Massive Stylenanda 3 Concept Eyes Review x Swatches

DISCLAIMER / EDIT: JANUARY 11, 2017

Before you start reading this lengthy review, I just want to preface it by saying that we wrote this review 3 years ago, BEFORE we tried some of the most popular Western brands and cult favorites (like Anastasia, Becca, Jeffree Star, NARS, etc.) so the opinions expressed here were written from the POV of people who were really into Japanese/Korean drugstore brands like KATE, Majolica Majorca, Etude House, TonyMoly, Innisfree, etc. So if you love Asian makeup and are able to get ahold of 3CE products at their original price point and not jacked up online like they do, go for it! It's worth a try. BUT! (And this is a big ol' but. Like Kim K big.) If you ALREADY love those Western liquid lipsticks, fleeky brows, and a really flawless base, you're going to be a little disappointed with some of these products, more specifically, the lip lacquers and foundation. 

Now, having said that, I understand that not everyone is willing to pay 30+ USD on a highlighter and would be perfectly happy with a product that still performs great but doesn't feel as painful to spend on. And not everyone aspires for Instagram eyebrows and Kylie Jenner lips. Anyway. So, after having tried the products we have now from the "mid to semi high end" of the Western beauty spectrum, which of these 3CE products do we still recommend? 

DO try: 

1. 3CE Highlight Beam 

2. Powdery Lip & Cheek 

3. SOME shades of their lipsticks (I still LOVE their shades Keen and Lala, though we don't review them here.) 

DON'T buy:

1. Water Glossing Foundation

2. Lip Lacquers - The formula is far from a liquid lipstick. The price is also pretty expensive for what it is, now that I've tried a lot more products. If you want a good liquid lipstick for the same price (800 pesos) I really like the Sephora Lip Cream and also Ofra. 

3. Brow Mascara - If you want a good, cheap brow mascara, try Heavy Rotation or K-Palette. 

4. Lip Pigments - They're really cheap for the amount of product and a novelty to own, sure, but better to invest in products that you'll get a lot of wear out of. 

I guess this wasn't really a disclaimer but more like a retraction? Hahaha. Our original review is still down there, and our opinions remain the same on their packaging. Beautiful packaging, still. We'll leave the original post there for the photos and swatches and if you want to see thoughts from the point of view of a K-beauty lover. (I still love Kbeauty, I'm just more discerning on which products to get now.)

--------------------------- END OF DISCLAIMER ------------------------

Hello everyone! :) If you've noticed, we're on a roll. Three reviews in 15 days?! (A big step up from our *cough* one review in every 4 months pattern *cough*) But we just couldn't hold off our excitement any longer as we've been dying to show you guys our review of our 3 Concept Eyes haul from Stylenanda.  To our surprise, there aren't many reviews online of 3CE. It's a desert out there. This made it difficult for us to choose what to buy so we decided to buy everything review these for you to make it easier for anyone who's looking to purchase these products.

Stylenanda is a South Korean brand that is not only known for their really chic and stylish clothes, but also for their extensive line of cosmetics, 3 Concept Eyes (or 3CE). Whether you're aware of Stylendanda or not, we're pretty sure you've seen this girl floating around the interwebs.  

Oh, Park Sora. Be still our beating hearts. She's the "face" of the brand and we're willing to bet that she's 90% of the reason why Stylenanda has become so popular in recent years. 

These are the products we'll be talking about in our not so little review:

— 3 Concept Eyes Highlight Beam Face and Body

— 3 Concept Eyes Glossing Waterful Foundation in Natural Ivory

— 3 Concept Eyes Eyebrow Mascara in Brown

— 3 Concept Eyes Powdery Lip and Cheek in Pink One Piece

— 3 Concept Eyes Lip Pigments in Electro Pink, Issue, Mink Beige

— 3 Concept Eyes Lip Lacquers in Backstage, Bon Bon

— 3 Concept Eyes Jumbo Lip Crayon in Neon Pink

— 3 Concept Eyes Lip Color/Lipstick in Pink Jam, Chu Chu

So are 3CE cosmetics as good as they look?

