sponsored Archive | Page 4 of 18 | Berries in the Snow

asian cosmetics beauty review TesterKorea

Review: Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream | TesterKorea

17. February 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / SKINCARE //

The Missha Super Aqua Marine Stem Cell Defending Cream was the first Korean skincare product I used and I bought two, or even three jars of it because I liked it so much back then. When I heard about the newest addition to the Missha Super Aqua family I was really excited to try it: the Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is part of a full new moisturizing skincare line consisting of toner, emulsion essence and the cream which I’ll be reviewing here. As I announced via Instagram I’m honored to be part of TesterKorea’s Real Tester, who offered me this product for reviewing purpose, amongst some other products, like the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel I reviewed before.

First, some information about TesterKorea: if you know me and my blog for some time you will know that TesterKorea is my favorite online retailer for larger Kbeauty hauls. I’ve purchased products from them many times and they never failed me. Also, they are quite popular for offering many free samples and having a LARGE variety of samples for sale as well. If you do not know a specific product and you want to test it first the place to recommend is TesterKorea. Also, they have a huge amount of different products from many brands, so you can be sure to find what you are looking for in most cases. Unlike other online retailers they do not offer free shipping, though, but their shipping is based on weight. The cheap prices of the products themselves totally balances the shipping costs in my eyes – especially for larger hauls. They even have a specific topic where you can request a product if it is newly launched. They are also quite fast in listing the latest products from most brands. Considering the fact that I know they are a reliable retailer and have a good reputation makes me even more happy that I’m part of the 17 members of their 1st Real Tester round-up!

The product I’m reviewing here is from the famous Korean brand Missha. Missha has a lot of online stores all over the world and are available in US/Canada, Australia and even in Germany. It is the first Korean brand with a physical store in Ingolstadt in Germany, too! Missha is against animal testing. The products always come in a very mature and luxurious packaging and the design is usually very elegant although simple. I think that it can be liked by almost everyone. The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream follows these criteria as well: The signature color of the Super Aqua Ice Tear collection is ice-blue. The cream comes in a blue cardboard box with descriptions in both Korean and English. It states description, directions and the ingredients of the products.

According to COSNDA the ingredients in this hydrating and refreshing cream are safe to use. It contains Alcohol den., which can be a potential irritant, but apart from this is used to thin down the consistency of a cream. Glycerin is the main moisturizing ingredient in the list, but the cream also contains Urea. You’ll find a bunch of plant extracts from the Ice Plant, Oarweed, Devil’s Apron, Spirulina Platensis, Lotus Flower, and Chinese Plum. The algaes Oarweed and Devil’s Apron are also used in products of the high-end brand ‘La mer’. They act as skin protectors. The other extracts act as humectants and have moisturizing properties. Sea Water provides minerals and trace elements. Raffinose, which is a sugar and also included in the list, has moisturizing properties. Lactic Acid has brightening properties. All in all, a nice ingredients list for a moisturizing cream. The cream comes in a sturdy jar containing 50 ml, but it doesn’t come with a spatula unfortunately. If you want to keep it hygienic you should use a spatula instead of your fingers for taking out the cream. The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is a mixture between gel-type and regular cream. It feels light upon application and emollifies into a watery essence-like product on the skin. This makes it feel refreshing, too. It also leaves the skin moist. The scent is nice and a mixture between flowery and soapy.

The Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear Cream is a simple, but effective moisturizer. Although the list of the ingredients is not too overfilled with fancy ingredients it still contains some important ones for moisturizing the skin: There are Urea and Glycerin for one, and a bunch of plant extracts, most of them are algae ( I was surprised to see two of the ingredients being part of products from the famous brand ‘La mer’ as well). On top, you have Raffinose and Lactic Acid and the Sea Water. I really like the list and although a simple moisturizer I can definitely see that many people might like this skincare range. I didn’t use it for a long time yet, but so far it didn’t break me out and was a hydrating and refreshing experience. The product retails on TesterKorea for 11520 Won, which is around 9.69 US$. The price is really affordable and perfect for people starting a skincare routine, aiming at a hydrating and light cream. It might be a nice refreshment during hot seasons, too, because the formula feels very watery. If you are looking for the deeper nourishment of the skin this cream might be too lightweight for you. Did you try any products from the Missha Super Aqua line? What do you think of the Missha Super Aqua Ice Tear line?

♥ Pin It! ♥

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

asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample review TesterKorea

Review: Etude House Tint My Brows Gel | TesterKorea

15. February 2016

I love Etude House’s eyebrow products! I’ve been using the Etude House Color My Brows and I’m still using the Etude House Perfect Brow Kit, and the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel is the newest addition to my collection. As I announced via Instagram I’m honoured to be part of TesterKorea’s Real Tester, who offered me this product for reviewing purpose, amongst some other products I cannot wait to share with you.

First, some information about TesterKorea: if you know me and my blog for some time you will know that TesterKorea is my favorite online retailer for larger Kbeauty hauls. I’ve purchased products from them many times and they never failed me. Also, they are quite popular for offering many free samples and having a LARGE variety of samples for sale aswell. If you do not know a specific products and you want to test it first the place to recommend is TesterKorea. Also, they have a huge amount of different products from many brands, so you can be sure to find what you are looking for in most cases. Unlike other online retailers they do not offer free shipping, though, but their shipping is based on weight. The cheap prices of the products themselves totally balances the shipping costs in my eyes – especially for larger hauls. They even have a specific topic where you can request a product, if it is newly launched. They are also quite fast in listing the latest products from most brands. Considering the fact that I know they are a reliable retailer and have a good reputation makes me even more happy that I’m part of the 17 members of their 1st Real Tester round-up!

