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asian cosmetics beauty Missha PR Sample review

Review: Missha M Magic Cushion

21. July 2015

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / MAKEUP //

Four or five years ago my addiction for Asian beauty products started with my first BB cream, the Missha Perfect Cover BB, and today I’m happy to introduce to you the newest addition to the Missha BB cream family, the Missha M Magic Cushion!

Missha is one of the worldwide famous Korean brands, especially their Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream is one of the most famous BB creams. They have a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and since some time they even opened up an online store for Germany, and a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany! The products always come in a very luxurious looking packaging and the design is usually very mature and elegant and I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha M Magic Cushion comes in a very simple, yet elegant, white cardboard box as well, as you can see from the images.

The cardboard box contains the Korean and the English description. You’ll find the ingredients also listed on COSDNA >>here<<, but they are also listed on the cardboard box. I want to point out the fact, that if you look carefully below, you will notice that you’ll find a sticker on the side where the ingredients are listed. Below that sticker, you will find another ingredients list. Both lists are identical considering the single ingredients but in a different order. On this topic, you might want to check out the article by Tracy from fanserviced-b. She points out how the ingredients are listed in a different order depending on the labeling rules of the specific country.

Nevertheless, I want to point out some key ingredients for the Missha M Magic Cushion. The packaging states Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, and Ethylhexyl Salicylate as active ingredients. These three ingredients are the sunscreens included in this product and give the Missha M Magic Cushion SPF50+ and PA+++. Thus, the key targets of this cushion bb cream are winkle-care, whitening and UV blocking, in addition to giving a flawless appearing skin. Other ingredients which can be pointed out are bamboo water and baobab fruit extract which provide the skin with moisture, and hazel extract which has soothing properties. There are also some other plant extracts and oils included in the ingredients list.

Compared to other brands Missha jumped the cushion bandwagon quite late. They released a DIY cushion case previously (you can find my review >>here<<), and I’m sure many were a bit confused and thought that the Missha Magic Cushion Case was already a real cushion. But the Missha M Magic Cushion was released later and so far there are three different cushion bb creams by Missha available in Korea: the Missha M Magic Cushion, the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion, and the Missha Signature Essence Cushion. Missha US and Missha Germany only released the Missha M Magic Cushion so far, but I’m sure the others will be following soon. The design of the Missha M Magic Cushion is like all the other cushion foundations: it comes in a round container like most pacts come with. The container has a mirror in the lid, in order to be easy to use on the way and work as a perfect product to carry around in your handbag. There is also an application puff inside the container. These, typically blue colored ruby-cell sponges are super soft and perfect for applying a natural looking layer of the bb cream. I also have the feeling, that the ruby-cell sponges are kind of cooling while patting the product on your face.

Now, below the second plastic lid, you’ll find the “heart” of the cushion, the sponge soaked with the BB cream/ foundation. This plastic container inside the pact case can be removed and replaced once empty. Some brands can even exchange their refills amongst each others cases, some can’t. I have an Innisfree, a Pongdang and a Missha Cushion so far, but they cannot be exchanged with each other. The Missha M Magic Cushion also doesn’t fit into the Missha Magic Case, but it fits with the other Missha cushions.

The Missha M Magic Cushion is available in two shades: #21 Light Beige and #23 Natural Beige. Since it is summer at the moment I chose #23. I’m a bit tanned at the moment and although it looks a bit bright on the swatch on my hand, it looks okay on my face. Although the Missha M Magic Cushion has a semi-matte finish it doesn’t feel drying, but rather moist.

Also, if you have used primers or achieved a nice glow with your skincare routine before it doesn’t cover the glow, but leaves the natural shine on your cheeks for example. The coverage is medium and it doesn’t make the skin look unnaturally cakey. I will review the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion in comparison soon, but so far I love this cushion. The finish is pretty and it lasts quite long without getting dry or flaky around my chin or nose. It does not make my skin oily either, probably because of the silica-bead powder, which is supposed to absorb sweat and sebum. The scent of the Missha M Magic Cushion is kind of creamy, but not flowery like the Missha Perfect Cover BB cream for example. It is not super strong either.

So far I am very happy with the Missha M Magic Cushion. I had high expectations for it, since I love the Missha Perfect Cover BB cream, and I was afraid to be disappointed with the cushion, but at the moment I’m using it daily. I still love the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion though, but it is shade 21 and a bit too light for me atm ;D I’m very curious about the Missha M Magic Moisture Cushion though and I hope that I will like it as much as this one. I received the Missha M Magic Cushion from Missha Germany. They deliver within Germany, but also outside Germany. So if you are somewhere in Europe it might be faster to consider ordering from them instead of Korea. My package arrived after 2 days, which is awesome when thinking about the 2-4 weeks of waiting when ordering from Korea :D The Missha M Magic Cushion retails for 15.40 €, and they had a launching event where it was only 10 €! I can recommend you to take a glance occasionally at their webpage, instagram, and facebook. By the way: Missha is one of the Korean bands which are against animal testing!

