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Review: Benton Snail Bee High Content Skin

11. June 2014

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFIIATE LINKS //

As I promised in my review on Benton’s Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream I will show you the Benton Snail Bee High Content Skin, a complimentary toner for the Benton Snail Bee High Content skincare line. There is another toner available, called Aloe BHA Skin Toner, which was released previously, but recently the Snail Bee High Content Skin was added to the Benton range. After my skin reaction with the steam cream I thought that it might be some problem or co-reaction with my other skincare products, so I decided to try the steam cream together with this toner.

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 being snail secretion filtrate in first place and adding bee venom on top made it widely appalling for skincare junkies. It’s no news, when I say that especially snail secretaion filtrate products were the most wanted ingredient last year. I also did try samples from the one or other brand and I also reviewed Mizon’s Snail Secration Gel Cream. When I heard about the new brand Benton and their Snail Bee High Content skincare line I knew that I had to try the products.

All Benton products have a simple cardbox packaging of recycled paper. The description is provided in English and in Korean. The ingredients are natural and the toner doesn’t contain any fragnances. according to COSDNA the ingredients all green flaged. Here is the list:

Snail Secretion Filtrate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Glycerin, Niacinamide, Human Ogliopeptide-1, Bee Venom, Diospyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Ulmus Campetris (Elm) Extract, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Athaea Rosea Root Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Betaine, Bacillus Ferment, Panthenol, Beta-Glucan, Allantoin, Azelaic Acid, Adenosine

The Benton Snail Bee High Content Skin comes in a plastic bottle with a pump. The color of the bottle is a brown plastic and you can see the level of product inside. The writings on the bottle contain part of the descriptions of the cardbox packaging, but after some weeks and also travelling with the bottle, the writing dissapears slowly. The pump dispenser is protected by a clear plastic cap.

The toner is easy to use. you need around 2-3 pumps for your face. The texture of the toner is liquid and watery, similar to water and not like one would imagine snail filtrate to be. It has no scent at all.

All in all, I can say that this toner is a good toner considering the ingredients. It is very natural and scent free, which can be to a lot of people’s liking. I didn’t see any improvements to my skin condition, but I must sa, that I also had the skin reaction because of the Benton Steam Cream. The packaging is at least more hygienic than the one of the latter. If you are a fan of Bentons Snail Bee High Content skincare line, you might want to try this out. If you belong to those people whose skin cannot use the Benton line (like me) than you should skip this product though.

I bought my bottle containing 150 ml from W2Beauty for 18 US$.

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asian cosmetics beauty beauty boxes

Unboxing: MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 11

8. June 2014

It’s another unboxing post for MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 11. Yeiiih! :D I have to keep up with the product reviews for the items I receive- there are so many product reviews in my draft, I have to start making a list in order to publish all of them as soon as possible. The problem is that I’m far to lazy for being organized, haha. Okay, let’s see what was in this box finally:

MeMeBox is a box service company, offering a wide amount of different beauty boxes. Unlike most western beauty boxes which have to be subscribed for on a monthly basis, MeMeBoxes can be preordered but that doesn’t force you to buy more than the desired box. They ship to many countries and the products they send in their boxes are mainly Korean. Apart from their monthly Global Boxes like this one, they also have a huge amount of themed boxes, Mini Boxes, Boxes where you know what is inside, so called Superboxes with a higher value and so on…just check out their online store and you’ll find a huge selection of different boxes. Since they have become very popular within the blogger community they sell out pretty fast, but they bring up new beauty boxes so fast, that you cannot keep up with them anyways XD

The first thing jumping into my eyes when opening the box was the product from Too Cool For School. I was uber-happy when I say the mint colored packaging because I knew directly what it was. That’s the first time I receive a MeMeBox featuring a product from Too Cool For School. A double-plus because it is a product from their Dinoplatz line, with the most adorable packaging ever!!! I reviewed another product from TCFS Dinoplatz before :)

Here is the product card with the English description for each of the products. I like the constellation of product types this time.

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 11 contains these products:

Dear by Eprani Moistful Booskin (65 ml) – full size (120 ml) costs US$ 31

If you combine Booster and Skin toner you come out with the word “Booskin”. It’s a moisturizing first step for the skincare routine. I heard some about Eprani products and I was eager to try a product. At the moment I’m testing another toner, so didn’t open this one yet.

Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Cinema City (10 ml) – full size (30 ml) costs US$ 30

Yeeiih, I love the super cute packaging of the TCFS Dinoplatz line. This is a CC cream from this line…I love the packaging so much and I’m overly happy to be able to try this. Review will be up in a couple of days.

Hope Girl Nail Travel Bling Bling Set No. 04 Gold Shine (full size product)

A nail polish set in a cute packaging. I received the Gold Shine Kit, but there were other kits available , too. I’m happy with the golden polish, because I don’t have any golden polishes yet. I didn’t try it yet.

