SPOT.ph Roadtest: Can This TikTok-Famous K-Beauty Brand Survive PH Humidity?
(SPOT.ph) We used to scour magazine after magazine to know what makeup trend or product was in and what wasn't. Nowadays, we still do the same thing, basically, albeit just on a different platform: TikTok. The rabbit hole known as the For You Page contains a boatload of treasures waiting to be discovered. Sometimes you'll get hit by a random new creator gushing about a product that piques your interest, at times, it's an entire army of them talking about the same thing—especially when a launch is involved. It's the second of the two that oftentimes has you adding to cart at three in the morning while you try to escape the rabbit hole.
While the virality is justified, most of the time, you have to admit that some things just don't feel like they'd be a good fit for you—especially when we're talking makeup. Skin tone and yes, even the literal climate you're in, can factor into whether a hyped product will actually be good for you. So when a K-Beauty brand makes the rounds, it's only fair that we in the tropics take it with a grain of salt. But if each product in its range is supposedly worthy of the hype, we just had to try it out ourselves. So, which brand are we talking about? Barenbliss.
Also read:Â Spot Approved: This Six-Day Ampoule Treatment May Be the Quickest Skincare Product I Own
Meet Barenbliss, the newest K-Beauty player in the Philippine market.
Founded by Jina Kim, a Korean makeup artist who has done looks for K-Pop groups Red Velvet and SISTAR, among others), Barenbliss considers itself to be "lab-based, high-performance clean beauty". Think skincare but makeup—quality ingredients put together to leave you with little to no acne breakouts. Heck, they even have an entire ingredient blacklist that can be found on their website.
So let's talk about their range of goodies. We were able to get our hands on a couple of their products, specifically the True Beauty Inside Cushion (P899), the TikTok-famous Fine to Refine Compact Powder (P599), and the Peach Makes Perfect Lip Tint (P399).
The first two products are safely ensconced in a lightweight but sturdy compact in the brand's pastel hues while the lip tint comes in a glass-like plastic tube that allows you to see the shade outright. At first glance, Barenbliss' products are quite similar in look to local makeup brands, even when it comes to the price point, so we're here to remind you that yup, this is a new international player.
Barenbliss'Â The True Beauty Inside Cushion
The True Beauty Inside Cushion has a light flowery scent that isn't too overpowering. The shade range, while limited to three, is still flexible enough to cater to a variety of light to medium skin tones. While some cushions typically offer a refill option for their compacts, this particular one does not. It also comes with a pointed tip cushion puff that's great at tackling hard-to-reach areas of the face, most importantly around the eye area. The formula contains SPF 45 PA +++ and is paraben- and alcohol-free. Coverage on the face is typically light to medium depending on the application.
Barenbliss'Â Fine to Refine Compact
A cheaper alternative to Charlotte Tilbury's Airblush Flawless Finish Setting Powder, the TikTok-viral Fine to Refine Compact powder is well-milled and turns any base product matte without looking dry or cakey. The powder which has three shades, also contains SPF 25 ++ which gives you an additional layer of protection against sun damage.
Barenbliss'Â Peach Makes Perfect Lip Tint
Lastly, we have the Peach Makes Perfect Lip Tint. This lippiet has a subtle fruity scent reminiscent of your childhood Lip Smackers lip balm and is more watery than opaque when applied. It has shea butter, jojoba oil, olive oil, meadowfoam seed oil, sunflower seed oil, and almond oil—ingredients that leave your lips luscious and kissable despite having a more "my lips are stained because I just ate a meal" look that's popular among young Koreans.
The verdict
About a month after using the brand, we can pretty much guarantee copping at least one out of the three: the True Beauty Inside Cushion. Surprised that the winning product wasn't the social media popular powder? Us too. The powder did the bare minimum of keeping our faces matte, which is something we can get from other brands. The cushion, on the other hand, fared well against the humid weather that we Filipinos go through almost on a daily basis. While not mask-proof, there is minimal transfer onto your mask, leaving you with pretty good coverage at the end of the day. It won't give you full-coverage foundation that you'd typically see on your fave beauty gurus and influencers, but it has that lightweight feel and smooth coverage that works great for day-to-day use. You're not exactly doing your errands in full glam anyway, unless of course you're Heart Evangelista.
Barenbliss is available in Watsons, Lazada, and Shopee. For more informaton, check out Barenbliss on Instagram.
