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beauty Born Pretty Store NOTD PR Sample review

Stamping Nail Art from Born Pretty Store

19. January 2016

I’m totally a noob when it comes to more elaborate nail art. Nail stickers are easy to apply and I already reviewed a bunch of them, but I’ve always been eyeing the Stamping Nail Art! Finally, after a long time of thinking I selected a Stamping Nail Art Stamper and Scraper and two different Image Stamping Plates from Born Pretty Store.

Born Pretty Store is an asian based online store selling very affordable products, reaching from accessories to make-up and beauty products. They have a super huge amount of all kinds of nail art products and tools. They also have a super large amount of stamping plates and tools needed for stamping nail art.

I was super surprised to see how cute the packaging of the Image Stamping Plates is and that each of the plates comes in its own paper sachet. The two designs I selected are the Rose Queen Image Plate and the Banana Tree Image Plate. Both round shaped plates contain different patterns which you can either combine or you can use only one of the images.

The stamper and the scraper I chose were forming a 2 piece kit and are quite simple. They are made of black plastic and the stamping part of the stamper is made of rubber and it can be replaced. The scraper is also made from black plastic with a metal blade part for scraping the excess nail polish from the image plates.

The theory of Nail Stamping Art is easy: First you coat your nails with the desired background color. Then you select a second nail polish color which is opaque and visible on the background color and you apply the nail polish on the image of the chosen plate you would like to stamp. Then, by using the scraper in 45° angle you scrape away the excess nail polish from the image. The stamper has to be pressed on the image plate now quickly, so that the motif is transferred to the rubber. Usually, you roll the rubber part over the image to pick it up. Then you roll the stamper over your nail and transfer the image on your nail. Afterwards, you can use a topcoat to fix everything. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?!

But it gave me a hard time nevertheless!!! First of all: not all nail polishes work. Opaque nail polishes which are not too fluid worked best for me. Second: I couldn’t achieve a single pretty stamping image when I rolled the stamp on my nails. I tried so many times and I almost gave up, when I finally tried to not roll it on my nail but instead to press my nail inside the rubber part of the stamper! Voilá, it worked finally!!!

I was so happy after I found out what way worked for my stamper and my nails that I’m now so super fond of my stamping nail art kit. I even used it two times this week, which is amazing considering the fact of me being lazy to do any nail art at all!

How do you like my nails? If you are a noob with nail art like me, but you still would like to give Stamping Nail Art a try I can recommend you the tools from Born Pretty Store. They are super affordable and even if it doesn’t work it is not much of a pain. Yes, it will take some practice units at first, but if it works it looks really, really pretty…and so versatile depending to the images on the plates you choose. I got so many compliments for my nails in the last days, that makes me really happy! The stamper and the scraper retail for 3.84 US$. Each of the image pattern plates retail for 2.09 US$ at Born Pretty Store. You can also use the promotional code KBX31 for 10 % discount on your order. They do offer free international shipping by the way!

Did you try Stamping Nail Art already? What are your experiences?

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

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asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Vely Vely Lipstick No.19 by Imvely

16. January 2016

The Vely Vely Lipstick No. 19 by Imvely is the newest addition to my red lipstick collection and meanwhile I’m starting to wonder whether I will be ever able to use up all my red colored lipsticks during my life or not. This Korean lipstick is absolutely new to me and I’m sure that hardly anyone knows about this product. It was sent to me by BNTnews, and as you probably know they tend to send out products which are either hardly available outside of Korea, or very popular and newly released products.

Vely Vely is the cosmetics brand of the Korean fashion brand and online store Imvely. The store seems to be quite modern and have a newly launched make-up collection including some eyeshadows, lipsticks and eyeliners. The Vely Vely Lipsticks are newest launch it seems and they are available in 8 colors. The Vely Vely No. 19 Red Rouge is a satin lipstick according to the description, whereas the other shades are called ‘matte’.

The packaging is simple and yet elegant with a light pink cardboard box with golden lettering. A poem is written on one of the sides. The ingredients of this lipstick contains a three oil complex and shea butter for moisturizing and elasticity improvement, Honey extract for nourishing and recovering and a 6 Flower Complex for soothing and revitalizing. I couldn’t find the full ingredients list though.

The lipstick container has a matte black color. The bullet is made of 3.4 g classy red lipstick. It swatches very softly with one stroke, but the pigmentation can be intensified when using a thicker layer.

The lipstick is neither super creamy nor does it glide softly, but it is more of the harder type of bullet. It can be nicely used when using a lip brush and can create nice and sharp lines. The staying power is regular for lipstick and it fades after drinking and eating and it isn’t transfer-proof either.

