Hey everyone! A few days ago, I paid the Lab’i Lipstick Design Studio a visit. I was really waiting for something like this in the local scene, ever since the Bite Lip Lab made waves online a few years back. Compared to the pretty non-custom and hands-off Laneige experience, Labi was much closer to what I wanted! I uploaded my review on Youtube but you can read on for a written version below:

Labi is a custom lipstick studio located in 2F Eastwood Citywalk 2, the ‘old mall.’ The shop offers different packages based on different customization levels.

Pick Me Up (PHP 330) allows you to choose from 12 ready to go colors.

Package A (Lab Creation, PHP 780) allows you to choose among 4 finishes, 150 colors, 6 shapes, 6 scents and a handful of free cases. You may upgrade to special cases for PHP 100, or limited edition cases for PHP 200. They mix these up in a full-glass panel lab while you wait for about 5-10 minutes.

Package B (My Own Experience, PHP 1500) is pretty much the same deal as A, but you get to mix everything up from start to finish. You are allotted a spot in the workbench, and assisted through the routine of mixing up the lipstick. This takes about 10-20 minutes, I took longer because I was taking videos of the experience.

Package C (Customized Shade, PHP 3300) is the ultimate customization, and allows you to create your own color from scratch, complete with undertones such as white, black, blue, yellow and red. The only catch is, you have to set an appointment because they need to dedicate one staff to help you mix up the correct undertones and adjust if necessary, in relation to your own skin tone. It may take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour!

I took Package B and was able to get it at 20% off (PHP 1200,) as part of their first 1000 customers!

Here’s what went down:

• Choose among 4 finishes: glass (acrylic, liquid), soft matte (bullet), crème (bullet), super matte (liquid)

• Choose your color from among 150 premixed shades. I had a hard time choosing even though the colors were lumped by family (i.e. pinks, nudes, reds, oranges, etc) because there were SO MANY. That’s not a bad thing at all, but I guess I just wasn’t ready to be an adult and make choices that day. I did notice though, that a lot of undertones were unflattering or too blue.

• Choose your own fragrance from 6 oils: grapefruit, bergamot, eucalyptus, lemon, orange and lavender. It’s weird that they wouldn’t include vanilla, the most common lipstick fragrance, and the rest of these fragrances (except eucalyptus) were weird to have for lip products.

• Choose your case among the free, special (PHP 100) or limited edition (PHP 200) collections. I didn’t like most of the casing designs. I found many of them tacky and lightweight, but there are usable ones.

• Mix in your own station!

  • Wear a cute apron

  • Work in a fully-equipped workbench, complete with disposables, own set of tools, anti-slip surface and induction heater.

  • More steps = more fun! Your lippie first comes to you in a beaker, with the pigment and base mix inside. You get to add the rest: a vitamin E capsule, fragrance and beeswax. Dedicated tools per step make it feel more ‘special’ <3

  • You are heavily guided, but it will still ultimately be your own hands doing the steps.

Creme Bullet Lipstick Review

Follow the recommended wait time of 24-48 hours! You’re asked to wait before swatching the lipstick to allow the oils to settle. I was a little impatient, and thought the formula was shit when I first swatched it. After the recommended time period though, I did find the color payoff much better.

The lipstick is very moisturizing, but color payoff is not full. It’s still within an acceptable for creme lipsticks, and is actually not that bad!

Supermatte Liquid Lipstick Review

The Supermattes are a bit… mixed. I like how lightweight and non-tightening it feels. But I did get a deep wine shade that also had color payoff problems. The formula takes a while to dry (about a minute or three) before you can layer it on. It is in fact matte, but the color never really gets to that fully opaque point. It’s also frustrating how tricky the formula is, creating lines or wiping off previous layers if you’re not too careful.

Go for the experience!

Overall, I’d say it’s worth it. PHP 1500 is money I’d spend for this super cool experience. I truly enjoyed and had so much fun playing cosmetic chemist. I’m just not into the branding, and this, coupled with the lightweight cases and off colors detracts from their whole brand. I believe if they curated the customisations better, it would be a more elevated experience.

I was offered the Lab Experience for free, after paying for a My Own Experience package. I was not paid nor otherwise compensated to post this review.