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.
Laneige is one of my favourite Korean beauty brands but, strangely enough, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with their two tone bars. I think the concept of them is genius and I love the colour range/packaging/promotional imagery of them all, but I do have some pet peeves with them as well. In fact, their Two Tone Eye Bar was such a massive disappointment for me that I literally never reached for it again. And yet, I do continue to buy and try every single new two tone bar that they release and I honestly think that I will continue anyway just so I can support their brand and the concept of these. I don’t want them to stop!
Their latest release is the Two Tone Matte Lip Bar and these are super new – in fact, I don’t think that I’ve seen many online stores carry this product yet (though please correct me if I’m wrong). However, StyleKorean does carry the entire collection and so they sent over two of the shades for me to try out. This is similar to the original Two Tone Lip Bar, but has a matte formula that is more in-line with make up trends. Whilst Western beauty is moving from matte to gloss, I feel like Korean beauty is moving from subtle tints to deeper mattes lately.
For this product, the two shades I chose to try out is Burgundy Mood and Powershoulder Pink – I purposefully chose one dark and one light shade so that I could see any differences in formula and application. Personally, I feel like this matte formula speaks to me more than the original and I definitely reach for them more! For people who like traditional matte bullet lipsticks but also love gradient lips and softer applications, this is going to be right up your alley!
So, read on for my full review.
Packaging
The packaging for this Two Tone Matte Lip Bar is very similar to the original – the reflective box packaging, which looks very high end and classy, is almost exactly the same. It has the shades marked up top.
Once you open it up, you get the similar tube design from the previous ones. It has a rectangular shape, which makes them easier to store than round lipsticks, and the bottom is colour coded with the darker side of the gradient. Personally, I would prefer if it was colour coded with both colours as I often use similar shades and get confused when I have too many of them together.
The cap clicks off and you have to push the lever downwards to push the bullet up. Make sure you don’t do this with the cap still on because it will very quickly damage the product.
I have difficulty with this lever still and I really wish that they would improve it – the button is small and I sometimes have to use two hands to push it down properly. I also find it confusing that pushing down brings the product up. My mind keeps telling me that it works the opposite way. This is the same gripe that I had with the original.
However, one thing that I have to applaud Laneige for is that they always make the tube a little bit different for the different ranges. The original was white and black, the tint bar was a light pink and the eyeshadow had a rose gold cap. This one is made entirely of a matte rose chrome plastic (how appropriate) and helps it stand out boldly from the rest. Overall, I think that the design of it looks great!
Formula & Product Claims
This product has three four key points, which I have summarised below:
- High-coloration matte color meets velvet lip primer!
The inside (the darker shade) is a strong, highly pigmented matte lipstick formula while the other side claims to be a ‘velvet finish blur primer’ which prevents lips from feeling dry but also maintains that matte look. - Matte outside, moist inside
The matte shade (the darker shade) uses a gel formula (whilst other matte lipsticks will use a powder pigment formula) to give a comfortable matte look without emphasising dry lips. - Quick touch gradation
The gradient effect is quickly achieved with the diagonal cut design, giving a clean and professional look. - Highly vivid color with micro pigment
Long-lasting highly vivid color with fine micro pigment.
As with the other Laneige Two Tone Bars, they have a fairly decent colour range. These bars come in a total of ten shade combinations, ranging from natural rose colours, bright orange and pink combinations and even burgundy and browns. For a Korean brand, I find that they are quite experimental with their shade range, though I do wish that they will come out with more cool tones (like mauves and nude) in the future.
The Lip Bar is indeed very easy to apply but, because most of these colour combinations are quite pigmented (i.e the lighter shade is also quite opaque), the gradient is not always so obvious – as you will be able to see in the lip swatches below. I find that, if you want a very strong gradient, it is best not to press your lips together but rather blend it carefully with your finger. Otherwise, the colours do gradient together to create a very natural shade that varies just enough to make your lips look a bit more plump and doll-like.
Personal Experience
I definitely love the pigmentation of these lip bars and I also like that I can either apply it once for a softer look, or build the colour up with a few swipes to get a very strong gradient (especially with Burgundy Mood, which can be super vampy). I think that the above swatches don’t fully show how strong the gradient can be – as I took these photos as a first impression – but is an example of how I would typically wear it without building it up. I wore these throughout the days and I found that the lipstick didn’t fade patchy or odd.
It definitely has a matte finish but it isn’t drying on the lips. I have no problem reapplying it through the day and I don’t need a balm underneath it. All in all, it’s actually a surprisingly comfortable formula! That being said, I find that the lighter shades definitely emphasise dry patches (although the darker ones are much better), so it is best to use their Lip Sleeping Mask or a lip scrub before hand. If you have a problem with dry lips or dead skin, then I would recommend going for a darker shade rather than these bright, lighter ones. For that reason, I do reach for Burgundy Mood a lot more than Powershoulder Pink – but that is also because I like vampy lips.
Longevity wise, these lipsticks do transfer even though they have a matte finish. They will stay on the lips unless you eat or drink, but otherwise won’t leave you with the dreaded ring of pigment. It also doesn’t stain the lips much. The product is very easy to reapply throughout the day.
The colour swatches are also fairly accurate to what I see in the official photos, although those are obviously photoshopped, so I would be confident to choose my shade based on that.
And so, that’s my experience with it. Here’s my verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
A matte lipstick version of the two tone lip bar
THE GOOD
- Bold, matte chrome finish packaging
- Looks classy and luxe
- Decent colour range (10 shades of a good variety)
- Bold almost opaque pigment for both sides that can be built up easily
- Gives a quick and effective gradient look that can be built up
- Very matte finish that is comfortable on the lips – not drying
- Easy to reapply
THE BAD
- Lever can be hard to push
updown - Lighter shades emphasise dry lips
- Transfers
RATINGS
- PACKAGING | 3/5
- PRICE POINT | 3/5
- PIGMENTATION | 5/5
- COMFORT | 5/5
- FINISH | 4/5
- LONG WEARING | 4/5
OVERALL RATING? 8/10
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
For people who like matte lipsticks and gradient lips, then I would recommend these. I personally really enjoy using these, especially the darker shade, and I think I might actually collect more of them in the future (let’s be real – of course I will)! Personally, I also prefer this matte formula to the original as I find it looks a lot more flattering on the lips and, whilst it still emphasising dry lips, it isn’t as bad.
For people who have dry lips and want something that is much ore hydrating, or with a more glossy and natural look, I would instead recommend checking out the Two Tone Tint Bars. With all of the formulas that Laneige have released, I’m now fairly certain that there is something for everyone!
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
If you want to get your hands on the Two Tone Matte Lip Bar, it is selling on StyleKorean for USD$19.63. You can also click the below banner to go to their homepage and check out everything else that they have on offer:
