little white truths

We received one of these Hikari Lip Crayons in our January Lust Have It Women's Box (reviewed here).

Unfortunately my crayon arrived broken: the product itself had fallen from the plastic cradle inside the tube and squished itself against the lid. I didn't ask for a replacement because it was still usable, but the breakage and the cheapness of the packaging made me rather suss about the quality of the product. Happily I was pleasantly surprised.

I received the colour Macchiato, which is described as a 'matte warm tan'. 

Now it's not a true matte but it is indeed a warm tan colour, and I'm thrilled with the shade I received because it's a neutral brown with enough orange to give it some life.

It's the perfect colour for autumn, and I'm pleased to report that it suits me - indeed, I think it would suit many skintones because it's dark enough that it shouldn't wash most darker lasses out, but it's not so dark that it might look weird on paler skins.

There's a shot in direct sunlight:

Shot taken indoors:

My bare lips for reference:

I'm really enjoying this product - both the formula and the colour - so much so that I've been reaching for it non-stop over the past few weeks. I have other lipsticks I want to test, but I'm so happy with this shade that I can't seem to put it down!

It's a standard lip crayon that twists up and doesn't need sharpening. The product has no scent, which I like because I'd rather no scent at all than one that's offensive or overpowering.

The packaging feels/looks a little cheap and it's rather flimsy, but I can live with that if the formula itself is ok. And indeed it is.

It's a beautifully creamy crayon that glides across the lips without tugging, and it's hydrating enough that I don't need to wear a gloss or balm to keep my dry lips comfortable. That's a huge plus for me because I find so many lip products to be drying on my dehydrated lips, so it's nice to have one that I can just wear alone.

Despite the creaminess, the product lasts pretty well and it fades evenly, so I don't need to reapply it as much as I do other hydrating products. It won't last all day, but you'll get a few hours' wear from it and the product hangs around reasonably well even if you drink as much coffee as I do.

You can see from the above shots that the finish isn't matte in the slightest, despite Hikari calling it so. I'm fine with that, but it's worth mentioning because you may be disappointed if you order it online and expect it to be matte.

Also worth mentioning is that the product doesn't emphasise lip lines - indeed it tends to smooth them out and make my lips appear a little fuller. That's another huge plus for me because I hate products that make my dry lips look even more lined, and this one doesn't.

'Macchiato' is a gorgeous shade that goes with so many looks, and I like it so much that I'll be looking for a similar colour once my crayon starts running out. I probably wouldn't order the crayon itself because Hikari doesn't have Australian retailers (not that I can find) and I hate to think what shipping I'd be paying for a single item, but if it were readily available here I'd consider purchasing it for the colour alone.

All in all, this is a great product that generally meets its claims (except the 'matte' one). In particular I love the colour and how nourishing the formula is, and I'm really happy to have it in my collection.

Ticks from me.