Berries in the Snow

Review: Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub

3. July 2015

A quick review on a tiny but helpful product, the Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub! Especially if you have often dry or chapped lips lip scrub should be known to you. There are many alternatives to make DIY- lipscrub using honey and sugar, but sometimes it is just more convenient to have a ready made lipscrub at hands.

Shara Shara is kind of a newer brand compared to Etude House or Missha etc. It attracts the attation mainly by a very girly and cute packaging design, using bright colors and illustrations. The subtitle of their official page is “the romantic lounge for ladies”. You’ll find a lot of doll faces and comic figures on their products, too. I reviewed the Shara Shara Real Sauce sheet mask previously and I have some other Shara Shara products which still need to be reviewed, mainly from my MeMeBox purchases of last year :D (unfortunatelly, they don’t ship to Europe anymore, but if you are from the US you still might to check it out). The Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub is from MeMeBox, too, but I still had another lip scrub which I wanted to use up before starting to use this one.

First thing to notice for this lip scrub is the doll face depicted on the tin, where the lip scrub comes in. Depending on your taste you might regard the design as cute or too childish. For me personally it is not the prettiest design, because I don’t think that the doll face is specially cute :’D Nevertheless, I can understand if people love the design. The colors of the tin are pastell colors to have everything fit in this dolly-girly image.

Inside the tin you’ll find the product, which looks like a solid lipbutter with some dark particles inside. The Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub contains 10 g of product and consists mainly of brown sugar, avocado oil, honey extract, shea butter and vitamin E derivate Tocopheryl Acetate. apart from the brown sugar for exfoliating it also contains Walnut Shell particles.

Of course, the disadvantage of having a tin is that you have to touch the product either by your (hopefully clean) fingers, or use a spatula in order to keep the product as clean as possible. I preferr lip scrubs with a more creamy formula which come in a tube which is definitively more hygienic. Other than that the product is easy to take out, since the shea butter is melting easily. There is also a good amount of sugar and walnut shell particles to ensure an effective scrub. After using it and washing the product of your lips the lips feel soft and also hydrated because of the Shea butter (and probably also the other ingredients like avocado and argan oil) and they feel like you have applied lipbalm. The taste of the product is flowery/perfumy, which is a bit of a sad point here. Of course there is the sweetness from the sugar, but I would have preferred a more yummy scent than perfume.

Alltogether the Shara Shara Kissing Sugar Lip Scrub does a good job as lip scrub and makes the lips feel soft and nourished and nice afterwards. It is not expensive either, so if you don’t mind the lack of nice taste and like the packaging you will do nothing wrong with this. I personally will use it up, but I will probably try out another more tasteful lipscrub after this one :D You can get this lip scrub for 4730 won (~5 US$) from testerkorea for example.

♥ Oh, and if you have time, feel free to join my two giveaways! You can click on the images to be redirected :) ♥

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beauty other Wishtrend

Wishtrend July 2015 Promotions

1. July 2015

It’s July already! Time passes too quickly at the moment :’D Finally we have some higher temperatures in Germany aswell. I feared it will be like 20° C all summer long :D Here are Wishtrend July 2015 Promotions, which means new codes and and gifts for our 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 favourite 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. I’m very honoured that I was chosen as their affiliate of the month for June (Thanks again, Wishtrend!). So, without any further addo, here are the coupon codes for July:

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

Coupon Code: WISHJULY2015
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 July 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 Lei Lani Pink Mochi Nose Clear Pack (2.99 US$ value).

Voucher Code: WISHGIFTJULY2015
ANY ORDER
Only valid until the end of July 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:

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? ♥ Oh, and if you have time, feel free to join my two giveaways! You can click on the images to be redirected :) ♥

Allgemein beauty giveaway other q-depot

Giveaway: Win an Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion

29. June 2015

Happy Monday everybody! I know, Mondays are usually the most unpopular weekday since it means that our precious weekend has passed and we have to go back to work. Nevertheless, in order to sweeten up this week for you I have prepared a quick giveaway with the Korean cosmetics online store Q-depot :D

You have the opportunity to win an Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion kindly sponsored by Q-depot. This flawless cushion foundation creates beautiful pearly bright skin with its full coverage and smoothing effects. Cushion foundations are quite a trend in Korea and you will find cushion products from almost all Korean brands. Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion is the first cushion foundation by Etude House and has gained a lot of popularity since then. Check out Q-depot’s description for the Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion >>here<<.

