These Fingerpens were everywhere in Korea but, annoyingly enough, the shading colour that I wanted was sold out everywhere that I went. I was actually worried that I would only be able to buy the highlighter and not the other shades. I ended up buying these from two or maybe even three different Watsons stores in both Seoul and Jeonju – that’s how desperate I was. I went in knowing that I wanted to buy them though because I saw the brand’s launch on Instagram and these products looked amazing. 16Brand is launched by one of Korea’s top make up artists, Jo Sung Ah, who is also the genius behind LUNA and ChoSungAh22. The brand is the sister brand on the latter, so you can understand why I was on board so quickly.
She has a thing for quirky, trendy make up products that both look amazing and are good for the skin. I wasn’t at all surprised by the launch of these Fingerpens, which are interesting multi-purpose products that have a creamy and hydrating formula. There is a really wide range of colours but I chose to get just the shading, highlight and a shimmer for now. In retrospect, I kind of wish that I got more of these but I was at first unsure of how the pinks would blend as blushes. I am also not very comfortable using a face product on my lips, as I feel it won’t have the same functionalities that are needed. Regardless, they were all really pretty and these products blend like a dream, so would have been a great, versatile product to have in my collection.
I love the design of these – but none of her brands ever disappoint. The playful use of typography on each of the sticks is really interesting and, even though they all have different type and colours, it’s great that they’re still very cohesive as a set. The label is printed on paper, so I do worry about it tearing but I haven’t had that problem so far. Granted, I don’t take these out of the house since I don’t find it necessary to touch up during the day.
I wish that these pens sold in sets rather than individually. I also found that the store assistants always had a hard time figuring out which one I wanted because people would put the colours out of order and they didn’t quite understand that the colours are named by code. For that reason, they’ve nearly sold me orange and pinks dozens of times, when I’ve requested the shading colour. Basically, there’s too many individual pens for them to keep track of and selling these in sets (or making the product names more readable) would benefit.
Either way, I finally got a hold of these three – FS02 (a orange/pink shimmer), FC03 (my shading colour) and FS06 (the highlight). I honestly don’t understand why they didn’t name the actual colours – which would have made it so much easier for store assistants and users to decipher. I was so frustrated that they kept giving me the wrong ones and insisting it was correct, when I knew for a fact that they were wrong. Since the boxes were tape sealed, I also couldn’t open them up to check, even if I only needed to look at the label colour.
Basically, the design of these pens look great but they are lacking in a sense of readability. Question: why don’t the label colours just reflect the product colour? Why don’t they have actual names? Why do the stars on the boxes (which should be a colour indicator) not reflect the product colour or the label colour?
I need to stop ranting, haha! I’m getting frustrated at it again.
The pens have a sponge tip and a click on the other end which is used to dispense the product. It took a lot of get it starting to begin with but, with continued use, I think that this is actually good. It’s difficult to dispense too much product and the sponge holds onto the cream well (similar to a cushion) so I don’t need to click it with every application too. It’s a bit disappointing that I can’t see how much product I’ve used or how much is left, which would be an issue when you’re nearing the end of the product.
The fingerpens have a very creamy formula which is highly pigmented and blends seamlessly with your base foundation. I tried blending it out with my fingers but, to be honest, I think that this works best with a dense foundation brush. This prevents any splotchiness and allows for a very even application. It also helps it merge with your base foundation; sort of like you’re mixing the cream. That being said, this product definitely works best on top of cream or liquid foundations (with no powder setting) due to the similarity in formula. If you use powder foundations, you are better off with a powder contour like the Too Cool For School.
This product also have a really strange scent when it is first applied. I don’t like it at all but I’m really glad that it fades away. I’m not sure how to describe the scent as it isn’t flowery or fruity – perhaps it smells a bit like sunscreen? It is quite artificial and it’s strong at the beginning. A few moments and some blending later though and the smell is completely gone. Since the product looks really great and the pigmentation is good too, I’m willing to overlook this point.
And that’s how it looks with some minor blending and more thorough blending (seen below). I prefer the light and more creamy consistency of these pens over contour sticks (and I’ve used a lot of different ones) because I find that it blends better while others start to look a bit cake-y sometimes. The colour selection was also great (there was a broad range) but they only had one shading colour. I’m glad that this tone suited me and that the colour wasn’t too orange – as it often is when Korean colour colours – but it’s very limited and I can imagine that a lot of other people would have issues with it. This colour is best suited for warm undertones and, if 16Brand ever wanted to expand out of Asia, they’ll need to look at fixing this.
I tried using this to contour my nose but, honestly, I think I prefer the control that my contour powders give me. This one takes a bit more work to build up the darker shades, so it is better suited for larger areas. I love using this for my face and jaw contour, as it’s really quick and easy to draw over the face. Blending is also quick and easy – I use a dense foundation brush that I bought from Innisfree.
And here goes for my final verdict!
THE GOOD
- Cute typography
- Won’t ‘overdispense’ product
- Wide range of colours (13 available at MECCA)
- Multi-purpose
- Super blendable and creamy texture
- Easy to draw and apply
- Scent fades away quickly
THE BAD
- No readable colour names (there are shade names on the MECCA website, but none that I found on the box or in-store in Korea)
- Limited shading and highlight colour (one each)
- Strange, suncreen-like scent
WOULD I REPURCHASE?
The pricing of these pens are pretty decent, even if they aren’t super cheap. I also love the flexibility of them and how well they blend, so I am definitely looking to get more of these! Since there are so many colours, I’m waiting to find a MECCA that has them in stock as I don’t want to buy them online. Next, I will probably look to getting some lip and cheek colours in this product. I would absolutely recommend these and, actually, I think they’re a fun essential to have in your collection!
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
I bought these from multiple Watsons stores in Seoul and Jeonju, but you can get these online. My Australian readers can check out MECCA, which has wonderfully been carrying more Asian beauty brands lately. Otherwise, you can check out their official website, though I’m unsure about international shipping.
