I didn't purchase many Etude House products while in Korea because I thought it was just so...pink ^^ But I have come to regret it :( especially since I've become so attached to their lip products :P For people unfamiliar with Etude House (their English site), it's a Korean cosmetics brand that competes with the likes of Skinfood, Missha, TonyMoly, The Face Shop, Holika Holika etc and targets the teen/early20s crowd. In other words, they have very affordable prices, cute packaging and often use kpop celebrities to advertise ^_^
Overall, I think Etude House packaging is pretty decent. Definitely not lux by any means but definitely very cute and sturdy enough, you don't have to worry about anything falling apart in your bag. I have to say on the whole EH packaging is superior to regular American drugstore brand packaging. Their theme tends to be a little too pink and sparkly for my taste but that's their image and I respect that.
Etude House has an official online store as well, all in English, where you can actually buy EH items. They don't offer most of their best products but they do ship to the US for only $6 flat! The site is very user friendly and on the whole, the English on their packaging is perfectly coherent. Of the products you can purchase from their official store, I would recommend trying the Code B Eye Makeup line, Dear Darling Lip Tint, the Moistfull (yes 2 L's) Collagen line, and VIP Girl Dear Darling Lipsticks. I haven't tried any of these but they are getting a lot of media attention.
Etude House Top 10 V-Line Maker
....boobies.
Top 10 is the name of one of Etude House's lines, I don't know what the line is supposed to do exactly, but my impression is that it's a line of "summer-time" makeup, mostly bronzing/slimming products. In any case, I was super excited to try this when I bought it because I have been on the hunt for a proper contouring color for months and the packaging seemed very promising since this palette is a "V-line Maker." A V-line is Korean slang to describe the 'ideal' face, a slim oval with a delicately pointed chin, thus forming a V. And as for why they have a bust on the box -_- it's because you can also use this palette on your chest area to make your boobies look bigger ~_~
So basically, what we have here is a highlighting/contouring palette, which is supposed to help you make that "V-shaped" face (and yes, I'm aware of the social emphasis on physical beauty these kinds of terms can imply but this is neither the time nor place for it). The palette has a light vanilla scent, it's quite pleasant. The palette is no thicker than 1.5 cm so it's very portable. I also find the packaging color to be remarkably understated for a normally pink obsessed Etude House.
Interestingly, this product contains Caffeine and Coffee Seed Extract, presumably to tighten your face (though seeing as it's listed as among the last 5 products, I doubt there is any affect. Not to mention I didn't smell a hint of coffee, which has a pretty distinct and strong scent).
Btw, for those unfamiliar with Korea's fixation on assigning letters to describe body parts here are the terms mentioned in the instructions:
V-line: a small oval face w/ pointed chin
U-zone: the curve of your forehead and hairline (where you add a contouring color to make your forehead seem smaller)
T-zone: forehead, nose bridge, chin (where you highlight)
As for the actually quality of the product, I'm not impressed. At all. The highlighting color is wearable but quite powdery and prone to clumping if you're wearing liquid foundation. Also it's difficult to get out of the pan so it's nigh impossible to highlight larger parts of your face like your cheekbones. The contouring color is even worse. I demonstrate this in the video but good luck getting this on your face :\ It's just exceedingly difficult to get out of the pan and in any case, the color looks way too orange for my taste.
Overall, I do not recommend this palette to anyone. It's nearly useless, though I do use this on occasion to highlight my nose. But honestly, I have like 3-4 nice highlighters already and I don't need another. As for contouring, I have yet to find a suitable product; my ideal contouring color would be some kind of light tan that is buildable with a matte finish.
Dear Darling Ultra Shine Lip Stick - No. 7 Coral Shine
Finally, the good stuff. Whatever Hydro-Glossy Polymer and Elastin Cushion is - I love this lipstick.
