japanese Archive | Page 3 of 5 | Berries in the Snow

Kawaii Box Giveaway

7. August 2015

5 days left to take part in my Japan Candy Box Giveaway (click >>here<<), but for those of you who are not sweets addicted or simple prefer other things than sweets I have a second giveaway for you today: a Kawaii Box Giveaway!

I reviewed the Kawaii Box for June a couple of days ago and it was filled with so many cute items from Japan and Korea, reaching from stationary, stickers, charms, and even plushies. Those of you who love these kind of overly cute items will have the chance to win a Kawaii Box for yourselves :D Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is sponsored by Kawaii Box and they will send the selected winner the box. Please no cheating! We will check the entries ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

♥ Good luck to everybody ♥

This giveaway is sponsored by http://www.kawaiibox.com which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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Unboxing: Japan Candy Box June 2015 and Giveaway

23. July 2015

This unboxing is not about a beauty box this time, but about a Japanese sweets subscription box, the Japan Candy Box June 2015! This post will be quite picture heavy, but at the end you have a chance to win a Japan Candy Box so it is worth continuing reading.

Japan Candy Box is a newly launched Japanese sweets subscription box by Blippo. Apart from the Japan Candy Box they also have the Kawaii Box, which contains cute toy items, stationary, tiny plushies and so on. I’m very happy to be able to show you the Japan Candy Box June 2015, since it contains some really yummy Japanese sweets and almost all of them were unknown to me before:

The first glance into the Japan Candy Box June 2015 already shows that it is fully packed with sweets! Everything is so colorful and I can spot directly the Japanese passion for cute packaging designs. The Japan Candy Box contains 10 selected products from Japan.

The product which jumped into my eye first was the Kabaya Frog Gummies. I’m in love with that frog face on the packaging and the tiny polliwogs on its side :D The Japan Candy Box June 2015 either contained the frog version or the fish version of these gummies, showing how the frog or the fish grows up from egg to adult animal. I love the idea of having a teaching effect with your sweets and I never saw similar themed gummies here in Germany. The Kabaya Frog Gummies are purple and green gummies with a light sugar dusting. They smell and taste very artificially fruity and sweet. Although a bit too sweet for my tasting, they are a super adorable gift, because of the cute and creative design and concept.

The second item catching my attention was the Popin’ Cookin’ Neri Candy Land DIY Kit. Now, this is something I’ve seen before online and I was really curious about these DIY Kits were you can shape the candy to your desire. I will keep that for a special occasion to decorate some birthday cake or similar. That’s also the perfect present for kids, since I can imagine that it is really fun to create some animals first and than to eat the yummy candy.

The Yaokin Sour Paper Candy is a thin and long slice of gummie. It has cola flavor and a sour sugar coating on top. I love cola flavored candy and there are very many of them in Germany. You can buy these sour paper candies in candy stores here, but I’ve never seen them packed in a single packaging…neither with such a cute design :D The taste of these is similar to the ones available in Germany.

The Pokemon Pikachu Pretzels are similar to the famous Pocky sticks. The biscuit sticks are covered in a white cream and sprinkled with biscuit crumbles. The packaging is a dream for Pokemon lovers. On the backside you even have a picture with hidden changes you have to find. Is there an English name for that game? These pretzle sticks taste nice and are not much different from Pocky sticks as far as I have tried.

The tiny cardbox of the Meiji Kotsubu Chocolates is so adorable, displaying strawberries on one side and the tiny bunnies on the other side. You can even learn the English alphabet with these. Mine is dedicated to the letter E with “ear” as example. The tiny chocolate are as adorable as the packaging and consist of a regular part with chocolate and a strawberry flavoured pink part. The quality of the chocolate is not comparable to for example “Milka” or other German or Swiss chocolate, but they are a nicely flavored little sweet treat for in-between.

My favorite sweets from the Japan Candy Box June 2015 were the Lotte Koala March Biscuits. Unfortunately, they came without the usually cute cardboard box, but they came in the plastic bag, which has koala faces printed on. These Koala biscuits are also available here and I love them. I ate all of them the moment it arrived :D A pity there are only so few per packaging :D They also remind me of my childhood, because I remember that I had them often back then :D Each of the Koala shaped biscuits has another koala motive printed on. The biscuits are filled with chocolate and they are really delicious and quite popular in Japan.

