beauty | Berries in the Snow

Review: Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher

11. August 2015

// AFFILIATE LINKS / KBEAUTY / BLUSH //

I would lie if I told you I was not influenced by media when I’m buying my beauty products. For Korean beauty products it is mostly other blogs, or the Korean Beauty Show “Get It Beauty”. The Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher was selected earlier this year by the Get It Beauty Blind Test as best pink blush. I’ve been eyeing the Etude House Cookie Blusher for a long time before already, but I thought it will be a regular drugstore blush with a cute packaging only. After it became #1 in the blind test I decided that it is finally time to try it!

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 adoreable that you cannot keep yourself from impuls-buys – only because you saw the packaging…The Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher has exactly this cute, girly packaging which makes your heart beat. The name already sounds like something deliciously cute and then there comes the blush in this simple pink container, but below the milky plastic lid you see a cute puff with a pink ribbon! ♥

Currently 5 different shades are available for the Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher, but the one shade that won the blind test was #11 “Peach Choux Wafers”. This is the shade I bought after all, a lovely natural beige pink color for a natural blush on my cheecks. You can check out all the shades currently available on the official Etude House page, too. The volume of the blush is 7.2 g, and since it is a powder pressed blush I guess this will last for ages.

The description of the Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher says, that this blush comes with a blur effect. The ‘unique powder reflects shine to various ways to express bright skin color and delivers excellent application and delicate vivid colors’. The blush is long lasting, too. By using sebum control powder the sebum of the skin is absorbed and the blush stays longer. Moreover the fluffy cushion type puff helps to blend and build up the blush as desired. First, I didn’t use the puff at all. It was just a gimmick for me, making this item so cute. But then I started to use it and I must say that is not too bad. It really takes up the powder, but does not take too much, so you won’t be overdoing it. Shade #11 is a light color anyways and is supposed to be natural on the cheecks, but still you can build up the color. This shade doesn’t have any shimmer or glittering particles in it, but it is completelly matte and a great all day blush.

I don’t know why I didn’t try the Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher earlier! The shades available are nice and this shade especially really looks lovely, probably on most skintones. Moreover the blusher is very affordable. On the official site it retails for 7.80 US$. I bought my Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher on W2Beauty for 8.23 US$, which is a good price, considering the low shipping costs compared to Etude House official shop. For those living in the US you might want to check out the prices on Amazon, too. Did you try the Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher already? Which is your favourite shade?

♥ If you have time feel free to join my giveaway! ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty Missha PR Sample review

Review: Missha Honey Butter Pack

8. August 2015

I do not know what it is, but every time I see ‘honey’ on some product I really want to try it. It is no secret that the Korean trend ingredients in the last winters were either honey, donkey/goat milk or mayu, which help the skin to get that glow-y look that so many Korean celebrities present us. The Missha Honey Butter Pack lurks us with these promises exactly: Korean acacia honey and French gourmet butter are supposed to “deliver moisture and give the skin the radiance, promoting a beautiful beautiful glowing complexion.”

Missha is one of the worldwide famous Korean brands, especially their Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream is one of the most famous BB creams. They have a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and since some time they even opened up an online store for Germany, and a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany! The products always come in a very luxurious looking packaging and the design is usually very mature and elegant and I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha Honey Butter Pack comes in a yellow tube with a pretty illustration on the front displaying butter coated with honey. The top of the tube displays the word Gourmet in golden letters and it looks really pretty.

The first time I saw the Missha Honey Butter Pack I was attracted mainly by the packaging, because it is really cute and unusual for Missha products. The second thought was that I wanted to compare it to the I’m from Honey Mask, which I love really a lot. Since I received the Missha Honey Butter Pack from Missha Germany the backside of the tube is labelled with a sticker showing the German description and the ingredients. I tried to remove the label, but it is kind of sticky, so I left it as it is. The original backside seems to contain Korean description only, anyways. The shelf-life of the Missha Honey Butter Pack is 12 month after opening and it contains 120 g of product. The key functions of the Missha Honey Butter Pack are: Moisturizing by using Korean Acacia honey and french gourmet butter extract, brightening using potato extract enriched with vitamins and nourishing by the easily absorbed texture.

