beauty | Berries in the Snow

Review: It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam

1. April 2015

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Another cleansing product review, and this time it is my least favourite cleanser I’m using currently, the It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam (I still have two or three other foam cleansers to use up, a cleansing water and cleansing balms…I think I have enough supplies for this year :D).

I think this is my first It’s Skin product I’m reviewing here on Berries In The Snow. Unfortunately, I do not really like it. It’s Skin is a Korean brand made by dermatologists at Seoul University and it was created to recover the natural power of the skin. The brand is not expansive, but on the same level like Etude House. They also have some cute designs for some of their products, so in general it is an interesting brand, especially their Power 10 Formula bottles intrigue me and I heard positive reviews about it. The It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam is part of 5 different cleansing foams in the It’s Skin Have A cleansing foam line, which are Orange, Banana, Greengrape and Eggshell.

Each of the five cleansing foams comes in a packaging displaying a picture of the key ingredient. The It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleansing Foam has- of course- a pomegranate displayed. The pink colored plastic tube looks kind of cute, too. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA and there are some irritating ingredients used as emulsifiers, but most of the ingredients are safe. Also, the plant extracts, like the key ingredients pomegranate is one of the last ingredients, which is a bit dissapointing. It smells of pomegranate though, but not heavily. The foam itself has a white, shimmery, cream texture. It foams up nice, but not as a super dense foam either. The PH of the cleanser lies at 8, which makes it quite drying for the skin. Below you can have a look how the cleanser performes on my arm with a couple of makeup products. As you can see, this foam cleanser is – similar to the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam I reviewed before- not suited to remover waterproof makeup. It can serve enough as second cleanser, if you remove your makeup previously with a cleansing oil or balm. Unfortunately, it leaves the skin dry and tense, which is the reason I do not like this cleanser.

I would recommend the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam over this cleansing foam, because you can really feel a difference how the two cleansers leave your skin after cleansing. The Benton cleanser is really gentle and leaves the skin hydrated, but the It’s Skin Have A Pomegranate Cleanser makes my skin feel tight and dry. If you want to try it anyways you can find the It’s Skin Have A Foam Cleansers at W2Beauty for 13.14 US$.

What is your favourite foam cleanser? did you try any of the It’s Skin cleansing Foams?

4 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion

27. March 2015

// KBEAUTY / MAKE UP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Apart from the Missha Magic Cushion Case this is actually the first CC cushion I’m trying, the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion. This post is picture-heavy and the two larger images appear blurry, but when you click to enlarge you’ll be able to see everything in detail. Sorry for that ♥ I saw this cushion first time in one of Pony’s youtube videos and I knew I had to get this (again). Here are my impressions:

Innisfree is an eco-friendly Korean skincare and makeup brand focusing on natural ingredients and recycle packaging. The design of their products is simply and neat and nicely reflects the ideology of the brand. Innisfree products are ususally free from harmful ingredients. The Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion is supposed to be a “Long-lasting moisture cushion” that keeps your skin “hydrated for a long period by restoring moisture to your skin”, according to the description of the product. It contains jeju green tea and jeju mineral powder and since it is a CC cushion the finish delivered should look natural and brighten up the complexion. The cushion comes in a cardboard box made of recycled paper and printed with soy ink. I bought this cushion from innisfreeworld, and it was a special kit for the 15th anniversary. The cardboard box contains one filled cushion and one refill, and I received a second refill as part of the deal. I picked shade No.21, which fits nicely to my skin color, but I think that it will be too light for me once summer is starting. If you want to have a closer look at the descriptions on the cardboard box feel free to enlarge the image below. You’ll also find detailled description about this product in the Innisfree store.

The ingredients are listed on COSDNA and you can look them up >>here<<. They are safe to use :) Apart from niacinamide and some sunprotectors, like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, the cushion has also listed some plant extracts. The refill contained in the box is separately packed in a plastic bag as you can see below, and contains some short description, too. The Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion has SPF 34 PA++ and is available in three shades, #13, #21 and #23.

The Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion comes in a round plastic container. The lid of the container contains a mirror and you will also find a sponge (Eco air magic puff) inside the container. Everything together makes these cushion products really portable and handbag-friendly. The backside of the cushion container contains some description again and has the production date imprinted, too.

The product itself is separated from the container by a second plastic pan, with a plastic lid on its own. For the first time use, when you open the lid you’ll find the cushion still sealed.