3CE Glossing Waterful Foundation

(Their product codes are really in hashtags, haha XD)

The Product

This Foundation is a lightweight foundation. From the name, you'd think it'd be watery or runny, but it's actually just like a regular liquid foundation, only a tad bit more thin and light in consistency. Comparing this to MAC Face and Body Foundation, it's thicker and not nearly as oily-looking. Coverage is light to medium, and dewy. (Just like Park Sora! Haha!) 

Packaging

It comes in this beautiful frosted glass jar and a dropper. The lid is a very classy matte finish, like most (if not all) of their products. If you're a sucker for packaging and good design you won't be disappointed.  

The best way to apply this is in layers, gradually building it until you're happy. Less is not more with this foundation because of its semi sheer consistency. You'll need 5 times of this to cover your entire face (for just one layer, haha XD )

As you can see, coverage is light-medium depending on your skin type. 

Oh the nakedness! Bare face so you guys can see how this foundation fares.

This was around 2 thin layers of the foundation, applied with a stippling brush. You will still need a concealer for dark circles or blemishes but for evening out the skin tone and reducing redness, this foundation works well.  

Pros

This is great for an everyday foundation! It has good enough coverage but light enough to help your skin breathe. I love how you can easily build it up without it looking caked on. (It's always easier to add than subtract!) It has a dewy finish which makes it look more "natural" (in quotations because rarely does foundation ever truly look natural). It blends in nicely with my NC 25-30 skin tone, and doesn't appear gray in photos. It also has SPF 25 PA++ so that's a big advantage, especially for people who're lazy to put on any sunscreen. 

Cons: 

If you live in warm climates, if you take public transport, or if you have oily skin, this foundation will MELT. I have combination skin (dry everywhere and normal on my T zone) and this foundation lasts a mere 2-3 hours on my T-zone on a regular 28°C day. In an airconditioned room, this will maybe last 4 hours, 5 hours tops. Of course, you can always pat some powder on top but that sort of defeats the purpose of the dewy, "watery" finish. Another disadvantage is that shades are limited. It only comes in a yellow tone (Natural Ivory) and a pink tone (Milk Ivory).

Verdict

7.5/10

3CE Highlight Beam (Face and Body)

Packaging

At first I wondered why the tube was so enormous, then I realized that it can also be used for the body. Collarbones, cleavage, legs - slather that thing on because it's going to last you forever. Or at least, until you can justify using it past its expiration date. HAHA! A little goes a LONG way; in fact, even a pea sized amount is too much for the face. I tried it once and I looked like I could fry an egg on my face HAHAHA. It's easy to go overboard with the pump because just a teensy little pressure spurts out a pea size already. 

The Product

As the name suggests, this is a highlighter that adds a nice, healthy glow. The "glow" is actually very well done and subtle, when applied properly. It doesn't look like glitters and you won't look like Ke$ha. HAHA. It finishes quite nicely and gives a dewy, healthy shimmer. Still, it'd be best if you dusted on some loose powder after to keep it looking clean and lasting long. 

Dat smolder look. (I'm also wearing 3CE's Lip Lacquer in Backstage, but we'll get to that later.) See that highlighting action? You guuuuys, I look 3D! I My cheekbones are like pearls! But a smidge more than that though, would've taken me from luminescent to frying pan.

Pros

Great consistency, pretty sheer shimmer that doesn't look like glitter, large amount of product

Cons

 Pump dispenses too much, can look greasy easily in warm/humid climates

Verdict 

9/10

 3CE Eyebrow Mascara (#Brown)

Packaging

Just like your regular brow mascara packaging, except more sleek and chic. Even the words printed on the packaging are slightly embossed in a glossy finish. The wand is slimmer than all the brow mascaras we've tried so far, and dispenses a little too much product, but it's easy to just wipe the excess back inside the tube.

The Product

A rich milk chocolate brown color. The texture is very glossy and creamy, kind of like cupcake frosting. I wish it was more sheer and not as wet/viscous because once you brush it on, it coats each strand rather thickly. My brow hairs are thick enough already so I don't like how it does that, but I can imagine that those with very fine, thin, hair will love it.  It also lasts a long time on me and doesn't really fade throughout the day.  