You can find the ingredients on COSDNA, too, and the first thing I noticed was, that it contains coconut oil and grape seed oil. Honey and butter extracts are quite at the bottom of the list, which doesn’t give any indication on the amount used in the whole product, though, when having a look at the product and a first sniff if doesn’t smell like honey at all. The scent is nice, but it smells of coconut cream. Not the usual coconut scent, but really more like the coconut cream you use for cooking. The texture is a creamy/buttery one. Spread it even reminds me more of butter, but the spreadable kind. I can detect a sweet, but light honey scent once the cream is spread, but in thicker layer it smells more like coconut cream.

According to the description you have to use the Missha Honey Butter Pack after cleansing and toning. You apply a layer of the pack and wait for 10-15 minutes and then wash it off with lukewarm water. The thicker you’ll put the layer the longer you will have to wash your face, since the oils (coconut oil) leave a heavy residue. And it is important to use lukewarm/warm water, since with cold water you won’t be able to remove it properly. Once removed the skin feels noticeably softer, but it is not as glowy as when using the I’m from Honey Mask. The removing of the product is also more bothersome than the I’m from Honey Mask. In the description of the product on the Missha Germany webpage it suggests to use a tiny amount of the Missha Honey Butter Pack as sleeping mask. For using it as a mask regularly I discover to be a bit too lazy when thinking about washing it off for such a long time, but when you only use a very little amount (so much it still can blend into the skin) as sleeping mask overnight works great!

First of all, the Missha Honey Butter Pack won’t substitute my I’m from Honey Mask. Considering the very affordable price of the Miisha Honey Butter Pack I was hoping for that, but the I’m from Honey Mask really give me that glowy, hydrated look and has this amazing honey scent. The Missha Honey Butter Pack is a good pack though, and it softens the skin after using it, but it takes some effort to be removed, otherwise it will leave residue on your skin and I think that this will lead to clogged pores and reactions especially for sensitive skintypes. If you wash it off properly nothing happens off course. Also, I suppose that everybody has to find the right amount of product to use. I discovered using a thin layer as sleeping mask works great for me. Maybe I should also try different thickness of the Missha Honey Butter Pack as wash off pack. The price of the Missha Honey Butter Pack is awesome and it retails for only 8.90 € from the German Missha store (6 US$ from Missha US!)…and of course, last but not least: I love the design of the tube :D

Btw.: Missha Germany also deliveres outside Germany. So if you are somewhere in Europe it might be faster to consider ordering from them instead of Korea. My package arrived after 2 days, which is awesome when thinking about the 2-4 weeks of waiting when ordering from Korea :D Take a glance at their webpage, instagram, and facebook and support the spreading of Korean cosmetics within Europe! Also, Missha is one of the Korean bands which are against animal testing!

♥ If you have time feel free to join my two giveaway! ♥

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.missha-germany.de/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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advertorial other Wishtrend

Wishtrend August 2015 Coupons

5. August 2015

The last month of summer has approached, and just in time I have the Wishtrend Coupons for August for you. You can use these new Wishtrend coupons and and gifts for your shopping experience at Wishtrend. Yeah! If you don’t know Wishtrend, but love Korean or Asian cosmetics and skincare products I can recommend you to check out their online shop, especially for one of my favorite products, the O.S.T. Vitamin C Serum. You’ll also find some products sold at Wishtrend on my Top 20 favourite product list for 2014, like the Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil. Also, they have listed the brand COSRX, which is gaining a lot of popularity these days. 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 August:

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 August. Below, you’ll find the coupon code for this:

Coupon Code: WISHAUG2015
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 55 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 August 2015

The second promotion code is a special gift you will receive by using the code below. The voucher is valid on ANY orders at Wishtrend! You will receive in addition to the usual free samples a box of COSRX Naturally Embo Cotton Puff (2.80 US$ value).

Voucher Code: WISHGIFTAUG2015
ANY ORDER
Only valid until the end of August 2015

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!

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:

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?

asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm

1. August 2015

I didn’t review Tonymoly products for some while, which means it is time for a new one today: here is the Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm. Tonymoly was one of the first brands I knew when I got into Kbeauty and since then so much time has passed and I discovered so many new brands that I almost forgot about the cute products from this brand. This miniature lip balm in shape of a peach was send to me by the Korean cosmetics online store Q-depot.