Here are the rules for taking part into this Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion giveaway:

1. The giveaway is open internationally.

2. You can take part through the Rafflecopter form below.

3. I will look through the entries and delete any wrong entries, so cheating won’t do you any good.

4. Please, be fair and do not like my blog, and unlike it after the giveaway has ended. This is my way to thank these people who like to read my blog.

5. The chosen winner has 3 days to anwer my Email and send me his/her address.

6. The giveaway ends on July 10th, 2015.

7. I’m not responsible for any damages/ lost items through postal services. The product will be send by Q-depot with standard shipping without tracking number.

It is mandatory to sign up to Q-depot and to like their Facebook page. By signing in you’ll receive 5 US$ coupon useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$, too. Moreover, in order to unlock the additional entries I would appreciate if you are following my blog. In case you are selected as winner you can select between three different shades for the Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion: light beige (N02), honey beige (w24) and natural beige (W13). Good luck to everybody participating! ♥

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to know more about cushion foundations you might want to check out some of my previous reviews:

Missha Magic Cushion Case

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion

Also, I’m hosting a giveaway for my 2nd Bloganniversary >>here<<, so be sure to enter that giveaway, too!

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beauty beauty boxes Rossmann

Unboxing: Rossmann Schön für Mich Box June

25. June 2015

When I received the Rossmann Schön für Mich Beauty Box June I was super excited about it, since the previous Schön für Mich box in May was surprisingly good, and I started to unwrap the package eagerly! Rossmann Schön für Mich Box is a monthly beauty box by the German drugstore company Rossmann. The beauty box contains some of the Rossmann beauty brands, but also other known drugstore brands. Let’s see what I received in June:

Another beautifully designed box with purple flowers! These boxes are so pretty and definitively nothing to throw away afterwards! Inside the box the product description card with the same flower print is waiting to be opened.

The Rossmann Schön für Mich Box was pretty heavy again and filled completely with products. There were a total of ten different products inside, a mix of Rossmann beauty products and known drugstore brands. For the price of 5 € these boxes are amazing!

Again, all the items are fullsized products and apart from the product description you’ll find discount coupons for all the products, if you want to repurchase them.

Here are the products I received with the Rossmann Schön für Mich beauty box June:

Isana Dry-Shampoo

This dry shampoo is from the Rossmann brand Isana. I like dry shampoo a lot, especially in summer for camping or festivals. Or simply if you have bangs and don’t want to wash the hair every day. This one will definitively be used.

Kneipp Showering Balm Almond-Blossom

I had the almond blossom body oil from the same line and I’m addicted to the scent! I’m very happy about this shower gel and it really feels hydrating on the skin, too!

Rival de Loop Eyebrow Pencil

This is a brand by Rossmann, too. I’m not a fan of western brow products so far and this is no exception. I like the included brush, but the pencil is too pigmented in order to give a natural look.

Colgate Max White One Optic Toothpaste

I didn’t try this one yet, but I tried other Colgate toothpaste and liked using them. I guess this one will be similar..and you’ll always in need of toothpaste :D

RdeL Young Million Dollar Lips

A lip lacquer from the Rossmann brand RdeL Young. The color is a pretty cherrypink, which is the color I would have selected from the color options available. One can never have enough lip products :D

Sun Ozon Sunmilk Sensitive SPF 25

This waterproof, fragnance-free sunmilk by Rossmann comes just in time…I’m still waiting for the weather to warm up finally (it is almost Juny and we are still below 20°C! :'( ). It contains Jojoba Oil for dry skintypes, so I’m especially curious how it will be when using it on my skin.

