taiwanese Archive | Berries in the Snow

asian cosmetics beauty Naruko PR Sample review

Review: Naruko Snail Essence Intense Hydra Repair Mask

23. May 2017

I’ve heard so many positive opinions about the products from Naruko that I was feeling so blessed when I was send a couple of sheet masks to test out for myself. The first mask I tested was the Naruko Snail Essence Intense Hydra Repair Mask, because it contains snail extract, which is always something you cannot go wrong with. Here is my opinion about this sheet mask:

Naruko is a Taiwanese brand and it has a steady amount of followers that love their products. I guess that many people simply do not know the brand because they are not as well spread as other brands like Etude House for example. Yet, Taiwanese sheet masks have always had quite a good reputation in my eyes. And this mask doesn’t let you down either.

Let’s first appreciate the packaging design. The pink color pops up directly and the snail illustration is really crazy and cute on the same time. It shows a big snail with a whole town inside its shell and even a small snail-like a crane building up new houses…You will directly know what the key ingredient of this mask is supposed to be: snail! I talked about the benefits of snail extract several times and it helps wonders for irritated and damaged skin and acts very moisturizing.

No wonder the Naruko Snail Essence Intense Hydra Repair Mask is directed towards replenishing moisture and repairing damaged skin. The ingredients list of the mask is listed in english on the backside of the sachet:

Purified Water (Aqua), Algin, Snow Fungus (Tremella Fuciformis) Extract, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit extract, PEG-45M, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Snail Secretion FiltrateAllantoin, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Avena Sativa (OAT) Kernel Extract, Triethanolamine, Beta-Glucan, Sodium Polyglutamate, Fragnance, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

You can also check the ingredients via COSNDA. The list contains some potential acne triggers and irritants but I personally didn’t observe any breakouts or irritations. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised about the texture first. This mask has the thickest and most chewy texture, that you really believe it is some snail slime you are putting on your face. Actually, the texture is mostly influenced by the algin, which give the essence that viscosity. Then there is so many moisturizing goodness in this list: snow fungus extract, sodium hyaluronate, glycrin, aloe extract, cucumber extract...no way that this mask won’t deliver moisture to dry skintypes

My only personal downside was the fit of the mask, which wasn’t perfect, but this downside is negligible. The moist and chewy texture makes up for all of it and leaves the skin perfectly pampered. Naruko Snail Essence Intense Hydra Repair Mask is definitely worth a try. You can get a box containing 10 pieces of this mask from the official Naruko store for 22.99 US$ with free shipping or from Amazon.com for 16.15 US$ plus shipping costs.

Did you try products from the brand Naruko already?

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

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asian cosmetics beauteque beauty PR Sample review

Review: Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks

21. September 2015

Here is another example of asian cosmetics and super cute packaging: The Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks! These mask packs come in small containers, which paired up form a macaron! This is such a cute idea and I fell in love with that concept directly, when I spotted these on Beauteque.

Hanaka is a Taiwanese brand. It is quite known for products with some cute packaging. The Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks come in different colors and each color is targeting another facial problem. There are 10 different kinds: Hyaluronic acid, Collagen, Q10, Arbutin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Tea Tree, Red Wine, Volcanic Mud and Glacial Mineral Mud.

I selected the Hanaka Macaraon Facial Mask Hyaluronic Acid and Red Wine Polyphenols. You can guess which color could be which :D

The Red Wine Polyphenol mask on the left (in the pink colored container) is a targeting firming, smoothing and improvement of elasticity of the skin by the antioxidants in red wine. This mask is supposed to be brightening, elastic, firming, hydrating, moisturizing, repairing, soothing, whitening, and have anti-wrinkles properties. It is suited for all skin types. The ingredients of the Hanaka Macaron Facial Mask Red Wine are:

Water, Helianthus Annus Seed Oil, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Cactus Extract, Phytocelltec, Hyaluronic Acid, Trehalose, Grape Seed Oil, Vitamin B5, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Red Wine Polyphenols, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Beta-Glucan, Cucumber Extract, Soy Isoflavones, Polysorbate 80, Sorbitol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol.

If you check the ingredients in COSDNA they do not look like any harmful ingredients. Most of the ingredients have either moisturizing or antioxidant properties.

