beauty | Berries in the Snow

Asian Beauty Blog Party: Travel Essentials

9. May 2016

Today’s post for the Asian Beauty Blog Party will be about our Travel Essentials. Since summer is approaching and many people will be on vacation within the next months this is the best time to share the content of my travel bag and which items I’m always carrying with.
The key items I’m talking about is not what kind of clothes I will take with me, but rather what is inside my cosmetics pouch,..everything besides swimsuits, sunglasses, and towels. I have quite many cosmetics pouches in different sizes, so I can choose which one to take with me according to the amount of skincare products and days I’m spending away from home.

For cleansing I love cleansing tissues for short trips and solid or balmtype cleaners for longer stays. Another great thing for travelling are powder type cleansers. I only did a short instagram impression capture of the Skinmiso Handy Travel Kit, but I really do love this one, because it is a bit more than only a regular cleansing tissue. It comes with 2 soaked cleansing pads and some cotton swabs including eye make-up remover. These are perfect for festivals or a one or two-day short trip. With solid cleansing sticks like the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick or my new 23yearsold Yellow Rubber Cleansing Stick (review upcoming soon) you don’t risk leaking of your cleanser and they are usually working as first and second cleansers together, so they are great for travelling, too. Powder type cleansers also keep the leakage at bay, but keep in mind to protect them from humidity!

For my skincare I usually take either sample sachet for short trips, or the deluxe travel size kits which accumulated over the time in my stash.

Most important and always my companion is sunscreen! I have multiple sunscreens with me, reaching from waterproof, to face or body suited sunscreens (here are two reviews >>click<< and >>click<<). Occasionally, especially in hot days a mist is also nice to have for refreshening. I keep my makeup simply, consisting of a cushion foundation, a cream blush, eyeliner pen, mascara and a lipstick or tint.

That’s it! I’m ready for the next trip!
What are your travel essentials?

If you are curious about the other bloggers Travel Essentials check out their posts here:

Sophie from MapleTreeBlog

Michele from Beautyfindsforme

Julie from PDXBeautiful

Amy from PeepingPomeranian

Deborah from Adoredee

And if you want to know more about us check out my introduction post >>here<<!

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advertorial beauty other Wishtrend

Wishtrend Coupon Codes May 2016

7. May 2016

A new month means new coupon codes for May on Wishtrend! As usual I will summarize the coupons and benefits that you can use while shopping on one of my favorite online retailers for Korean beauty products: Wishtrend. If you don’t know them, but love Korean or Asian cosmetics and skin care products I can recommend you to check out their online shop, especially for one of my favorite products, e.g. the O.S.T. Vitamin C Serum. You’ll also find some products sold at Wishtrend on my Top 30 favorite asian cosmetics for 2015, like the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C serum (I’m planning to repurchase this one!) or the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner. Also, they have listed brands like COSRX, Tosowoong and Mizon. You can find a list of all the products I reviewed from Wishtrend at the bottom of this post. Furthermore, they have really a great affiliate program for blogger and I can advice you to join it if you are one. Here are the Wishtrend coupon codes for May:

As usual, I’ll start off with the 5 Us$ referral coupon you can receive if you are a new customer. The principle is easy as this: If you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration you’ll receive a 5 US$ voucher immediately. There will be a specific field in your registration form called “friends invitation program” where you can put the code mentioned above. This way new customers can get 5 US$ off, which is a great to save some money on your first order.

Second, there is also a 10% discount Wishtrend coupon available for April. Below, you’ll find the coupon code for this:

Coupon Code: WISHMAY16
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 50 US$+ and over to be able to use the 10% off coupon
Requirement 2: Coupon code cannot be combined with any other discount or voucher code.
Only valid until the end of May 2016

The second promotion code is a special gift: You will receive one free Klairs Cleansing Oil (value 22.90 US$) by using the code below.

Voucher Code: KLAIRSGENTLEOIL
All orders 99 US$+, limited offer
Only valid until the end of May 2016

I also want to point out some new arrivals on Wishtrend. First, the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream. I reviewed the cream already >>here<< and I can recommend you to try it. It is really a lovely cream and the people from Klairs did a good job here. The Klairs Midnight Blue Cream is acomforting moisture cream that provides the skin with intense, soothing hydration. It is formulated using revolutionary guaiazulene combining with Centella asiatica extract and various peptides to recover damaged skin cells from stress and stimulation.

The second product I spotted is this super adorable Delight18 I.U White Pang Cellapy Sun Cushion. It has brightening and UV protection properties and comes with a dog illustration on top. Similar to the Nakeup Face Waterking Cover Cushion it comes in a square cushion pact instead of the regular round ones.

I would advice you to check out their “Free Shipping Area”, so you don’t have to spend the saved money for shipping costs. They have quite some nice items available there, changing from time to time. At the moment they are providing the OST Vitamin C serum for 14.99 US$ in their free shipping zone, and my current vitamin C serum, the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop!