On the left (right eye) is my eyebrow coated with the mascara, and the opposite eye has no product. You can see that it truly colors the hair. If you have black, brown, or red hair the color will be good, but if you're ash blonde like I am or if you have light brown hair, there are lighter mascaras this is too dark. 

Verdict

7/10

I still prefer my HG brow mascara from Majolica Majorca! It's easier to apply and get an even coat. Even though I'm used to wearing brow mascara and have been using them for 3 years now, I found myself struggling with this one! D: I wouldn't recommend it if you have light hair or prefer light, diffused looking brows simply because the Majolica Majorca one is better in my opinion. :)

2. 3CE Powdery Lip & Cheek (#Pink One Piece)

The product lives up to its name. The finish is matte and powdery indeed! For oily skin types who want a cream based blusher, you might like this :D

Beautiful highly pigmented color that is easy to blend. Buildable color. I also don't know why this shade is called "Pink One Piece" because it's really more a pretty peach than pink. The texture, as mentioned, is very matte and feels almost velvety to the touch because of the silicone. Lasting power isn't phenomenal, as expected of cream blushers. Staying power is 3-4 hours. It's best to layer this under a powder blush for maximum longevity. :D 

When worn, it looks really pretty! It complements my warm skin tone great, but you can be sure that it'll look good on cool toned skin as well. Perfect color for the summer. It has a very baby doll esque look to it; It reminds me of the shade of blush Japanese street snap girls usually wear. I would say that it definitely feels of a higher quality than Canmake's cream cheek blush, but on par with KATE cream blushers.  

Pros

Great color, buildable, easy to blend

Cons 

Lasting power

Verdict:

 8/10

And now onto our favorite... Lipsticks!!

Swatches! Pink Jam, Neon Pink and Electro Pink are quite similar, except Pink Jam is a warmer hot pink while the other 2 are blue-toned shades of pink. This photo was taken under natural light, and is actually very accurate. It appears in the photo just as it does in real life. 

Lip Lacquers (#Backstage, #Bon Bon)

The lip lacquers are very unique - they aren't quite lipsticks, and neither are they lip gloss. The closest comparison I can find to this is the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream, only these are so much better.

Color

The colors are very pigmented. What you see in the tube is exactly the color you get on the lips. The lip brush is also very easy to use. There are so many other colors in this range that are beautiful (Bubblegum Purple, I'm looking at you!!) and I want to collect them all.

Texture

It has a semi-matte consistency and it applies like a dream. They glide on very smoothly and because of the semi-matte texture, it fills in all the lip lines and cracks for you already haha XD

Longevity

They last a really long time. I find that Backstage has better staying power than Bon Bon. With Backstage, I can go for 5+ hours without re-applying (seriously amazing), but Bon Bon, being a slightly nude shade, is a bit more high maintenance. But that's not to say these are "hard to wear" at all. They're generally low maintenance and don't need a lip gloss to finish it nicely or to keep it lasting long. They come off slightly when sipping water from a glass but they do not smudge or move around.

Lip Lacquer in # Backstage. A gorgeous fiery warm red. This was only 2 swipes! It looks a tiny bit orange-y in this photo but the red is as deep as the swatches above. This color should be renamed to Centerstage because it's really amazing in real life! :D Actually makes me want to dye my hair back to black or platinum blonde because it'd look much better with hair that provides much more contrast than ash blonde.

Also, as with most bold lip colors, I suggest putting foundation around the lips after application with a brush or sponge to keep it looking crisp and clean. :)

Lip Lacquer in #Bon Bon. This is an amazing almost nude color. Scratch that - this is the perfect almost nude color. My sister and I have been searching high and low for the perfect nude lipstick for YEARS and have tried a bajillion. From MAC to Canmake's famous Melty Nude, nothing felt as right as this lip lacquer from 3 Concept Eyes. Nudes are so tricky because most accentuate chapped / less than perfect lips and can make you look ill.

