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This product was sent to me by StyleKorean for review purposes. I was not paid for this post but please note that affiliate links are used on my blog. These go towards supporting Oh My Stellar and future content.
I have a minor insecurity about my lips, though I do find myself complaining about it pretty often. I feel like I have pretty small and flat lips, with very little to no definition at the cupid’s bow which makes it a big irritating to do a full lip look. In the past, I have definitely contemplated getting fillers but there have been a few things that made me hesitant: Pain factor, Maintenance and Cost. And, of course, potential side effects.
In lieu of that, I’ve been looking into cosmetic lip plumpers, which would give me the temporary effect that I’ve after without any procedure. Most of what I’ve found (and tried) have been in gloss form, but it was really surprised to find that Nakeup Face have released a lip plumping lipstick – their C-Cup Lip Tox Tick (and yes, the C-Cup thing did make me giggle a little). This is a full, traditional bullet lipstick with plumping properties, so it’s really different to everything else I’ve seen on the market.
For this review, StyleKorean sent me two of these lipsticks to try out – Kiss Mark, which is a beautiful bright red, and Marilyn, rose pink. They have this lipstick in five different shades, ranging from pinks to rosy reds and there is currently three of these shades in stock on their website. Hopefully, they will all be available again soon! These are selling for USD$23.55 each so if you’re looking to plump your lips and you’re also a fan of vibrant lipsticks, then this might be just the formula for you.
Read on for my thoughts on this!
Product Description
According to the StyleKorean website:
Naked Face + No Make Up = Nake Up Face
To remove all unnecessary affectations, Nakeup Face sought the experience of makeup and skincare experts, beauty editors, designers and advertisers, to collect a rebellious yet free spirited notion of beauty. From it, they created a a makeup style that would highlight the essence of a naked face. Because, when all pretense has been removed, that’s when true beauty begins.
My experience with the Nakeup Face brand has been limited to their AHA Scaling Cream (which you can also read my review for) so I haven’t used any cosmetics from them before. From what I have seen though, their brand seems to prefer a glamour, trendy style that still has the core, Kbeauty ‘minimal make up’ look.
That being said, their brand identity is a little confusing to me. Their campaign for this actual lipstick seems to be more about glamour and sexiness. The promotional images are of a party concept and while I like them, I think that Nakeup Face is either still figuring out their style or going for a completely different concept between skincare and cosmetics.
Delving into this product, however, this product is described as a 5-1 product; a lip balm, plumper, lipstick, tint and treatment. It is meant to have long lasting power of 27 hours, which is a bit excessive, as well as essences (Rose Hip Oil, Macadamia Sedd Butter and Jojoba Seed Oil) to hydrate lips. The lipstick has a velvet finish and a vibrant finish.
In addition to that, it also contains Volufiline (a patented ingredient that seems to be used for breast enhancement, but is also used in other products – like lipsticks), which helps to plump up the area that it is applied on: in this case, the lips.
Packaging
The lipstick comes in a gold foiled box, which has a very simple design but a sleek look to it. The name of the shade is printed on top. It’s nothing all that special, but it does look pretty and luxe! Mostly though, I’m impressed with the actual bullet. For people who like glamarous, ornate design – this is definitely going to be for you.
The bullet is large and squared – similar to the 3CE Mood Recipe Lipsticks – and has a gold metallic finish. The cap of the lipstick is glittery, but the glittery sort of ombres towards the bottom to slowly fade out. It really does look like stars, and it fits in well with the rest of Nakeup Face‘s campaign.
The bottom has the brand logo engraved in it with black ink, which gives it a very high end feel. The cap fits on sturdy and it isn’t hevay, but has a decent weight to it. However, because the bullet is squared off in the corners, this can be both good and bad – one one hand, it is easy to stack on your make up vanity (I love how they sit together) but on another, it also takes up more space in my make up bag.
Formula & Claims
The claims for this lipstick generally focus on two points, their plumping effect and their hydrating, silk finish:
- Volufilne: This ingredient claims to increase the volume of your lips through increasing fat molecules – this is delving into some very scientific stuff and, unless I use this constantly for months and document it day to day, I’m not sure if I can vouch for whether these claims are true. On myself though, I can definitely notice an immediate increase in lip volume – but whether it is because of the Volufilne or the Menthol, is unsure.