You can also find the Missha Cushions on any other official Missha Store or Amazon.com.

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.missha-germany.de/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

5 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review Wishtrend

Review: Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

19. June 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After loving the Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion so much I had high hopes for this cushion. According to the description, the dewy finish and the moisturizing properties of the Pongdang glow BB Cushion intrigued me to try this, but I must say that I don’t think that the product fulfills these claims. The name therefore is also not properly chosen, since I don’t see any dewy finish at all. Maybe, it works better on other skintypes, or maybe I did something wrong here…anyways, if you want to try this because of a dewy finish go for the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion instead. Although this cushion is not my favourite I’m still curious about all the other items from this brand. I have heard that their regular BB creams are good, too. Maybe it is better to check out one of them instead. The Pongdang Glow BB Cushion retaills for 19.55 US$ at Wishtrend and has a volume of 20 g. Also, check out the June promotions on Wishtrend before grabbing your products. Keep in mind their friend-referral program: You can receive a 5 Us$ referral coupon if you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration and you’ll receive this voucher immediately.There will be a specific field in your registration form called “friends invitation program” where you can put the code mentioned above. This way new customers can safe 5 US$ which is a great possibility to safe some money.

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

8 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: The Face Shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream

3. June 2015

// PR SAMPLE / MAKEUP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

It’s been some time since my last BB cream review, although BB creams are why I started blogging in the frst place. There are so many to try, especially in the asian market, and The Face Shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream is one of them. This BB cream is supposed to be a total skin treatment with lifting, moisturizing and correcting properties. and was send to me by a new Korean cosmetics online store named Q-depot.

The Face Shop is a Korean brand that “shares the benefits of nature”. It launched in 2003 in Korea and tries to bring together science and nature in their cosmetics products. They have a huge range of items and most of the items I tried from this brand I actually did like. The Face Shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream is an all-rounder BB cream formulated with omega-3 and vita skin complex to nourish and moisturize your skin. The BB cream comes in 2 shades: 01. bright beige and 02. natural beige. I received shade 02. The BB cream also has SPF37 and PA++ and has some sun protection properties.

The Face shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream is also available in two sizes. You can get either a smaller tube of 20 ml, or the larger tube as I’m showing here with 40 ml of product. Both versions are packed in tubes with a pump dispenser, which is the best way to pack a BB cream in my opinion (apart from Pacts/Cushions). The signature color of this BB cream is purple and the tube looks quite elegant in my eyes. It is not something fancy or super cute, but it looks nice on the shelf, too.

The cardboard box packaging contains English and Korean description. You can find the ingredients on COSDNA, too. They are mostly green labelled and safe to use. Since this BB cream has a SPF 37/PA++ it contains titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate for UV protection. It also contains niacinamide and other some plant extracts and moisturizing ingredients. This BB cream has a shelf life of 12 months after opening.

As you can see, the tube has a pump dispenser which is protected by a clear, purple colored plastic cap. The amount of one pumping is usually enough for the whole face, let’s say 1.5 pumps if you need some corrections and whant to cover your neck, too. It is super easy to use and the pump works prefectly fine.

Below you can see a swatch of The Face Shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream in shade 02. natural beige. I swatched it on my hand. It looks quite light in the image and also lighter than my skintone, but can be blended in to fit. The consistency of this BB cream is quite creamy. It has a matte finish and a medium-high coverage, which can be layered. The BB cream has a light floral scent, like most BB creams do.

Below you can see my face before and after the application of the BB cream. I don’t have skin troubles in terms of many pimples, but my skin is not even colored and I have some redness here and there. I have used my regular creams/skincare in the “before” image already. After using the BB cream my skin looks more even and the color differences of my skin are corrected. Although it has a matte finish and my skin is usually quite dry it didn’t get flaky and looked nice even after 6 hours. Also, it didn’t have a white or greyish cast after using it. The texture isn’t heavy either, despite the fact that the BB cream has a creamy consitency.