The Korean brand Tonymoly is best comparable to Etude House regarding its popularity. Unlike, Etude House though, the packaging is not princessy-cute, but offers cute designs, too. Especially fruit-shaped products (apples, bananas, mango, peach…) and other creative packaging shapes make this brand interesting for western consumers and therefore very popular. Here I can refer to the term “Skincaretainment”, and you can find a nice article about this by Tracy from fanserviced_b.

The Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm definitively belongs to this category. The packaging design shaped like a miniature peach is super adorable. It is very small, like a ping-pong ball, and contains only 7 g of product. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA >>here<<. The key ingredients are Shea Butter and peach extracts, which moisturize your lips. Indeed, when you open up the container the peachy scent is clearly noticeable.

The peach works as a small jar and you can take off the upper part of the peach in order to use the lip balm. The container is additionally separated by a plastic lid. Below that you will see the peach colored lip tint. It applies nicely on the lips and has transparent features, but the downside is that you have to use your fingers, which makes it somehow unhygienic. The lips feel moisturized for quite a good amount of time, too, but the scent may be too strong for some people.

The Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm fulfills the tasks of a lip balm. It is moisturizing and you feel that it contains a lot of shea butter. The packaging is the main reason for many people to buy it since it is really cute and super small and travel-friendly. The strong peach scent and the fact that it comes in a jar are the downsides of this lip balm. I received the Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm from Q-depot, an online retailer for Korean beauty products. They have a already quite a variety of the most popular Korean brands and they keep adding products frequently. The site is easy to navigate, too. And they offer free samples for each order and free shipping for orders above US$69. What I like especially, that they have an extra section for cruelty-free products, which contains brands like Iope, Innisfree, Etude House, etc. I didn’t see that before for most of the online stores, so that’s something really innovative and nice. Also, they are committed to contributing 3% of their group’s net profit for social causes in different countries. So you can shop for your favorite Korean products and do something good, too. You can get the Tonymoly Mini Peach Lip Balm for 9.95 US$. Q-depot is having a promotion were you can get 5 US$ coupon upon signing up. The coupon is useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$.

♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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://q-depot.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

5 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream

30. July 2015

My last review for BNTnews Beauty Box July is about the Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream. Although from all the super interesting items this month the May Coop Raw Sauce was my favorite I saved the Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream review for last because it has the most interesting formula. Keep reading if you want to know more:

Personally, this is the first time I realized the brand Amaranth. I saw some reviews before, but it never was really present in my head. This Korean brand though belongs to the Samsung company. The Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream belongs to the Messaline Special Care Series, which has the motto: “Pave your way to beautiful and healthy skin. It meets your needs”. The line consists of four products divided into four steps. The Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream is step 1 of the series. Step 2 is the Messaline Vibrant Shimmering CC Cream, step 3 the Messaline Bubble Berry Mask Cleanser and step 4 the Messaline Overnight Moisture Sleeping Mask.

According to the description of the Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream it gives“elasticity and moisture to the skin and makes moist and healthy skin by vegetable moisture water drops containing Rosa Centifolia flower Water, Panax Ginseng Root Extract and Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extracts”. The cardboard box of the cream contains only Korean description, but inside the box was an instruction paper with some English description, too. Apart from that the packaging design is elegant in blue and gold with reflective paper (which made it a bit hard to take a pictures). The cream itself comes in a pump bottle/tube with the same colors made of sturdy plastic with a clear cap.

Apart from the Korean description on the cardboard box you can find the English ingredients listed on the side. I added them to COSDNA and you can check them >>here<<. Unfortunately, there are some ingredients I didn’t hope to see. These ingredients are silicon, alcohol and parabens. The other ingredients are mainly plant extracts, like cabbage rose, red ginseng and chamomile extracts to boost moisturizing and elasticity. According to the description this cream is used after cleansing and toning, but seeing that it contains silicon and the fact that it is smoothing the face it sounds more like a primer to me.

The Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream has the consistency of a gel-type cream when you pump it, but now comes the special part: the cream transforms into water once rubbed. It forms tiny water droplets and feels really moist that way. This formula is called water-drop texture, and you will find some other products like that within the Korean beauty market. The water-drop texture makes it particularity very fast absorbing, and the skin really feels moist during application, as if you use a toner. It has a nice floral scent, too, maybe a bit rose-like scent. It definitively makes the skin feel smoother (silicon), but although it feels moist while application I would not say that it is rich enough for dry skin-types (also because of the alcohol). Moreover, since it is more similar to a primer I applied it after my regular moisturizer. I was a bit confused nevertheless, if I should apply it before or after sunscreen. I tried both, but I’m not sure about either way. If you have any recommendations for that part I would be very thankful.

The Amaranth Messaline Ultra Hydrating Cream is really interesting considering its water-drop texture. It smooths out the skin, too and is a nice primer considering that fact. I dislike some of the ingredients and I wish it would not contain alcohol or parabens. And I’m a bit confused about how to use it the best way. Probably, I wouldn’t repurchase it, but since it contains 60 g of product it will last me some time anyways. I couldn’t find it in the known online stores, so it is a bit tricky to now how much it retails. But from the looks of it I’m sure it is a more pricey brand.

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. Don’t forget to visit the other BNTGirls Mary, Celine, Alene, Joanne, Chermaine, Faith, Mitha, Laura and Blair and check out their reviews for the July BNT Beauty Box. And visit BNTnews for the latest Korean news and trends:

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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.

2 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: May Coop Raw Sauce

29. July 2015

I’m super excited to review the May Coop Raw Sauce today, which was featured in ‘Get it Beauty’ by Secret’s Song Ji Eun. This is my first time trying a product from May Coop, but apparently this brand is getting more and more attention lately. Time to take a closer look at this toner, emulsion and essence 3 in 1 product:

As I said above, the Korean brand May Coop is really new to me and until it was featured in ‘Get it Beauty’. I had never heard from that brand before. It seems it is a more high end brand according to the very beautiful packaging and the materials used. It also seems that they are focusing on natural ingredients.

The May Coop Raw Sauce is a multifunctional essence that combines the effects of a toner, an essence and a emulsion/lotion in one. Unlike most cosmetic items that are made of water, this one contains acer maple water instead. It is quite a trend in Korea right now to use products containing other liquids as replacement for water. The description of the product packaging says acer maple water, but the translation of the ingredient list says maple sap. I think they mean the maple xylem sap, because 93 % maple sap/ syrup would be super sticky and sugary. You can find the ingredients on COSDNA. Apart from a whole bunch of plant ingredients it sadly contains alcohol. So if you have sensitive skin be aware of this point. On the other hand, the main ingredient here is maple tree sap, which makes 93 % of the total volume. All the other ingredients fall into the remaining 7 %.

The design of the cardboard box of the May Coop Raw Sauce is like a wooden box. It has the key points of the essence listed on one side, shaped like wooden rings. The features of this multipurpose essence are: Humectant, Nature 701 Complex, Organic Grain extracts, Natural Moisturizing Factor, Eco-cert Certified Fructan, and Acer Maple Water. Maple xylem sap is mainly a watery solution of hormones, mineral elements and other nutrients of the plant. The maple xylem sap is a very effective moisturizer as its rich in glycerin and reinforces skin’s immunity. The similarity to the water molecule size of the skin allows the maple xylem sap to penetrate deaper into the skin than regular water. Another key ingredient seems to be the skin-nourishing fructan powder (eco-cert certified), which is supposed to strengthen the skin.

The May Coop Raw Sauce comes in a 150 ml frosted glass bottle. The cap is from plastic, but has the same wooden pattern as the cardboard box. The bottle comes separately packed in a canvas, which gives it another high-quality touch. the regular drop dispensing opening of the bottle is sealed by a plastic in order to prevent leaking.

The glass has the same description in wooden rings like the cardboard packaging. According to the official site May Coop Raw Sauce fulfills these three points: intensive moist supply, intensive nutrition supply, constantly strengthening. The May Coop Raw Sauce is a watery liquid (a tiny bit thicker than water though), which has a light yellow color. It has a fragrant smell to it, which is stronger than most of the other toner/essences I use atm, but the scent is nice and doesn’t linger long. Apart from that, the May Coop Raw Sauce feels moisturizing, and is not sticky after absorption. although it contains some alcohol it doesn’t feel drying (probably since the amount is not much). Although quite moist and labeled as multi-function product I still use many other products in combination and I do not skip my usual moisturizer. I’ve only used this for 2 weeks so far, so I cannot make any remarks about long-term effects like strengthening, but I think it fits nicely into my skincare routine, doesn’t give me any breakouts and feels like an extra hydration boost for my face.