But this color. Aaaaahh. I want to buy 3 more tubes of this just because it's so pretty! Haha :D It diffuses and brightens the whole face without washing you out. I love how you can't even pinpoint exactly what color it is. Is it peach? Coral? Light coral? Light milky orange? What color is that anyway?! All I know is that it is lovely. 

Only negative thing about Bon Bon is that you'll have to re-apply it more frequently than the darker lip lacquers like Backstage. But I don't mind; the color is just diviiine. 

Conclusion

Pros

Great colors, highly pigmented, amazing staying power, lightweight - doesn't make you feel conscious ("oh I'm wearing this bold shade of lipstick ugh I am so shy can you not stare at my lip cracks and lines when I talk please")

Cons

A little more expensive than other Korean cosmetics, but you get what you pay for! Can't remember the price but it's around 180-200 HKD.    Forget it, it's not a con because the quality is really great. Maybe even better than MAC. If you want the Lip Lacquers, don't even try looking for a dupe. It's useless because once you buy the cheaper item, you're still unhappy and you still want the "real," more expensive thing. And you'll end up getting the better, more expensive one in the end anyway! I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this way. Am I right or am I right? :D

Verdict

10/10 (but you already knew that)

3CE Lip Color / Lipstick - Pink Jam #308 (Matte), Chu Chu #408 (Original)

Stylenanda's 3CE Lip Color / Lipstick comes in a very sleek matte black packaging that doesn't feel cheap at all. The bullet is durable and the lipstick doesn't break easily even in warm weather, and the twist mechanism is fluid and feels weighty, like MAC and unlike Nyx Lipsticks. The picture above is a very accurate representation of the colors. (swatches are in the photo above)

Color

Like all their lip products, the colors are very pigmented. Two swipes are enough to get to the color in the tube. 

Texture

Very creamy and glides on smoothly. These lipsticks really do not feel cheap; their quality is comparable to MAC, and quite honestly, are even better. (Oh yeah I went there hahaha!) They do not smudge or move around on your lips, and don't get on your teeth. They are creamy but I wouldn't say they're moisturizing - they're just right. The Original lipstick line, of course, has a less matte finish than the Matte or Dangerous Matte line. You'll still have to apply a lip balm to get the best application. But this isn't really a con because that's what makes them last so long! Which leads us to...

Longevity

Like I said, they have great staying power. They do not slide off and even after eating and drinking, it's still there! And even when it wipes off, it slightly tints the lips so the areas where the lipstick came off don't look out of place.

3CE Lip Color Chu Chu #408. This color is a salmon pink. It's a very pretty shade and is a great non-offensive, safe color to wear everyday. 

(Edit 9/23/2015): Apparently, 3CE reforumlated and changed the shade of Chu Chu to a more coral color. I loved it so much when I tested it in-store so I bought it again HAHA! Swatch soon!) 

3CE Lip Color Pink Jam #308. I am in love with this color. It's a warm-toned fuschia/magenta and it's bold, but it's easy to wear because it's a jewel toned pink and not neon. For the photo, I decided to do a more wearable, gradient lip but when worn fully it looks so chic. 

It looks similar to the shade of pink Yoon Eun Hye wore in the drama I Miss You, but with a bit more yellow in it. (I haven't actually watched the drama, but I've seen screencaps and gifs floating around and was immediately drawn to her lipstick!)

Pros

Creamy, doesn't crack on lips, highly pigmented, long-lasting, great color variety

Cons

Reapplication isn't that easy; you'll have to wipe off with tissue before reapplying.

Verdict: an easy 9/10

3CE Lip Pigments (Electro Pink, Issue, Mink Beige)

L-R: Electro Pink + Issue mixed together, Electro Pink, Issue, Mink Beige

It has to be said: Stylenanda's marketing campaign for the lip pigments is genius. Mix 7 colors up like paint to get all the colors in the rainbow? Don't mind if I do! We honestly wanted to buy everything but so many colors were sold out. 

Color

Gorgeous shades, extremely pigmented. I think by now, it's been established that 3CE stuff are very true to their colors. XD I love how you can mix different colors to achieve different looks. 

Texture

This is where it's not so perfect. While the colors are great, the texture is thin and very matte. Even with lip balm, it tends to accentuate flakes and chapped lips. Lip balm is crucial! 