I did a couple of reviews on various Wishtrend products in the past. You might like to check these out, if you are interested in purchasing these:

COSRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion

COSRX Propolis Light Ampule

Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner

Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum

Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

I’m from Honey Mask

Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Protein Treatment

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

ElsihaCoy Aloe & Lavender Mask Sheet

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

Confume Argan Treatment Oil

Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion

Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit Part 1 and 2

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack

CareLab Powerful Pudding Mask

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic

Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

O.S.T. Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks

Do you have any favourite item from Wishtrend? What would you love to try from their products?

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beauty Catrice PR Sample review

Review: Catrice Denim Divine Limited Edition

1. May 2016

Summer and Spring are usually the seasons when denim returns to our focus in fashion. Therefore, Catrice released a new limited edition makeup collection called Catrice Denim Divine. I received some of their products for reviewing purpose and I wanted to share these products with you today.

“Jeans – a living fashion legend. From the robust worker’s trousers of the 19th century to today’s universal look. Jeans have consistently adapted to the contemporary movements over the past 50 years and have therefore become one of the social must-haves. No other fabric is as versatile and is used by designers as often as denim. The runway pictures of the summer collections confirm that jumpsuits, tight-fitting denim dresses combined with blue jeans are the trends of the season. The new Limited Edition “Denim Divine” by CATRICE completes the look with matching beauty products from mid April to mid May 2016. Denim Love – by CATRICE.”

Reading the description of this collection by Catrice already brings many fashion wishlists into my mind containing different jeans clothing. Catrice is a drugstore beauty brand available in many countries. Their products are inspired by the Fashion trends of the world’s capitals and have a good quality despite the affordable price. The brand is against animal testing for their cosmetics products, too.

The Catrice Denim Divine Collection is a Limited Edition. I don’t know how long the products will be available, but if you like them it is good to check out your local drugstore quickly. The collection consists of 6 different products and apart from the products I’m showing here there is also an eyeshadow palette and liquid eyeliner available.

Catrice Denim Divine Nail Lacquers

I will start with the nail polishes from this collection:

“Five Pockets. Five Colours. Five nail polishes are waiting to complement the perfect jeans outfit: deep midnight blue, fresh coral, bright red, subtle almond brown and soft nude. The formula of the nail lacquers stands for extraordinary coverage, long durability and a beautiful finish with or without effects. The professional brush allows a particularly simple and smooth application. The square packaging is also a true highlight with its authentic jeans embossment on the lid.”

There are 5 different colors available C01 Dark Denim Blue, C02 Fabricot, C03 Women’s Cut, C04 Comfort Fit, and C05 Gold Miners. I didn’t receive the red nail polish C03 (unfortunately), but you can see the other colors below. I really like Gold Miners and Dark Denim Blue and I guess they fit together pretty nicely. The brush applicator is a short one, but still the nail polish can be applied easily. I still prferr the longer brushes though. Also, you have to be careful not to have too much of the polish on the brush to have an even coat. The nail polishes are pretty opaque already with one stroke, as you can see in the images.

Catrice Denim Divine Luminous Lip Gloss Comfort Fit

“For all Shapes. Smooth, glossy results are always a good thing. The semi-transparent, light texture provides the lips with a slight shimmer in a choice of fresh coral or subtle nude – ideal for a summery bronze look.”

There are two lip glosses available in the Catrice Denim Divine Collection, a coral and a nude shade (C01 Women’s Cut and C02 Comfort Fit). I received the nude one. It comes with the typical angled applicator and has a golden7nude shimmer.

Catrice Denim Divine Powder Blush Stone Blushed and Bronzer Hot TANts

“Icon meets Colour. Create a summer complexion with this powder blush in a fresh peach tone. Easy to apply and blend, it emphasizes the cheekbones beautifully. The natural-looking finish is silky matt. A fabulous eye-catcher: the attractive jeans embossment on the surface of the texture.”

The blush from this collection is a very pretty pink shaded blush. It says that it is peach, but I would call it rather pinkish. It has a matte finish and a good pigmentation, too! Also, I really like the packaging here, although it is really simple. Same for the Bronzer:

“Sand Washed. Fine bronzing powder with a matt finish for a naturally tanned look. Can also be used for contouring the facial features. Thanks to the unique jeans embossment and rosé-golden packaging, this bronzer is a true must-have that shouldn’t be missing in any beauty bag.”

A perfect bronzer for spring and summer with a nice glow and reddish brown shade. It fits nicely to blue colors and jeans. Also here, the pigmentation is really nice and I like the shade of this bronzer a lot.

