LOTW – Rollover Reaction SUEDED!

This is a very long overdue review. This brand, shall I say, sparked a fire in the Indonesian beauty scene. It has also become one of the pioneers to inspire the local beauty industry to up the game. Everything about it is very different than the usual local selection. Finally. A brand that I can proudly wear and tell.

Rollover Reaction, a catchy name for a brand, with a tagline of “cosmetics for the creatively inclined”. launched earlier this year on March 2016. Since its inception, the brand is already breaking different doors and filling the yearning of a cool, indie local beauty brand.

For the debut product, Rollover Reaction came out with SUEDED! Lip and Cheek Cream, a two-in-one formula. The product is packaged in a colored paper box that corresponds with the shade inside. The logo is embossed in gold on the box; a classy touch. I wish, however, the production code and date could be stamped somewhere else than the front. It loses the simplicity and tampers the presentation in general.

Within this debut, the first installment was called The Nude Collection, consisting of 5 different shades that translates to daily wear. What’s also fun about this is the names are inspired by The Beatles. Die-hard fans will probably know which songs they’re from. If you’re unsure, you can go ahead to their Instagram, scroll a little bit further down and find out. Sing along~

Rollover Reaction SUEDED! is packaged in a square tube with black cap and plastic with a frosted finish to reflect the matte texture. This finish dulls the shade inside and it’s not a good representation of the actual color (hence the colored box). But that doesn’t matter because we, lipstick junkies, remember every shade that we’ve tried by heart. I think the material used for the black cap could be better and less prone to scratches. But overall, I really like the presentation of these babies. They fit into my bag easily and I can stack them in the drawers without rolling over.

The sponge slanted tip applicator is a no-fuss too. It’s soft and it doesn’t feel stiff. I have no trouble applying the product on my lips and paint the outer line to create a tidy edge. I wish the opening of the tube can be slightly wider for the applicator to go in. It gets messy pretty quickly as the product got squeezed out as we dip the applicator in and out. I like to clean up the tube once in a while to prevent unwanted accidents.

I personally love the formula. It reminds me of the famous Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet. SUEDED! has that familiar mousse-y texture and a lightweight feel to it. I’d say they have fair pigmentation but not in the bold way, rather, they still let you see the natural lip color to peek through. Which is why the natural lip color will play a big hand on how the final color will look like. I particularly love this formula because I can also dab it with my fingers to smudge and create a more organic look, perfect for blending shades. There is a noticeable scent and I keep thinking about cream frosting every time I smell it.

The velvety matte finish is my preferred finish and not everyone’s cup of tea. I like it because it’s not too drying or crepe-y on my lips and it still has a bounce, almost cushion-y feel. I’d say it sets rather fast but I still have play time when I apply a different color, it still allows me to blend the two easily. I do not find them sticky at all! If any, I find these to be soft on the lips. Not the most foolproof (kiss-proof, transfer-proof, whatever that is) and long-wearing but these were never my concerns anyway. I actually find it could last a meal and a drink on me but not the second one though. It doesn’t fade patchily and that’s a good thing, but if I wear them too long, I find they could peel my lips a little, especially in the middle.

By any means, mattes are always going to be on a dry side, let’s be real here. For a matte formula though, they sure are comfortable and I can wear them for hours. And as with any lipsticks, prepping the lips beforehand is crucial. You don’t want that ugly bits hanging around when you wear this. It will emphasize them. One more thing, I also find the formula is friendly with lip balms. I notice some liquid lipsticks absolutely hate the presence of a lip balm and refused to stick properly. SUEDED! isn’t like that although I tend to blot the lips first beforehand, leaving just a little bit of balm to improve the comfort factor.

As the name suggests, SUEDED! can also be used on the lips and cheeks. According to one of the founders, the formula is safe for the skin and can be used on the eyes. However, if you have sensitive eyes, you may want to take precaution. If it helps, don’t apply it too closely to the lash line where some product might seep through into the eye balls and just stick to the eyelid area. The shades may look soft and light, but these actually put quite a punch on the cheeks. I usually take a little bit on my hand, spread it over before use my finger to apply it. Just a little dabbing and sweeping motion, and I’m done. Saddie is exceptionally pigmented, so I always start very little.

The pigmentation of The Nude Collection varies. The lighter ones like Lizzy, Lucy and Sally can come off a little patchy/uneven on my lips, while Prudence and Saddie were a breeze. But this is considered normal in my book because most light (or dark) shades tend to do that. There’s also the factor that I have quite pigmented mauve-y lips by default so applying paler shades is always tricky. I’ve heard some comments about how the formula stings the lips. I experienced that once in a while and it reminds me of Giorgio Armani Lip Maestro. It doesn’t necessarily bother me because the sensation lasted only for seconds.

Out of the 5 shades, my favorites are Saddie and Sally. These two are the ones I reach out the most and I love wearing them together. Sally first as a base, then dab Saddie in the middle then feather it out using my finger. I absolutely love the result! It gives that hazy look on the lips (can be seen here and here). I got asked a lot when I wear this combination so it’s definitely a success. Recently I’ve also been liking Lizzy as a base as well. Mixing Lizzy with another shade will still create a nude but with different undertones. And because the formula is very friendly, the blending process is effortless.

Since then, Rollover Reaction SUEDED! has come out with a few more shades. Maxwell, a collaboration of Indonesian artist Ykha Amelz and the gorgeous Puche. The new collection that just came out are called The Clique, inspired by the 90s era with three iconic muses. They have Livv, Moss and Umma. I’m not sure when I’m going to make a full review out of the newer ones, but my two cents, the newer shades speak more for individuality and personal style.

Rollover Reaction SUEDED! retails for IDR 119.000 (now 129.000) and can be purchased directly through its website and the official distributor Sociolla. With this I’d also like to encourage you to buy from them directly, not some Instagram online shops that mark up the prices unfairly. Seriously, I had seen people re-selling these lipsticks 50% higher than the retail price. It irks me to the ground when I see this. Come on now, it is not that hard to buy from the website, seriously. It takes a little effort, but you’re helping other customers just like you. If people keep condoning this behavior (by buying from these online shops), they will keep buying the (at times, limited) stock and left the public with so little that you’ll be forced to buy the products at a jacked up price.

Then there are these comments about IDR 119.000 (now 129.000) is expensive for a local brand. Puh-lease. With this kind of branding (which a lot of thought, research and efforts are put into), I honestly thought they were sold for at least IDR 200.000, twice the actual price. I was flabbergasted when I found out. The local industry has a very saturated market that feeds the low-end market. There is nothing wrong with that, but I crave for something more.. sophisticated. I’ve yet seen anything that goes beyond that and Rollover Reaction happily fits right in. It’s about time, you know.

Seeing a brand like Rollover Reaction and a few newcomers (including another favorite of mine, BLP Beauty), I’m starting to have more hope that local can be cool too.

Disclosure: these were given to me by the brand. All of the opinions, good and bad, are 100% purely mine.