The Hyaluronic Acid mask on the right (in the blue colored container) has the main task of replenish, retain, and store moisture. It is suited for anti-aging, brightening, firming, hydrating, repairing, revitalizing, whitening. This mask is suited for all skin types, too. The ingredients of the Hanaka Macaron Facial Mask Hyaluronic Acid are:

Water, Carbopol, Hyaluronic Acid, Arnica Extract, Cactus Flower Extract, Fagus Sylvatica Extract, Punica Granatum, Beta-Glucan, Sapphire Powder, Copper Petide, Glycyrrhizinc Acid, Phospholipids, Perfume.

The ingredients list is short and according to COSDNA the single ingredients are useable without any risk (>>here<<). The list contains some moisturizers and some ingredients with anti-inflammatory effects.

The two masks I selected have different textures: The Hyaluronic Mask has a gel-like texture, whereas the texture of the Red Wine Mask is a yoghurt texture. Both masks are wash-off masks, so you leave them on for 15-20 minutes and wash them off with lukewarm water afterwards. The skin after using these definitively feels hydrated and since both masks are cooling the face feels refreshed, too. The Red Wine mask also makes your skin feel like you’ve used some cream or nourishing moisturizer. It really feels supple and soft. The Hyaluronic Mask contains some menthol or peppermint ingredient or scent (it is not listed in the ingredients, but it definitively feels like mint- ingredient on the skin), so if you don’t like the sharp cooling effect of mint/menthol product, I would not recommend you the Hyaluronic Mask. The Red Wine Mask on the other hand had a very pleasant, creamy scent. The Hyaluronic mask makes your skin feel cooled and refreshed in first place, but I found that the Red Wine mask was more beneficial in terms of making the skin smooth and bouncy.

I like these kinds of tiny containers for wash-off masks like the Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks, and the fact that these look like macarons really is a major selling point. From the two masks I liked the Hanaka Macaron Facial Mask in Red Wine better than the Hyaluronic version. The cooling effect was too sharp for my face and I prefer the nourishment the Red Wine Mask provides to the skin and the feeling of like you just put on some good moisturizer. You can get the Hanaka Macaron Facial Masks from Beauteque for 3.90 US$ each. Each container comes with 8 g of product which is enough for one usage and covers your face properly. In order to have a cute macaron you need two of the containers. I saw there are also boxes containing 10 pieces, which look super adorable and like a perfect present. Maybe Beauteque can get their hand on these, too?!

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.

9 Comments

asian cosmetics beauteque beauty PR Sample review

Review: My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs

8. September 2015

I chose two different kinds of the My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs from Beauteque because this brand is not often seen on stand-alone Korean beauty online shops. I tried the regular My Beauty Diary Sheet masks in the past and liked them, but not the 2-Step Mask Packs. It sounds really fun, so I picked up the My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Pack and the Fresh Repair Mask Pack.

My Beauty Diary is a very popular Taiwanese skincare brand, which has a wide range of sheet masks on the market. Their sheet masks are not expensive, but I heard that their are many fake masks on the market. It is good to know which resellers are trustworthy, before you blindly buy the masks. The My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs combine a sheet mask with a cream you can apply after the mask to pamper your skin. The My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Pack comes in a regular version (light purple packaging) and a Fresh Repair Version (light blue packaging). Both masks are formulated with snail filtrate and help to moisturize and nourish your skin. The Fresh Repair Version is especially recommended for dry and sensitive skin-types.

The packaging design of both masks is cute and the colors are very pretty, too. Both masks have illustrations of snails all over the packaging, which hints to the key ingredient snail filtrate. The backside of each sachet is filled with Taiwanese descriptions and directions. The ingredients are listed in English though. You can find English descriptions on Beauteque, too (>>here<< and >>here<<). Below you can see the sachet of the My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Pack. It has a light purple color theme and is divided into a bottom part containing the snail mask and a upper part containing the snail repair cream. The direction is easy: after cleansing and toning you apply the mask for 20-30 minutes, then you add the snail repair mask on top to enhance and complete the effects of the sheet mask. I added the ingredients of the snail mask and the snail repair cream to COSDNA. There are some potential irritants and acne triggers included in the ingredients list like triethanol amine (snail mask) and cetearyl alcohol and myristyl myristate (snail repair cream). Also, the snail repair cream contains mineral oil. The snail filtrate is called “glycoproteins” simply, which made me first wondering where the snail filtrate was :D