All together, the Catrice Denim Divine Collection represents nicely the denim vibes and delivers a matching color range of makeup products. If you like any of the colors from the swatches I showed I can advice you to take a look at the collection in real, if this limited edition is available in your country. And since Catrice is really affordable in terms of prices (few Euros here), why not give them a try?! My favoites from these products are the blush and the bronzer and I’ve been using them in the past days frequently. You can take a look at the the Catrice Denim Divine Collection >>here<<.

What do you think about this new collection from Catrice? Is there any products you would like to try?

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by http://www.catrice.eu/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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beauty other tag

The Beauty Lover Tag

27. April 2016

I’m really happy that the lovely Kim tagged me in The Beauty Lover Tag because this one contains really some nice questions. Thanks again, Kim! Please head over to her blog, she is one of my favorite reads :) I’m going right into it, too:

1. If you could have anyone in the world do your makeup, who would it be?
I never had my makeup done by anyone else than me so I surely would be curious whether a skilled makeup artist would do it any better…Neverthless, if I chose only one person in the world it would be Dita von Teese…of you know me for some time you know that I adore her because she is so ageless beautiful in a glamorous way. She states that she is doing her makeup herself for most of her shootings and stage appearances, so it would be nice to have her as makeup artist :D

2. What’s your top makeup tip?
Hahahaha, actually, I’m no makeup pro at all…I’m terrible at eyeshadow and pressed powder foundations. My eyeliner is okay but mainly because I apply eyeliner since forever…mostly I’m too lazy for any thoroughly makeup and I hardly used powders and bases…only occasionally on weekends….one tip that worked out for me is to apply transparent powder before foundation or bb cream. It reduces the problem that the makeup settles into the lines….I think it is generally known as Wayne Goss method …

3. What one makeup item could you not live without?
Eyeliner and lipstick…haha…I have many lipsticks…(still planning on doing a post on my collection…

4. What one skincare item could you not live without?
For skincare it is definitely cleanser!…and sunscreen :D

5. What are you worst at when it comes to applying makeup?
Applying eyeshadow neatly and make it look like a decent smokey eye makeup…oh…and I cannot apply false lashes at all :‘D

6. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to beauty?
It seems to be a general trend for mid-ages to elderly women in Germany to apply blue eyeliner, but have a dull face and barely no other eyemakeup apart from this…especially women with blonde hair….I don’t think that this is any pretty at all and I’ve been wondering over and over when this was considered pretty…. I’m always on the brink of asking….

7. What’s your favorite makeup era?
I totally agree with Kim here: I love the 1940’s and 1950’s pin-up makeup! This is what I consider to be feminine….but it is no only the makeup but also the outfits and the hairstyle which all matches perfectly and looks really pretty! I’m not talented in hair-do’s and generally too lazy to apply rollers everyday….but I wished I could…

8. What’s your guilty pleasure product?
Luckily, I never quite see the sense in buying expensive products because the ones I received as gift or for reviewing were not always worth that much money either- at least in my eyes. Surely there were some breathtaking and luxurious products but after all you can find a cheap and less pretty looking alternative for each of them. I also would consider a 20 US $ lipstick as pricey and I only have one Lipstick from Mac for example…which I love, but which is not better in surviving through a meal than any other cheaper lipstick…But I’m willing to spend more money on perfumes and haircare on the other side. My favorite perfume is Angel from Thierry Mugler and the scent simply lasts for hours! And I love the Shiseido Tsubaki Haircare.

9. What’s your underdog product?

At the moment I do not have any specific in mind, but I usually love to try our different drugstore brands…

10. What’s your favorite makeup product of 2015?
I made a list of my favorite products >>here<< and taking a look back know my absolute favorite from this list would be the I’m From Honey Mask!

And now I would like to tag my sister and her blog Miss Lovely Attitude and Evelyn from Korean Beauty Dream :) Hope you eenjoyed reading this post!

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Kicho Sheep Oil Cream

23. April 2016

By now anybody familiar with asian beauty products has become familiar with strange or unusual ingredients, like snail mucus, donkey milk or horse oil. If you are crazy about trying products like this (or simply curious) I have another one for you here: the Kicho Sheep Oil Cream! But before the animal lovers will scream and run I can assure you that no animal have been harmed for the production of this cream. I must admit that I was eyeing the products from this brand for a long time and I was really thrilled to receive it by BNTnews this month, so let’s get right into the review:

Kicho cosmetics is a Korean brand and has the saying “We provide pure nature greatness to your skin”. I read so many reviews on their products, especially the sheep oil ones, and I hope I will be able to try more from this brand in future to get a better inside into this brand. First of all, I love the design of the packaging of the Kicho Sheep Oil Cream. It looks elegant and feminine on the same time with a beautiful flower printing. The cardboard box is not only pretty from the outside, but even inside the box the beauty continues: The flower pattern continues inside and reveals a beautiful, square glass jar with a metal lid with a vintage imprint on it.