Let’s start with the review for the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel: The Korean brand Etude House is one of the best known Korean brands for cute packaging. If you are a lover of cute, girly and pink packaging, reminding you of being a child and the princess you always dreamt to be, THIS is your brand. Their packaging is usually so adorable that you cannot keep yourself from impuls-buys – only because you saw the packaging…Looking at the packaging of the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel it appears simple, but yet feminine. The combination of the gray-brown color and the pink makers it look adorable in a way. The product comes in a cardboard box which shows the Korean and English description. The product is one of the newer products from Etude House. The gel comes in 3 different shades and works similar to lip tint like the Berrisom My Lip Tint Pack, that means you apply a layer of the gel, leave it to dry and peel it off after a while. This new-concept eyebrow gel tint is designed for a long-lasting eyebrow makeup.

The three shades available are #1 brown, #2 light brown and #3 gray brown. I chose gray brown, because I have naturally black eye brows and I think the gray brown will suit my eyebrow color best. The ingredients of the Etude House Tint My Brow Gel are harmless according to COSDNA. There are minor irritants, but no bothersome ingredient. And although the product is made for simply tinting your brows it contains some plant derived ingredients with anti-inflamatory, antioxidant and moisturizing properties. As I said before, the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel works like a kind of non-permanent tattoo. The bottle reminds of a liquid eyeliner and comes with a thin brush-type applicator. The gel has a sticky consistency and reminds of brown colored glue. The brush is thin enough to create proper outlines for your brows. Below you can see how the gel looks when swatched on the back of my hands. First you apply a proper amount of the gel. After a while it will start to dry. When you peel off the dried product you will see that it stains the skin. After 1.5 h waiting the stain is already properly visible and shows in a light gray brown. After one day (including washing hands and showering) the stain is still visible, but is looks more light and the color changed to a light yellow-brown.

When using the product on your eyebrows Etude House advises you to trim your eyebrows first and not to apply skincare products or makeup. Then you should apply a liberal amount according to the desired shape of the eyebrow. Dry the gel for at least 2 hours. For stronger coloration you can apply the gel before going to bed at night and remove it the next morning. After the gel dried completely you can remove it starting from the tail of the eyebrow, but don’t be too forceful. Etude House also says to not use a cleansing product (product with detergents) or apply force on the eyebrow area within 24 hours of using the product. Below I applied the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel on my eyebrows. As you can see, my eyebrows are dense and very dark, but I have some spare areas at the front and on the arch of my eyebrow. I applied the gel according to the desired shape of my eyebrows and waited for 2 hours. You can see that the spare areas look slightly more filled, but it doesn’t look too strongly pigmented and not unnatural either. The effect is comparable to a light brow powder, giving a natural finish.

Do I like the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel? Yes, I do, and I think people with spare eyebrows or very bright color of eyebrows will like this product a lot! It looks natural and it is long-lasting. The downsides are that you have to be patient and maybe you need to practice a couple of times before you know how to paint your desired eyebrow shape. The gel contains 5 g and depending on the thickness of the layers you apply on your eyebrow it will last for a while. The price for the gel is not expansive either, so it is worth a try, especially if you love using eyebrow products. If you are already too lazy to use an eyebrow pencil or powder this product will not make it any easier or quicker though. The product retails on TesterKorea for 7650 Won, which is around 6.50 US$.

♥ Pin It! ♥

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

21 Comments

asian stationary Blippo food giveaway home PR sample

More Cute Stuff From Blippo Kawaii Store & Giveaway

13. February 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KAWAII //

You might know Blippo already from their subscription boxes Japan Candy Box and Kawaii Box which I have reviewed previously. I also made a post in the past about their store, which you will find >>here<<. I’m happy to show you today some More Cute Stuff From Blippo Kawaii Store, which I totally fell in love with while browsing through their store. Oh, by the way, there is a giveaway at the end of this post were you can win some products from Blippo, too!

While browsing Blippo it is not hard to find some cute things to like if you love kawaii things. Blippo offer stuff from Japan like Magazines and Candy and Snacks, but also a lot of stationary items and character items from Hello Kitty, San-X (like Rillakkuma, Sentimental Circus, Gloomy Bear…), and Ghibli. They have also some fashion items, like bags and purses and cute accessories. They offers free shipping, too! I chose three items from their store, and they are so adorable I cannot stop looking at them.

The first item I want to show you is the Happy Animal Letter Set. This letter set comes with 2 envelopes with an imprinted animal face and 4 matching letter papers. There are different design with different animal faces available. I chose the bear face, because it looks soooo adorable with the cherry on its head :D The letter set has a Korean design, but it is made in China. Perfectly suited for a quick letter or note to a friend and make him or her smile.

The second items is the Cute Bear Milk & Tea Cup, which is unfortunately out of stock at the moment (the link is not working for now, but you can look within the category of cups and mugs whether you will find it there). These cups were available in large and in small versions with differently colored bears. The idea of the bear face, which is the bottom of the cup on the same time is absolutely awesome :D It also reminds you of drinking enough by stating “8 times a day”. Again, the design is Japanese, but the product is made in China. The cup is made of odorless and heat-resistant plastic, but it can not be used in the microwave. It is safe for food though and made from eco-friendly material (FDA approved).

The last product is the Strawberry Bento Box. This small plastic Bento Box is divided into two compartments and comes with a plastic spoon aswell. It is BPA free and food safe, freezer safe, microwave safe (I personally would not microwave it though…), and dishwasher safe (without the elastic band, which is included to keep the box together). I would say it is not leak-proof though, but perfect for some smaller lunch at work. I’m really looking forward to use it soon! I love strawberries, and the design seems to be just perfect for me :D

How do you like my new cute goods from Blippo? Is there anything you would also like to have? I’m super happy with these items and they really made my day more happy and enjoyable!

Where to get?

You can get all these and many other adorable items at Blippo!

