I bought the shades RD303 and PK004, which are both advertised as Joy’s picks. I chose them because I really liked the colours. RD303 is a nice cool-toned red that actually works well on warm skin tones like mine. It’s vivid without being too bright, a versatile and beautiful red. As for PK004, it is a light-medium pink that works well with warm skin tones, which is a little hard to find with pink lipsticks. If you have a warm skin tone (I’m around NC15-NC20 with olive/golden undertones) and want a pink that would work for you, this is a good choice.

The packaging is really lovely, and I love the matte case and its pretty red bow. The packaging is sturdy and in my opinion, nicer than the shiny cases with the pale pink bow that some other Etude House lipsticks have, which can look a little childish. 

The lipsticks have a good amount of product in them, in the photos below I have twisted them out to their full length. They are about that long after a couple of uses (around 2-3 times for the red, and about 4-5 times for the pink). Their texture is quite different than other lipsticks I’ve tried, which typically go on creamy. These lipsticks apply in a thin, almost translucent layer, kind of like a gel stick, and may need a few swipes before becoming even and opaque. I find that the pink is a little harder to apply in an even coat than the red. 

The pink (and I assume, the other light shades as well) does not look the best on dry or chapped lips. It can actually look quite bad, so make sure that your lips are well hydrated and exfoliated before putting a light shade of this on. The darker shades (like RD303) can hide the dryness better. However, the pink is still wearable even on dry lips, just apply it carefully. I found that the colour settled in after a few minutes and didn’t look as bad as first applied. 

This lipstick is not drying, and thankfully, doesn’t feather out of my lip lines horribly like the Etude House Dear My Wish Lips-Talk did. However, it does not leave a stain behind on my lips, even with the RD303. So, you definitely have to reapply this after eating or drinking, because the fading will be very obvious, especially if you are wearing a darker color. 

In all, this is a really good lipstick, great quality for its price. It’s not my favourite formula, but it’s still a nice one that I like to wear, and has beautiful shades.