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 love bullet lipsticks but, in this case, the packaging definitely won me over. I know! I’m always a sucker for things but like but, considering that this is a 16 Brand product, I was also pretty confident that the formula would be decent! I wasn’t wrong too, because after trying these out, I totally get why some people have been raving about them and I already want more shades.
This is the R U 16 Taste-Chu Lipstick from 16 Brand. They are essentially a blur-look matte finish lipstick that is candy themed. All of the shades are named after some sort of sweet and the lipstick shades (and scents) are good enough to eat. In fact, my mum thought that someone else me chocolate when these first arrived… hehe!
These products were sent to me for review by StyleKorean, who actually carry a really great range of 16 Brand stuff! The lipsticks come in four different shades (which I will discuss below) and I have two here to swatch and review – Brown Fudge and Cherry Almond.
If you’d like to pick these up, they’re currently on sale for USD$14.40 (down from USD$18) on the StyleKorean website but do grab them quickly! They were almost sold out when I looked last and they just restocked, so I think these go quick.
And now, let’s get into this!
Packaging – External
So this is possibly my favourite packaging that 16 Brand have done so far, and they’re actually really good at it. Their products are always nicely themed and with very quirky, creative packaging (that is super cute but still looked trendy and not overly childish). What I love about this one is the smaller detailing of it and the actual experience of opening up the package.
Each lipstick comes packaged individually in a wrapper which is meant to mimic the look of a chocolate bar. There is a cardboard cylinder inside to protect the actual product and make it feel more like a candy bar from the outside too. The back of the packaging also has the product information (product name, shade, expiration date and the weight) designed in a way that looks like food nutritional values.
There is a little tab off the side which is how you essentially peel open the packaging to get the lipstick. Since the actual lipsticks are candy scented, there is a sweet fragrance that comes through once you open it up. It’s a minor thing but it’s really a nice experience!
Packaging – Lipstick
The actual lipstick bullet has a matte, soft touch finish and a metal (aluminium?) case. They are all colour coded to the shade of the lipstick (relatively accurate to the bullet) and have the 16 Brand logo printed on it in white. On my first impression, I was worried that this product would scratch and become worn out really easily, since printing often scratches off this sort of material, but it’s held up being carried around pretty well! The tube feels like a nice quality but is actually pretty light. I haven’t had any issue with it opening up in my bag, though I feel like the closure isn’t super secure.
Opening it up, the actual lipstick bullet has a really unique shape that I haven’t seen before. It’s rounded and then tapers to the flat point in the middle. The shape of this makes application quite easy if you want a feathered out, gradient look. It is a bit trickier, but not impossible, if you want a bold full lip.
I wonder if this will become more difficult to use as you finish off the tapered section, but I have a long way to go before finding that out!
Product Description & Shade Range
The product description for this is fairly simple, “Creamy lipstick that allows for clean, vivid color to comfortably adhere to lips.” It has a matte finish but is moisturising on the lips and with bring, pigmented colour pay-off. It reminds me of the powder-finish lipsticks that are popular at the moment, but with a more creamy finish. It isn’t totally weightless on the lips, but it’s relatively light and easy to wear.
The lipstick shade range is currently quite limited at four colours, and I do love this formula so I hope that they release more. The shades include:
- Pink Nougat: A pink-mauve
- Brown Fudge: A warm, terracotta red
- Cherry Almond: A blue-undertone red
- Pumpkin Caramel: A medium warm-orange
Out of the four, I actually originally wanted Pink Nougat because I love mauve shades (which are the only ‘pinks’ that I can wear). However, since that was out of stock at the time, I ended up getting Brown Fudge and Cherry Almond – which worked out well because these two match me really well!
The lipsticks are also scented, which is mostly noticable when they are still in the bullet. Once they are applied, you can’t really smell it. Brown Fudge smells like chocolate, while Cherry Almond has a sort of raspberry jelly candy scent. I love how they both smell because even though the fragrance is very sweet, I don’t find it overwhelming nor too artificial.
Shade wise, the actual colours are very accurate to the official photo (which I will also insert below). I also did my own lip swatches but, because of my lighting, they image unfortunately makes the lipstick look a lot lighter than they actually do under natural light (I will try to fix this in the future!)
Please see the swatches below but I do recommend looking at the official lip swatches for colour accuracy, and then my own for texture and application.
Formula & Personal Experiences
Formula wise, the lipsticks have a very soft touch sort of finish and almost blurs over the lines of the lips. Because of this, I think it works best when applied with feathered out edges or in a gradient. The creamy formula also makes this very easy to blend out. The pigmentation is very strong but can be sheered out in a gradient easily (but let’s be real, I’m not about that sheer life).
If you don’t eat, then the lipstick wears really well and doesn’t fade. However, as with most bullet lipsticks, this does not last through any form of lunch or snacking. It also transfers as much as a normal lipstick would, since it does not dry down like a liquid lipstick might. It is still quite easy to reapply though, as it does not emphasise dry patches and wears off evenly.
Overall, I really loved these lipsticks and I want to go back and buy Pink Nougat right now (which means that I only need to get Pumpkin Caramel so have a full set, and the collector in me is very excited about the prospect). I feel like the pigmentation and finish of this lipstick is an absolute winner, and the cute packaging/sweet scents are just an added bonus. Although it isn’t super long wearing and does transfer, I don’t mind that so much because the formula is consequently more comfortable on the lips and wears without patchiness.
So, here is the verdict!
SO WHAT IS IT?
Sweet-themed bullet lipsticks with candy inspired names and scents (four shades)
THE GOOD
- Well-priced
- Super creative packaging (very fun gifts)
- Colour coded bullet lipstick
- Good quality and light to carry
- Unique lipstick bullet (makes it easy to apply with feathered edges)
- Sweet scents that are not overwhelming
- Matte but with a creamy formula that is easy to sheer or feather out
- Soft, blur finish
- Comfortable on the lips
- High pigmentation
- Does not fade (unless eating or drinking)
THE BAD
- Limited colour range (four shades)
- Bullet might become harder to use later on
- Closure is decent but not super secure
- Transfers easily
- Will fade off with any food or drink
RATINGS
- PRICE POINT | 4/5
- PACKAGING | 4/5
- SHADE RANGE | 3/5 (pretty shades but limited)
- SCENT | 5/5
- COMFORT | 5/5
- FINISH | 5/5
- LONGEVITY | 4/5
OVERALL RATING? 8.6/10
WOULD I RECOMMEND?
Yes! Honestly, if any of these shades are speaking to you then I highly recommend grabbing this lipstick – especially if you like comfortable matte finishes. To be honest, as soon as I applied these to the lips, I knew that I was going to love them because I have been really into comfort matte lipsticks recently and these are honestly just perfect.
I also want to recommend them if you’re wanting to give any gifts. They are well priced and the colours, although limiting, are all quite safe and wearable choices. The packaging of this is also pretty next level, and will surely bring a smile 🙂 My personal favourite shade is the Brown Fudge and I reach for that one all the time (*hint hint*)
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
If you want to get your hands on these R U 16 Taste-Chu lipsticks, then jump over to StyleKorean where they are currently on sale for USD$14.40 – alternatively you can also check out all of the other 16 Brand products that they carry.