Removing the seal will reveal the cushion soaked with the CC cream. With help of the Eco air magic puff, which has a very soft and dense material the cushion can be applied. The touch of the CC cream feels very refreshing and moisturizing. It has a herbal scent, typical for most Innisfree products. You can see the swatch of the CC cream on my hand below and you can tell right away that it has a glowy finish. So the thing which intrigued me in first place about this product is the fact that it contains ampoule, that imeans that it has extra skincare benefits, especially for dull and dry skintypes.

The coverage of the CC cream is medium and the consistency of the CC cream is fluid and not so creamy as most CC/BB creams from tubes. If you have lightly reddened skin, like I do have below, the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion will provide enough coverage. I usually apply one layer, and if I still see some red skin I add a second layer on top and it doesn’t look cakey at all. I also think that the glow is not too strong, but rather natural, when comparing my before image with the one on the right. In natural light the skin doesn’t look greasy or anything. I also used the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder before applying the cushion and it makes the glow a bit more matte but yet visible. Applying loose powder afterwards will create a matte finish, but still makes your skin feel moist on the inside, which is great!

All in all, I’m very pleased with my first cushion product. The finish looks natural and it is really perfect for taking it along with you. And since it is hydrating it does not make my nose and chin flaky at the end of the day, and even when I think I need a touch up I can do without worries. For dry and combination skin people I would recommend to try the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion!

You can get the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion from:

Innisfree Official: refill 14US$, varoius cases 9.50US$

Amazon.com for 29.95US$

What is your favourite cushion?

♥ Pin It! ♥

20 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

26. March 2015

At the end of last year I did a review for the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack, a lip tint tattoo with plenty of popularity in Korea. I really enjoy using it, which made me decide to buy a second shade. There was a special promotion at this time, where you received a free Berrisom Lip Tint Cleanser with you purchase of the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack, so I will review the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser today. It will be a picture-heavy post, but you will see a comparison of the swatches of the shade I bought previously (No.3 “Sexy Red”) and the new shade I bought (No.8 “Virgin Red”).

Berrisom is one of the Korean brands available at Wishtrend. They are mostly known for the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack I’m showing you here, but they offer some more products in the skincare range, too. The Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack (there was an old version called Berrisom Chu~ My Lip Tint Pack and now it is Oops~ My Lip Tint Pack) is available in 8 different shades. You can use these lip tint packs in order to give your lip a different tinted color. The packaging is designed with kissing lips all over. The color of each box is adjusted to the shade of the tint pack. The color I chose this time is called “Virgin Red” and is a real red color as opposed tob the cherry red color I bought last time. Apparently, there are some fake products from China on the market atm, but there are images on Wishtrend how to detect between the original and the fake product >>here<<.

The description on the cardboard box is in Korean, but you can look up a very detailled description in English on Wishtrend. There you will also find the ingredients of this lip tint pack, which are all safe according to COSDNA. Moreover, this product contains a lot of plant (fruit) extracts in order to give some care to your lips, too. This makes it a “mask function lip tint” according to the product description.

Below you can see the two tubes I own right now. On the left side you see No.3 “Sexy Red” and on the right No.8. “Virgin Red”. Both of them contain 15 g of lip tint pack. The new shade I bought has also the shelf life printed on the backside, which is 6 months after opening. Both have sealed caps, and as you can see I’ve used them already, which is why the seal is broken :D.

The applicator is made of plastic and with my last review I said that the application can be a bit tricky. As you can see below they have changed the applicator and made it thinner, which makes it easier to apply than before. Since it is a peel-off tint pack it is not too important to have precise outlines. For a gradiant lip tint look you’ll have to apply the product on the inner parts of your lips anyways. The lip tint pack has a jelly like constistency, which is a bit sticky (and it has to be), since you’ll have to peel it off afterwards.

The Berrisom Lip Tint Cleanser comes in the same tube packaging as the Berrisom My Lip Tint Packs. It has a white packaging color though.

Like the lip tint packs the cardboard packaging contains directions and description in Korean and in English. you can also read more about the cleanser on Wishtrend. Also here the ingredients are safe to use and can be looked up at COSDNA. The Berrisom Lip Tint Cleanser does not only clean your lips from the lip tint, but also contains scrub particles to exfoliate your lips and make them smooth again. Like the lip tint packs it contains 15 ml of product.