Happy Animal Letter Set for 2.96 US$

Cute Bear Milk & Tea Cup for around 10 US$ if I remember correctly

Strawberry Bento Box for 8.06 US$

And now I have a giveaway for you, which is kindly sponsored by Blippo! By taking part in the below Rafflecopter you have the chance to win these items:

Pastel Pearl Crown Ball Pen

Puffy Panda Stickers

Kawaii 2016 Desk Calendar

The prices will be sent to the selected winner by Blippo. It is open internationally, unless prohibited by law. If you are underage, please ask your parents before entering this giveaway. No cheating please! We will check the entries ;) This giveaway is dedicated to the readers of my blog, no giveaway blogs please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

♥ Good luck everyone! ♥

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

4 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty PR Sample q-depot review

Review: NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set

11. February 2016

I love Korean deluxe sample sets, since they contain every product you’ll ned when you are on vacations. They are also great for getting to know a brand or a specific skincare line, therefore I was really happy when I was offered to review the NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set by Korean cosmetics online shop Qdepot. So far this brand is still new to me, and apart from the NoTS Silk Glow Stick Foundation I haven’t tried any products from this brand. But finally I can now try some of their skincare products:

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. Their packaging design is also not girlish or fun, but more mature and targeting another age group than the two other brands. The NoTS 28 Remedy Perfect Solution Set comes in a silver cardboard box and contains 4 products. The NoTS 28 Remedy skincare range is made for sensitive and acne prone skintypes and is a multipurpose range targeting also anti-ageing and having whitening properties.

The set contains the NoTS 28 Remedy Acne Pore Deep Cleanser, The NoTS 28 Remedy Balancing Toner, The NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum, and the NoTS 28 Remedy Repair Cream. These four product already build a perfect tiny skincare routine. From the 4 products the cleanser stands out most, because it has orange-colored fonts and cap on the white plastic tube. The other three products are simple but elegant. The bottles and jars have a white color and silver fonts and caps. They are made of hard plastic and seem to be very sturdy and perfect for travelling without fearing for them that they’ll break or leak.

The backside of the silver cardboard box reveals the Korean description for the 4 products, but you can check Qdepot for English description of the single products. The first step of your skincare is usually a cleanser. The NoTS 28 Remedy Acne Pore Deep Cleanser is a cleanser containing salicylic acid. It also contains a bunch of plant ingredients. All in all there are some minor irritants within the ingredients list, but the formulation is color-, scent-, and alcohol-free. The deluxe size comes with 25 ml volume, whereas the full size contains 120 ml. The foam cleanser has a white consistency and a pH of 7 when mixed with water. It cleans of almost all the makeup as you can see in the picture below. It is a bit weak towards lipliner, eyeliner, and smudgeproof eyeshdow formulations, but it cleans nicely the BB cream. The cleanser builds a soft foam when lathered and doesn’t have any specific strong scent.

After cleansing your face you would use the NoTS 28 Remedy Balancing Toner and the NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum. Both products come in bottles with a pump applicator, which is very convenient to use. The toner contains 15 ml in the deluxe sample size and 100 ml in full-size. It is a clear toner with a light gel texture. It is not completely watery when pumped out of the tube, but when spreading it the texture feels watery. It has a faint alcohol scent and the ingredients list reveals that it includes alcohol. Apart from this the toner contains many plant derived ingredients. Unfortunately, it contains Triethanol amine and Triclosan, which are red labelled according to COSNDA. Especially since it contains Triclosan I wouldn’t recommend using it because Triclosan is highly discussed and already banned in many cosmetics (in Europe). The NoTS 28 Remedy Intensive Serum is used after the toner. It also comes in a pump bottle containing 12 ml for the deluxe sample and 35 ml in the full-size. The serum is clear and like a gel. It also contains alcohol and has a faint alcohol scent like the toner. Apart from this the other ingredients look good. Similar to the toner the gel formulation melts like water when spread and therefore absorbs quickly and feels refreshing. The last step of your skincare routine would be the NoTS 28 Remedy Repair Cream. The cream comes in a jar containing 10 g, the full-sized jar contains 30 g. The cream has a thick, creamy consistency and a strong herbal scent. It contains a whole bunch of plant derived ingredients, similar to the serum, and also contains Niacinamide and Adenosin. The cream also contains some red labelled ingredients according to COSDNA, which are Triethanol amine and BHT. And it also contains Salicylic Acid, and some minor irritants. It also contains Zinc Oxide as UV protection, which is great. The cream applied nicely on the skin, but leaves the skin a bit tacky first. There is no greasyness though. The strong herbal scent lingers quite some time unfortunately.

It is nice that these kind of deluxe sample sets give us the opportunity to try out a whole range of new products. Out of the 4 products my favorite is the serum. I wouldn’t recommend using the toner because of the Triclosan. The cream has a very intense herbal scent and it is kind of bitter, too. Also, for a high-end brand it contains too many irritants and not so great ingredients. The cleanser is probably a good choice for oily skintypes and acne-prone skin, because of the salicylic acid. For me it was too drying, and since my skin is dry anyways it is not the perfect cleanser for my skintype. Also, considering the higher prices of NoTS products I would advice you to get some samples of the products from this range before, since they may contain irritants.

You can get the products at Q-depot. The Cleanser retails for 26.88 US$. The Toner is available for 67.20 US$. The serum costs 75.60 US$, and the cream retails for a proud 102 US$. Q-depot is an online retailer for Korean cosmetics. They have already quite a variety of the most popular Korean brands and they keep adding products frequently. The site is easy to navigate, too. And they offer free samples for each order and free shipping for orders above US$ 69. What I like especially, that they have an extra section for cruelty-free products, which contains brands like Iope, Innisfree, Etude House, etc. I didn’t see that before for most of the online stores, so that’s something really innovative and nice. Also, they are committed to contributing 3% of their group’s net profit for social causes in different countries. So you can shop for your favorite Korean products and do something good, too. Also,Q-depot is having a promotion were you can get 25 US$ coupon upon signing up. The coupon is useable for a minimum purchase of 69 US$.