There is also a holographic authentication sticker on the cardboard box, to make sure that you have bought an original cream from Kicho.

The bottom part of the cardboard box contains descriptions about the product in English and in Korean. Some sheep illustrations add a bit of cuteness to the packaging here. The ingredients are listed on the bottom of the box and they are also included in COSDNA if you want to take a closer look. The key ingredient is Lanolin made from pure Lanolin from New Zealand lamb wools purified with German Technology. So what is Lanolin exactly?

Lanolin

Lanolin is also called wool wax and is produced by the sebaceous glands of sheep to protect their wool from getting wet and protects the sheep from climate and weather. Actually, it is obtained by cleaning the obtained freshly shorn wool from sheep, so you do not need to fear that animals are harmed for obtaining lanolin and the name sheep oil is a bit misleading here because one thinks of horse oil directly. Also, as you might have thought first, Lanolin is not a new fancy ingredient but has been used for more than hundred years and cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. Also, thinking of Lanolin as fat is also not correct, because it lacks glycerides, but contains of sterol esters instead. By hydrolizing lanolin you will obtain lanolin alcohols, which are rich in cholesterol, and lanolin acids. 40 % of the lanolin acids are AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acids)! Also, studies have shown that Lanolin has chemical and physical similarities to human stratum corneum (the skin layer you actually see when looking at your skin) lipids. These lipids regulate the hydration state of your skin. So lanolin is great to protect your skin from water-loss and it also is a great skin softener. Also, since it has semiocclusive properties your skin can still breath. And on top of that the healing properties of lanolin are great and it helps to recover rough and dry, itching and cracking skin better than glycerin or petroleum. Nevertheless, it still might be that you react allergic to lanolin, so be sure to patch test products before using them.

They combined the Lanolin with multivitamins from 8 types of berries from all over the world: Cranberry, Blueberry, Strawberry, Goji Berry, Blackberry, Raspberry, Sea Buckthorn, and Acai Berry. Berries are rich in anti-oxidants, which are great for the skin, and add to moisturize and brighten up the skin. The cream is free from fragnance, paraben, mineral oil, steroids, formaldehyd or chemical preservatives. Instead it contains the natural preservative totarol. Totarol was isolated for the first time from heartwood of Podocarpus totara, a yew tree found in New Zealand. Totarol has antimicrobial properties.

Unfortunately, the cream doesn’t come with a spatula, but you can simply use a small spoon or similar. I think it is especially important to work with clean fingers or spoons here, since it does not contain chemical preservatives. The light-yellow cream has a rich and balmy texture, which melts off into the skin easily and absorbs without leaving the skin greasy. It has a nice citrus scent, too. It feels really hydrating for the skin and I applied some on my dry elbows and felt how instantly softening the cream was. It makes the skin feel considerably smoother and more supple and the effect lasts for hours, too. Also, a little of this cream goes a long way so it will last you some time, too.

My final verdict is that I’m in love! This cream makes my skin supple and soft and most important my skin feels like this for hours. I think that the effects of the Lanolin show off pretty nicely in this cream and all in all the whole combination of ingredients works great. Since the ingredients list is not free of minor irritants it is import to check for yourself whether these ingredients suit your skin or not, but I can give dry skin types having troubles with itchy or cracky skin some thumbs up and encourage you to consider a moisturizer containing lanolin for your skin. For some people the balmy texture might appear to rich, although it really is not leaving a greasy residue, but still for those this cream might work great as semiocclusive cream in the night-time routine. You can get this cream from the official Kicho Store for 58 US$ or from Amazon US for 59.99 US$, or from Cupidrop for 58 US$. As you can see the main downside is the price, but this tends to be usual for products containing Lanolin…

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. Don’t forget to visit the other BNTGirls Kim, Bella, Mary, Celine,Alene,Joanne,Chermaine,Mitha, Blair and many more…check out their reviews for the March BNT Beauty Box. You can find my previous reviews for BNTnews >>here<<. And visit BNTnews for the latest Korean news and trends:

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by http://www.bntnews.co.uk/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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Asian Beauty Blogparty: Skincare concerns & how to tackle them

17. April 2016

For our first content post for the Asian Beauty Blogparty we decided to talk about our skincare problems and how we try to tackle them. If you already did take a closer look at our ID cards we already mentioned our concerns but today I’m going more into details on how I try to beat…

Compared to many other people I might be more or less lucky with my skin, since I do not have many skin troubles and I also do not have very sensitive skin either. MY main concern is that my skin is dry, especially on my cheeks and it gets worse in winter when the climate gets cold and I can only bare to take hot showers. I know that super hot showers make my skin even worse, but it is something I cannot change :’D

I can however change my skincare routine that it fits to my dry skin. This is the first of my methods in order to tackle my skincare concerns! Apart from the regular moisturizers I love to use sleeping packs and sheet masks. Also, a drop or more of a ampoule mixed with the moisturizer is great. Same goes for facial oils. On very dessery-dry skindays I love using pure argan oil on my face.

