Review: Haa Moisturizing Grape Lip Oil and Glazed Color Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea Lip Balm

What is the one thing that you do when you go travelling? What I do is pick up a little something from one of the beauty stores, so that I can try out a product that may either not be available, or really tricky to get in Australia. I used to go wild and pick up tons of things, and I mean tons, but these days, space is a premium, and I am more mindful when it comes to picking the items that I want to add to my basket. Also, you can get just about anything and everything over the internet these days, which has helped with controlling my previously OTT spending habits.

 

I didn't get to do much shopping while I was in Hong Kong and China recently, aside from the excursions into the Disney stores (hey, I'm still trying to beat my addiction! Nobody's perfect!) and when I picked up some souvenirs for friends and people at work, but while I was en route to the souvenir shop with my brother in China, I came across a beauty store that I had to stop at. While my brother rolled his eyes a little, before finding something he also wanted to get, haha, I spent about 10 minutes wandering between the aisles, looking for goodies that might work on me.

 

I fell back into an old pattern and went for some lip products - it's always been my go to! I settled on two lippies from the same brand, Haa, and bought the Moisturizing Grape Lip Oil and Glazed Color Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea Lip Balm, with one of them being a nod to my time spent in Hong Kong. Having spent quite a bit of time focusing on K-beauty products, it a little disappointing that it's taken this long to talk about C-beauty products! Haa is a Chinese cosmetics brand, and their range extends from lip products to skincare, as well as makeup.

 

The Moisturizing Grape Lip Oil comes in a sturdy clear plastic tube that holds about 3ml of product, and the applicator is a wide doe foot that loads the oil onto the lips in one smooth swipe. I love that this smells grapey, but it lacks that synthetic grape taste. Sadly, the finish isn't quite as shiny as I'd like for it to be, but it does leave my lips feeling very moisturised and soft. I also appreciate that this doesn't feel sticky, and may actually be a good substitute for the lip balm I wear to bed. 

 

The Glazed Color Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea Lip Balm is a very different product altogether. At first glance, you may be forgiven for thinking that this is simply a cheap lip balm, but I can assure you, it's much better than that! This is like a tinted lip balm, and the colour payoff is surprisingly good. It's like a nude shade on me, and has a slightly glossy sheen to it. It sits comfortably on my lips, and I really appreciate that it doesn't settle into the creases. This also smells faintly of milk tea, but sadly, doesn't taste like it. For two purchases that I bought on a whim, I was very pleasantly surprised! What was your last holiday purchase?