Nivea In-Shower Cleansing Cream and Makeup Remover

I was super excited about this one, because I hate it when my eye makeup is not removed completely why taking a shower in the evening. It is a mild cleanser and it leaves the skin not dryx after using it, but it is not the greatest makeup remover unfortunately.

Aok Daily Moisturizing Cream

This moisturizing cream contains grape extract and plant hyaluron and is supposed to be moisturizing for 24 hours. Looks like an interesting moisturizer, hopefully it will provide enough moisture for me.

Dove Compressed Deo Spray

Usually, I’m buying this deo spay when I’m out of deo, so it is great to have it in this box. The compressed size looks perfect for taking it along in the handbag and/or travelling.

For your Beauty Traceless Hair Ring

Similar to Invisibobble, Rossmann has their own traceless hair ring. They have a good quality and I’m very happy with them and use them daily :D

I can only repeat myself at this box: although the Rossmann Schön für Mich Box contains only drugstore products the price of 5 € is really great. All the products are fullsized and the box is filled up completely. The box design is pretty, too. All in all, a great value for a fair price! If you love drugstore brands, you will like the Rossmann Schön für Mich beauty boxes, too. The boxes each month are limited though and they are raffling each month to select the persons who will be able to get it. For more information check out facebook. If you are curious for any specific product from this box leave a comment and I will try to write a review.

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.rossmann.de/ 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: 3CE Creamy Cheek Stick

24. June 2015

I’m getting more fond of Stylenanda’s 3 Concept Eyes product with every item I try try from this brand! I still don’t understand why the 3CE Water Wrapping Mask was the first item I tried from this brand, making the 3CE Creamy Cheek Stick the second item :D This items was part of BNTnews Beauty Blogger Box for June and provided kindly to me for reviewing purpose. I’m not as much a blush hoarder or addict as I’m with lip products. Nevertheless, I have accumulated quite some different shades and types. Most of them are peach or red toned, but I do not own a pink blush which is as vivid as this cream blush by 3CE. I hope you don’t get bored, since this is my second blush review this week :D

3CE stands for 3 Concept Eyes and was launched in 2009 as a cosmetic brand by Stylenanda. The packaging of the products is similar to MAC cosmetics and mainly black with the triangular logo displayed on the product. Although very simple I think that this kind of packaging looks somehow very trendy. The price of Stylenanda’s 3CE lies in the mid region, but since it is more expensive than Etude House for example, I never ended up buying any 3CE products previously. The 3CE Creamy Cheek Stick comes in the typical black cardboard box with the white lettering and logo. The blush is available in 6 different shades, each of tem has its significant color in the upper part of the cardboard box displayed. The blush I’m showing you here has the shade “Pink Factory”, a lovely soft pink color for a lovely mood!

The sides of the cardboard box show the Korean description. You can find English description for the product on the official site >>here<<.

The 3CE Creamy Cheek Stick is a cream-type stick blush which is supposed to melt onto the skin and give it a long-lasting color. The stick contains 7 g of product. I added the ingredients to COSDNA and you can look them up >>here<<. The blush even contains titanium dioxide for some minimal UV protection. The other ingredients are mostly safe to use and the only red labelled ingredient is the yellow pigment for giving the blush its color. Supposingly, the concentration of the pigments is so low that we can overlook that point.

The design of the stick is the same as the cardboard packaging. The material is plastic and it has a winding mechanism to push up the blush-bullet. The product is sealed, too, so you know if somebody already opened it, or if it is new.

Normally, you use such kind of stick-type products by winding them up a bit, but I was curious how much 7 g looks like and I pushed the bullet out completelly in the image below. You can see that the color is a true pastell pink color. The 3CE Creamy Cheek Blush is described as a product providing real color, bright creamy texture and practical stick-type applicator. It contains “Real fiiting powder” in the formula in order to adhere to the skin in its realest hue. The creamy texture makes it possible for the product to melt into the skin and base makeup without clumping and nevertheless expresses a bright color. And of course the small size of 8 cm and the stick-type applicator is super travel- and handbag-friendly and makes it possible to take it everywere.

