Trends in K Beauty are easily observed through: (1) social media, and (2) product releases. The cosmetic market in Korea is extremely active, and there is pressure on brands to maintain relevancy by releasing fresh product often. When I lived there, major brands were launching items as often as four times a year!
Usually these are iterations of the same thing. But when an innovation picks up in the market, other brands tend to follow. That’s how you spot a trend. I’ve been seeing so many water tints and velvet tints (well, tints in general,) so I thought I’d compare and contrast looks done with each trend using products from A’pieu Philippines! I posted a video on my Youtube channel, but scroll on ahead to read the individual product reviews:
Water Tint Look (A’pieu Juicy Pang Water Blusher + Water Tint)
A’pieu Juicy Pang Water Blusher in BE01 (P 355 / 9g) is a sweet berry-fragranced water blush. In K Beauty, water blushes are liquid blushes with low to high pigment, while never being opaque. While it is typically called a water blush, the texture is much thicker than water - almost like a light syrup. I like it so because it helps with blending, as compared to something too watery.
I use the applicator to load two heavy dots per cheek, and blend that out using my fingers. The Juicy Pang Water Blusher blends easily, but quite sheerly. I try to avoid it when I have patches of flakes on my cheeks, because it clings to them. Staying power is pretty poor, at about 2-4 hours.
BE01 is a nude rose that has ulltra-fine glitters. BE01 is great for fairer people who want a subtler, not-burnt blush look. I like using it when I want color on my cheeks without looking flustered.
Similar products: B By Banila Cheer Water Cheek, A Concept Cheek Me
The A’Pieu Juicy Pang Tint in BE01 is a water lip tint and is very similar in concept to the Water Blusher. Korean Water Lip Tints may also have low to high pigmentation, without ever being opaque. It is a bit thicker than the Water Blusher, which I really like as my lips are drier and have more difficult texture. Anything too watery would be a pain to blend out.
The flat, angled tip is really good in pushing and blending the product in. It has a very thick gloss-feel at first, but it quickly subdues into nothing, leaving only a slightly moist finish. That said, it still feels slightly tightening? Nothing unbearable, but I do find myself licking my lips more often. Like many of the milky water tints (as opposed to those clear-red water tints), this applies perfectly and evenly. I love wearing this for no makeup looks, because it is literally an MLBB color in a naturally moist skin finish.
While same in shade name as the Juicy Pang Water Blusher in BE01, the Juicy Pang Tint in BE01 is much brighter, milky, blush rose shade. On the lips, this color looks great in neutralizing darker hues without going really colorful.
Similar products: Pony Effect Favorite Fluid Lip Tint, Clio Professional Veil Dewy Tint
The Water Tint Look uses products called water tints, water blushers, gel tints, and stains. It commonly uses really bright, blood-red colors but there are nude versions like the ones shown above. The color is transparent and the finish is moist (neither glittery nor matte.) Some water lip tints are shiny on the lips, but usually less so than a gloss.
Velvet Tint Look (A’pieu Juicy Pang Jelly Blusher + Mousse Tint)
A’pieu Juicy Pang Jelly Blusher in CR01 (P 675 / has the same sweet berry fragrance as the Water Blusher. Jelly Blushers are solid blushes which moosh when pressed hard. I like them because I love playing with the texture, and they don’t crack and break like powder blushes.
I take a bit of product using my fingers. I swish a loooot because this product is also sheer. I like not to mush the jelly so I go lightly but briskly. Like the Water Blusher, it goes on perfectly on smooth skin, but also clings to dry patches on my cheeks. When my skin is perfect though, I feel that the jelly blusher adds a layer of perfection to my skin and further smoothens things out. Longevity is pretty similar with the at about 2-4 hours.
CR01 is as sheer as the Water Blusher, but it looks more vibrant against my skintone because of the bright orange hue. I really like using these bright coral blushes when I’m wearing fuller lip finishes or brighter colors of lipsticks.
Similar products: Innisfree Jelly Cheek, Too Cool For School Cheek Jelly Blusher
The A’pieu Juicy Pang Mousse Tint in RD01 is a velvet tint, which is my current favorite K Beauty lip product. Mousse tints or velvet tints are liquid lipsticks with medium to high pigmentation, and always matte finishes. Mousse tints often have the added bonus of smoothing out lip lines and making the lips look plump and even. I LOVE them as a modern take on regular mattes, which may be drying and make certain lips look (and feel) raisin-like. I also love how velvet lips diffuse light, making it look more interesting than a very flat classic matte.
It has a peculiar applicator: it is a bigger and rounder doe foot. I like this better than the standard flat ones, because it is almost shaped like a finger and is easier to use to blend out product with. A’Pieu’s Juicy Pang Mousse tint feels the “wettest” among my mousse tint collections, but it still retains that iconic mousse-y, plush texture.
The Juicy Pang Mousse Tint in RD01 is a slightly deep, slightly cool red. I would never think to pair it with a coral blush, but it actually works great in brightening up my whole face. While RD01 can layer into a power lip, I prefer to deposit most color at the center and diffuse outwards to blend just inside my lip line. This product stains so it doesn’t leave embarassing lip holes, and lasts a respectable 4-6 hours.
Similar products: 3ce Velvet Lip Tint (video here), Peripera Ink Velvet (blk Soft Matte Mousse, Happy Skin Shut Up and Kiss Me Lip and Cheek Mousse) Clio Professional Mad Matte Tint
The Velvet Tint Look can be made with products such as velvet lip tints, mousse tints, jelly blushes, and cream-to-powder blushes. These are soft matte products that are matte, but not flat. I recommend it for people who want an added smoothening effect on their makeup look!
One thing to note with K Beauty is that they are pretty particular with matching or complimentary finishes. They like cohesive ideas for their faces, so water blushes, with water tints, in their low-shine finishes, are often paired with minimally dewy and fresh bases.
Jelly blushes have a smoothening, soft matte quality, so they are often paired with velvet matte lipsticks and soft matte (not flat matte) bases as well! Makeup is so fun when you experiment, but seeing everything blended out on a cohesive and strategically-designed look can also be very satisfying!