The color is really pretty and totally to my liking. You can create both elegant and natural look, depending on how thickly you will use the lipstick. A thin layer creates a natural look and is suitable for a gradation on the lips. Coloring the lips fully leads to a strong tomato red and looks super classy. It is not my dream lipstick considering the staying power, but is does what you usually expect from a good red lipstick. The retail price should be around 19800 Won – a quite regular price. On the Imvely online store it is available for 27.72 US$ which I would consider too expansive. Would you like to try products from this brand? What is your opinion?

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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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: W.Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion

15. January 2016

The cushion craze continues, but this time we have a completely new brand I want to introduce today: The W-Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion! And as the name suggests, this cushion BB contains Honey extract, which is perfect for dry skin and for cold seasons! This cushion was offered to me by Korean cosmetics online shop Qdepot for reviewing purpose.

This is the first time I’m trying a product from the Korean brand W.Lab! Their brand philosophy is to offer high quality ingredients for a reasonable price with their products, by minimizing unnecessary packaging expenses for example. Their products try to replace unnecessary chemical ingredients with natural ingredients aswell. The W-Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion is a popular make-up product in Korea, probably because of the high popularity of honey-containing products in the recent years. It is a multi-functional cosmetics products combining UV-protection, Whitening- and Anti-Wrinkle-properties. Moreover, the cushion will make your complexion look dewy and moisturized, and is supposed to give you the popular “honey-skin”, which you might have heard of if you are into Korean celebrities and K-pop culture.

The W.Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion comes in a familiar cushion foundation compact. It has a cute illustration on the lid, a girl wearing a bee-cap. She looks quite annoyed…or focused…anyhow, I like the design of the cushion compact. The compact also has a golden rim, which makes it look more elegant. The cardboard box shows us Korean description only. But with help of google translate I managed to get the ingredients at least most of them. You can find them in COSDNA. Key ingredients of the W.Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion is honey extract, which makes 39.4% of the product. It also contains Manuka honey, but only 0.1%. You will find Titanium Dioxide, Zinc Oxide and Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate as UV-protecting ingredients in the ingredients list, too. The cushion BB has SPF50+/ PA++. Niacinamide and Panthenol are some of the known moisturizing ingredients. Then, there is a bunch of fruit and plant extracts like lavender oil, lemon peel oil, basil oil, rosemary oil, and so on.

The cushion contains 15 g of products, which, if you have used cushions before, can be used up quickly. One way to make the product last longer is to flip over the internal cushion from time to time as soon as you feel that it empties. I do not know if there are any refills available for this cushion, but I didn’t spot any on Qdepot yet, although you can take out the part of the container with the cushion. It doesn’t fit into Missha or Innisfree Cushions though. The cushion compact comes as usual with a mirror in the lid and a puff applicator sponge.

The puff differs from the blue ruby-cell puffs you know from Amore Pacific for example. It is not blue colored, but salmon. But apart from the color the sponge itself feels somehow sticky, as if it adheres to the skin. I do not like that feeling too much, and I prefer the regular rubycell puffs.

The BB cream is available in two shades: 21 and 23. I would have loved to try No. 23, which suits my skin tone usually better, but I received No. 21, which is a bit to light for me sadly. The cushion is super nicely filled with the BB cream and upon touching it you will get a sufficient amount of the moist BB cream out of the cushion. The BB cream has a light lavender scent, when you are sniffing it directly from the container, but the scent is not noticeable when wearing the BB cream.

Below you can see how the BB skin looks when I apply it on my skin. It has a medium to high coverage and is absolutely enough to cover light birthmarks or rednesses. If you have very troubled skin you will probably need a concealer nevertheless. The finish is a satin and dewy one. It is not completelly dewy, but looks partially powdery. Unfortunately, these kinds of BB creams tend to settle into the lines or around the nose. Nevertheless, the skin does not feel dry while wearing it, but slightly tacky. Flying hair tend to cling to the skin when the BB cream is freshly applied.

The W.Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion would be a good candidate for a favourite cushion, if it would not be so tacky and if it wouldn’t settle around my nose. Apart from the not perfect shade it makes the skin feel moisturized and has a good coverage. I like the design of the cushion compact, too. Also, the ingredients are nice and I like the faint lavender scent. The W.Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion retails for 29.55 US$ at Q-depot. 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 5 US$ coupon upon signing up. The coupon is useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$.

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.

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asian stationary Dokidoki Crate home PR sample

Unboxing: Dokidoki Crate December 2015

13. January 2016

As promised, here is the unboxing for the Dokidoki Crate for December 2015! Unlike the Japan Crate I reviewed previously this box is filled with cute items from Japan, reaching from stationary, to plushies, keychains, and so on!

Dokidoki Crate is a monthly subscription box for cute things from Japan by Japan Crate. Inside you’ll find 8-10 items ranging from adorable plushies & squishies to collectible keychains, figures, apparel, miniatures and more. Depending on your subscription plan the Dokidoki Crate retails for 30 US$ or less if you choose the 3 month, 6 month or 12 month plan. Crates ship the first week of each month with free priority shipping within the US. For international orders the shipping costs depend on the weight of the box.

