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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review TesterKorea

Review: Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack | TesterKorea

18. February 2016

Now, this is not a newly launched product like the two previous reviews, but a product with a good reputation in Korea: The Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack, a multifunctional product for exfoliation, brightening and lifting on the same time. As I announced via Instagram I’m honoured to be part of TesterKorea’s Real Tester, who offered me this product for reviewing purpose, amongst two other products, the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel and the Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream.

First, some information about TesterKorea: if you know me and my blog for some time you will know that TesterKorea is my favorite online retailer for larger Kbeauty hauls. I’ve purchased products from them many times and they never failed me. Also, they are quite popular for offering many free samples and having a LARGE variety of samples for sale aswell. If you do not know a specific products and you want to test it first the place to recommend is TesterKorea. Also, they have a huge amount of different products from many brands, so you can be sure to find what you are looking for in most cases. Unlike other online retailers they do not offer free shipping, though, but their shipping is based on weight. The cheap prices of the products themselves totally balances the shipping costs in my eyes – especially for larger hauls. They even have a specific topic where you can request a product, if it is newly launched. They are also quite fast in listing the latest products from most brands. Considering the fact that I know they are a reliable retailer and have a good reputation makes me even more happy that I’m part of the 17 members of their 1st Real Tester round-up

The Korean brand Proformula was new to me up to now. The name is made up by the two terms “Skin Professional” and “Formulation”. Proformula has a 3-Step System. The first step is to examine the active ingredients, the second step is the dermatological test, and the third step is to provide an optimized solution for the skincare concerns. Proformula doesn’t have many products, but all I saw on the official page were skincare products. The packaging design is simple black and white with no frills or pretty illustrations, simply text. This can be professional looking and attract customers this way. The Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack comes together with a brush for applying the mask. Both come in a cardboard box containing mostly Korean, but also some English description.

The cardboard box states that the product is free from parabens, synthetic fragrances and dyes, minerals, benzophenones, silicones, propylene glycol, triethanolamine and SLES. If we look at the full ingredients list we see that there are no harmfull ingredients included. According to COSDNA almost all ingredients are green flagged. Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack contains 7 % of AHA and is a mild chemical exfoliation. The AHA used is Lactic Acid:

Lactic Acid: Lactic Acid is an AHA (Alpha hydroxyl acid). It is derived from sour milk that hydrates the skin by sloughing off old dead skin cells. It has whitening properties and is an astringent.

Also, a couple of plant extracts and fruit extracts have skin conditioning properties and help the exfoliation and make the skin feel smooth. Another two key ingredients are Niacinamide and Adenosine:

Niacinamide: Niacinamide is a water-soluble form of Vitamin B, which has a firming effect with anti-inflammatory properties.

Adenosine: Adenosine is known for having anti-aging properties and providing for healthy skin and elasticity.

Hyaluronic Acid and Aloe Leaf Juice provide the skin with moisture. Furthermore you will find a couple of other moisturizing chemicals in the ingredients lists.

Some words about Peptides in Cosmetics:

Also, according to the description the formulation uses peptides for elasticity and a lifting effect. The three peptides used are Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8. I know that many of you do not know what peptides do and if they can do anything at all when applied topically on the skin. Peptides are chains of amino acids. Usually, the name of the peptide tells us how many amino acids are part of the peptide. A tetrapeptide is made from 3 amino acids for example. Our body uses peptides for messaging, that means a peptide is a molecule which sends a signal to a cell. Let’s think about collagen for example: the breakdown of collagen forms peptides, which give the signal to make new collagen. By applying this specific peptides on our skin we might be able to tell the skin to produce new collagen.

The Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack comes in a sleek tube containing 30 g. The included brush has a good length and is used to apply the product on your face. The formulation of the Lifting Pack is a lightly yellow colored gel with a high viscosity. It’s similar to glue and very sticky. The product has a slightly bitter scent with a hint of fruityness.

The bristles of the brush are very soft, but once you start to spread the pack with the brush it becomes sticky and makes the application a bit harder. Nevertheless, I still think it is better to use the brush than to use your fingers. It is recommended to use the pack 2-3 times a week. You apply the pack in a thin layer from the inside of the face towards the outside. After 15-20 minutes the pack dries and you can wash it off with luke-warm water.

Below you can see the process of using the pack on my skin. First I applied a layer of the Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack. After 15 minutes the mask dries. You will feel how the skin tightens up. It really looks frightening, because your face looks suddenly so wrinkled and dried…almost as if you were dying :D This was the moment when I decided that it was time to wash off the pack. My skin felt smoothed and firmer after using the mask. Nevertheless, my skin was feeling dry, too. The pack contains some moisturizing ingredients, but this was not enough for my skin. I have dry skin, so the experience might vary for people with oily skin. If you have dry skin like me I would recommend to add an especially rich cream to your skin after using this pack.

The Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack convinces with a good ingredients list and is perfectly suited for people who want to start to incorporate AHAs into their skincare routine. I liked using it and I do feel that it is lifting and smoothing out the skin. It leaves my skin a bit dry after all, which is why I can only recommend you to use a rich cream or oil after this pack if you have dry skin. This mask has also some creepy side-effects, since it really looks horrifying on your skin after 15 minutes. The skin looks so wrinkled up and old, as if the pack wants to tell you how you will look like if you do not use it, haha. You can get the Proformula Skin Reset AHA 7 Lifting Pack from TesterKorea for 30400 Won, which is around 25.51 US$. What’s your favorite AHA containing product?