The My Beauty Diary 2-Step Fresh Repair Mask Pack has a very similar design, except the colors are light blue and the illustration is a bit different. Also here the backside of the sachet is full of Taiwanese description, but the ingredients are written in English. Like with the previous mask the sachet is divided into a lower part containing the snail recovery mask and an upper part with the snail fresh repair cream. The ingredients are listed on COSDNA as well and are very similar to the My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Pack above (snail recovery mask and snail fresh repair cream). Also here the potential irritants mentioned above are included. The Snail Fresh Repair Cream doesn’t contain any mineral oil on the other hand. The ingredients list of both products are VERY similar. Also, they feel both very similar on the skin and don’t differ in their results in any obvious way. One point, since the fresh repair mask is said to be better for dry and sensitive skin: the ingredients list here contains peppermint and menthol, and since I know that people react to this I wanted to point it out. The regular repair mask on the other hand contains licorice root extract and hydrolized rice protein, which both are quite a popular ingredients for brightening/evening out the skin tone. From using each mask only once I cannot evaluate any differences between the two masks though. Also, I do not know the concentration of the single ingredients on the list.

Regarding their performance both masks did a good job in moisturizing the skin. The sheet masks were attached to a plastic foil which had to be removed before using it. The material of the sheet mask was very thin and soaked fully with the clear essence. I would say the mask was even dripping from too much essence. The fit of the mask was not the best for me, but this depends on your facial shape after all. After leaving on the sheet mask for around 20 minutes the mask was not dried at all. I think it can be left even longer than 20 minutes. The snail cream included for step 2 is a rich and thick, white cream. It does not feel greasy, but dries off in a matte finish. It also absorbs quickly, even when you apply a thick layer. The sachet contains enough cream to really apply a thick layer, or use it at least two times. Both products, the masks and the creams have a very light fruity scent, which is barely noticeable. If you do not dip your nose right into the cream or essence I do not smell anything.

Both My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs are good moisturizing sheet masks, but they do not differ very clearly from each other. I wished the ingredients lists would contain less irritants nevertheless. The idea of having a sheet mask with a second step is really a nice idea if you want to pamper your face from time to time. I also really like that the included creams dry off with a matte finish and absorb quickly, too. The My Beauty Diary 2-Step Repair Mask Packs can be bought on Beauteque individually for 3 US$ each. You can also buy it in boxes for 15.99 US$. Do you have a favorite sheet mask from My Beauty Diary?


		
		
			
			
		
	
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.

6 Comments

asian cosmetics asian fashion beauty Born Pretty Store review

Review: Taiwan False Handmade Eyelashes from BornPrettyStore

15. October 2013

Here is a review for a box of different style eyelashes I got from www.bornprettystore.com. These false eyelashes are handmade and from Taiwan.

They come in a simple white box with the shape of a heart cut out on the front. I like the cute box, although it is very simple. The box contains 10 different false eyelashes. The material used is high quality fiber and the lash bands are very thin. This way the lashes appear very natural.

BornPrettyStore also included a little gift with the package, a pen in shape of a lipstick. The idea is really funny and nice :D Thanks again to BornPretty ♥

The lashes have a soft feel and give a very natural appearance, since the band is very thin and transparent. The disadvantage of the thin band is, that you have to be more careful not to break it. But this didn’t happen to me yet :D The different designs are really pretty and you have lashes which make your look more dramatic or lashes which are on the simple side. Below I will show you three different lashes from this box which each create another effect. Except of the lashes I added my eyes are bare on each picture without any additional make-up. Normally I would prefer to use eyeliner at least which makes the lashes look much prettier.

The box doesn’t contain any lash glue, so if you consider buying these keep that in mind. You can get the lashes at BornPrettyStore for US$ 5.99 and you can use the coupon code KBX31 for a 10% discount :) They offer free shipping, too! I think this is a pretty affordable box of nice differently designed lashes and recommend them to anyone who wants to try some different styles.

Rating:

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.

♥ I’d be happy if you follow me via bloglovin’ or facebook or instagram ♥

15 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty Beautychamber PR Sample review

Review: Christine Ladies Argireline Ultra Tightening Mask ♥sponsored♥

27. September 2013

Hey,

Here is another sheet mask review again :D This is about Chistine Ladies Argireline Ultra Tightening Mask sponsored by BeautyChamber. Christine Ladies is a Taiwanese high-end brand. This mask is one of the best selling products from this brand and is available in two types, one is for tightening and one for whitening.