Now, let’s talk about the exciting part, namely the swatches: Below you can see the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack in “Sexy Red” and “Virgin Red”. From the color of the pack itself you can already see the difference between the two shades. As advertised, “Sexy Red” is a cherry-toned red shade, whereas “Virgin Red” is a strawberry-toned red. After peeling the pack of you can see that both shades leave a visible stain on the back of my hand. And even more important, the shades look distinct. Below the two swatches I will show you the performance of the Berrisom Lip Tint Cleanser, which is a gel-like product with particles inside. When rubbing it over the swatches some of the particles agglomerate with the color of the tint. After rubbing for a while (it is suggested to scrub the lips 1-2 minutes with the cleanser), you can wipe of the product with a tissue or wash it of with water as you like. The image at the bottom shows the result and as you see, there are still some light traces of the lip stain on my hands. This describes how amazing the staying powder of the product is!

In order for the lip tint pack to work you have to apply a layer of the product on your lips. It doesn’t need to be too thick, just it has to cover your lips. Then, you’ll leave the pack to dry. As soon as the lip tint pack has dried you can peel off an edge and remove the rubber-like layer of the tint. Your lips will be stained from the pack in color you selected. Below, I will show you how the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack in “Virgin Red” looks on my lips:

My verdict for this product is still the same as before: The Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack gives your lips a natural and yet visible color. The staying power of this stain is good, as long as you don’t eat do much oily and fatty food. It doesn’t transfer either. Keep in mind that the tint will look best on your lips, if you exfoliate your lips before, so your lips are not too dry or flaky. I didn’t have the feeling that the peeling off hurt my lips in any way. It is also best to start off with your upper lip, because it usually stains less than the lower lip. If you start with the upper lip and peel it off after the lower lip, too, it will have some more time to get stained. The only downside of this lip is, that it takes some time to dry, so it is not an easy to use product for a quick touch-up. You can select between 8 shades and you will find that they come with a free Berrisom SOS! My Lip Patch at the moment. They also discounted the price from 15.99 US$ to 8.99 US$ at Wishtrend, which is pretty affordable in my eyes! I also made a post about the promotions Wishtrend offers for March >>here<<. Also, keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this 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 safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

Who tried these Berrisom My Lip Tint Packs already?

♥ PS: Don’t forget to take part in the Instagram loop giveaway!You can win shop credit for Wishtrend ♥

11 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty Jolse PR Sample review

Review: Benton Honest Cleansing Foam

23. March 2015

As you might remember, my relationship to Benton products is not the best. I tried they Benton Snail Bee Steam Cream and the Snail Bee High Content Skin, but my skin didn’t seem to like either of the two products. There are many different opinions towards Benton skincare products and there are people in love with it and other people don’t like it. Nevertheless, when I heard about the new Benton Honest Cleansing Foam I was curious about it, and somehow I was lucky enough to receive the reviewing opportunity for this product by Jolse.

The Korean skincare brand Benton did unleash a noticable raving amongst lots of bloggers. Especially the high quality of the ingredients, without any additional fragnances or other fillers did impress most people. Also, the key ingredient in their famous Benton Snail Bee skincare line being snail secretion filtrate in first place and adding bee venom on top made it widely appalling for skincare junkies. Apart from all the raving people there were also incidents of people breaking out from the Benton Snail Bee line, and I had also a similar experience. As soon as I stopped using it my skin recovered. Nevertheless, I’m giving the Benton skincare a new chance by trying their newest addition to their skincare line, the Honest Cleansing Foam. This cleanser promises not only to cleanse your skin, but also deliver the necessary moisture to the skin. This is a high promise, since most foaming cleansers tend to be drying.

The cardboard box of Benton’s Honest Cleansing Foam consists mainly of description either in Korean or English. It describes how to use the product and the full ingredient list. You can check the ingredients on COSDNA, too, and they are safe to use. The ingredients are mainly plant extract and oils. Inside the cardboard box you will find a tube containing the foam cleanser. Similar to the cardboard box the packaging of the tube is very simple. The white plastic tube comes with a simple black cap. The tube was sealed when it arrived, so you can be sure that it was unopened before.

The backside of the tube shows some Korean and English descriptions again. The Benton Honest Cleansing Foam has a shelf life of 6 months after opening and contains 150 g volume. The tube (and the cardboardbox) also show the web address of the official Benton page.

The foam cleanser itself has a white creamy texture with a glossy appearance. If foams up nicely with a foaming net, but the foam is not as dense as for the Rosemine Floral Remedy Cleanser. The pH is unfortunately between 7-8, so people using more acid cleansers will have to skin this one. It has a light soapy scent, which gives the feeling of being clean and fresh.

