[REVIEW] Fresh: Dare to bare Sugar Lip Ritual

Hi! I haven’t been updating in this blog for a while, lately I have been using my Facebook page as a blog and start updating things there instead. But I think the format of a real blog is more flexible in writing stories. So I will start using this blog again for the English version of my blog. (Thai version available in my FB page) If you are interested in my updates and lifestyle in Japan you can give my FB page a like! Or you can contact me through, twitter and Instagram too!

So, today I’m going to talk about the Fresh: Dare to bare Sugar lip ritual kit. This kit is one of the holiday sets Fresh offered. It’s one of the things that I got during last year holiday sales. (My blog entry on Holiday Sales Shopping on my FB in both Thai and English here) I got it from Sephora Thailand at the price of 1800 Baht or roughly 55 US dollars. 

(Photo from Sephora site)

This kit included:

1.Sugar lip serum advanced therapy

2.Sugar lip polish 

3.Sugar Advance therapy lip treatment

4.Sugar lip treatment SPF15 #Rose 

5.Sugar Shine Lip treatment 

Worth your money?:

I have calculated the proportionate size and price of this set compare to the full-size product size and price according to the Table below. For the full-size products detail, I got in from Sephora US site. (I apologize for the currency, because I bought it in Thai Baht so I decided to use Thai Baht here.)

I weighted the Kit prices according to the full-size product prices so it reflects the true price as the price of products in the kit materially varies. The table I want you guys to look at is the green one. Averagely, the size of each product inside this kit is about 50% of the full-size one and the price you paid for them is roughly 45% of the full-size price.  Basically, you are buying at only 5% cheaper than normal price. Nonetheless, this is very good for trying out Fresh products, as you don’t need to invest in each of these products separately.

Briefly about Fresh:

According to their sites “Fresh is pure beauty. Dedicated to natural ingredients, rich textures, and addictive scents, Fresh offers a sensorial experience like none other.” It was founded in 1991. They have a lot of skin care products. On Sephora US site, these are their best-selling products.

The lip treatment included in this kit is at number 2. All the products in the Kit are made in France by Guerlain. So because of this and the prices, I’ll say Fresh is a high-end skin care brand. 

Packaging:

It’s mesmerising. I’m really happy with the quality of these tiny packages, as a lot of brand did not pay much attention to these as much as they do with their full-size ones. But Fresh, to put it simply, just shrinks the full-size one into this mini size product. It looks totally the same! And the functions are the same too. The packages are strong and durable despite being tiny. The lip balm packaging is not just a normal pull in and out package but the lid has a spiral lock that makes it close tightly. Definitely no problem of lid falling out in your bag. All the other products have very nice and tight lids too. Not to mention that the designs are just simply cute.

Review:

1.Sugar lip serum advanced therapy

This is the most expensive product in this kit, and of course one of the most popular lip care products of Fresh. I’ve heard good things so I was really excited the first day I got this kit. I tried it on that night, topped with my routine deep moist gloss, But what happened to me the next morning was that my lip burst out as if bees has stung it and the skin around it were peeling off. I don’t know if it was just bad timing because it is winter, or I’m just allergic to the product so I keep on using it anyway. A week after, there was no pain, no peeling, but the damages after the first burst out were still there.

This product claims to help nourish and improve the definition on and around the lips while visibly smoothing fine lines for fuller, younger-looking lips. After using it for a while, I think it definitely does what it claims. I have less fine lines and the lines I still have are visibly fuller. My lip looks smooth and plump, which I totally love.

2.Sugar lip polish

This is basically just a lip scrub. The scrub beads are very small it doesn’t hurt your lip at all so it is very good for sensitive skin. And although the beads are tiny, it still performs very well, it wipes off all the dry patches and leaves my lip feeling moisturized. However, I think price-wise, it’s a little bit expensive for a scrub. Before I got this I was using Lush Mint Julip lip scrub. It’s cheaper and has bigger beads, so, with a hint of mint smell, I feel fresher and cleaner after use. So in a way, it’s up to preferences. If you prefer a gentle way to scrub your lip, I think this Fresh Sugar lip polish might work for you better.

3.Sugar Advance therapy lip treatment

The lips in this kit are just tiny! I had a hard time finding it today because I left it on my messy laptop desk. I am currently using this everyday while I use my laptop because its moisturizing effect lasts longer than other normal lip balm I was using. And I think it nourishes my lip at the same time too. Some of the cheap lip balms I owned just create an oily layer on my lip so it will not dehydrate but nothing more. But this one, even when I wiped it off because I eat something, my lip still looks like it was nourished. Overall, I really like this lip treatment.

 4.Sugar lip treatment SPF15 #Rose

To my own surprise, I like this one the best out of everything in this kit. I own a lot of colored lip balms, my favorite until I found this one was Dior lip glow, one of the most renowned lip balm on the internet, and this one trumps Dior! I really like the formula of this lip because it is totally like a moisturizing untinted lip balm. It moisturizes my lip very nicely the whole day (Dior lip glow can keeps me hydrate for half a day but this!) and I don’t feel uncomfortable having it on my lip at all. 

The perk of this lip balm for me is that it doesn’t dry off into white chunks. I found that many times after I applied my lipstick for more than 4 hours, it will dry out into white patches that clings to the inner part of my lip. I really hate that and I still cannot find way to solve this problem. It happens even with Dior Lip Glow, but not for this one. I can keep on re-applying and it still looks fabulous too!

Also, I think the color is also just perfect for a healthy natural look. I have a swatches here of Fresh lip treatment in comparison with Dior Lip Glow and Revlon Balm Stain. Just to show you guys that Fresh lip treatment pigmentation, is more than Dior but less than balm stain. I think it’s well-balanced and my lip look very bright and healthy with this color.

5.Sugar Shine Lip treatment

To be honest, I didn’t really give this one a try. I am an anti lip-gloss girl. I hate glossy things. With lip gloss, When the wind blows, my hair sticks to my mouth, it looks disgusting like you just had fried chicken but didn’t wipe off your mouth, and on top of that it does not look natural at all. So this one, I will pass. However, I did try it to see the formula, it is very sticky like honey and very hard to remove because of the stickiness too.

Overall:

I like the performance of all products in this kit but I’m definitely not a fan of their prices. It’s a high-end brand that is a little bit to high-end for me. Although it performs well but I think there’re great and cheaper things out there that can do similar things. So I probably won’t repurchase anything except the tinted balm.

Score:

Quality 4/5

Worth your money 3/5

Price 2.5/5