Witch’s Pouch Radiant Lolli Tint No. 3 Funky Bloom (2.5 g) – full size (4.5 g) costs US$ 14

Again, a super cute packaging. I love the travel size, because it is so tiny and fits into any pouch! The color is nice, too, it is a nice pinish color, making your lips look more healthy and youthful. I will review this, too.

Illi Fresh Moisture Body Lotion (100 ml) – full size (350 ml) costs US$ 24

I would never spend so much money on a body lotion. But I love using body lotions and that’s something you can never have enough from. The scent is fresh and citrus-y and it feels nice on the skin. A review is planned for this one. It can be also used on the face, which is nice.

Illi Green Tea Brightening Mask – full size costs US$ 3

You can never have enough sheet masks and thanks to MeMeBox there will be one addition to my mask stash with every box. I love green tea, so I’m looking forward to use this. Maybe today, since the weather is so hot…

Purederm Botanical Choice Pure Solution Eye Cream (30 ml) – full size (30 ml) costs US$ 34

Last box contained an eye serum, this time we have an eye cream. It seems to be a good cream according to the price. I didn’t open it, since I just started a new eye cream but I’m always happy with eye creams.This one contains Niacinamide, so I guess it will give you a more radiant look.

Although this box only contains 2 full size products (the mask and the eye cream) I’m very happy. There is some decorative make up and some skincare, so the balance is nice. As I said, especially the TCFS CC cream is a highlight, but the other products look promising, too. Again, a nice box and I absolutely don’t regret buying it. Also, seeing this, I’m super happy about cancelling my Glossybox subscription…

The value of the box is amazing, too, considering the fact that you pay 23 US$ normally, plus shipping (6.99 US$ for standard shipping). But I think I never paid the full price for any of the MeMeBoxes I ordered up to now. They always have so many ways to save money, by coupons and other promotions. I can definitively recommend you to check out MeMeBox online store.

Here is a list of the current events/ promotions to save some money:

For signing up you receive 10 MeMePoints worth 10 US$ at the moment

Free shipping on orders above $70 from Memeshop: FREESHIPPING

$5 off on orders over 3 Memeboxes: MEMEBUNDLE3

For ordering the MeMeBox From Nature you’ll receive 3 MeMePoints worth 3 US$

Also, when making orders of some of the boxes you might get MeMePoints, too, this helps to save the shipping costs for your next order if you get addicted like me XD

You can also read my previous unboxing posts:

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 10

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 8

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 6

Do you know MeMeBox already? Were you happy with the products so far? And if you have any requests for reviews of the received products, feel free to leave a comment :)

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream

5. June 2014

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

This post should have been published end of 2013, but my testing phase for Benton’s Snail Bee High content Steam Cream didn’t turn out the way I expected it… You might ask yourself- especially those you are in love with this daily moisturizer- what happened and here is my eyperience with the Benton skincare line. First of all, I’m usually doing a thoroughtly research on new items, especially skincare items before I buy them. When I read the first reviews- and also later reviews of Benton’s High content Steam Cream I was pretty much impressed. Probably you read the one or other review on Skin&Tonic or TheBeautyWolf, or the many othger bloggers who reviewed this cream. I read them, too, and all the raving made me curious to try it myself.

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 being snail secretion filtrate in first place and adding bee venom on top made it widely appalling for skincare junkies. It’s no news, when I say that especially snail secretaion filtrate products were the most wanted ingredient last year. I also did try samples from the one or other brand and I also reviewed Mizon’s Snail Secration Gel Cream. When I heard about the new brand Benton and their Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream I knew that I had to try this cream as soon as possible.

All Benton products have a simple cardbox packaging of recycled paper. The description is provided in English and in Korean. The ingredients are natural and the cream doesn’t contain any fragnances. according to COSDNA the ingredients are mostly green flaged. Here is the list:

Snail Secretion Filtrate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Arbutin, Human Ogliopeptide-1, Bee Venom, Plantago Asiatica Extract, Laminana Digita Extract, Dios Pyros Kaki Leaf Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract, Ulmus Campestris (Elm) Extract, Bacilus Ferment, Azelaic Acid, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Beta-Glucan, Betaine, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Cross Polymer, Adenosine, Panthenol, Allantoin, Zanthoxylum Piperitum Fruit Extract, Usnea Barbata (Lichen) Extract, Pulsatilla Koreana Extract, Arginine

The detailled instructions are in Korean only, but since it is a moisturizing cream, it is used usually after applying toner and essence.

Unpacking the cardbox reveals a plastic jar.

The cap is black and the body of the jar has a brown semi-see-through body. The plastic is not the most sturdiest. Also, as some of you will start thinking, it is also not the most hygienic packaging. Benton renewed the packaging and it is available in a tube now. That’s some good news definatively!