Then there was a Dorayaki Japanese Hotcake included in the Japan Candy Box June 2015. These traditional Japanese sweets are filled with sweet bean paste. The taste is a bit unusual for someone who never ate bean paste, but it is not the weirdest. The Marukawa Fusen Bubble Gum on the other hand is a tiny box containing four small bubble gums with orange flavor. The bubble gums have the typical consistency of children’s bubble gums, which taste strong at the beginning, but loose their taste quickly. The small balls look like miniature oranges though :D

Another flavored bubble gum is the Meiji Petit Bubblegum. This box of grape flavored tiny bubble gum pieces is quite fun. Depending on the amount of the bubble gums you take you can get more bubble gum and even make some bubbles. The flavor is again very strong at the beginning, but gets less quickly, so you have to add more of the bubble gum bits. Additionally, the packaging design is very cute again.

Last but not least, the Puccho Mixed Fruit Chewy Candy: I like chewing candies, but this was new to me, since it contains pieces of fruit gummy within. The taste is quite diverse in that way.

Each Japan Candy Box comes with a product card listing the products included in the box. You can also check Japan Candy for unboxings of the previous candy boxes. My impression on this Japanese candy box is quite positive, since it contained a nice variety of different sweets. Also, most of them were new to me, which was a plus, too.

Japan Candy Box is a monthly subscription box. You can choose between several options: either to order only one box, to order three boxes (3 months subscription), 6 boxes (6 months subscription) or 12 boxes (1 year subscription). Each box retails at 19.90 US$. For the 6 months and the 12 months subscription you pay a bit less per box.

Now, if you have reading so far you’ll probably be curious for the giveaway. Here it is: You can win a Japan Candy Box of you own sponsored by Japan Candy Box. For entering the giveaway please take part with help of the Rafflecopter gadget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway is open internationally! Good luck to everybody! ♥

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

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel

18. June 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Berries in the Snow 2nd Bloganniversary Giveaway

10. June 2015

Honestly speaking, this giveaway is 2 month delayed! I was going to celebrate Berries in the Snow’s 2nd Bloganniversary in March or April and now we have June already…time is passing quickly :’D When I started BitS I never thought about having it for any specific time, but seeing now that I’m still enjoying my reviews and other posts I’m kind of proud of myself. I never thought that people will enjoy reading my posts, but seeing that I have so many regular readers and blogger friends really makes me happy.

When I’m looking back to the first posts I made I feel a bit ashamed, too. Naturally, I didn’t know much about blogging (and I still know too few), and my posts were not the best ones. Sorry, for that! I’m also a bit sad that I didn’t have time to fix all the pictures from the old post since I transferred my blog from Blogspot to WordPress. I hope I will be able to change the blurry images soon. I started to overdo some of the reviews, but it is so time-consuming and sometimes it is simply more exciting to write reviews about the new products instead of taking care of the old posts :’D

Nevertheless, I want to thank all you wonderful people who kept reading my blog from long time ago, and I want to welcome my new readers. And there is no better way to say “thank you” than with a giveaway! I picked a couple of items, some of them I reviewed already, some I will review in the future. Berries in the Snow’s 2nd Anniversary Giveaway is open for all my readers living all around the world and these are the items that one of you can win:

Innisfree Skin Solution Mask Moisturizing

Innisfree Skin Solution Mask Total Care

Tonymoly Floria Whitening Mask Sheet

Tansan Kakumei Carbonate Revolution

Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream

Etude House XOXO Minnie in the Nail Glitter #01 Minnie in White

Etude House Sweet Reciepe Candy Stick

Hope Girl Tinted Lip Balm #02 Love Peach

Essence Cinderella Highlighter Powder #01 The Glass Slipper

ÜNT Nail Lacquer x Hello Kitty

Banila co. Clean it Zero Cleansing Balm (sample size)

Missha Super Aqua Marine Stem Cell Active Toner (sample size)

I hope you like the selected items and I hope the lucky winner will have good use for them. I will pack up all the items in a small and secure box for the delivery!

Here are the rules for taking part into this giveaway:

1. The giveaway is open internationally.

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

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

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

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

6. The giveaway ends on July 15th, 2015.

7. I’m not responsible for any damages/ lost items through postal services. I will pack everything safe and soundly and do my best to prevent these cases, of course.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to all of you for reading my blog! If you have any recommendations on how to improve Berries in the Snow feel free to write a comment or Email me. If you want to make a guestpost here, you’re welcome to (related topics to asian beauty/fashion of course)! Good luck to everybody! ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo and Conditioner

20. April 2015

// HAIRCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS / BEAUTY //

Finally, after loving the Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo and Conditioner for more than a year I decided to write a review for it. I bought the full size 500 ml pump bottles for both products and recently my refills for both arrived. I’ve used a different shampoo for the last 2 months while waiting for my refills and now that I can finally continue with my beloved Tsubaki shampoo I realized again how much I do love it and how much nicer my hair feels when using it. Actually, I’ve never used one shampoo brand for such a long time and have been so happy with it before!