Similar to Japan Crate the Dokidoki Crate comes with a detailed information about the products and with some cultural background in a custom booklet. The booklet also contains the instructions for the DIY candies and a custom in-house manga. The Dokidoki Crate for December was really filled up to the last bit with super adorable items and I was really happy about the content, too.

The Dokidoki Crate for December contained 9 items: Henshin Awa Jelly DIY Kit, Chibi Totoro, Panda Sleep MAsk, Nya-Kuma, Alpacasso Coin Purse, Charizard Pikachu, Hello Kitty Blind Box, Totoro Zipper Pouch, and Totoro Desk Calender. I was so excited to see that three of the products are Totoro-themed items! ♥

Let’s start of with the two plushies of the December Dokidoki Crate: The Chibi Totoro and the Nya-Kuma Plushie. The Chibi Totoro is really “chibi” and fits into one hand. It is super adorable! The larger Nya-Kuma Plushie is of good quality and it is fun to see the bear wearing a cat-costume :D It even has a bell around its neck.

Another plushy item, but with a purpose, is the Alpacasso Coin Purse. It has a zipper and you can either store your coins or anything smaller you’d like to store inside. A Pokemon Keychain was included aswell. It shows as Pikachu dressed up as Charizard!

The Hello Kitty Mystery Box in my Dokidoki Crate contained a Hello Kitty figure dressed up as Audrey Hepburn, I suppose. 1 out of 5 possible Hello Kitty Figures were included in the Dokidoki Crate for December in order to celebrate the 40th birthday of Hello Kitty. Another fun item which was part of the December Crate is the Plush Panda Sleep Mask. I can imagine that it is super cozy sleeping with this mask! Also, the box contained a Henshin Awa Jelly DIY Kit.

My favorite items from the Dokidoki Crate for December are the Totoro Desk Calendar and the Zipper Pouch! I love Totoro and the calendar contains some super pretty illustrations from the film! Both of these products are already in use. There is also a monthly giveaway for the subscribers where you can win a so-called Suteki Crate, which contains some larger plushies, stationary and gadgets, similar to the Sugoi Crate for Japan Crate subscribers.

I really love the Dokidoki Crate! The boxes have a good value for the price and the items are from different animes and areas. There were Plushies included, but also more useable stuff like pouches or calendars. If you are a lover for anime and Japan related toys and stationary you will definitely enjoy the Dokidoki Crate. Again, the only downside is the shipping costs for non-US residents, but other than this I can totally recommend this subscription box if you want a versatile experience for Japanese Kawaii Goodies. What is your impression of the Dokidoki Crate Subscription Boxes? Would you like to try these yourself?

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

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asian sweets food Japan Crate PR Sample

Unboxing: Japan Crate December 2015

12. January 2016

I promised some more upcoming unboxings! I received this literally heavy japanese candy and snack subscription box mid of December, but due to all the holidays and food I almost didn’t have any time to try the products :D I still didn’t try all of the products which were included in the Japan Crate for December 2015, but still, I wanted to share with you this great subscription box. This post will be picture-heavy, so be warned :D

Japan Crate is a japanese snacks and candy subscription box founded in September 2014. Unlike other subscription boxes Japan Crate tries to design kind of an experience with their boxes. Each box comes with detailed information about the products and with some cultural background in a custom booklet. The booklet also contains the instructions for the DIY candies and a custom in-house manga.

How does a Japan Crate subscription work? You can choose between different type of crates which vary in their price and amount of content. There is a Mini Japan Crate, which contains 4-6 items and has a weight of half a pound. It costs 12 US$ per month. The Original Japan Crate contains 8-10 items, including 1 guaranteed DIY Kit. It has a weight of 1 pound and retails for 25 US$ per month. Last, the is the Premium Japan Crate which contains 12-14 products. You have 1 guaranteed DIY Kit and also it included drinks and not only snacks and candy. Moreover, the Premium Crate contains a surprise item, which can be either a gashapon figure/keychain or special premium DIY Kit or a bag of japanese chips…The Premium Japan Crate retails for 30 US$.

When I received my Premium Japan Crate the first thing I noticed was how heavy it is! This brings me to another point, the shipping costs: If you live in US you are lucky! Shipping is free for all domestic orders! For international orders, it is $10 – $15 depending on the size of the crate. That means, the bigger the crate you choose, the more expensive will the shipping costs be. Nevertheless, despite the shipping costs for international customers it is really nice to see that the amount of products reflects the price you pay for the box.

As I said above, each Japan Crate comes with a custom booklet. You will find an overview for all the products in your crate within this booklet. It is nice to see, that they divided the overview and you can see also what is inside the different sizes of the Japan Crate. Since the subscription plans are either monthly, 3, 6 or 12 months you can decide whether to change to a larger or smaller sized Japan Crate after your subscription plan has ended.