Here are also some useful coupons and free gifts you can use and receive when ordering at the moment:

Coupons

Get $10 OFF on orders $129+ Coupon Code: A83RvEYo

Get $70 OFF on orders 99+ Coupon Code: LuGf8ZMX

Get $5 OFF on orders 69+ Coupon Code: Uxurfv9C

Get $3 OFF on orders 49+ Coupon Code: ERP9pDYT

Free Gifts

Orders 69+ – Free Missha Misa Gumsul Mask (worth $3.58)

Order 99+ – Free Tony Moly Kiss Kiss Lip Patch (worth $6.39)

Orders 129+ – Free Face Shop Lovely Mix Pastal Cushion Blusher (worth $8.99)

Have fun shopping!

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.

beauty PR Sample review Vivant Skincare

Review: Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System

9. February 2016

Did you ever get a customized skincare routine proposal? A while ago I was approached by Vivant Skincare and they asked me whether I would be interested in the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System. I was not sure, if it would be possible to stick to the products from Vivant Skincare for the recommended 30 days, but I tried my best and here is my thorough review for the products I received.

Vivant’s history as a leading skin care brand goes back more than 50 years and is based on the formulations of researcher, cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist James E. Fulton, M.D., Ph.D., the co-developer of Vitamin A acid, known as Retin-A®. Vivant Skincare offers solutions for each and every skin concern, be it acne, hyperpigmentation, aging and even more. They have different series of cleansers, toners, correctors, hydrators, body care, masks and eye and lip treatments. I’m sure that there is a product suited for everybody within their product range. When they approached me and I agreed on reviewing their products and asked them for specific product suggestions. After a couple of days I received an email by the director of Vivant Skincare, Susan. She is the daughter of James E. Fulton and she gave me a very detailed explanations on which products she would advice me and what she will send to me. She also stated that she found my page through reddit, and you could see in her email that she was familiar with Korean skincare routines. She even send me her personal email and cell phone number in case of any questions, which speaks for a good customer service and availablity.

One of the key ingredients of the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System is mandelic acid. Susan stated the following when she emailed me about the products:

“One of [my father’s] discoveries was that Mandelic Acid, derived from bitter almonds, is a different kind of AHA; an exciting new 3 in 1 skin care therapy, effective in treating photo-aging, irregular pigmentation and acne. Developed for skin too sensitive for glycolics and benzoyl peroxide, it is perfect for sensitive skin that has a tendency to break out or is prone to hyperpigmentation from over exfoliation. I am sending you a Mandelic Wash and a toner, it would be a perfect AHA for you to try. If the toner is too much for your dry skin back off and try it one day on, one day off. The Cleansing Milk I am enclosing can be used one day on, one day off if the mandelic wash is too drying. I am also going to send you a Vivant Rejuv RX with peptides. […] I would like you to eventually start to use the Derm-A-Renew serum from the Vivant line but only after your skin has acclimated. “

So, the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System consists of 4 main products: a cleanser, a toner, a corrector, and a hydrator. In contrast to most toners known from asian beauty routines the toner here is meant to prepare the surface of the skin for better penetration of the skin by the Vivant Skincare serums. The Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System comes with an insert which describes how to use the products. Within 4 weeks the skin is adjusted to the routine by slowly increasing the steps from week to week.

I received a total of 7 products: The Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk, the Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash, the 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner, the Day Treatment Lotion, the 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum, the Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate, and the Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A. I used the products like this for more than 30 days, but after the first 30 days I made some adjustments, which I will describe at the end of this review:

Routine in the mornings:

1. Cleansing Milk or Mandelic Acid Wash

2. Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate

3. Day Treatment Lotion

Routine at night:

1. Mandelic Acid Wash

2. Mandelic Acid Toner

3. Mandelic Acid Serum, after a while replace this with the Derm-A-Renew

First of all the packaging of the Vivant Skincare products is designed in a simple, neat, and clean way. It reminds of typical products you would receive in a pharmacy. The serums come in brown glass bottles with included pipettes attached to the lids. The small bottles contain 1 oz (~29.6 ml). The other products (cleansers, lotion, and toner) come in white plastic bottles. You can press the lids down on one side to reveal the opening. All in all the packaging design is convenient to use. Unfortunately, the caps of the plastic bottles may leak if you carry them around. This happened to me two times with the Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash. The other products however never leaked out, so it may be that it was only a problem with this bottle. Since I’m already speaking of the cleanser I will start of with their performances aswell.

Vivant Skincare Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash and Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk

I received two different cleansers, the The Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk and the Vivant Skincare Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash. The Madelic Acid 3-in1 Wash is a gel-type cleanser. It is a clear, light-pink gel which lathers up into a bit of foam. It is not a rich or dense foam though. The gel cleanser has a pH of 3 when mixed with water. It has a light bitter scent of almonds. It is not only a facial wash, but can be used on the body, too. And even more, it can be used as shampoo for fighting dandruff and acne. You can check the full ingredients list >>here<<, and as you can see the list is very short, which I like, and contains mainly safe ingredients, too. The key ingredients are Mandelic Acid, Green Tea Extract, Grape Extract, Kiwi Fruit Extract, and Honey Extract:

Madelic Acid: As we learned before the Mandelic Acid acts as a mild chemical exfoliant and is used as natural antibacterial to suppress pigmentation, treat inflammatory, cystic acne and rejuvenate photo-aged skin.

Camellia Sinensis (Japanese Green Tea) Leaf Extract: It is rich in Vitamin E and C and also known as powerful anti-oxidant with anti-inflammatory and astringent properties. It helps to maintain the collagen formation and healthy skin.

Kiwi Fruit Extract: This extract is high in omega-3. Kiwi has excellent antioxidant properties to rejuvenate tired skin and slow the aging process. It helps to diminish the appearance of fine lines and dark eye circles, making the skin appear more radiant.