Shiseido is one of the most famous high-end brands in the world. I think everybody knows this Japanese brand in some way. In Japan, Shiseido has a lot of sub-branches, which also vary in their price range. They have cheaper sub-branches and more expensive ones and also others with very cute designed products. The Shiseido Tsubaki haircare belongs to the more pricey products with a simple and mature design. There are five versions of the Tsubaki haircare products, the Shining range or now called Extra Moist (red), the Damage Care range (white), the Damage Care Rich Premiere range (orange), the Volume Touch range (purple) and the Head Spa range (golden, I don’t know if this is available for the renewed versions). I was quite undecided which line to choose first because my hair is thin, but frizzy and quite damaged and tends to split ends as well…I finally chose the red line because so many reviews were positive.

As I said, I took the risk and bought the full-sized bottles right away. Both the shampoo and the conditioner come in pump bottles, which I love! The cap with the pump attached can be removed and the bottles can be refilled if you want. You can also close and open the pump and so it can be used while traveling, too, if you want to carry 500 ml with you :D…

The two bottles came together as a value set and were packed in a plastic bag, typical packaging for Japanese products. The back side of the plastic bag contained some Japanese description and so does the back side of the bottles. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA >>here<< (shampoo) and >>here<< (conditioner). The key ingredients of the Tsubaki haircare are of course “Tsubaki” or also called Camellia japonica. The oil is used in haircare not only as an emollient but also for smoothening the hair and making it shiny and nice. Camellia japonica oil is rich in oleic and linoleic acid and therefore perfect for hair nourishment.

The design of the two pump bottles is elegant and the color of the bottles is really a pretty red color. And although the bottles look quite similar you can know blindly which is the shampoo and which is the conditioner by touching the top of the pump. Recently, they renewed the design of the bottles and the design of the bottles is less round but looks a bit more modern..I personally like the old design better. Although the material of the bottles is good quality plastic it doesn’t look cheap but really elegant. The shampoo has a semi-see-through bottle, so you know when it is time to buy a new refill.

The Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo and Conditioner have both an amazing scent. It is flowery and lasts while sometime in your hair. The shampoo has a runny consistency. It has a light, shiny and milky/yellowish color and it is very efficient. I only need one to two pumps of the shampoo. When I still had my shorter hair one pump was enough. It creates nice and quite some foam while lathering it in your hair. Some reviews said that the shampoo is a bit drying. Compared to most European shampoos I didn’t have that feeling. In my opinion, my hair feels already detangled while using the shampoo, but the conditioner works even more wonders. After using the creamy conditioner the hair feels super soft and detangled. I can easily comb my hair and it feels so smooth and nice! As I said, the scent is so nice, too, and my hair feels better and less frizzy. I almost don’t have to straighten my bangs anymore ( I have naturally wavy hair usually) and all in all my hair feels so much better than with the European drugstore shampoos. The only downside is that it is not really a cheap product. But at least you can buy refills, which are a bit cheaper. Below you can see the 350 ml refills for both the shampoo and the conditioner. As you can see, the refills are from the new version of the red shampoo. I don’t know if they changed the formula, I didn’t notice any significant differences yet, but if I will do, I will update this post immediately.

All in all, these are great hair products! I can recommend the Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo and Conditioner to everybody with dry and tangled and frizzy hair. The scent is nice, it makes the hair super soft and it nourishes the hair with Tsubaki oil. I bought my refills and the bottles on eBay, but the retailer is no longer available. The products are also available on Amazon.com though, starting from 16 US$ per bottle.

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beauty empties

Graveyard: January and February Empties 2015

28. February 2015

I tried to use up as much as possible, before I by new products in 2015, and for the first two months I did a good efford in also emptying my sample stash. Here are my product empties for January and February and a quick impression on each product. As usual, I didn’t include any sample sachets or masks.

Frizz Ease Shampoo & Conditioner for curly hair- Repurchase? Maybe.

I used and liked the fullsize of this in the past quite often (these are travelsized tubes), but atm I’m in love with my Shiseido Tsubaki Shampoo, that I don’t want to go back to any western brands :D Within the western drug store brands these are still my favourites.

Iope Super Vital VIP kit- Repurchase? No.

I used up the complete items of this kit and I’m really proud I did without changing to another line inbetween. You can find my review of this highly nourishing and moisturizing line >>here<<.

Secret Key Snow White Cream- Repurchase? Yes.

I loved using this. It gave a nice finish to the face and it smells great! The packaging is very pretty, too! Read my review >>here<<.

Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Eye Cream- Repurchase? Maybe.

