Korean Lip tint: Memebox I’m gel tint Review + Swatch

Before I left for Hong Kong, I received a package from Memebox containing all the new Pony effect products along with this secret product that wasn’t released yet.  I felt like a special little girl that got into her mother’s make up stash kekeke. For the past three years, I’ve been trying out a ton of korean lip tints but haven’t found one I truly liked.  My dry lips is a little hard to manage sometimes so I hope this gel formulation could help it out a bit.  Without further adieu, let’s get started! (⊙ꇴ⊙)  

Full name of product:
I’m Meme
I’m gel tint #GT004 Berry Pink

Limited edition/ Permanent?:
Permanent

Description of product:
“Bring shine and color back to your lips! This luscious, jelly color leaves a vibrant tint that lasts even through a meal or a drink. The watery gel formula makes it less drying than water tint, more pigmented than gel tint. Formulated with a powerful blend of Mango Seed Butter, Jojoba Seed Oil, Macadamia Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Avocado Oil so your lips feel nourished and comfortable all day.”

Price:
$7.50 USD

Amount of product:
5 mL

Duration before expiration:

Country of Manufacture:
Made in Korea

Shades available:

Ingredients:
#GT001 Cherry Red: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Tromethamine, Alcohol Denat., PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, CI 15985, CI 17200, CI 19140, Fragrance

#GT002 Plum Red: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Tromethamine, Alcohol Denat., PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, CI 17200, Fragrance

#GT 003 Peach Coral: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Tromethamine, Alcohol Denat., PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, CI 15985, CI 19140, CI 45410, Fragrance

#GT004 Berry Pink: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Tromethamine, Alcohol Denat., PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, CI 15985, CI 17200, CI 19140, CI 45410, Fragrance

#GT005 Mandarin Orange: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Carbomer, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Tromethamine, Alcohol Denat., PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, 1,2-Hexanediol, CI 15985, CI 17200, CI 19140, Fragrance

Product packaging:
Packaging for this product is simple, straight forward but sleek and chic looking at the same time. The bottom half comes in a clear cubed plastic tube which aids in being able to see what shade you have in your collection.  The black screw on lid holds the slanted doe foot application.

The lid also has Memebox’s modern “M” embossed into it.

The bottom of the tube also has a sticker to indicate the shade you have alongside the printed name of the shade and the usual information.

Once you take out the applicator, it looks like you already lost 1/3 of the product.  But then again, it only retails for $7.50 and there are always some type of deal or coupon floating around, so I’m not going to nit pick too much about the amount of product.

The doe foot for this product is a little bit different then the usual lip gloss doe foot applicator.  For one, this one is slightly fluffier and a lot more flexible then the traditional ones.  Because of it’s fluffier nature, it grabs onto more of the gel making application easier. 

Also the applicator comes in a slight slant, kind of like the ones from YSL.  The flexibility of this applicator also makes it easier to apply with precision.  Overall the product packaging was well thought out.

How to use:

You can use this in several different ways.  On the lips, you can either dab it onto the center of the lips and blend it out for that gradation look or you can directly apply it all over the lips for a fuller look.  Other then the lips, you can also use this on your cheeks as a natural and moisturizing flush of color!  Simply dab the tint onto a duo fiber brush, like Elf small stipple brush, for an effortless flush on the cheeks.

Color/ Pigmentation:
Since I only have one of the shades on hand, I can’t tell you about the other four (obviously LOL).  The shade I have, #GT004 Berry Pink, is a true warm toned strawberry color.  On my lips, it enhances my natural rosy red lips without screaming BOLD BOLD BOLD from miles away.  I’m not a bold lip color wearer, so lip balms, subtle tints are my ideals in terms of lip colors.  I do like the occasional full on lipsticks, but for daily use I like balms, oils and tints. I usually prefer muted beiges and rarely go for cherry reds so I was uncertain at first when I saw this shade.  Surprisingly, this shade is just perfect for me!  It isn’t too bright red on the lips. I go out bare face about 5 days of the week due to work restrictions.  This shade is the perfect your lips but ever so slightly better.  It kind of reminds me of Dior glow lip balm but slightly brighter.  I like it!

