REVIEW: Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips #PK07 #PK08

Anything that is related with cushions in beauty products have stirred some commotion lately and Peripera is without a doubt following the trend as well. Earlier this year, Peripera released the Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips for their spring collection featuring Naeun from APink as their model. I chose the color #PK07 Mini Dress + #PK08 Bye Nineteen because 1) Naeun looked fabulous with #PK08 and 2) because spring has arrived, I want to grace my lips with a coral color that has a tinge of redness in it. 

The outer packaging comes with a rectangle shaped box that illustrates the Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips in their respective color. It's nothing spectacular but I believe that sometimes simplicity is the way to go. The shape of the lipstick strays away from the regular model that most lip products adheres and is a bit wider in comparison with Etude House Rosy Tint. The tube is colored in beige for most part, but the color that represents the product takes over at the upper region. The cap of the tube and the color of the font is identical as the their main color. Peripera chooses to use comical, groovy fonts to emphasize the playful vibe.

When I bought the products, I didn't have the slightest clue what was awaiting me but I did link my expectation with Etude House Rosy Tint since they both have cushions embedded into the product. There's something about cushions that attracts my attention regardless what kind of beauty product it is. I'm aware that they might not be that practical but I guess the creativity is what that intrigues me.

This is the actual description of the product by Peripera, it can be found on the right side of the box.

Spongy cushion applicator! 

Swatch on my hand. On the left, PK#07 Mini Dress and on the right #PK08 Bye Nineteen. The picture above comes the closest to the original color, on my hand and also on my lips. The texture can be quite runny and a bit watery depending on how hard you squeeze the tube. 

❝ REVIEW: Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips #PK07 & #PK08 ❞

✧ Color

#PK08 is a neon, brightening shade of pink that is bold enough to make a statement. The correct shade of color would be described as "French rose." Naeun wore this color for the promotional poster and I would especially recommend this to cool-toned people. 

#PK07 is one of the colors that I adore on my lips and I hereby announce that it's officially one of my favorite colors too. It's a deep coral color and is balanced in terms of pinkness and redness. I believe #PK07 is a universally flattering shade to all skin tones out there as well. Like #PK08 it's also bright on the lips but also soft enough to not attract a great deal of attention. 

Both colors on #PK07 and #PK08 are saturated and they give great pigmentation as swatch and on the lips. 

✧ Texture

When you squeeze the product out of the tube, it might be a little bit watery, almost gel-like consistency due to the liquid. So when you apply it with the cushion applicator, let the product settle for about a minute instead of puckering your lips so it can dry off and complete with a semi matte finish. Otherwise your lips might turn into a mess because when it's not settled yet, the colors will move a lot.  

✧ Formula

Despite that it's supposed to be a semi matte lipstick, they can be a bit drying on the lips. One of the drawbacks to this lipstick- like a lot of matte lipsticks it isn't suitable to apply on lips that aren't hydrated. So make sure to exfoliate your lips and get them soft with a layer of lip balm or else the product might cling on your dry lips. The product will also transfer to glasses, cups, on food and will leave the color of your lips uneven. With this product I noticed that I always had to reapply after eating or drinking and I'm not too thrilled about it. 

✧ Scent

It has the same fruity scent as their other Peripera lip products. While I do love it the scent I'm also thankful that I can't taste it when it's on my lips. 

✧ Lasting power

The real deal-breaker is the lasting power, it begins to wear off immediately after I eat. If I don't eat and just drink in the course of 3 hours, they will wear off gradually but not in a consistent and smooth way. 

✧ Packaging

Simplicity is the way to go. The colors are printed on the packaging and on the cap of tube. The groovy, cartoonish typeface represents the playful aspects of the packaging. In comparison to the Etude House Rosy Tints, they are a bit on the wider side but this can be easily overlooked as the product is lightweight and comfortable to carry around. You have to twist the cap to allocate the cushion applicator but I find the Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips's packaging easier to squeeze out the product. It's however slightly frustrating because you can't measure how much of the product you want to squeeze out. While testing the product several times, I also happen to end up splurging too much of the product on my hand. About the spongy cushion applicator, I find them more practical in comparison with the ones from Etude House Rosy Tints and they're really smooth. 

✧ Price

Honestly I have no clue how much I paid for it since the total price were all being added up. On eBay however, you can find them for $10.79 on RUBYRUBYSHOP or BRINGBRINGSHOP Both are trustable eBay sellers who sells authentic products and I've ordered several times from both sellers over the past few years. 

✧ Final verdict: 3/5

There's nothing special about this product, I wouldn't say it's bad but I would definitely not say it's good either. I'm a tad disappointed because of the poor lasting power, I'm that type of person that dislikes to continuously reapply my lips after I eat or drink. Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips however will demand that attention and time. (-1) It will also leave your lips with uneven colors when you eat or drink and the middle of your lips will be left with your natural lip color except for the outer edges. (-0.5) 

Another thing I dislike would be the lack of control I have on how much I can squeeze out of the product. Unlike regular lipsticks where you can notice how much product you have left, it's also impossible to check with the Peripera Peri's Cushion Lips. (-0.5) My lips were able to withstand the semi-matte texture of the product, but I had to make sure that they were exfoliated and smooth. 

Onto the good things now shall we? The colors are really gorgeous in my opinion and the cushion does its work well. It feels like painting on my lips! The product also smell fantastic and it doesn't transfer the taste on the lips. Taking all points into consideration, I decided to give it a 3/5. It's not a praise-worthy product, but if you can live with reapplying your lips constantly and also find joy while doing it, then there's no harm into trying it. 

PROS
* Pigmentation is great!
* Flattering colors
* Delicious fruity smell
* Cushion applicator does its work
* Lightweight product

CONS
* Requires exfoliation and lip balm before applying
* Not smudge proof (Transfers to glasses when it rubs off)
* Poor lasting power
* Can't control how much product you want to squeeze out
* Cannot check how much product is left
* Not available in all country

Recommend? Yes/No?

It's not a praise-worthy product, it's just so-so. There's nothing outstanding about it but I think they are "fun" to have because of the cushion applicator. If you can live with reapplying your lips constantly and also find joy while doing it, then there's no harm into trying it because the colors are really pretty. Otherwise I wouldn't per se recommend them because the lasting power and the way it wears off is not attractive in my book.  

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