I used this eyecream during daytime because I think it is not moisturizing enough to be used at nights. I like the size of this eyecream and the fact that it is really affordable and can be used up in a realistic period. I could imagine repurchasing it, but I would rather try other eye creams first :D Find my review >>here<< .

SXM I Value Body Amoule- Repurchase? No.

This was part of the MeMeBox Diet Box and I was really curious about this ampoule. You take some drops and put it to the desired regions of your body. I could feel the skin being somehow tightened while applying but it did not show any longterm effects for me.

Shiseido Benefiance NutriPerfect Day Cream- Repurchase? No…sigh

This creamy cream is rich in its consistency and hydrates skin nicely. It also contains SPF 15. I enjoyed trying out this tiny tube, but since it is an expensive brand I don’t think that I’ll be repurchasing.

Welcos Confume Argan Treatment Hair Ampoule- Repurchase? YES!

I’m in healthier-hair-heaven since I bought Confume Argan Oil and Confume Treatment Hair Ampoule! My hair has been frizzy and dry since forever, but these products are amazing! This is the first of 5 tiny bottles and I love it! This indeep hair treatment doesn’t need to be rinsed out. It is mixed by a bit water and turns milky and warmer….can be used on wet and dry hair…I will buy more definitively! and I’ll be doing a review for both the argan oil and the treatment soon!

Only you Green Tea Jasmin Moisturizing Body Lotion- Repurchase? No.

I think this was a gift and came together with a shower gel. The scent was really nice. The bodylotion took a bit longer to absorb, though.

Lancome La Vie Et Belle shower Gel- Repurchse? No.

This was a gift with an order. I like the scent, but other than that there is nothing special about this shower gel.

Kneipp Almond Blossom Oil- Repurchse? Yes.

I used up the fullsized bottle of this last year and I loved it and this tiny version is no exception. The scent is soooo nice and it makes the skin feel very soft.

L’Occitane Karite Handcream -Repurchase? I would love to.

This is a rich and nourishing hand cream with a nice scent. There is nothing negative to say about this and I would love to try more handcream from L’Occitane.

Kerasys Moringa Miracle Essence- Repurchase? Yes!

A very nice smelling and softening hair essence which I loved to use. It is not as super effective as the Confume Argan oil, but it is nice for everyday use without making your hair greasy!

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 ♥

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asian cosmetics beauty review

Top 20 asian cosmetics products 2014

7. January 2015

Hello my dearest readers! Happy new year to all of you! I know I’m a bit late for a roundup of last year, but I didn’t want to start into 2015 with simply a new review, which is why I decided to show you my favourite 20 asian cosmetics products which I reviewed in 2014. It was quite difficult to decide because I have quite a few products I liked last year, but I could shorten it to 20 products, including makeup, skincare, nails, masks and even a hair product. I still have some products I bought last year, but I didn’t review them, and I decided to not include them into my top 20 of 2014, but rather save them for this year, after I did the reviews :) Here is my selection of products:

I’ll start off with my favourite makeup products last year being the following:

Belleme Cosmetics Get your Crayon in “Bad Girl”: This lip crayon had a burgundy color and was one of my favourite lip crayons I used last year. the color is very pretty and I love the simplicity of the design of Belleme products. They look pretty and simple, without being too mature. >> Read my review here <<

Innisfree Color Glow Lipstick: I know that Innisfree already has an improved version of this lipstick called Innifree Creammellow Lipstick, and I already bought two lipsticks of the new ones and I love them (more than the Color Glow ones), but nevertheless I have to point out how much I adored and still love using the Color Glow Lipsticks…the colors are beautiful and pigmented and the lipsticks feel not drying at all. >>Read my review here <<

Aritaum World Glam Coating Tint in “Shanghai”: A beautiful and bright red color which looks so pretty on the lips. This tint is quite long lasting and has a smooth texture. The scent and taste is also pleasant and I’m carrying this tint in my handbag most of the time. >> Read my review here <<

Pony X Memebox Eyeshadow Palette: Here is a more recently reviewed product which I love using, although I rarely use eyeshadows. This palette made me overcome my laziness of applying eyeshadow – I still dont use eyeshadow daily, but now I’m using some on the weekends at least :D The palette contains some nice natural shades and has matte and shimmery eyeshadows. >> Read my review here <<

Missha Magic Cushion Case: This D.I.Y. cushion case is awesome and I’m loving it! I’m using it daily since I bought it and it is fun to mix and match your own BB cream (or CC cream) in this case and helps me to use up some of my not suitable BB/CC creams, too. >> Read my review here <<.

