Juicy Skin, Fun to Use, & Oh-So Cute: Why Hello, AQUTOP Makeup!

Our resident makeup adventuress Miranda takes on the cuteness that is AQUTOP makeup. What she discovers is color cosmetics that takes her skincare to another level.

“Water holding. Age holding.”

This has been AQUTOP’s slogan since their launch two years ago. Since then, they have released a skincare and makeup line dedicated to retaining moisture and slowing down the effects of aging using top-notch, hydrating ingredients. The Korean beauty brand abides by three principles: moisture from the inside out, products that are both fun to use and satisfy your beauty-related needs, and excellent performance. And when it comes to AQUTOP makeup, they definitely succeed in all three.

In fact, the moment AQUTOP makeup showed up at the L.A. office, I was dying to try them. I was ready. I’d walk past them like:

via GIPHY

And I couldn’t wait to slap shiny color corrector onto my face ASAP. On top of me plain adoring complexion makeup, playing with different textures and methods to enhance my skin’s glowiness is 100% my jam, so I knew I had to get my hands on them.

Thankfully, I finally did, and ended up becoming a fan of everything I tried. Yes, everything.

Water Color Makeup Cream

What it is:

A 3-in-1 cream that acts as a color corrector, primer, and base.

What I thought:

I love, love, LOVE the delivery system this comes in. It’s a pump top that dispenses your perfect amount of product. Are you a subtle queen? Do a quarter of a pump and tap on the high points of the face, such as the tops of the cheekbones, nose, and chin. Want an allover glow? Pump all the way down and smother that -ish ON!

Not only do you get to self-dose your ideal amount of glow, but the sealed pump allows for the rest of the product to be free of light, oxygen, and your hands, keeping it as sanitary as possible. I love me a good pot product but can totally vibe with the necessity of keeping everything sealed.

 

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A post shared by 아쿠탑(AQUTOP) (@aqutop_official) on Apr 6, 2017 at 9:24pm PDT

This isn’t your typical color corrector. Given that my skin gets red on any day that ends in Y, I was the perfect candidate for this stuff. You won’t find your rosacea completely gone, but it will look toned-down, giving you the perfect my-skin-but-better look and steering you away from looking like a complete tomato (I’ve been there, trust). I am pretty terrible with green color correctors and tend to overuse them, but this particular formula gives me some leniency so I can pile on the glow without looking too Frankenstein’s monster.

I didn’t find anything particularly primer-y about this. If anything, it wasn’t terribly sticky as a base but didn’t make my makeup slide around everywhere (which, for me, is incredibly important because I *hate* powdering). The longevity of my makeup wasn’t necessarily elongated, but it left my makeup looking smooth and finished, with no fine lines or pores enhanced. The pearlescent sheen leaves me looking glossy, dewy, and juicy — my three favorite adjectives to describe skin.

 

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A post shared by 아쿠탑(AQUTOP) (@aqutop_official) on Jun 4, 2018 at 11:04pm PDT

My favorite part about this stuff, though, is its ability to mix and blend with other products; so much so that I could easily match this baby up to my holy grail luminous mixing agent, MAC Strobe Cream. I can mix #Rolling Bling (a silvery, pearly shade) with foundation to create a super glowy look, and even use #Rolling Pink (a baby pink tone) to tone down my too-yellow foundations to match my neutral skin tone. If a liquid blusher is too red on my skin, I can add a drop of #Rolling Green (a very light green) to make it more wearable for everyday.

Water Color Blush

What it is:

A water-type blusher that softly blends onto the skin like watercolor.

What I thought:

I love a good cream blusher. It’s my absolute favorite part of my makeup routine, and I would most certainly pick cream > powder ANY day of the week.

Still, I have seriously high expectations for a cream blusher, and many high-end brands don’t make the cut. I’m super picky in that regard because to me, blush makes or breaks my entire look. Will I look flushed and sun-kissed or straight-up splotchy? Beautifully bitten or just plain unblended?

 

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A post shared by 아쿠탑(AQUTOP) (@aqutop_official) on Dec 5, 2017 at 9:59pm PST

Thankfully, these leaned more on the positive side. The nail polish-type packaging is mega-adorbs and not only has been alllll the rage in Korean beauty lately (seriously, visiting Myeongdong this year and swatching all the new cream blushers was the most confusing experience of my life), it makes application a breeze. All I had to do was brush a few strokes on the apples of the cheek and *pat, pat, pat* using my index and middle fingers. They’re advertised as liquid but have a gel-like consistency, making it way easier to blend in. Whenever I’d accidentally apply too much, I’d blend first, then take a damp sponge to evenly diffuse the color.

All in all, these are a great introduction to liquid or cream blushes and are really foolproof. If you’ve been wanting to try cream blush — but are lowkey scared — give these a shot. They *may* be a bit too light for skin tones deeper than an NC40, however, so swatch at your own discretion.

 

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A post shared by 아쿠탑(AQUTOP) (@aqutop_official) on Aug 15, 2017 at 10:00pm PDT

I’m not saying I’m going to replace my hydrating skincare with makeup (oh, god no), but AQUTOP makeup has definitely been a major player in keeping my face looking hydrated — not oily — by the end of the day. So far, I’m a fan of their makeup and can’t wait to try their skincare. (Check out my review here.)

How do you fare with liquid blush or cream color correctors? Are you a sucker for K-beauty in cute packaging? Sound off in the comments below!