My conclusion for The Face shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream is, that this is a good and solid BB cream and nice for daily use. If you are looking for a BB cream with matte finish you might want to try this, even with nomal/dry skintypes. I would not say that it is the most moisturizing BB cream I have tried, but it isn’t heavy and isn’t drying. Nevertheless, I would not skip using your regular skincare creams before :D

You can get this BB cream at Q-Depot for 25.79 US$. The smaller tube of 20 ml costs only 15.29 US$, which is quite a regular price for BB creams of that size. They offer free worldwide shipping from 69 US$ onwards. Also, they have a promotion were you can get 5 US$ coupon upon signing up for a minimum purchase of 69 US$.

It is also available here:

W2Beauty for 25.97US$ (use coupon code berries10 for additional 10% off and free shipping)

Amazon.com for 20.74US$

Amazon.de for 19.03€

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.

16 Comments

beauty empties

Graveyard: March and April empties 2015

19. May 2015

Here are my product empties for March and April and a quick impression on each product. I’m a bit late for the post, but hopefully you like it anyways :) As usual, I didn’t include any sample sachets or sheet masks masks, because it is too messy to keep these.

1. Rosemine Floral Remedy Foaming Cleanser. Repurchase? Maybe someday. I have to many cleansers right now.

You can read my review on this foaming cleanser >>here<<. I love the packaging and it had a nice scent. The foam was thick and soft and the cleanser contained rose petals.

2. Happy Bath Rose Essence. Repurchase? I would love to!

This bath and shower cream had the most lingering and nicest rose scent! If you are a lover you will love this…but I remember it was marked quite expensive, sadly.

3. Shib Jang Ceng Chun Ji Heang Hand Cream. Repurchase? Yes, please.

This moisturizing and nourishing hand cream has a long name, but nevertheless it does a great job as hand cream. It contains ginseng extracts, shea butter and olive oil and was not sticky, not greasy and I loved using it!

4. Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly. Repurchase? No.

I like the idea of shower jelly and it was quite fun. Nevertheless, this specific product scent was nbot my favourite, but I could imagine getting other versions of it.

5. Kerastase Elixir Ultime. Repurchase? Maybe.

I received this hair oil trial the last time I was giving my hair a cut. It is a nice and lightweight oil and I could imagine to try it again. Unfortunately, Kerastase products are quite expansive.

6. Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Concentrate Protein. Repurchse? Maybe.

You can read my review >>here<<. I enjoyed using these two hair treatments and I can imagine that I would repurchase them again from time to time.

7. Mise en scène Perfect Repair Treatment Pack. Repurchase? Yes!

This treatment was georgeous. It made the hair super soft and easy to comb after an instant. Although labelled for twice a week use I was using it almost every second day because I loved the effect. I would like to repurchase this again. Although I read in some that they think the scent is old-women scent, but I got used to it and even liked it after all. I still have the Mise en scène Perfect Serum and I’m planning to write a comparative post between a couple of hair oils.

8.Dewytree Real Collagen nutrition serum. Repurchase? Maybe.

There is still an upcoming review for this :D I enjoyed this serum and I love the pump bottle it has and the subtle rose/flower scent.

9. Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Cream. Repurchase? Maybe.

a hydrating cream which contains hyaluronic acid and is very nice on the skin. You can read my review >>here<<.

10. Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Serum. Repurchase? Maybe.

Another hydrating product from the Klairs Rich Moist soothing line. I was enjoying all the products, especially in winter. Read my review >>here<<.

11. Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil. Repurchase? Yes! As soon as I’ve finished my other cleansers.

This is the best cleansing oil I have tried so far and I can recommend you to try it! Read my review >>here<<. I love the scent, I love how it cleanses. A great product!

12. Klairs Supple Preparation Facial Toner. Repurchase? Yes!

Suprisingly, I fell in love with that toner, although I thought it will be my least favourite of the Klairs products. It has a nice pH of 5 and is really a good preparation facial toner. Read my review >>here<<.

13. Hanskin Bio Origin BB creams. Repruchase? Maybe the ampoule BB.

I wrote a comparison review on these two BB creams >>here<<. I liked the ampoule BB better than the other one, but both are descent products.

14. COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol. Repurchase? A good product to have in case of emergency!

I received this selfmade trial version of COSRX Natural BHA Skin Returning A-Sol in a giveaway by Sam Murakami from ColorCrush (check out her blog/videos). Thanks again for the lovely giveaway, dear ♥ I must say I had a positive impression on this product and I would love to try it for a longer time, if I have some more skin troubles (hopefully not). This treatment contains propolis, AHA/BHA and works great on troubled skin. It has an acid pH of 4 and should be used after a pH lowering toner and before your other moisturizing steps (including moisturizing toner/essences/serums/creams/ampoules etc). It is on sale at Wishtrend atm!

