VDL x Pantone living coral collection review

This year I get to celebrate Pantone color of the with VDL and their 2019 color of the year, living coral!  I am now a part of VDL’s influencer club so we’ll be seeing a lot more VDL reviews on this blog whoo whoo!!  VDL has always been a brand I’ve wanted to cover through the years.  Although I didn’t get the whole collection, I got some key pieces that they are selling in nature collection (formerly the face shop in Canada).  If you’re in Toronto, they actually have a whole flagship store dedicated to VDL!  I’m so jealous!!  Anyways, let’s check out their face mists, lipsticks and brushes~~  Let’s go!

Like I said, every year, Pantone collborates with VDL to create a whole collection around the color of the year.  This year they have the following items in the collection:
-Expert color liquid cheek (3 shades) 25,000 won
-Expert color real fit velvet (4 shades) 25,000 won*
-Expert color primer for eyes 15,000 won
-Expert color eye book 6.4 (No. 8) 48,000 won
-Primer miniature kit 30,000 won*
-Velvet blur primer 25,000 won
-Expert radiance fit mist 22,000 won*
-Expert tone-up cushion  38,000 won

Brushes
-round foundation brush 22,000 won*
-fitting foundation brush 22,000 won*
-large powder brush 25,000 won*
-shadow blending brush 18,000 won*
-multi shadow brush 18,000 won*

*Available at Canadian nature collection stores

Full name of product:
VDL expert radiance fix mist

Limited edition/ Permanent?:
Limited edition packaging, formula is permanent

Description of product:
“Makeup setting mist infused with VDL’s signature cocktail of vitamin-rich ingredients to create a dew finish that leaves your makeup looking fresh all day.”

Price:
$25 CDN

Amount of product:
120 mL

Duration before expiration:
1 year

Country of Manufacture:
Made in Korea

Where to buy:
Nature collection Canada

Ingredients:
Water, Butylene Glycol; 1,3 Butylene Glycol, Glycerin; Glycerol, Alcohol Denat, Polyester-5, Prunus Domestica Fruit Extract, Centella Astiatica Extract, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract; Chamomilla Rectita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, 1,2 Hexanediol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Dimethicone, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 20, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Trisodium EDTA, Fragrance

How to use:
After makeup application, hold mist 20cm away from face and spray. Allow time to dry.

Packaging:
I absolutely love VDL’s packaging.  The bottle itself is a hard plastic but the lid is makes it look so much more sophisticated.
I’m not sure if it is actually metal on top, but it definitely feels like it could me.  I’m actually not 100% sure if this is the same formula as their permanent face mist since it the product kind of looks like it was discontinued.  I could be wrong but I’ll have to double check.

The nozzle has a really nice built-in control which gives a bit of tension once you are half way down.  This ensures you won’t be hosing your face down with mist and ruining your make up.  On top of that, the mist is totally perfected!  No giant streams of mist going to go into your eye whooo whoo!!

Texture/ Finish:
Quite honestly, I can’t really tell if finishing mists do anything for my make up afterward.  Over the years, I have tried MAC fix+, Urban decay setting spray and even regular skincare mists… I don’t find them to do much.  Same kind of goes for this one, unfortunately.  I think it is just a preference thing that I personally don’t care for face mists and nothing against VDL’s mist.  The mist also leaves super fine sliver shimmers which helps reflect light but I personally don’t care for shimmers all over my face unless it is my highlighter.

Fragrance?:
Sniffing the mist right out of the bottle, it smells quite strongly of a soapy floral scent. The scent does not fade away after application which is definitely not ideal!  Smell-o-scale: 7/10 in terms of how strong the scent is.

Pro:
-super fine mist nozzle

Con:
-heavily scented; lingers for a long time after application
-doesn’t hydrate enough

Repurchase?:
No

Stars given out of 5:
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall thoughts:
Even though I don’t find anything stellar about this face mist, I will continue to use it in hopes that it would somewhat hydrate my face before going out the door.  I don’t have the habit of misting my face when I’m on the go but I would definitely consider putting this mist in a smaller bottle and misting on the go.  Overall I don’t think this is a bad product by any means but more of a personal preference ordeal in which I would not reach for this product nor can I speak upon if I would recommend it or not.