The Benton Honest Cleansing Foam has an average perfomance when it comes to makeup. As you can see below it has problems with waterproof makeup. It will serve nicely if you are using a two step cleansing routine with an oil cleanser at first. I would not rely on the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam for washing off makeup. Apart from this, it leaves the skin in a nice condition, and here is my most surprising verdict from this cleanser: I thought the Rosemine Floral Remedy Cleanser was gentle to my skin, but this feels amazing afterwards! It feels like having cleansed with an oil cleanser. It is not stripping at all (even though the pH is higher). Speaking for dry skinned people, this foam cleanser was really the first one (despite the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick– if you would count it as foam cleanser) that did moisturize my skin after washing it!

Do I recommend the Benton Honest Cleansing Foam? So, if you are looking for low pH cleansers this one is not for you. If you are looking for a one step cleansing product I wouldn’t recommend this cleanser either. But if you are using a two step cleansing routine and you don’t want to remove special makeup from your skin and your previous foam cleanser have been too drying I can recommend this one to you. I tried it or almost three weeks now and I didn’t have any negative reactions towards this product either, which really makes me happy considering my previous experience with Benton products. You can get this foam cleanser from Jolse and it is discounted to 11.88 US$ at the moment.

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 www.jolse.com, which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

1 Comment

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder

19. March 2015

// KBEAUTY / MAKE UP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

I heard from a lot of different blogger/vlogger how much they loved the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder, but although affordable I never bought it. The simple packaging just made me decide for other products each time I was about to put it in my cart. But finally, here it is! This “replacement powder for blotting paper” is supposed to make your skin soft and matte all day.

On the bottom of the jar you’ll find some short description in Korean about the product. You’ll also find the production date printed below the jar. The shelf-life for this product is 24 months after opening. You can look up the ingredients for this powder on COSDNA and there are no alarming ingredients as far as I can see. You’ll also find a detailled description for the product on the worldwide online store for Innisfree >>here<<. The product contains mint, jeju green tea and jeju mineral powder as main ingredients. It claims to provide “Double sebum-control”, which means strong sebum-control, I guess. The Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder has multiple uses. Innisfree has an image listing all the ways you can use your mineral powder:

As you can see, this product is really versatile :D I used it as finishing base powder and as makeup fixer and I am very pleased with the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder so far. When opening the jar you’ll find that it comes with a puff applicator. It has a very soft material, but it doesn’t work perfectly for the mineral poder. I prefer using a brush instead of the puff.

The powder is separated from the puff and the lid by a plastic grid. The unused Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder will have a sealed grid to prevent the powder from spilling.

The powder itself has a herbal scent. It is a fine, white powder which blends in nicely to skintones and makes the skin look and feel matte and soft. I experienced that when I use this as finishing base after my skincare and add some bb cream on top my skin looks perfect and smooth all day. It feels smooth, too! Since I don’t have much of an oily skin I cannot say anything about the sebum control, but in case I have some sheen on my nose I can simply apply some powder on top and everything looks nice again.

Do I recommend the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder? Yes! It works great as a translucent mineral powder and it is affordable. The only downside might be the puff which doesn’t work as it should with the powder. But despite this tiny downside I love this and I’m happy I finally bought it! The jar contains 5 g in total and I already bought several of it.

You can get the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder here:

W2Beauty for 6US$ (use coupon code berries10 for 10% off sitewide with free shipping)

Innisfree Official for 7US$ (15% off coupon upon registration)

W2Beauty for 6US$

Do you use transparent powder? Let me know in the comments?

18 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

18. March 2015

You may know that one of my favourite products from Wishtrend is the OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum. I reviewed it previously, but I didn’t have any before and after pictures. Nevertheless, I was really impressed how the serum changed my skin and made it so much better in various aspects. When I saw that there was a new version of this I was most excited to try this new OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum. And, as you might guess I had high expectations for this serum. Could it hold up to them?

The brand OST or C20 is best known for the popular OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum in it’s signature orange packaging and the brown bottle. This serum is highly effective in terms of using the peeling ability of ascorbic acid in order to improve the skin condition. Despite being effective, it had some minor cons, for example it was very sticky, it was too aggresive for people with sensitive skin and it contained some artificial ingredients. The new OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum has a completelly different ingredient list and as the name says, the amount of vitamin C serum has been increased, too. The original serum contained 20 % of Vitamin C whereas in the new formula you will have 21.5 %. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and thus can prevent our skin from aging too early. The content of Vitamin C in both serums compared to other vitamin C containing products is rather high. It contains 20 % (21.5 %) Vitamin C. You have to know that a high concentration of Vitamin C doesn’t mean automatically that it is more effective concerning anti-aging. Normally, a high concentration of Vitamin C aims at a visible effect, because it tends to operate as a peeling by loosening dead and old cells. This is not a bad effect and stimulates the skin to regenerate itself, but keep in mind that it won’t affect the inner cell layers of your skin which have to be aimed if you really want an anti-aging effect.

