I’m not someone who switches lipsticks on a whim. I usually finish one tube before even thinking about the next, and I’m picky enough about color that I don’t want to keep correcting in the mirror. So when my go-to finally ran out, I already knew exactly what I wanted to replace it with: the Wakemake Soft Blurring Balm Stick in #08 Maple Coral. I’d swatched it on a previous Olive Young visit and the color had stuck with me. This time I just walked in, picked it up, and went home.
It’s been my daily lip for a few weeks now. Here’s what I actually think.
The shade range is genuinely big — NUDE, CORAL, and RED rows with probably twenty-plus options across the line. There are actually two versions in the same format on display: the Glow Balm Stick (shiny finish) and this one, the Blurring Balm Stick (matte). I wanted something I didn’t have to think about applying, which ruled out the gloss version — shine is higher maintenance, you know exactly when it’s gone. Matte stays put.
On sale for ₩12,800 (~$9.30). Regular price is ₩16,000. Olive Young runs this kind of single-item discount on Wakemake fairly often, so if you’re not in a rush, wait for one.
About Wakemake
Quick context if you don’t know the brand: Wakemake is one of CJ Olive Young’s house makeup labels, sold pretty much exclusively through Olive Young stores and their app. It leans into wearable, low-effort color makeup — lip, blush, eyeshadow — mostly priced under ₩20,000. Their lip category alone has the Glow Balm Stick, this Blurring Balm Stick, a couple of liquid tints, and a balm pot, and they keep iterating on the same “soft matte” idea that’s been everywhere in K-beauty over the past year or two. This Soft Blurring Balm Stick is their take on a matte that doesn’t look matte — diffused color rather than flat color.
Why I picked #08 Maple Coral
I went with #08 Maple Coral because of how the name read — warm coral with brown in it. I didn’t want anything dark enough that I’d need a mirror for touch-ups, and I didn’t want a clean cool-pink either (it’d clash with how I dress). Coral-brown sits in the in-between: it reads as a color, but I can reapply by feel.
On Korean skin tones, this kind of warm coral-brown tends to work for neutral and warm undertones the best. If your undertone is very cool / pink-leaning, it might pull a little orange-y on you — worth swatching in store before committing. I’d describe my own skin as neutral with a slight warm lean, and Maple Coral reads natural on me without shifting color.
Packaging
The tube itself is tiny — about thumb-sized, lighter than most lip balms, easy to lose in a bag if you’re not careful. The cap is magnetic, which I didn’t expect at this price point. Most lip products in this range have a press-and-click closure that loosens over time. The magnet on this one snaps shut definitively every time. I’ve had it rolling around in my bag for a few weeks and the cap has stayed on. That’s the actual test.
Open it and the tip is curved, not the usual angled cut — closer to the shape you’d get if you scooped something out with a small spoon. That curve follows your lip line naturally as you swipe across.
Up Close
Looking at the bullet directly, Maple Coral reads as a dusty coral-brown — slightly deeper than I initially expected and with a faint iridescence up close, even though the finish itself is matte. The color in the stick and the color on the lip are noticeably different things, which is worth knowing before you commit.
Wound all the way out, the bullet looks generous — much more product than I expected for ₩12,800. I’ve been using it daily for a few weeks and the level has barely dropped.
On the Lips
One pass is sheer — a wash of peachy coral that reads more like a tinted balm than a lipstick. You need to apply it, and you don’t need much pressure. Genuinely, I was expecting to have to lean into it, and the product goes on lighter than the bullet color suggests. That surprised me, and it’s actually a good thing: I don’t have to do anything careful. I just slide it across my lips and it figures itself out.
Two or three passes builds to something more substantial — a warm coral that holds its shape. The coverage accumulates evenly. There’s no unevenness, no patchy buildup in the middle, no need to blend edges after the fact. And I’ve reapplied several times in a row to touch up and the finish never got cakey or heavy. Matte products that dry down too hard usually accentuate any texture on your lips. This doesn’t — lip lines stay soft.
What I Actually Think
The thing I keep coming back to is how easy it is to use. Most matte lipsticks I’ve tried require some setup: you need your lips moisturized beforehand, you need to apply carefully, you need to make sure the formula doesn’t start clumping after an hour. This one skips all of that. The matte finish is soft — more blurred than flat — so it doesn’t highlight lip texture the way a high-pigment matte would. That’s what the “blurring” in the name actually means, and it’s accurate.
A few things I’d note if I’m being honest: because the first pass is sheer, if you’re looking for full opaque coverage in one go, this isn’t the product. You’ll need to layer. It’s not a quick one-swipe-done situation for that effect. Also, Maple Coral is warmer than I expected from the shade name — it reads more brown-terracotta than a light coral-pink, so cool-undertone folks really should test in store first.
At ₩12,800 on sale, it’s a reasonable buy. The magnetic cap, the compact size, the buildup range from light to medium — all of those are things you’d expect from something that costs more. The only catch is it’s not easy to get outside Korea. Wakemake isn’t widely available internationally yet, though it shows up on Olive Young Global occasionally. If you’re going to be in Seoul, it’s worth picking up at any Olive Young branch.
The Basics
| Brand | Wakemake |
| Product | Soft Blurring Balm Stick #08 Maple Coral |
| Volume | 3.5g |
| Finish | Soft matte / blurring (also available as a Glow version with shine) |
| Distributor | CJ Olive Young (Olive Young house brand) |
| Price in Korea | ₩16,000 regular / ₩12,800 on sale (as of May 2026, Olive Young) |
| Where to buy in Korea | Olive Young (exclusive) |
| International | Olive Young Global, YesStyle (~$17), eBay Korea sellers |
| Best for | Warm and neutral undertones; cool undertones may pull slightly orange |
Last verified: May 21, 2026. Prices at Olive Young are subject to change.
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