For my age I also look quite young, which is because I do not use heavy makeup a lot and I do not have many wrinkles yet, BUT: as a matter of fact wrinkles are only a matter of time. I have few fine lines under my eyes, some smilelines, too, and one short line on my forehead. My first and utmost important step for preventing aging is using sunscreen! I use sunscreen for my face EVERY day since I started to try the first asian sunscreens. I never really was much into western sunscreens because they tend to be heavy and greasy and just make you feel like you have some thick layer on your face. I used to use daily moisturizers with some sunprotection though. But since I’m so fond of japanese sunscreens at the moment I do not mind to do this additional step of slathering on a sunscreen before applying my bbcream.

Another important thing to keep the skin healthy and young is cleansing it properly in the evening…sometimes I’m too lazy, just like anybody else, but I regret it the next morning already. Another ingredient which is important when trying to prevent aging is retinol or skincare products containing retinol derivates. I just got into this recently, so this is still my way to go…

So, these are my skincare concerns and the ways I’m trying to tackle them. What are your concerns and your skincare remedies?

If you are curious about the other bloggers skincare concerns and their way to handle it click on the links below! You will probably find something which matches your skintype, too.

Sophie from MapleTreeBlog

Michele from Beautyfindsforme

Julie from PDXBeautiful

Amy from PeepingPomeranian

Deborah from Adoredee

And if you want to know more about us check out my introduction post >>here<<!

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asian cosmetics beauty beauty boxes Etude House PR Sample review

Etude House Pink Bird Box March “Color Flower Lesson Look At My Eyes & Pink Vital Water Serum”

16. April 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY //

Another month passed quickly and It seems like yesterday since the release of the Etude House Berry Delicious collection and they are releasing more limited products for spring! The theme of this month’s Etude House Pink Bird Box is: Color Flower Lesson Look At My Eyes & Pink Vital Water Serum.

First of all, some words about the Korean brand Etude House: Etude House is one of the best known Korean brands for cute packaging. If you are a lover of cute, girly and pink packaging, reminding you of being a child and the princess you always dreamt to be, THIS is your brand. Their packaging is usually so adorable that you cannot keep yourself from impuls-buys – only because you saw the packaging… Etude House has a blogger program called Pink Bird. Selected blogger will receive a monthly box for a defined period of time packed with selected products for reviewing purpose. I’m really proud and happy to be part of their Pink Bird program!

When I first opened the pink box I was surprised to see even more products inside than I expected. Apart from the Etude House Color Flower Lesson Look At My Eyes, consisting of 4 mono-eyeshadows, a palette for putting the eyeshadows, the Pink Vital Water Serum the pink bird box also contained a trial set of the Etude House Toning White C skincare range, which has been launched newly. I love trial sets of Korean products because they are perfect for travelling and usually contains all the basic products necessary, while not being at home.

And everything was as usually packed in a pink and princessy box…♥

First, I will start off with the Etude House Pink Vital Water Serum, which is part of the new Pink Vital skincare line. The product was collaborated with a popular Korean comedian , which is liked by many young people there at the moment.

The Pink Vital Water Serum is designed to vitalize and moisturizer the skin using peach water. It contains 75.45 % Pink Peach Water and has a water drop texture. If you read some of my previous reviews you might know that this is one of the textures I really like. The serum comes in a pink pump bottle and dispenses a good amount of the milky serum. I was surprised to see how watery it turned after I started to spread it. The serum doesn’t feel heavy or too rich but is light and refreshing – perfect for summer.

The ingredients are listed on the cardboard packaging of the serum, but also on Etude House’s official online store. According to COSDNA there are some minor irritants and acne triggers so be sure to check the ingredients before you start it and make a patch test ahead. Also, typically for a Etude House the serum is fragranced and you will notice the fragrance definitely. It is a nice scent to me, but if you are sensitive towards scents you should consider that point. The Etude House Pink Vital Water Serum retails for 20.40 US$ on Etude House.

So now let us take a look at the Etude House Toning White C travel kit containing the Etude House White C Toner, Emulsion, Cream and Sleeping Pack. As you can see the design of the new products has become much cleaner and simpler than it was in the past. From the cardboard packaging you will see the key properties of the skincare range which is symbolised with a small illustration, too. I really did like their packaging before, which was more playful but I like the easy available information of their new packaging design, too.

As I said before this trial kit consists of 4 travel sized products starting from the Etude House Toning White C Clear Toner and the Toning White C Radiance Emulsion. Both of these products come with 15 ml of product each. Then we have the Etude House Toning White C Tone Up Cream and the Toning White C Double Effect Sleeping Cream, which contain 10 ml each.