As with the previous serum the cardboard box comes with a lot of description in Korean and in English. It is very detailled in how to use it and what precautions to take. The new serum has even more details in English, than the previous packaging. The ingredient list of the new formula is very short. You can look them up on COSDNA and you’ll discover that the ingredients are safe to use and that there is no artificial ingredient either. The ingredients of the old serum were safe to use, too, but the list of substances is much longer as you can look up >>here<<. Since both products contain Vitamin C they have to be stored in a cool place. They also do have to be protected from sunlight, in order to prevent the vitamin C from oxidizing. When I received the product the manufacturing date was really fresh, which is important for vitamin c products, too, because they have a short shelf life. Usually, I would recommend you to use it up as quickly as possible after opening.

You will find more information and detailled description about the serum on Wishtrend, too. The signature orange cardboard box contains a brown glass bottle and a separately packed dropper. You can simply exchange the lid of the bottle with the dropper after opening.

The dropper makes it very easy to take out the watery and runny product. The OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum has a clear color, which is also a sign that the vitamin C serum is fresh. If it turns yellow the vitamin in the bottle has started to oxidize. The scent of the product reminds me a bit of oranges, but with a different scent combined, which I cannot figure out. The scent is not strong and doesn’t linger on the skin, so it doesn’t matter anyways.

I’ve been using the OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum for 3 weeks now in the evening and on most days in the morning, too. When used during daytime keep in mind to use a sunblock, too! Below you can see how the serum effected my skin.

I had some redness, when I started to use the serum. After 3 weeks the pictures show that the redness has decreased and I could feel that my skin is smoothened. Apart from this I didn’t experience any changes in my skin structure. I used this serum in combination with the Klairs Moisture Rescue Kit I reviewed previously. I used it after the Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner and the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum and before putting the Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream. Sometimes I mixed the cream with a few drops of the vitamin C serum instead. The Klairs products may have contributed in reducing redness, too. The OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum is definitively less sticky than the old formula, but it is still a bit sticky, which is why I still like it better mixed with some other product.

Did the new OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum fulfill my expectations? I’m not sure. Somehow I have the feeling that the old formula was more effective. I remember with the old formula, that I felt a stinging experience the first times I used it. I didn’t have any feeling like this for the new formula. Maybe, this new formula is better suited to sensitive skintypes than the old one. I could observe a decreased redness in my face, but I cannot assure that it is only due to the new vitamin C serum, but it will be a combination of my skincare routine as a whole. Maybe if I repurchased this serum I would go for the old version, just because I had the feeling it worked better for me (and to confirm my observation). I can recommend you to try this new formula of the C20 if you were unhappy with the previous ingredients. This formula is almost completely different and doesn’t contains any parabens or other artificial ingredients. It doesn’t contain alcohol either. The old formula does have some cons, like the extreme stickiness and the ingredients, but I would not claim that the new formula shows better results, even with a higher concentration of vitamin C. Both serum, the old and the new version can be purchased at Wishtrend. The old OST Original Pure Vitamin C20 comes with free shipping and retails for 14.99 US$ at the moment, which is really affordable for a vitamin C serum. The new OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum retails for 24.99 US$. Both bottles contain 30 ml. I made a post about the promotions from Wishtrend for March >>here<<. Also, keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this 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 safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

I shared this post with the Asian Beauty Blog Link Party! Feel free to check out the beautiful reviews presented in their threads:

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 www.wishtrend.com, which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

30 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Cushy Blusher

14. March 2015

// KBEAUTY / MAKE UP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

I’m totally in love with the Too Cool For School Dinoplatz line and can you imagine how happy I was when I saw this Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Cushy Blusher in my MeMeBox Mystery Gift Box, which was my last order with them. Apparently, the main reason I’m so in love with this line is the product design. It is so unique and creative, showing dinosaurs in different situations. It is so funny to look and discover the hints on the packaging. This liquid blush is no exception!