Etude House Princess Happy Ending Belle Rose Cheek Blusher: Apart from the packaging which is georgeous (it is Disney and princesses…what else to say?!) the color of this rosegold blush is beautiful! The rose shaped form of the blush even adds more beauty to this! >> Read my review here <<

Skinfood Rose Essence Soft Cream Blusher: Again, lovely packaging and a matte drying cream blush with rose scent! I love the scent so much ♥ >>Read my review here <<

Now, let’s take a look at some nail products:

Etude House Sweet Idea Bunny Nails: The idea of this bunny nail set is really cute and I also love it, that one bottle has a broad brush and the other one a fine one, which makes nail art easier. >> Read my review here <<

Innisfree Eco Peel Off Base Coat: Since I have this peel off coat I can use my glitter nail polishes more often without having to worry that I’ll spend a hard time to clean my nails again. >> Read my review here <<

Etude House Help My Finger Quick Dry Drop: I don’t know why I didn’t try a quick drying drop for nail polishes earlier…it made my life so much more convenient since I’m owning this. I can only recommend you this kind of product if you love using nail polish! >> Read my review here <<

My favourite skincare products 2014 were these:

Secret Key Snow White Cream: I used this creamy cream daily and it is almost empty now :D It has a nice scent and makes your skin look more even and silky. It is a nice primer for BB creams and really makes the skin less dull…additionally it has a beautiful packaging and a nice baby powder/ soapy scent. Worth every penny! >> Read my review here <<

Meishoku DET Clear Bright & Peel Peeling Gel: This japanese brand is not well-known, but I can recommend you to try this peeling jelly if you love peeling jellies anyways. It is cheap, can be used in the shower and makes the skin super smooth. >> Read my review here <<

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil: I’m in love with this cleansing oil from the moment I first tried it. It cleans away makeup reliably and it smells of sweetened black tea to me..moreover my skin feels still moisturized and not drying after using it…great for colder seasons and people with dry skin! >> Read my review here <<

The Face Shop Mango Seed Silk Moisturizing Face Butter: This deeply moisturizing formula convinced me totally…it made my dry skin feel perfectly moisturized and the scent of the Mango Seed Line is heavenly, too. I have to many facial creams at the moment, otherwise I would have repurchased it already! >> Read my review here <<

Additionally to the skincare products mentioned above I have some mask recomendations for you, too:

Beyond The God of Patches Sheet Masks: Adoarably designed sheet masks which do a nice job in moisturizing. >> Read my review here <<

Care Lab Powerful Pudding Mask: This is a fun mask feeling like jelly and afterwards hardening on your face like a hydrogel mask. The idea is great and the packaging design cute. >> Read my review here <<

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks: There is a nice selection of vegetable masks here and each targets another skin concern. I found that some of them were really nice masks so they are definitively worth a try although not well known. >> Read my review here <<

Skinfood Strawberry Bkack Sugar Wash Off Mask: I love the Skinfood Packs and Masks and this one has a great scent (strawberry) and makes your skin smooth by being gentle to it on the same time. >> Read my review here <<

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask: Eye masks can be very relaxing and these are additionally boosted up with ferment extract and vitamin C… I enjoyed using these a lot! >> Read my review here <<

And last but not least my favourite hair care product from 2014:

Damoae Therapy Shampoo: I’m not a fan of herbal scents, but this shampoo works great! It makes your hair feel great and healthy and gives it a nice shine. It is pricey though, but if you have a look at my before and after pictures this shampoo really worked for me and made my hair stronger and nicer. >> Read my review here <<

These were my 20 favourite products of 2014! I hope you enjoyed the post and I’m looking forward to present you many new posts in 2015! There will be some exciting ones right ahead and I would be more than happy if you continue to read Berries in the Snow for 2015!

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beauty beauty boxes

Unboxing: MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist No. 4

17. December 2014

When I received and reviewed the MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist No. 1 I ordered MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist No.3 and 4 shortly afterwards. I was a bit dissapointed with No. 3, although it really contained some products which I use and like, but it simply didn’t give me the impression of being a “cute” box. Now, it’s time to show you the content of the most recent MeMebox My Cute Wishlist No.4, although it arrived some weeks ago:

MeMeBox is a box service company, offering a wide amount of different beauty boxes. Unlike most western beauty boxes which have to be subscribed for on a monthly basis, MeMeBoxes can be preordered but that doesn’t force you to buy more than the desired box. They ship to many countries and the products they send in their boxes are mainly Korean. Apart from their monthly Global Boxes, they also have a huge amount of themed boxes, MiniBoxes, Boxes where you know what is inside, so called Superboxes with a higher value and so on (check out the links at the end of the post)…just check out their online store and you’ll find a huge selection of different boxes. Since they have become very popular within the blogger community they sell out pretty fast, but they bring up new beauty boxes so fast, that you cannot keep up with them anyways. That was at least my experience during this year. At the moment they seem to be focusing on their own brand and some collaborations with well-known blogger in the asian beauty blogger community. At the end of this post I will make a list of all the discounts they offer at the moment, too.

