Announcement

so LT and I have been doing this (blog) for about 2 months now
and while we did not do any sort of promotion/spreading the existence of this blog, we do get readers popping by here once in a while
mostly from googling about products that we have mentioned (according to our stats)

nonetheless! we appreciate each and every one of you (YES YOU!) who has popped by or read at least one of our posts, and to put our words into action..

we are staging a GIVEAWAY

details will be up soon, so stay tuned!

Innisfree Creamy Tint Lipstick

 

as mentioned previously in my haul post, this is the top product out of all my buys from korea

i use it everyday now before i step out of the house, and for any occasion

be it to work, to meet my friends, to school (i foresee), just as long as im heading out!

just 1 swipe of this product gives my face so much colour and brightens it up, and im so addicted to using this!

 

introducing, the Innisfree Creamy Tint Lipstick!

 

heres the full range of colours from this line

and innisfree even added on 5 more colours recently

i myself bought shade numbers 5, 4, 15 respectively
#5: 한여름의 햇살 레드 Midsummer Sunshine Red
#4: 상큼한 칵테일 오렌지 Refreshing Cocktail Orange
#15: 사과 레드 Apple Red

i have already started using no #5 immediately after purchasing it in korea

 

what this product promises:

and swatches

see how vibrant the colours came off!
these are just 2 swipes of each stick

and since it is a tint as well, a little colour remains despite being erased

 

overall, i must say that this product really lasts long and can brave eating and drinking pretty well

previously in my lipsticks post, i talk about how i use the combination of 2 different lipsticks to achieve my desired lip colour of orangey-red

but now, all i need is just a few swipes of no. #5 to get the same colour!

 

also, this product sinks in quite nicely between the lines on my lips but isnt obvious about doing so due to the creamy texture

it also doesnt dry out my lips, but retains moisture in them

 

sometimes when im working long hours, i use this on top of my other 2 lipsticks to emphasize on the colour and altogether, it makes my lips impregnable and invincible to ANYTHING!

 

i introduced this to my colleague who is also a lipstick mania like myself, and she is also a convert now!

previously she swears by expensive western branded lipsticks like Chanel, but after trying this Innisfree one, she proclaims that the latter goes on so much smoother (and cheaper!)

 

although Innisfree tends to be a little on the expensive side when compared to its fellow market competitors (like Nature Republic and Etude House), i personally feel that its products tend to work better most of the time

 

for just 12,000원, do give the Innisfree Creamy Tint Lipstick a try!

 

 

The Saem Cover Perfection Tip Concealer

today i will be sharing about The Saem's Cover Perfection Tip Concealer

first off, i'll talk a little about my relationship with concealers
i use concealer very regularly for work make-up, because my face isnt as smooth and clear as i would like it to be
i have like pimple scars, pimples, and hugeeee eyebags  to cover and hide each time i doll up
so evidently, my need for the use of concealer is inevitable ):

however, i have never found a PERFECT concealer which fits both my needs and my colour, it usually fulfills either requirement but i'll be satisfied at that, because beggers cant be choosers right?
so since about 3 years ago up til last month, i have been using the concealer from ZA in shade number 2
while it doesnt fit my colour, it does its job pretty well so i decided to stick to it

throughout these 3 years i have also experimented with different concealers but always find myself returning back to the ZA one eventually

since i have a lot to hide *ashamed*, i tend to pick liquid concealers over stick concealers, since the former usually provides more coverage and is easier to spread and blend (although messy to handle)

alright back to the star of this post!

i first came to know about this product while watching sunnydahye's videos
you can follow her channel HERE
yeah i actually spend a lot of time watching beauty-related videos on youtube and follow quite a number of korean make-up shows (GET IT BEAUTY!) and gurus (as i term them)

this product seemed pretty amazing in her videos and so i made sure to get one when i was in korea
and lo and behold! this concealer is the best concealer my face has ever touched!
not only does it fit my skin colour so well, it also provides the coverage i covet after and hides all my blemishes well under a protective layer of this product!

the colour that i am using is 리치 베이지 which translate to rich beige in shade no.2

 

heres a swatch of it on my hand

so thick and creamy and seeps well into even fine lines and fills them up

 

and here is a illustration of how well the coverage is!

using eyeliner, i drew a line on my hand and applied the product over and rubbed it over slightly

you cant even see the black line where i applied concealer on!

