should always belong in your collection. It's a colour that suits everyone (provided you get the right undertones for your skin) and can transform a look into either sultry or bright and playful. I have a large selection of reds, but the majority of them are very WOW HI I AM RED HI bright and while I live for that, I wanted a more subtle red that didn't look so glaring. So, I picked Ready for Red which falls into the warm-autumn palette so it's my ideal tone of red.
I N G R E D I E N T S
ISODODECANE, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, SILICA, POLYISOBUTENE, DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE, METHYL HYDROGENATED ROSINATE, BARIUM SULFATE, SYNTHETIC FLUORPHLOGOPITE, POLYETHYLENE, ACRYLATES/DIMETHICONE COPOLYMER, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, LAURYL PEG-9 POLYDIMETHYLSILOXYETHYL DIMETHICONE, POLYHYDROXYSTEARIC ACID, CETYL PEG/PPG-10/1 DIMETHICONE, PROPYLENE CARBONATE, METHICONE, TRIETHOXYCAPRYLYLSILANE, ROSIN, DEHYDROACETIC ACID, TOCOPHEROL, FRAGRANCE [+/- (MAY CONTAIN) TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), YELLOW 5 LAKE (CI 19140), YELLOW 10 LAKE (CI 47005), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491), RED 22 LAKE (CI 45380), RED 6(CI 15850), RED 28 LAKE (CI 45410), RED 7 (CI 15850), RED 33 LAKE (CI 17200), IRON OXIDES (CI 77499), BLUE 1 LAKE (CI 42090)]
One key feature that caught my eye when using this product is the rather unique applicator shape. Rather than being that of a typical doe foot it has a curve that allows for two different methods of application. Using the small inner curve you can use that to create a gentle gradiation of colour on the lips while the full edge can be used for full coverage.
The colour pay off is amazing! I wasn't sure what I was expecting at first but I'm more than impressed. I found I didn't really have to dip back into the tube to get more product. It becomes matte in about a minute and a half (the photo above was immediately after applying to the skin) and doesn't feel drying initially. However, I found after a few hours my lips felt ridiculously dry, painfully dry at points. When you include eating and drinking throughout the day, the colour seems to last but I found it started to clump and peel off. Quite often I was left looking like I just had lip liner on as it had all been removed from the center of my lips. I tried to use a little bit of lip balm on top afterwards but this tended to change the finish and make it lose it's smudge-proof trait.
For me, I found it a little difficult to apply these neatly, in order to show a tidy lip line, but I feel that's perhaps more to do with my lack of skill rather than an issue with the product, but it is a little on the messy side and I've found it to go on my teeth sometimes with application. The formula is relatively thin in comparison to other liquid lipsticks I have tried which also maybe part of the issue. I think I'm just not used to such thin and pigmented lipsticks. Perhaps its a bit better for me to apply a small amount and smooth out for my own style rather than a full application.
I'm incredibly happy with the two shades I have picked, they're two gorgeous colours, a little darker than I would normally wear as I'm so used to wearing bright corals and pinks on my lips. However, I feel they do suit me.
I personally think Etude House have a great base for a product, but the formula needs a little tweaking to prevent it from drying out. I'm not 100% sure if this is just my own ordeal with it, but I have seen one or two others mention that the lipsticks are too drying for them. I might just have more drying lips than others. I think they're still worth trying out to play with colour and textures. Perhaps not the best product for those who are liquid lipstick noobs like myself.
These lipsticks are generally quite affordable at about an average of £8~, this of course differs from place to place and I personally bought mine from eBay for £7.81 each. You can also get your hands on the special set containing the five namesake shades for the Red Velvet members which also comes with a selection of exclusive photocards. There are also miniature versions available that come box with an image and signature of the assigned member. However, you're paying nearly the same price for a smaller product so it's up to you whether you want more product or merchandise.
Which shades have your eye the most and who out of Red Velvet is your favourite member?
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