When I bought the cream, the batch was quite fresh according to the label. And the shelf life of the Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream is two years.

Benton’s Snail Bee High content Steam Cream has a thick and creamy texture. It feels very rich and nourishing. I only needed a small amount of the cream to cover my whole face, so the jar, although it looks small goes a long way. As soon as applied it absorbs fast and doesn’t leave any oily residue behind, but leaves the face kind of matte. As I said before, it doesn’t contain any fragnances and it is also scent free.

So, since Benton has changed the packaging from a jar to a tube, it sounds as if is the ideal product. What happened that took me so long to review it? It’s simple: the first time I started using it, I recognised some tiny pimples on my cheek after one week. I thought it was the cause of some of my eating habbits, and so I continued using it, and I didn’t recognize any improvement of my skin condition. I stopped using it and used some other products until my skin condition was recovered. I started using the Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream again, this time together with the Benton High Content Skin. After a couple of days I had the same effect as before. I stopped using both proucts and waited for a couple of weeks before I gave it a new chance recently. I really wanted to love this cream, but again, after one or two days, I started breaking out on my cheeks. It was no heavy breakout, just smaller pimples, but for someone with hardly any acne problems and no sensitive skin this is a definite sign to stopp using this product forever. I gave it to my mother to test and I’m looking forward to hear how she will react to it. Unfortunately, the Benton line did not work for me :'( I have to point out that recently I read also some reviews of other bloggers who had problems with Benton products. Check out SampleHime’s review here, for example.

~~Another point which I didn’t like was the jar. It was not hygienic on the one side and on the other side, Benton didn’t even include a spatula.~~ The product now comes in a tube! Also the quality of the plastic is not the best. After some months the lettering on the jar completelly vanished. Another downer was, that dried/oxidised cream stuck to the winding of the lid and turned to a brownish stuff which had to be cleaned every now and then. Benton definitively made the right choice to change the packaging!

I will also review the Benton High Content Skin in the next couple of days. I bought my Benton Snail Bee High content steam Cream at W2Beauty. It retails for 17.00 US$.

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beauty beauty boxes

Unboxing: MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 10

4. June 2014

I know that there has been a couple of unboxing posts on MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 10, but nevertheless I’d like to show you the content of my box. If you have any requests on reviews on the single items feel free to leave a comment. Again, MeMeBox totally convinced me with their 10th Korean beauty box. It arrived at my doorstep feeling heavy and opening the box just confirmed that it was fully loaded with some great items.

Let’s see what was the content of MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 10: As you can see, the box was completely filled and the products look like mainly full sized products. Actually, there was only one sample sized product in this box. A card with the product description in English is included, too (click the image below to enlarge).

So here are the products that were included this time:

1. Dewytree Ginseng Nutritious Black Mask (full size product, 4 US$)

A sheet mask with ginseng and gingko leaf extracts. The packaging is kind of cute. Also, I never tried a ginseng mask so far although I heard that it is a super beneficial ingredient. I’m curious to try this out.

2. CaoLion Mool Pool Deep Cleansing (full size product, 9 US$)

Cleansers make me happy! It seems they always come at the right time, when I’m about to finish an old tube XD. This cleanser is advertised as perfect cleanser for a one step cleansing. Korean’s usually do double cleansing routine, starting with an oil cleanser in order to remove the makeup and a foam cleanser for a second cleansing step. CaoLion Mool Pool deep Cleansing promises to remove makeup and even waterproof makeup and be gentle to your skin at the same time. I didn’t try it yet, but it will be used pretty soon.

3. Drww Multi-Action Smart Cream Gel (full size, 59 US$)

59 $?! What kind of wonder product is this?! The cardboard packaging is huge, but the tube containing the product is smaller. Nevertheless, it is quite some cream. I already started using this. It is a moisturizing gel. The consistency is like Jell-O. but as soon as it is applied on the skin it melts away. I like it so far! Plus: it is usable as sleeping mask, too!

4. Mise en Scène Curling Essence 2X (full size product, 14 US$)

This Korean brand for hair care seems to gain some popularity in Korea. It is my first time receiving a product from Mise en Scène. I used it 2 times so far and it does what it should, It gives you some nicely defined curls if you have naturally curled hair like I do. I think it will be great for making curls with a curling iron, too, but I didn’t try it yet.

5. Hanskin Bio Origin Royal Ampoule BB (sample size product- full size costs 45 US$)

Although this MeMeBox only contains a sample sized version of this BB cream with 4,5 ml content it is one of my highlight products. I love BB creams and a BB cream in a bottle with a pipette is something I never seen before. I tried it once and I will try it a couple of time more. The novellty of this BB cream is probably that it contains royal jelly extract.

6. Atopalm Moisturizing Eye Repair Serum (full size product, 49 US$)

Again a product with a proud price. I would never have bought it by myself. It is an eye repair serum and it has a funny open/closing mechanism. I used it already and it feels nice and absorbs quickly. It is my second favorite product from this MeMeBox.