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 Dinoplatz line has a characteristic design showing dinosaurs in different scenaries. The colors of the packaging are white and a mint color. Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Cushy Blusher is a liquid blush, which comes in a tube with a cushion applicator. It is available in three different shades, being 01. Beach Break, 02. Surfs Up, and 03. Lava Martini. The last one is the shade I will show you today. Below you can see the georgeous packaging of the cardboard box:

It looks like a beach house and you can actually open the window and take a peak into the box, where you will discover a surfing dinosaur. On one side of the house the shade of the blush is written, on the other sides you will find some information on the product. The description in written in Korean and also the ingredients, which is why I cannot make any remarks about that. However, the key ingredients for the blush are damask rose oil, gamguk flower extract, and madonna lilly flower extract.

Inside the cardboard box you will find the tube of the blush and one additional cushion. Since this blush comes with a cushion applicator it may get dirty and unhygienic more easily as other blushers. Therefore the idea of putting an additional cushion ist great!

It is easy to take of the cushion and replace it, but not that easy that you might have to fear for it to get loose.

The backside of the tube contains some information on the product again, like the shade and the volume. The tube contains 20 ml, which is a lot! It has a shelf-time of 12 months after opening. The production date is imprinted on the tube, too, but was written at the bottom of the cardboard box aswell (I didn’t take a picture of it).

When pressing the tube for the first time you will see how the cushion absorbs the blush. When pressing the cushion a couple of times on your skin it will be soaked completelly and it is ready for application. The shade Lava Martini is the darkest shade of the three available ones. It looks like a rose/pink color in the advertorial pictures. On my swatch below you can see that the applied color is much lighter. It looks very natural on the cheeks. The blush has a moist consitency and feels moist while applying, too. In contrast to my TCFS School Art Class Blusher, which dried off powdery, this one has more a shiny/creamy finish (The review is quite old, and the images are blurry after I uploaded my blogspot blog to wordpress, are you interested in a new review or comparison for this?). The application for this blush is a bit tricky, at least that is my impression: since the color is very light I encountered that it can also be easily blended away by the cushion if you tap if several times. You have to find the perfect pressure on the tube and amount of dabbings for yourself to create the desired pigmentation. Once this is settles, the blush looks very natural and since it feels so moist and has a nice finish it seems a nice blush for summer. About the longlivity of this blush: since it is very sheer I didn’t have the feeling that it was lasting all day. The swatch on the back of my hand was rubbed away easily, too, so don’t expect to much lasting power here. The blush has a soft floral scent to it.

This TCFS Dinoplatz Cushy Blusher has pros and cons, but in general it delivers a natural finish and feels moist and nice. People with dry cheeks will like this blush therefore. Also, the idea of having a cushion blusher is nice and makes this a good friend for travelling. The product retails for 20.83 US$ at W2Beauty or at testerkorea for 9800 Won (~10 US$)…I don’t know why the price difference is so high this time…

♥ PS: Don’t forget to take part in the Instagram loop giveaway! ♥

16 Comments

beauty review

Review: Essence Cinderella Blush and Highlighter

13. March 2015

Finally, the Cinderella live-action film is in theatres and I have prepared a review for the Essence Cinderella Blush and Highlighter just in time :). Essence launched a Cinderella makeup collection beginning of March and after seeing some swatches and pictures from other beauty bloggers I decided to grab the highlighter, for the beautiful pattern and the blush for its color. Here is my impression:

What attracted me to buy these two products is in first place the packaging design and of course the theme of this special edition. I love Disney, and I fall for their products easily :D Essence is a european drug store brand, which is easily available here in Germany. Their brand philosophy is against animal testing and their products are really affordable, providing a reasonable quality. Apart from the two products I showed, the Essence Cinderella line also contains an eyeshadow palette, nail polishes and lipgloss, and also some nailstickers. But let’s talk about the two products I bought now. the first one is the Essence Cinderella Highlighter in “01 The Glass Slipper”. According to the name this must be the key item of the collection, since the glass slipper is the key item of the story. Let’s take a moment to look at this beautiful product:

The description says that this powder is designed to give your skin a “beautiful sheen”. You receive 9 g of product in this pan, which has a shelf life of 12 months after openeing. You can look up the ingredients on COSDNA or on the official web page of Essence. Both products, the highlighter and the blush, contain titanium dioxide for some UV protection, but since the ingredients are listed at the end, I don’t think that it is too much of a sun protection, and I don’t think either that anybody regards blushes and highlighters as reliable sun protection products. But, just in case you thought so: use a propper sunblocker in advance :D.