Honey Extract: Honey is a natural humectant with long-lasting hydration. It contains enzymes with anti-bacterial properties to clarify the skin and has been used for centuries as beautifying ingredient.

Grape Seed Extract: Grape Seed Extracts is a potent antioxidant that shuts down free radical activity.

The Vivant Skincare Cleansing Milk is a lotion-type cleanser. It has a milky consistency and a nice, sweet scent. I prefer this scent over the scent of the Mandelic Acid 3-1 Wash. The Cleansing Milk has a pH of 4. The full ingredients can be looked up >>here<<. As with the above cleanser the ingredients list is very short and neat. The key ingredients are Grape Seed Extract and Glycerin.

Glycerin: Glycerin or Glycerol is a humectant present in all lipids. Glycerin combined with other emollients or oils is part of most moisturizers and in this way makes the skin soft and moisturized.

Both cleansers perform good on cleansing the skin from basic makeup, but they are weak when used on color makeup. Therefore, I would advise you to get rid of your makeup first by using any proper makeup remover. Below you can see that both cleansers are weak when cleansing lip products and eyeshadow. Eyeliner, BB cream and water-soluble mascara were removed by both cleansers.

Next products of my Vivant Skincare Routine are the 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner and the Day Treatment Lotion. Let’s take a closer look at these:

Vivant Skincare 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner and Vivant Skincare Day Treatment Lotion

As I already said before the 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner is not designed as moisturizing toner, but is an astingent toner. You will already see from the ingrdients list. The ingrdients list is short but it contains SD Alcohol in 2nd place. So, I know that many are wary when they hear that alcohol is inlcuded in a specific product. I shared an interesting article on this topic on facebook recently. Usually, SD Alcohol is used to thin down a product, which makes sense for heavier creams for example. The 3% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner is a clear, watery solution. The toner has a strong alcohol scent. The key ingredients are Witch Hazel and Mandelic Acid.

Witch Hazel: Witch Hazel has antioxidant properties. It acts as astringent and anti-inflammatory.

Actually, I’m not sure why they used SD Alcohol here, since this is a toner and not a cream. The toner clears the remaining makeup from the skin, when used, but it also dries out the skin as far as I experienced. The toner might be suited better for oily skin, or skin with acne problems. Nevertheless, I used the toner 1-2 times a day during 30 days, but after that I changed to my regularly used toners for adjusting the pH.

The Vivant Skincare Day Treatment Lotion is a daily SPF moisturizer. It has SPF 15. The moisturizer is a thick, white-colored cream. It is similar to many of the heavy sunscreens, which I usually avoid using. But what I liked about this lotion is that it can be mixed with loose powder or mineral makeup for creating a tinted moisturizer. The moisturizer has a scent, but it is similar to the scent of pharmacy creams, not any perfumed scent. I did not like the scent too much. The full ingredients are listed >>here<<, and the key ingredients are Aloe Leaf Juice and Zinc Peptides.

The ingredients list contains some minor irritants and acne triggers. Octinoxate, Octisalate, and Titanium Dioxide are used as sunscreens.

Part of my Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness Systems were the Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate during the day and 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum at nights. After three weeks I replaced the Mandelic Acid Serum with the Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A.

Vivant Skincare 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum

The first serum to use during the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System is the Vivant Skincare 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum. At the beginning it is used every night. Later it is replaced by the Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A. The Vivant Skincare 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum is an alcohol free and mild serum to treat acne, discoloration, and age spots. It also targets the appearance of fine lines. It is a clear water like serum. It has a bitter scent of almonds, too. The serum is very light and absorbs fast into the skin. I discovered that my skin feels smoother after using it for a week already. The full ingredients list is again quite short and contains safe ingredients. The key ingredients are mandelic acid, urea, lactid acid, and niacinamide:

Lactic Acid: Lactid Acid is an AHA (Alpha hydroxyl acid) aswell. It is derived from sour milk that hydrates the skin by sloughing off old dead skin cells. It has whitening properties and is an astringent.

Urea: Urea binds moisture to the skin and keeps skin smooth and supple. It promotes re-hydrationand has anti-inflammatory properties aswell.

Niacinamide: Niacinamide is a water-soluble form of Vitamin B, which has a firming effect with anti-inflammatory properties.

Vivant Skincare Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate

The Vivant Skincare Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate is a serum which enhances firmness and elasticity. It also relieves rednesses. The ingredients contain some minor irritants, but other than that it is short like all the products from Vivant Skincare I tried. The key ingredients are Oligopeptides, Lactid Acid, Urea, and Niacinamide. The downside is that this serum contains SD alcohol. Like with the toner I do not think that it is necessary to have SD Alcohol here. The serum is clear and watery, like the mandelic acid serum, but instead of the bitter scent this one smells of alcohol. It also doesn’t feel really moisturizing. After 30 days I stopped using this regularly, and I didn’t see any differences for my skin. By now I do not use this anymore, but instead I’m using the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin C Serum instead during day time.

Vivant Skincare Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A

The last product I added to my Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System is the Vivant Skincare Derm-A-Renew combines peptides and vitamin A for improving the skintone and texture. It is a milky, light yellow product. It is still fluid enough to be taken out with the pipette. It has a mild, nice scent and applies easily without being greasy. The ingredients list contains some minor irritants and it also contains a red labelled ingredient, BHT, a preservative. The Vitamin A derivate used here is Retinyl Propionate. Apart from this it contains Oligopeptides, Lactid Acid and Niacinamide.

Retinyl Propionate: Retinyl Propionate is a synthetic ester of retinol and propionic acid. While retinyl palmitate is an earlier form of retinol, it does not have the same effects as retinol. Instead, retinyl palmitate can be effective in boosting collagen fiber production in your skin, which can help you look younger. It does not have the same exfoliating effects as retinol however.

