korean Archive | Page 21 of 48 | Berries in the Snow

Review: Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence

17. September 2015

Although I’m using the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence for quite some time now I never did a proper review on it. I must say that I absolutely love this essence and I would be so happy if the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Line would be more widely available. I received this Essence with one of my many MeMeBoxes. I still hope MeMeBox will start to ship to Germany again :’D

Tosowoong is a Korean brand founded in 2004 and having the saying to make beauty innovations. The most popular items from this brand are probably the Tosowoong Makeon Princess Gel Pencil Eyeliner Pencil boxes which come with cute illustrations of various princesses. I didn’t know about any of the skincare products they had until I received some in my MeMeBoxes. The packaging of their skincare lines is usually simple, and the ingredients lists are rather short and functional. The Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence is part of the Syn-Ake line, which is directed to anti-aging. Syn-Ake is a artificial peptide similar to snake venom and has been used and developed as anti-aging ingredient in Sweden. It had popularity amongst famous actresses and models, too, if I remember correctly. As you see the packaging of the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence is rather simple. It has a black color with white fonts. The front of both the cardboard box and the plastic pump bottle has listed the English key ingredients. The backside and sides are Korean only.

Rasberry fruit extract, Niacinamide, Bifida Ferment Lysate, rh-Oligopeptide-1 (EGF), and Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate are listed as key ingredients. Using google translate I could identify some other plant (flower and fruits, espeially all kinds of berries) extracts, Glycerin and Allantoin as ingredients. I honestly do love the ingredients and the fact that this contains two kinds of yeast ferment, plus all these berries and niacinamide on top.

As I mentioned above, the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence comes in a pump bottle, which makes it easy to apply the product. I usually use 2-3 pumps for my face. The product has a clear, gel-like formula that absorbs quite fast into the skin. I feel like it brings out the effects of the Missha FTE even more and makes my face instantly brighten up when I’m struggling with a dull face. It doesn’t feel heavy and is not sticky. Also, it goes well with other skincare steps I use after applying this essence and never causes any flaking etc. It is practically scentless, too!

I’m super pleased with the Tosowoong Syn-Ake Natural Pure Essence and I want to repurchase it once it is finished. I know that Wishtrend has some Tosowoong products, but they don’t have the Syn-Ake line. I wish they would add it! The bottle contains 100 ml and it is available from RoseRoseShop (6.95 US$) and from ebay (around 10 US$). I can recommend you to give it a try!

BTW: the winners of my Japan Candy Box and Kawaii Box Giveaways were confirmed and they will receive their winnings at the end of the month :) Congratulations!

1 Comment

beauty other tag

The Blush Addict Tag

16. September 2015

I would never have considered myself as a blush addict since I have way more lip products than blushes, but after being nominated by KimKine (please do check out her wonderful blog!) I discovered that I have a bunch of blushes and for people with only one or two this might already be considered as an addict. Hopefully, you will enjoy my collection of blushes, although most of them are no high-end blushes and most shades are similar :’D

1. What colour blush suits you the most?

I like rose shades, but I think coral/peachy shades suit me most…

Kiko Mosaik Blush Hypnotic Mauve, Skinfood Rose Essence Soft Cream Blusher, Etude House Princess Happy Ending Rose Cheek Blusher, 1028 Visual Therapy Muse Powder Blush, Kryolan for Glossybox Blush, Max Factor Pastell Compact Blush

2. Pressed/cream/loose blush?

I like cream blushes because it is so easy to use them on the go. Most of my blushes are pressed blushes though.

3. Favourite shimmery blush?

Usually I don’t buy any shimmery blushes. But my favourite of the two I own is the Etude House Princess Happy Ending Rose Cheek Blusher.

Etude House Princess Happy Ending Rose Cheek Blusher & Essence Cinderella Blush

4. Favourite matte blush?

At the moment it is Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher in shade #11, before it was Bellapiere Mineral Blush Desert Rose.

1028 Visual Therapy Muse Powder Blush, Kryolan for Glossybox Blush, Bellapiere Mineral Blush

5. Favourite cream blush?

Skinfood Rose Essence Soft Cream Blusher and 3CE Creamy Cheek Stick

6. Favourite drugstore blush?

I used to buy the Manhattan Cream Blusher regulary, when I only used and owned one single blush.

Skinfood Rose Essence Soft Cream Blusher, Too Cool for School Art Class Blusher, 3CE Creamy Cheek Stick, Too Cool for School Dinoplatz Cushy Blusher

7. Favourite high-end blush?

My only higher-end blush is the Benefit Dandelion Blush which is part of my Benefit Feelin’ Dandy Kit.

8. Favourite bright blush?

I don’t have any bright blushes. the brightest would be 1028 Visual Therapy Muse Powder Blush.

Benefit Feelin’ Dandy Kit

9. Biggest blush disappointment/regret?

Holika Holika Love Fantasy Blusher. It is so pretty, but the lid doesn’t close properly and it largely depends on the brush you use whether the pigmentation is visible or not.

10. Best blush packaging?

Etude House usually does a great job in packaging, so I’m very easily tempted to buy them. I’m still lusting for Canmake blushes because they look super pretty, too, but I didn’t try any yet.

Holika Holika Love Fantasy Blusher, Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher

11. What’s on your blush wish list?

Canmake blushes are on my wishlist. And the famous NARS Orgasm Blush is something I would love to try. Kiko also launched a new ollection with some beatiful cream blush colors.

12. Number 1 holy grail blush?

I don’t have a real holy grail blush yet, but I was positively surprised by the Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher, because I didn’t expected it to be too good. It is one of my most used blushes at the moment.

I probably don’t have the most exceptional blush collection, but I hope you still like it. I have linked the blushes I reviewed in the text, so ou can read some more details about each blush if you are interested. You are also welcome to do the Blush Addict Tag yourself. I would have tagged Sharlynn for this post, but she already did the tag. she is one of the greatest blush addicts I know within my blogging friends :D. Other than her I will tag my sister MissLovelyAttitude, and Sooyoona, and everybody reading and enjoying these kinds of posts. :)

Here are the questions for the Blush Addict Tag:

1. What colour blush suits you the most?

2. Pressed/cream/loose blush?

3. Favourite shimmery blush?

4. Favourite matte blush?

5. Favourite cream blush?

6. Favourite drugstore blush?

7. Favourite high-end blush?

8. Favourite bright blush?

9. Biggest blush disappointment/regret?

10. Best blush packaging?

11. What’s on your blush wish list?

12. Number 1 holy grail blush?

Tell me about your favorite blushes :)

7 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture

14. September 2015

// AFFILIATE LINKS / CUSHION / KBEAUTY //

I already loved the Missha M Magic Cushion, but here is another cushion version of Missha’s BB creams called the Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture! As the name says, this BB promotes a dewy/moist look of the skin which is quite popular these days- not only in Korea! Another reason why I bought the whole cushion and not only a refill is the limited edition packaging with the illustration of Betty Boop ♥

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 Moisture regularly comes in a similar simple design like the Missha M Magic Cushion. Instead of the silver colored rim of the lid, the Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture has a rose-gold colored rim. This edition has additionally an illustration of Betty Boop on the lid. The cardboard box shows the same illustration:

You can find Korean description on the cardboard box (click to enlarge the image below). I picked up shade 23, which is the darker shade of the two available shades. Like the Missha M Magic Cushion, this product has SPF 50+/PA+++. The sunscreens used are Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, and Ethylhexyl Salicylate. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA >>here<< and are safe to use. The Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture contains some plant oils and extracts, so if you have any known allergic reactions please make sure to check the ingredients first. The product contains Niacinamide, like the regular Missha M Magic Cushion. Moreover, it contains yeast extract, which was not part of the ingredients of the regular Missha M Magic Cushion.

Like all the cushion foundations/bb/cc creams the product comes in a compact shape like regular powders do. You can flip open the lid and you will find a sponge applicator and a mirror inside. The product is stored in a container inside the compact, which is sealed by a plastic lid. This is also the part which can be taken out and replaced by a refill. The refills of the Missha M Magic Cushion and the Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture are interchangeable.

The product is soaked into a sponge inside the container and by pressing the application puff on the sponge with the BB cream you can get the product out of the container. By dabbing the puff now on your face (not pulling it over the skin!) you will get a nice and natural finish.

The Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture has thereby a light, flowery scent which is kind of a signature scent for Missha BB creams. It has a moist texture, like the name already tells you, and is not as creamy as the regular Missha M Magic Cushion. The soft, moist texture blends in a bit easier than the texture of the Missha M Magic Cushion, but both can blend in easily with the skin color. The finish of the regular Missha M Magic Cushion is a powdery/satin finish, whereas the Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture does not hide the natural glow of the skin.