15. Yadah Vita-Whitening Aqua Gel and Puregreen Moisturizing Cream. Repurchase?No.

These two sample sized creams were a dissapointment. First: the lids were not closing properly, so I assume that some of the product either leaked out or evaporated/dried up after a while, although I didn’t open it before. Due to this my skin didn’t like the creams. One was to heavy balmtype and the other didn’t absorb either.

16. Tonymoly Eggpore Nose Pack Package. Repurchase? These, or other nosepacks.

I like to use nosepacks occasionally, although they say they are not good. But I love the feeling of seeing some dead skincells and dirt and babyhair pulled of by these kind of patches, although it is quite gross, especially when my bf does use these :D

Do you know any of these and did you try them yourself? What is your opinion on these products I showed above? I’d be happy about your comments ♥

2 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Hanskin Bio Origin BB Creams

26. February 2015

Finally, I had some time to make a comparison review for the Hanskin Bio Origin Wrinkle Talk BB cream and the Hanskin Bio Origin Royal Ampoule BB cream. Both these Hanskin Bio Origin BB creams are in deluxe size, so keep in mind that the fullsized products may look a bit different, mainly in size :D

The Korean brand Hanskin claims to be the first brand having released a consumer used BB cream and thus to be the original BB cream creator from Korea. They have a lot of different types of BB creams. The price of their products is in the midrange, so they don’t retail for super affordable prices. The packaging design of their products is simple and mature, kind of elegant, too. The Hanskin Bio Origin BB creams I’m showing you today have a characteristic dark purple color of their packaging. The brand and the name of the product are written on them in simple letters, too.

The Hanskin Bio Origin Wrinkle Talk BB cream comes in a regular tube packaging, as most of us are familiar with for BB/CC creams. Unfortunately, it is a simple tube, even for the fullsize and not a pump dispenser, like Missha’s full size BB creams has, for example. The Hanskin Bio Origin Royal Ampoule BB on the other hand comes in a tiny bottle with a pipette attached to the lid. You can use the dropper for taking out the BB cream. This is possible, because the BB cream contains ampoule, making the consistency of the BB cream more liquid.

The Hanskin Bio Origin Wrinkle Talk BB cream is supposed to offer wrinkle improvement, brightening and sun protection. It has SPF30 PA++ and contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide therefore. It also contains hyaluronic acid and hydrolysed collagen as key ingredients for reducing the appearance of wrinkles. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA >>here<<. They are safe to use and no red flagged ingredient is contained.

The deluxe sample tube comes with a regular screwing cap and has the expiration date imprinted on the tube. It was sometimes hard to control the amount of BB cream when pressing the tube and I mostly ended up in having a mess all around the winding of the tube and in the inside of the cap. I hope that you don’t have this problem with the fullsized product!

The deluxe sample of the Hanskin Bio Origin Royal Ampoule is really cute on the other hand. I would not have expected them to make a bottle with a dropper for the sample product. However, this gives you an idea on how the fullsized product works. At the beginning, it was very convenient to use the dropper. The BB cream is not totally liquid, so you will have BB cream around the glas part of the pipette, but in general it is easy to use. As soon as the amount of product gets fewer and the bottle is almost empty things get harder. The dropper doesn’t word anymore and you can use it either to get some BB cream out by smearing it against the inside walls of the bottle, or you take a spatula or similar to scarp out the BB cream from the walls of the container. The ingredients of the Royal Ampoule BB cream are listed on COSDNA, too, and also here, there are no red flagged ingredients. The BB cream has SPF 30 PA++ like the Wrinkle Talk BB and it contains also titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Additionally, it contains ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate for sunprotection.The key ingredients for the Royal Ampoule BB cream are Honey and Royal Jelly Extract. It also contains Hyaluronic acid and some plant extracts for skincare benefits.

When we compare the two BB creams swatched on the back of my hand, you can see that the Royal Ampoule BB cream has a lighter shade than the Wrinkle Talk BB cream. Both shades are called natural beige though. The Wrinkle Talk BB cream has a creamy texture and feels thicker upon application compared to the lighter Royal Ampoule BB cream. This makes the Royal Ampoule BB easier to blend into the skin.

Since the Royal Ampoule BB cream contains ampoule it tends to get more oily than the wrinkle talk BB cream. In general both have a medium oil control only. The pictures below were taken one hour after applying the BB cream on the blotting paper.

Below you can see how both BB creams look when applied on the face. The finish may be a bit hard to see, but the Hanskin Bio Origin Wrinkle Talk BB cream has a more matte finish than the Royal Ampoule BB cream. On the other hand, because of the thicker consitency, the Wrinkle Talk BB cream is harder to apply and leaves streaks if you do not blend in properly. Both have medium coverage. I would say, that the Royal Ampoule BB cream is better suited for layering, because of its texture.