All in all, I’m super happy with MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 10. It contains mostly skincare, except of the BB cream sample, but the skincare products are well balanced. The value of the products is amazing, too, considering the fact that you pay 23 US$ normally, plus shipping (6.99 US$ for standard shipping). But I think I never paid the full price for any of the MeMeBoxes I ordered up to now. They always have so many ways to save money, by coupons and other promotions. I can definitively recommend you to check out MeMeBox online store.

Here is a list of the current events/ promotions to save some money:

For signing up you receive 2 MeMePoints worth 2 US$/ at the moment they have a banner on their shop saying that you can even receive 10 MeMePoints worth 10 US$

Free shipping on orders above $70 from Memeshop: FREESHIPPING

$5 off on orders over 3 Memeboxes: MEMEBUNDLE3

Also, when making orders of some of the boxes you might get MeMePoints, too, this helps to save the shipping costs for your next order if you get addicted like me XD

You can also read my previous unboxing posts:

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 8

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 6

Do you know MeMeBox already? Were you happy with the products so far? And if you have any requests for reviews of the received products, feel free to leave a comment :)

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic ♥sponsored♥

27. May 2014

Have you herad about the Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic hair treatment available at Wishtrend? I discovered there was a video on their Youtube channel and when I was asked if I would like to try this, I was more than curious. I have very frizzy and dry hair which is naturally curled. It was damaged quite a lot when I decided to cut it back and re-grow it with more care, and this shampoo did help me, surprisingly! I didn’t expect it to be a magical potion for beautiful hair, but it did some respectable job, as you will see at the end of the post. Keep reading if you are interested :)

Damoae is a Korean brand available at Wishtrend. It comes in a medical designed packaging and the ingredients are based on plants mostly. The Therapy Shampoo and Tonic are designed for hairloss and dandruff prevention. I personally don’t have any problems with hairloss yet, but it is proven that not only men will loose their hair with growing age, but also women will feel their hair becoming thinner and weaker. I never had the strongest hair, but my main concern has always been the lack of shininess. Because of my natural curls my hair is mostly dry. I started using hair oils, which help a great deal already. The Damoae Therapy Kit, consisting of the shampoo and the tonic have a sleek simple packaging. I’ll start of with the Shampoo first:

The shampoo comes in a pump bottle made of sturdy plastic. Although having a simple packaging, the quality is really good, as well the cardbox packaging and the pump bottle don’t appear to be easily broken. The cardboard box unfortunately contains only Korean description, but on Wishtrend you’ll find a very detailled description and an advertising video. The shampoo is KFDA and FDA (US) approved and the formula was patented and clinically prooven. The description on Wishtrend says:

What is DAMOAE? Damoae is made of natural Chinese medicinal herbs that can be ingested, and there for is not harmful to the body. This product is patent proven to increase hair count as well as effectively treat dandruff and has been approved by the KFDA as a hair loss prevention product that increases hair growth and thickness.

Damoae consists of 17 natural herbs used in Chinese medicine, including dried orange peels, aloe, and peppermint. These ingredients work together to perform the most ideal medical action on the scalp to prevent hair loss and treat dandruff at the same time.

By continuously using Damoae, you can see improvement in the following areas: hair loss, dandruff, scalp itchiness, seborrheic dermatitis, damaged hair, and more! You’re scalp will feel clean and your hair will feel luxuriously thick and smooth!

It also says, that no conditioner is needed, since the shampoo contains natural conditioning agents. Instead you should wash your hair twice with the Shampoo.

When you receive the pump bottle, it is securely locked, so there won’t leak out any product during transportation. Once you turn the pump dispenser, it is unlocked and can be used like any other pump. The bottle contains 300 g. The production date and the expiration date are printed on the backside of the pump bottle.

The shampoo has a transparent yellow color and the amount which is dispensed with one pump has the size of a small coin. It looks like it is not a lot, but it is definitively enough if you double wash your hair. I discovered that it hardly lathers the first time I wash my hair, but the second time I wash my hair it lathers up really nicely. The scent is a citrus/ herbal scent and might be not everybody’s liking, but it is somehow refreshing. I also had the feeling that it felt cooling on my scalp, which would be somehow logical if the shampoo aims at soothing your scalp and vitalizing your heads skin.

After washing while my hair is still wet it doesn’t feel super soft, like it would feel when using a silicone based conditioner, nevertheless it is easily to comb through.

The second product of the hair treatment is a tonic. The packaging is similar to the shampoo, but the bottle is a bit smaller than the bottle for the shampoo. It contains 150 ml.

Also here the packaging only contains Korean description, but detailled description is written on Wishtrend webpage.

