Review: Halal, Vegan, and Cruelty Free Orkid Cosmetics (Verdict: ★★★★☆)

You see, when girls talk about lipsticks nowadays, there's a hidden clause, they are referring  to MATTE lipstick. (of course, what else.)

Then in comes Orkid Cosmetics , a new local cosmetic brand founded by a Raeesa Sya, a young entrepreneur who is already making her mark in the local cosmetics industry (a little snippet on the founder here).

Founded in 2016, the brand main aim is not only to paint your lips with beautiful stains, no, the brand was created with a sense of awareness that women are more cautious, now more than ever, on what they put on their skin.

Whilst there are many matte lipsticks out there that claimed theirs is Cruelty Free and Vegan, not many can claim that their products is also Halal i.e wudhu friendly. This gave a nod of assurance to all Hijabis out there (moi included)  who would shun at all cost the usage of cosmetics with alcohol, so much so if its a lipstick.

Here is a pretty packaging of the product that I received, yes, there's also cute stickers in that electric blue pouch. They are THAT excessive when it comes to making their customers happy (not complaining though Raeesa, keep 'em coming, 'kay?).

Packaging includes an electric blue foam pouch, a personalised Thank You Card, and some kicka** stickers 

Uber cute packaging

Cruelty free too! No kidding.

Price wise, I would say that they are extremely affordable, given the quality and the oh-so-cute packaging. At Rm39 per pc, they come in delectable shades of Luv, Dime, Slay, Chicky Baby, Lava and Deja Vu. My favourite is of course, Deja Vu, not just because of my obsession with purplish maroon color, but the shade made me feel bold, yes, BOLD. (Que song: Ariana Grande's Dangerous Woman)

Picture via Orkid Cosmetiscs instagram

By the way, here's some swatches of some of my favourite shades, and my skin is medium tone- not quite olive(is this even a skin tone?)

From top to bottom shade: Deja Vu, Dime and Luv

Okay, tips on getting the perfect matte look is to always, always prep your lips before application. I mean, there's so many times that I came across girls who tried so hard to pull the matte lip look, BLESS THEM, but failed miserably because they skipped the most important steps before applying Mattte Lipstick, which are to exfoliate (here I am using SCRUB + SOAK .co's cherry lipscrubs) and moisturize.

Only then, you can say GAME ON.

Okay, now let's get to business.

This lipstick comes in liquid form, bottled in pretty tubes with attached brush for application. Despite not containing artificial fragrance which may irritate your lips, these lipsticks has a slight sweet smell, stemming from its ingredients, but nothing overpowering. One of my colleague noted that it smells like bunga Orked, although i find it to smell like pears, perhaps one of us has some serious nasal problem, but either way, we both love the smell.

Application is lightweight and the liquid just glides smoothly on my lips, and dried up evenly, instantly. The heavily pigmented color requires only single layer application, and if say, you want to touch up, reapplication will not dry out your lips.

Applied Deja Vu before commuting to work at 7 am today,
and it stays on until after work at 6 pm,
with very slight fading, but no need for reapplication.

I think the most prominent bit about the lipstick is its stay on power. Here I applied the lipstick before going to work at 7am, the deep purple maroon hue stays on until after work at 6pm, so that's like 13 hours of pure bliss, because no reapplication is needed! I have to tell you that I did have some oily food in betweens, lunch were rice with fish filets sweet and sour, omelette and stir fry vege, just so you could gauge the oiliness, but the lipstick color remains intact even after lunch. I also tried the lips-on-glass-stain challenge, and miraculously enough, it does not stain the glass at all!

To tell you the truth, there is nothing not to be in love with Orkid Cosmetic's lipsticks, so here I will list out the Pros and the Cons, so you readers can make a more informed decisions okayy?

PROS:

1. Non toxic, Halal, vegan, cruelty free

2. Variety selection of colors(6 currently, with new colors coming to you soon)

3. Smooth application, thin and lightweight, no stains

4. No spillage, so you can chuck this in your handbag, no worries!

5. Easily washable with micellar water or oil based cleanser

6. Color stays on for up to 12-13 hours without the need for reapplication, with fading effect after the 10th hours, but pigment is still visible(Deja Vu), other colors may stay for 8-10 hours, depending on hues and pigments.

CONS:

1. Lipstick brush bristles is not soft enough, therefore application tends to get abit messy if you have clumsy hands

2. Matte lipstick generally does not stay long on your lips if you have oily food, but Orkid stays on after slightly oily lunch, perhaps because of the rich pigments I chose to put on.

Check them out at www.orkidcosmetics.com girls.

That's a wrap, guys. Do tell me what you think about this review and if you find them helpful.

Till then! Toodles.

Verdict: ★★★★☆