I will start with the items which are part of the Mini Japan Crate for December: Umaibo Sticks in three different flavours, Bad Kid Beer Powder, Awa Mocco Mocco Powder, and Fujiya Lollipop Bag.

The Fujiya Lollipop Bag is a surprisingly large bag of fruity lollipops in different flavours. The flavours included in this bag are: orange, grape, apple, and strawberry. I like lollipops as occasional candy, and this bag would be great for someone with kids. From sweet to savory: The Umaibo Sticks were included in three different flavours, Tonkatsu (pork cutlet), Veggie Salad, and Cheese. The sticks have the consistency of prawn crackers and tastewise something that I would have get used to. I couldn’t eat all of these sticks :D

The Mini Japan Crate also contains two powder drinks, the Bad Kid Beer and the Awa Moco Moco. The Bad Kid Beer is not actual beer, but a powder which creates a creamy grape soda when mixed with water. It will leave a tingling sensation while drinking it. In a similar way the Awa Moco Moco Powder transforms water into a flavoured, fizzy drink. There were three possible flavours for it: Strawberry, Melon, and Banana. My Crate contained the Melon flavoured powder.

The Original Japan Crate included on top of the above products the following products: Cute Totorin Parfait DIY, Pocky Demitasse, BlackBean & Soy Sauce Scones, and Naga-I Sawagumi Ornage.

The Cute Tororin Parfait DIY is the cutest DIY candy I have seen so far! With help of this kit you can create a thick and rich strawberry parfait. The Kit comes with pink candy topping and icing and the cute cup to serve the parfait. The booklet contains the translated ingredients. I didn’t try this Kit yet, because of lack of time, but I will surely post some pictures on instagram if it works :D I was also more than happy about the Pocky Sticks. I love Pocky sticks! Pocky Demitasse is a new Pocky made from high quality seasonal ingredients. These Pockysticks are shorter than the regular ones and coated in dark chocolate. A nice taste and not overly sweet because of the dark chocolate! I already ate all of these! :)

The Black Bean & Soy Sauce Scones were also to my liking! These savory scones make a nice salty snack. They have a crunchy and yet soft texture. The Naga-I Sawagumi Orange whinegum was also a good tasting candy. A lightly sour candy tape with orange taste. One of the products I ate all by myself :D

For the Premium Japan Crate four more items in addition to the ones of the Mini and the Original Crate were included: Hia Shuwa Cola, Celio Lifeguard Drink, Pachishuwa Dynamite Melon Soda, and the bonus item, a Legend of Zelda Figure!

I was surprised to see another large bag full of candy, and these are even in my favorite favorite flavor for candies: cola! I’m a sucker for candy with cola flavors :D and this bag of Hia Shuwa Cola Candies contains three different levels of cola flavoured candy: fizzy, soothing and gummy! One tropical flavored candy is also included in each bag! And there are so many of these candies you can easily share them with others!

The Premium Japan Crate also contains drinks. The drinks of the December Crate are the Celio Lifeguard Drink and the Pachishuwa Dynamite Melon Soda. The Lifeguard drink contains 7+ vitamins and amino acids and contains also honey and royal jelly. I tried this with my boyfriend, but neither of us liked it. It has a very sweet and artificial taste and the color is neon green! It reminded me of energy drinks widely available, and I hate energy drinks! :’D This is not my cup of tea…or drink! That brings me to the second drink, the Pachishuwa Dynamite Melon Drink! I’m not a friend of melon taste and to be honest, this drink makes me also afraid because of the name XD. This classic melon soda can either be frozen or you can drink it straight from the bottle. I think I’m not ready for either versions yet. Maybe I’ll freeze it :D

Last item of the Japan Crate Premium Box for December is the Legend of Zelda Figure included! I was super excited for this one and I of course hoped for Link or Zelda as figure, but my box contained Furuta. He’s cute nevertheless and I really enjoyed the fact that the boxes contained a Zelda figure. One of the 11 possible figures were included in the Japan Crates for December, which go along with the Zelda themed Sugoi crate of December! Oh right!, I forgot to tell you about the Sugoi Crate: Each month one lucky subscriber of the Japan Crate Boxes is selected randomly and wins a box packed with giant candies, japanese gadgets, toys and gaming systems! The Sugoi rate for December for example, contained The Legend of Zelda Link Shield Bag, a wearable Majora’s Mask, Nintendo 3DS XL Majora’s Mask Edition, and so on! It is really a nice idea to have such giveaways for your subscribers!

