Ellana Lip Gloss Review

I haven't fully gotten into the mineral makeup trend yet, but I am for natural-ingredient cosmetics. I've replaced my old lip balms with ones that contain natural oils, and I'm a big fan of argan oil. It helps put my mind at ease, knowing that I'm skipping all the nasty chemicals whenever there's a chance.

Last week, while I was in SM Megamall's grocery store (the old one), I stumbled upon the makeshift bazaar just beyond the cashier counters. There was a tiny area devoted to non-food items, and that's where I found Ellana Mineral Cosmetics.

Because of their reasonable prices and simple packaging, I decided to check their testers out. The lip palettes seem to have a good amount of coverage and are, obviously, convenient to lug around, but I didn't like the color combinations much. I'd love to try the loose powder next, since I get such a nice, natural look from using that vs. the pressed variety. But that day, I settled on their lip gloss (PHP 150) instead.

The tubes look simple yet classy with their clean packaging (no box) and their gold lids. I definitely prefer that to those over-the-top labeling schemes where you can barely see the actual product inside.

The color I chose is called Snuggle, a vibrant raspberry-magenta with some slight shimmer.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="553"] On the tube[/caption]

When I picked up a tube from the display, I noticed some oily residue leaking from the tube and onto my fingers. The salesperson assured me that the glosses tend to leak naturally, so I should keep the tube upright when possible. She also said that the leaking only happens in the beginning, so I shrugged it off and paid for my gloss.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="196"] Color Swatch on the Ellana website[/caption]

Smeared on my hand, the color looks bright but comes on quite sheer. Personally, I prefer a lip gloss with high pigmentation/thick coverage. I'm talking about the kind that can pass off as an ultra creamy lipstick. But for the "everygirl", sheer gloss is foolproof for a touch of color to the pout. It's a no-brainer option and a quick way to alter your look, even if you don't want to use a lot of makeup.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="553"] Almost perfect[/caption]

However, I do have Cons for this:

First, the leaking never stopped. The tube made a mess whenever it got tilted. Formulation-wise, I'm happy that the gloss isn't sticky on the mouth. Alas, that same runny factor has caused it to leak from the container and bleed when on the lips. You can't over apply, or you stand to make a mess. Second, I'm not sure if perhaps the product just isn't right for me (in Filipino: Hindi hiyang sa akin.), but I've been having a reaction to it. My lips get a bit itchy after a couple of minutes. Though I haven't suffered a bad irritation, the itching has made me wary of using this.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="323"] Leaking away[/caption]

After all the leaking though, what remained was a thickly pigmented paste that more resembled liquid lipstick. The newly concentrated color resulted in this:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="491"] A darker magenta color[/caption]

Um, perhaps the leaking was a bid to improve it?

The Verdict: Personally, maybe the product just isn't compatible with my skin. I wouldn't swear off this brand just yet as I want to give mineral cosmetics a chance. Hopefully, my next purchase will yield better results.