I enjoyed trying the May Coop Raw Sauce very much and I’m happy it found a place in my skincare routine. I yet don’t know if I will repurchase it again and if it will replace any of my other steps in future, but it will be used up to the end for sure. The May Coop Raw Sauce is available at Peach and Lily for 42.00 US$ or at Koreadepart for 38.27 US$. From the official May Coop page you’ll find it listed for 36000 Won. Although it is a multi-purpose product it is more on the expensive side. On the other hand, the detailed packaging and material makes up for the price. Also the volume is more than enough to last for a long time, since not much product is needed. So probably, it will take some time before I’ve used up this precious product.

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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.

6 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo

28. July 2015

// HAIRCARE / PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY //

The BNTnews beauty box for July contained another shampoo from the Korean brand Daeng Gi Meo Ri, which I introduced to you in one of my previous reviews. This review will be about the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo, a softening and protecting shampoo full of oriental medicine inspired ingredients.

The name of the brand and product sound very long and complicated to someone with no Korean language knowledge, but the brand name Daeng Gi Meo Ri can be translated in this way: Daenggi is a traditional Korean ribbon which is tied to the braided hair of unmarried Korean women. Meori means simply hair in Korean. Like the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Ja Dam Hwa The First Scalp and Hair Cleansing Treatment this Korean shampoo works on your hair by using oriental medicine inspired ingredient, like traditionally used herbs, roots, and flowers.

The Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo comes as a 500 ml pump bottle along with a 145 ml travel sized bottle in a kit. Both bottles are packed in a cardboard box with a lot of Korean description all over. On the backside the most important facts are listed and it displays an image of some herbs at the top, too.

According to the description it contains more than 35% of ripe and enriched medicinal ingredients as well as a patented substance extracted from Giant Crinum Lily (Crinum asiaticum). The Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo is full of vitamins and minerals, and it uses marine phyto-complex to protect the scalp with green algae (Caulerpa racemosa) extracts, antioxidative chlorella (a single cell green algae) and deeply moisturizes with fermented Pseudoalteromonas (marine bacterium). Moreover, it contains Tripterygium wilfordii root, false daisy (Eclipta prostrata) and hazelnut extracts for energizing and vitalizing tired and dry scalps. Furthermore, it contains keratin and camelia to treat damaged scalp from within and reinforce its elasticity. It uses natural surfactant so it does not irritate. You can find some more Korean description >>here<<.

taken from http://doorimall.net

I also found the picture above there and it lists the 15 herbs used for the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo. Apart from some of the ingredients already mentioned above I could detect these ingredients (hopefully correctly translated with help of google translate): gujeolcho (Siberian chrysanthemum), ginseng (Panax ginseng), Chinese arborvitae (Platycladus orientalis), Mulberry (Morus), Rehmannia glutinosa, Siberian ginseng (acanthopanax), lotus, bamboo, and pigweed (Portulaca oleracea). Apart from all these oriental ingredients let’s take a moment to take a closer look at the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo packaging design. I think the bottles look super pretty. I love the ornaments around the pump, which is the stopper for the pump in the same time. All the golden and dark green color makes it look super luxurious already.

