Laka Jelling Nude Gloss Review

AD info | These glosses were sent to me by Pureseoul without obligation to review. As always, the opinions in this post are honest and my own.

If you’re tired of drying lip tints that seem to emphasise every bit of texture, Laka’s Jelling Nude Gloss might just be the holy grail product you’ve been looking for.

This ultra-shiny lip stain has a glaze-like finish, which leaves your lips both looking and feeling super soft and hydrated.

With a bit of prep, you won’t have to worry about this tint settling into lip lines and clinging to dry skin. This moisturising formula will give you glossy, picture-perfect lips in just a couple of swipes.

About Laka

Founded in 2018, Laka is a gender neutral Korean beauty brand with a focus on soft, youthful makeup. That is, makeup that makes you look dewy, fresh-faced and, just generally, healthy.

While their beauty offering does extend to highlighters and eyeshadows, Laka’s lip products are really their bread and butter. With over 20 shades, their Fruity Glam Tints are one of their bestsellers, as are their Bonding Glow Lipsticks.

What is it?

Laka’s Jelling Nude Gloss is a jelly-inspired lip stain that moisturises the lips while at the same time imparting a juicy, long-lasting kiss of colour.

I should probably clarify that – despite the name – this is lip tint rather than a lip gloss. The decision to call them ‘glosses’ obviously comes from the fact that these have a high-shine finish, but they’re not really the same as the lip glosses you may be familiar with!

Feel & finish

According to the Pureseoul website, these Laka lip tints have a ‘gel-to-oil base’. This gives them a good amount of moisturising power, but also ensures that they don’t feel heavy or sticky.

I really like this consistency. It’s not drying like some tints can be, and it feels genuinely comfortable on the lips.

The formula is thin but not overly watery so it feels like it could stay in place all day, despite it being so lightweight.

Scent

Given that this collection is ‘fruit jelly’ inspired, it’s probably no surprise that these lip tints smell (and taste!) super sweet.

I’d say they’ve got an almost apple-like flavour which I really enjoy – it makes a change from all the berry and mint-scented lip products I own!

Application

This lip tint has a small doe-foot wand which is perfect for ensuring clean, precise application. With a lip stain you don’t really want to go too far outside of the lines!

The applicator picks up quite a lot of product, but it’s best to wipe this off and apply a thin layer, building up the colour as you go.

Packaging

I really like how Laka have packaged this tint. The bottle is sturdy and it looks elegant.

The lid also has a satisfying click when it’s fully tightened so you know that this isn’t going to leak everywhere.

My only gripe is that the packaging is very similar to the Fruity Glam Tint. I feel like they could have gone with something completely different to make the distinction between the two a little bit clearer!

Shade range & swatches

Laka’s Jelling Nude Gloss currently comes in ten different shades. Pureseoul sent me six of these to try out, but as I was writing this post I discovered that Laka have just launched four new shades!

The complete collection consists of:

• #301 Fig Ring – A natural red
• #302 Grape Ring – A cool-toned pink
• #303 Peach Ring – A rosy peach
• #304 Ginger Ring – A warm-toned coral
• #305 Tangerine Ring – A warm orange
• #306 Angel Ring – A nude pink
• (NEW!) #307 Coco Ring – A berry brown
• (NEW!) #308 Rosa Ring – A terracotta pink
• (NEW!) #309 Heart Ring – A mauvy pink
• (NEW!) #310 Melba Ring – A warm peach

Overall, most shades run warm, the exception being #302 (which in relative terms I still don’t think is that cool). Because of the warm tones, this collection definitely gives me summer vibes – I can see myself wearing all of these shades on holiday!

I’ve swatched shades #301 to #306 below. Check out Laka’s Instagram page for swatches of the new shades.

Pigmentation

These aren’t the most pigmented lip tints I’ve tried, but I think that’s the point! Because Laka’s goal is to create that juicy, plump, high-shine look, the Jelling Nude Glosses are semi-sheer.

Anything more opaque and I think you’d lose the natural-looking quality that these tints have.

It’s really great that Laka have managed to create a product that captures that hydrated, wet-lip look so perfectly, while at the same time providing a gorgeous, even tint.

Longevity

On the whole, I think the staying power of these Laka Jelling Nude Glosses is pretty good. The tint lasts for a couple of hours, though the glossiness does wear off sooner than that.

Also, be aware that if you eat or drink something with these lip tints on, the colour is going to wear off quicker. I tend to get a sort of lip liner effect where the colour wears off in the centre of my lips, but the tint remains around the outside.

On the plus side, it’s easy to remedy this with a quick touch up. And the product layers well on top of itself so you don’t get any gloopiness or flaking no matter how much you apply.

Final thoughts

As someone who avoided lip stains for the longest time because I thought they’d be just like liquid lipsticks (i.e. matte and drying), the Laka Jelling Nude Glosses are everything I could wish for.

The formula is light, comfortable and seriously hydrating. Honestly, I think this works just as well as a lip oil to provide moisture to dry, flaky lips!

Shade-wise, I don’t normally go for warm tones, but this collection is definitely bringing me round to them. The vibrance of each shade, in combination with the fruity scent, really makes this feel like the perfect summer lip set.

Where can I buy these?

You can grab shades #301 – #306 from Pureseoul, which is Laka’s only official UK retailer. They’re £15.95 for 4.5g.

Shades #307 – #310 don’t seem to be available in the UK yet, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time!

Have you tried Laka’s Jelling Nude Gloss yet? Have you tried any other products from the brand? Let me know!