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

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asian cosmetics beauty review TesterKorea

Review: Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream | TesterKorea

17. February 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / SKINCARE //

The Missha Super Aqua Marine Stem Cell Defending Cream was the first Korean skincare product I used and I bought two, or even three jars of it because I liked it so much back then. When I heard about the newest addition to the Missha Super Aqua family I was really excited to try it: the Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is part of a full new moisturizing skincare line consisting of toner, emulsion essence and the cream which I’ll be reviewing here. As I announced via Instagram I’m honored to be part of TesterKorea’s Real Tester, who offered me this product for reviewing purpose, amongst some other products, like the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel I reviewed before.

First, some information about TesterKorea: if you know me and my blog for some time you will know that TesterKorea is my favorite online retailer for larger Kbeauty hauls. I’ve purchased products from them many times and they never failed me. Also, they are quite popular for offering many free samples and having a LARGE variety of samples for sale as well. If you do not know a specific product and you want to test it first the place to recommend is TesterKorea. Also, they have a huge amount of different products from many brands, so you can be sure to find what you are looking for in most cases. Unlike other online retailers they do not offer free shipping, though, but their shipping is based on weight. The cheap prices of the products themselves totally balances the shipping costs in my eyes – especially for larger hauls. They even have a specific topic where you can request a product if it is newly launched. They are also quite fast in listing the latest products from most brands. Considering the fact that I know they are a reliable retailer and have a good reputation makes me even more happy that I’m part of the 17 members of their 1st Real Tester round-up!

The product I’m reviewing here is from the famous Korean brand Missha. Missha has a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and even in Germany. It is the first Korean brand with a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany, too! Missha is against animal testing. The products always come in a very mature and luxurious packaging and the design is usually very elegant although simple. I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream follows these criteria as well: The signature color of the Super Aqua Ice Tear collection is ice-blue. The cream comes in a blue cardboard box with descriptions in both Korean and English. It states description, directions and the ingredients of the products.

According to COSNDA the ingredients in this hydrating and refreshing cream are safe to use. It contains Alcohol den., which can be a potential irritant, but apart from this is used to thin down the consistency of a cream. Glycerin is the main moisturizing ingredient in the list, but the cream also contains Urea. You’ll find a bunch of plant extracts from the Ice Plant, Oarweed, Devil’s Apron, Spirulina Platensis, Lotus Flower, and Chinese Plum. The algaes Oarweed and Devil’s Apron are also used in products of the high-end brand ‘La mer’. They act as skin protectors. The other extracts act as humectants and have moisturizing properties. Sea Water provides minerals and trace elements. Raffinose, which is a sugar and also included in the list, has moisturizing properties. Lactic Acid has brightening properties. All in all, a nice ingredients list for a moisturizing cream. The cream comes in a sturdy jar containing 50 ml, but it doesn’t come with a spatula unfortunately. If you want to keep it hygienic you should use a spatula instead of your fingers for taking out the cream. The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is a mixture between gel-type and regular cream. It feels light upon application and emollifies into a watery essence-like product on the skin. This makes it feel refreshing, too. It also leaves the skin moist. The scent is nice and a mixture between flowery and soapy.

The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is a simple, but effective moisturizer. Although the list of the ingredients is not too overfilled with fancy ingredients it still contains some important ones for moisturizing the skin: There are Urea and Glycerin for one, and a bunch of plant extracts, most of them are algae ( I was surprised to see two of the ingredients being part of products from the famous brand ‘La mer’ as well). On top, you have Raffinose and Lactic Acid and the Sea Water. I really like the list and although a simple moisturizer I can definitely see that many people might like this skincare range. I didn’t use it for a long time yet, but so far it didn’t break me out and was a hydrating and refreshing experience. The product retails on TesterKorea for 11520 Won, which is around 9.69 US$. The price is really affordable and perfect for people starting a skincare routine, aiming at a hydrating and light cream. It might be a nice refreshment during hot seasons, too, because the formula feels very watery. If you are looking for the deeper nourishment of the skin this cream might be too lightweight for you. Did you try any products from the Missha Super Aqua line? What do you think of the Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear line?

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

asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review TesterKorea

Review: Etude House Tint My Brows Gel | TesterKorea

15. February 2016

I love Etude House’s eyebrow products! I’ve been using the Etude House Color My Brows and I’m still using the Etude House Perfect Brow Kit, and the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel is the newest addition to my collection. As I announced via Instagram I’m honoured to be part of TesterKorea’s Real Tester, who offered me this product for reviewing purpose, amongst some other products I cannot wait to share with you.

Let’s start with the review for the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel: The Korean brand Etude House is one of the best known Korean brands for cute packaging. If you are a lover of cute, girly and pink packaging, reminding you of being a child and the princess you always dreamt to be, THIS is your brand. Their packaging is usually so adorable that you cannot keep yourself from impuls-buys – only because you saw the packaging…Looking at the packaging of the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel it appears simple, but yet feminine. The combination of the gray-brown color and the pink makers it look adorable in a way. The product comes in a cardboard box which shows the Korean and English description. The product is one of the newer products from Etude House. The gel comes in 3 different shades and works similar to lip tint like the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack, that means you apply a layer of the gel, leave it to dry and peel it off after a while. This new-concept eyebrow gel tint is designed for a long-lasting eyebrow makeup.

