Review: Menow Pro Powdery Matte Kissproof Soft Lipsticks
Hi everyone!
This is yet another late post and I blame my blog for it. Last Thursday was a holiday here in the Philippines, and I was so looking forward to taking a break from writing for work so I could write here. So I woke up early, took product shots and swatches, edited photos and attempted to blog. BUT WIX WOULDN'T COOPERATE. My photos wouldn't upload and nothing would show up when I tried to type. It was really frustrating, but I'm glad everything works properly now so I can tell you guys about these Menow Pro Powdery Matte Kissproof Soft Lipsticks.
Menow (pronounced "mee-nao") is a brand that hails from China which produces various kinds of affordable cosmetics for the face, eyes and lips. If you haven't heard about these lippies, then you must be hiding under a rock because these blew up my Instagram account practically overnight! I first found out about these from BeautyMNL last December, but they're gaining a lot of traction recently and so many online shops carry them now. These retail for Php 145 on BeautyMNL, but I've seen this sold in various online shops and makeup kiosks ranging from Php 180-90. I got one from the @lovemanila kiosk in SM Center Las Piñas for Php 150 and three others from Vivien's online shop @yourbeauty_fix for Php 108 + shipping.
They originally come packaged in a box, but I already tossed mine away. You can check out the box + the ingredients list from Project Vanity's post here. Packaging aside, the actual pencils have a black cylindrical body with a color-coordinated base and cap that tries to mimic the actual lipstick shade inside. Printed on the body are the shade numbers: I have 005, 006, 008, and 015. These are rather light/nude shades, but they come in a myriad of other bright and dark shades. There are also claims that these are "liquid lipsticks that instantly lift and hydrate" (grammar appropriated), and I have a bunch of issues with that. First, these are are obviously not liquid lipsticks; they're traditional lip pencils in jumbo form. Second, these are faaaaaaaaar from hydrating, which I'll go into further detail later on.
The pencil above has been swatched because my mom tore into my package and tried them out first before handing them over to me, but prior to use, the tip is pretty much the same - sightly pointed but still rounded. Upon application, these have a pretty strong and rather unpleasant, chemical-like burnt plastic scent, so I don't suggest breathing through your nose while putting these on. However, I don't really notice the scent as I wear them throughout the day. Still, I won't recommend sniffing your lips because again, these don't smell good.
As mentioned earlier, these are traditional jumbo lip pencils that need sharpening once they dull down from use. I found that my Essence pencil sharpener works pretty well for the job - it has a small and a large slot, and the Menow Kissproof Soft Lipsticks fit rather snugly in the latter. The actual sharpening went smoothly; the plastic wasn't difficult to shave off so twisting the pencil around was very easy. However, this may pose as an issue for some because the process of sharpening the pencils a) wastes product, and b) shortens the pencil that could make it difficult to use in the long run. Do note that sharpening these pencils will give you a thinner and more precise tip - I just didn't feel the need to sharpen mine too much just yet.
When applied on the lips, these go on rather smoothly and provide pigmented and opaque coverage. I would recommend applying them quickly in a thin layer, as these set to a powdery matte finish after just a few seconds, and adding a new layer on top of a mattified one just makes everything look like a dry, crumbly mess - trust me, you won't like it. If applied properly, they don't necessarily emphasize any dryness, flaking or creases on my lips, but I would definitely recommend prepping your lips with some exfoliation and moisture. I personally find them long-wearing as they stay put even with drinking, but eating can cause fading in the inner portion of the lips, and any oily food will remove the product completely. Again, these don't layer too nicely so total reapplication is a must. Check out the swatches below:
From left to right: 005 - a pinky nude, 006 - a peachy orange, 008 - a mauve nude, and 015 - a mauve pink. I love how these look on me with the exception of 006; orange lips just don't work on me, but it's still a pretty color. Overall, given the price and shade range, I think these Menow Kissproof Soft Lipsticks are a great find, especially for those who want to experiment with lip colors or expand their collection while on a budget.
EDIT July 6, 2016: While the ingredients of these lip pencils can be found online, they are not approved my the FDA. With that said, I would advise you to proceed with caution should you purchase and use them. I haven't experienced anything bad from using them myself, but better safe than sorry.
And that's it for this review! Have you tried these lip pencils? What are your budget-friendly lip finds? Let me know in the comments below. Thank you so much for dropping by. Take care and till next time. Bye!
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All opinions and photos on this blog are my own, and all products reviewed have been purchased with my own personal funds, unless stated otherwise.