Longevity

Staying power is a little below Stylenanda standards, because when you drink water / eat, it comes off rather easily. :( 

I think though that at 98HKD (540 pesos), the lip pigment is a steal. Why? I found a hack / workaround. The lip pigments shine as a lipstick / lip crayon base! If you layer any lip product similar in shade (even just one swipe), it takes this okay product to really great. It makes whatever lipstick shade more vibrant, and more long lasting.

Electro Pink. This pink is a neon, bluish shade. It's super fashionable and edgy and looks best when worn with sunnies HAHAHA! But really, it's a very stylish pink that should be worn while channeling your inner Kpop idol. Bahaha. 

Mink Beige. Mink Beige is a nude shade that is tricky to wear, because when worn alone it emphasizes dryness more than any of the other lip pigments we own. If you're looking for a peachy nude lipstick of this shade, you should just get the Lip Lacquer in Bon Bon and be happy. :D

Issue. I wasn't able to take a good close up photo wearing Issue but it's my favorite out of all three, because it's the most show stopping orange shade. Not salmon or peach orange. A true rainbow orange. I really wanted to show you how it looks when worn but this was all I could find:

Overall, the lip pigments are worth trying out because the possibilities are endless. There's a reason why they're one of the less expensive 3CE products, but they're already better than most Etude House lipsticks nonetheless. They're great as a lip base and when topped off with a swipe of a similar color, become really worth it. 

The thing with these pigments though is that they're difficult to apply without a lip brush, and can get messy. Also, if you mix a custom shade, it's difficult to re-apply later on in the day because you'll have to mix it again! Imagine looking like you're a painter when you're re-applying it in the restroom, hahaha XD Counterfeit versions of these lip pigments are being sold EVERYWHERE as well, so be careful and make sure you're buying these from a reputable seller, or the actual Stylenanda stores in Korea and HK.

Verdict

on it's own: 7/10, but when used as a base: 8.8/10

3CE Jumbo Lip Crayon (Neon Pink)

And the last product we'll be reviewing is the Jumbo Lip Crayon in Neon Pink. 

Color

Neon bluish pink (95% similar to Electro Pink Lip Pigment). Highly pigmented, but you'll need many swipes to get an even coat on the lips because of the thinner pencil tip. 

Texture

Creamy but thin, neither glossy nor matte. I don't know how to describe it but it's a little bit sticky? You'll also still need to put lip balm before application even though it's not matte. Easy to blend because of the slightly thin consistency. It doesn't flake or break when sharpening, which is a major plus! Etude House pencil products tend to get clumpy and flake off when you sharpen them. 

Longevity

Lasts a long time, but lasts even longer when used over the lip pigments. 

Overall, I still prefer to use a lipstick because sharpening the pencil wastes product! I wish it came as an auto pencil instead. It may seem more convenient to carry around because it's so thin. A common scenario is when you want to use it but the tip needs to be sharpened, you'll end up reaching for a different lip product because you're too lazy to sharpen it. XD Prefences aside, the Jumbo Lip Crayon is good but it didn't impress us.

Verdict: 7.5/10

Here are all the swatches of the lip products we reviewed again, side by side.  

Out of all the lip products, we love and really recommend the Lip Lacquers and Lipsticks / Lip Colors.

We like the lip pigments (except for mink beige) and think they're worth buying, and find the Jumbo Lip Crayon average.  

Final Thoughts

After trying out these 3 Concept Eyes cosmetics from Stylenanda, we conclude that their products are definitely made with quality in mind.  Ugh, how do we phrase this? We love 3CE! They're reasonably priced for their quality, which is comparable to MAC. They don't scrimp on production and thoroughly swatch and demonstrate how to use their products on their website. We'll definitely be buying more products from them! Downside is that prices get jacked up when people resell them, because they're kind of hard to get ahold of. 

So that wraps up our massive review! Phew. We worked so hard for this because it's hard to find reviews of 3CE online. We hope we helped you by writing this! :)  Please do leave a comment if you have any questions, or if you have anything to say. Thanks for reading! :)

Love, A and T