The three shades available are #1 brown, #2 light brown and #3 gray brown. I chose gray brown, because I have naturally black eye brows and I think the gray brown will suit my eyebrow color best. The ingredients of the Etude House Tint My Brow Gel are harmless according to COSDNA. There are minor irritants, but no bothersome ingredient. And although the product is made for simply tinting your brows it contains some plant derived ingredients with anti-inflamatory, antioxidant and moisturizing properties. As I said before, the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel works like a kind of non-permanent tattoo. The bottle reminds of a liquid eyeliner and comes with a thin brush-type applicator. The gel has a sticky consistency and reminds of brown colored glue. The brush is thin enough to create proper outlines for your brows. Below you can see how the gel looks when swatched on the back of my hands. First you apply a proper amount of the gel. After a while it will start to dry. When you peel off the dried product you will see that it stains the skin. After 1.5 h waiting the stain is already properly visible and shows in a light gray brown. After one day (including washing hands and showering) the stain is still visible, but is looks more light and the color changed to a light yellow-brown.

When using the product on your eyebrows Etude House advises you to trim your eyebrows first and not to apply skincare products or makeup. Then you should apply a liberal amount according to the desired shape of the eyebrow. Dry the gel for at least 2 hours. For stronger coloration you can apply the gel before going to bed at night and remove it the next morning. After the gel dried completely you can remove it starting from the tail of the eyebrow, but don’t be too forceful. Etude House also says to not use a cleansing product (product with detergents) or apply force on the eyebrow area within 24 hours of using the product. Below I applied the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel on my eyebrows. As you can see, my eyebrows are dense and very dark, but I have some spare areas at the front and on the arch of my eyebrow. I applied the gel according to the desired shape of my eyebrows and waited for 2 hours. You can see that the spare areas look slightly more filled, but it doesn’t look too strongly pigmented and not unnatural either. The effect is comparable to a light brow powder, giving a natural finish.

Do I like the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel? Yes, I do, and I think people with spare eyebrows or very bright color of eyebrows will like this product a lot! It looks natural and it is long-lasting. The downsides are that you have to be patient and maybe you need to practice a couple of times before you know how to paint your desired eyebrow shape. The gel contains 5 g and depending on the thickness of the layers you apply on your eyebrow it will last for a while. The price for the gel is not expansive either, so it is worth a try, especially if you love using eyebrow products. If you are already too lazy to use an eyebrow pencil or powder this product will not make it any easier or quicker though. The product retails on TesterKorea for 7650 Won, which is around 6.50 US$.

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

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asian stationary Blippo food giveaway home PR sample

More Cute Stuff From Blippo Kawaii Store & Giveaway

13. February 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KAWAII //

You might know Blippo already from their subscription boxes Japan Candy Box and Kawaii Box which I have reviewed previously. I also made a post in the past about their store, which you will find >>here<<. I’m happy to show you today some More Cute Stuff From Blippo Kawaii Store, which I totally fell in love with while browsing through their store. Oh, by the way, there is a giveaway at the end of this post were you can win some products from Blippo, too!

While browsing Blippo it is not hard to find some cute things to like if you love kawaii things. Blippo offer stuff from Japan like Magazines and Candy and Snacks, but also a lot of stationary items and character items from Hello Kitty, San-X (like Rillakkuma, Sentimental Circus, Gloomy Bear…), and Ghibli. They have also some fashion items, like bags and purses and cute accessories. They offers free shipping, too! I chose three items from their store, and they are so adorable I cannot stop looking at them.

The first item I want to show you is the Happy Animal Letter Set. This letter set comes with 2 envelopes with an imprinted animal face and 4 matching letter papers. There are different design with different animal faces available. I chose the bear face, because it looks soooo adorable with the cherry on its head :D The letter set has a Korean design, but it is made in China. Perfectly suited for a quick letter or note to a friend and make him or her smile.

The second items is the Cute Bear Milk & Tea Cup, which is unfortunately out of stock at the moment (the link is not working for now, but you can look within the category of cups and mugs whether you will find it there). These cups were available in large and in small versions with differently colored bears. The idea of the bear face, which is the bottom of the cup on the same time is absolutely awesome :D It also reminds you of drinking enough by stating “8 times a day”. Again, the design is Japanese, but the product is made in China. The cup is made of odorless and heat-resistant plastic, but it can not be used in the microwave. It is safe for food though and made from eco-friendly material (FDA approved).

The last product is the Strawberry Bento Box. This small plastic Bento Box is divided into two compartments and comes with a plastic spoon aswell. It is BPA free and food safe, freezer safe, microwave safe (I personally would not microwave it though…), and dishwasher safe (without the elastic band, which is included to keep the box together). I would say it is not leak-proof though, but perfect for some smaller lunch at work. I’m really looking forward to use it soon! I love strawberries, and the design seems to be just perfect for me :D

How do you like my new cute goods from Blippo? Is there anything you would also like to have? I’m super happy with these items and they really made my day more happy and enjoyable!