All in all, both the Hanskin Bio Origin BB creams are good BB creams. If I would have to decide which of these two I would repurchase I would decide for the Hanskin Bio Origin Royal Ampoule BB, since it didn’t look streaky and was better suited for my (dry) skintype. I also do like the idea of applying a BB cream with a dropper, but I can imagine that the fullsized bottle has the same problem like the deluxe size has. As soon as the product nears to get empty it is hard to use the dropper. The idea of using a BB cream combined with ampoule ingredients is great, and I love the idea, which is why I ordered the Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion recently (and I love using it!). In terms of wrinkle improvement like promised by the Hanskin bio Origin Wrinkle Talk BB cream I didn’t notice any visible changes. If you want to try any of these items you can have a look at Koreadepart. I’ve personally never ordered with them, but I know a lot of people do. Both BB creams costs around 35 US$ in fullsize (Wrinkle Talk BB 40 ml, Royal Ampoule 35 ml).

Rating for Hanskin Bio Origin Wrinkle Talk BB

Rating for Hanskin Bio Origin Royal Ampoule BB

2 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty honestskin PR Sample review

Review: Nature Republic Collagen HD Essencial BB Cream

22. January 2015

Here is the last review from the products I received in the honestskin Special Gift Event, the Nature Republic Collagen HD Essencial BB Cream. I only have tried a few Nature Republic products, but I like their brand’s appearance and often also the packaging which reminds me of Innisfree. This BB cream claims to be formulated with 502 mg Triple Collagen Complex and be very nourishing for your skin. It should give your skin a radiant glow. Let’s see how this BB cream worked for me:

Nature Republic is a Korean brand focusing on natural cosmetics. Their brand ideology is to take what nature gives and use it for our benefits. They focus on specific natural ingredients from all over the world. Their packaging reflects this ideology by using recylcled paper and soy ink for their cardboard boxes. This is also one of the reasons the brand reminds me of Innisfree. The Nature Republic Collagen HD Essencial BB Cream comes in a cardboard box like this. The packaging design is simple, but contains a lot of description on the sides. Most of the description is in Korean, but you’ll also find a short description and ingredients list in English.

The ingredients of this BB cream are mostly green and yellow flagged according to COSDNA. You can look up the ingredients >> here <<. This BB cream contains Titanium Dioxide and Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate for UV protection. It has SPF 27 PA++, which is nice. It also contains soluble collagen and hydrolyzed collagen as moisturizing ingredients, but also some plant extracts. What I really like about the cardboard packaging is the braille for blind people, so they now what they are grabbing.

The Nature Republic collagen HD Essencial BB Cream comes in a plastic tube packaging. Unfortunatelly, the tube doesn’t come with a pump. The tube contains 50 g of BB cream which is a good amount and will last you for some time. The plastic tube has a good quality and doesn’t seem to be any cheap plastic at all.

A short description is written on the backside of the tube in Korean. You’ll also find the production date imprinted on it.

The BB cream itself comes in only one shade which is a lighter one. It has a creamy, lightly fluid structure and a slight scent, which is not overpowering. The scent isn’t recognizable after application anymore.

When performing an oil test on a blotting paper you’ll see that it shows some oilyness after 1 hour. I have dry skin, so I didn’t see any oilyness on my face while wearing, but for oily skintypes it could be better to use a loose powder over this BB cream.

Here you can see how it looks on my skin. I applied my normal moisturizing skincare routine before. After it adsorbed I applied the BB cream with my fingers. The coverage of this BB cream is medium, but buildable. If you have only some red spots like I do in the image, it will cover it up properly. I would not say that this BB cream has a dewy finish. It has no matte finish either, so it is something inbetween. You see that my skin has the same dewyness it had after moisturizing. I think this BB cream adapts nicely to the skintone and leaves a natural finish. I also like that it doesn’t give a white cast in flash photography. The staying power is not super long, after some hours it tends to fade away, especially at the T-zone. If you have very dry skin it might get flaky, so I would advise you to use a facial mist inbetween.

All in all, this is a nice BB cream for a adequate pricing. It looks natural and doesn’t make you look like a ghost. The coverage will be good enough for people with only light skin concerns. The Nature Republic Collagen HD Essencial BB Cream retails for 12.78 US$ at honestskin Unfortunatelly, this item has been discontinued by Nature Republic :(. Did you try out this BB cream already? Do you have any favourite BB cream from Nature Republic?