All in all, I’m really positively surprised by Japan Crate! The boxes have a good value for the price and the products are really versatile. It is a good mixture between savory and sweet snacks and also different kind of products. The only downside is the shipping costs for non-US residents, but other than this I can totally recommend this subscription box if you want a versatile experience for Japanese Candies and Snacks. Japan Crate also launched a new subscription Box, the Dokidoki Crate, which contains a monthly supply of cute items, like toys and plushies and stationary. I will review their first Dokidoki Crate within the next days, too! What is your impression of the Japan Crate Subscription Boxes? Would you like to try these yourself?

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

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asian cosmetics beauty Born Pretty Store NOTD PR Sample review

Camellia Flower 3D Nail Art Stickers from Born Pretty Store

8. January 2016

It has been a while again since I posted any nail or nail art related products, but since the busy time around Christmas is over I had some patience to do some nail art again using Camellia Flower 3D Nail Art Stickers from Born Pretty Store.

I tried some other nail decals and stuff from Born Pretty Store before and usually their nail products are affordable and have a good quality, too. Born Pretty Store is an asian based online store selling very affordable products, reaching from accessories to make-up and beauty products. They have a super huge amount of all kinds of nail art products and tools. The Camellia Flower 3D Nail Art Stickers I used are available in different variation. I chose the red colored flowers with the golden lining, but they are also available with silver lining or with black, pink or white color. Each sheet contains 34 stickers: larger flowers, smaller flowers and half flowers.

The backside of the water decals shows the description on how to use them. Basically it is very easy: each sticker has an adhesive backside. You have to peel off the sticker (best use tweezers to not touch the glue too much) and press the sticker on the desire spot on your nails.

Seal the stickers by using a top-coat on top of your created nail art. Since these stickers are not transparent you can use any color of nail polish you like as background on your nails.

How do you like the result? I’m super happy with it, especially because I could use any nail polish color I wanted and the sticker still shows up. I also like the golden lining of the flowers. It really has a bit of a 3D effect without being too harsh like pearls (I’m always afraid of breaking up or loosing studs or pearls on my nails). You can get these Camellia Flower 3D Nail Art Stickers for 1.09 US$ per sheet from Born Pretty Store. I think it is super affordable! You can also use the promotional code KBX31 for 10 % discount on your order. They do offer free international shipping by the way and they have so many different styles and designs of nail stickers available at BornPrettyStore!

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

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Wishtrend January 2016 Coupons

7. January 2016

Time for the first Wishtrend Coupons in 2016! As usual I will summarize the coupons and benefits that you can use while shopping on one of my favorite online retailers for the more unknownKorean beauty products: Wishtrend. If you don’t know ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner, 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, 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 January:

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: NEWCOUPON2016
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 January 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 January 2016

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. Below are some examples for the past offers. It is worth following Wishtrend’s Social Media (Facebook and Instagram) to see when they are offering this coupon!

Last but not least I wanted to show you some new items I spotted on Wishtrend: There is a new product by 23yearsold called Sibiton Cream. This cream contains Seabuckhorn oil and other seed oils and should be perfect for moisturizing dry skintypes.

Wishtrend January 2016 Coupons

Another new item, or items are the new products from the Lei Lani Poruji line. The line consists of Toner,Emulsion, Essence and Cream and is directed towards anti-acne care. The packaging looks nice, too., doesn’t it?

Wishtrend January 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! Oh, and Wishtrend is having their own brand now called “by Wishtrend”. There are only three products so far, but I’m sure there will be many more in future.

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 beauty boxes Etude House PR Sample review

Etude House Pink Bird Box December “Play 101 Sticks”

4. January 2016

As promised on my Instagram account I will start this week with one of my three unboxing posts: The Etude House Pink Bird Box for December is fully dedicated towards the new cooperation of Etude House with makeup artist Pony. They recently have launched a new series of products called the Play 101 Sticks. If you are curious about some of Etude House’s newest product continue reading, but be aware that this post is picture-heavy, similar to the previous post about the Etude House Pink Bird Box. :D

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!

I was so excited to see the products for this month since it contains the products from the new collaboration of Etude House with one of my favourite Korean make-up artists Pony. The box contained a Play 101 Stick Foundation, two different Play 101 Stick Multi-Color, the Play 101 Stick Contour Duo, and the Play 101 Stick Brush. A couple of samples for the upgraded Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream and an Eyebrow Guide Minibook were included additionally.

The new Play 101 Sticks Series consists of four different shades of the Multi-Stick Foundation. Then there are 6 different colors for the Multi-Color Sticks which can be used on Lips and Cheeks for example. Apart from these 10 Play 101 Sticks there is also a Contour Duo and a Brush available in this new collection. All together it is a very versatile useable collection and it already caught my attention when I spotted these on Etude House Facebook page for the first time.

There are also two Youtube tutorials with Pony where she explains two different looks which can be created with the Etude House Play 101 sticks. The looks are called “Slim & Small Look” and “Bohemian Look“. It seems you can create a lot of amazing looks with the Etude House Play 101 Sticks! I received the sticks in shade 01 (multi-stick foundation), 11 and 13 (multi-color sticks). The packaging design of the Play 101 Sticks is similar to the Play 101 Pencils. The cardboard boxes also have descriptions in English (click below to enlarge), but you can also find the descriptions and ingredients on the global Etude House page.

