Etude House VIP Girl Dear Darling Lips Miss Tangerine

Now that it's officially summertime, it's time for me to pull my orange lipstick out of hibernation! Now I'm sure you've seen reviews for this lipstick already, so just let's get to it!

Brand: Etude House
Name: VIP Girl Dear Darling Lips
Shade: OR207 C’mon Miss T* (aka Miss Tangerine)
Expiry: 18months
Price in Korea: 7,500KRW

*Translated shade name. Miss Tangerine is just the name of the collection.

The tube is thick-ish plastic and a pale orange-cream color, with a hint of pink. The cap is semitransparent and sliiightly more orangey than the base.

The cap and base click very tightly together! Notice how the cap is pointy, and the small bump on the base that locks it together:
[Tube Height (with cap): 7cm | Base diameter: 1.8cm | Lipstick length: 2.8cm]

I wouldn’t say it smells like a real tangerine (too sweet and not tangy enough). It's more like an orange creamsicle/creme-saver to me! It’s really only noticeable right after I open the tube. 



I decided to show the swatches first this time, but it's meant as a supplement for the details that follow. Note that in these swatches I did nothing but swipe straight from the tube. No blotting, no dabbing!


⇧ As much as I tried, the pictures don’t do 100% justice to the color.
Just imagine the colors being much brighter and more intense!
Or, you can think of these as the colors you'd get from dabbing, instead of swiping!

First off, it's very opaque. Color-wise, it is a veeery vibrant/bright orange in real life. I find that swiping two layers borders neon orange, especially in bright white lighting. Dim lighting subdues it to anywhere between bittersweet red and pumpkin-orange. Of course, this depends on how much you apply; dabbing and using a brush give a much softer orange. 

Now, some of the neon-ness does fade shortly after I apply, and the color itself darkens slightly over time as well, but the overall vividness remains intact. 



The stick is soft enough that it applies quite easily and dry skin cuts into the stick. However, moisturizing ability varies: If I apply a thick layer, it feels quite moisturizing for awhile. Once this moisture dries up (hr or so?), the lipstick starts to feel a bit drying. If I use a brush to apply a very thin layer, it feels drying from the get-go. (Admittedly, this is without a balm.) 

In my 1st swatch, even though I had exfoliated and moisturized beforehand, it still clung onto every littleunevenness I had, resulting in bright-orange clumps and lines. It looked *terrible* in real life! Dry, tight lips (2nd and 3rd swatches) don’t seem to be a problem though, so long as they’re smooth~ 



My camera exaggerates light reflection, so it's actually very matte in real life. It sometimes appears slightly shiny right after application, but again, this shine-bearing-moisture dries up and I end up matte anyway. 

To be honest, I was thinking of trashing this review, mainly because I wasn't excited to share this lipstick with you. :( It's just sooo neony in real life, and the clinging/settling makes it worse! I mean, I do think it could be a cute and fun orange if—-and only if—-you apply a subtle amount, either by a brush or by dabbing. But that's waaay too much effort for me, especially since a thin layer of this formula ends up feeling drying. I just want to swipe and go, you know?! But at least it looks nice in photos~! 


Anyone else have this lipstick? I’m curious of your experiences, and whether or not you found it SUPER bright as well! Otherwise, do you have any orange lipsticks you love?