Where to get?

You can get all these and many other adorable items at Blippo!

Happy Animal Letter Set for 2.96 US$

Cute Bear Milk & Tea Cup for around 10 US$ if I remember correctly

Strawberry Bento Box for 8.06 US$

And now I have a giveaway for you, which is kindly sponsored by Blippo! By taking part in the below Rafflecopter you have the chance to win these items:

Pastel Pearl Crown Ball Pen

Puffy Panda Stickers

Kawaii 2016 Desk Calendar

The prices will be sent to the selected winner by Blippo. It is open internationally, unless prohibited by law. If you are underage, please ask your parents before entering this giveaway. No cheating please! We will check the entries ;) This giveaway is dedicated to the readers of my blog, no giveaway blogs please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

♥ Good luck everyone! ♥

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

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set

11. February 2016

I love Korean deluxe sample sets, since they contain every product you’ll ned when you are on vacations. They are also great for getting to know a brand or a specific skincare line, therefore I was really happy when I was offered to review the NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set by Korean cosmetics online shop Qdepot. So far this brand is still new to me, and apart from the NoTS Silk Glow Stick Foundation I haven’t tried any products from this brand. But finally I can now try some of their skincare products:

Unlike brands like Etude House or Tonymoly the Korean high-end brand NoTS is yet not widely known among people outside Korea. NoTS stands for ‘noble through skin’ and was founded in 2011. It is supposed to be natural functional cosmetics with eco-friendly ingredients. Since it is a high-end brand the products are more expansive than drugstore brands like Etude House or Tonymoly. Their packaging design is also not girlish or fun, but more mature and targeting another age group than the two other brands. The NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set comes in a silver cardboard box and contains 4 products. The NoTS 28 Remedy skincare range is made for sensitive and acne prone skintypes and is a multipurpose range targeting also anti-ageing and having whitening properties.

The set contains the NoTS 28 Remedy Acne Pore Deep Cleanser, The NoTS 28 Remedy Balancing Toner, The NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum, and the NoTS 28 Remedy Repair Cream. These four product already build a perfect tiny skincare routine. From the 4 products the cleanser stands out most, because it has orange-colored fonts and cap on the white plastic tube. The other three products are simple but elegant. The bottles and jars have a white color and silver fonts and caps. They are made of hard plastic and seem to be very sturdy and perfect for travelling without fearing for them that they’ll break or leak.

The backside of the silver cardboard box reveals the Korean description for the 4 products, but you can check Qdepot for English description of the single products. The first step of your skincare is usually a cleanser. The NoTS 28 Remedy Acne Pore Deep Cleanser is a cleanser containing salicylic acid. It also contains a bunch of plant ingredients. All in all there are some minor irritants within the ingredients list, but the formulation is color-, scent-, and alcohol-free. The deluxe size comes with 25 ml volume, whereas the full size contains 120 ml. The foam cleanser has a white consistency and a pH of 7 when mixed with water. It cleans of almost all the makeup as you can see in the picture below. It is a bit weak towards lipliner, eyeliner, and smudgeproof eyeshdow formulations, but it cleans nicely the BB cream. The cleanser builds a soft foam when lathered and doesn’t have any specific strong scent.

After cleansing your face you would use the NoTS 28 Remedy Balancing Toner and the NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum. Both products come in bottles with a pump applicator, which is very convenient to use. The toner contains 15 ml in the deluxe sample size and 100 ml in full-size. It is a clear toner with a light gel texture. It is not completely watery when pumped out of the tube, but when spreading it the texture feels watery. It has a faint alcohol scent and the ingredients list reveals that it includes alcohol. Apart from this the toner contains many plant derived ingredients. Unfortunately, it contains Triethanol amine and Triclosan, which are red labelled according to COSNDA. Especially since it contains Triclosan I wouldn’t recommend using it because Triclosan is highly discussed and already banned in many cosmetics (in Europe). The NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum is used after the toner. It also comes in a pump bottle containing 12 ml for the deluxe sample and 35 ml in the full-size. The serum is clear and like a gel. It also contains alcohol and has a faint alcohol scent like the toner. Apart from this the other ingredients look good. Similar to the toner the gel formulation melts like water when spread and therefore absorbs quickly and feels refreshing. The last step of your skincare routine would be the NoTS 28 Remedy Repair Cream. The cream comes in a jar containing 10 g, the full-sized jar contains 30 g. The cream has a thick, creamy consistency and a strong herbal scent. It contains a whole bunch of plant derived ingredients, similar to the serum, and also contains Niacinamide and Adenosin. The cream also contains some red labelled ingredients according to COSDNA, which are Triethanol amine and BHT. And it also contains Salicylic Acid, and some minor irritants. It also contains Zinc Oxide as UV protection, which is great. The cream applied nicely on the skin, but leaves the skin a bit tacky first. There is no greasyness though. The strong herbal scent lingers quite some time unfortunately.