“We bring you, the latest edition of our Meme-fans’ most favorite series, My Cute Wishlist #4!

For endless days and nights, we scoured through the entire country searching for the cutest, most lovable beauty products in the world! We went through a deluge of beauty product wonders and carefully selected only the best to bring you a box packed with whimsical – and effective- beauty products that will once again make the My Cute Wishlist series a Memebox fan favorite!

Loaded with some seriously adorable and hard-to-find beauty loot—straight from the hotbed of cute beauty products – this My Cute Wishlist #4 will make you ridiculously giddy with excitement!

Who else does cute like we do?”

According to the description, this MeMebox should contain a huge amount of super adorable products, which are partially not well known to the Korean beauty lovers. A first peek inside the box reveals that this box is far more fit for the My Cute Wishlist theme than the previous one- yet the amount of unknown products is kept at bay because surprisingly it contains some of the well known brands like Tonymoly, Holika Holika and even Etude House. Two other brands in this box are at least a name to the frequent MeMeBox buyers like ddung and the japanese brand Pure Smile. The only brand I didn’t know about is Yadah.

According to the product card, which comes with each box, the MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist contains 8 fullsized products. I did some research on the Yadag creams, which have a fun design and I liked them from the first glance and I discovered that the creams are availbale in 50 ml jars. I don’t think that these two 5 ml jars are fullsize products, but rather deluxe samples. Anyways…let’s take a closer look at the content:

1 & 2. Yadah Vita-Whitening Aqua Gel and Puregreen Moisturizing Cream (fullsized product, each 5ml for US24)

I was happy when I saw these cute jars with the fun design. Since I didn’t know the brand I was curious to test them right away and both creams seem nice and feel moisturizing when tested on the back of my hand. I will make a more in-depth review once I tried them properly. Although described as fullsized items they are not. You can find the fullsized jars of the cream on the official brand page for 21000 Won (50 ml), which is around 21 US$. The two tiny sample jars here are worth 3000 Won (~3 US$)!

3. Tonymoly Apple Red Tox Honey Cream (fullsized product, 80ml for 12 US$)

This product from Tonymoly has a lovely design. I really adore the apple shaped container! This cream smells so nice of sweet apples and is not comparable to artificial apple scent. Also the structure of this yellow gel cream reminds me of apple purée…just it is more fluid :D It comes with a spoon and I love to use it over night as sleeping mask. I have no complaint about this one so far ♥

4. Etude House Sweet Recipe Candy Stick (fullsized product, 2g for 5US$)

Unfortunately, I received one of these already with the MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist No.1. At least it is not the same, but another shade called seedless strawberry candy. I didn’t open it because I have a lot of lip balms at the moment. It fits for the Christmas season at least.

5. Pure Smile Snail Hand Cream Milk (fullsized product, 60g for 5US$)

This hand cream has a cute design and it contains snail mucus. So I like it although I only tested it once so far. I will use up my other hand creams before I start with this one, but at the moment I’m using hand creams often because it is so cold here. It is good to have a tube in backup. :D

6. Tonymoly Egg Pore Nose Pack (fullsize product, 7ea for 4US$)

Since the moment Tonymoly renewed their packaging of the Egg Pore line I wanted to try a product from it. I think the design is very pretty although simple and the egg makes it somehow even cute. ♥ It is great that they included a whole box of these containing 7 pieces :)

7. ddung Liquid Eye Liner (fullsized product, 5ml for for 15 US$)

I use eye liner daily and it is great to have one in this box, especially since this box is mainly focused on skincare. I will use this for sure although the packaging design is nothing I would buy personally.

8. Holika Holika Pig Nose Clear Blackhead Steam Starter (fullsized product, 30ml for 6 US$)

I love this packaging! I don’t have a lot of Holika Holika products either, which makes me even more happy to receive one with a MeMeBox. The pink tube with the dots and the pig snout looks really cute and I’m looking forward to try it :) ♥

9. Pure Smile Choosey Lip Pack Milk (fullsized product, 1ea for 1US$)

I received one of these lip maks in an earlier box and it was fun to try. Also, this time the essence is milk type so I’m curious how the two versions compare. Maybe I make a review on both, too :)

Below you’ll see all the products of the box:

All in all, this box is a nice one, although probably not the best one I received so far. MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist No.4 has its focus on skincare mainly. The variety is nice, too! The products selected fit to the topic of the My Cute Wishlist and it contains products from some brands which are well known for their cute packaging design like Holika Holika, Etude House and Tonymoly. From the description of the box I would have expected some unknown brands, too, but the only real unknown treassure I found is the Yadah creams, which come in sample size jars -although claimed to be fullsized products by MeMeBox. I think this box would have a much more possitive feedback if they would have included a real fullsized product from this new Korean natural cosmetics brand. By the way, the brand name stands for “Young Adults with Determination to Achieve Happiness”. I’d like to see more products of this brand in future boxes…

What do you think of this box? Any product you love?

