Review | Em Cosmetics True Gloss [ALL] and Black Illustrative Eyeliners [Brush, Felt, Gel]

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored blog post or are these purchased. These are gifted as a Giveaway gift and even so, I still had some bad experiences with them but this blog post will remain bias-less just the way I want my blog to be.

Yo. I waited for these items for 3 months and more. It was a long wait with lots of following ups but I finally got it. There's also one item missing because apparently "it's out of stock and it's not important to include it into the parcel since it's just a giveaway."

Heads up: If you stay in Malaysia, China, France, Russia or Spain, don't even bother thinking about buying it because they literally said they won't ship it there. They were reluctant to send me my gifts after knowing I'm from Malaysia but hey, they wrote in their IG Giveaway post that it's open to all the international participants. Not my fault there.

Even if you're not within the list, you might still want to double consider before purchasing because they're -apparently- not liable for anything including lost/damaged packages caused by shipping carriers because they're only responsible until your parcel leaves their warehouse facility. This was stated on their website.

Upon receiving

I got a giant box that ships internationally within 3 working days (aka super expensive shipping fee) and it was very light. I do believe that this size was not necessary since the items were all smaller products.

When I opened it, the products were all underneath the box without bubble wrap... What happens if anything is broken eh? I'm concerned because this is a giveaway parcel, not a PR package or ordered parcel. PIC probably wasn't thinking much when she instructed someone to pack this parcel... While I was panicking, I opened up all the products and -wew- they dusty.

Every lippie coming out of the box was covered in white dust, which worries me even more because what if this is an old stock??

Packaging

There was no expiry date or manufacturing date available on the packaging as well. I personally dislike it when companies do not print the dates on the packaging because I need to know when these are made.

Here's a clearer shot of how dusty it is. It's not even from my cloth because it's clean and it does not shed any threads like that. Seriously, what's going on in their office/factory.

True Gloss: All 12 Shades

 $20 Each | 4ml (0.3 fl. oz.)
High-Shine. Vibrant. Comfortable
Volumizing Lip Gloss

Em Cosmetics says:

"INSPIRATION: Your search for a super-slick, high-shine gloss is over. True Gloss brings you brilliant shine and ultimate comfort in the most vivid shades, ranging from soft nudes to deep jewel tones. Our formula subtly plumps the lips, has a luminous finish and stays vibrant throughout the day. The result is unprecedented hydration, high-intensity colour, and long-lasting shine.

FORMULATION: Advanced gel base maintains the wet-like shine while adding moisture and preventing TEWL (trans-epidermal water loss). A lip-plumping peptide complex stimulates collagen production (you may experience a tingling sensation), softens and repairs the damage, giving the appearance of smoother, fuller lips. Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and emollients keep lips feeling soft, conditioned, and comfortable.

EXPECTATION: Unprecedented moisture, vibrant colour, and long-lasting shine. Zero stickiness, zero discomforts."

Yes mama. I got all 12 shades from the True Gloss series and I even checked the website (and the IG giveaway post) to double confirmed it.

Here's a full list of the colour shades: 

Truffle Haze, Caramel Glaze, Ash Rose, Secret Blush, Magic Hour, Aurora Pink, Lotus Blossom, Moroccan Sunset Red Jasper, Blood Moon, Scarlet Knight, Ruby Wine.

Falling Coatings

Another part of the product that made me worried even more: the falling coatings of the cap which might indicate mistreatment to the product, poor quality of the product packaging, or degrading of the coating due to a long period of a wait after being manufactured.

All of the glosses have the same issue with the coating on the gold part from the cap.

Backgrounds

In case you want a clearer sense of the colours. Here are two pictures with the products lined up on top of a black background and a white background.

Opening

All the openings at the tubes look clean and the tips kinda worried me for a bit because the colour looks like a moulding colour. Bless me, guys. I hope I won't get the same infection as the JHC lipsticks.

I checked a few more lippies and it might just be that particular colour shade that has a wand colour like that but honestly, I don't have anywhere to check from so I'm just going to let it be.

Swatches 

Review 

All the 12 shades have a consistent glossy sheen to it but the colours staining levels differ. Only the last 4 colours really stain my skin and the rest were removed along with the makeup remover, leaving no colour residue. However, it does leave a little oily/tugging feeling when I rub my palms to my arm. 

The glosses are towards the oilier side rather than the gel or cream. For me, this means that it gets patchy quite easily if the oil starts to separate the gloss and the lips in several places. There are bubbles in this product and I'm not sure if that's normal because my other products don't produce or keep this much of bubbles. 

