Issy and Co X Alex Gonzaga review and swatches

Issy and Co X Alex Gonzaga makeup collection review, price, swatch.

PRICE: To be detailed in the blog post

FROM: Free

OTHER LOCATIONS: Available in Lazada and Beauty MNL

THE VERDICT:

Finally! I have the chance to try this new local beauty brand, Issy and Co. I've been meaning to check them out in all the event invites I got from them, but never really had the chance to go and then the pandemic hit and I couldn't go to the malls to check them out.

What we have here is their collection made in collaboration with Alex Gonzaga. I'll share my first thoughts on this beauty brand in the rest of the post.

Issy and Co is an everyday gal's new makeup buddy. Their products are convenient, easy to use, and well- suited to the Filipina skin tone. What's more is their products are cruelty- free, paraben- free, vegan, dermatologist- tested, and gluten- free; first time I've heard of a local beauty brand that went as far as being gluten- free; gluten is actually an allergen and people who are sensitive to this food can break out from cosmetics containing this so I'm glad Issy and Co has thought of this and it's a step towards the right direction in making Filipino cosmetics safer and at par with global beauty brands.

Alex Gonzaga's collection is comprised of her makeup essentials: Lipstick (Lip Mousse), cream blush, and highlighter (Highlighter Slimstick)

First impression of the packaging is I think it's so classy, pretty, and definitely don't feel that they're affordable; there's nothing above P400 in this collection!

Creme Blush (P349) is described as a silky smooth blush with SPF 15; I like the fact that it has SPF for additional protection for my cheeks; it comes in four shades. The packaging somewhat reminds me of BLK in their early days and the brand, overall, has a K-Beauty feel to it.

Highlighter Slimstick (P329) is a buildable cream highlighter that comes in three shades. I like the concept of a slim stick highlighter; this makes highlighting the inner corners of my face much easier.

Lip Mousse (P399) is a soft, buttery mousse lipstick with a powdery matte finish. The applicator is paddle shaped; wish it were a doe foot applicator for a more precise and controlled application. I have just observed that paddle brushes pick up more product than the usual that's why I prefer doe foot applicators more.

From top to bottom, we have:

Highlighter Slimstick in Stellar and Cosmic. Stellar is a rose gold highlighter with a bronze undertone and Cosmic is a pearl champagne shade. I initially thought that Stellar would look too dark, but when blended out, it gives a beautiful, rosy golden glow. Cosmic is nice too and great for overall highlighting of the complexion. Texture is soft cream and glides on smoothly; it has a cream to powder finish and pigmentation is medium to heavy.

Lip Mousse in Fiancé and Private. Fiancé is a deep rose shade; great everyday shade for warm and dark skin tones. Private is a dark red shade with a brown undertone; it's a great date night lipstick and all of a sudden, I missed wearing this type of shade! I will wear it to one of the husband and I's date night! :D

Finally, Créme Blush in Good Girl and Fever. Good Girl is a cool pink and Fever is a salmon shade. Good Girl is too light for my skin tone so I'm using Fever more. Pigmentation is medium to heavy and it's smooth and moisturizing, but not oily. I appreciate that it's not intensely pigmented, therefore easy to wear because personally, I don't like sporting the extra drunk (lol) blush look often; I had my time, but I'm into an easy, classic makeup look right now, especially given our situation. Since this is a creamy blush, I wouldn't advice layering it more than twice because it may crack or turn patchy during wear; set with powder before heading out the door.

Btw, the products are unscented so great for those who dislike fragrance in their makeup.

I'm wearing Créme Blush in Fever on my cheeks and lids, Highlighter Slimstick in Stellar on my teardrop area and Cosmic on the tip of my nose and brow bone.

Staying power for the blush is okay; it fades after about 3 hours of wear on its own since it's blush, but it can help powder blush last longer. I love Fever and the way it compliments my skin tone; makes me look fresh and gives me that summer vibe too!

Lip Mousse in Fiancé. A very pretty shade, though I have a lot of this in my stash already. Nevertheless, it's a beautiful everyday neutral!

Finally, Lip Mousse in Private. A sexy yet classy deep red; I love wearing this lately!

Because of its mousse-butter consistency, Lip Mousse feels pillowy and nice on the lips; it's also very easy to spread and doesn't bleed around the lips; it just stays put, but doesn't set as efficiently as a liquid lipstick formula. It is also not long- lasting, which I don't really mind because I don't need super matte, 48- hour lipsticks all the time! One small con is it made my lips a bit dry during wear, albeit it's tolerable.

Overall, I think Issy and Co is worth trying out because it's inexpensive and the products have good quality plus the product presentation and packaging are well thought out. The shades are beautiful, but nothing unique since these shades are trendy right now, but I appreciate the overall quality of the products and its branding. I'm looking forward to their next releases!

Have you tried Issy and Co already? What are your thoughts?