Below you can see how the blush looks like when applied. When swatched you can clearly see the bright color. It applies like a matte lipstick from the feeling, so it is creamy, but not oily or overly moisturizing, nor super slippery. The color can be blended easily with the fingers and it doesn’t leave any streaks, but turns into a pretty soft pinkish color. The feeling of it is soft, but not oily or dewy like some cream blushes can be. The finish therefore is neither glowy, nor powdery, but pretty much looks like skin. The pigmentation of the blush is buildable, but always nicely to blend out to create soft borders. It does not clump with my makeup or the cremes I’m using. The staying power is good, too, and although the stick is very handbag-friendly I don’t think that there is much need for a touch-up during the day. The color also looks pink on my cheecks and is nicely visible on my skintone. The bullet has no significant scent by the way.

The 3CE Creamy Cheek Stick is the second item I tried from 3 Concept Eyes and the second one I love aswell. I like the point that it blends in so nicely and can be carried around easily, too. Apart from the high pricetag I don’t see any negative aspects for this blush. The 3CE Creamy Cheek Sticks retail from the official Stylenanda page for 25 US$ or from testerkorea for 22000 Won (22 US$).

This product was provided to me by BNTnews for reviewing. Don’t forget to visit the other BNTGirls Doris, Celine, Alene, Kim and Bella and check out their reviews. And visit BNTnews for the latest Korean news and trends:

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

♥ And remember to take part in my 2nd bloganniversary 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.bntnews.co.uk/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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beauty review Rossmann

Review: Max Factor Pastell Compact Blush

21. June 2015

Today, I have a western makeup product review for you. I received the Max Faktor Pastell Compact Blush (or also known as Max Factor Cream Puff Blush) with the German drugstore beauty box “Schön Für Mich-Box” from Rossmann. I saw these blushes previously in various drugstores and since I don’t have a marbled blush yet I was especially intrigued to try them. The shade I received with the mentioned beauty box is “seductive pink”. Since this is my favourite and almost daily used blush at the moment I thought about a quick review here:

Most of you will know the brand Max Factor, a makeup brand by P&G. Max Factor, the founder of the brand, was a make-up artist who worked with former Hollywood icons like Ava Gardner, Jean Harlow and Marlene Dietrich back in the 10th century making the brand one of the oldest widely and worldwide known makeup brands. The Max Factor Pastell Compact Blush is available in 6 different shades. Each blush is composed of two colors and is pressed into a beautiful marbled blush as you can see for “seductive pink”. The marbled surface was the main reason I was attracted by this blush. It makes the tiny container look really beautiful. The golden and black packaging gives an elegant edge to the whole product.

The description from Max Factor says:

“Sometimes, a subtle flush of colour is the look you’re after; other times, a more striking contoured finish is what you want. New creme puff blush is perfect for creating both, and everything in between thanks to its easy-to-build formula.

Multi-tonal pigments work with your skintone
Finely milled, marbled finish
Controllable formula allows you to build colour as required.
Ultra blendable – no visible blush lines”

And I can confirm all the points mentioned above. By swirling a brush over the blush you will get a perfect mix of the two tines in the blush. The application is very easy and leaves a nice color with a slight sheen on your cheeks. The color is buildable, too, but I think a light brushing already gives you a nice a visible pop of color.

As I said at the beginning of this post: I’m in love with this blush and with the color. It is daily wearable and fits to my skintone. It is easy to use and longlasting, too, and the marbled appearance is beautiful! Most of all the prize lies at 8.50 € and it is available in most drugstores even here in Germany. If you have a chance to try them I can recommend you to do so! Did you try any marbled blushes? Do you have a favourite brand? I heard good things about the Hourglas mnarbled blushes, too.

