Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato

Last week I postulated that the beauty industry colludes on new product releases, but was told by some readers that’s not the case. Regardless, the reason for my theory, is because seemingly unrelated companies can come to market with the same innovation at the same time! I’m talking about these new lip and cheek tints, and in particular, the new Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato.

Similar to YSL Kiss & Blush (reviewed here), Shu Uemura’s Tint in Gelato is a mousse texture – soft & fluffy to the touch, non-runny, and feels almost creamy on the lips. It doesn’t quite feel like gelato to me, and in fact feels denser than YSL’s rendition, but those bright poppy colors sure feel happy like my favorite scoop of pistachio gelato!!

And because I received complains that my swatches of the Dior Addict Fluid Sticks weren’t labeled, I made sure to get these swatches right this time!

The AK range are the more unique shades (not my definition, but that’s the way they are marketed).
• AK01 Cassis Delight is a medium-dark neutral red that has the tendency to lean slightly warm on me
• AK02 Sugar Plum is a mdium-dark fuchsia that leans strongly towards plum
• AK03 Fantasy Orange is a medium neon orange
• AK04 Lemon Souffle is a light orange with golden shimmers

Next comes the PK range, which features 3 varying shades of pink!
• PK01 Berry Berry is a medium creamy-pink, channeling our inner K-pop stars!
• PK02 Milky Framboise is a medium mauve-pink, one of the most popular shades for everyday wear apparently
• PK03 Sakura Crème is a light baby pink

The CR range features 4 shades of corals:
• CR01 Blood Orange (seems like a popular name this season) is a medium orange-peach shade that leans cool and slightly neon-ish on me…It looks amazing on the lips for fair skin types!
• CR02 Momo Sweet is another medium peach shade, slightly warmer, more toned down version of CR01, looks better on my cheeks
• CR03 Fancy Orange is a misnomer since it is much more pink than orange
• CR04 Spiced Orange is a light-medium orange-beige which is warm toned, another everyday shade

And there is also BG01 Puffy Chocolate which is a cool taupe shade.

These Tint in Gelatos come in a sleek silver tube with a long glass window that allows you to look inside to see the color (and possibly monitor if your product is running out). I love this packaging so much more than the YSL ones! So sexy, and pocket friendly! However, the applicator is not as user-friendly, and I found it is best to apply the Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato with a brush on the lips. This gives a more even coverage and allows you to control how thick/thin. Applying it straight out of the tube with the wand generally leaves a thick goop of product that creates the worst-looking mess the moment your lips touch a cup.

They are also much more pigmented than YSL’s, so you really only need very little product for the cheeks. I prefer to press the applicator on a clean finger, then gently dab on both cheeks, and blend using a brush. Start with the littlest possible, and build up if you need. Though not completely matte on the cheeks, I found they do have a tendency to cling to dry patches so you may need to be careful if you have very dry skin. On the positive note, they do not emphasize pores, and last ALL DAY.

I picked up for myself PK01, CR02 and AK02, and here are some lip swatches!

Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato PK01 swatch

Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato CR02 swatch

Depending on the intensity of the color, I found these can last me an impressive 4-5 hours. I applied AK02 the moment I bought it, went for lunch, and afterwards found it to be still largely intact. Even when it has worn off in the middle, I blotted it all down, and there is still a nice stain. On my cheeks, these lasted all day without fading!

These all dried down to a velvety matte finish, and did seem to emphasize lines on my lips more so than YSL, but they felt perfectly comfortable and emollient throughout. At SGD38 a tube (USD28) with 5.4gm of product, the Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato are slightly pricier than YSL’s Babydoll Kiss & Cheek. However, if portability is a consideration, and if you (like me) don’t think you’ll ever finish 10gm of product, then the Tint in Gelato are a more accessible price point, and you can afford more different colors!

xoxo