I love how it comes with a smaller bottle in travel size! But now, let’s get into the real review for the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo. First, what makes it special? On the one hand it is the ingredients of course, which gives it the name, but on the other hand, what I personally found very special was the recommendation to wash twice with this shampoo and to not use any other hair products during treatment. I have dry, frizzy and naturally wavy/curly hair, so usually I’m always using conditioner with any shampoo I use and moreover I’m using hair treatments, hair oil or entangling mists/serums every other day, too. My scalp is not dry, nor do I have any problems with an itchy scalp. For dry scalp, it is even recommended to use this shampoo in the morning and evening for a short period of time. I’m washing my hair almost every day, if not every second at least. For two weeks I have been using the shampoo as advised. I washed my hair twice with the shampoo and didn’t use any other hair products. The shampoo has a brown color and a herbal scent (mostly ginseng-ish). It foams up very nicely already after the first washing and one pump was enough for my long hair. Nevertheless, the natural cause of this was, that my hair became super dry and frizzy already after one usage. The hair didn’t feel soft and smooth like when using my regular shampoo and conditioner, nor was it easy to comb. I was struggling a lot with that, but I kept using the shampoo as recommended. After one week I felt that my upper hair felt smoother after washing once dried. The hair around my scalp looked more shiny, too, but the length of my hair and the ends continued to be very dry and tangled.

My conclusion considering the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo is, that I cannot use it on its own. I love what it makes which my upper hair and the way the hair near my scalp feels, but it is too drying for the long ends of my naturally dry hair structure. If you have dry hair and would like to try this shampoo on your own I would recommend you to use a hair pack on your ends nevertheless. That’s the way I’m using this shampoo now and it works much better for my hair. People with oily/normal hair or people with shorter hair might love the shampoo as it is. I love that it comes in a pump bottle and that it contains so many plant-derived ingredients and I love that it makes my hair partially more soft and shiny, but I would rather prefer a shampoo which also provides enough moisture for long and dry hair. The Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Special Shampoo retails for 25500 Won from www.doorimall.net. The kit is available on Amazon.com for 37.99 US$. I tried another Korean herbal shampoo before, the Damoae Therapy Shampoo, which was supposed to be used in a similar way. But in contrast to the Daeng Gi Meo Ri Oriental Spacial Shampoo, it came with a tonic to use after washing, which helped to comb my hair. Also, the Damoae Therapy Shampoo felt like a conditioner when used for the second wash, and if you like herbal shampoos and have dry hair I can definitively recommend you the Damoae Shampoo instead.

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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.

4 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash

27. July 2015

Spring and summer are always the seasons where the make-up choice gets more colorful. Therefore, I’m introducing the new Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash to you today, a colorful mascara selection by my favorite Korean design cosmetic brand Too Cool For School.

Too Cool For School is a Korean brand, known for a unique packaging design. Their products are in the mid-pricey region and slightly more expansive than Etude House for example. The Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash belongs to the Check line of Too Cool For School, which all have a checkered/plaid pattern design as common characteristic. I like plaid pattern in general and it reminds me of school uniforms and/or punk(rock) fashion.

The Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash mascara comes in a checked cardboard box. The paper of the the box has not only the checked pattern printed on, but also has the pattern imprinted into the surface, so you can feel it. It looks like a high quality packaging that way. The description on the cardboard box is short and in Korean only, but you will find a lot of pictures and more Korean description on the official Too Cool For School page.

Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash is a colorful volume mascara, which helps creating a unique makeup look. It is available in three shades, which are No.1 Nuts Brown, No.2 Royal Blue and No.3 Raspberry Pink. I received No. 3 with my BNTnews Box for July, a pink/plum colored mascara. The Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash mascaras come in smaller containers than other mascaras have regularly. Therefore the wand is also shorter, which makes it a bit easier to use and to control.

The consistency of the mascara is creamy. The texture is soft yet not cakey and allows a long-lasting effect. This product presents the Curl-up Polymer technology, which preserves a water and sweat-proof C-curve for a long time. The wand has a curved shaped, too, as you can see in the images. I tried the mascara on my bare lashes for the images below and used one layer and I must admit that it does a good job in curling the lashes and holding the curl. My lashes are naturally dark, so it is difficult to see bright colors on them. It gives them rather a light pop of color than being super pigmented. since I never were super colorful eye make-up I’m not bothered by that fact. I think it will look much brighter and colorful on people with naturally light/blonde lashes. On the Too Cool For School page you will even see some suggestions on how to in-cooperate these mascaras into pretty eye make-up looks.

I really like the small size of the Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash mascaras, since it is very travel friendly. Nevertheless, I would love if they added a regular black color to it, although I would be intrigued to try the brown version. Although I’m not really wearing very bright and colorful eye make-up I’m positively surprised by the pink color, since it makes the eyes appear softer and might look good with very minimalistic make-up, too. Considering the curling effect, this mascara does what it promises and give a nice curl, too. The Too Cool For School Check Hot Girl Lash mascaras retail for 12000 Won from the official Too Cool For School page. Since it is a new item it might take some time before it is available in other online stores.