Full name of product:
VDL expert color real fit velvet

Limited edition/ Permanent?:
Limited edition shades, formula is permanent

Description of product:
“A velvet texture that melts soft as soon as it touches the lips, giving you powerful and enchanting lips.
Highly pigmented, super adhesion, soft-touch velvet finish” 

Price:
22,000 won (I don’t know the CDN price since it isn’t shown on the site)

Amount of product:
3.8 g

Duration before expiration:
1 year

Country of Manufacture:
Made in Korea

Where to buy:
Nature collection Canada

Ingredients:
DIPPHENYSILOXY PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, VINYL DIMETHICONE/METHICONE SILSESQUIOXANE CROSSPOLYMER, TRIETHYLHEXANOIN, DIISOSTEARYL MALATE, SILICA, CERESIN, HEXYL LAURATE, TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), DIPENTAERYTHRITYL HEXA C5-9 ACID ESTERS, SYNTHETIC WAX, RED 6 (CI 15850), MACADAMIA SEED OIL POLYGLYCERYL-6 ESTERS BEHENATE, RED 28 LAKE (CI 45410), HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE, ETHYLENE/PROPYLENE COPOLYMER, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, HYDROXYAPTATITE, MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX, RED 7 (CI 15850), FRAGRANCE, QUATERNIUM-18 BENTONITE, TOCOPHEROL. 

How to use:
Apply onto the lips either all over or in the center and blend out for a gradation lip look.

Packaging:
Again, LOVE VDL’s packaging, especially the lid detailing.  The original packaging is a sleek black with the same metal lid detailing but these limited edition ones with the tube the same color as the shade is just gorgeous!!

Even the metal detailing is the same color as the shade inside.  These are the fine details that I really appreciate :).

Color/ Pigmentation:
I have had tried VDL’s lippies in the past and they were super pigmented but I found them a little bit drying.  This time around, they have velvet textures which is brand new for their line of lipsticks and I’m sooo excited.  I’ve been really into the velvet formula which gives you that matte look but 50% more moisturizing and 100% less butthole lips.  My lips are super duper dry to the point of me having to use my Aritaum ginger sugar lip mask every… single…. NIGHT!

Here are my bare and slightly sad looks that is somewhat visibly flaking off.  They are quite pigmented so a lot of lighter lipsticks that I would love to rock, I really can’t and I refuse to conceal my lips beforehand since that just feels gross and cakey on the lips.  Blah!

508 orange.com: Warm tone orange red shade (no shimmers)

This shade on me pulls super red for some reason but I’m guessing it might be because of the orange undertone.  I don’t usually go for shades like this since it makes my teeth look somewhat more yellow then it does, however, I do see myself rocking this shade during the summer time with a simple bronze eye and some mascara.

I don’t know if it is just me but I just feel like all I see on my face is LIPSSSS.  So much lips…107 Cayenne: Peachy pink shade with a coral undertone (no shimmers)

Now this color is a lot more fitting with the living coral theme.  This shade really reminds me of NARS Orgasm with the pinky coral color mixture.  

508 Orange.com (left), 107 Cayenne (right)
Which shade do you guys like better?  I like both shades to my surprise but I would have really loved to try 208 faded rose.

Texture/ Finish + Lasting power:
The texture could be a little bit creamier since application somewhat tugs on the lips.  However, because the formula is on the drier side, this lipstick does stay put on average 3-4 hours before having to touch up.  This lipstick does transfer so beware of boyfriend/husband’s clothes!! On the lips, these lippies look super pigmented, somewhat matte with a slight hint of gloss to keep it looking natural.

Fragrance?:
These lipsticks have a nice mango scent with a hint of rose but the fragrance does fade after application (thank god!).  Smell-o-scale: 6/10 in terms of how strong the scent is.

Pro:
-super pigmented, one swipe and your good to go!
-stays for a long period of time
-less drying then matte lipsticks

Con:
-could be a touch more moisturizing
-limited edition so if you fall in love, better stock up!

Repurchase?:
Maybe I would try the other shades in the permanent line but those would be a matte version and not velvet :(.

Stars given out of 5:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall thoughts:
Like I always say, k-beauty lipsticks never disappoint and these definitely are top notch.  If only these lipsticks were ever so slightly more moisturizing, these would be PERFECT.  Out of the whole collection available here in Canada, I think the lipsticks are the star products for sure.  Two thumbs up and I give you the green light to go buy!

Last but not least, I got the multi shadow brush which retails for $19.  Quite frankly, I wouldn’t pay that kind of money for a standard brush like this.  

Also, this brush for me would be more for liquid/ cream products rather than powder products since the bristles are synthetic.  Natural haired brushes pick up powder products a lot better compared to synthetic.  On top of that, the shape and length of the brush scream concealer applicator.  If you really want to buy a brush from the collection, I would recommend the fitting foundation brush or the large powder brush.  I’m assuming they are all synthetic but those two face brushes, you’ll get better mileage out of it.  The fitting foundation brush (retails for $29) would be great for liquid foundation, powders, buffing out contour and even applying blush!

Overall this collection is super fun and totally screams summer but I think their 2016 collection with rose quartz and serenity was a lot more interesting and creative.  Multi-colored lip balms, marbled blushes, I miss products like that!  Hopefully, we will see more creative products from VDL since I see the brand as a middle ground between roadshop/drugstore and MAC specialty artist products.

Products gifted by VDL Canada.  Not sponsored.