The cardboard box contains a short English and Korean description to each of the products in this kit, but you will find detailled information on each of the products on the Etude House page aswell.

Since toner and emulsion are the first products to use I’ll start off with these first: the Etude House Toning White C Clear Toner and the Etude House Toning White C Radiance Emulsion come in the typical tiny bottles made of hard plastic (the full size comes in regular bottles of course). For toner these tubes are usually fine because the liquid pours out easily, but I have a problem with emulsions to use out off them. Luckily the Etude House Toning White C Emulsion has a light and liquid texture so it is easier to use, too. The toner is also a light milky liquid (it looks almost clear in the image below…) instead of a clear one and both products absorb quickly after applying them. You can see the ingredients on the official Etude House store.

The Etude House Toning White C Toner Up Cream and the Double Effect Sleeping Mask are packed in small travels iced jars. The Tone Up Cream has a white cream consistency, which is not dense but rather reminds me of Yoghurt in ist texture- a bit whobbly. It feels light upon application and not greasy – more the moist kind of cream. The sleeping cream has a gel-texture with tiny bits of white. The bits melt off when the cream is rubbed in to the skin. According to the description the sleeping pack is “infused with the golden ratio of white moisturizing capsules and radiant whitening essence for brighter skin”. These must be the white bits in the sleeping cream. I didn’t notice any instant brightening (which I don’t expect anyways from any product!), but all the products from this skincare range contain niacinamide as key ingredient. There is also an essence available and sheet masks to complete your skincare routine. The toner retails for 21.60 US$, the emulsion for 21.60 US$, the cream for 28.80 US$, the sleeping cream for 18 US$.

Last but not least let’s take a look at the Etude House Color Flower Lesson Look At My Eyes limited Edition for spring 2016: I received four different eyeshadows of the Look At My Eyes mono eyeshadows and a eyeshadows palette. The packaging of these products is a girly and pink as we are used from Etude House.

There are 10 new eyeshadow colors available and two different eyeshadow palettes, one for 4 colors and a baby blue one for 8 colors. The palettes has a pretty flower design on the lid and comes with an eyeshadow applicator and a mirror inside.

In order to remove the Etude House Color Flower Lesson Look At My Eyes Single Eyeshadows from their container (or any other Look At My Eyes Eyeshadows from Etude House) you have to remove the sticker on the bottom of the eyeshadow container. It will reveal a small opening where you can push a needle through to push out the eyeshadow pan.

The four eyeshadows I received are all matte eyeshadows. The colors are PP509, PK008, BR421, and BR422. There are two brown shades BR421 and BR422, from which BR422 is the darkest shade. The color reminds me of cacao powder. BR421 is a more earthy brown color. PP509 is a light pastel purple color and PK008 is a girly pink shade. Without any primer all the four shades are very poorly pigmented and using one stroke they are barely visible. When using a primer on the other hand you will directly see the difference in pigmentation (see the swatches below). Still, like most Etude House eyeshadows they also create a good amount of fall-off when you use them. Nevertheless, I really like the heart-shaped imprint on the Etude House Eyeshadows…

I removed all the four colors I received from their containers and added them to the Etude House Flower Lesson Eyeshadow Palette and it looks very pretty to look at. What do you think? The eyeshadow palette retails for 7.80 US$ and the new Color Flower Lesson Look At My Eyes Single Eyeshadows retail for 4.60 US$ each.

My favorite pick from this month’s Etude House Pink Bird Box would be the Etude House Pink Vital Water Serum! I like how watery it feels upon application and you know, I love these kinds of water-drop textures…

For all the news about ETUDE HOUSE’s products, you can follow their global Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/etude.gl

or their official Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/etude_official

or their online shopping mall:

http://www.etudehouse.com/

Did you try any of the new products already? Tell me about it in the comments below! And if you like to read my previous reviews on Etude House Pink Bord Boxes click >>here<<.

Etude House Pink Bird

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by http://www.etudehouse.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion

11. April 2016

//KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Everytime CosRX releases a new product the whole asian beauty lover community seems to be freaking out with joy and looking forward to get their hands on it as quickly as possible. And no doubt, most of the products I tried from this brand are worth to be repurchased and additionally are really budget-friendly. So, no wonder when the CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion was launched a couple of weeks ago I was determined to buy it.

CosRX is an affordable Korean brand “offering good quality beauty items for 10 years”. The brand name is composed of Cos for cosmetics and RX for prescription. Brand like Ciracle and C20 (yes, the famous vitamin C serum) are also part of COSRX. One of the rather popular skincare lines from COSRX are the AHA/BHA skincare products. Their products feature key ingredients which show a visible effectively and a simple no-frills design. On top the prices of their products is affordable compared to similar products with the similar ingredients. I tried quite some CosRX products in the past and I will make a quick list of them at the end of the post (and I have still a bunch of products from this brand waiting to be tested, too!).