From the three serums this is my favorite since I like how it applies and how it smells. It feels like a nice boost to the skin, but does not feel too aggressive or drying.

My final thought on the Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System is quite positive. First of all I like the customer service and the option of getting a personalized skincare routine kit. Therefore I think that it is great for people starting a skincare routine. I also had a couple of products within my customized Vivant Skincare Routine which I really liked, but of course there were also some products which I liked less. From the two cleansers I preferred the Cleansing Milk because it was less drying and had a nicer scent than the Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash. Both of the cleansers are great if you are looking for low pH cleansers. The Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Wash contains 8 oz (236.6 ml) and retails for 31 US$. The Cleansing Milk comes with the same amount and retails for 29.50 US$. The Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Toner was far too drying for my skin, even if only used occasionally. Sine it has the purpose to balance the pH and get rid of any excess sebum you can replace it with another pH adjusting toner with the same properties, maybe one without alcohol. 4 oz (119.3 ml) retail for 44 US$ which is also quite expensive compared to the ingredients contained here. I really appreciate the idea of a Day Treatment Lotion with SPF and I wish that more moisturizer would consider to add this to their formulation. The scent and the thickness of the moisturizer were not my cup of tea really, so I switched to my regular moisturizers and sunscreens. This adds an additional step to the routine, but I don’t mind that specifically. The Day Treatment Lotion contains 4 oz (119.3 ml) and retails for 33 US$. I do like the 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum and Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A! I like the key ingredients used in booth serums and I like how they make the skin feel. The Rejuv RX Peptide Concentrate on the other hand was again too drying for me, probably because of the alcohol. It was not so bad as the toner, but still from the three serums I would choose this to opt out. The downside for the serums is that they are really expensive. The Rejuv-RX retails for 106 US$ and is the most expensive out of the three serums. The 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum retails for 50 US$ and the Derm-A-Renew Gentle Peptide and Vitamin A retails for 87 US$. The Vivant Skincare Skin Fitness System including the Mandelic Acid Wash, Toner, Day Treatment Lotion and the 8% Mandelic Acid 3-in-1 Serum can be obtained in a Kit for 130 US$. I’m really thankful that Vivant Skincare has offered me their skincare products to review and I hope that my experiences with the products will help you in case you want to go for any of the products.

Did anybody try products from Vivant skincare before? Or did you ever get a customized skincare routine and how were your experiences?

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

6 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty beauty boxes Etude House PR Sample review

Etude House Pink Bird Box January “Cover Makeup Done by Big Cover Concealer BB”

5. February 2016

// PR SAMPLE / KBEAUTY / AFFILIATE LINKS //

A new Etude House Pink Bird Box packed with newly launched products arrived at my doorsteps a couple of days ago and of course I want to share my opinion about them with you. The theme of the January Box is Cover Makeup Done by Big Cover Concealer BB, but apart from two items from the new Big Cover Concealer line the January Box contained the Look At My Eyes Monkey Wish Eyes released for the Lunar New Year as 2016 is the year of the Monkey. Let’s take a closer look at all the items!

First of all, some words about the Korean brand Etude House: Etude House is one of the best known Korean brands for cute packaging. If you are a lover of cute, girly and pink packaging, reminding you of being a child and the princess you always dreamt to be, THIS is your brand. Their packaging is usually so adorable that you cannot keep yourself from impuls-buys – only because you saw the packaging… Etude House has a blogger program called Pink Bird. Selected blogger will receive a monthly box for a defined period of time packed with selected products for reviewing purpose. I’m really proud and happy to be part of their Pink Bird program!

The January box contains 5 products: The Etude House Big Cover Concealer BB and the Big Cover Concealer Cushion are from the new Big Cover Concealer line including BB cream, cushion concealer, tip concealer, and concealer kit in order to help to cover imperfections in more convenient and easier ways. The three eyeshadow colors are from the Etude House Look At My Eyes Monkey Wish Eyes Collection, which was released for the new Lunar Year which is the year of the Monkey. The Monkey Wish Eyes include 10 colors in both jewel and velvet type. Each color has a “most want to hear message in new year” in Korean. The 3 colors selected for the Pink Birds are BE109 입금됐다몽 “Pay Day”, PK013 응원한다몽 “Cheer Up”, and GR707 합격했다몽 “Exam Passed”!

I’ll start off with the Etude House Look At My Eyes Monkey Wish Eyes. As you can see below there are 10 Monkey Wish Eyes available, each with its own New Year Message. All the eyeshadow from this collection have a monkey face pattern imprinted. 6 of the 10 colors are limited new colors! The eyeshadow are available in either jewel or velvet types and they are designed to be silky and richly pigmented.

I really think that the monkey imprint is more than adorable and it is a nice idea to have each color with its own new years message. They can be used as cute gifts this way. The three colors below are from left to right GR707 (#10 합격했다몽 “Exam Passed”), BE109 (#6 BE109 입금됐다몽 “Pay Day”), and PK013 (#9 응원한다몽 “Cheer Up”). Look at those lovely monkey heads :D

All the three colors have a good pigmentation, but they also create some fall-off. The imprint also vanishes after using the colors frequently – unfortunately, because this makes the product so cute after all. PK013 and GR707 are jewel-type eyeshadow and contain shimmer particles. BE109 doesn’t have the label “Jewel”, but still I find that the color is sparkly and not really velvet. Nevertheless, all the colors are super pretty and shimmery when used, as you can see in the swatches already.

I especially love color GR707, since it is not a very common color. It is a brown base color with green shimmer and it looks stunning! Oh, and the backside of the eye shadow pots has the cutest bar code, doesn’t it? The three colors fit nicely together, too, and using an eyeshadow base the makeup lasts pretty nicely all day long. There may be some glitter fall-off on your face eventually, but all in all the eyeshadow are pretty descent.