It is nice that these kind of deluxe sample sets give us the opportunity to try out a whole range of new products. Out of the 4 products my favorite is the serum. I wouldn’t recommend using the toner because of the Triclosan. The cream has a very intense herbal scent and it is kind of bitter, too. Also, for a high-end brand it contains too many irritants and not so great ingredients. The cleanser is probably a good choice for oily skintypes and acne-prone skin, because of the salicylic acid. For me it was too drying, and since my skin is dry anyways it is not the perfect cleanser for my skintype. Also, considering the higher prices of NoTS products I would advice you to get some samples of the products from this range before, since they may contain irritants.

You can get the products at Q-depot. The Cleanser retails for 26.88 US$. The Toner is available for 67.20 US$. The serum costs 75.60 US$, and the cream retails for a proud 102 US$. Q-depot is an online retailer for Korean cosmetics. They have already quite a variety of the most popular Korean brands and they keep adding products frequently. The site is easy to navigate, too. And they offer free samples for each order and free shipping for orders above US$ 69. What I like especially, that they have an extra section for cruelty-free products, which contains brands like Iope, Innisfree, Etude House, etc. I didn’t see that before for most of the online stores, so that’s something really innovative and nice. Also, they are committed to contributing 3% of their group’s net profit for social causes in different countries. So you can shop for your favorite Korean products and do something good, too. Also,Q-depot is having a promotion were you can get 25 US$ coupon upon signing up. The coupon is useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$.

Here are also some useful coupons and free gifts you can use and receive when ordering at the moment:

Coupons

Get $10 OFF on orders $129+ Coupon Code: A83RvEYo

Get $70 OFF on orders 99+ Coupon Code: LuGf8ZMX

Get $5 OFF on orders 69+ Coupon Code: Uxurfv9C

Get $3 OFF on orders 49+ Coupon Code: ERP9pDYT

Free Gifts

Orders 69+ – Free Missha Misa Gumsul Mask (worth $3.58)

Order 99+ – Free Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lip Patch (worth $6.39)

Orders 129+ – Free Face Shop Lovely Mix Pastal Cushion Blusher (worth $8.99)

Have fun shopping!

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

asian cosmetics beauty beauty boxes Etude House PR Sample review

Etude House Pink Bird Box January “Cover Makeup Done by Big Cover Concealer BB”

5. February 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / AFFILIATE LINKS //

A new Etude House Pink Bird Box packed with newly launched products arrived at my doorsteps a couple of days ago and of course I want to share my opinion about them with you. The theme of the January Box is Cover Makeup Done by Big Cover Concealer BB, but apart from two items from the new Big Cover Concealer line the January Box contained the Look At My Eyes Monkey Wish Eyes released for the Lunar New Year as 2016 is the year of the Monkey. Let’s take a closer look at all the items!

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

The January box contains 5 products: The Etude House Big Cover Concealer BB and the Big Cover Concealer Cushion are from the new Big Cover Concealer line including BB cream, cushion concealer, tip concealer, and concealer kit in order to help to cover imperfections in more convenient and easier ways. The three eyeshadow colors are from the Etude House Look At My Eyes Monkey Wish Eyes Collection, which was released for the new Lunar Year which is the year of the Monkey. The Monkey Wish Eyes include 10 colors in both jewel and velvet type. Each color has a “most want to hear message in new year” in Korean. The 3 colors selected for the Pink Birds are BE109 입금됐다몽 “Pay Day”, PK013 응원한다몽 “Cheer Up”, and GR707 합격했다몽 “Exam Passed”!

I’ll start off with the Etude House Look At My Eyes Monkey Wish Eyes. As you can see below there are 10 Monkey Wish Eyes available, each with its own New Year Message. All the eyeshadow from this collection have a monkey face pattern imprinted. 6 of the 10 colors are limited new colors! The eyeshadow are available in either jewel or velvet types and they are designed to be silky and richly pigmented.

I really think that the monkey imprint is more than adorable and it is a nice idea to have each color with its own new years message. They can be used as cute gifts this way. The three colors below are from left to right GR707 (#10 합격했다몽 “Exam Passed”), BE109 (#6 BE109 입금됐다몽 “Pay Day”), and PK013 (#9 응원한다몽 “Cheer Up”). Look at those lovely monkey heads :D

All the three colors have a good pigmentation, but they also create some fall-off. The imprint also vanishes after using the colors frequently – unfortunately, because this makes the product so cute after all. PK013 and GR707 are jewel-type eyeshadow and contain shimmer particles. BE109 doesn’t have the label “Jewel”, but still I find that the color is sparkly and not really velvet. Nevertheless, all the colors are super pretty and shimmery when used, as you can see in the swatches already.

I especially love color GR707, since it is not a very common color. It is a brown base color with green shimmer and it looks stunning! Oh, and the backside of the eye shadow pots has the cutest bar code, doesn’t it? The three colors fit nicely together, too, and using an eyeshadow base the makeup lasts pretty nicely all day long. There may be some glitter fall-off on your face eventually, but all in all the eyeshadow are pretty descent.

The Etude House Big Cover Concealer products are the main products of the January box. The key product is the new Big Cover Concealer BB cream, which doesn’t come in a tube like most BB creams, but has a multi-touch tip applicator instead. In order to use you can spread the BB cream using the flat side of the applicator all over your face. Using the tip a second layer can be applied on the desired areas which need more cover.