Texture/ Finish:
I don’t like super glossy lip products because to me, it looks like I drooled on my lips and forgot to wipe it off for hours.  This consistency is perfect for me since it gives a subtle glossiness to the lips while still hydrating them, giving them a flush of color and also staining my lips when the product has fully absorbed into the lips.  I also tried this gel tint on my bare, super dried up lips and it glided over the uneven lip skin and patches with no problem.  This might be one of the most hydrating lip tints I have tried to date!

The one problem I have with this lip tint is that it isn’t buildable.  I was trying to see if I could build up the glossiness but I don’t think it’s possible.  I applied one layer to my lips, let it set and then applied another layer but it somehow bunched up very weirdly.  So with this product, two thin layers is pretty much as far as you can go in terms of glossiness.

I’m also really impressed with the staying power of this tint.  After I applied it to my lips, let it set for about two minutes and then wiped it with my finger as hard as possible…

Little to no tint came off.  There is the slightest amount but I think that is just the glossiness that came off and not the actual tint itself.

I also tried kissing the back of my hand and again, little to no product came off other then the glossiness.  So I think this can be boyfriend and children approved!!  YEY!  I detest wearing lip product because it can come off so easily, so it is a great day when I find something that is pigmented, stains, lasts a long time and is kiss proof too!

Lasting power:
One of the problems I have with wearing lip tints is with those tints that tint way too much to the point it becomes tattoo make up.  Usually oil based make up removers should be able to do the job and get rid of any make up, so it is extra frustrating when lip stains don’t come off.  Luckily with this lip stain, it came off with some oil based make up remover but the stain remained about 5-10%.  In terms of the glossiness of the product, it lasted about a good hour to an hour and a half before being fully absorbed.  The tint lasted a good 4 hours before fading from eating, talking, daily stuff. 

Fragrance?:
This product has been scented with a fresh and realistic berry fragrance that isn’t sickeningly sweet or artificial.  Smell-o-scale= 6/10 in terms of the strength of fragrance.

Demo time!Here are my bare lips.  As you can see, they are screaming for a lip balm with it’s dry and cracked sadness, perfect to test out the moisturizing claims.

Let’s try the gradation style all the Koreans and the rest of Asia have been so obsessed with the past half a decade.

Not bad, not bad.  I should have added some clear lip balm or something, my lips are so dry.  But we are doing a realistic review haha.  I don’t know why when I do gradation lips, my top lip always does this weird thing where the color gathers more towards the insides of my lip and makes it look extra dark and patchy. But this gel tint is definitely easy to blend and easy to use.

Here is the gel tint applied all over my lips with just one thin layer.  It looks really nice, natural and also makes my lips look full and juicy without looking like I’m high maintenance.  I can’t be bothered with being high maintenance haha.  The Gudetama life 😛

The gel tint with a second thin layer.  The color is slightly intensified but still natural looking.  Damn… I’m really liking this tint!

Pro:
-affordable ($7.50)
-comes in 5 shades
-natural looking finish
-long lasting
-moisturizing

Con:
-hard to buy if not living in USA or Korea/ Asia

Repurchase?:
Most likely yes.

Stars given out of 5:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall thoughts:
This product was so so close to getting my stamp of awesomeness but I think I want to see the rest of the shades before I can truly give it the stamp of approval.  Overall I really like this product and it checks off a lot of boxes for me in terms of me finding the right everyday lip product.  It is moisturizing, glides over the lip’s natural cracks, is long-lasting and has a natural enough of finish for it to not look “high maintenance” or too made up. I give this two thumbs up and for the price, you can’t really beat it.

*Update: So I’ve tried all the colors and it is safe to say, this gel tint is definitely worthy of my seal of approval.  All the shades offered, the formulation and the finish all look amazing, natural, and hydrating and give a watercolour effect on the lips without overdoing it.  Most importantly, I can confidently wear this out without feeling self-conscious.  If you’d like to see the rest of the shades available, click here!*

What do you guys think about this product?  Would it be something you’d like to try out for yourself?  Which shades is your favourite out of the five available?  Let me know in the comments down below what you think and let’s start a conversation shall we?

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