♥ And remember to take part in my 2nd bloganniversary giveaway! ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

19. June 2015

After using and loving the Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion for quite some time now I’ve been really interested in trying more products from Pongdang and the next thing I discovered was the Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion. There are so many cushions right now and I’m tempted to buy more, although I do not really need anymore :D

Pongdang is a Korean brand by people’s. It has a small product range with simple products focussing on the ingredients as it seems to me. They have a webpage >>here<< but it is in Korean. The products have a clean design, which is what was most obvious for me for this brand. You can find their products on Wishtrend. The Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion is a cushion foundation containing 13 different marine extracts for providing moisture to the skin. Apart from that the cushion has SPF 50 and PA+++ in order to protect the skin from UV radiation. The cushion claims to be brightening, moisturizing, and long-lasting.

The cushion foundation comes in a cardboard box made from recycled paper. The design is very simple, typical for Pongdang products. You will find English and Korean description on the cardboard box, too. You can find the ingredients in COSDNA >>here<<, but they are also listed in English on the packaging. Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion contains various sunscreen components like titanium dioxide, Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, Ethylhexyl salicylate, Tinosorb S, and 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor. The latter is labelled red in COSDNA. The key ingredients are also separatelly listed on the cardboard box. Furthermore the product is 6-free, which means it contains 6 non-added formulas. It is written in Korean on the cardboard box which these 6 are, but unfortunatelly I didn’t find the translation. The 13 marine extracts are Marine Collagen, Brown Algae, Agar-agar, Seaweed, Laver, Gom Pi, Gulfweed, Sea Staghorn, Holmes, Sea Mustard, Kelp, Hypnea Cornuta and Fusiforme. You can find further description on Wishtrend, too, or on the official Korean webpage >>here<<.

The cushion foundation itself comes in the regular cushion pact. It comes with a mirror and an application puff inside, too.

The puff feels different than the puff for Missha or Innisfree Cushion and it doesn’t seem to be a ruby-cell puff. Therefore, it doesn’t feel that soft as my other puffs. Another thing I noticed is, that the puffs from my previous cushion foundations have kind of a cooling effect, which is not the case here.

The inside is the same as for all cushion foundations. There is a seal for the soaked cushion inside and the lid to protect the cushion from trying closes properly, too. The sponge is also soaked thoroughly and one touch with the finger will be enough to get a propper amount of the BB cream. Unfortunately, there is only one shade available, which is quite light compared to my skin color at the moment. My face is usually a bit lighter than my hand, but still this BB cream leaves a bit of a white cast due to the bright color in general. Maybe it fits better in winter…The container with the cushion can be removed from the case, so it seems as if there are also refills for this BB cream, but I didn’t see them anywhere online yet.

The coverage of the Pongdang Glow BB Cushion is medium to high. It covers all my freckles and discoloration and gives the skin an even color. Due to the product description I expected this BB cushion to be similar to the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion, which is one of my favourite bb/cc creams at the moment. The Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion leaves my skin feel moisturized and gives it a natural glow. The Pongdang Glow BB Cushion on the other hand has more of a matte finish and despite the name it doesn’t feel moisturizing at all. Also, the application is very difficult, especially with the included sponge and makes areas like my nose and chin look flakey. It is not buildable either and starts to flake once you try to apply another layer. Moreover, it is not touch-proof and you will leave marks on your complexion every time you touch your skin. With a ruby-cell puff the application works better, and you can create a nice(r) finish, but still the texture is not easy to work with. The scent of the BB cream is a soapy one, but it is not intense.

After loving the Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion so much I had high hopes for this cushion. According to the description, the dewy finish and the moisturizing properties of the Pongdang glow BB Cushion intrigued me to try this, but I must say that I don’t think that the product fulfills these claims. The name therefore is also not properly chosen, since I don’t see any dewy finish at all. Maybe, it works better on other skintypes, or maybe I did something wrong here…anyways, if you want to try this because of a dewy finish go for the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion instead. Although this cushion is not my favourite I’m still curious about all the other items from this brand. I have heard that their regular BB creams are good, too. Maybe it is better to check out one of them instead. The Pongdang Glow BB Cushion retaills for 19.55 US$ at Wishtrend and has a volume of 20 g. Also, check out the June promotions on Wishtrend before grabbing your products. 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.