A eye-chatching rose pattern is imprinted on the powder and makes this product absolutely adorable! The powder is pigmented and comes of easily. The highlighter has a cool toned light pink shade. When blended, the shiny particles are clearly visible. I think that the glitter effect is too much to use it as an everyday highlighter, but it is perfect for using on eyes or along your waterline to give your eyes a sparkling effect. Actually, it reminds me a bit of fairy dust :D

The second item I bought is the Essence Cinderella Blush, which comes in a cardboard container. The silhouette of Cinderella is displayed and a castle, too. I like the design a lot, but maybe it will be considered too girly or childish for some. The shade is called “01 So This Is Love”.

According to the description this “silky soft powder blush” gives you a “natural and fresh looking complexion”. The ingredients are safe to use and you can look them up at COSDNA or find them on the official web page of Essence. The container comes with 8 g of product with a shelf life of 12 months after opening. When opening the blush you will see the fairy godmother with Cinderella’s carriage. The blush itself has a beautiful pink/coral color.

The blush is pressed firmer than the highlighter and needs more swipes with the finger to show the color. When using a natural hair brush the color comes off easily and gives your checks the prettiest flushing shade. Below you can see the swatch on my finger and then on the back of my hand. the color is really lovely and a nice one for every day, too.

Do I recommend the two products? Lovers of Disney and Cinderella will probably have already searched the drugstores for this collection :D Out of the two products the blush is definitively a daily usable product and apart from the pretty Disney design has a nice color and good pigmentation for everyday-use. The quality of the blush is good, once applied. If you are a lover of beautiful imprinted highlighters and are looking for some sparkling powder for either your eyes or your face you will also love the highlighter. I’m in love with both the products and I’m happy I found them after searching in 4 different drugstores for these treassures :D Oh, and another secret for you: I bought one extra highlighter for a upcoming giveaway. If you are reading my blog for a longer time you might remember that it is time for my second bloganniversary...wohooo…♥ Thank you ♥ all for reading at this point, and keep an eye out for the upcoming giveaway. Oh, and check out the loop giveaway on Instagram I’ve joined if you haven’t yet (find the link below).

My rating for the Essence Cinderella Highlighter:

My rating for the Essence Cinderella Blush:

♥ PS: Don’t forget to take part in the Instagram loop giveaway! ♥

10 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint

12. March 2015

// KBEAUTY / MAKEUP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

This product has probably been reviewed dozends of times in the blogger comunity, nevertheless I would love to share my opinion about it with you. The Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint is most likely one of the best known and still best selling products from Etude House. Koreans love their lip tints and if you like tint you’ll find so many different ones. And although I love tints, too, I did not purchase too many yet, simply because this is the only lip product I actually seem to use up after a while :D By the way, is anybody interested in a lip product collective post? :D

Some words about Etude House to start with: 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…Also here, the packaging design looks lovely. As the name says, the packaging is covered with cherries all over. The design of the cardboard box is kind of pinup- vintage style and really lovely. There are four different shades for this tint and each of them has packaging colors fitting to the color of the product. The Etude House Fresh Cherry tint I bought is in shade RD301, Cherry Red.

Apart from the cute cardboard box packaging the liptint itself comes in a cute bottle, too. The description on the cardboard box is in Korean and in English. The lip tint is supposed to offer moisture and shiny lips. It is a cream/milk type tint, in contrast to watertype tints like Benetint, for example. You can find the ingredients of the lip tint on Etude House Official. According to COSDNA there are no harmful ingredients.

The bottom of the bottle and the top of the cardboard box reveal the shade of the lip tint. On the bottom of the bottle you’ll find the production date printed, too! When the Etude House Official Online store opened a lot of customers were confused with that, because they thought it is the expiration date.

The cap of the bottle comes with the applicator brush. The tint itself is creamy and feels moisturizing. It gives the lips a nice glossy and plumping effect. The Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint smells and tastes fruity and I love that point. colorwise it is less cherry red but more cherry pink toned. I had some samples of this tint before, so I knew about the color.

The tint looks pretty on the lips. As you can see in the pictures below the color of the tint is more visible in the center of my lips. I encountered this with many tint products. Nevertheless, it gives your lips a nice pop of color and the stain is lasting some time, too. As usual, it won’t stay as you apllied it after eating/drinking, but a hint of color will remain.

This tint has several advantages: it is cheap, it gives a nice pop of color to your lips, it smells and tastes delicious! Moreover, I didn’t feel that the lip tint is drying on my lips. The downside may be that it tends to gather up in the inside of the lips, so some won’t like the way the lip tint applies. If you love lip tints you need one of these in your collection! I bought mine from Etude House official online store. It retails for 6 US$ there, but shipping is high and I would recommend you to wait for some free shipping event and make a larger purchse. You can also get this from W2Beauty for 4.50 US$ or from testerkorea for 4300 Won (~4.50 US$).