I really like the packaging and somehow it reminds me of Benefit products…What do you think? The bottle of the Big Cover Concealer BB cream contains 30 g of product, which is a good size for a BB cream. The cardboard box has a detailed description and ingredients list in both Korean and English. The shades available for this BB cream are Vanilla, Beige and Sand. I will show you Vanilla here.

The Etude House Big Cover concealer BB has SPF50+/ PA+++. According to the ingredients list it contains Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide for the sun protection. You can look up the whole ingredients list on COSNDA. The ingredients seem to be safe to use mostly. There is Beeswax included which can cause irritations occasionally. Also there are some minor acne triggers, but all in all the ingredients are harmless.

Vanilla is the lightest color of the BB cream. It matches my skin tone just fine at the moment. Unlike the Pony Play 101 Stick Foundation in Vanilla the Big Cover Concealer BB matches better and doesn’t make me look as ghostly, mainly because it has a more fluid consistency and adapts better to my skin tone. For summer I would probably need to use the shade “Beige” instead. Although I’m describing the BB cream as fluid it is more of the creamy type still. It is not a runny BB cream, but instead shows a good coverage without being too drying. The coverage is buildable, too, so by using a second layer on your problem areas you might be able to rich a good coverage.

You can complete concealing with the Etude House Big Cover Concealer Cushion, a cushion concealer shaped like a pen. The Big Cover Concealer Cushion is available in 6 distinct shades. There are the shades Sand, Vanilla, and Beige, which match to the BB creams in the according shades and then there are Illuminate, Mint, and Peach Pink for color correcting your skin concerns. My box contained the shade Peach Pink and comes in a light pink packaging color.

The Concealer Cushions have SPF 30/PA++ using Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, and Zinc Oxide. The full ingredients list contains no harmful ingredients and you can look them up >>here<<. As the name already reveals, this pen type Concealer uses a cushion tip for application. By pushing the bottom of the pen for 1-2 times (a couple of more times for the first usage) the product is released into the cushion and can be applied on the desired areas.

Below you can see a swatch of the Big Cover Concealer Cushion next to the BB cream. The Peach Pink color of the Concealer Cushion looks similar to the BB cream, but with a slightly more pink undertone. It applies thinner and feels lighter than the BB cream. I’m using it for my under eye area and the sides of my nose and I discovered it is perfect for taking it along in your handbag.

I used the Concealer BB cream and the Concealer Cushion for my face make-up on the picture below. The concealer settles sometimes in the lines of my under eye area, but it isn’t as bad as with other concealers I tried. It doesn’t make the sides of my nose look patchy, which I really love. The BB cream gives my skin an even skin tone and looks neither too dewy, nor too matte. It has the perfect finish.

I’m happy about the selection of products in this months Pink Bird Box. The eyeshadow are very cute and I love the monkey imprint and the idea of making a collection of eyeshadow with new years messages. I can imagine that many Koreans use these as small gifts for a friend for example. I didn’t find the eyeshadow on the official Etude House page, but you can get them from W2Beauty for 5.99 US$ each. I also like the Big Cover Concealer BB and the Cushion. The Cushion Pen is part of my handbag now, because it is very convenient to use and doesn’t look cakey. The BB cream provides a nice finish and gives a good mount of coverage. Maybe the only downside for some would be the applicator and the fact that it is less hygienic than using a pump applicator. The BB cream retails for 18 US$ and the Cushion Pens for 13.20 US$!

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

www.facebook.com/etude.gl

or their official Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/etude_official

or their online shopping mall:

http://www.etudehouse.com/

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

Etude House Pink Bird

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

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Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

3. February 2016

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

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

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

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

Coupon Code: FEB10DISCOUNT
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 50 US$ and over to be able to use the 10% off coupon
Requirement 2: Coupon code cannot be combined with any other discount or voucher code.
Only valid until the end of February 2016

The second promotion code is a special gift you will receive by using the code below. The voucher is valid on any orders of 30 US$ or more at Wishtrend! This months free sample are two free Skqin Sissi Sheet Masks in gold and silver.

Voucher Code: SKQINSISSIMASK2016
Orders +30 US$
Only valid until the end of February 2016

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

Moreover, since some weeks Wishtrend is having a new promo each Tuesday called Try It Tuesday. They have different coupons each Tuesday that you can use to get a free sample or product on your order. It is worth following Wishtrend’s Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) to see when they are offering this coupon!
Also, there is a new product by COSRX available at Wishtrend, the COSRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion: I’m super excited for this product and it will be part of my next Wishtrend order definitively.

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

Another new item is the Yellow Tumbling Rubar by 23Years Old. This is a oil balm bar with reminds me of the Sum37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick. Another product I would love to try!

Wishtrend February 2016 Coupons

I would advice you to check out their “Free Shipping Area”, so you don’t have to spend the saved money for shipping costs. They have quite some nice items available there, changing from time to time. At the moment they are providing the OST Vitamin C serum for 14.99 US$ in their free shipping zone, and I spotted the Monstory Green Mon Fresh Mask there aswell!