The Etude House Play 101 Multi-Stick Foundation is available in 4 shades. Shade 01 is the lightest shade of the foundations. It is an okay match for my skin tone, but 02 would be even better probably. This Multi-Stick Foundation works similar to other stick foundations. You have to apply stokes on your face and blend it in with a sponge or brush (or fingers). The foundation has a convenient twist-up mechanism. like all the Play 101 Sticks.

The Etude House Play 101 Multi-Color Sticks have a very versatile use. You can use them as blush on your cheeks, but they are also useable on the lips or eyelid. Shade 11 is not my favorite color to use on the lips, but it can be used to contour the cheekbones, or as a brownish blush, but also as eyeshadow base color.

Shade 13 is a light pink color with golden shimmer. This is my absolute favorite of the three Play 101 Sticks! The color s super pretty as blush, but also gives your lips a nice shine. It can be used as sparkling/highlighting eyeshadow, too. The color is sooo lovely!

The Etude House Play 101 Stick Contour Duo is a double-ended twist-up crayon. It is not a bold stick like the previous ones, but a more narrow crayon. Also here you will find the English description on the cardboard box and on the official site.

One side of the Contour Duo is a white-cream colored highlighter, the other one is a brown contouring shade. The caps for both sides are clear plastic caps, so you can see the color of the end you are using.

The Play 101 Multi-Stick Foundation has a heavy cream formula. It blends in, drying matte and powdery. The Play 101 Multi-Color Sticks on the other hand are very creamy and remind me of the 3CE Creamy Cheek Blusher, which was in my Top 30 Favorite Cosmetics list for 2015. The Multi-Color Sticks are much more easy to blend in than the Foundation Stick. Also the Contour Duo is creamier and more blendable than the foundation.

In order to apply the foundation you can either use your favorite foundation blush or a sponge, or you can use the brush Etude House offers, the Etude House Play 101 Stick Brush. It is a short brush which comes in a plastic zip-lock bag. It has the perfect size for travelling, which makes the whole Etude House Play 101 line a perfect travelling makeup: Easy to use, twist-up mechanism, versatile.

Below you can see how the products look when used on my face. Unfortunately, the foundation is too powdery and heavy to be blended in nicely into my skin. Probably it works better for people with oily or normal skin. For me, it doesn’t look like it melts into the skin, but more like a layer on top of my skin, which I do not like. The other products work perfectly find. I even applied the Multi-Stick in shade 13 on my lips and it really looks pretty and gives a rosegold sheen. It also looks nice on top of your favorite lipstick for example.

All in all, I really like the concept of the Etude House Play 101 Multi-Sticks! I’m not a fan of the Foundation Stick though, because it doesn’t properly blend into my skin and looks to powdery for my liking. The Contour Duo is super convenient to use, and I love the Multi-Stick in shade 13 because of the color. Definitively, you should try one of the Etude House Play 101 Multi-Sticks at least. I’m very happy with the Etude House Play 101 Sticks after all! Did you try any of the products already? Tell me about it in the comments below!

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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Top 30 Asian Cosmetics Products 2015

29. December 2015

2015 went by so fast! I cannot believe it is almost 2016! Like last year I want to share my favourite 30 asian cosmetics products which I reviewed in 2015 with you. My post last year was “only” a top 20, but it was too hard to me to decide for only 20 products and I ended up with 30 :D I tried to be as versatile as possible and divide the sections into different categories of make-up, skin care, masks, hair products… Here is my selection of products for 2015:

Asian Make-Up Products

Let’s start off with my favourite products in general, which are my beloved lip make-up products! My three favourite lip products 2015 are:

Innisfree Creammellow Lipsticks: I was already a huge fan of the Innisfree Color Glow Lipsticks, but these were even greater in terms of creamy-ness and gloss. Super moisturizing and so pretty colors. Check out my review >>here<<.

Aritaum Water Sliding Tints: Another super moisturizing lip product. Similar to the Innisfree Creammellow lipsticks these are super sliding over the lips and feel very moist. The color payoff is strong, too, despite the texture. Nevertheless, a great product which I love to use! Check out my review >>here<<.

Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight: I’ve really become fond of these oil tints! The Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight is so far my favorite in terms of color and feel on the lips! Definitively worth a try! Read my review >>here<<.

Next are my favorite Blush/Contouring products 2015:

Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher: I discovered this blusher far too late, since it is not a newly launched product at all. Still, I love the subtle color and the cute and yet simple packaging…and it was one of the winners of Get It Beauty Blind Test. Read my review >>here<<.

