With mask mandates winding down, many are on the hunt for the ‘perfect lipstick’. We need to be able to take off our masks and look flawless, with our lipsticks intact. Of course, this requires a low-transfer, long-wearing, and barely-there texture. Sounds impossible, right? Well, innovative K-beauty brands have spent the entire pandemic developing new formulas, just waiting for this moment. Here are three Korean brands that offer their customers the perfect lipstick.
Korean Lip Trends
After months and months spent developing their own formulas, K-beauty brands seem to have come up with their own industry consensus. They have begun releasing sheer lipsticks that lend a natural tint to your lips without looking overdone. These sheer formulas result in minimal transfer due to the light colors. The thin textures also contribute to a lightweight feeling that makes them sought after by consumers during this time. With off-and-on masking, the last thing we want is tacky lipstick.
Coupled with the ‘꾸안꾸’ or the ‘effortlessly put-together’ trend that’s been sweeping Korea recently, these sheer lips have really come together as the perfect answer to all our lipstick worries. With these new formulas, we now look presentable after a day of masking up.
Here are some of the best-selling and most loved sheer lipsticks to help you stay up-to-date on the K-beauty trends.
Hera’s Sensual Spicy Nude Volume Matte Lipsticks
One of the first sheer lipsticks to come out on the market after the pandemic hit, Hera found success with this line immediately. The sheerness of the colors and the smooth application gives wearers a beautiful watercolor effect on the lips. It adds just enough color to a person’s natural lip color to appear made-up yet not overdone.
Just as the name suggests, Hera also included lip-plumping ingredients in the formulation. A few swipes activates a cool minty feeling, without being painful. Although you will not see a major change, the natural-looking effect is welcome. However, many have claimed that it is very useful in plumping lips enough that deep lip lines are filled, allowing wearers to present a perfect pout.
The rosy brown color called Truffle is a definite favorite in this line. It sold out very quickly at every department store in Seoul when it was first released. Even now, it remains a color that many people reach for when concluding their daily makeup. Hera also made sure to include lighter, nude colors. These include Etiquette and Nude Cream. These colors are perfect for the layering gradation trend that’s persisted in the K-beauty industry for years. Many even use them alongside other lipsticks to give their lips a smooth finish, courtesy of the subtle lip-plumping ingredients.
Clio Melting Matte and Dewy Lipsticks
Released a bit later than Hera’s Volume Matte lipstick, Clio’s Melting Matte employs a very similar sheer formulation. However, it does not include the spiciness that Hera’s brings. In lieu of that, Clio brought two different types of finishes to the market with one launch. The launch included both a Matte line and the Dewy line that offers a beautiful glow to the lips.
Unlike Hera’s product, this line is technically a colored lip balm and not a lipstick. Thus, has stronger moisturizing abilities. The Dewy formulation is said to be much better than the Matte. However, the Matte isn’t drying at all. In fact, it is one of the few matte lipsticks that is recommended for those with chronically dry lips. Due to the nature of the product, the Dewy version does stain more on masks than the Matte. The matte is said to leave virtually no stain.
The Matte line consists of 9 different colors in all different tones and saturations. On the other hand, the Dewy line offers 5 colorways, giving consumers plenty of choices. Following the sudden trend of cool-toned lips, there are dark berry shades in both formulas. Plus, the standard bright coral and toned-down brick have always been well-loved by women in Korea, are also included in the collection.
Amuse’s Dew Velvet Tint Lipsticks
All of Amuse’s recent releases have featured a sheer application. Perhaps this is in keeping with current trends, or because it’s truly the most comfortable mask-proof formulation around.
Different from the above two, Amuse appears to prefer releasing liquid tints rather than classic bullet lipstick. Their Dew Velvet tint applies wet. It is moisturizing to the lips well. But then, it sets sheer, into a blurry texture that brings the beauty of the colors to the next level.
As with the other products, the Dew Velvet tints aren’t as pigmented as regular velvet tints are. But, Amuse has used this formulation to its advantage by releasing calmer, muted colors that brighten up faces without looking too out there. The gentle colors help lend the sophisticated vibe Amuse is well-known for. It allows customers to show off a clearer, purer image than highly-colored tints do.
The favorite colors from this line are Seouler, a pale peachy nude perfect to use as a base color when layering various colors for graduation. The salmon-pink shade named Lively Rose is also a highly sought-after color, as it adds just a gentle hint of color to the lips – the combination of the two is also stunning.
If you have damaged lips and are looking for products to help them recover, Click Here for information on two of the best Korean lip balms.