6 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion No.21

15. July 2014

// KBEAUTY / MAKE UP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

This is a review of a cushion sample of Laneige’s Snow BB Soothing Cushion. I was wondering previously what would be the best way to present a sample for a cushion bb and I guess that this is the answer :D This sample comes with a tiny version of a cushion and a small puff and it is the most original sample I tried until now. It even comes in a little cardboard box and looks like a shrinked full-size product. Very elegant :)

Laneige is a Korean brand, part of the Amore Pacific Group. The brand name comes from the french word for snow which is “la neige”. The brand name reflects the beauty of young women between 24 and 32 years by focusing on water as source of life. Therefore the products design is more mature and clean, reflecting the image of moisture obtained through water. Laneige was also the first brand releasing a cushion type product, which is the here described Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion. It is designed to be a 5 in 1 product and claims therefore to have whitening properties, sun protection, soothing effect, sweat-proof and long lasting. The BB cream has SPF 50 +/PA+++ and this blocks UV rays and sunlight and protects your skin from damage.

This cushion comes in 5 different shades: true beige (No.13), natural beige (No.21), sand beige (No.23) and brown beige (No. 31). The key ingredients are bead tree, Korean thistle and natto. Bead tree helps brightening dull skin. The extracts of Korean thistle, Sylimarins, block the melanin generation. Natto contains gamma PGA which serves as whitening booster through moisturization. The other ingredients are listed in COSDNA. Most of the are greenflagged, but there are some acne triggers, so if you have sensitive skin, keep in mind to test it first.

As I said, this is a sample of the cushion and it comes in a tiny plastic jar. Inside the jar is a cushion with the BB cream and a puff for application. It is quite cute and moreover very perfect if you carry a small purse :D I mean, the compact full-sized product is already travel friendly, since it comes with a mirror, too. On the bottom of the plastic jar you’ll find the production date (keep in mind that this is not an expiration date) and the symbol for how long it is good after opening (it says 12 months here). The sample contains 4 g of product and I could use it for more than a week.

The swatch on my wrist looks a bit to dark for my skin, but on my face it blends in nicely and is a good match for my natural skin tone. The finish is very natural and semi-matte. The scent of the Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion appeared herbal to me. It wasn’t unpleasant, though. While application with the sponge a light cooling, refreshing feeling is noticeable, too. On the bottom you’ll find a picture of my face with and without the BB cream. You can see how it covers up nicely any rednesses and evens out the skin tone.

I have the slight feeling that this cushion BB can be too dry for already dry skin. In the evening the BB cream had flaked around my nose and chin. But this can be improved by wearing a primer. I usually wear The Face Shop Primer before. Nevertheless, the finish is very natural and beautiful. I think this is the biggest advantage of all the cushion products, because you use a puff for application and in this way the excess BB cream is taken up by the puff again. For those worried about the hygiene: the puff is washable, but you have to be carefull not to squeeze it. :)

Laneige’s Cushion BB creams cost between 30 and 40 US$. You can find the Snow BB Soothing Cushion on ebay and the newer versions called Whitening and Pore Control at W2Beauty. If you use my affiliate link or enter the code 088505 in the registration form you’ll receive a 5 US$ voucher, which can be used immediately for purchases over 30 US$. I’d love to try the other cushions from Laneige, too :) Anybody tried these, too? what are your impressions?

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Missha Magic Cushion Case

24. June 2014

// KBEAUTY / MAKE UP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

Can you believe that this is finally the first time I bought a cushion product?! The foundation/bb cushion trend goes on for quite some time now, but caused by a huge pile of BB/CC cream tubes I resisted the urge to buy a new one, even if the packaging type was highly raved about. After all, I decided to try another kind of cushion product: Missha’s Magic Cushion Case! Yes, you read correctly, it is only a case! More precisely, it is a case for your own D.I.Y. BB Cushion!

The typical BB Cushion is a compact like case containing BB cream or foundation absorbed by a sponge (cushion). Using a puff you can apply the BB cream in a very lightly and natural appearing way. Almost all Korean brands carry their own cushion products by now. Mishha’s Magic Cushion Case on the other hand gives you the possibility to create and mix your own and favourite BB/CC cream or foundation in such a cushion case. I love this idea, since it gives you the possibility to use up your existing bb creams before starting to hoard various different cushion bb creams ;)

The instruction on Missha’s Magic Cushion Case Cardbox packaging is written in Korean only, but after some search online you’ll find out how to use it, although the images on the box are self-explanatory. In principle you have to fill the container of the cushion case, add the cushion, and wait a couple of minutes while the sponge absorbs the bb cream. I put mine upside down. Afterwards you can start dabbing your puff onto the soaked cushion. Depending on the fluid-y of the used bb cream the soaking process is quicker or slower…I would say the liquid bb/cc creams are best suited for these D.I.Y. cushions.