The texture of the lip gloss felt a little concentrated and it grips well on the lips but it doesn't feel thick. It's pretty lightweight on the lips. You might feel a little tugging if you rub your lips together but it's not rough. There's no taste to the lip gloss but it does smell like an old NYX butter lipstick. It's still bearable so far.

They also don't stay long or last long enough. You have to reapply every 1-2 hrs, that is if you don't eat and/or drink anything. Also, if you look at the left corner of my lips, you'd find a small chunk of lipgloss gathered there. I don't know how that happened tho.

Em Cosmetics also say that it helps to volumize the lips but I honestly don't see any difference with a non-volumizing lipstick. It's also not really shiny as they've claimed. The only thing that claimed right was the comfortableness. 

Lip Swatches

Let's start with my "fresh face fantasy" lips. (Bretman Rock reference.) Well, technically, I have nothing on my lips besides a little bit of foundation.

Truffle Haze. It's a nude colour and I don't understand nudes. They're just never my colour... or maybe I just need good lip pencils to start with. 

EM Cosmetics says: Truffle Haze is a sheer grey nude

Caramel Glaze is a goldish nude which is also not suitable for me.

EM Cosmetics says: Caramel Glaze is a sheer warm brown

Ash Rose looks like a colour that I'd wear if I want to look sick but also glamorous. It screams "I still want my lips to look juicy even when I'm sick to the core with fever" on my lips.

EM Cosmetics says: Ash Rose is a sheer cool mauve

Secret Blush looks like what my lips would look like if I eat something spicy while I'm sick.

EM Cosmetics says: Secret Blush is a sheer pink nude

Magic Hour is literally what my lips look like when I wake up. Wearing it makes me wondered if I actually wore something on my lips.

EM Cosmetics says: Magic Hour is a sheer peachy nude with micro glitter

Aurora Pink is that one Barbie colour that all Asian boyfriends should avoid buying because it's a risky colour that not everyone can wear it. I think a very fair Asian could nail this colour but a yellower person like me will have to skip it.

EM Cosmetics says: Aurora Pink is a sheer cool pink

Oooooh, finally a colour that I can try to wear. Lotus Blossom is still a little too bright for me but I guess I can try to compensate it with eye makeup and blushes.

EM Cosmetics says: Lotus Blossom is a warm pink

Moroccan Sunset is officially the first one I'd totally wear. It's a terracotta brick colour that's slightly on the bright side. I like this one.

EM Cosmetics says: Moroccan Sunset is a dusty coral

Red Jasper is another red that I think Asians with yellowish can wear because it has orange tones in it. Any red lipsticks with orange tones are pretty much safe for Asians.

EM Cosmetics says: Red Jasper is a muted terracotta

Blood Moon, for me, is a straight-up red colour shade and this is the colour that I usually discourage Asians to wear because it looks kinda bad on yellowish skin. I don't know, it just makes our skin colour look really off. I can try to wear it but probably not often.

EM Cosmetics says: Blood Moon is a bright orange-red

Scarlet Knight is another shade I'd try to wear. It's not a full-red colour shade. It has some pinkish tone in it. I personally don't have a preference for colours for this but I can try to work it out with a Korean style makeup look.

EM Cosmetics says: Scarlett Knight is a bright blue-red

I like this colour. Ruby Wine looks more like a plum red to me. It has magenta tones to it and it also makes a good gradient. Good, good.

EM Cosmetics says: Ruby Wine is a bright burgundy

Verdict

I don't know what I'm going to do with the half of the colours here but I'm gonna see if any friends of mine look good in nudes and that they are okay with used makeup. Other than that, I would only wear 3 shades out of this line and I probably would try to wear the other 3.

These lip gloss are not really high-shine or volumizing as they've claimed. They feel like any other lip glosses out there and I can't really feel how premium this is. I mean, this $20 lip gloss really just felt like a $5 for me. Then again, maybe they've spent more on their packaging than the content itself.

Also, having to keep re-applying this every 1-2 hours is a little bit troublesome. With the packaging condition, the durability and the feel of the lip gloss, I think I'd rather pay Colourpop to play with more colours. I mean, $20 per lip gloss makes $240 for 12 lip glosses. A Colourpop lippie is just $7 and I can buy 34 lippies at $240, which is 3.5 times more than the number of lippies I'd get in Em Cosmetics.

Will I recommend this product? Hunney, I'd rather you buy 34 lippies from Colourpop instead of just 12 regular lip glosses from Em Cosmetics, so no. I don't recommend these lip glosses.

Moving on.

Illustrative Eyeliners

Precision Control Gel/Liquid Eyeliner

EM Cosmetics said:
Not all lines are created equal, so choose the right precision tool for the eyeliner look you’re trying to achieve.

Em Cosmetics also didn't include the brown liquid liner into my parcel because it was out of stock and that my parcel is "just for a giveaway". So, sorry guys, not being able to show you what's up with that product.

