Shu Uemura Tint in Gelato Lip and Cheek Color - Spiced Orange (CR 04), Blood Orange (CR 01), Berry Berry (PK 01)

I do believe this dual lip/cheek thing is a trend. YSL did it, and Shu Uemura is in the game as well with the Tint in Gelato Lip and Cheek Color.

Tint in Gelato, top to bottom: Spiced Orange (CR 04), Blood Orange (CR 01), Berry Berry (PK 01)

Like its sister brand, Shu Uemura has created a dual-purpose product that actually works well on both the lips and the cheeks. 

Both products share a similarly perforated doe-foot applicator that captures a bead of product, making for a smooth application to both lips and cheeks - though Shu opted for the more classic lipgloss tube packaging rather than the nail polish bottle shape of the YSL variant.

Tint in Gelato, top to bottom: Spiced Orange (CR 04), Blood Orange (CR 01), Berry Berry (PK 01)

The formula for these two products is markedly similar, with the first 14 ingredients being identical. (Not surprising, since YSL and Shu are siblings in the vast l'Oréal luxury family.) I didn't find there to be a difference in terms of how the product applied or wore, but I did find the Tint in Gelato formula to be less...translucent? It's thicker and more opaque in texture, and more matte on both cheeks and lips, even when freshly applied. Where the Kiss & Blush dances the line between lipgloss and lipstick when worn on the lips, these are more clearly in the liquid lipstick family. (You can, of course, vary the pigmentation by applying it more lightly and blending with a finger.)

The Gelatos have that creamy, whipped texture that makes them a dream to blend out on the cheeks. Seriously no-fuss, and easily polished in less than three seconds. (They also work just fine over both foundation or powder.) You can apply with a brush if you prefer, but I like just dotting the product on and blending out with my fingers.

The formula also shares that quality of sitting slightly on the lips, due to the particular nature of the silicone polymers used. I find this is what keeps the formula feeling cushy, even as it dries down, but the sensation can feel odd. (See Tracy's review here, if that's the case for you.)

Because it has a thicker and more matte texture, as well as the slip of the silicone, it's best to apply in light layers to the lips - it's easy to underestimate how much you're putting on, and wind up with goopy lips. I don't find these drying or line-emphasizing, but they don't leave my lips looking quite as full as the YSL Kiss & Blush, probably because they reflect a less light due to the matte finish and opaque pigment.

Below are swatches - thicker and blended out - and you can see that they can go on quite punchy when applied straight on (the way you might prefer on your lips) but also sheer out and blend nicely for a faintly glowing but still relatively matte blush.

Tint in Gelato: Spiced Orange (CR 04), Blood Orange (CR 01), Berry Berry (PK 01)

I received a few shades to try out, included two from the "orange" portion of the twelve shade range. I admit to being a little wary of that word included in my lipstick/lipgloss names, but these were anything but tangerine on my lips. (I'm really curious who does the shade naming over at Shu, because I suspect they need to have a little convo with Inigo Montoya.)

This is Spiced Orange, which is more of a light, peachy nude. It's a completely wearable nude sorbet shade on me, and looks even lovelier as a blush - just healthy and faintly sunny.

Tint in Gelato in Spiced Orange (CR 04)

Tint in Gelato in Spiced Orange (CR 04)

This is Blood Orange, which is a bright pastel version of the classic coral that generally looks amazing on anyone with olive or tanned skin (and with the pastel quality will also look awesome on paler skin). This shade is ALL about the Summer.

Tint in Gelato in Blood Orange (CR 01)

Tint in Gelato in Blood Orange (CR 01)

And finally this is Berry Berry, which...ok, this one sort of makes sense. If your berries are GMO'd like whoa, that is. This is a HOT berry shade, just this side of pink to be considered fuchsia. And obviously, I love it.

Tint in Gelato in Berry Berry (PK 01)

Tint in Gelato in Berry Berry (PK 01)

Though you can see the blended out swatches above, here is a picture of what the Spiced Orange looks like worn as blush (also on the lips).

Availability: At Holt Renfrew and select Sephora locations, as well as at www.shuuemura.ca. Price is 28$ CAD.

What are you guys feeling for these? Are you liking the dual function, or do you want your lipstick to be lipstick and your blush to be blush, dammit?

(Items were provided by the brand/PR to be considered for review. All opinions are my own, I am not compensated. This post contains an affiliate link.)