The Etude House Big Cover Concealer products are the main products of the January box. The key product is the new Big Cover Concealer BB cream, which doesn’t come in a tube like most BB creams, but has a multi-touch tip applicator instead. In order to use you can spread the BB cream using the flat side of the applicator all over your face. Using the tip a second layer can be applied on the desired areas which need more cover.

I really like the packaging and somehow it reminds me of Benefit products…What do you think? The bottle of the Big Cover Concealer BB cream contains 30 g of product, which is a good size for a BB cream. The cardboard box has a detailed description and ingredients list in both Korean and English. The shades available for this BB cream are Vanilla, Beige and Sand. I will show you Vanilla here.

The Etude House Big Cover concealer BB has SPF50+/ PA+++. According to the ingredients list it contains Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide for the sun protection. You can look up the whole ingredients list on COSNDA. The ingredients seem to be safe to use mostly. There is Beeswax included which can cause irritations occasionally. Also there are some minor acne triggers, but all in all the ingredients are harmless.

Vanilla is the lightest color of the BB cream. It matches my skin tone just fine at the moment. Unlike the Pony Play 101 Stick Foundation in Vanilla the Big Cover Concealer BB matches better and doesn’t make me look as ghostly, mainly because it has a more fluid consistency and adapts better to my skin tone. For summer I would probably need to use the shade “Beige” instead. Although I’m describing the BB cream as fluid it is more of the creamy type still. It is not a runny BB cream, but instead shows a good coverage without being too drying. The coverage is buildable, too, so by using a second layer on your problem areas you might be able to rich a good coverage.

You can complete concealing with the Etude House Big Cover Concealer Cushion, a cushion concealer shaped like a pen. The Big Cover Concealer Cushion is available in 6 distinct shades. There are the shades Sand, Vanilla, and Beige, which match to the BB creams in the according shades and then there are Illuminate, Mint, and Peach Pink for color correcting your skin concerns. My box contained the shade Peach Pink and comes in a light pink packaging color.

The Concealer Cushions have SPF 30/PA++ using Titanium Dioxide, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, and Zinc Oxide. The full ingredients list contains no harmful ingredients and you can look them up >>here<<. As the name already reveals, this pen type Concealer uses a cushion tip for application. By pushing the bottom of the pen for 1-2 times (a couple of more times for the first usage) the product is released into the cushion and can be applied on the desired areas.

Below you can see a swatch of the Big Cover Concealer Cushion next to the BB cream. The Peach Pink color of the Concealer Cushion looks similar to the BB cream, but with a slightly more pink undertone. It applies thinner and feels lighter than the BB cream. I’m using it for my under eye area and the sides of my nose and I discovered it is perfect for taking it along in your handbag.

I used the Concealer BB cream and the Concealer Cushion for my face make-up on the picture below. The concealer settles sometimes in the lines of my under eye area, but it isn’t as bad as with other concealers I tried. It doesn’t make the sides of my nose look patchy, which I really love. The BB cream gives my skin an even skin tone and looks neither too dewy, nor too matte. It has the perfect finish.

I’m happy about the selection of products in this months Pink Bird Box. The eyeshadow are very cute and I love the monkey imprint and the idea of making a collection of eyeshadow with new years messages. I can imagine that many Koreans use these as small gifts for a friend for example. I didn’t find the eyeshadow on the official Etude House page, but you can get them from W2Beauty for 5.99 US$ each. I also like the Big Cover Concealer BB and the Cushion. The Cushion Pen is part of my handbag now, because it is very convenient to use and doesn’t look cakey. The BB cream provides a nice finish and gives a good mount of coverage. Maybe the only downside for some would be the applicator and the fact that it is less hygienic than using a pump applicator. The BB cream retails for 18 US$ and the Cushion Pens for 13.20 US$!

For all the news about ETUDE HOUSE’s products, you can follow their global Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/etude.gl

or their official Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/etude_official

or their online shopping mall:

http://www.etudehouse.com/

Did you try any of the new products already? Tell me about it in the comments below! And if you like to read my previous reviews on Etude House Pink Bord Boxes click >>here<<.

Etude House Pink Bird

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

10 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty IASO PR Sample review

Review: IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX

29. January 2016

I have another new Korean brand for you today: It’s the prestige brand IASO! I was able to try one of their products, the IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX, and I’ve reviewed it for you as usual. This eye concentrate is the updated version of the IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate and it has got a changed ingredients list, which you won’t find on the official page yet.

First thing I noticed with IASO is the sleek and luxurious design of their products. The packaging is simple, with no frills. The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX is part of the anti-wrinkle skin care line and all the products from this line seem to have a golden signature color. Somehow, golden packaging represents already luxury and seems more mature, too. Perfect for the target age of this line. The brand name “IASO” is derived from the name of the eldest daughter of the Greek god of medicine. The brand is founded on the professional knowledge of dermatologists, using plant ingredients for clear, healthy and radiant skin. They did not and do not perform animal testing on their products.

The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX comes in a useful and sleek tube with a pump. It contains 30 g of product. The cardboard box contains description and ingredients in English. According to the description you should use your ring finger for applying the serum and pat it into the skin gently. That’s in general the way to go best with eye cream, since the skin around our eyes is especially thin. The eye care concentrate is made for all skin types and for use at day or night.

You can look up the ingredients on COSDNA. If you compare them to the ingredients of the old version you will see that it is changed in many aspects: it got rid of a bunch of irritants, but also of ginseng and ginkgo plant extracts. Instead it contains Niacinamide. The list of the new formulation still contains a bunch of preservatives in form of parabens and also three red-flagged ingredients which are BHT, Sodium Metabisulfite (both preservatives), Benzophenone-3 (sunscreen). It would have been nice if they had removed these ingredients aswell, while they were changing the formula.

