Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar

Everyone who knows me a little, knows I have a thing for Asian stuff. One glance at these photos should tell you why. As someone who has been reviewing products for a couple of years now I should know better, but the fact is packaging can still persuade me into making a purchase. I’m just a simple consumer with a soft spot for all things kawaii/aegyo/cute after all, and given the global rise of Asian beauty products, I’m not the only one. Western brands, take note.

Tony Moly is an affordable Korean brand that aegyo style perfectly. Although the packaging doesn’t differ all that much from what we know, it’s a simple idea that turn these products into massive hits. The Petite Bunny Gloss Bar as shown here is a perfect example. It’s not all that different from the chubby sticks, gloss sticks, .. we know, yet add some bunny ears on the stick’s cap and a cute face and you can almost hear the “awww“s echoing around the world. But how does it perform?

Even though there were only 3 colours available in the UO store believe me when I say I had to hold back not to get them all at once. There’s a total of 9 colours available in different colours and different bunny faces, which makes you want to collect them all. In the end I decided to go for 5. Peach, a lovely peachy pink shade. Besides being the adorable eye-catcher, the crayon-like packaging is incredibly light-weight and slim, making it the perfect handbag staple.

I also found that the colour of the packaging matched the actual gloss stick shade really well. Just like with the chubby sticks, you get the product out by twisting the tube below. You can’t turn it back unless you push it back in, so don’t go too hard on it.

Unlike many sticks, the surface of the crayon is flat instead of pen-shaped but since it’s really thin, applying the product within the edges of the lips is no problem at all. The texture is buttery and smooth and has a sheer pay-off that’s pretty buildable. It also has a nice sweet fruity scent to it. It’s quite subtle so there’s no need to worry if you’re sensitive to fragrances in products.

On the lips it feels like a regular softening balm; light-weight, non-sticky and provides enough hydration for a little while while adding a soft hint of pink to your lips. Don’t expect anything major regarding pigmentation. Korean lip makeup is usually all about sheer, your lips-but-better tints or ombre lips. My lips were practically torn to shreds when I took the photo below because I hadn’t scrubbed & moisturized my lips yet, but they still look kind of okay with the Petite Bunny Gloss Bar. The glossy effect is also quite subtle, which I personally like. The lips get a healthy juicy look, not a heavy sticky one. As with most -if not all- lip balms re-application during the day and after eating/drinking is necessary.

Conclusions based on 1 colour (5 Peach):

Pros:

– pretty colours
– cute packaging
– nice subtle fragrance
– natural glossy look
– soft, non-sticky texture

Cons:

– not the best balm out there in terms of moisturizing
– not a lot of product for that price (bought in the US)

These are the other shades available:

Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bars (2g) retail for $ 8 at Urban Outfitters (USA).
FYI: You can find them for a lot less on Amazon, eBay or GMarket (Korea).

$8 is quite a high price for these if you know they sell these for around ₩ 4,900 on GMarket, which comes down to about € 3,50 = a normal price for a balm. Therefore, if you fancy cute lip balms and you can get them for less, I wouldn’t hesitate to give them a try. I wouldn’t be surprised if this wasn’t my last one.. love it!

Have you tried any Korean brands yet?
Which is your favourite colour out of the bunch?

Disclaimer: Product was purchased.