YSL Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks - #5 Rouge Effrontée and #7 Corail Affranchi

Is there any makeup-loving woman out there that doesn't appreciate the idea of a dual-use lip and cheek product? I think for most of us, the experience doesn't always live up to the claims. What feels lovely on the lips tends to slide off the face, and what sets to a beautiful, seamless stain on the cheek has us reaching for lip balm every 17 minutes.

Kudos to YSL for creating a product that strikes the perfect balance between the two, with their Baby Doll Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks.

Promotional background photo courtesy of YSL/L'Oréal

Packaged in a bottle that doesn't quite convey either blush or lipstick, it looks almost like some bizarrely elegant offspring of a swanky nail polish bottle, the Clarins Instant Light Liquid Blush, and YSL's own Glossy Stain packaging. It's cool and feminine and vanity-table appropriate.

I like it.

I like what's in it even more.

Left to right: YSL Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks #7 Corail Affranchi and #5 Rouge Effrontée

Left to right: YSL Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks #7 Corail Affranchi and #5 Rouge Effrontée

The applicator is a slightly chubbier, more oval version of the Glossy Stain one, albeit with a perforation in the middle for catching and holding a bead of product. This helps in picking up the amount required when withdrawing it from the bottle. (One downside I foresee with the packaging is getting the last bits out.)

The shades featured here are #5 Rouge Effrontée, a candied, pink-toned red that applies lighter and softer than it appears in the bottle, and #7 Corail Affranchi, which is a muted apricot that plays almost like a nude with my particular colouring. I thought it would be too orange-toned for me, but it actually looked amazingly natural. 

Left to right: YSL Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks #5 Rouge Effrontée and #7 Corail Affranchi

The texture of the Kiss & Blush is unusual. If the Benefit Tints could be whipped up, this is sort of the result you'd expect - liquid yet mousse-y, dense but instantly spreadable.

As a blush, it has a lovely translucency that looks soft and sheer on the skin. My preferred method for applying cream or liquid blushes is with a duo-fibre brush, and with this formulation, the result is especially natural. Very much the kind of water-colour flush you see in paintings of frolicking milkmaids. The finish is a soft matte, meaning no shimmer, but very gently light enhancing. (If you're curious, I dab the brush directly over the applicator to pick up the product needed.)

This can be built up as well, but I would recommend some care at first, as it does dry fairly quickly. That would be the main drawback to this formulation - if you don't work quickly or carefully, you can wind up with some splotchy-looking cheeks.

(You can also apply and blend out with your fingers, as you prefer.)

Left to right: YSL Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks #5 Rouge Effrontée and #7 Corail Affranchi

It applies to the lips in much the same manner as a liquid lipstick, but with a smoother feel. It "pushes" across the lips easily, with none of the goopy drag of a lipgloss. It can be dabbed on lightly with a finger for a minimal stain, but applied straight it has medium to full opacity.

The "soft matte" finish here is especially cool. It initially looks more satin, and then matte as it dries - yet this is one of the plushest matte you're likely to find. If a matte finish could be pillowy, that's what it would be. My lips actually looked fuller and plumper, almost more hydrated. (A note here that the formula is not actually hydrating, just the look it creates.) It's sort of in between sitting on top of the lips and absorbing, and I suspect there's some silicone in there creating that feeling. Whether you like the sensation or not is a matter of preference, but I believe that's what gives it that cushy finish.

The formula stands up for a solid work day on the cheeks, and for several hours (though not a meal) on the lips. It has a faintly floral, sweet scent, which is less strong than the Glossy Stain fragrance.

YSL Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks #7 Corail Affranchi

YSL Kiss & Blush Lips & Cheeks #5 Rouge Effrontée

Availability - YSL counters at select Hudson's Bay and Holt Renfrew stores, as well as certain Murale and Sephora locations. Price is 40$ USD and 45$ CAD for 10 ml/0.33 oz. (For comparison, the Glossy Stains are 38$ CAD for 6 ml/0.2 oz.)

Have you tried this new-fangled formula yet? Are you a fan of the duo-function, or are you sticking to separates?

Personally, I have to say that while I really enjoy using this product as a blush, I am especially a fan of how it functions as a lipstick.

(Items were provided by the brand/PR. All opinions are my own, this post is not sponsored or compensated.)