This is one of their products that I wanted to try in the beginning but it's seriously too expensive for me. I was really excited when I was told that I won the giveaway but then that excitement kinda died down after waiting 3 months of waiting that was filled with active-seen-and-unseen. At least I've finally gotten my items! Let's go through what these eyeliners do.

Black Brush Tip
$21 [0.55ml / 0.019fl.oz]

Em Cosmetics said:
"Our Brush Tip is carefully crafted after an illustration pen. With this pen, you’ll have complete control over creating thick to thin lines with ease, allowing for a wider range of natural to more dramatic eyeliner looks.

• A fine, flexible brush tip for precise application
• Ultra-black, fast-drying ink
• Water-resistant and smudge-proof
• All-day wear
• Cruelty-free & Vegan
• INSPIRATION

“Inspired by the art world’s finest archival inks and French charcoal pencils, each liner in the Illustrative Eyeliner collection was meticulously designed and carefully crafted. The utmost most care, integrity, and love went into the making of our liners — from the tip of the brush, the flow of the ink, to the intensity of the jet black finish. I truly hope it inspires you to unleash your inner artist. Happy creating!” – Michelle Phan"

Matte Gel Pencil
$20 [1.3g / 0.04 oz]

Em Cosmetics said:
"Our Matte Gel Pencil is the perfect blend of the colour intensity of the darkest kohl liners and the precision and lasting power of a gel.

• Glides on effortlessly like a liquid
• Ultra-rich colour and intense payoff
• Water-resistant and long-lasting
• Gentle enough for the waterline
• Cruelty-free & Vegan

“Inspired by the art world’s finest archival inks and infamous French charcoal pencils, each liner in the Illustrative Eyeliner collection is impeccably designed and carefully crafted. We put the utmost most care and integrity we thought of everything that we love in a liner—from the tip of the brush and flow of the ink to the intensity of the jet black shade—when developing this pen. I really hope it inspires you to unleash your inner artist. Happy creating!” – Michelle Phan"

Black Felt Tip
$21 [0.55ml / 0.019fl.oz]

Em Cosmetics said:
"Our Felt Tip was impeccably designed after the manga/comic art pen, which allows you to effortlessly create a bold, dynamic line in one stroke. It’s perfect for mastering that sexy cat eye or turning into a superhero."

• A marker-like fine tip for bolder, graphic lines
• Ultra-black, fast-drying ink
• Water-resistant and smudge-proof
• All-day wear
• Cruelty-free & Vegan

“Inspired by the art world’s finest archival inks and French charcoal pencils, each liner in the Illustrative Eyeliner collection was meticulously designed and carefully crafted. The utmost most care, integrity, and love went into the making of our liners — from the tip of the brush, the flow of the ink, to the intensity of the jet black finish. I truly hope it inspires you to unleash your inner artist. Happy creating!” – Michelle Phan"

Review

The tips are very sharp but they are also very hard to control. This is especially with the gel pencil as it breaks off too easily. You need to be super careful when you try to use these liners. I also don't get how these feel like an illustrator's brushes/pen because it just doesn't feel like one.

My personal favourite is always the brush tip liners and from these three options, I still like the brush tip liner better. The felt tip liner will bleed the ink around the lines that you've drawn so it could mess up your look. The gel liner was just too soft for me to handle it.

They are waterproof and smudgeproof tho. Those are the things that I cannot deny from these liners. I've tried washing my hands with soap plenty of times and the ink is still there. That being said, you need to use a very strong makeup remover to get it off your skin. I personally don't like this but it's really up to how you like your liners to be.

Do I recommend this? Well, they are waterproof, smudgeproof and colour intense but with that price tag, I don't think so. You can actually find similar products at a lower price. I can get the same brush eyeliner with easier removal using cleansing balm at the price of $15 or lower (see 1028 and /or Dollywink). If you are not from the US then it's even more unworthy to buy this because of the expensive shipping fee (at $10.99).

In conclusion

Em Cosmetics products are similar to the regular brands and items we can find in the drugstore for a lower price but same/better qualities. I personally don't suggest purchasing them, especially if you're from overseas, because it's really not worth the hassle.

The formulas are really basic but why they're so expensive? My guess is that most of the charges are based on Michelle's popularity and their product packaging costs.

Anyway, this is a review that I've never thought that I'll write. It's somewhat refreshing because I've hardly talked about US brands unless they're from Sephora (my luv is always Fenty). I'm glad I'm able to review this despite all the trouble that comes with it. Hopefully, I'll get more chances to write about other US brands that aren't available in Malaysia.

That's all for my review!

Hope you find it helpful.

Do check out my other posts too!