If you are curious about MeMeBox and their products, aswell as their enourmous selection of different beautyboxes check out their page >>here<<. Check out the value sets and the possibility to upgrade to free express shipping, too. MeMebox has also a couple promotions:

– receive 5 US$ OFF for purchases above 30 US$ in December using the code 5IO9V5.

– using my affiliate link or the code AFFILIATE-7711-I8PV5-MWLL will get you $5 OFF discount on any orders above $100 (shipping charges not included, can be combined with other coupons)

– using my affiliate link or the code AFFILIATE-0319-ZKQVT-DBNX will get you $10 OFF for orders above 150 US$ (shipping charges not included, can be combined with other coupons)

– $5 off on entire order when purchasing over 3 Memeboxes: MEMEBUNDLE3

– $8 off on entire order when purchasing over 4 Memeboxes: MEMEBUNDLE4

– Free shipping on orders above $70 from Memeshop: FREESHIPPING

You can also read my previous unboxing posts:

MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist No. 3

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 15

MeMeBox Nakedbox No. 24

MeMeBox Diet Box

MeMeBox My Cute Wishlist

MeMeBox Oriental Medicine Box

MeMeBox Scentbox Bundle

MeMeBox 10 Minutes Box

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 11

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 10

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 8

MeMeBox GetItBeautyBox Global No. 6

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asian cosmetics beauty LunaTu PR Sample review

Review: Meishoku Detclear Peeling Jelly

24. October 2014

// PR SAMPLE / JBEAUTY / SKINCARE //

Just a warning ahead: This is a rave review because I love this product so so so much! Meishoku Detclear Peeling Jelly might not be widely known among most of you, but I figured out that this is one of the nicest peeling gels I have tried so far, so maybe it is time for you to get to know it.

Meishoku is a Japanese brand and what amazed me most is that their company homepage has an English version as well…Normally, even for more widely known Asian brands it is difficult to get some information in English, so I’m really happy they do have one. Their page contains detailed description to their products and is easy to navigate, too. Most of their products are focussing on skincare, but they also offer some make-up products. The DET Clear Line focuses on AHA/BHA peeling products. This line consists of four different types of peeling jelly, like the one I’m reviewing here today, a fruit enzyme powder wash and a peeling soap. I’m reviewing the Detclear Bright & Peel Peeling Jelly with Mixed Berry Fragrance. The other three peeling jellies have all different fragrances, like Rose and Jasmine, Mixed Fruit Fragrance and a Fragrance-Free version. So it seems that they also thought of people who don’t like fragranced products, which is great.

So we have here a chemical peeling jelly working with fruit-derived AHAs and plant-derived BHAs for getting rid of old cells on the surface of your skin. Since it is a peeling, you should use it 2-3 times per week, but not necessarily daily, although it is really a mild way of peeling compared to scrubs for example. So what do the AHAs and BHAs do? They exfoliate old keratin off your skin, which becomes smoother this way. This has the effect of a brightened up dull complexion, too. Meishoku Detclear Peeling Jelly also helps to free blocked pores and to help dry and flaky skin to get smooth again. The ingredients are unfortunately written in Japanese and also there is no list on their product page, but I figured out that most of the ingredients are plant and fruit extracts. As for the Fragrance-Free Version, it even says, that it is without artificial color, alcohol-free, paraben-free, mineral-oil free, and surfactant-free. In order to use the Meishoku Detclear Peeling Jelly, you have to clean your skin first, dry it up some, but don’t worry if your skin is still damp. You can use either dry or wet hands, too. I used in under the shower, too, and it still works. The product comes in a plastic pump dispenser, so you can easily get your 2-4 pumps, as needed, and distribute it on your face and neck. Massage the skin with your hands and soon you will see how the product forms peeling crumps. These are not your dead skin cells…neither here for this product, nor for any similar working product!