The amount of one pump is more than enough for both eyes. The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX has the formulation of a milky gel. It has a fresh and subtle scent. When you spread the gel over the skin it feels very moist and almost watery. It is not feeling heavy or greasy and absorbs relatively fast, leaving the skin slightly tacky. This makes it difficult to be used during day time, if you want to use a concealer for your eyes and dark circles. But the tackyness also mediates a firming effect on the other side. As far as moisture this concentrate gives a good amount of it and I’ve gladly incorporated this eye concentrate into my night-time routine.

The IASO Total Eye Care Concentrate EX is great in its moisture performance. The design and application of the product are easy and it targets customers which like high-end brands. With 69 US$ as price-tag I would say this is the biggest bummer for this product, especially considering that the improved formulation still has some ingredients, which should not be necessarily added. I would love to see them remove the doubtful ingredients, this would make the heavy retail price at least more justifiable. The product as such is a good one, but I can not and will not encourage you to buy it, since there are more affordable and similar effective products on the market. Nevertheless, IASO has some other interesting products, which might be of more interest. My sister did a review of their Dr. IASO AC Booster on her blog Lovely Attitude. you might want to check out her review aswell.

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://go-iaso.com/ which doesn’t influence me in providing my honest opinion on the products.

8 Comments

Allgemein

Review: Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack

22. January 2016

When it comes to DIY sheet masks rice paper has been often discussed as possibility. Now, Lamy Cosmetics has come up with pre-cut and essence included rice paper masks: The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack!

Lamy Cosmetics is a Korean cosmetics company with 6 different brand. The brands are Renoma, Geo, Sortie, Lafine, Catalina Geo, and Mennen. I reviewed products from Lafine and Catalina Geo previously, so the company name was known to me, but I know that many of you will not have heard of these brands before. The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack comes in three versions: tumeric, green tea and black rice– Since the mask sheet is made of real rice paper (yes, the one you may know from your kitchen) the name “Rice Paper Eating Mask” makes somehow sense. Also the three key ingredients are widely known as ingredients from our more or less daily food.

Why using rice as main ingredient of this natural mask pack? The sheet masks claims to have a wearing sensation which is completely different compared to the others sheet masks made of synthetized material. This way the mask is suitable for sensitive skin types and can be used safely without any irritation.

Moreover, the ingredients of the sheet mask essence uses patented herbal ingredients. It contains diverse herbal ingredients such as rh-EGF capsulized with lecithin, plant stem cells, Chinese redbud, and fermented red ginseng to nourish, reduce irritation and skin’s stress as well as keeping its health. The ingredients and description for the sheet mask are written in English and Korean on the backside of the mask sachets.

The essence of all three masks has the same ingredients. The only difference between the three masks are the rice paper sheets. The Lamy Real Eating Mask Tumeric has a sheet made of Rice, Tumeric, Water, and Salt. The Lamy Real Eating Mask Green Tea has a sheet made of Rice, Green Tea, Water, and Salt. Lastly, the Lamy Real Eating Mask Black Rice has a sheet made of Rice, Black Rice, Water, and Salt.

The Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack have to be used as following: First, clean your skin with a toner after washing your face. Then, spread the essence included in the package on your rice paper mask sheet. Let the essence be absorbed by the rice paper for around 2 minutes. Afterwards, you can put on the mask from the center of your face stroking it to the outsides. Remove the product after 15-20 minutes and then finish your routine with your base products. Since the rice paper will turn from its hard, paper-like consistency into a jelly sheet you should not pull the mask while applying, because it is easily torn.

The essence for all the mask contains a bunch of plant extracts-some known from traditional chinese medicine, like ginseng, and Rehmannia glutinosa. The list also contains Bifida Ferment Lysate and Lactobacillus Ferment Filtrate. Ferment filtrate is nutrients-rich. It contains many vitamins, amino acids and proteins and helps to improve the moisture level of the skin. Lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) extracted from milk, and honey and sugars (Trehalose and Raffinose) for nourishing and moisturizing are also worth to be mentioned here.

Below, you can see how the structure of the rice paper changes, after applying the essence on the rice paper. The essence has a light scent, but it is not heavy in my opinion. It is a clear liquid, with a consistency between gel and water. It distributes easily in the plastic container of the rice paper mask.

Once the sheets are soaked you will see that the consistency of the rice sheet masks resembles hydrogel masks. It is jelly and thin. The tricky part comes here: the difference between rice paper and hydrogel masks is, that the rice paper mask is much more prone to be torn apart. Honestly, I didn’t manage to use any of the masks without tearing at least a tiny bit of it. The second problem is, that it does not adhere to the skin as tightly as hydrogel masks…even not like regular cotton sheet masks (or whatever fabric used for the sheet masks). I could not wear the masks for longer than 10 minutes because it started to fall off at the one or the other side. Nevertheless, I must say that the essence is great. When absorbed completely the skin feels soft and smooth and no sign of irritation or anything.

Now, I really do like the performance of the essence of this mask, but is it worth buying a sheet mask made from rice paper? Honestly, I would not buy the mask myself. I would rather to buy an essence with similar ingredients (or one that I really like) and a pack of rice papers or compressed paper masks (or even cotton sheets or pads). It will have the same effect, or even better, and you can mix in your favorite serum etc together with the essence and soak your preferred material. Surely, the Lamy Cosmetics Real 97% Rice Paper Eating Mask Pack is a great product for you if you are too lazy to cut your rice paper or whatever into pieces, but even that is not the biggest deal, is it? If you want to give it a try anyways you can find these masks at Lamy Cosmetics, or on ebay or Amazon.com. It retails for 6000 Won (or around 8 US$ from ebay/Amazon). Did you try rice paper masks already?

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

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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

4 Comments

beauty Born Pretty Store NOTD PR Sample review

Stamping Nail Art from Born Pretty Store

19. January 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty BNTnews PR Sample review

Review: Vely Vely Lipstick No.19 by Imvely

16. January 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Official Page |Tumblr | YouTube | Facebook | Twitter

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

6 Comments

Older Posts

Newer Posts