3CE Creamy Cheek Stick: I love this convenient stick type application and the texture of this blush! And, to tell the truth, I’m also in love with the new Etude House Play 101 sticks, which have some similar blush-colors….(don’t worry, there will be upcoming reviews). Read my review >>here<<.

Too Cool For School Art Class By Rodin: I was never much into contouring but this contouring compact makes it easy and has some nice colors aswell. And the most beautiful packaging! Click to read my review >>here<<.

This year was mostly cushion BBs for me. I tried some regular bb creams, but it weren’t my favourite yet. My favorite cushion BB creams 2015 are:

Missha Magic M Moisture Cushion: I love the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream and the Missha M Moisture Cushion turns out to be a great cushion bb aswell! I also tried the regular version, which I did like, too. But for my dry skin the moisture version is my favorite. Read my review >>here<<.

Innisfree Intense Ampoule Cushion: A lovely cushion. similar to the Missha Moisture Cushion but a bit more nourishing. Perfect for winter! Read my review >>here<<.

O’melon Chameleon Essence Queen Cushion: This is one of the most beautiful cushions I’ve seen so far…and it has three colors! It is super pretty and has a unique concept. Read my review >>here<<.

Asian Skin Care Products

Let’s get to the skin care products I reviewed this year and which ones I liked most. I’ll start of with my favorite cleansers 2015:

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleanser Oil: I loved the scent of this oil cleanser. Honestly, I’m really a big fan of Klairs products, but from the whole line I had two favourites, which were the toner and this cleanser…and later this year I fell in love with the new Klairs vitamin C serum, too…Such a great brand! Read my review >>here<<.

Sum 37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick: Almost everybody who tried this stick cleanser fell in love with it…You have to like roses and rose scent and coconut oil for loving this. If you do, this cleanser gives you the maximum of luxury while cleansing your face. Read my review >>here<<.

Skinfood Rose Shake Point Make-Up Remover: Another favorite for rose scent lovers is this point makeup remover from skinfood. It is also available in a milk version, which I want to try next time. Read my review >>here<<.

My favorite toners 2015 are:

ElishaCoy Moist Up Hyalurone Ampoule Toner: I love the scent so much!!! I bought the cleansing water of the same line and I hope it will be as great as the toner. Read my review >>here<<.

Klairs Supple Preparation Toner: As I said above, I really enjoyed the Klairs products I tried this year. This is one of my favourite toners so far! Read my review >>here<<.

CosRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner: The brand CosRX had quite a go this year aswell…I still have some products which I didn’t review yet, but which are already waiting to be used. Probably they would be on this list if I already used them :D A great brand aswell! Read my review >>here<<.

My favourite cream-type products 2015 are:

Chico & Chica Astazet 4.0.: I enjoy the ingredients and the texture of this cream very much. I would say it helps to improve the skin, although it is hard to tell which products are really responsible when having an elaborate skin care routine. Read my review >>here<<.

BRTC Aqua Rush Cream: This cream has such a lovely texture, which is first like a balm and then magically melts away like water! Click >>here<< for my full review.

Delight 18 I.U Whitening Cream Glutathione: Another water drop texture cream with whitening properties. You could almost say it is a mixture between moisturizer and CC cream. Read my review >>here<<.

Some other favorite skin care products I tried:

Missha First Treatment Essence Intensive: This essence makes the skin feel so soft and smooth! And although reformulated it will not be less effective than the previous formula. Read my review >>here<<.

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum: Compared to the OST Vitamin C serum this might not be as aggressive and effective, but still it contains some powerful and great ingredients. I started to like this a bit more for everyday use, especially if you have sensitive or not so troubled skin. Click >>here<< to read my review.

Tosowoong Syn-ake Natural Pure Essence: Cheap but efficient brand with great ingredients! Read my review >>here<<.

CosRX Acne Pimple Master Patch: I was amazed how much a patch can change. I do not have many pimples, but each time I spot one I cover it with this patch and the next day it is gone. amazing! Read my review >>here<<.

Asian Hair Products 2015

My favorite asian hair products this year were and are:

Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo and Conditioner: This hair care line makes my hair super smooth and manageable! The scent is awesome, too, and I love the luxurious pump containers and the fact that you can buy refills. I’m on my second refill now, and still love it! Read my review >>here<<.

Confume Argan Treatment Oil: I love the scent and I love the texture of this hair oil. From the four oils I have I use this one the most! Read my review >>here<<.

Asian Sheet Masks and other Masks

3CE Water Wrapping Facial Mask: Super moisturizing and such a soft cotton sheet mask, which became one of my favourites. Read my review >>here<<.

Moonlab Real Cooling Themometer Mask: I reviewed this a couple of days ago, but it was such a great sheet mask that it had to be in my list for 2015. This sheet mask is super cooling and is made of coconut water. Read my review >>here<<.

From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack: This is my favorite alternative to the famous Laneige Sleeping Mask. It is not expensive at all and worth a try! Read my review >>here<<.