In contrast to the shampoo, the tonic essence comes in a bottle with a turnable spraying nozzle. It is protected by a clear plastic cap. You are supposed to spray it on your scalp after washing your hair and massage it on your scalp with your fingers.

The tonic looks like water and has a clear consistency. The scent is the same as the shampoo.

According to COSDNA all the ingredients of the shampoo are either labelled with a yellow or a green flag and the products consist of a lot of plant ingredients. The same goes for the tonic. Except of the tonic contains Salicylic acid, which gets a red flag in COSDNA, but salicylic acid also has benefits for acne preventation and it will probably be beneficial if your scalp is suffering from acne or red spots.

Now, let’s get to the main part: how was the effect of the Damoae Therapy Hair Treatment Kit on my hair? I used it for about a month and below I will show you the pictures of my hair before starting the treatment and afterwards. Except of the two products showed above I only used hair oil in my length.

The images speak for themselves, don’t they? My hair is definitively more shiny and it feels better and stronger. When using the tonic the hair feels more volumized at the roots. My bf used the shampoo, too, and it made the same discoveries about the feel of the hair.

I’m totally loving this hair treatment and I can recommend to give it a try. The only downside of it is the price, which is pretty expensive compared to drug store shampoos- although the bottle really lasts quite some time, since the pump dispenser prevents you from using excessive amounts. So it lasts quite long. You can get Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic from Wishtrend. If you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration or use my invitation link >>here<< you’ll receive a 5 US$ voucher immediately. The tonic costs 38.99 US$, the shampoo costs 34.99 US$, but there is a kit containing both for 66.58 US$ on Wishtrend. Another point is, that Wishtrend has a free shipping zone with products, which can be obtained for free international shipping, e.g. Klair’s Illuminating Supple Blemish Balm I reviewed previously.

What is your favourite hair treatment? Do you have any Shampoo you’re in love with and that helped you a lot with the condition of your hair?

♥ You can follow me on bloglovin’, facebook or since recently on instagram :D ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Etude House Play 101 Pencils No. 10,11,22

23. May 2014

// KBEAUTY / MAKE UP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Since the YouTube video by Pony showing makeup tutorials using Etude House’s newest release, the Etude House Play 101 Pencils, everybody seemed to be curious about them. The tutorials show, how to create different makeup looks, by simply using these new pencil liners by Etude House. 50 different colors were released for this new multipurpose product. I couldn’t resist buying three of them, although I really want to cut down on buying until I’ve used most of my products…but all these new releases do tempt me so much XD.

I decided to limit myself to three of these pencils, because otherwise I would have spend to much money again :D It was so hard to decide, since there are so many colors and there are different types, too. You can choose between matte, creamy, glossy, glitter and shimmer pencils. I ended up choosing these three friends: No.10, 11 and 22. My idea was to get one color suitable for contouring (10), one suitable as a blush (11) and one for the lips (22). You can use these pencils for many different things and not only as eyeliner, but also as blush, lip stain, eyeshadow or eyebrow pencil.

No. 10 is supposed to be a matte pencil, No. 11 is labelled creamy and No. 22 has glossy properties. All the pencils are delivered in a paper card box, each card box shaded in the color of the pencil. The corporate design is playful and contains typical ornaments, as we are used from Etude House. The number of the pencil is written in different styles on the package. The font size of the number is quite large, so you know directly which number to pick.

The paper card box also contains the description of the pencils. The Korean description is printed on the backside. I love the tiny sketch of the pencil sharpener in the speech balloon on the bottom part of the descriptions. ♥ I didn’t even know that a sharpener was included, so I was more than happy :) The English description is written on one of the sides of the box:

“This is a gel-type pencil that comes with vivid colors and various textures for easy and fun makeup play.

Directions:

Twist to dispense certain amount and use on desired area. Close cap after use. When using sharpener, insert lead and sharpen while turning slowly.”

The pencils themselves are made of black plastic with a protective cap on one side and the sharpener on the other side. The sharpener has the color of the pen, which is quite convenient if you store the pencils in a jar or similar.

The pencils have the name written on them on the one side, whereas the other side contains some Korean description again (do round pencils have a side at all?!:D).

The bottom of the pencils is again marked with the number of the pencil and an arrow indicating the part which is twistable, in order to dispense the product.

Now, the interesting part: how do the pencils perform? Below you can see the colors of the pencils tips and the included sharpener. It is tiny, so it can be used on the pencil bullet only. It won’t sharpen the pencil like a normal sharpener would and remove the plastic part of the pencil.

I swatched the three pencils on my hand with one normal swatch and one blended swatch. You can see the colors of the swatches with and without flash below. Comparing the colors to the promotional pictures, they don’t look the same. I thought No.10 and 22 would be darker and No. 11 more coral than orange. Nevertheless they are nice colors.