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♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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 cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint

25. July 2015

I didn’t make a lip makeup product for quite some time, but I have some new additions to my stash. This here is the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint, a long lasting lip tint which was introduced by SISTAR’s SoYou. I’m not much into K-Pop, but I know that many of you are familiar with the K-Pop idols.

Forencos is a Korean brand which sells environmental cosmetics since 1988. The brand has quite a range of skincare and makeup products, but in the internationally known Korean online shops they don’t have a lot of products from this brand, which is why it is quite unknown. They have 7 main issues within their brand philosophy: skin rejuvenating, skin refreshing, skin revitalizing, skin relieving, skin regeneration, skin revival and skin resolution. I did review some sheet masks from this brand and you can take a look at the reviews >>here<< and >>here<<.

The Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint comes in 7 different shades and if you know the Korean language you will find a lot of decsription about the product on the official Korean page. The cardboard packaging of this lip tint on the other hand doesn’t have much descriptions printed on, except from the shade. The shade I will show you here is No. 4 “Lol Lol Lol”, a coral pink tone. The design of the lip tint container is simple, yet elegant, with a golden cap which holds the applicator.

The Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint is supposed to be a long lasting lip tint providing moisture without being sticky. Moreover it is supposed to give high pigmentation for smooth lips and have a refreshing lip-gloss formula. When swatched on the back of my hand the first thing I notice is the bubblegum scent this lip tint has. It applies like a milk type tint, not a water or oil based tint. The color is vivid , but can also be blended in in order to create a more toned down look or gradient lips.

Application of the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint on my lips is easy and feels very smooth. It reminds me of the matte lip products like Skinfood Milky Rose Vita color Lip Lacquer, which have a more velvety feeling on the lips. The finish is not matte, but it isn’t glossy either. I would say it has the typical finish for milk type lip tints. The pigmentation is good and it even is nicely visible on darker lips. Usually I have problems with pink shades because they do not show up nicely on my lips or settle to heavily in my lip lines, but this one looks nice and spreads without being patchy. Although it has a bubblegum scent the taste of the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint is not sweet as I expected, but somehow salty…I do not like the taste to much, but it is still better than the usual bitter taste of most lip tints. The lasting power of this lip tint is not strong either. Without drinking or eating it holds up to 2-3 hours, but as soon as you drink or touch your lips in any other way it will transfer and fade. It doesn’t look odd while fading though.

I do not have many lip tints of that color, since I usually choose the cherry and red shades, so it is nice for me to have a pink/coral shade in my collection now which also shows up on my lips. This is also the reason why I’m using the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tint surprisingly often in the last weeks. I couldn’t find any translated ingredients here, so I didn’t include them into my rating, but all in all this is a solid lip tint. The price of 19000 Won on the official Forencos page is quite high though, so I would personally not buy it again, although there are some other interesting colors for the Forencos Lips In Love Lip Tints. Did you try any products from Forencos already? What are your impressions?

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♥ And if you have time please visit my post about the July Japan Candy Box. There is even a giveaway where you can win a Japan Candy Box for yourself ♥

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 cosmetics beauty Missha PR Sample review

Review: Missha M Magic Cushion

21. July 2015

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / MAKEUP //

Four or five years ago my addiction for Asian beauty products started with my first BB cream, the Missha Perfect Cover BB, and today I’m happy to introduce to you the newest addition to the Missha BB cream family, the Missha M Magic Cushion!

Missha is one of the worldwide famous Korean brands, especially their Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream is one of the most famous BB creams. They have a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and since some time they even opened up an online store for Germany, and a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany! The products always come in a very luxurious looking packaging and the design is usually very mature and elegant and I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha M Magic Cushion comes in a very simple, yet elegant, white cardboard box as well, as you can see from the images.

