Etude House products are generally quite affordable, comparable to drug store prices and the brand is massive in Korea.

I’ve purchased a few of their skincare and makeup products and just like with any beauty line, they haven’t all worked out for me. It’s not all grim as I will be talking about the ones I do enjoy in a later post.

Today I will be talking about three items which just didn’t work out for me personally. If you happen to love any of them, I applaud you because for the life of me, I couldn’t get any of them to work.

Berry Delicious Cream Blusher #OR201

What is it?

Why it didn’t work out for me:

Its texture isn’t creamy, its almost like a pressed powder. It feels slightly oily and almost velvet when I touch it with my fingers. Kind of hard to explain.

Along with the strange texture there is hardly any pigment to it. I have tried using the air puff (provided) and no matter how much I pat the puff onto the blush cake, the colour just doesn’t show up on my skin tone. I’m a NC30 for reference. Tried to apply it with my fingers and no such luck either. I’m sure that if I took the time to layer 5 layers on, something might show up but who can be bothered doing that?!

Another criticism would be the smell, smells strongly of peaches and chemicals.

Etude House has loads of other blush options to choose from so I would try something else instead. If you are my skin colour or darker, I wouldn’t recommend this product.

Price: $11.50 AUD from jolse.com

Dr Mascara Fixer – Perfect Lash

What is it?

From Etude house’s website:
This transparent fixing gel mascara offers perfect curl / volume / waterproof fix in any environment and climate. Infused with Black Food extracts to condition lashes.

Why it didn’t work out for me:

I bought this when I first got into korean makeup and didn’t know any better. I saw a video where Gothamista used it and it made a substantial difference to the curl on her lashes. I think this fixer comes in two types, I may not have bought the same one as hers.

Anyway I used this fixer before I applied my regular black mascara. My biggest gripe is that it leaves white clumps on my lashes. The white clumps shouldn’t be an issue because I am overlaying another mascara over it. But no, my black mascara isn’t able to fully cover the white bits. On the lashes where it can, it paints over the clumps making it even more clumpy and spidery looking. All of this is minus any volume or curling action on my lashes. I bought this product hoping that it was clear and I could use it without applying mascara. Turns out I can’t use it either way.

I wouldn’t even bother with a lash primer anymore (bit gimmicky), I’ll just use my trusty Shu Uemura eyelash curler as I always have. The mascara which I have been using from Heroine Make is a rockstar on its own, more on that next time!

Price: $7.55 AUD from eBay *

Oh m’eye line eyeliner – Black

What is it?

From Etude house’s website:
This highly pigmented, smudge-proof liquid liner goes on smoothly for precise application and creates strong, beautiful lines that last.

Why it didn’t work out for me:

It’s pigmented, but it’s also very wet. There is too much product on the brush when you extract it from the tube. When I try to draw any type of line, the line bleeds straight away and it looks blobby (refer to the swatch for what I mean by this). I’ve tried using both small strokes and large strokes and to no avail. It’s a streaky and blobby hell. After doing some googling, I discovered that other people have also had a tricky time with application.

The tiny brush is a bit too flexible and small for my liking, making it even harder to get a straight line. I’ve never been able to get this to work so I can’t comment on wear time or if it smudges. I’m no MUA, but I know how to apply eyeliner on myself. Eyeliner is a product which I am extremely picky with since I have hooded eyes and semi-oily lids. I’ve tried more bad ones than good ones and I would put this in the very bad category. For my HG, check out this post on the Macqueen liquid liner.

Price: $8.95 AUD from eBay *

Final thoughts

I hope this has been of help to anyone who has been curious about these products.
Again, I need to stress that if you happen to like any of them, I’m glad to hear it. It’s just a bummer that I couldn’t get them to work for me.

Please note: links in this post marked with an * are affiliate links. They provide me with a small commission, if you should choose to use them for a purchase, without any extra cost to you 🙂