♥ And remember to take part in my 2nd bloganniversary giveaway! ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel

18. June 2015

Of course with summer approaching everybody thinks of sun protection, but even in winter you should use your daily dose of UV protection for your face. UV radiation will not only cause visible and accute skin damage (like sunburn), but it also makes your skin look older by the time. It is responsible for getting more lines and pigmentations (freckles). Looking at asian cosmetics you will find daily useable sunscreens everywhere! One brand which is often mentioned when it comes to daily sunscreens, especially japanese ones, is the Bioré UV Aqua Rich Line. Many people have heard of the Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence, but the Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel I’m reviewing is a new product in this year in that line.

Bioré is a japanese brand within the Kao cooperation, a chemical and cosmetics company. It is knwon for mainly skincare products like cleansing, lotions and sunscreen. The Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel has an SPF 50+/ PA++++ and is a daily useable sunscreen for face and body. Not only does it protect your face from UV radiation, but also it can be used as a makeup base. One thing I have to point out here: most asian sunscreens are usually made for daily use, but not for sunbathing or outdoor activities! You should use a sunscreen made specially for that purpose if you plan on using it therefore. Moreover, the Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel is not waterproof ( that means it is not sweatproof either).

You might be wondering why to buy an extra sunscreen for daily use if it is not sweatproof and not suited for sunbathing etc? You could go ahead and use your regular beach sunscreen daily and for protecting your face, too, but the problem I discovered with most of these sunscreens is, that they made my skin too greasy and heavy. They were not suited for base makeup either. The Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel is totally different here and I will describe my experience toawards the end of this review. But first let’s take a look at the packaging and the description:

The Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel and the Watery Essence have both a signature pale blue plastic packaging. In contrast to the Watery Essence, which comes in a regular tube, the Watery Gel comes in a squeezing bottle. It also contains 90 ml volume, whereas the Watery Essence tube contains only 50 ml (big size 75 ml). Like most japanese products it does not come in a cardboard box, but in a plastic packaging. The description is in Japanese only, but if you are curious about the ingredients you can check up COSDNA >>here<<. The key ingredients for sun protection are Octinoxate, Tinosorb S (BisEthylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine), Uvinol A Plus (Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate), Uvinol T 150 (Ethylhexyl Triazone), and Titanium Dioxide. Unfortunately, this sunscreen contains alcohol, but unlike aggressive skincare products with alcohol, this one didn’t feel uncomfortable on my skin. You will also notice a light alcohol scent at the beginning which vanishes quickly and leaves the signature citrus/lemon scent of this sunscreen. Apart from this, the Watery Gel contains moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and royal jelly and is thus also useable on dry skintypes like mine. If you want to read more about the description I can recommend you the my holy grail blog for asian sunscreen reviews, Ratzillacosme. Apart from descriptions for almost every japanese sunscreen you can also find reviews for tons of them. It is one of the most helpful sites if you are looking for an asian sunscreen.

So, the Bioré UV Aqua Moist Watery Gel is designed as a gel-type sunscreen which also moisturizes the skin. Since it is designed as a makeup base I have certain expectations for it, like to be non-sticky and not greasy. Like the product packaging also the bottle contains only japanese descriptions.

The cap of the bottle can be unwind easily. There is a small nozzle to squeeze the product out, but since it is quite runny in its consistency I would be careful not to squeeze too hard. Unlike you would think from the name the product is not a gel-type one, but it looks like a runny, light-yellow colored milk. It has a citrus scent to it, which I didn’t like in first place, but I got used to it eventually. It isn’t too strong anyways.

When applied the milky texture turns watery immediatelly. If feels moist and nice and not oily or heavy at all. It contains tiny white capsules which dissolve after blending the gel in and it absorbs super fast. When it is absorbed it leaves the skin neither greasy, nor matte and powdery, but just like healthy and moist skin. It has no white cast either. Although it contains alcohol I don’t have the feeling that it makes my skin tight or dry- on the contrary, the skin feels moisturized and fresh. Since it absorbs so quickly and isn’t oily or drying it works great as makeup base. I had no flaking or clumping problems with following steps.