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:

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum

Chica y Chico Astazet 4.0

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner

Skinmiso Pore Corset Serum

Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

I’m from Honey Mask

Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Protein Treatment

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

ElsihaCoy Aloe & Lavender Mask Sheet

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

Confume Argan Treatment Oil

Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion

Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit Part 1 and 2

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack

CareLab Powerful Pudding Mask

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic

Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

O.S.T. Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks

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

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Tonymoly Perfect Lips Shocking Lip Red

2. February 2016

// AFFILIATE LINKS / KBEAUTY / LIPS //

This lip tint by Tonymoly has become my favorite long-lasting lip tint and tattoo and I wanted to share this review with you for a long time already. It’s the Tonymoly Perfect Lips Shocking Lip and as you could have guessed already if you’ve been following me for some time it is a lip tint in my favorite color red. A while ago I reviewed another of Tonymoly’s lip tint as my favorite product, the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight. Seems Tonymoly slowly becomes my favorite lip tint brand :D

The Korean brand Tonymoly is best comparable to Etude House regarding its popularity. Unlike, Etude House though, the packaging is not princessy-cute, but offers cute designs, too. Especially fruit-shaped products (apples, bananas, mango, peach…) and other creative packaging shapes make this brand interesting for western consumers and therefore very popular.Lip tints have been super popular in Korea for years and there has always been a huge amount of different lip tints by various brands. Mostly, you came across either water-based lip tints or milky-type lip tints. In contrast to lip gloss or lipstick the lip tints look much more natural and are not sticky. They are also perfect for creating the gradient lips which is also popular among Koreans. The new trend have been oil based lip tints, which are less drying than the water-based lip tint. Another new trend are tattoo lip tints. A very popular example for tattoo lip tints are the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack, which I really like and I reviewed them before >>here<< and >>here<<. The Berrisom My Lip Tint Mask needs a bit patient though, because you apply them, leave them to dry and have to peel it off. The Tonymoly Perfect Lips Shocking Lip works a bit different though:

The Tonymoly Perfect Lips Shocking Lip is available in 4 different colors: Pink (01), Red (02), Ruby (03), and Orange (04). It comes in a regular tint tube with a diagonal applicator for applying the product. There are two ways to use this product: you can either use it as overnight mask on your lips, or you apply it directly anytime you want. The tint is made from food coloring which is safe for the skin to use, this means that the stain will really be long-lasting, and if you use your fingers you will have the stain on your fingers all day! This means, that you should be careful to apply the tint very accurate, because it makes life easier for you aswell ;)

The product contains a lot of nourishing ingredients like rose hip oil, vitamin E, safflower seed oil, argan oil, jojoba seed oil and shea butter, which makes it great as overnight lip mask. But I was worried about staining my sheets, so I only used this lip tint during day time. I find the oil based lip tints feel more moisturizing, but still I didn’t find my lips feeling dried out. If you apply the tint fully on your lips it first looks very pigmented and has a gloss to it. The gloss will dry off and you will be left with red stained lips. For a softer look you can apply the tint on the inner parts of your lips only and use a cotton swab to blend it out. The lasting power is amazing. I’m using it in the morning and despite eating and drinking my lips are still stained in the evening. The color is not as vibrant as in the morning for sure, but there is still enough color on the lips.

You can simply touch it up in the evenings for a second time and it will be perfect for any evening occasion. Below you see how long-lasting and pigmented the swatch on my hand is even after washing my hands. Taking a shower removes the vibrant color, but still the stain is visible.

Do I have to tell you how much I love this tint? I can definitively recommend you to try one of these if you are looking for a long-lasting stain on your lips! I bought mine at W2Beauty for 13.55 US$ and it is totally worth every cent. For those living in the US you might want to check out the prices here on amazon.com, too. Did you try any of these Tints from Tonymoly?

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Review: IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX

29. January 2016

I have another new Korean brand for you today: It’s the prestige brand IASO! I was able to try one of their products, the IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX, and I’ve reviewed it for you as usual. This eye concentrate is the updated version of the IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate and it has got a changed ingredients list, which you won’t find on the official page yet.

First thing I noticed with IASO is the sleek and luxurious design of their products. The packaging is simple, with no frills. The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX is part of the anti-wrinkle skin care line and all the products from this line seem to have a golden signature color. Somehow, golden packaging represents already luxury and seems more mature, too. Perfect for the target age of this line. The brand name “IASO” is derived from the name of the eldest daughter of the Greek god of medicine. The brand is founded on the professional knowledge of dermatologists, using plant ingredients for clear, healthy and radiant skin. They did not and do not perform animal testing on their products.

The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX comes in a useful and sleek tube with a pump. It contains 30 g of product. The cardboard box contains description and ingredients in English. According to the description you should use your ring finger for applying the serum and pat it into the skin gently. That’s in general the way to go best with eye cream, since the skin around our eyes is especially thin. The eye care concentrate is made for all skin types and for use at day or night.

You can look up the ingredients on COSDNA. If you compare them to the ingredients of the old version you will see that it is changed in many aspects: it got rid of a bunch of irritants, but also of ginseng and ginkgo plant extracts. Instead it contains Niacinamide. The list of the new formulation still contains a bunch of preservatives in form of parabens and also three red-flagged ingredients which are BHT, Sodium Metabisulfite (both preservatives), Benzophenone-3 (sunscreen). It would have been nice if they had removed these ingredients aswell, while they were changing the formula.

