Something you may not know about me is that I've had a long running off and on affair with makeup. There will be long stretches of time where I dabble and experiment constantly, making an effort to do my face on a daily basis so I can figure out which colors and formulas work best for me and which aren't doing me any favors...then there will be months where I couldn't care less and go naked faced into the world, for whatever variety of reasons suit at the moment.
While I was living in Korea, a mecca of makeup and skincare, I found myself going a bit more simple with my looks. This was due to a few factors, like being away from my boyfriend (who calls me gorgeous regardless of what's on my face) and feeling less of a need to get dolled up ("who am I trying to impress?") plus feeling a bit frumpy with my hair as it grew out, but also a bit of intimidation when faced with the plethora of items available and my linguistic lacking. My grasp on Korean is abysmal so unless I had my host or my friends along to help play translator I would struggle to communicate what I was looking for in a product... To be honest, though, this was also partially due to the fact I was, simply put, pretty broke in the beginning. Moving overseas is a big change of lifestyle on top of location, and there can be an adjustment period before you settle in and your new paychecks start rolling in that a sense of financial security starts to develop. Once I felt a little more stable in my funds I did eventually begin to dabble a toe in the large and varied most wonderful world of Korean cosmetics... The style of makeup in Korea tends towards a more natural look, too, from what I saw while there. I really enjoyed seeing the different makeup looks the girls I'd draw at Fun Caricature locations would wear, as they often looked put together and pretty but fresh faced, too...a stark contrast to the heavy contour and smokey eyes looks that are so popular here in the US. I love both approaches to makeup, but while living there I tended to stick with a routine of just: BB cream, smidge of eyeshadow (maybe), dash of eyeliner and mascara. The first time I wore a peripera lip stain, about 3 months into my stay, one of my male coworkers asked if I was wearing makeup to work... for the first time. 😂
(indoor lighting)
So, how does this bring us to American indie makeup brand Sugarpill's lipstick that was developed with the help of Drag Queen (or goddess) Kim Chi?
(with flash)
(indoor lighting)
Well, this lippie, and the Queen, is given the name of Korea's most eponymous food stuff. Spicy, intense, in-your-face and bold, the signature food is a fitting moniker. While I've never watched RuPaul's Drag Race I did some research and I can dig it and have absolutely no problem with any of my pennies going towards Kim Chi's pockets if it meant having this lovely shade! Slay on, Queen.
Review continues after the cut!
