Strokes Beauty Lab Complexion Collection review
PRICE: Foundation- P548, Concealer- P398, Powder- P498, Fixing Spray- P498
FROM: Free
OTHER LOCATIONS: Available
THE VERDICT:
Strokes launched a new makeup collection and I picked up the foundation, concealer, powder, and fixing spray. When I received the products, I had a quick realization and that is Filipino cosmetics is already miles and miles away from the previous quality, look, and packaging. That said, I say that Filipino brands have finally arrived! Still a lot of things to improve on, but no one can deny how far our brands have come and Strokes Beauty is an example. Tell me, do these products look just under P3,000 to you?
And as for the quality, it's really worth the consideration because this Filipino face base brand can withstand our weather so let's talk about it!
Strokes Beauty is founded by Momoi Supe of the famous Strokes Brow Microblading salon. He dipped his toes in the world of cosmetics by releasing a Brow Microblading Pen a few years back, it became a hit, and he eventually expanded to color cosmetics. This 2023, together with the launch of their new endorser, Heart Evangelista, Storkes Beauty Lab unveiled the new complexion collection that features a liquid foundation, a loose and pressed setting powder, concealer, correctors, face brushes, and a fixing spray.
One small, but nice detail that I like about their packaging? The affirmations printed on the bottles!
Strokes Soft Veil Filter Foundation (P548) is aj oil- free, medium to full coverage, soft matte finish foundation with a filter effect that blurs texture for a flawless, smooth look. It has Ultra Filling Spheres technology that plumps skin from the inside and fills in textured pore areas, plus Vitamin E and Hyaluronic Acid. It comes in 6 shades.
I must say, for a 500-peso foundation, this feels quite luxe! The bottle reminds me of Shu Uemura's Unlimited Breathable Lasting Foundation and the frosted matte finish and right choice of colors gave it an even more luxe feel. The pump goes down smoothly, but with some control so the product doesn't squirt out of the pump.
Ingredients
Strokes Beauty Spot Veil Concealer is a medium to full coverage concealer with a matte finish that promises to lighten and blur under eye discolorations and texture. It has caffeine, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide to help smooth and firm the skin. It comes in 6 shades.
Ingredients
Strokes Perfect Veil Setting Powder (P498) is a loose setting powder with ultra fine, micro- milled pigments for a soft focus blur effect. Mother of Pearl extract gives a soft luminous effect while Hyaluronic Acid and Squalene soothe and moisturize the skin.
Ingredients
I like the packaging of this powder: the sifter comes with a resealable cover though there is a bit of spillage just because the powder is very fine and it gets through the holes and space between the cover and the base of the sifter.
I also like that the puff comes with a tapered tip because it helps me apply the product on the corners of my face.
Strokes Skin Veil Cooling Mist (P498). This makeup fixing spray promises to extend makeup wear up to 12 hours. The cooling effect helps stall sebum production while Sodium Hyaluronate moisturizes, Niacinamide helps lighten and energize the skin, and Tornare, an ingredient that is especially beneficial for sensitive skin, provides an anti-inflammatory effect and cell- protecting benefits.
My shade in the foundation is Medium 02 and Medium 01 for the concealer. It seems like the way the foundation and concealer shades are designed is they're literally the same shades. I think concealer shades should not exactly mirror the foundation counterparts just because the types of discolorations can be vastly different on the face and under eye, therefore they require different shades for coverage. Based on the swatch too, I just find it a bit odd that the concealer is darker than the foundation considering that the concealer I got is a shade lighter than the foundation.
The foundation has a semi- creamy consistency; it's opaque and feels thick, as with all medium to full coverage foundations. Finish is soft matte.
The concealer is semi- creamy as well; it feels like the foundation in a tube. Coverage is full and finish is matte; it feels and looks even more matte than the foundation.
Here's my bare under eye with the concealer. Notice that it's kinda' dark for my under eye; it's a concealer and should be able to even out and brighten this area, but it did not do any of those. Their concealer shade formula and range can be better plus it's too pigmented and formula is too heavy for an under eye concealer. It also creases on the outer corner of my eye after some time just because the formula is too matte.
Given the formula, I think this will work well as a face concealer.
Meanwhile, the foundation is GREAT. Love the formula: it's creamy and pigmented, but feels light and doesn't feel dry at all when it sets. It also covers discolorations nicely so you can skip a corrector and concealer depending on how light or heavy your discoloration problems are. Finish is soft matte and overall, just a good looking foundation. Medium 02 suits me well; medium tan shade with yellow undertone.
One small caveat is it only blurs imperfections by 50-60% especially if you have really noticeable bumps, scars, and texture. But it's tolerable and you can just add concealer underneath to help smooth those areas.
The loose powder is also a pleasant surprise; it's one of the true translucent loose setting powders out there plus look at how it made my skin look so, so smooth; take note, I wore their equally good foundation underneath, but the powder made my skin look much smoother. It yields little to no white cast too!
The fixing mist is also a great product; the cooling effect is a nice treat most especially in this weather of ours, but don't spray too much especially on the eye area because the minty sensation can be a bit too much. It prolongs makeup wear and keeps it looking fresh for more than 4 hours; I've tested it with non- Strokes products and I've experienced the same effect!
Here's my face 8 hours after wearing the foundation, powder, and fixing spray. I didn't retouch my makeup AT ALL and it still looks fab even after 8 hours. In person, my face looks oilier though, but man, you can't deny that my makeup looks good here! The products was able to withstand my oily skin, sweat, and heat.
Overall, good job, Strokes Beauty Lab because the quality is amazing and I'm very impressed with the formula of the foundation, powder, and fixing spray. They're made for Philippine weather and oily skin, and every time I'm using it, it's like I'm using a high end product. Just re-work your concealer because there's a lot of things to fix in there.
These products are more suited to oily skin types. If you have dry skin, be sure to prep your skin really well before usage. I hope Strokes will release a more hydrating (but still long- lasting) foundation soon for dry- skinned girlies out there.
I also got a free lipstick for my purchase. How awesome is that??
Have you tried Strokes Beauty Lab already? What do you think?
STROKES BEAUTY LAB COMPLEXION COLLECTION RATING
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