The amount of one pump is more than enough for both eyes. The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX has the formulation of a milky gel. It has a fresh and subtle scent. When you spread the gel over the skin it feels very moist and almost watery. It is not feeling heavy or greasy and absorbs relatively fast, leaving the skin slightly tacky. This makes it difficult to be used during day time, if you want to use a concealer for your eyes and dark circles. But the tackyness also mediates a firming effect on the other side. As far as moisture this concentrate gives a good amount of it and I’ve gladly incorporated this eye concentrate into my night-time routine.

The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX is great in its moisture performance. The design and application of the product are easy and it targets customers which like high-end brands. With 69 US$ as price-tag I would say this is the biggest bummer for this product, especially considering that the improved formulation still has some ingredients, which should not be necessarily added. I would love to see them remove the doubtful ingredients, this would make the heavy retail price at least more justifiable. The product as such is a good one, but I can not and will not encourage you to buy it, since there are more affordable and similar effective products on the market. Nevertheless, IASO has some other interesting products, which might be of more interest. My sister did a review of their Dr. IASO AC Booster on her blog Lovely Attitude. you might want to check out her review aswell.

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

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Review: Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack

22. January 2016

When it comes to DIY sheet masks rice paper has been often discussed as possibility. Now, Lamy Cosmetics has come up with pre-cut and essence included rice paper masks: The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack!

Lamy Cosmetics is a Korean cosmetics company with 6 different brand. The brands are Renoma, Geo, Sortie, Lafine, Catalina Geo, and Mennen. I reviewed products from Lafine and Catalina Geo previously, so the company name was known to me, but I know that many of you will not have heard of these brands before. The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack comes in three versions: tumeric, green tea and black rice– Since the mask sheet is made of real rice paper (yes, the one you may know from your kitchen) the name “Rice Paper Eating Mask” makes somehow sense. Also the three key ingredients are widely known as ingredients from our more or less daily food.

Why using rice as main ingredient of this natural mask pack? The sheet masks claims to have a wearing sensation which is completely different compared to the others sheet masks made of synthetized material. This way the mask is suitable for sensitive skin types and can be used safely without any irritation.

Moreover, the ingredients of the sheet mask essence uses patented herbal ingredients. It contains diverse herbal ingredients such as rh-EGF capsulized with lecithin, plant stem cells, Chinese redbud, and fermented red ginseng to nourish, reduce irritation and skin’s stress as well as keeping its health. The ingredients and description for the sheet mask are written in English and Korean on the backside of the mask sachets.

The essence of all three masks has the same ingredients. The only difference between the three masks are the rice paper sheets. The Lamy Real Eating Mask Tumeric has a sheet made of Rice, Tumeric, Water, and Salt. The Lamy Real Eating Mask Green Tea has a sheet made of Rice, Green Tea, Water, and Salt. Lastly, the Lamy Real Eating Mask Black Rice has a sheet made of Rice, Black Rice, Water, and Salt.

The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack have to be used as following: First, clean your skin with a toner after washing your face. Then, spread the essence included in the package on your rice paper mask sheet. Let the essence be absorbed by the rice paper for around 2 minutes. Afterwards, you can put on the mask from the center of your face stroking it to the outsides. Remove the product after 15-20 minutes and then finish your routine with your base products. Since the rice paper will turn from its hard, paper-like consistency into a jelly sheet you should not pull the mask while applying, because it is easily torn.

The essence for all the mask contains a bunch of plant extracts-some known from traditional chinese medicine, like ginseng, and Rehmannia glutinosa. The list also contains Bifida Ferment Lysate and Lactobacillus Ferment Filtrate. Ferment filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) extracted from milk, and honey and sugars (Trehalose and Raffinose) for nourishing and moisturizing are also worth to be mentioned here.

Below, you can see how the structure of the rice paper changes, after applying the essence on the rice paper. The essence has a light scent, but it is not heavy in my opinion. It is a clear liquid, with a consistency between gel and water. It distributes easily in the plastic container of the rice paper mask.

Once the sheets are soaked you will see that the consistency of the rice sheet masks resembles hydrogel masks. It is jelly and thin. The tricky part comes here: the difference between rice paper and hydrogel masks is, that the rice paper mask is much more prone to be torn apart. Honestly, I didn’t manage to use any of the masks without tearing at least a tiny bit of it. The second problem is, that it does not adhere to the skin as tightly as hydrogel masks…even not like regular cotton sheet masks (or whatever fabric used for the sheet masks). I could not wear the masks for longer than 10 minutes because it started to fall off at the one or the other side. Nevertheless, I must say that the essence is great. When absorbed completely the skin feels soft and smooth and no sign of irritation or anything.

Now, I really do like the performance of the essence of this mask, but is it worth buying a sheet mask made from rice paper? Honestly, I would not buy the mask myself. I would rather to buy an essence with similar ingredients (or one that I really like) and a pack of rice papers or compressed paper masks (or even cotton sheets or pads). It will have the same effect, or even better, and you can mix in your favorite serum etc together with the essence and soak your preferred material. Surely, the Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack is a great product for you if you are too lazy to cut your rice paper or whatever into pieces, but even that is not the biggest deal, is it? If you want to give it a try anyways you can find these masks at Lamy Cosmetics, or on ebay or Amazon.com. It retails for 6000 Won (or around 8 US$ from ebay/Amazon). Did you try rice paper masks already?

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

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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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