REVIEW: Banila Co. Floral Seoul Lip Crayon in Boston Pink

The lovely floral packaging 

A handy lip crayon 

~AG~

Banila Co. Floral Seoul Lip Crayon was purchased last year for KRW 14,000 (S$17). The floral packaging attracted me to this lip crayon. The shade I selected was Boston Pink (ND 02), which is a dusty rose. The shade looks brown on packaging, but it shows up as pink (with a hint of coral) on my lips. Boston Pink reminds me of one of My Lips But Better (MLBB) lip products, NARS Sheer Lipstick Dolce Vita. Although Banila Co. Lip Crayon is more pigmented than NARS Sheer Lipstick. Banila Co. Lip Crayon has a creamy texture that is non-drying. My lips felt comfortable wearing it without any lip balm on. Banila Co. Lip Crayon has a semi-sheer finish that is great for everyday use. 

It has twist mechanism so no sharpening is required

Regarding its staying power, it lasts 2-3 hours with normal wear. Since it is not a tinted formula, the lasting power is not as great as VDL Tint Bar. The color does wear off when eating and drinking. Overall, Banila Co. Lip Crayon has a medium staying power. 

Special rounded tip

Swatches of Boston Pink

Honestly, I was not expecting much for this Lip Crayon, but it highly exceeded my expectations. What took me so long to try this product remains a mystery. But I am glad I found this Banila Co. Lip Crayon. Best of all, Banila Co. Lip Crayon is way more affordable alternative compared to NARS Sheer Lipstick. Banila Co. Lip Crayon is half the price of NARS Sheer Lipstick. Will definitely recommend this Lip Crayon to those looking for a great everyday lip color to wear.

REVIEW: banila co. brow auto pencil in deep brown

Double-ended eyebrow pencil

The twist function of the brow pencil 

In Deep Brown (03)

Angled eyebrow pencil

~AG~

 

Bought this Banila co. Brow Auto Pencil when I was in Korea this past June. It retailed for KRW 9,500 (~S$12). This brow product was not part of my shopping list, but the saleslady at the Banila co. store in Doota mall was very kind and helpful. That motivated me to buy more products from Banila co. On my previous trip to Korea, I had bought a CC Cushion and CC Cream from Banila Co. Though, those products did not work for me. I am willing to try their other products.   

 

Korean actresses and singers are known for their thick, straight brows. The Korean brows gives a more fresh and youthful look. Decided to buy more brow products during my trip to Korea because I hardly do them. I am totally clueless on doing my own brows. The responsibility of eyebrow shaping is usually taken by the lady that does my eyebrow threading. With that being said, my brows are usually au naturel except for the occasional eyebrow gel.

 

Being a dummy on eyebrow makeup, it was a trial-and-error process. Compared to Benefit Brow Zings that I have used previously, Banila co. Brow Auto Pencil gives a more natural finish. It is not as pigmented as the Benefit Brow Zings. It does take a few strokes for the pigment to show up on my brows. The pigment is more suitable for everyday use. It stays on all-day and does not fade. The shade Deep Brown (03) perfectly matches my black hair and medium skin tone. It is a retractable brow pencil that do not need sharpening, making it travel-friendly.

 

I find brow pencil more difficult to use than brow powder. It is easy to get heavy handed while filling in your brows with a pencil. Even though eyebrow pencil is the "older" brow product on the market, more skills are required to fill in your brows with a pencil. For those that are new to eyebrow makeup, I would recommend an eyebrow powder/gel combo. It is definitely much easier to use! In conclusion, I would not repurchase this product because I would rather stick to my eyebrow gel and powders instead.

 

REVIEW: banila co. It Radiant CC Cream

~AG~

After a year after its purchase, I am finally trying out Banila Co. It Radiant CC Cream. In South Korea, this CC Cream retails for about US$25. Previously, I have tried the Banila Co. CC Cushion and shade (BE15) was not a good match to my medium skin tone. However, this CC Cream only comes in one shade. It is a pinkish shade that blends into the skin. Its has a pump packaging with a protective cap to prevent spillage.

The CC Cream does not blend well into the skin. My sister commented on how there were white patches on my skin. I used my fingers to apply the CC Cream as I would a sunscreen. Plus, this does feel slightly greasy halfway through the day. 

