q-depot Archive | Berries in the Snow

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Review: NoTS Silk Glow Stick Foundation

16. October 2015

I hardly use foundation despite on special occasions like weddings for example. Nevertheless, I was super curious to try a stick foundation for quite some time, which made me select the NoTS Silk Glow Stick Foundation when Qdepot asked me whether I wanted to try a product from the Korean brand NoTS.

Unlike brands like Etude House or Tonymoly the Korean high-end brand NoTS is yet not widely known among people outside Korea. NoTS stands for ‘noble through skin’ and was founded in 2011. It is supposed to be natural functional cosmetics with eco-friendly ingredients. Since it is a high-end brand the products are more expansive than drugstore brands like Etude House or Tonymoly. The NoTS Silk Glow Stick Foundation is part of their make-up range. It comes in two shades (21 and 23) and has SPF 30 PA++, which makes it a UV block functional cosmetics. The foundation comes in a mostly silver cardboard box of good quality. The description on the outside of that packaging contains English descriptions and ingredient list. Inside the cardboard box you will find the Korean description.

The NoTS Silky Glow Stick Foundation has a 5-free formula (free from artificial fragrance, mineral oil, tar, benzophenone-3, isopropyl alcohol) and is suited to all skin-types according to its description. It contains a couple of plant extract (6 plant oils and 7 flower extracts), too. The ingredients list is quite long though and you should check out whether you react on any of the ingredients. The lid of the cardboard box has a dark red color, the same color as the NoTS Silk Glow Stick Foundation container. The container looks really pretty and luxurious, although I imagined it to be larger. The size of the foundation stick fits nicely into a hand and therefore is quite travel-friendly. The cap of the stick has the same burgundy color as we found on the cardboard box. The rest of the container has a silver color. So a very sleek and elegant packaging, which also reminds of Tom Ford’s Stick Foundation.

These kind of foundation sticks are similar to a lipstick bullet, where you can wind up the product. The NoTS Silk Glow Stick Foundation only contains 12 g of product, which is not much, especially considering the fact that the price is rather high, since it is a high-end product.

Unlike liquid foundations you will have a solid bullet of foundation which you can stroke over your skin. It feels silky upon application and gives a nice coverage. The formula reminds a bit of concealer formula, but much lighter. It also says, that the stick can also be used as a concealer.

Shade 23 matches my skin-tone quite nicely and as you can see from the swatch on my hand, the color can be blended in in order to match even better. I used my fingers here to blend it in.

For applying it on my face I used various strokes around my face and blended them with a sponge like a beauty blender. I found it a bit hard to blend it in seamless using a sponge. Also, although the product name says that the foundation has a glowy finish the finish on my skin looks matte. The coverage is medium, but can be build up to high coverage. It is not sticky though, but could be not moisturizing enough for people with dry skin. I’m not sure whether a sponge is the best way to apply this foundation. Maybe a damp sponge delivers a nicer result after all.

I’m really happy I had the chance to try this new brand NoTS, but considering the price of the NoTS Silky Glow Stick Foundation and the low content (12 g) I think it is too expansive to repurchase it. The NoTS Silky Glow Stick Foundation is available in two shades from Q-depot and retails for 36.26 US$ at the moment. The formula of the product feels nice and I like the way it is not sticky and feels soft on the skin, but I miss the glowing aspect in this product. Also the fact that it is not easy to use on the first try, but that you have to try out which way of application is the best was a con for me. Probably, this foundation is better suited for people with oily skin-types.

If you are curious about NoTS and their products you can check them out on Q-depot, an online retailer for Korean beauty products. They have a already quite a variety of the most popular Korean brands and they keep adding products frequently. The site is easy to navigate, too. And they offer free samples for each order and free shipping for orders above US$69. What I like especially, that they have an extra section for cruelty-free products, which contains brands like Iope, Innisfree, Etude House, etc. I didn’t see that before for most of the online stores, so that’s something really innovative and nice. Also, they are committed to contributing 3% of their group’s net profit for social causes in different countries. So you can shop for your favorite Korean products and do something good, too. Also, Q-depot is having a promotion were you can get 5 US$ coupon upon signing up. The coupon is useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$. By the way, Q-depot is having a “The Face Shop” sale with OFF 15% on all items. The promotion will end on 18 Oct 2015 (GMT+8 Time 00:00).

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Allgemein beauty giveaway other q-depot

Giveaway: Win an Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion

29. June 2015

Happy Monday everybody! I know, Mondays are usually the most unpopular weekday since it means that our precious weekend has passed and we have to go back to work. Nevertheless, in order to sweeten up this week for you I have prepared a quick giveaway with the Korean cosmetics online store Q-depot :D

You have the opportunity to win an Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion kindly sponsored by Q-depot. This flawless cushion foundation creates beautiful pearly bright skin with its full coverage and smoothing effects. Cushion foundations are quite a trend in Korea and you will find cushion products from almost all Korean brands. Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion is the first cushion foundation by Etude House and has gained a lot of popularity since then. Check out Q-depot’s description for the Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion >>here<<.