Below you can see how the Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture looks on my skin. It makes the skin tone even and has medium coverage. It is a natural finish and the skin doesn’t feel dry after using it but rather refreshed. A quick reminder though: the dewier the finish of a BB cream is, the easier you can see marks on your face when you touch it. Eg. when I’m using a tissue on my nose I usually try to blend in the BB cream on the sides of my nose by dabbing a bit with my finger. Usually, this already does the trick…and for any other moments, you can always put the cushion compact in your handbag and touch up in-between.

I cannot say whether the regular Missha M Magic Cushion or the Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture is the better products because I like both equally. Usually, it depends on my mood and the finish I want to achieve. For hot days I prefer the satin finish of the regular cushion, but if the weather makes my skin feel dry I grab the moisture cushion. For those who want to have their favorite BB cream as a cushion, I can recommend you to try the Missha Magic Cushion Case, a DIY empty cushion, which makes it possible to create your own.

I love using the Missha M Magic Cushion Moisture and I love the packaging! The finish is very natural and keeps your face’s natural glow, which I do like a lot. Moreover, the Missha M cushions are not too expensive. I got mine at W2Beauty for 11.07 US$. The refill is for 8.21 US$. For those living in the US, you might want to check out the prices Amazon, too. On testerkorea there is also the cushion plus two refills for around 10 US$ available.

12 Comments

asian fashion beauty contact lenses fashion klenspop PR Sample

Review: Eos Jewel Brown Lenses

9. September 2015

This review for Eos Jewel Brown Lenses by KLensPop is super late, similar to my other lens reviews, but I simply didn’t have any access to my old data these past weeks, which makes it super hard to write any reviews at all. Nevertheless, here it is finally!

I wear my regular contact lenses a lot, so my eyes are in general used to wear contact lenses. Some words about my eyes in advance: My prescription is -0.25 and -0.5, which is why I choose plano lenses mostly, because these small steps of prescription are usually not available for fashion lenses. Also, my eyes have astigmatism, which is the reason that lenses which are not adjusted to my base curve might feel uncomfortable more quickly than for normal eyes.

KLensPop kindly send me these lenses and I received lenses from them in the past, but since some time they always send their lenses in these illustrated cardboard boxes, which is a very cute idea. Especially, since the backside of the box contains a cute comic on how to use the lenses. Furthermore, apart from the lens vials, you receive a lens storage container and tweezers. The box also contains instructions inside, also on how to care for your lenses. I love this idea they included into their delivers, since it is very important to take care of your lenses and be hygienic with them. You will put the lenses in your eyes and you don’t want to get an infection there, believe me! (Sometimes it happens nevertheless, that you will get some irritation, but if you see your eyes are getting to red, simply give them a break from lenses until your eyes look normal again)

Eos Jewel Brown are simple soft lenses with a natural pattern. They are manufactured in Korea. You can find the description of the Eos Jewel Brown Lenses >>here<<.

Diameter : 14.0 mm, Graphic Diameter: 13.4 mm
Water Content : 38%
Base Curve : 8.6 mm
Life Span : 6 month using period

Here are my thoughts on the Eos Jewel Brown Lenses:

Design:

The design is natural, but not too special. The dotted pattern blends in nicely with my brown eye-color.

Comfort:

These lenses are quite comfortable, since they are not overly large. I can wear them some time, before my eyes get tired. Probably, on eyes with normal base curve these are very comfortable. I had some problems at the beginning because they didn’t sit properly on my eyeballs.

Enlargement:

The lenses do enlarge slightly, but keep looking natural. It has no dolly effect.

These lenses work nicely with brown/darker eye-colors, but I guess it would look pretty with green colored eyes especially. The hazel-ish brown color makes the eyes pop a bit more than my regular plain brown eyes. It doesn’t look creepy with flash photography either.

And lastly, a selfie showing me wearing the lenses. The lipstick I’m using is Innisfree Color Glow Lipstick by the way. Since it is September it is time for cherry and burgundy shades again. Yeah!

All in all all, these lenses are nice for everyday use and come in a lovely packaging with all the information you need. You can get them from KLensPop for 25 US$. I would rate these lenses 7 out of 10, considering they are not perfect for me because of the base curve, but daily useable delivering a natural but still enhanced look.

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

4 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty Missha PR Sample review

Review: Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive

3. September 2015

// PR SAMPLE / SKINCARE / AFFILIATE LINKS //

In the last years many brands have started to release essences containing fermented yeast filtrate, similar to the famous SKII Facial Treatment Essence. One of these many products has been claimed a good dupe, or even an improved version of the SKII essence: the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence. I tried some samples from this essence in the past and I really did like it back then, but never purchased a full size version. Then, earlier this year Missha announced to reformulate the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence (short: Missha FTE), which was called the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive. Many people were not happy about the reformulation. Nevertheless, I wanted to give this version a chance and started to in-cooperate it into my daily skincare routine after I kindly received this from Missha Germany for reviewing purpose. I do not have any direct comparison between the two versions (apart from my weak memory using the samples), but I will do a short breakdown on the new and removed ingredients. As far as I can tell I do like the new Missha FTE intense nonetheless!

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 Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is no exception here: it comes in a hard plastic bottle (I think it was a glass bottle previously) with a silver cap, and the cardboard box is made of silver reflecting paper. You can see the lightly yellowish solution through the bottle, too.

The Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is a highly concentrated essential essence, which is used as first step after cleansing your face. It rises the skin moisture and radiance level and has soothing and smoothing properties. It claims to have wrinkle repairing and whitening properties. The Korean and English description is included on the cardboard box (you can click to enlarge the image below). A label with the German description is added on the packaging, since I received the product from Missha Germany. The bottle of essence comes with 130 ml of product and has a shelf-life of 9 months after opening.

Ingredients: old vs. new

The ingredients are listed on the cardboard packaging, but also on the official Missha web pages. The list is also included in the COSDNA databank, and you can check whether the single ingredients are rated positively or negatively. Luckily, the Missha ingredients are safe to use, as you can check here. Since I mentioned the reformulation of the Missha FTE earlier here is a quick info about it. Below, the ingredients of the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence are listed:

SACCHAROMYCES FERMENT FILTRATE, BIFIDA FERMENT LYSATE, PROPANEDIOL, NIACINAMIDE, POLYQUATERNIUM-51, AMARANTHUS CAUDATUS SEED EXTRACT, BETAINE, ULMUS DAVIDIANA ROOT EXTRACT, PENTYLENE GLYCOL, PIPER METHYSTICUM LEAF/ROOT/STEM EXTRACT, WATER, TREHALOSE, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, HYDROLYZED CORN STARCH, PHENOXYETHANOL, BETA VULGARIS (BEET) ROOT EXTRACT, PHELLODENDRON AMURENSE BARK EXTRACT, CASSIA ALATA LEAF EXTRACT, DISODIUM EDTA, ADENOSINE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, RAFFINOSE, TROMETHAMINE, ACETIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, DISODIUM EDTA, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, CAPRYLYL GLYCOL, SODIUM HYALURONATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, HEXAPEPTIDE-9

The newly added ingredients are marked green. These ingredients are not included in the old version of the Missha FTE. I will go through the properties of these 8 new ingredients in the following:

Betaine: a anti-inflammatory stabilizator, which has calming/soothing properties for the skin

Trehalose: moisturizing properties

Butylene Glycol: has similar properties as propylene glycol, but with a lighter texture; skin conditioning properties and acts as solvent

Disodium EDTA: stabilisator, chelator, and preservative

1,2-Hexanediol: humectant, emolient

Caprylyl Glycol: skin conditioning and moisturizing properties, also a preservative

Potassium Sorbate: preservative

Hexapeptide-9: a synthetic peptide containing Glutamine, Glycine and Proline residues (different amino acids), it acts as skin conditioner/ smoothening

The ingredients which have been removed from the formulation are: Licorice Root Extract (Glycyrrhiza Glabra), Polyquaternium-51, Centella Asiatica Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Extract, and Pentylene Glycol.

Licorice Root Extract: an antioxidant, has anti-inflammatory and skin-conditioning properties, also used for fragrance

Centella Asiatica: skin conditioning and calming/soothing properties

Portulaca Oleraca: anti-inflammatory and skin conditioning properties

Rosmarinus Officinalis: anti-inflammatory, used for fragrance

Chamomilla Recutita: skin conditioning/ smoothening

Pentylene Glycol: anti-inflammatory, emollient

Polyquaternium-51: humectant

When I’m comparing the two lists of the new and removed ingredients I see that mainly ingredients have been changed into ingredients with similar and same properties. So why did they change it at all? My first idea was, that they wanted to get rid of the fragrance ingredients the product had. The new formula doesn’t have a specific scent, or rather smells like many essences with fermented ingredients smell of. The old formulation didn’t have any specific scent to me either. The second idea is, that many people react to specific plant extracts. By removing some of the plant extracts and changing them to synthetic ingredients the risk for allergies is reduced. The third point might be that the cost for the new ingredients is cheaper than the old ones. The last idea seems to be the most likely one :D The only ingredient which is not really replaced properly is the Licorice Root extract. This is such a powerful ingredient considering brightening and anti-aging that it is really sad they removed it. Yet, we do not know the concentration of the Licorice Root extract in first place, so it is not really sure how much this effects the properties of the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence as a whole.

Apart from the newly added and the removed ingredients the key ingredients of both formulations are the same: yeast ferment filtrate, also known as “Pitera”. The Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence contains two types of yeast ferment filtrate: Saccharomyces and Bifida in a concentration of 80%. Yeast ferment filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Other great ingredients of the Missha FTE are sugars, like Raffinose and Trehalose, which have moisturizing properties and ingredients like Niacinamide and Lactid Acid, which have brightening properties.

I’ve been using the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive since I received it 8 weeks ago almost every day twice (morning and evening routine). From time to time I switched to the May Coop Raw Sauce alone, mostly I used both together. There is no scent / light fermented scent. The consistency of the Missha FTE is water-y. It is clear and runny, but absorbs into the skin quickly. It feels the skin hydrated and smoothed instantly, like a thin film on the skin. I really like this feeling and it makes you want to touch your face constantly. The overall face looks brightened and less dull. Adding other products on top works nicely and doesn’t cause any flaking at all.

Unfortunately, I cannot compare the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intensive to the old version directly, but I really love how this product works in my skincare routine. It leaves the skin with a nice feeling and -having tried the Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence before- I can say that I prefer the Missha FTE. The Secret Key Starting Treatment Essence has a much more intense yeast ferment scent (contains 90% of yeast ferment filtrate) and yet doesn’t leave the skin as smooth as the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence Intense does. I’ve bought the COSRX Galactomyces 95 White Power Essence recently, but have not tried it yet (this one has even 95% of yeast ferment). I will be comparing it to the Missha FTE Intensive for sure. In terms of wrinkle-care I do not know how much the Missha FTE impacts on this, since every change will be also an effect of my whole skincare routine. Adding products with moisturizing properties is never wrong if you want to prefer skin-aging though. And the Missha FTE does definitively moisturize and brighten up my skin instantly and makes it feel super smooth. There are so many brands these days, each with their own yeast ferment filtrate essence that it can be difficult to decide for a specific one, but considering the price the Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence is definitively preferable to the SKII Essence. The Missha Time Revoltion The First Treatment Essence Intensive retails for 38.90 € from the German Missha store (49.00 US$ from Missha US!).

You can also get this product from:

W2Beauty for 38.50US$ (use coupon berries10 for 10% off and free shipping)

Amazon.de for 18.01€

Amazon.com for 28US$

Btw.: Missha Germany also deliveres 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 Take a glance at their webpage, instagram, and facebook and support the spreading of Korean cosmetics within Europe! Also, Missha is one of the Korean bands which are against animal testing!

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.

24 Comments

advertorial other Wishtrend

Wishtrend September 2015 Coupons

3. September 2015

Summer has passed and the season of autumn has started, and as with every new month I have the Wishtrend Coupons for September for you. You can use these new Wishtrend coupons and gifts for your shopping experience at Wishtrend. If you don’t know Wishtrend, but love Korean or Asian cosmetics and skincare products I can recommend you to check out their online shop, especially for one of my favorite products, the O.S.T. Vitamin C Serum. You’ll also find some products sold at Wishtrend on my Top 20 favourite product list for 2014, like the Klairs Gentle Black Deep Cleansing Oil. Also, they have listed brands like COSRX, Tosowoong and Mizon. You can find a list of all the products I reviewed from Wishtrend at the bottom of this post. Furthermore, they have really a great affiliate program for blogger and I can advice you to join it if you are one. Here are the Wishtrend coupon codes for September:

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

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

Coupon Code: WISHSEP2015
Requirement 1: Shopping cart order must be 55 US$ and over to be able to use the 10% off coupon
Requirement 2: Coupon code cannot be combined with any other discount or voucher code.
Only valid until the end of September 2015

The second promotion code is a special gift you will receive by using the code below. The voucher is valid on ANY orders at Wishtrend! I’m really excited about this months free sample, since you will receive in addition to the usual free samples a free C21.5 Mask Sheet (2.50 US$ value).

Voucher Code: WISHGIFTSEP2015
ANY ORDER
Only valid until the end of September 2015

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

I did a couple of reviews on various Wishtrend products in the past. You might like to check these out, if you are interested in purchasing these:

Lailly 7 Seconds Make-Up Booster

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

COSRX BHA Summer Pore Minish Serum

COSRX AHA/BHA Clarifying Treatment Toner

I’m from Honey Mask

Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Protein Treatment

COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch

ElsihaCoy Aloe & Lavender Mask Sheet

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack and Lip Tint Cleanser

OST C20 Pure Vitamin C21.5 Advanced Serum

Confume Argan Treatment Oil

Pongdang Donkey Milk Emulsion

Klairs Rescue Moisture Kit Part 1 and 2

Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack

CareLab Powerful Pudding Mask

Klairs Gentle Black Deep Oil Cleanser and Sugar Facial Polish

Rojukiss Multi Vita Cleansing Powder

Klairs Rich Moist Soothing Sheet Mask

Damoae Therapy Shampoo and Tonic

Skinmiso Rice Foam Cleanser

Klairs Illuminating Supple BB Cream

O.S.T. Pure Vitamin C20 Serum

Wish Formula Panda Eye Essence Mask

ONL Saladit Essential Juice Sheet Masks

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

Wishtrend June 2015 Promotions

1 Comment

asian cosmetics beauty review

Review: Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight

1. September 2015

// AFFILIATE LINKS / KBEAUTY / LIPS //

The Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight is my favorite tint product at the moment! These oil-based lip tints are quite frequent these days and I was curious about them since I read a review about the It’s Skin Oil Lip Tint at Shia’s blog. She also reviewed the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight later. I can recommend you reading her blog (it is written in German though).

The Korean brand Tonymoly is best comparable to Etude House regarding its popularity. Unlike, Etude House though, the packaging is not princessy-cute, but offers cute designs, too. Especially fruit-shaped products (apples, bananas, mango, peach…) and other creative packaging shapes make this brand interesting for western consumers and therefore very popular. Lip tints have been super popular in Korea for years and there has always been a huge amount of different lip tints by various brands. Mostly, you came across either water-based lip tints or milky-type lip tints. In contrast to lip gloss or lipstick the lip tints look much more natural and are not sticky. They are also perfect for creating the gradient lips which is also popular among Koreans. Many people have problems with lip tints, because they are not hydrating the lips, since they don’t have a butter or fat as basic ingredient like balm type products, and often when using a balm over the lip tint the staying power of the tint is reduced.

The Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight is a oil-based lip tint, which means it has a tint phase and an oil phase. By shaking the two phases you will get a homogeneous lip tint which also contains enough oils so your lips don’t feel dry. The Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight is available in three colors. The tint I bought is called “Shaking Red” (#02) and has a red color. The packaging of the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight is simple and yet cute. The bottle comes in a cardboard box which is decorated by stars. You can find the decoration on the cap of the bottle, too. The applicator is attached to the cap, as with most lip products of this kind. The cardboard box contains Korean and English descriptions. Nevertheless, I find the directions in English quite missleading.

Usually, when you do not shake the tint you will see the two phases of the product clearly. The clear oil layer lies atop of the pigmented tint layer at the bottom. The main way to use the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight is to shake the two phases until you get a homogeneous red tint. After shaking you apply the tint mainly on the inner parts of your lips and then blend it outwards. The official Tonymoly page says that you can get a less vivid look by not mixing the two layers and using the oil phase like a gloss after having applied the tint.

source: http://www.etonymoly.com/

I discovered that I like the mixed product better than a natural way to apply it. The more you shake the product the better it looks on the lips. Below you see a swatch of the two phases when not mixed fully. The tint phase and the oil phase can be clearly seperated from each other. The tint has a fruity scent, but it is faint after applying it on your lips. The taste is the typical bitter taste of lip tints first, but after 1-2 seconds you taste nothing at all!

I love how the mixed tint applies on the lips. In contrary to the water based tints that don’t have much of moisturizing properties the oil-based Tonymoly Shaking Delight Tint feels not drying, but nourishing and gives the lips the perfect soft feeling. The gradient effect which can e created with this tint looks natural, but the color is vivid nevertheless. The stain is longer lasting than the stain of the water based lip tints and reapplying the tint always looks nice and never makes the stains from before look ugly.

The Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight is my favorite tint so far and I’m using it almost everday since I received it! I can definitively receommend you to try one of the oil based tints yourself! I’m sure I will buy other oil based tints now and maybe also all the remaining colors from the Tonymoly Shaking Tint Delight. I bought mine at W2Beauty for 10.38 US$. For those living in the US you might want to check out the prices Amazon, too. Did you try any of the oil-based tints yet?

19 Comments

asian cosmetics beauteque beauty PR Sample review

Review: From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack

31. August 2015

I’m really happy about writing this review, because I really like the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack. This product was kindly sponsored by Beauteque, online retailer of Asian cosmetics. Some of you might have seen the bunch of products I selected from them for reviewing on my Instagram account :) I really like using sleeping mask, since I love the feeling of my skin on the next day after using these kind of masks. Usually sleeping masks or packs boost your skin over night with extra moisture or nutrition. Since the skin absorbs and works more efficiently during night such products are always a great idea.

From Nature‘s motto is “messanger from nature’s power”, and therefore this Korean brand uses natural ingredients in their cosmetic products. eChoice is a line by From Nature, and the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack is what I’m reviewing here today. According to the description, this sleeping mask “infused with jasmine, rose, chamomile, green tea, and white tea extracts, boosts its oriental tea complex that works to deliver deep nutrition, moisture, and soothing effect overnight.” The From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack “creates moisturizing, transparent, illuminating, and water-based bright, resilient, luminous skin.” This sounds really promising for a sleeping pack.

The sleeping pack line from From Nature eChoice comes in two choices: the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack and the From Nature eChoice Fermented Beans Sleeping Pack. Beauteque is currently only offering the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack. The packaging of the plastic tube containing 70 g is simple, but it shows the image of herbs and a bowl of tea (probably). The description on the tube of the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack is in Korean only, but you find the instructions and the short description on Beautque, too. The ingredients of this sleeping mask are listed on COSDNA, and the list is neither long, nor harmful. Most of the ingredients are plant extracts from jasmine, rose, green tea, white tea, and chamomile. If you know about reacting to any of these ingredients you should be careful when using this sleeping mask though. apart from these the key ingredient here is the Lactobacillus Ferment, which was the main reason for me to try this sleeping msk. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial activity when applied in concentrations of 5% or more. It has skin coditioning properties, too. So this fermented oriental tea complex from the plant extracts mentioned above has a concetration of 100ppm, as stated on the packaging.

The From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack has a light and almost transparent gel texture. The scent is very pleasant and lingers on the skin. It reminds me of the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack in its structure and scent and feel on the skin. It is very waterful/moisturizing when blended on the skin, too. In order to use it you apply a proper amount to your face as last step of your skincare before you go to sleep. Next morning, you wash it off with lukewarm water. After using this the skin feels very soft and nice.

In my opinion, the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack is a great option for those who find the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack too expensive. The From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Mask does a good job in moisturizing and smoothening the skin over night and costs only 12.00 US$ at Beauteque. It has a very relaxing scent, too! Also, if you like fermented ingredients the From Nature eChoice Fermented Tea Sleeping Pack is a really recommendable product to try.

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

10 Comments

asian cosmetics beauteque beauty PR Sample review

Review: Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner

27. August 2015

One of the products I’ve herd of since the beginning of my asian cosmetics product addiction is the Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner. It is a must-have product for so many people it seems, and I still don’t know why it took me so long to finally try it. The Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in classic black color was kindly sponsored by Beauteque, online retailer of Asian cosmetics. Some of you might have seen the bunch of products I selected from them for reviewing on my Instagram account :)

Dolly Wink is a Japanese brand produced by the Japanese model Tsubasa Masuwaka, who represents the Gyaru trend. Dolly Wink is a brand presented by Koji. All the Dolly Wink products have a picture of Tsubasa Masuwaka somewhere on the packaging. Moreover, the packaging design tends to be cute and girly and contains a lot of pink colors. The Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner, which is available in black or brown, comes in such a pretty packaging, too. This eyeliner pen has a pink color and golden ornaments all over, with a black cap in order to prevent the pen from drying. The brown version has a purple color and a brown cap.

As most Japanese products it doesn’t come in a cardboard box, but attached to a cardboard sheet and packed in plastic. For the images I removed the plastic, so the pictures are nicer. The backside of the cardboard sheet contains the Japanese descriptions. Unfortunately, there is no English description for it, but according to the description on Beauteque this “liquid eyeliner dries quickly and is resistant to sweat, water, and tears! It is absolutely smudge-free, the vivid black line lasts all day long. The Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner includes a fine point brush”.