The only color I wished would have been different is No. 10 actually, because I thought it is slightly darker, so I could have used it for contouring or as eyeshadow. The beige color is too light to show up on my skin tone. I can use it as base color for eye shadows or for slightly retouching eye bags, but the matte consistency of the pencil makes it a bit difficult for the thin skin under the eyes. Other than this, all pencils glide smoothly on the skin. No. 11 is a nice blush color, which is not too intense and will look quite natural. My favourite is the No. 22, definitively. I thought it would be a darker shade, but nevertheless I love this shade a lot. It is perfectly usable on lips and doesn’t look flaky or drying (it is not moisturizing, but it does not dry your lips either), and as promised by the label it has a glossy finish. I tried to use No. 11 on my lips, too, but it did not work out and looked patchy and drying.

So, what is my conclusion for Etude House’s Play 101 Pencils? I would definitively recommend trying them. As for the Play Nail polishes from Etude House it might turn out that you like the one or the other shade more, but still it is great to have such a huge selection of different colors, which can be combined in different ways. It’s a pity that the promotional pictures are not 100% like the real product– and unfortunately, there is no local Etude House store here in Germany, so I could have tested the colors before deciding which one to buy. But nevertheless I’m happy with my choice and I could imagine to buy other shades, too. The price is okay, keeping in mind the nice packaging and the included sharpener.

You can get these pencils at W2Beauty for 6.00 US$.

I didn’t rate the ingredients, because each color has different ones :)

♥ You can follow me on bloglovin’, facebook or since recently on instagram :D ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Etude House Aloe Moistfull Soothing Gel

16. May 2014

// KBEAUTY / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Summer is coming closer these days and with warmer weather the skin has needs of a modified skincare. My skin tends to be very dry in cold winters, but in summer, when the temperature is rising, my skin turns to more normal and sometimes even shows tendencies to combination skin, with a shiny T-Zone. I put aside my super-duper moisturizing butters and creams and bought Etude House Aloe Moistfull Soothing Gel to replace my daily moisturizer and it works great. ♥

There are plenty of different aloe soothing gels on the market these day, so why did I choose the one from Etude House, instead of one of the big jars which are provided by Nature Republic or by Mizon? The answer is simple: I was looking for a aloe gel which comes in a pump bottle, because this is the most conventient type of packaging and it is more hygienic too.

Etude House’s Aloe Soothing Gel is part of the Aloe Moistfull Collection. A cream, toner, emulsion etc. for the same line are also available and the signiture color of the line is this pale turquoise you see here, which is a beautiful color in my eyes, especially for skincare products somehow turquoise makes me feel perfectly cared of XD The marketing techniques work out, it seems :D The description on the paper cardbox are in Korean and in English. The main ingredients are aloe extract and other plant extracts. According to COSDNA there is no ingredient on the list with a red flag. (^_^) ♥

As I said, the aloe soothing gel comes in a little pump bottle. There are two sizes available: one large bottle with 300 ml and a smaller bottle, which I purchased, with 150 ml. The smaller one has a more travel friendly size. I chose the smaller bottle because I wanted to test the soothing gel in general before going for a larger bottle.

For making the pump work you have to untwist it after you unpacked from the box first. As soon as it is untwisted (visible because the neck of the pump gets longer (see the image below) you can push the pump in order to use the aloe gel. The first time use 2-3 pumps are needed for the first product to come out of the pump, but afterwards in general one pump is enough to cover my whole face with the aloe gel.

As expected, it is a clear gel type product, which is cooling and feels moist and hydrating. It needs a couple of minutes to absorb, but it leaves your skin refreshed and supple. You can also use the aloe gel on your body. I especially love to use it all over my skin directly after taking a shower. The scent is refreshing and pleasant and the effect is really nice. ♥

As I said, I use this gel mostly in the morning as replacement for my day cream. When I feel my skin to need more deeper moisture, for example at night, I just put a few drops of Argan Oil before using this. It works really nice. I always wait until it is absorbed fully (mostly by patting my skin) before I continue to use a priming cream or bb/cc cream or makeup.

If you are looking for a conventient to use aloe soothing gel, or if you want to switch to a lighter day cream I can recommend you to try this product. It is more hygienic than the aloe gels which come in a jar. Also, 150 ml which I bought seems to last forever already, so I can imagin that the jars will even last longer, but if you don’t use it extremly often, the product might get expired. On the other hand, aloe gel has a variaty of use. You can sooth sunburnt skin with it, take a tiny amount in order to ease frizzy hair or use it as a pampering mask…a lot of options. In the end you’ve to choose which form of packaging you like best :) Aloe Soothing Gel in general is worth a try! ♥

I bought my 150 ml bottle at W2Beauty for 13.93 US$. The large bottle (300 ml) costs 18.11 US$).