- HD Silk Gloss: The lipstick does have a light, silk texture and it claims to ‘wrap dry lips with cashmere-like smooth finish’. The product description claims to contain a light powder that disperses over your lips to give you a smooth application and velvet finish.
A lot of the product claims are quite far fetched (like the 27 hour wear) and, in my opinion, possibly dramatized for the sake of marketing. I’m unable to test the long term effects of using the product, but I can speak from my own experiences though.
Upon application, this lipstick has an immediate menthol-like cooling effect that triggers the plumping of lips. It doesn’t sting or burn like a lot of the others that I’ve tried and, if anything, if actually really pleasant. The same cooling effect happens when you reapply on top, and I have a feeling that this is due to the use of menthol.
The colour of the lipstick is very vibrant and opaque. The red shade applies especially well and I do like Marilyn, but I think that it’s a little bit too soft for me – I also feel that the red colour covers the inside of your lips better to give a smoother transition.
The formula does apply very easily and smoothly, with no patchiness even on reapplication. In addition, I do find it relatively hydrating when compared to other satin/matte lipstick bullets that I’ve used in the past, and the wear time of this is also pretty good! I wouldn’t say that it has 27 hour wear time, but it does last well without eating, though it transfers a little.
It leaves a light stain so, even when it wears off, you don’t get an awkward ring and a plain balm or gloss is enough to blend it back out if you don’t want to reapply the lipstick. That being said, it is so easy to reapply so this doesn’t bother me at all.
And above is the before-and-after of my lips with the application of the lipstick! I’ve very happy with how true to the online swatches that these are, and I especially love the colour of Kiss Mark. You can see here that my lips look a little bit more plump with the second swatch, but that’s actually because I did these photos on after the other and I suppose that it’s a good example of how different my lips looked after 5-10 minutes.
The plumping effect is there and I can definitely see (and feel) it, but it’s also quite natural. I haven’t had people ask me why my lips are growing, but they do notice that it looks a bit fuller than usual. For myself, this is enough for me but if you’re after a more dramatic effect, then you might want something stronger.
The fact that this doesn’t burn but actually gives me a cool, menthol sensation is also a big bonus. This is also not drying through the day, so it’s comfortable to wear.
Personally, I just really love this lipstick. Although I don’t quite believe all of the claims, I still love what it has delivered. The colour range is quite limited right now and I hope that, in the future, Nakeup Face can expand it to what we’re more used to with Western brands.
Here’s the verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A semi-matte finish lipstick with lip plumping effects
THE GOOD
- Really pretty, glamorous packaging
- Cooling sensation with no burning
- Subtle but effective plumping effect
- Vibrant and opaque colour with no patchiness
- Hydrates lips
- Semi-matte formula that is not too creamy
- Easy to reapply
- Light stain (less for lighter colours)
THE BAD
- Limited shade range that can be improved on
- Does not fulfill all of their claims (e.g. no 27 hour wear and it does transfer)
- Relatively expensive for the brand
RATINGS
- PACKAGING | 4/5
- PRICE POINT |3/5
- LIP PLUMPING | 5/5
- VIBRANCY/COLOUR | 5/5
- HYDRATION | 4/5
- LONGEVITY | 3/5
OVERALL RATING? 8/10
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
Although the product does not fulfill all of their (exaggerated) claims, I am still extremely happy with their formula and I know that I’ll keep reaching for this. Kiss Mark is definitely my favourite shade and, if they release more colours in the future, I’ll be looking to get them. The product is so unique to me and I highly recommend people to try it out because it’s a great alternative to plumping glosses and really gives you the best of both worlds!
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
If you want to get your hands on the C-Cup Lip Tox Tick, it is selling on StyleKorean for USD$23.55. They have it in five colours but only four are currently in stock: Kiss Mark, Marilyn, Stealer and Nude Beach.
You can also click the below banner to go to their homepage and check out everything else that they have on offer:
