Review: ROM&ND The Juicy Lasting Tints in “14 Almond Rose” and “30 Bare Marron”.

These beloved tints from ROM&ND were reformulated and repackaged in 2025, along with a bout of controversy.

 

BACKSTORY: ROM&ND is an extremely popular Korean beauty brand and was co-created by influencer Min Saerom (who now works for Beaubble and works closely to develop products for GLYF, Jeon Somi’s brand). They are known for their lip products and this line is their bestselling one. Saerom-nim was very intentional with her colour choices in their product lineups, which, I feel, was what set the brand apart from other K-Beauty brands. You’d find cool-toned shades, muted tones which were actually flattering on a variety of different skin-tones. You have many brands to choose from these days but I’d say it is so because ROM&ND was one of the brands that laid the foundation.

 

 

THE PRODUCT: The repackaged tints come in a double walled plastic units with a doe-foot applicators. The colour of the unit corresponds with the shade of the tint housed inside.

 

Okay, so, this tint is what put ROM&ND on the map 10 years ago. They were reformulating a well-loved line of products so they needed to be extra cautious with how they approached it. I would say they succeeded, for the most part. The newer iteration has an even wider variety of shades for you to choose from. However, fan favourite shades were slightly altered after the reformulation. That led to people stocking up on their favourite shades in the older formulation, simply because they liked how the tint looked better. I’m including myself here, as their older version of their bestselling shade, ‘Bare Grape’ is one of my favourite tints of all time.

 

As far as the formula goes, the reformulated one isn’t all too different from the older one. It’s the same gel-tint hybrid that forms a glossy film on top of the tint as you apply it. The new formula has a glossier finish. It still is pigmented and opaque enough to coat your lips with colour evenly with one swipe. You can build up more layers to make the tint stronger. I usually only do a single layer.

 

These are comfortable and easy to reapply, which is great because they are not long-lasting at all. A single drink and a dab of a tissue means that the tint has escaped your lips, forget a meal. Even the stain the tint leaves behind isn’t too strong. Nor does it look good. It really does look great freshly applied and if you forgo meals/drinks for the duration you have it on. Always keep in mind that these tints tend to oxidise and get darker as they settle on the lips.

 

One thing ROM&ND excels in is their colour variation. Muted shades, cool-toned shades, warm browns, neutral shades, milky shades, vibrant shades… You name it, ROM&ND has it. They truly are one of the brands that does shade variations well and to the point that a lot of mainstream brands struggle to keep up with the nuances their shades have.

 

The tint is lightweight, non-sticky and great to have in your arsenal, especially if you find a colour that you like.

 

Locally, the prices on these tints keep getting hiked ever quarter and that honestly pisses me off. Even when they’re on sale, the price-tag stings. So, I would suggest you keep an eye for additional discounts or flash sales to pick up your favourite shades. Unless you have a shade you absolutely and positively adore and can’t fathom being without, the formula itself isn’t all too enticing. It really just comes down to the myriad of eye-catching and flattering shades ROM&ND has to offer, really.

 

 

 

THE SCANDAL: On relaunching this formula, the brand found themselves embroiled in a scandal. From what I could gather, there was a spike in complaints from customers who noted that the product was causing irritation and inflammation. Certain dyes and additives were thought to be the culprits behind this sudden surge in issues that the products were causing. There were even reports of the product causing cheilitis (which is an inflamed condition of the lips, skin around the mouth, or inner lip lining with symptoms like dryness, scaling, redness, cracking, and pain), which was a serious accusation.

I will give ROM&ND props for tackling this issue head-on by addressing the possible causes behind this issue. They issued an apology and while they didn’t recall the original line of products, they offered full refunds to customers who provided proof of purchase and stated the symptoms they suffered. They also introduced a second line of tints that didn’t contain the potential irritants called JUICY LASTING TINT ZERO.

Like I said, I really appreciate the brand not only apologising and acknowledging the problem but also providing actual solutions.

Linking the video by Val Foché as she summarises the issues well.

 

 

SWATCHES AND SHADES AVAILABLE: There are more than 35 shades in the regular line-up along with a plethora of Limited Edition/Collaboration shades.

• ‘14 Almond Rose’ – a warm rose MLBB tint.
• ‘30 Bare Marron’ – a neutral brown tint.

 

PRICE: $15 (retails for a whopping 1020 INR locally)

QUANTITY: 3.5 grams

AVAILABILITY: Olive Young, ROM&ND, Nykaa, Tira, Maccaron etc.

♥ OVERALL: I think these are good tints and great to have if you find a shade that you fancy. Definitely wait for a sale, though. Never pay full price for these. Ever.