You can find a description on how to use the Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner there, too:

To Use: Before applying the liquid eyeliner, fill up the gap between lashes using any pencil eyeliner. Draw a fine line from the inner corner of the eye. (Do not make the line thick. A thick line may result in a smaller-looking eye.) Draw a fine line extended 2-3mm out of the outer corner of eye. To make your eye more impressive, add a short line under your eye at the outer corner over a pen type eyeliner.

The brush tip can create fine lines, but also broader ones. The color is pigmented, although not the blackest color I’ve seen. For a eyeliner pen it is pigmented though, for even more pigmented eyelines I would use a gel eyeliner. If you look closely you will see that it bleeds a little bit when swatched on my hand. The bleeding is not visible on my eyes, since the skin has a finer structure there. When applied on my eyes I face the problem of uneven pigmentation, depending on the pressure you give the pen. If you let it dry and add another layer it will be evenly pigmented though. Since it dries quickly it is no problem in layering the strokes. For the image belwo I only applied it regulary, like I would do on a normal day. It doesn’t feather/bleed, but the eveness of the color is still improveable. Unfortunately, I found that the eyeliner is not long lasting. It does not smudge, but wears off (nicely) when rubbing. Water/sweat and rubbing wears it off, too. This is my third liquid eyeliner pen I tried. I love the easy application of these eyeliner pens, but out of the three I tried (Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner Pen and the Miracle Romance Sailor Moon Star Power Prism Eyeliner are the other two I tried), I still like the Kiss Me Heroine Make Eyeliner Pen most.

The Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner Pen has a super cute packaging and is easy to use and I can understand why many people love it. If I had the choice I would tend to repurchase the Kiss Me Heroine Make Eyeliner Pen though. The price of all these eyeliner pens is roughly the same though. You can buy the Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner from Beauteque for 15 US$. What is your favourite liquid eyeliner pen? Any recommendations for a deep black and strongly pigmented one?

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

16 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base

25. August 2015

The Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base, or also known as I-MIIX Magic Capsule Silky Make Up Base, is not only prettily designed but also contains visible color capsules that contain a moisturizing and makeup-preserving essence. This is the last item for BNTnews in August, and funnily I saw that the packaging the BNT girls received was different. Some received the same packaging like I did, which is named I-MIIX and some received the packaging named Catalina Geo. I don’t know if one is the old version and the other a new one though.

CatalinaGeo is a Korean brand, with quite some sub-brands. One of these is Lamy Cosmetics, of which I reviewed the Lafine Vegetable Deep Cleansing Cream yesterday. Catalina Geo imports their products into 12 countries, so if you have a look at their official page you might check out if their products are available in your country, too. Europe is not included or example, but US, Australia and a bunch of Asian countries are included. The packaging of the Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base is quite girly and magical, with ornamental design and a purple color.

The cardboard box contains Korean and English description and the ingredients are listed on the cardboard box, too. You can find them on >>COSDNA here<<. It unfortunately contains triethanolamine and some acne triggers. If you have sensitive skin you should check out the single ingredients before using it. The description says that it does not contain oil, in order to be safe to use for sensitive skin types, but there is also mineral oil included here, which I would not recommend to use as primer for sensitive skin types.

The Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base comes in a 35 ml pump bottle. You can see the white colored pearls inside a clear liquid through the bottle. Apart from the white color there are other colors available, too. There are five colors in total: purple, green, pink, blue, and white. This Make Up Base fixes skin’s tone, protects from UV rays and improves skin’s natural color.

In order to use the Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base you have to shake it first. One pump is enough to cover my face. The pump crushes the pearls and you will receive a white colored mixture of the capsules and the clear liquid. The more you shake before you pump, the better the two phases will combine. After comparing it on my face before and after using it, I must say that I do not see much difference. The skin looks a bit brighter, but the moisture level and the dewiness stays the same compared to my usual skincare routine. It does not make lines disappear, nor does it reduce the appearance of pores. I find primers like the Lailly 7 Second Make-Up Booster do have proven as better suitable primers compared to the Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base. I didn’t see any differences in the longlivity of my make-up either.

Catalina Geo Color Capsule Make Up Base is a pretty designed capsule make up base, but out of the four products I received from BNTnews in August this is my least favorite. I simply cannot see any major differences this base provides. Maybe it doesn’t work with my skincare routine, or with my skin type, I’m not sure. I would also love to know if any of the other color capsules are better suited for my skin. Here are the official descriptions for the product: worldwide an australian. The price of 45 AU$ (38 US$) is quite high in my opinion, so I would not repurchase it personally.

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

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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

4 Comments

Older Posts

Newer Posts