Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve always thought of Holika Holika as the Urban Decay of Asian Beauty. I think that impression comes from their use of a similar shade of purple, and the cool and edgy vibe that they both give out. This is my first product from them and so far, I’m super impressed!

Why I bought it

Mother and I were shopping when we walked past the YSL counter and these attractive looking oil tints (Volupte tint-in-oil lip tint) caught our eye. We’d had a discussion earlier about how Orange was her colour and not mine, and so I challenged her to see who looked better wearing this. She won. Damnit. Orange is more her colour than mine. Every orange in my collection has made it’s way into her beauty bag. That’s besides the point. The point is, that we tried the tints, liked them, balked at the price and then I remembered Holika Holika’s tints and promised to get her some.

Swatches

After much uming and ahing, I ordered RD802 Bloody Red & two OR201 Bloody Orange, one for me and one for mama. I took advantage of Jolse’s 2+1 offer (not an affiliate link).

There are two ways to apply this lip tint. One by applying without shaking so you get just a smidge of colour but mostly moisture, and the other by shaking and then using the colour infused oil. Unlike the promotional images, my oil seems to always be infused, I think this is because I store them flat and in the packaging. So by the time I get it out to use it’s already mixed up a little. I left it standing on my table and I could see it begin to separate into a clear oil with the colour blob.

Here are some lip swatches! I did not moisturise my lips at all so I could test how moisturising it is. The first set were taken first thing in the morning (because I’m super eager) and I did not shake the bottle at all. I swiped the colour all along my lips. Normally I shake the tube but I was so surprised at how much colour showed up without me shaking.

Finally an orange that suits me! I absolutely love it.

The lip colour was then removed by micellar water which I find the easiest and least damaging way of removing the lip colour.

Next I tried applying it like I usually do by shaking, but I tried a different application method and just outlined my lips then smacked them together. This was much easier to control the layers and I ended up using a lot less product than I usually do. Again, no lip balm, or lip primer just the product.

My Experience

I absolutely love wearing this product, both colours are super flattering, easy to use and have a pretty decent wear time (provided you’re not eating or drinking).

My two lip colour requirements are that the product doesn’t transfer and that the formula isn’t sticky. The YSL Volupte tint-in-oil lip tint has a beautiful, non sticky formula with a subtle colour payoff, but it leaves my lips coated in a layer of oil to achieve the gloss effect. The colour is also subtle almost to a fault and because of the layer of oil the tint moves around. Bleuch.

The Holika Holika Pro:Beauty Bloody Oil Tint also has a non sticky formula but the colour pay off is vivid and the oil dries into your lips leaving it more moisturised so you end up with a more matte finish that doesn’t transfer. I normally have quite dry chapped lips during the winter and need to use lip balm pretty much 24/7, but I don’t have to with these lip tints! Which is truly amazing.

My mother prefers the YSL because of the glossy effect, so if you’re a fan of gloss I think the YSL is more for you. If you’re more interested in colour then I’d go for the Holika Holika Pro:Beauty Bloody Oil Tint. You can always add a layer of gloss layer anyway, so!

Will I buy more? Probably! But for now I’m really enjoying these two colours.