Here are the rules for taking part into this Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion 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 10th, 2015.

7. I’m not responsible for any damages/ lost items through postal services. The product will be send by Q-depot with standard shipping without tracking number.

It is mandatory to sign up to Q-depot and to like their Facebook page. By signing in you’ll receive 5 US$ coupon useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$, too. Moreover, in order to unlock the additional entries I would appreciate if you are following my blog. In case you are selected as winner you can select between three different shades for the Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion: light beige (N02), honey beige (w24) and natural beige (W13). Good luck to everybody participating! ♥

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you want to know more about cushion foundations you might want to check out some of my previous reviews:

Missha Magic Cushion Case

Pongdang Mulbit Glow BB Cushion

Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion

Also, I’m hosting a giveaway for my 2nd Bloganniversary >>here<<, so be sure to enter that giveaway, too!

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: Skinfood Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet

12. June 2015

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / SKINCARE //

The Skinfood Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet was featured in the guestpost for the Skinfood Brand Focus and Top 5 products, and since then I was curious about trying this mask. Luckily, the Korean cosmetics online store named Q-depot offered me to review exactly that mask, which made me really happy. First of all, it is a hydration-type sheet mask, which are my favourite, and second, it contains the key ingredient snail mucus, which is one of my favourite ingredients.

Skinfood is one of these brands which are competing with Etude House in terms of design– in my opinion at least. It is a Korean brand with vintage appearing design of their products which occupied my heart very quickly. The products are using the beneficial effects of ingredients, which are familiar to us in terms of “food” like vegetables and fruits. Their motto “Food that is good for your health, is also good for your skin.” reflects this brands’ ideology nicely. The Skinfood Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet represents the cute design with a light pink sheet mask sachet showing a cute crawing of a snail. Normally, this sheet mask comes in boxes of 5 pieces.

The backside of the sachet contains the Korean and English description. The English description are quite short, but the main content of it is that this mask is supposed to moisturize and nourish your face and have a good and comfortable fitting. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA, too, and you can look them up >>here<<. The ingredient list is short and safe to use, but it contains alcohol as 5th ingredient and also methylparaben is included. The key ingredient is snail filtrate, which has a concentration of 1,120 mg.

This sheet mask is a regular cotton sheet mask. It is attached to a plastic sheet, which makes it easy to unfold the mask. The essence is a clear, liquid one, which soaks the cotton sheet very nicely. The scent of the sheet mask is a floral one, and it is quite strong. It smells of alcohol first, too. But even after the alcohol scent is gone the perfume scent still is noticeably strong.

The fabric of the sheet mask is soft and very thin. The mask promises a nice fit, but i’d say it is regular and depends on your facial shape. It doesn’t dry out quickly because of all the essence and thus feels very moisturizing and refreshing on the skin. Unfortunately, after a while my skin felt a bit sensitive, probably because of the alcohol. After taking off the mask and waiting for the essence to absorb the skin feels still sticky. I personally don’t like sticky feelings, so it was a bit of a dissapointment and didn’t really work for me. Since I only had one mask I can not say anything about longterm effects resulting from the snail filtrate, for example.

Overall, the Skinfood Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet was not suitable for my skintype. Unfortunately, the alcohol felt irritating on my dry skin and also the stickiness is not to my personal liking. If you don’t have alcohol sensitive skin, are not very sensitive to strong scents either, and do not mind a sticky feeling afterall, you might want to try this mask anyways. As usual (and that’s something for all reviews in general), it might be different from person to person! If anybody tried this mask from skinfood and had a different experience feel free to write a comment below!

Last but not least some words to Q-depot: Like the Face Shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream I received the Skinfood Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet from Q-depot. This store selling Korean beauty items is quite new, but from the first glance it looks quite promising and is worth a look. They keep adding more brands and products, but they have already quite a variety of the most popular Korean brands. The site is easy to navigate, too. And they offer free samples for each order and free shipping for orders above US$69. What I like especially, that they have an extra section for cruelty-free products, which contains brands like Iope, Innisfree, Etude House, etc. I didn’t see that before for most of the online stores, so that’s something really innovative and nice. You can get the Skinfood Hydro Fitting Snail Mask Sheet for 9.95 US$ and it comes in a box containing 5 pieces of sheet masks. Q-depot is having a promotion were you can get 5 US$ coupon upon signing up. The coupon is useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$.

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

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

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asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: The Face Shop Face It Power Perfection BB Cream

3. June 2015

// PR SAMPLE / MAKEUP / AFFILIATE LINKS //

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is also available here:

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

Amazon.com for 20.74US$

Amazon.de for 19.03€

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

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