The cardboard box contains the Korean and the English description. You’ll find the ingredients also listed on COSDNA >>here<<, but they are also listed on the cardboard box. I want to point out the fact, that if you look carefully below, you will notice that you’ll find a sticker on the side where the ingredients are listed. Below that sticker, you will find another ingredients list. Both lists are identical considering the single ingredients but in a different order. On this topic, you might want to check out the article by Tracy from fanserviced-b. She points out how the ingredients are listed in a different order depending on the labeling rules of the specific country.

Nevertheless, I want to point out some key ingredients for the Missha M Magic Cushion. The packaging states Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, and Ethylhexyl Salicylate as active ingredients. These three ingredients are the sunscreens included in this product and give the Missha M Magic Cushion SPF50+ and PA+++. Thus, the key targets of this cushion bb cream are winkle-care, whitening and UV blocking, in addition to giving a flawless appearing skin. Other ingredients which can be pointed out are bamboo water and baobab fruit extract which provide the skin with moisture, and hazel extract which has soothing properties. There are also some other plant extracts and oils included in the ingredients list.

Compared to other brands Missha jumped the cushion bandwagon quite late. They released a DIY cushion case previously (you can find my review >>here<<), and I’m sure many were a bit confused and thought that the Missha Magic Cushion Case was already a real cushion. But the Missha M Magic Cushion was released later and so far there are three different cushion bb creams by Missha available in Korea: the Missha M Magic Cushion, the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion, and the Missha Signature Essence Cushion. Missha US and Missha Germany only released the Missha M Magic Cushion so far, but I’m sure the others will be following soon. The design of the Missha M Magic Cushion is like all the other cushion foundations: it comes in a round container like most pacts come with. The container has a mirror in the lid, in order to be easy to use on the way and work as a perfect product to carry around in your handbag. There is also an application puff inside the container. These, typically blue colored ruby-cell sponges are super soft and perfect for applying a natural looking layer of the bb cream. I also have the feeling, that the ruby-cell sponges are kind of cooling while patting the product on your face.

Now, below the second plastic lid, you’ll find the “heart” of the cushion, the sponge soaked with the BB cream/ foundation. This plastic container inside the pact case can be removed and replaced once empty. Some brands can even exchange their refills amongst each others cases, some can’t. I have an Innisfree, a Pongdang and a Missha Cushion so far, but they cannot be exchanged with each other. The Missha M Magic Cushion also doesn’t fit into the Missha Magic Case, but it fits with the other Missha cushions.

The Missha M Magic Cushion is available in two shades: #21 Light Beige and #23 Natural Beige. Since it is summer at the moment I chose #23. I’m a bit tanned at the moment and although it looks a bit bright on the swatch on my hand, it looks okay on my face. Although the Missha M Magic Cushion has a semi-matte finish it doesn’t feel drying, but rather moist.

Also, if you have used primers or achieved a nice glow with your skincare routine before it doesn’t cover the glow, but leaves the natural shine on your cheeks for example. The coverage is medium and it doesn’t make the skin look unnaturally cakey. I will review the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion in comparison soon, but so far I love this cushion. The finish is pretty and it lasts quite long without getting dry or flaky around my chin or nose. It does not make my skin oily either, probably because of the silica-bead powder, which is supposed to absorb sweat and sebum. The scent of the Missha M Magic Cushion is kind of creamy, but not flowery like the Missha Perfect Cover BB cream for example. It is not super strong either.

So far I am very happy with the Missha M Magic Cushion. I had high expectations for it, since I love the Missha Perfect Cover BB cream, and I was afraid to be disappointed with the cushion, but at the moment I’m using it daily. I still love the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion though, but it is shade 21 and a bit too light for me atm ;D I’m very curious about the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion though and I hope that I will like it as much as this one. I received the Missha M Magic Cushion from Missha Germany. They deliver within Germany, but also outside Germany. So if you are somewhere in Europe it might be faster to consider ordering from them instead of Korea. My package arrived after 2 days, which is awesome when thinking about the 2-4 weeks of waiting when ordering from Korea :D The Missha M Magic Cushion retails for 15.40 €, and they had a launching event where it was only 10 €! I can recommend you to take a glance occasionally at their webpage, instagram, and facebook. By the way: Missha is one of the Korean bands which are against animal testing!

You can also find the Missha Cushions on any other official Missha Store or Amazon.com.

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.missha-germany.de/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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