Going back to the CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion, the name drew me in for two reasons: the first one is the part about ‘oil-free’. With summer approaching here (very slowly of course-today morning it is still 4°C…) the skin will be more oily that usual, even for my dry skin my T-zone gets shiny during summer. In order to avoid any additional greasyness an oil-free product is of course a perfect solution! The second part is the ‘Ultra Moisturizing’ which assumes that it still contains the moisture needed for my dry skin overall.

The packaging of the CosRX ist simple as usual, still the pump bottle has a frosted material, which makes it look elegant on the other side. The bottle cones in a cardboard box with detailed English and Korean descriptions, so the ingrediento are also listed on COSDNA.

I use this emulsion and I add a second moisturizing cream on top, or at night I pair it with a sleeping cream. The emulsion has a milky almost balm-like texture with a fresh citrus scent. It disolves like a gel and leaves a fresh and moist feeling and is not greasy, as expected. The key ingredient birch sap has skin conditioning properties and leaves the skin satin-like and smooth, but hyaluronic acid, panthenol, and some other ingredients act moisturizing. I need some pumps of this emulsion to satisfyingly cover my face. I can imagine that this amount of hydration is enough for normal and oily skintypes. I still need some more moisturizers oin top. I still hope that this will be suited to wear on its own in summer. The product is also mild and doesn’t irritate the skin. I had some irritations on my cheeks some weeks ago because of the cold weather and my hot showers, and many products seem to leave a light burning sensation, but the CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion worked perfectly fine luckily.

The CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion is a good emulsion which will be widely loved by oily and normal skintypes. If you like citrus scents you will like this product even more. The fresh scent and the hydration effect combined with no greasy feeling makes this product a perfect buy for summer-time. The bottle contains 100 ml and retails for 20 US$ from Wishtrend and Beautytap. I have included this emulsion tightly into my skincare routines and I’m happy my skin likes it although it is having some problems with irritations at the moment.

Don’t forget to check out my post for current discounts and coupon codes >>here<<!

Here are my other reviews of CosRX products:

COSRX Propolis Light Ampule

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

Did you try the CosRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion? Leave me a comment below :)

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Nu3 Insider Box März 2016

7. April 2016

Today's post will be about a PR Sample Box from Nu3. I decided to write the post in German since this shop is directed towards German customers. But if you want to know any details to any of the below products, please feel free to ask in the comments below. I'll be happy to answer your questions :)

Vor einigen Tagen erreichte mich meine erste Nu3 Insider Box. Vielleicht kennen manche von euch den Nu3 Online Shop für bessere Ernährung ja bereits. Sie bieten eine Reihe von Naturprodukten, Naturkost, Fitnessprodukte und vieles mehr dort an.

Die Nu3 Insider Box ist keine reguläre Subscription Box, sondern eine für Blogger kreierte PR-Sample Box vom online shop nu3. Man konnte unter verschiedenen Themen für die Nu3 Insider Box wählen und ich habe mich für die “Natural Beauty Box” entschieden. Die “Natural Beauty Box” enthält eine ausgewogene Mischung an Kosmetikprodukten und Naturkost bzw Beauty Foods. Schließlich kommt Schönheit ja bekanntermaßen von innen, von daher ist es auch wichtig gesunde Lebensmittel zu uns zu nehmen ;)

Enthalten waren in der Nu3 Insider Box März 2016 insgesamt 4 Produkte. Außerdem waren zwei Repeztkarten dabei, die einen dazu inspirieren die zwei Naturkostprodukte auszuprobieren.

Mir ist als erstes das Acai Pulver ins Auge gesprungen. Mittlerweile findet man so viele Rezepte in denen das Pulver verwendet wird und ich war zwar auch immer neugierig, aber getestet hatte ich es bisher noch nicht. Das dunkle Pulver sieht fast schwarz aus, färbt aber dunkelviolett, wenn man es zum Beispiel in Desserts oder Smoothies mischt. Ich hab es direkt in einem Mandelmilch-Erdbeer-Banane-Chiasamen Smoothie ausgetestet und muss sagen, dass die Farbe der Hammer ist. Wenn es jetzt wirklich auch so gesund ist, wie der Ruf der ganzen ‘Superfoods’, dann bin ich damit mehr als zufrieden. Das Pulver wird durch Gefriertrocknen hergestellt und ist ohne Zusatz von Konservierungsstoffen. Das zweite essbare Produkt aus der ‘Natural Beauty Box’ ist “Berry Burst”. Es handelt sich hierbei um Fruchtpulver von verschiedenen Früchten die mit Wasser vermischt werden und so einen Smoothie ergeben. Ich hab es direkt ausgetestet, allerdings muss ich sagen, dass mir weder die Konsistenz noch der Geschmack besonders gefallen hat. Ich denke da nehme ich doch lieber frisches Obst und Gemüse für meinen Shake. Man kann das Pulver allerdings auch dazu verwenden Joghurts und Desserts auszupeppen. Vielleicht wäre das die bessere Anwendung für das Pulver gewesen. Die Zutaten des “Berry Burst” stammen aus kontrolliert biologischem Anbau.