*o*

i generally apply this product to my eyebags (full swab), my cheeks (directed at troubled spots), the tip of my nose (1 dot), my piltrum (1 dot), and my chin (1 dot)
then i start blending and patting away the dots first followed by my cheeks and lastly my eyebags
somehow, allowing the product to rest and oxidise on my eyebags gives me an even higher level of coverage because the product has already been partially absorbed so i just need to lightly tap it in with my ring finger
and let me just say that, after using this product, i dont even need to use finishing powder to set my make-up, this product somehow does the job!


this product retails at The Saem stores in korea at 5,000원
but i got it for only 2,500원 due to the summer sale

i really only have good things to say about this product, and i am BEYOND IMPRESSED
it is now my holy grail concealer and i can never switch back to the ZA one now! (:

Etude House Wonder Pore White Clay Clear Mask

Annyeong! Lt will be reviewing yet another Etude House product because that's where most of the products of my Korean haul products are from ^^

Product: Etude House Wonder Pore White Clay Clear Mask

Etude House Wonder Pore White Clay Clear Mask

p.s. I added the word 'mask' in because it wasn't included in the packaging but it kinda works as a mask so..

Anyways!

My Review:

I think it's because It's a new tub, the clay inside is a little hard and not so easy to spread on the face. There is a spatula given to scoop the clay and ONCE AGAIN I dropped some of the clay into the basin during my first try!! T.T

It's not easy to spread on your face with the spatula (because I've tried..) so just use your hand. haha!

After applying, I felt a very cooling sensation on my face and perhaps because my skin is sensitive, at first it felt like chilli was being smeared on my face! SPICYYY

But after a while, the 'spiciness' cools to a refreshing cooling feel :) I really like that feeling and I would suggest using this mask in the morning after you wash your face because the cooling sensation literally perks you up!:D

My skin feels good after washing it away with a tinge of coolness retained in it. My face looks fairer too immediately after use maybe because all the dirt in my pores that has been dulling my face has been removed.

Needless to see, this clay mask must be super expensive in Singapore but I would actually buy it again once I've finished it unless I find another as good product.

The wonder pore series has several other products which I didn't buy because I wasn't sure if this series is good but now I'm rather excited to try!

Alright, that's all from me! Have a sensational day ahead!

Etude House BB and CC Creams

Annyeong~ LT is reviewing Etude House BB and CC creams today! But before I start, please allow me to lament about how freaking expensive Etude House products are in Singapore!! It's literally double the price here T.T

And yes of course, I regret not buying more back from Korea :(

Alright let's start!

Product: Etude House CC cream (silky)

Etude House CC cream (Silky)

My Review: 

There are two types of CC cream - Silky and Glow. Apparently the sales person thinks silky fits me more and tada! I wasn't very into BB and CC creams but I had to spend quite an amount in order to guarantee free SHINee merchandise and since they had 1-for-1 BB & CC cream sale, I bought both ^^

As you can see from the image or the labels I tagged in this post, Etude House CC cream promises a great deal of usage (?) such as sunscreen, whitening tool etc

Well, basically it does what it's suppose to do - Correct any unevenness of my skin tone and overall brightens my face. It is easy to apply and spreads well on my face. I kinda think that CC cream is enough coverage but you are suppose to apply CC first and then BB cream. Which leads into my 2nd review..

Product: Etude House BB cream (Cotton Fit)

Etude House BB cream (Cotton Fit)

My Review:

There are three types of BB creams for different skin tones and cotton fit is for people like me with average skin colour - not too fair and not too dark :)

As I said, I thought CC cream would be enough coverage for me but after I applied the BB cream, I realised it gave my face a more radiant look as compared to the previous pale 'whitened' look. 

This BB cream is easy to apply and spread on my face BUT.. I have a few qualms about it >.<

I'm not sure if it's because I have no experience in make up and I didn't put powder or whatsoever to set my face, the BB cream on my face comes off super easily. It was barely 2 hours or so after I applied, I just finished my meal and when I cleaned my mouth, the BB cream around my mouth was wiped away and that area looked HORRIBLE. 

It looked like I have some skin condition because of the uneven skin colour and cracked skin around my mouth. WHAT IS THIS?!

Can somebody advice me?! Am I doing this wrong or is there a way to make my BB cream stay on my face? Or is it that Etude House BB cream sucks and I have to act like a princess and be extra careful with every move to prevent my make up from falling T.T

That's all from me! Whoever is reading this and has some advice for me, please do comment! Thanks in advance!

Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel

THE SAVIOUR OF ALL PRODUCTS
almost any rash/irritation/itchiness/discomfort can be solved by this

this is one of Nature Republic's signature product and is always displayed at the doorsteps of their shops in Myeongdong
retailing at only 4,400원 for 300ml worth of product its super duper worth it
in fact, it is so good and famous that many other brands (such as the saem and tony moly) have copied and marketed it at higher aloe vera percentage/cheaper prices etc

my mother swears by this, i swear by this, my colleagues (now) swear by this
everyone swears by this!

i, in particular, use it everytime after i shave my legs to sooth it, and to salvage my face whenever it starts peeling from being too dry due to my aircon-needs
just 2 days ago, i cleansed my face for too long and too vigourously that my face started stinging and peeling like mad
and immediately! i turned to this product for help
true enough, it successfully restored moisture and calmity back to my face within 1 and a half days
i cannot be more thankful for this product!

given Singapore's weather, where its summer all year round, this product proves to be essential in helping to cool down too
everyday before i go out, i will always slap on some of this on my legs so that they can remain cool as i brave through concentrations of heatwaves

however, there are downsides to this product as well
given that it comes in a tub, hygiene is questionable since product has to be taken out by a secondary source (most of the time, my finger)
so that may generate contamination
also, this product has been known to expire within 6 months of opening so generous usage is vital (not that this is a problem though!)

nonetheless, i cannot live without this product as it is my life-saver for any sort of pain or discomfort!

having said that though, i sort of regret not buying the 'imitations' from other brands and doing a comparison
chances are that i'll be returning to korea again in december so maybe then, i'll buy and juxtapose!

Etude House Baking Powder B.B. Deep Cleansing Foam

Hello~Hello~ *cues SHINee 'Hello' song*

Alternatively, you can play their song here while reading this review ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skZxb5sBoiU

This was recommended by another friend who went Korea with us. She was full of praises of it so I decided to try it out. Turns out that it's not bad! I've never bought from Etude House before even though SHINee endorses it because I have an image of Etude House products being pink and pretty but useless. Well, I was wrong. Every brand has their No. 1/good products and I was too quick to judge ><

Product: Baking Powder B.B. Deep Cleansing Foam

Etude House Baking Powder B.B. Deep Cleansing Foam

My Review

I chose to buy this product also because it is said to be able to clean away BB cream. As mentioned before, I don't put make up usually and at most BB cream on some days because I find it a hassle to clean and throughout the day I must refrain from touching my face.. more importantly the BB cream literally melts away with my sweat in humid and hot Singapore! Bleh

I tried using it with my bare face before and I like how it felt. It has a slightly beady texture (like a scrub) and a nice tangerine smell to it. My face feels smooth and clean after use :)

BUT.... when I tried it with BB cream on my face, it didn't turn out as good I thought it would be. Maybe I had too high expectations for a cleansing foam? There were some residues of BB cream around my eyes area, made obvious by the clogged pores :( I had to use another makeup remover wipe to fully clean my face. 

So I would recommend not being lazy and use a makeup remover wipe to clean away majority of the BB cream first then use this cleansing foam. This would guarantee a clean sparkling face :*D

This doesn't work bad as a regular cleanser so I would probably buy it again after I finish this tube. Etude House also has a mild version for irritated skin. 

That's all from me! If you also have misconceptions about Etude House or any other brands, do try it out before giving it a thumbs down ya? 

Have fun!

Korea Trip (& Hauls)

안녕하세요!
 
just less than a week ago, i came back from the land of beauty products (and procedures), KOREA~
 
now, just a disclaimer that LT and i are both korean fanatics
we are k-pop addicts and k-cosmetic addicts too!
 
though we went to korea together, LT came back to Singapore first, and i stayed on for another week, hence my lack of reviews *sorry ):
 
this post too, will not be one of a review, but rather to introduce my haul!
*its quite massive so brace yourselves
**including samples too
 
ta-dah! all compiled

 
now im gonna introduce my haul by catergorising them into the different brands they belong to!
 