♥ PS: Don’t forget to take part in the Instagram loop giveaway! ♥

12 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick

11. March 2015

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Now, this is really a long time in my draft! I bought the popular Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick before it was sold out the first time. Since it was sold out I decided to postpone the review until it is back in stock :D The product is now back in stock, but it took me months to finally finish this review :D. Most of you will have probably heard about this cleansing stick and I guess a lot have been intrigued to try it. So did I and here is my impression:

This is the first product I’m trying from the high end brand Sum 37. This Korean brand focusses on products with natural fermentation ingredients which are on top artificial scent free, artificial color free and compose preservatives free. The brand is part of LG Household and Healthcare. The name is derived from the Korean word for “breathe” and by using good ingredients the motto of Sum 37 is to make the ‘skin breath happily’. The design of the products is mature and luxurious looking, which fits with their pricetag. The Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick is a facial cleansing product containing fermented rose flower extracts. It not only helps you to clean your skin, but in the same time makes a good facial massaging product.

The Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick comes in a cardboard box. The paper feels already luxurious and sturdy, with a matte finish. The name of the product and the description is made with golden color. since these parts are reflective it was a bit hard to take a picture. The box I show you was sold during Christmas-time, which is why you have the snowflakes printed on the packaging. The description is written mostly in Korean, with some pictures displaying how to use the stick. It contains a short description in English on one of the sides.

The pretty cardboardbox reveals a pale pink stick of sturdy plastic. It has the logo printed on it in golden letters. On the backside of the stick you’ll find some Korean description again. The top of the stick is a simple cap and the bottom can be rotated in order to push the stick out, similar to a lipstick or lipbalm.

The bottom also has the expiration date printed on it. The stick itself has a size which fits good into the hand. The volume of the product is 80 g.

The cleansing stick is a cleanser in a solid form. It contains coconut oil as one of the main ingredients, which makes the product solid at room temperature. As soon as the stick gets into contact with warmer temperatures, like our skin, it melts. The second key ingredient for the Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick is the fermented damask rose extract. You will even find rose petals inside the cleansing balm (similar to the Rosemine Floral Remedy Cleansing Foam, only that this one is a foam cleanser). Apart from these two key ingredients all the ingredients listed for this product are safe according to COSDNA. It contains also a couple of other plant oils and extracts, so if you have any reactions with specific plant extract you might want to check out the ingredients list first.

When using the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick you first have to wet you face, then you push up the stick by turning the bottom. You do not need to push it out fully, 1 cm is enough, I even need less. Then you massage the stick over your skin. Afterwards you can soak and lather the product on your skin. It won’t create a lot of foam like most of the foam cleansers do, but it will clean away most of your makeup. In the picture below you see that it cleans off all the makeup and simply a light trace of the orange pencil liner remains. Since most people use some kind of makeup remover for eyes and lips before cleansing, it is of less importance. But even if you do not use any makeup remover before, you’ll be able to take of most of your makeup efficiently with this cleansing stick. The scent of the product is nice and of course you can smell the roses! The pH of the product lies between 5-6, so it is a weak acid and your natural skin barrier is protected while cleansing.

What do I like about the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick? First of all, it is super travel friendly, since it is a cleanser in a solid form. Then, I love roses and rose scent, but I know that some people don’t like the scent or have sensitive skin that has problems with rose extracts. Another plus is the ingredient list and the point that it contains fermented ingredients and has the perfect pH for the skin. You really have this spa experience while using this cleanser, first giving yourself a facial massage and then cleaning it thoroughly. It does not only have the label of a high end brand but it also feels like one. The pricetag for the Sum 37 Miraacle Rose Cleansing Stick is high and that is the major disadvantage. This is also the reason I can not make myself to use it everyday, but rather use it occasionally. Another small downside is, that some product melts to the sides of the stick, so if you would simply put on the cap after using you would have a lot of cleansing balm messed around in the cap. I take the excess melted balm with my finger and use it on my face, or reduce the amount of product I push up from the beginning. Would I recommend you to buy it? Yes, even for the pricetag it is worth at least to try it once. I don’t know if I will be able to repurchase it ever again, but I love my cleansing/spa experience with the Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick and I would love to try other products from this brand. This one retails for 36.50 US$ at W2Beauty.

♥ PS: Don’t forget to take part in the Instagram loop giveaway! ♥

16 Comments

Older Posts

Newer Posts