♥ You can follow me on bloglovin’, facebook or since recently on instagram :D ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Etude House Rosy Tint Lips Baby Peony

15. May 2014

// KBEAUTY / MAKE UP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

One of the highlights of last autumn’s collection from Etude House were the Rosy Tint Lips. Back then I reviewed one of those tints. Today I’ll show you another one of Etude House’s Rosy Tint Lips called Baby Peony (No.5) and I will show you a comparative swatch between this and the previous one called Rose Petal (No.3). The “& Rose” collection was inspired by the fairytale “The Sleeping Beauty” and 8 different shades are available for this collection.

I really love the packaging and I was attracted to buy this in first place because of the beautiful rose pattern on the paper card box. The packaging is very girly and fairytale-ish and contains descriptions of the product in English and Korean.

The applicator for the Rosy Tint Lips consists of a cushion as tip for blending out the lip tint. The lip tint itself has a solid form and due to the body of the lip tint which is made from hard plastic, it is difficult to squeeze out the product. This was my concern with the previous shade and this one isn’t any different. Nevertheless, the consistency, the pigmentation and the staying power are satisfying.

Baby Peony is a light pink shade which shows up even on more pigmented lips like mine. I have often a problem with brighter shades to be visible, especially orange shades are not working, but here you can clearly see the color. But unfortunately, since it is a light color, you have to scrub your lips before, or the color will stick to the flakes of the lips.

Below you can see Baby Peony and Rose Petal together. As you can see, the plastic body of the tints represents the color inside the tube. Check out my review for the Rose Petal Tint >>here<<.

Although Rose Petal is a red shade when applied fully, it looks similar to Baby Peony when blended out. Both are nice colors though and I think that they can be also combined for gradient lips.

The sponge applicator is also something I have mixed feelings about, as I mentioned in my previous post. It can be unhygienic, but the sponge cap can be taken off and cleaned. It makes it easy to create gradient and soft effects with help of sponge applicators like this. If you don’t want a gradient effect, but clear lines, the applicator will probably mess around the borders of your lips. In this case I’d recommend you to use a lip brush.

The scent of the Rosy Lip Tints is nice. It has a soft scent of roses, so if you are not a fan of rose scented products, don’t buy this :D The staying power is okay, as long as you don’t drink or eat. I’ve definitively seen worse lip tints. Btw., the Rosy Tint Lips can be used as blush, too, which works nicely :)

All in all the main issue I have with the Rosy Tint Lips is the tube. The hard plastic makes it inconvenient for application. Other then this I love the product itself. It is a solid and good working lip product with every day usage potential.

You can buy the Etude House Rosy Lip Tints at:

W2Beauty for US$ 12.55 (free shipping option. You’ll get a 5$ voucher upon registration with the code 088505 , which is usable for orders of minimum 30$)

Testerkorea for 8500 Won/ US$ ~8.50 (shipping costs depend on weight)

KollectionK for US$ 9.89 (shipping to Germany starts at US$ 4.99)

ebay fom US$ 9-19, depending on the seller (shipping depends on seller)

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Holika Holika Pearly Eye Crayon No.06

14. May 2014

Another product from Holika Holika, which I received together with the Jewel-light Waterproof Eyeliner (click >>here<< for the review). Holika Holika’s Pearly Eye Crayon is a pencil-type eye product, too, but here the crayon is thicker and can be used as eyeshadow and eyeliner.

The design of Holika Holika’s Pearly Eye Crayon is quite cute. It is composed of a black colored pencil with a clear plastic cap. The end of the pencil is labelled in the color of the crayon. The logo of Holika Holika is displayed on the pencil, too. No. 06 is a light purple color with shimmering properties. In total, there are 6 different shades available.

It applies smoothly on the skin and can be blended in easily by rubbing, which makes it a nice eyeshadow. In contrast to the jewellight waterproof eyeliner this one is not waterproof. It can be used as eyeliner, too, but since the pencil has a broader tip it is not easy to create a thin line. On the other hand the broader tip works great for the inner corner of your eyes or for your eye bags. As you can see, this crayon is a multi purpose eye pencil :)

Here is a list of the ingredients:

Triethylhexanoin,Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Mica,Titanium Dioxide, Ceresin,Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax,Dipentaerythrityl Hexahydroxystearate /Hexastearate/Hexarosinate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate,Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax,Microcrystalline Wax, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil,Tocopheryl Acetate,Propylparaben,BHT

There are two potential acne triggers within the list, but again (Candelilla Wax and Jojoba Seed Oil), as long as you don’t apply it on your whole face it should not be any problem. The other think is, that it contains the preservative BHT, which scores a red flag on COSDNA. This preservative is used often in cosmetics as antioxidant. The safety issue can be related to the point that it is not healthy to incorporate it, but as long as you don’t eat the crayon it should not be harmful either. I didn’t get any irritations while using it.