Missha’s Magic Cushion Case is made of a sturdy plastic compact, with an included mirror. Parts of the case are metallic/silver and prone to fingerprints. The case itself closes tightly and so does the plastic lid protecting the cushion and separating it from the puff and the mirror.

The cushion and the puff are packed separately when you receive them. The puff looks like the typical cushion puff, with a blue colored side and white colored side with an attached finger strap (is this how you call that thingy?). The puff has a very soft feeling to it.

Below you can see how I used my Magic Cushion Case. I created a mix of Skinfood’s Vita Water Drop CC cream and Innisfree Jejubija Anti Trouble BB cream. For mixing the creams together I used a Q-tip of which I cut the cotton part off (keep in mind that you have to add the cushion on top, so don’t fill the pan up completely).

After creating your personal mixture, you’ll simply have to add the cushion and wait for the BB/CC cream to absorb and your own BB Cushion is ready to go!:)

What do you think? Would you like to create your own Cushion foundation in this way? Or do you prefer the ones, which are ready to us? I think this is a great way to use BB creams which don’t match alone but in combination with other creams. The pan is ideal for mixing up your desired BB/CC creams together. All in all, I really do like this case and the idea and I can recommend you to try it for yourself.

Did anyone try out these kind of D.I.Y. cushion cases?

You can get this case at W2Beauty for US$ 17.79. There is also a ready refill for it, which can be used instead of an own BB cream. It is called Missha UV Cushion Base. It has SPF 50 and costs US$ 9.50 for two sachets containing 7 ml of the bb cream. It is available in two shades.

♥ Btw: Don’t forget to enter my giveaway spnsored by MeMeBox. You’ll get the chance of winning some awesome prizes. ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review Wishtrend

Review: Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream

29. April 2014

I’m back with a BB cream review ^_^ Yeeiii! This time it is about Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream, which was kindly send to me for reviewing purpose by Wishtrend. This BB cream is a all-in-one product, combining sunscreen, primer, foundation, and finishing powder…Sounds amazing! Moreover, the Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream allows to create a very natural look, and yet gives a good coverage. Let’s see what my thought are on this product:

The Korean brand Klairs is an eco-friendly cosmetic brand. Their products are not tested on animals, don’t contain parabens, alcohol or artificial coloring. All their products have a simple, but vintage kind of design which I personally love. The Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream comes therefore in a sleek tube. The colors are restricted to black and cream-colored. I especially love the words written below the product’s name saying “You look so wonderful just the way you are”. Who doesn’t want to start the day reading these words in front of the mirror while still halfway asleep?!:D

It has SPF 40 PA++ by using ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, isoamyl p-methoxycinnamate, titanium dioxide, Bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine and zinc oxide within the ingredients, which makes it great for daily use. It also contains Hyaluronic Acid and Aloe extracts for providing moisture. According to COSDNA the ingredients are not harmful (click >>here<<). One preservative (Methylisothiazolinone) is mentioned to potentially cause allergic reactions, which wasn’t the case while I used the product. The ingredients list and descripton are written on the cardboardbox in Korean and English as well.

The 40 ml soft plastic tube has a plastic cap which is easily to unlock and lock again. The application is not complicated in any ways. Although, sometimes I prefer a pump instead of a normal tube. Nevertheless, the cream is neither to fluid, nor to solid, which makes it easy to get out the perfect amount of BB cream needed for your face. I’ve been using this BB cream for a long time now and I’m pleased to say, that I didn’t react to it in any negative way.

The description says that this BB cream is suitable for all skin types, so I did the simple “BBcream on blotting paper” test in order to see how oily the product is. I don’t think that this test is representative on how good it will work on your skin, but it could give you an idea, if you do the same test of your favourite BB cream and compare the oily circle around the BB cream droplet. As you can see, it definitively shows up some oiliness around, but I’ve seen worse BB creams after 4 hours. This one is still “okay” in my eyes, so it might also be suited for oily skintypes. According to the description the Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream contains sebum controll powder, which will help to keep the facial oil production at bay.

How does the BB cream perform on skin finally? As I said, I’ve tried this BB cream for a while now and I love the finish. Below you can see the cream on my hand. On the bottom right side of the image you see how it looks blended in. I would say that it blends in perfectly! Yet, it does give the skin some kind of illumination. The color looks very natural and the BB cream doesn’t look like being a heavy or thick layer.

