And now for something not super book-related…
You all know about the Lipstick Effect, right? Ever since the pandemic started, my lipstick buying has doubled. I used to have four or five tubes in my bag at a time. Since 2020, I’ve added 13 more to my collection. Mind you, this is pretty tame for many women I know, who have loads of lip products. But I’ve felt a correlation between my lipstick purchasing habits and the pleasantness of my mood. Never mind that I am in the house the whole day, and going outside requires a mask which will cover the lipstick anyway. If I need a quick perking up, I swipe on some lip product and I feel ready to conquer the world.
Part of the reason for my lipstick binge is Colourette Cosmetics. I’ve been hearing fans rave about this Filipino-owned company for the longest time, but it wasn’t until their CEO’s tweets critical of the administration’s handling of the pandemic and subsequent backlash from trolls that I decided to buy from them in support. (Yep, lipstick is political!) I tried the Cherry Colourtint and immediately fell in love. It glides on smoothly, stays put, smells beautiful and doesn’t make my lips chap (something I experienced with other local brands). From my first Colourtint purchase I went on to try their Coloursnap, a multi-use tinted lip balm: it’s the first time I’ve ever liked a creamy cheek tint, with its lightweight finish and color payoff; and then added a Velvetint lipstick as well as their Colourbalm to my collection. The Colourbalm, by the way, is addictive; it smells like watermelons and leaves my lips feeling conditioned.
(I learned about Coloursnap by the way from my fellow #romanceclass members–we did a date night/make up Tambayan episode and everyone raved so much about it I just had to try it.)
My second favorite lipstick brand is Peripera, a Korean brand I started following around the time I was watching Itaewon Class and fascinated with Kwon Nara’s smashing gradient lips. They looked so soft, the lip color so gradual. My research led me to Peripera’s Ink Airy Velvet lip products. Reviews are mixed – some people hate how they smell – but I love them! They remind me of kisses, which are scented little blobs of…I don’t know exactly (plastic?) that we used to collect in elementary school and coaxed to ‘give birth’ by placing them in little containers with moist cotton balls. Ahhh, youth.
Ahem. Anyway. Yes, they smell like kisses, or floral air freshener, which I, again, particularly like. The formulation is very light, almost fluffy or mallow-like. They give that soft, gradient effect but don’t wipe off super easily. I have Ink Airy Velvet 05 (Genius Rosy, which alas disappears on me but looks good combined with a nude, like Happy Skin’s Shut Up And Kiss Me in Lost in Paradise) and 07 (Heart Grapefruit, a fun blood-orange shade). I also have the Ink Matte Blur Tint in Maroon Berry, because I am forever searching for that perfect berry-vampire look and, on the other side of the spectrum, the ASMR Sugar Jelly Tint no. 5 – an absolutely sweet (in looks and taste) lip gloss.
In short, lip products just bring me joy. đ What about you? Are you a lipstick fan? What brands are rocking your world?
Bianca Mori 