The only downside of this product is, that it doesn’t have an included sharpener or twist-up mechanism. The application would have been much easier- although this is only a minor downside, because it is nevertheless easy to use. On the other hand, this crayon is really easy to blend out. It feels soft while applying and the color is nice, too.The shimmering properties are only light which makes it wearable as everyday eyeshadow. since it is easy to blend out by rubbing I would recommend to use a eyeshadow base below.

If you are fan of eye shadows and eyeshadow crayons I can recommend you to try these. They are not expensive and easy to use. If you plan on using these as eyeliners keep in mind that the crayons have a broader tip and for creating a precise line you need to sharpen them.

You can get Holika Holika Pearly Eye Crayon here:

Twofacemall for US$ 8.05 ( free shipping option)

Testerkorea from 6000 Won onwards (around 6 US$) (shipping depends on weight)

Also check out ebay!

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Secret Key Snow White Cream

13. May 2014

// KBEAUTY / AFFILIATE LINKS / SKINCARE //

My previously reviewed MeMeBox was really a lucky one! It contained a bunch of really nice products which I integrated into my skincare routine and they work out great for me. You can check out the unboxing of the MeMeBox >>here<<. The item I was especially curious and happy about was Secret Key’s Snow White Cream. I wanted to try it for over a year but I never got the chance to buy it, and like someone heard my wish it was featured in a beauty box. *(^_^)/* Happy me! ♥

Secret Key’s Snow White Cream is a Niacinamide containing cream for brightening the skin. It has properties of a face primer and works great in combination with your favorite BB/CC cream. Snow White is one of my favorite fairytales and in my opinion, the packaging Secret Key created for this product line is the perfect hit. The main color used for designing this package is white and black for the lettering and the elegant fairytale-ish ornaments.

Even the paper card box looks elegant. It contains the in-deep description and probably the ingredients, too, in Korean only, but on one side of the box, you can find an English description, written in ornamental lettering as if it was taken from a fairytale’s book.

The jar is made of plastic and contains an extra plastic separator between the lid and the cream. Since the plastic jar doesn’t feel really sturdy and the lid is probably not perfectly closeable, I would recommend you to not throw the plastic separator away. Since the cream contains Niacinamide it is important to close the cream as tightly as possible and the lid gives at least some additional protection. The paper card box also contains a clear colored plastic spatula, so you don’t have to use your fingers and keep contamination low.

As you can see, the cream itself has a solid white and creamy texture. It looks and smells like Nivea hand cream at first, but as soon as you feel it on your skin you’ll notice the difference because it kind of emulsifies on your skin and feels soft and melts easily. I really do love the scent, but if you don’t like intensive scents, I would not recommend you to buy it- or if you are unsure, buy some samples beforehand. Because of its melting properties it blends in nicely with the skin and leaves the skin slightly brightened and definitively more radiant. For oily skin, it might be also enough moisture, but I normally use some moisturizer before, especially when my skin feels tight and dry (In the image below I didn’t use any moisturizer).

It makes your skin look a bit more even and appear softer, but it doesn’t cover your redness completely. It didn’t give me any breakouts after using it for quite a time now, and I think my skin tone has improved and looks evener. Don’t expect this cream to change your skin color and make you look like Snow White, but the Niacinamide will help to even out your darker spots with the time. If you expect a magic product which turns you beautiful overnight, I would not recommend this to you, but if you look for a nice, priming cream below your BB/CC cream I can recommend this to you. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the complete ingredients list, but since it didn’t give me any problems yet, I guess that there are not many irritants included.

Another important point: If you use vitamin C containing products keep in mind to don’t use Niacinamide containing products together with the vitamin C containing products. I’m using this cream in the morning and use my O.S.T Pure Vitamin C Serum at night. If you want to use both products for the same time, you should at least wait 20 minutes/half an hour before applying the other products, so your skin has time to absorb. If you use Niacinamide and vitamin C together vitamin C will start oxidizing.

All in all, I really like this cream. It is no cream which fulfills wonders and makes you wake up as beautiful Snow White Princess. but it contains Niacinamide, it makes your skin look primed and prepped even without BB/CC cream (if you don’t have a lot of breakouts, you can use this cream even on its own and don’t need any other makeup). The application of the cream feels soft and nice on the skin and the scent is really nice, too. Nevertheless, if you have dry skin it won’t replace your daily moisturizer. I also would have wished for a vacuum pump bottle instead of the plastic jar, because it would preserve the Niacinamide longer.

As I already said, I received the Secret Key Snow white Cream with my previous MeMeBox. If you want to try a Korean beauty box I would say that MeMeBox is one of the best subscription boxes so far. The value is always great and the products are mainly Korean, too. They have also lots of differently themed boxes and you don’t have to subscribe for it monthly, but you can choose yourself which and when you want to get a box.

As for the Secret Key Snow White Cream, it is available from the following shops:

Amazon.com for 19.05 US$

Testerkorea for ~7 US$

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