The pump packaging of the Meishoku Detclear Peeling Jelly is really convenient and the design of it looks nice, although it is not super special. It also comes with a clip for the pump, so you can take it somewhere in your bag if needed and can be sure that it won’t be pumped out. The bottle contains 180 ml and lasts quite a long time if you don’t use it daily. The texture of the product is like it supposed to be as a jelly: It is not a super solid kind of jelly, but a runnier type of product. The scent of this version of the Peeling Jelly is fruity, but not too intense. I, for my part, like it :) After rinsing the crumbs off, the skin feels clean and soft. Indeed the appearance of my skin is less dull. But all these points cannot be captured by pictures in a review. But what I can tell you and what was the most surprising thing about it is that my makeup lasted longer. Normally, when I apply BB cream in the morning, I start to see it flaking after lunch on my chin and around my nose. When I’m using the Meishoku Detclear Peeling Jelly I don’t have any of this issue and I can wear the BB cream all day long without worrying. The reason for this is the removal of dead and dry skin cells, which normally make it difficult to create an even surface. I love this Peeling Jelly now so much and I can recommend you to try it. There are other known (and more expansive) peeling jellies out there, but I can tell you that this one is also worth a try. ♥ I received my new HG bottle of Pelling Jelly from lunaTu. This UK-based shop for Japanese and Korean products sells this product for 15 £. Check out their shop, especially if you live in Europe. This will be a great chance to receive your loved Asian beauty products faster than usually. I also received the Shiseido Integrate Eyeshadow Palette from them, which I reviewed earlier. You can also get Meishoku products from 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.lunatu.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

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asian cosmetics beauty LunaTu PR Sample review

Review: Shiseido Integrate Suite Trick Eyes

13. October 2014

As you know, I’m not only a lover of Korean beauty products, but also of Japanese ones. I have the feeling that reviews on Japanese beauty products are rarer in the beauty blogger community, maybe because it is harder to obtain them. I received some more Japanese products lately from a shop called LunaTu, a new online boutique providing genuine Korean and Japanese cosmetics and based in UK – which means fast shipping within Europe! One of the items I received from them is the Shiseido Integrate Suite Trick Eyes, a small three colored eyeshadow palette, available in different colors.

Shiseido is one of the most famous high end brands in the world. I think everybody knows the brand in some way. In Japan, Shiseido has a lot of sub branches. One of these sub branches is Shiseido Integrate. The Shiseido Integrate Suite Trick Eyes palette is available in five different colors. Moreover two limited edition color ranges were available. The eyeshadow palette I’ll show here is BR 314, a milkcoffee brown shaded set of three colors. The palette comes in a outer clear plastic packaging, like most of Japanese products. The packaging contains the description of the product, but it is written in Japanese only. The backside description also shows a picture of how to apply the three colors together on your eyelid. This is helpful for beginners, so they know how to combine the three colors.

The palette itself is really beautiful and designed in such a cute way: The lid has a golden color with a clear plastic window showing the eyeshadows. The lid is decorated by the words “Let your sweet eyes do the talking”. The material is sturdy plastic.

The three eyeshadow colors of the palette have different forms. The eyeshadow placed in the middle is shaped like a heart, whereas the left eyeshadow has the shape of a clover and the right eyeshadow is supposed to be a rose (or a whirly thingy XD). If you open the lid you see that the palette comes with an applicator with two sides. The backside of the lid contains a small mirror, so you can apply the eyeshadow “on-the-go” ;)

The three eyeshadows all have shimmery particles, but the two lighter shades have more shimmer particles than the dark brown shade. Below you see a quick swatch on my fingertips. The eyeshadows have a smooth consistency and are easy to apply and to blend in.

The colors of this eyeshadow palette are light and very natural. You cannot create a bold look with these because the pigmentation is not too strong- probably it is also not designed top be strong to keep a natural look. Using primer before you can make the colors appear more vivid, but still natural. I chose this palette because of the color. I have palettes with golden brwon shades, but nothing in this milkcoffee brown range. It looks really discrete and although the eyeshadows contain shimmer it doesn’t look girly or overdone. Below you see the swatches on my arm with and without primer and how it looks applied on my eyelids. It is suitable for everyday look in my eyes.

I also tried to rubb the eyeshadows away and it was easier for the lighter colors, especially without primer. But the dark brown color has a good staying power. Even after rubbing the swatches it was clearly visible and didn’t smudge. The price for this three-color palette and considering the brand and the quality of the is suitable and costs 12.50 £ on LunaTu. They also ship internationally, but especially people living in Europe might want to check out the shop because the shipping arrives fast. One point I didn’t like about the palette is the applicator. The material of the sponge is quite hard. Maybe there are people preferring this kind of material, but I do not use the applicator, but instead use my own eyeshadow brushes.

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

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