It looks super natural on my skin and blends in perfectly with my natural skin color. It doesn’t have high coverage, but it gives your skin an airbrushed look. It reduces the appearance of redness (take a closer look at the skin around my nose and cheek. The differences might be small/not visible when you just take a quick look from afar, but I can ensure you that my skin looks perfect to go outside while only using this. It also has a semipowdery finish, doesn’t feel sticky and leaves the skin soft and smooth. It doesn’t make my (dry) skin look greasy at all, although it has a subtle glow…also, it did not flake around my nose the whole day, which I experience very rarely.

So far the Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream is my BB cream to go! It contains sunprotection, perfect for daily wear, gives you a natural look with an airbrushed effect and simply looks very nice on the skin. I can recommend you to try this product! I think it will convince you. If you are looking for coverage as main point, I wouldn’t go for this BB cream, though! Nevertheless, when paired up with the new Klairs Creamy & Natural Fit Concealer it might be also a nice daily BB cream for people with more troubled skin, looking for a light finish. You can get Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream from Wishtrend. If you use my invitation code 17939205 upon registration or use my invitation link >>here<< you’ll receive a 5 US$ voucher immediately. It retails normally at 24.99 US$ on Wishtrend and contains 40 ml. And you’ll find a more detailed product description on their web page, too.

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Skinfood Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB Cream No.1

5. December 2013

This review is based on a couple of samples from Skinfood’s Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB cream I gathered in the last months. I’m actually really trying to get rid of my samples, haha. We’ll see if I’ll keep on doing so. This is the first BB cream I’m trying from Skinfood. I have reviewed the Vita Waterdrop CC cream before (>>here<<) and I love it a lot, especially since the packaging was so cute. Considering the cuteness of the packaging, this BB cream is doing great as well. Keep reading if you want to know more:

Skinfood Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB Cream

Although, I only have had samples, even their packaging is typical for Skinfood and really cute. It shows an illustration of a bee and a beehive on the schemes of a tea bag. There are several BB cremes in the Skinfood Good Afternoon Tea BB line. In total there are five different ones: Apple Cinnamon Tea, Berry Berry Tea, Peach Green Tea, Rose Lemon Tea and Honey Black Tea. They vary slightly from one another, each having it’s own specifies. And they all come in two different shades, light beige (#1) and natural beige (#2). At the moment I tend to get natural beige, if I can choose, but in this case the samples were all light beige. Nevertheless, I can put it on and it is only a tiny little bit too bright for me, but it blends in well with the skin color on the other hand.

The description on the samples is in Korean, unfortunately, but you can read all the descriptions for the Good Afternoon BB creams on Skinfood’s official web page.

The description from this BB cream says:

[Honey Black Tea BB – Moisturizing & Glowing]
A moisturizing and illuminating BB cream with sweet honey and flavorful red tea that keeps skin soft and supple. [Good Afternoon BB Cream Story]
Try our Good Afternoon BB Cream Line. Infused with skin-revitalizing afternoon teas, it helps you keep a bright, vibrant skin tone all day! * To Use
Apply an even layer to skin in gentle patting motions.

I’m always a bit skeptical when it comes to honey-scented products. There is a honey scent which can be nice and one which I absolutely can’t stand, because it is too artificial. This product smells great! I really do love the scent, although it wears off after applying it on your face, but the moment you put is, it is really a nice scent. The consistency of the BB cream is light and moist. It leaves a nice feeling on the skin and feels lightweight, too. The coverage is medium, but build-able. Actually, you can see in the images below, that it covers up nicely the heart I draw with a lip liner on the back of my hand.

You can see that the cream also leaves a soft glow, but in contrast to the last BB cream from Mamonde I reviewed, this glow is not too much and I think even people with oily skin can put it on. Actually, it feels partly mattifying, too. So if you have dry skin, like me, I would recommend you, to use a moisturizer before, otherwise it starts flaking around the dry areas, for example around the nose. Unfortunately, I can’t get good lightening for taking pictures in the moment, so I have to leave you with the swatch on my hand.:(

All in all, I love the scent, I love how light it feels and I love the finish. It provides SFP20 PA+ and enough coverage. This is surprisingly a nice BB cream and I might want to try the second shade of this. I can recommend you to try this out, at least grab some samples (even the full size is not really expansive). Perhaps, it works for some of you as well.

The full size product comes in a tube and contains 30 g. You can buy this here:

Beautynetkorea for US$ 7.60 (free shipping)

W2Beauty for US$ 12.37 (free shipping option, you’ll get a 5$ voucher upon registration with this link, which is usable for orders of minimum 30$)

testerkorea for 7000 Won (around US$ 7, shipping depends on weight)

or various seller on ebay

Rating:

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