first up, we have ARITAUM (amore pacific)
amore pacific is actually a huge brand that umbrellas many other smaller brands such as those you can find in any aritaum stores

one of their more popular brand and product is actually the IOPE Bio Essence Intensive Conditioning Formula
of which i bought 2 bottles of, and got the equivalent of 1 full product of eye cream (in samples)
i started using this product prior to my korea trip and it had worked wonders for me then!
so though it was expensive at 60,000원 per bottle, i bought it

 
and amore pacific's most popular brand, LANEIGE
i love and swear (my skincare routine) to death by laneige!
however, because i was running out of money by the time i got to buying laneige products, i only bought what i needed urgently
which was the skin refiner
couldnt resist getting a sleeping pack in the end too, because it was only 25,000원, whereas in Singapore it costs SGD45 per tub

 
my samples from laneige and iope

 

next, we have INNISFREE

come to think of it i didnt buy as much as i thought i had did from innisfree
probably because they were one of the more expensive brands around compared to their (similar price range) counterparts like nature republic, etude house etc

but innisfree is one of my top 2 favouritest korean brands!
love their natural and environmental aspect with regards to packaging and products
and innisfree products always smell so niceeeee

my favouritest product out of all!
and probably one of my top buys of the trip too!
the creamy tint lipstick! ♥

innisfree samples

 

besides innisfree, my other favouritest korean brand would be NATURE REPUBLIC 

i have previously declared my love for nature republic's eyeliner
and guess what, i went back and bought 25 more :O
i couldnt resist!
they were having like a massive summer sale and my eyeliners were all on 50% discount!
loads of brown this time (:

nature republic samples

 

got the jang geunsuk standee and passport cover because one of the outlets we went to, we sort of befriended the sales assistant there and talked to them so much they gave us a lot of freebies heh heh

 

SKINFOOD

skinfood believes in feeding your skin the right sort of nutrients

which gives rise to their sometimes weird but always delicious products made from real food items

 

i only bought recommended items which i had researched on prior to the trip

the peach sake pore serum is THE BOMB btw

samples

LT's favourite, ETUDE HOUSE

found out during the trip that etude house is actually better known for their cosmetics rather than skincare
but too late, i already threw my money into the wonderpore edition -.-

and im usually not a nail polish person (because i bite them since i was 4 yrs old so they're short and ugly) but i couldnt resist etude house's nail polishes!!
whats more, they were on a 1+1 offer!
so thats 50% discount again! haha

samples
plus i bought the cup for 2,000원
plus a shinee poster which is not included here

HOLIKA HOLIKA
again, only bought products that were recommended and researched on prior
this aqua petit jelly bb cream is SUPER RAVED ABOUT in youtube omg i am not kidding

but why so stingy with samples?!

THE SAEM
bought the first essence in busan because im a weak being and i just cant bring myself to rejecting people (especially pleading sales assistants)
their concealer is also recommended (and on 50% discount!) which was why i bought it

and so the pleading sales assistant gave me a bunch of GD stuff too

 
THE FACE SHOP
right after LT left korea, their summer sale started -.-
by that time i had already bought 4 (out of the 7) items you see below
but the lipsticks were from a 1+1 promotion done by suzy

wanted to buy a lot more from the face shop but the outlets i went to were out of EXO merchandises (or left with members i dont fancy) so i didnt buy as much as i had initially planned to

samples

 

TONY MOLY

tony moly had a 30% sale but i only bought this recommended item

my korean friend said that they have the best gel eyeliners ever because Kim Yuna (skater) cried so much on national tv while wearing tony moly's gel eyeliner but they did not budge at all! hahaha

but i find it a little inconvenient to apply, with a brush and all, so i dropped the idea

ITS SKIN
again, another case of failing to rejecting pleading sales assistant so i got this
its apparently good for soothing troubled skin? cant remember already

 
APIEU
relatively new brand in the market
went to apieu on their monthsary day (every 25th of the month) so there was 25% discount on everything
b2st is the spokesperson for apieu and i was really just aiming to get b2st merchandises haha

mission accomplished!
though they didnt have my yoseob ㅠㅠ

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL
already did a review on these in my lipsticks post
so this is just re-stocking

 

 

and thats about it!

sorry i have been really busy ever since i got back from my holidays due to work so i cant review as much as LT

but i will!

in a matter of time, i definitely will (:

Skin Food Black Sugar Mask

Annyeong! LT is reviewing something sweet today! I kinda think Etude House 'Wanna be sweet?' slogan could be used for this product heh

This product was recommended by A :)

Product: Skin Food Black Sugar Mask

Skin Food Black Sugar Mask

My Review

I had expected this mask to be more creamy in texture but It's actually more of a paste and to be honest not easy to apply on my face :( One small piece slipped off my face into the basin while I was trying to scoop for more from the container..