There are 14 shades offered, though I'm not sure why No.11-14 are in beige tubes, not pink. Packaging is a wee bit on the cutesy girl side but it's tolerable and not overmuch. It's a plastic tube but it's sturdy enough. It's also a slim tube of lipstick but I like that. Scent is fantastic, like delicate watermelon/peach with a refreshing tangy edge. Not chemically smelling at all and hands down the best scented lipstick ever.
The color I got is color #7 Coral Shine. I don't see any coral in this :\ but it's a lovely pink color with gold/green shimmer. It's definitely sheer but to me that's what makes it so utterly wearable since I have very pigmented lips. As I mentioned in the video, Etude House is known for their lip products so EH has a nice range of colors. Even if this color is not right for you, you can certainly find one among the fourteen lipstick colors they have. These are not highly pigmented but like I said, that's what makes these shades very wearable. And there is color to these lipsticks, they're just not opaque. It's just the kind of lipstick you could slick on when you're in a rush and perfect of people who don't want to deal with highly pigmented lipstick troubles (aka getting it on your teeth, smearing it etc).
Pros:
- smells awesome, like a tangy watermelon or something.
- non-sticky
- very slick, even application
- leaves a very subtle gloss
- great color range
Cons:
- not that long-lasting.
- it's very sheer - though to me it makes it quite wearable.
- some may find the glitter too chunky.
I like this lipstick a lot but that's because it does what I want it to do. I wouldn't reach for these if I want a lot of color (NYX Round Lipsticks can do that) but I literally wear these on a daily basis simply because it's so easy to apply, moisturizing, and low maintenance. It's truly my favorite lipstick in terms of every day wear-ability. I have Swatches below with the Dear Darling gloss.
Dear Darling Gloss - No. 18 Pink Split
They carry 19 shades of this product, which is a pretty big range for lip glosses I think. Packaging is simple and sturdy but very pretty. This gloss has silver and light purple glitter and reflects silver.
Smells stronger than the lipstick, like sweet watermelon candy, but still by far the most pleasantly scented lipgloss I've ever encountered. What really made this lipgloss for me was the the complete lack of stickiness. Not a hint of tackiness, stickiness - nothing. It's slick without being watery and glossy without slipping off your lips (like C.O. Bigalow's Menthe Lipgloss, which ends up on my chin after I talk). This gloss does have a hint of pink to it but it's very faint and therefore perfect as a lipstick topper for just about everything. Interestingly, I find this lip gloss to last longer than the lipstick. After I eat I still have a hint of shine.
Pros:
- smells awesome, like a tangy watermelon or something.
- non-sticky
- applies smoothly
- great topper for anything
- great color range
Cons:
- it's very sheer - though to me it makes it quite wearable.
- some may find the glitter too chunky.
These two lip products are my go-to look on a daily basis. It adds just a touch of pink + shine, I never have to worry about it smearing or slipping and they both smell great. This is what these two products look like on my lips together :)
Super natural but gives your lips a healthy color. If you click to make it bigger, you can see the little glitter flecks from the Dear Darling gloss. Like I've said, this is a staple lip look for me. It's just perfect for every day.
Oblique Line Brush
You can actually purchase this on their website for $7.99 + S&H. I don't recommend getting unless your doing an EH Haul though ^^ I really like this brush, however, because it has a short handle (I can lean closer to the mirror) and has a very precise tip and fine edge. I've washed it several times already and it's holding up well. There's no fallout and the edge is still razor sharp. I use this to do a winged cat-eye with MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack. My only complaint is that if the gel liner dries on your brush, it becomes like a razor - literally - so you have to wash it between every use unless you want to slice your lid -_- On the other hand, it's such a tiny brush it takes but a second to wash :)
Overall
The Ultra Shine Lipstick and Dear Darling Lipglosses are my babiessssssssss~ I can't emphasis how beautifully wearable, sweetly scented and nice they are ^_^ Both are on HG/Favorites list. The Oblique Line Brush is nice too but ultimately, hardly something worth buying alone. And less the said about the V-line Maker the better.
