Review + Swatches: My 840-peso haul from Ilahui
With Korean-looking products that are made in China, Ilahui is a store to watch out for if you enjoy bargain beauty shopping. But where to start and what to get? I took on the challenge to shop enough products to do an FOTD while keeping the bill below 1,000 pesos. With so many affordable options, staying within budget was actually not hard but is it a YAASSS or PASS for my full-face makeup haul?
Soft Light Tone-Up Blemish Balm (P149)
While there are three BB cream lines to choose from with two shades each, the color options differ from one line to another. To ensure it would be wearble, I ended up choosing a based on what had my closest shade match rather than the finish I wanted. Soft Light BB Cream in 02 is a passable match for my NC15 skin tone. The BB cream is on the thick side but has surprisingly sheer/light coverage for its consistency. Two passes are enough to create a mild brightening effect, fade out redness, and slightly lighten blemishes and hyperpigmentation. The effects remind me of Olay CC Cream, actually. The finish is a slightly dewy satin, and I get 2-3 hours of wear (after a layer of setting powder) before I need to retouch.
To me, this one is a YAASSS for those who don’t need particularly heavy coverage. You can layer it for a bit more coverage or use it as a primer of sorts.
Sketch Silky Smooth Eyebrow Pencil (P99)
This dual-ended brow pen deposits pigment without much effort, though I must mention that there is a waxiness to it that causes the color to cling to brow hairs and look a little patchy. Luckily, a few sweeps of the attached spoolie brush manages to spread and diffuse the color without trouble. I got the color 02 Brown, a sort of coffee brown, which suits my hair.
YAASSS, go get one as there’s nothing “sketch” about this twist-up brow pen.
Eyeshadow Pencil in Flash Brown (P149)
It was slim pickings at the eyeshadow section. They had a shadow palette on display but I wasn’t a fan of the shade selection. I opted for the promise of speedy eye makeup with a bronze dual-ended shadow/liner pen. The colors looked nice enough on my hand swatch but it turned out to be a bust! The formula doesn’t work with the applicator, if at all. The powder end is somewhere in between a powder shadow and a cream one, and the product simply clings to the sponge-tip applicator, making application very patchy.
When I try smoothing it out with a fingertip, the powder either fades or comes off altogether. It takes quite a lot of passes to build up the pigmentation sufficiently. The best way to use it is just to add color to the crease, so you can just concentrate the pigmentation in one area. Longevity is also disappointing because it lasts less than an hour even with primer.
The only saving grace was that the eyeliner pen at the back that had a pleasant level of smudginess and delivered good pigmentation. On my lower lashline, it seems to stay on all day with minimal smudging but it's not enough to make this product worth it. PASS on this one.
Quick Dry Eyeliner (P149)
True to its name, this liquid liner starts out super-runny but dries in a snap. You will have to work fast, and that could prove tricky if you're not that well-practiced with eye lining. It produces a semi-opaque line with a finish that has some shine to it.
Applying a double layer of liner is a no-no as it results in an uncomfortably sticky feeling on the lashline. The applicator is firm with an end that thins out at the bottom, allowing users to easily shift between thin and thick lines, depending on how the wand is angled. The formula isn’t waterproof or water-resistant but it is smudge-resistant as long as it is kept dry. Exposure to tears melts the formula immediately so no, you can’t get too close to the lash line or the waterline. Having a gap between your actual lash line and where you put your eyeliner is not a good look so I’ll PASS on this one as well.
Magic Big Eye Mascara (P99)
There’s a high-quality feel to this mascara due to its matte metallic finish. The mascara wand iself is a traditional bulky brush with a slight curve, and this delivers natural-looking length and volume. What actually surprised me most about this was how the washable formula gave me no trouble with smudging, considering that my eye shape usually tends to cause mascara to smear. So it's a YAASSS for a mess-free, no ‘scara look.
Gradient Lipstick (P189)
This is a copy of Laneige's Two Tone Bars. I’ve yet to get my hands on the luxe version, but this impressed me in during my swatching sesh in store. I got high shine and high pigmentation in a single swipe! The Gradient Lipstick glides on smooth and the color applies evenly. The shade I have, #01, is a pretty combo of carnation pink and maraschino cherry red, and easily blends when lips are pressed together. My own application technique involves doing one pass with the side that’s dominantly red and fading it out by doing another pass with the side that’s primarily pink. Bonus: It also doubled as a cream blush, and I had no trouble blending the formula with my fingers.
Gotta say YAASSS to this. It is, in fact, my fave product from the haul. The juicy-looking color and shine are perfect for that summer glow all year round.
From left: lipstick, liquid eyeliner, eyeshadow/eyeliner pen, and brow pen
Final bill: P834! Overall, this haul was a success. Four out of my six finds make for excellent everyday makeup in terms of ease of application and comfortable wear. Do check out Ilahui when you get a chance!