I’m from Honey Mask: I love honey and I love this wash-off mask, which has such a lovely scent and makes my skin super glowy and smooth! If you didn’t try this mask you definitively missed an experience! Click for my review >>here<<.

Other recommendable products:

BornPretty Dual Nail Dotting Tools: These make it possible to create so many different nail arts. And they are super affordable, too! Read my review >>here<<.

Smile Brilliant Professional Teeth Whitening Kit: This is no asian product, but still worth mentioning, since it is a super affordable way to whiten your teeth like at a dentist. Read my review >>here<<.

I hope you enjoyed reading my Top 30 Asian Cosmetics Products post and I wish you a happy new year! What were your favorite products in 2015? I will not be able to post any reviews until January, but I have a lot of new and interesting products for you in 2016! Take care! ♥

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Review: Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask Skin Radiance

23. December 2015

This is the first time I heard of a cooling sheet mask containing liquid ice and the first time I heard of the brand Moonlab. The Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask for Skin Radiance is a Bio-Cellulose Mask with dual functionality of whitening and wrinkle improvement.

The brand Moonlab is a Korean brand, but is was absolutely new to me until now. There is an official webpage called PureskinWorld were you can find Pure Skin and Moonlab products, but for Moonlab there are only the Real Cooling Thermometer Masks which are available in three different versions, the Moisture Supply, the Nutrition Supply and the Skin Radiance Mask. I will show you the Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask Skin Radiance Mask in this post. As said before, the Skin Radiance mask is directed towards Whitening and Anti-Wrinkle. It is an ice cooling mask that cools down skin which is overheated by sun exposure, excessive exercise or external stimulation and helps to make the skin less dull and more radiant and bright.

The ingredients of the Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask are great, too. According to COSDNA all the ingredients are safe to use. You can have a look here for all the ingredients of this mask, but the list is also written in English on the sheet mask packaging. The two key ingredients are liquid ice and snow lotus extract. The liquid ice is responsible for the cooling effect and refreshes your skin. The Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask for Skin Radiance has a skin temperature decreasing effect of 6.5°C! Snow lotus extract has brightening and relieving properties. Apart from these two ingredients there are a bunch of other ingredients worth mentioning: Niacinamide for brightening, Hyaluronic Acid and Pseudoalteromonas Ferment extract for moisturizing, and even snail secretion filtrate for its anti-inflamatory effects. Also, there is a stable, water-soluble form of vitamin C that functions as an antioxidant (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate) in the ingredients list. Last but not least, a whole bunch of plant ingredients build up the rest of this mask! I probably do not have to mention how much I liked this list of ingredients!

The sheet masks come in a cardboard box containing 4 sheet masks packed in separate sachets. The sachets have a thermometer displayed on the right side, which has a thermal indicator function. When the temperature of the mask is 15°C or less the symbol changes its color from silver to blue and indicates the perfect temperature for using it. But that’s only optional, but really a funny idea. Apart from that the design of this sheet mask is very medical/scientific, with a clipboard illustration and the bars showing the effect of the temperature decrease.

The Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask is a bio-cellulose mask, a gel type mask sheet made of fermented coconut juice with bacteria. It adheres very neatly to the skin and doesn’t slip around like some hydrogel masks for example. I really like how soft and jelly it feels nevertheless. Due to the fact that the sheet masks are made of bio-cellulose the thickness of the sheet may vary because it is made from fermented coconut water. The bio-cellulose mask is protected by a plastic paper from one side and a cotton type sheet on the other. The essence is a clear type with a fluid, but not completely watery texture. It has a mild scent, which is on the flowery side, but I couldn’t define it properly. You can use the mask for 10-30 minutes, but even after 30 minutes it still has its cooling sensation. And yes, the cooling sensation is really more obvious than with regular sheet masks! You really feel how your skin tightens up from the cold. Afterwards the skin feels brightened and vital and refreshed and really softened!

I really loved using this mask and apart from the 3CE Water Wrapping Facial Mask, this has become one of my favourites! I can imagine that this mask is super great for hot seasons and weather, but also after exercising. I used up 3 of these already and saved one…A pity the box comes only with 4 pieces of this mask and the retail price of 26000 Won (around 26 US$) makes it quite an expensive mask, too. But I’d say it’s worth the money! I couldn’t directly see any longterm effect considering whitening or anti-aging with only three masks, but it has definitively a direct tightening effect because of the cooling..and it contains Niacinamide and vitamin C, so the chances are good that it does a tiny bit of anti-aging and brightening, too. Nevertheless, I would like to try the other versions of the Moonlab Real Cooling Thermometer Mask! Did you try a Bio-cellulose mask before? did you know about the brand Moonlab?

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 August BNT Beauty Box. And visit BNTnews for the latest Korean news and trends:

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

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