This post will be about one of the most versatile products in the Sweet Recipe Line - the Etude House Sweet Recipe Cupcake All Over Color. It's aptly named as such, considering how cute the packaging is. They look like cute little take-away cupcakes you get from a bakery in their little tins.
I got one of all the five colors available: PK001 Blueberry Cheese Cake, PK002 Strawberry Chiffon Cake, OR202 Peach Sugar Cake, RD301 Raspberry Mousse Cake and OR201 Orange Choux Cake.
Packaging
First impressions are everything and these babies don't fail to make a mark with their cuteness.
The plastic packaging is purely aesthetic unless you know how to read Korean because it only has descriptions in Korean. Not like you really need instructions to use this product - it's not very much of a mind puzzle haha.
The tins are pretty sturdy too and keep the product nice and cozy inside. The lids have little cupcake swirls and the actual tin has cute stripes which are supposed to be the cups of the cupcakes. This would definitely be easy to carry around and will get a lot of ooh's and ah's from people who see you use it.
Another good point about it is that the packaging lists down its expiry date at the side. Mine expire January 22, 2015. It's really convenient to have an expiry on all your products so you don't go endangering your skin with less than stellar product. The bottom of the product [not pictured] has the name and labels in both Korean and English. Really convenient if you ask me, but you can pretty much tell the color by the lids.
One qualm people might have about this product is how sanitary it is. Honestly, I'm not a huge busy body about having to dip my finger in the product, but if you really want to, you can always use a lip brush or blush brush to apply the product, though I'll explain later how I prefer to use it :)
Product and Price
You get 10g (net weight) of product for 378 PHP (~9.31USD). Some might find this pricey, but really, you only use a little at a time and this is a 3 in one product. I don't have much to complain about there :)
One thing which may concern you is the smell, though I personally love it. Regardless of color, they all smell like Peach. Hahaha I happen to love peach so I don't mind at all, but for those who are averse to it, don't worry, the smell disappears after awhile. You might not want to use it on your lips if you hate it that much though :P
Color and Pigmentation
You can tell from the above pictures that you have a pretty nice range of colors to choose from. There are colors that suit paler skin tones, yellow-toned skin, etc. This stuff shows up on darker skin too, so it's pretty good.
The pigmentation when applied really depends on how much you build it up, although I can safely say it's pretty true to color, and how intense you apply it is at your own discretion.
My favorite colors to use are actually Orange Choux Cake, Blueberry Cheese Cake and Peach Sugar Cake. I just love the uniqueness of the first two, and Peach Sugar is really just an everyday color I use for a natural glow.
From left to right: PK001 Blueberry Cheese Cake, PK002 Strawberry Chiffon Cake, OR202 Peach Sugar Cake, RD301 Raspberry Mousse Cake and OR201 Orange Choux Cake.
How I apply it:
Let's put a bit of color on that face!
On Eyes: Simple Lashes + under lash + Gel liner
On Face: BB cream +finishing powder
Contact Lenses from Dull to Doll
The central thing about this product is really Color and Vibrancy. You can use it on your eyes, your cheeks and even your lips. I'm going to go through the 3 uses all on this post.
Cheeks
When I use this for my cheeks, I tend to use 2 to three colors to create dimension. In this case, I'm using Strawberry Chiffon Cake for the applies of my cheeks and Peach Sugar Cake for the contour color. Using a lighter brighter color on your apples makes you look healthier and using a neutral or darker shade to create shadow gives a more skulpted bone structure.
I use my finger to dab some of the product in the general areas and then lightly blend it in to my skin. The color is very buildable and you can take it as vibrant as you want.
The finish when applied to the cheeks is sort of a satin-glow finish wherein the product which is initially balm-y turns into a powder-y cream texture on your skin. The result isn't as obvious in my picture below but in real life, what results is a nice healthy glow. I chose to go light on the color (not so vibrant) because of my already prominent cheekbones. You can see the result below.
Yay! I no longer look like a corpse!
*One thing to note about using any cream cheek product is that ideally you should always apply it before you set your makeup with a powder to avoid caking. If you put it on top of your powder, and then set it again with another blush, you'll basically have too many layers of makeup for your own good. x_X But when applied correctly and with a moderate hand, there's nothing to worry about :)But what about the lips?
One of the things you'll notice is that if you haven't properly moisturized or exfoliated prior to applying the product may tend to settle into fine lines and dry out lips. I recommend that when you use this in your makeup routine, you leave the lips for last and make moisturizing with balm or petroleum jelly the first step so that you have the entire time you're doing your makeup for your lips to absorb the moisture.
It also helps to top the product off with a shiny coat of lip product like gloss or more balm. I think this product was designed specifically for use with Sweet Recipe My Jelly Lips Talk for the lips. I can't wait for when its released here in the Philippines.
Topping my lips off with a clear peach-tint gloss gives the following result:
Luscious colorful lips!
And last but not least, the EYES!Pinks, reds and oranges are probably the last thing you'd think to put on your eyes, but you'll be surprised at how youthful the result can be if done correctly.
In the case of people with double-lidded/close set eyes like me, it's a good idea to apply any colorful product to the outer corners as an accent color. For people with monolids however, you guys have it easier because pops of color can actually be added all over the lid for a nice colored glow which frames your eye.
In the above picture, I used Blueberry Cheese Cake on the outer corner of my eye and topped it off with a sheer purple shimmer. It's a very subtle way of adding a pop of color to any look! And it works for the other colors as well!
And here's the finished look!
My face looks a lot more lively and healthier than it did in the first picture, that's for sure haha.The color on my lips lasted a good 4 hours without eating, and for Orange Choux and Raspberry Mousse, there was still a little bit of stain let on my lips after a meal, so I absolutely love those for long wear. On the cheeks, the product doesn't last all that long - as is the cakes with a lot of cheek products, so I'm really not complaining. And on the eyes, you guys will be glad to hear that this stuff did not crease on me. Not sure if I can vouch for people with oilier lids than mine though.
So to put it all in a nutshell, here's a quick list of the pros and cons of the product.
Pros:
Can be used on lips, cheeks and eyes
Really nice selection of colors (good for all skin tones!)
Wonderful satin/glowy finish
You don't really need tools to use the product - just your fingers!
Really nice and cute packaging, while still being functional and cute.
Good pigmentation
Buildable!
Doesn't crease on my lids
Doesn't break me out.
Darker colors can actually last longer on the lips
Relatively cheep for a 3 in one product (Price: 378pesos per tin)
Lists the expiry date on the tin
Cons
Sanitary concerns if you're particular about that
May dry out or accentuate lip lines if you don't moisturize prior
Doesn't last long on cheeks (but that's expected)
May cake on skin if not applied correctly (See *)
Some people might not like the smell (Peach)
So, what do you guys think?
Check out my other posts on the Etude House Sweet Recipe Collection below:
Ada, signing out!
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