I would not recommend this CC Cream unless you have very fair complexion. 

http://www.banilaco.com/product/productDetail.do?seq=100958&cateVo.category1=1001

REVIEW: banila co. it Radiant CC Cushion

The sponge part of the CC Cushion

The puff provided to apply the CC Cushion

~AG~

What an interesting concept of CC Cushion. It makes applying CC Cream so much more convenient. It is like a cream foundation but with less coverage.

Clink link to see my previous post about this product. http://beautyloverssisters.blogspot.sg/2014/06/banila-co-it-radiant-cc-cushion-spf-35.html

So what can I say about banilla co. CC Cushion?

It has a light coverage. If you have a huge zits or severe redness, this CC Cushion does not full cover those blemishes. It also does not help conceal dark circles. Texture wise, it does not feel heavy on my skin. It blends easily onto the skin, and leaves behind a nice finish. 

I noticed that the shade on this CC Cushion (BP #15) does not match well for my skin. The banila co. it Radiant CC Cushion only comes in one shade. 
EDITOR'S EDIT (May 2, 2015): Just found out on the banila co official website that there are 3 shades available for CC Cushion. The shades available are: BE10, BP15 and BE20. http://www.banilaco.com/product/productDetail.do?seq=101466
The salesperson gave me the wrong information that there was only one shade. I feel so CHEATED! I think BE20 would have worked better for my skin tone.

The shade, BP#15, is too white for my yellow/beige skin tone. For reference, I am NC 30-35, Chanel Beige 30, Bourjois 52 Vanille and Bobbi Brown Beige. I used this CC Cushion twice, and was so turned off by the shade mismatch that I discontinued use. Even though the shade somehow blend in with the skin tone, it has a white effect that is unflattering. You can see the obvious shade mismatch around my undereye area (See pics above). I think this product will work better for people that have a lighter skin tone.

CC Cushion on application is very light colored

 

It has a white effect

 

This CC Cushion is for those that have fairer skin tone and have relatively good skin without much blemishes and discolouration  With that being said, there are better skin base/foundation/BB cream/CC cream with the same price point that do a much better job compared to banila co. it Radiant CC Cushion such as Hera CC Cream  & Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation. 

Banila Co it Radiant CC Cushion

~AG~

I cannot wait to try this Banila Co. CC Cushion. I bought this while I was in Korea a few months ago. I forgot how much it retails for exactly. It was around USD$35. It is rather expensive purchase but I figured the cushion technology is what makes it pricey. Anyway, I will let you all know whether it is worth the price tag. Stay tuned!

banila co. it RADIANT CC Cushion SPF 35 PA ++

~AG~

The only reason I know this brand is because of their spokesperson, Jessica from SNSD (Girls’Generation). I have seen her pictorials for the advertisements, and also have seen a Youtube video of her demonstrating on how to use their products.

I am a big fan of SNSD makeup looks, especially Jessica’s. Her makeup look is usually more of a natural one with radiant skin and soft colors to compliment her skin tone.

Unfortunately, banila co. do not have a store in Singapore. So when I was in Korea last month, I decided to check out their store and scouter their products.

Beforehand, I did research about banila co. products. Their most popular products were their makeup remover that comes in a tub and was a balm formula, their makeup primer and also their CC Creams.

This is one of banila co. best sellers, their CC Cushion.  In addition to the it RADIANT CC Cream, I bought this CC Cushion because from what the saleslady explained to me it has more coverage. While the CC Cream has more of a primer function, the CC Cushion works as a foundation. I’ve always heard of CC Cushion and am quite intrigued by how it works. Basically, it looks like a powder compact. However, the packaging is thicker compared to other compact powders. CC Cushion in its simplest form is a CC Cream in a compact packaging. However, the cushion form of the compact supposedly allows the CC Cream to be applied more evenly. The CC Cushion has been in the Korean market for a while now but it has only recently been promoted overseas.

I cannot recall exactly how much it costs. But I remembered it being pricier than my other Korean beauty products purchase. It costs around USD$25-30. I was taken aback when the saleslady informed me about the price but I figured since it uses the newest technology, it could demand a higher price.

I have yet to try it out. Will let you all know when I do get to try it. I am trying to minimize the use of skin makeup for now because I am in the midst of changing my skin care regimen, and do not want more products to throw it off balance. But I will try it sooner or later. Till then, stay tuned!