I love the Bioré UV Aqua rich Watery Gel! Point! Despite the fact that I’m not the citrus-scent lover there is nothing I have to complain here. It is not greasy, leaves the skin healthy looking and not dried, doesn’t leave a white cast and absorbs fast. Oh, it is non-sticky, too! The application is watery and refreshing, too, and it works great as base make-up. I bought my tube from Adambeauty for HK$67 (~8.40 US$), but it is out of stock at the moment. It is also available on ebay for around 10 US$.

And something a bit off-topic: I repaired the link to my RSS feed and also put a link to my Email subscription list on the sidebar now. If you are interested feel free to subscribe :D

♥ And remember to take part in my 2nd bloganniversary giveaway! ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

15. June 2015

Despite the fact that my main skin concern is dry skin, which has improved greatly since I’m using asian skincare and an asian inspired skincare routine, I still have another skin concern which is in correlation with increasing age: enlarged pores :’D I have visible pores in my T-zone, especially on my nose and what would be nicer than to make them appear smaller. Of course using BB/CC creams and or primers hides them, still it would be nice to have them smaller even without makeup. For that purpose I have started to use the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum, a daily useable serum containing BHA to gently deep cleanse pores. After using it for around 50 days (maybe more, but I was inconsistent), here is my impression:

COSRX is a affordable Korean brand “offering good quality beauty items for 10 years”. The brand name is composed of COS for cosmetics and RX for prescription. Brand like Ciracle and C20 (yes, the famous vitamin C serum) are also part of COSRX. One of the rather popular skincare lines from COSRX are the AHA/BHA skincare products. I’m using the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum in combination with the COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner I reviewed previously. The packaging design of all the COSRX products is simple and similar. They all come in a white cardboard box with a black area where the product name is written in. The rest of the cardboard box contains very detailled descriptions in English and Korean. You can click on the image below to enlarge and read the description.

The cardboard description also contains the rather short ingredient list of the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum. The ingredients are also listed on COSDNA, if you want to check upon them >>here<<. The main ingredient of this astringent serum is White Willow water, which makes 80 % of the ingredients. Since it is an astringent serum for removing the sebum from clogged pores the second ingredient is alcohol, but although I have dry skin and usually too much alcohol in products makes my skin feel irritated I don’t have that feeling here. I focus for the application on my T-zone mainly, too. The Beta salicylate, the BHA, makes 0.5 % of the ingredients, and helps to exfoliate the troubled areas and smoothen the skin. Condition for the BHA to work is a low pH. The serum itself has a pH of 6-7 according to my meassurement, it says 7 on Wishtrend. Therefore it is important to use a preparation toner with a low pH before. Apart from these ingredients the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum contains Hyaluronic acid for moisturization and Zinc Oxide for UV protection. Nevertheless, you should keep using sunscreen during daytime when using BHA/AHA products!

The COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum contains 100 ml in a pump bottle made of sturdy, frosted plastic. You see an orangy liquid through the bottle. When you receive it, you will notice floating white particles in the liquid and some white residue on the bottom of the bottle. This is the sebum absorption powder as stated in the description and you have to shake the bottle before every use of the serum, so the powder dissolves in the solution. The serum is made for all skintypes for daily use in the morning and evening, but if you have very sensitive skin COSRX suggests to only use it in the evening and 2-3 times a week. Since it is an astringent serum to remove oil and clogged pores I use a cotton pad to swipe the serum over my target areas. It is important to also leave the product until it is fully absorbed, so the effect of the ingredients is not weakened.

The bottom of the bottle has the production and the expiration date printed on and you will find further Korean description on the body label of the bottle and below the sticker. The serum has a shelf-life of 12 months.

I use a couple of pumps on my cotton pads while applying the serum. The serum has a clear, runny consistency and a light alcohol-scent which dissapears super quickly and leaves a scentless finish. The serum absorbs quickly, too, and is not sticky.