WASTED.

As the name (black sugar) would suggest, it works like a scrub and kinda melts on my face. Leave it on for about 10-15 mins before washing it off with lukewarm water. This time round, I would really suggest warm water, because I felt that the usual cold tap water didn't clean very well and I was worried that ants would start crawling onto my bed and then my face 0.0!!

The paste smells exactly like black sugar and while I had it on, my fringe got stuck onto my face, my ears started to itch because I kept thinking about this sweet gooey paste on my face..

So please use this when you are sure that your hair is secured back and not touching your face.

This mask is suppose to be very nourishing for the face and I felt that it complements my other cleansing products well. Makes sense right? You clean your face well and then feed it good food and absorb all the nutrients :)

My face was relatively oil free the next day morning and I'd like to attribute it to the black sugar mask because after washing it off, I did not apply anything and went straight to bed.

I know Skin Food has many other types of masks and I'd love to try them after I've finished this. 

That's all from me! Have a sweet day! :)

A'PIEU Pure Block Natural Sun Cream (Daily)

Everyday I shock, SHOCK! Annyeong! Today I'd be reviewing on the sun screen from A'PIEU which is endorsed by Beast (hence the starting keke) and Park Min Young (City Hunter girl~)

Bought this because it was 1-for-1 and if anything, you can bet that I will get either sun screens or moisturizers haha!

Product: A'PIEU Pure Block Natural Sun Cream (Daily) 

 Pure Block Natural Sun Cream (Daily) 

My Review

SPF 45 and PA+++ aka it has your back haha! You would have protected your face well

This sun screen is easy to apply and leaves at most slight shimmer on my face. Most importantly, this sun cream doesn't get into my eye and/or irritate them even after a whole day out. My face gets oily easily and recently I realised that having face oil and sun screen getting into your eyes at the same time is needless to say a disaster! I literally teared up several times while I was in Korea because my sunblock keeps getting into my eye :O 

Which sunblock you ask? the 'Simple' one! Yes the one that I've reviewed on. Ok, maybe I shouldn't blame the sunblock. It could be because I hardly go out for a whole day with sun block on in Singapore or maybe face oil is the main culprit..

Whatever it is, till now my experience with the A'PIEU sun screen has been great and I hope it will be so in the future!

Does anyone of you have such problems? Please share! 

A'PIEU also has other types of sun screens such as waterproof, sun milk etc with differing SPF and PA. "Depending on what you need, A'PIEU has it all" HAHAHA new slogan for them 

Anyway, that's all from me. Have a happy day today! 

Black Pearl O2 Bubble Mask

Annyeonggg! LT is back from Koreaaaa ..well back for at least 9 days already..

Once again, I apologise for my laziness >.<

Compared to A, I didn't buy as much but do look forward to what I have too yea? :D

I've only tried some of the things I bought and the following product is one of the first few I tried! I was 'bewitched' by this product when I tried it at the SAEM and kept thinking about it (I didn't buy at first because it was expensive  (25000 won about $25) compared to the cheaper alternatives)

Alright, I promised not to nag about my stories so lets start!

Product: Gem Miracle Black Pearl O2 Bubble Mask

Black Pearl O2 Bubble Mask

My Review

From what the salesperson told me, this product can be used as cleansing foam and also as mask. The oxygenated cream would form bubbles when exposed to air and do some deep cleansing. Not sure about the deep cleansing effects since I can't possibly check out inside my pores but it did feel great after putting it on!

First, clean your face. (not sure why this extra step is needed since it can work as cleansing foam too but its written at the back of bottle so...)

Second, gently massage the cream onto your face. It oxidises fast and kinda feel like you are doing a scrub on your face.

Lastly, leave it on for about a minute or two and then wash it off preferably with warm water.

My face flet clean and smooth immediately after wash, as would any other product. But even after a few days, I feel that my skin quality is still not bad ^^

Many other brands have this kinda O2 bubble mask and I've only tried one so it is a little early to determine if this is the best for this O2 series butI would recommend this kind of O2 bubble mask as one of the necessity to have for skin care. With this, there is probably no need for leave on mask.

P.S. I don't really like to put those paper masks hence my preference for this.

That's all from me! Have fun exploring this O2 trend in the cosmetic/skincare market now :D