It’s been a minute, dear readers! I haven’t blogged since the lockdown happened. (Yikes!) But you can bet that my lipstick hoarding habits have a long way to go before wearing off—pun intended.
That being said, I’ve been happy with Happy Skin for quite some time now (check out my Happy Skin E Anti-aging foundation review here). I bought their best-selling Lip Mallow in Naked last Feb, and just recently purchased 2 more, Pumpkin Spice and Iced Coffee (with a free leather cover) off Lazada’s Bounce Back Midyear Sale! They’re marketed as a weightless, velvety, pigmented lip mouse with a whipped formula.
Here’s my review of Happy Skin Lip Mallows:
Swatchy, swatchy: Pumpkin Spice, Iced Coffee, Naked
Top to Bottom: Pumpkin Spice, Iced Coffee, Naked (full and stained)
I know, I know. All three look super similar! On the right pic, you can see the undertones are different (I tried rubbing them off with Micellar water, they really are long-wearing). Pumpkin Spice is a terracotta brown shade with orange undertones, Iced Coffee is a medium pink-brown, and Naked is a peachy, muted brown.
They all have SPF 15 and a matte finish, although Naked has a bubblegum/mallow scent and the other two are coffee scented.
Lip Mallow in Pumpkin Spice: Outdoors and Indoors
It looks a lot darker when applied (almost red brown), then it dries and becomes a much lighter warm orange-pink shade. I realllyyy wanted Cafe Au Lait but the Lazada bundle shade paired with it was Cinnamon. I thought Pumpkin Spice would be really similar, but darker, according to YouTube beauty influencers, and I like Ice Coffee better than Cinnamon. It looks great against my tanned complexion and reddish-purple hair!
Lip Mallow in Iced Coffee: Outdoors and Indoors
Now, Iced Coffee looks darker than I expected (stronger brown tones). It looks great against tanned skin as well. It moisturized my flaky lips and smelled like coffee, so I’m in love with it I guess. I think this shade would look better on less pigmented lips because the brown pigment can make them look unintentionally dark.
Lip Mallow in Naked: Outdoors and Indoors
My favorite from the bunch so far! This one isn’t coffee-scented unlike the newer releases, but it’s my go-to for Zoom meetings and daily wear, sometimes, the only makeup I put on (like my just-woke-up lewk on the right). It instantly adds colour and warmth to my face, and as a muted orange-reddish-brown, it’s very wearable for morenas, too. Naked brightens up my brown complexion in an instant.
For the price of 500 each, I’m happy as I can see myself wearing these every day—even though we’re all indoors all the time. Who needs an excuse to rock coffee-coloured, super soft lips? I don’t.
Verdict:
4.5/5
It deserves the hype it’s been getting online! There are cheaper alternatives out there (I’ve been hearing good things about BLK and Sunniesface Lip Dip). For I’ve always loved Happy Skin’s skin-caring benefits—sometimes these other brands darken my lips, and I think I’m more hiyang with Happy Skin. Best of all, they don’t leave marks under my mask (a new normal beauty factor).
Stay tuned for more, folks! I promise to write more for y’all.