The immediat effect of the COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum is definetly the deep cleanse of the pores. Even after double cleansing this astringent serum shows some dirt on the cotton pad used. The area around my nose looks cleared up and the pores look less visible, which is only ahort time effect. But what about longterm effects of this serum? As I said at the beginning, I did not use this product religiously day and night, but I’d say I used it for around 50 days in total, maybe more. I’m half-through the bottle now. Below you can see a closeup of my nose starting from the first day I used it up to today. Despite the different lightening conditions you can see that the pores appear less deep. From only looking at the mirror I thought there are no huge changes, but seeing the closeup convinced me, that if used regulary I’m sure that the effects are even better to see. At the moment I do not use any other BHA/AHA products apart from this serum and the Treatment Toner, but I want to start using Mizon AHA serum in the evenings now. Let’s see how all the three (together with my OST Vitamin C serum) work together.

The COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish clearly fulfills its purpose as astringent serum for deep cleansing pores. It immedieatelly makes the pores appear smaller and clearer and even on longterm you can see some changes. If used regulary day and night I’m sure the results will be even more visible. I’d say this is a good BHA serum for people with sensitive skin to start with. I’m in love with it and so far it fits nicely into my skincare routine. Let’s see how it works in combination with a stronger AHA serum and if I will keep repurchasing it or not. ~~You can get the COSRX BHA Summer Poire Minish Serum with a volume of 100 ml from Wishtrend for 13.80 US$.~~ It seems the product is currently out of stock!

Check out my other reviews for COSRX products >>here<<.

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asian cosmetics beauty beauty boxes review

Review: Ddung Liquid Eyeliner

13. June 2015

Thanks to the times that MeMeBox was shipping internationally I have a huge box of still unopened and unused Korean beauty products I didn’t have a chance to try yet. But as time goes by and there is no other beauty box I’m intrigued by I’m starting to go through the single products. This one is the Ddung Liquid Eyeliner:

I didn’t know the Korean brand Ddung before, but I received two products from this brand, which is this eyeliner and a foam cleanser (I didn’t try the foam cleanser yet). Apparently, Ddung is a toy brand selling dolls. If you search google you’ll find some of these dolls. I didn’t find any information about their cosmetic products. Looking at the packaging design the brand is targeting young females, because the packaging displays the images of the Ddung dolls and contains pink colors, too. Below you see the cardboard packaging for the Ddung Liquid Eyeliner:

The description are in Korean only, but product description crad from MeMeBox says that the formula of this liquid eyeliner is supposed to offer “defined, feminine eyes with a long-lasting, waterproof and non-smudging wear”. The Ddung Liquid Eyeliner comes in the typical short liquid eyeliner tube. The colors are black and pink, like the cardboard packaging, and show the illustration of the Ddung doll.

The backside contains a short information about where this is made. The ddung liquid eyeliner contains 5 ml product.

The lid of the container has a thin brush attached. Depending on the pressure you put on the brush you can create thin or thicker lines, like drawing with water colors ;) For beginners this might be difficult first, but you can get used to it quickly.

The color of this eyeliner is black and the color can be intensified when applying several layers. Nevertheless you have to be carefull because you might accidentially remove the previous layer. Once the liquid eyeliner is dried it is rubb-proof to an extend. If you rubb for a longer time you will slowly peel off the eyeliner. Water and a bit of rubbing removes it completelly.

The Ddung Liquid Eyeliner is a solid liquid eyeliner with a girly packaging. The black color is nice, too and is not too pale like with some other eyeliners. Nevertheless its claims to be waterproof are false. It is very easy to remove it with water and a bit of rubbing. Moreover, a liquid eyeliner like this might be difficult for beginners. I would advise to use pencil eyeliners or liquid pen eyeliners instead. The price for the Ddung Liquid Eyeliner is 12 US$ according to MeMeBox, but I didn’t find it anywhere else to confirm the price. Did anyone try products from the brand Ddung? OrR are there any collectors of these dolls around?

♥ And remember to take part in my 2nd bloganniversary giveaway! ♥

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