Kommen wir nun zu den Naturkosmetika: Zunächst einmal ist mir die große Tube der Lavera Regenerierenden Bodymilk Bio-Cranberry & Arganöl ins Auge gesprungen. Ich mag Lavera Produkte und deswegen habe ich mich besonders darüber gefreut. Die Bodymilk ist für trockene und anspruchsvolle Hauttypen geeignet und enthält Bio-Arganöl, Sonnenblumenöl und Sheabutter. Sie hat einen säuerlichen Cranberry Geruch, der mich allerdings auch an das orientalische Gewürz Sumac erinnert. Ich mag ihn sehr, weil ich bei dem Geruch immer an den Gewürzschrank bei meinen Eltern denken muss. Wie die meisten Naturkosmetika, die auf gewisse Inhaltsstoffe verzichten braucht diese Bodymilk etwas länger um einzuziehen, aber hinterlässt die Haut gepflegt und das reativ lange. Und sie krümmelt auch nicht, was daran liegt dass sie keine Silikone enthält. Das zweite Produkt aus dem Bereich der Naturkosmetik is die Organique Sensitive Haarmaske. Ich hatte bisher noch nichts von dieser Marke gehört, allerdings bin ich sehr angetan davon. Ich benutze die Maske entweder als Spülung oder als Haarkur/maske und sie macht meine trockenen und widerspenstigen Haare richtig geschmeidig und duftet dabei auch noch sehr gut (Magnolien). Die Verpackung, vor allem der Deckel, ist auch wirklich hübsch und etwas Vintage-mäßig angehaucht.

Die Produkte aus der Nu3 Insider Box März 2016 sind hier erhältlich:

nu3 Acai Pulver

nu3 Berry Burst

Lavera Regenerierenden Bodymilk Bio-Cranberry & Arganöl

Organique Sensitive Haarmaske

Was haltet ihr von den Produkten? Habt ihr irgendetwas davon schon einmal ausprobiert? Ich bin wirklich angetan von meiner ersten nu3 Insider Box und außer dem Berry Burst, der nicht so nach meinem Geschmack war, benutze ich alle übrigen Produkte oft und gerne.

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Just as a short reminder: All products mentioned and reviewed on this blog are of my personal opinions. This product here was sent to me for reviewing purpose by https://www.nu3.de which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty Wishtrend

Wishtrend April 2016 Coupons

6. April 2016

Here are the coupon codes for April on Wishtrend! As usual I will summarize the coupons and benefits that you can use while shopping on one of my favorite online retailers for Korean beauty products: Wishtrend. If you don’t know them, but love Korean or Asian cosmetics and skin care products I can recommend you to check out their online shop, especially for one of my favorite products, e.g. the O.S.T. Vitamin C Serum. You’ll also find some products sold at Wishtrend on my Top 30 favorite asian cosmetics for 2015, like the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C serum or the ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner. Also, they have listed brands like COSRX, Tosowoong and Mizon. You can find a list of all the products I reviewed from Wishtrend at the bottom of this post. Furthermore, they have really a great affiliate program for blogger and I can advice you to join it if you are one. Here are the Wishtrend coupon codes for April:

Second, there is also a 10% discount Wishtrend coupon available for April. Below, you’ll find the coupon code for this:

Coupon Code: WISHAF10OFF
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 50 US$ and over to be able to use the 10% off coupon
Requirement 2: Coupon code cannot be combined with any other discount or voucher code.
Only valid until the end of April 2016

The second promotion code is a special gift: You will receive one free Klairs Be Clean Natural Facial Soap (value 10.90 US$) by using the code below.

Voucher Code: ACNESOOTHINGSOAP
All orders over 59 US$
Only valid until the end of April 2016

I also want to point out some new arrivals on Wishtrend. First, the Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream. I reviewed the cream already >>here<< and I can recommend you to try it. It is really a lovely cream and the people from Klairs did a good job here. The Klairs Midnight Blue Cream is a comforting moisture cream that provides the skin with intense, soothing hydration. It is formulated using revolutionary guaiazulene combining with Centella asiatica extract and various peptides to recover damaged skin cells from stress and stimulation.

I did a couple of reviews on various Wishtrend products in the past. You might like to check these out, if you are interested in purchasing these:

COSRX Propolis Light Ampule

Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner

Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum

Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

I’m from Honey Mask