Here is the description of the mask taken from BeautyChamber’s web store:

TIGHTENING:
What makes this mask stand out among millions of others in the market is that it uses Japan’s invisible mask fabric which is 100% cotton fabric with thickness of only 0.03cm. It is able to fully absorb 20ml of essence.Using skin density difference principle, it allows the essence to be quickly transferred to the underlying skin with zero distance between the skin and mask; penetrating the barrier of skin cells so the essence can be 100% utilized.
EFFECTS: Protect skin tissues, repair damaged cells, smooth fine lines, tighten, whiten and moisturize and to increase skin radiance, keeping it in its best condition.

Ingredients: Aqua, Propylene Glycol, sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Butylene Clycol, Saccharamyces, Podophyllum Peltatum Filtrate Extract, Aloe Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Chlorphenesin, Ethoxylated Alkylphenol, Ethoxylated Sorbitan Ester, Fragnance

Most of the ingredients above have moisturizing properties, which makes me assume, that this mask works good on dry skin. The packaging is a shiny dark red. Since this mask is from a Taiwanese high-end brand, the packaging is very mature and simple. I hope you can read the description on the backside. The material is very shiny and reflecting, I couldn’t get a better picture for it >_<”’ The description is in English :)

The fabric of the mask is very thin. It is the first sheet mask that I tried having a very thin and delicate fabric. In order to make it a bit easier to handle the sheet is attached to a plastic film. The mask is soaked thoroughly with the clear essence. While unfolding and arranging it for use I had to be careful not to mess around, but once it was on my face it didn’t drip or anything else. I didn’t like the scent of the mask, but after a few minutes I didn’t smell it anymore and it was okay. While having the mask on my face it was very moisturizing and refreshing. After half an hour the mask did still contain essence and wasn’t dried up. I took it off and left my face to adsorb the rest of the essence on my skin. After that the skin didn’t feel sticky. I felt a pluming effect, too. Unfortunately, I had only one of these masks to try, so I cannot speak about long-term effects. I also didn’t see a whitening effect.

You can get this mask at BeautyChamber for US$ 20 for a box of 6 masks, which is quite expensive compared to other sheet masks. Check out the facebook page of BeautyChamber, too: https://www.facebook.com/beautychamber2013

http://beautychamber.bigcartel.com/

Rating:

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

♥ You can follow me on bloglovin’, facebook or since recently on instagram :D ♥

12 Comments

asian cosmetics beauty Beautychamber PR Sample review

Review: Miss Hana Lavender Loose Powder Brush ♥sponsored♥

26. September 2013

Hey there :D

Some time ago I presented to you the brand Miss Hana, a Taiwanese brand with really nice products and good quality. I reviewed Miss Hana’s Waterproof Eyeliner Gel Pencil and Natural Born Lip Balm Crayon and I can recommend you to have a look at both of these reviews, because I still love using both of them *_* Today, I’ll be reviewing Miss Hana’s Lavender Loose Powder Brush.

I’m really lazy when it comes to brushes, to be honest. I do not use them often and mostly they don’t get my attention at all. But, when I got this brush by BeautyChamber I was directly in love. ♥

This brush has purple colored and super soft bristles and a white brush handle. The collar between the hair and the handle is golden with the heart-shaped ornament of the brand embroidered. The brush comes with a plastic bag, so you can put it inside of it and prevent damage if you want to take it with you somewhere.

Apart from this powder brush there is a blush brush available called Miss Hana Sweet Cheeks Blush Brush. This one has pink brush bristles and is as cute as the powder brush. You can see the promotional pictures from Miss Hana below:

You can get both brushes at BeautyChamber for US$ 16.99 each. It doesn’t list all the products which are available, so if you are looking for something special, write an Email to Amber, the shop owner, and she’ll give you a quote. She is very nice and answers fast to your emails. She has a blog at http://chamber2u.blogspot.tw/. Check out the facebook page, too: https://www.facebook.com/beautychamber2013

http://beautychamber.bigcartel.com/

Rating:

♥ You can follow me on bloglovin’, facebook or since recently on instagram :D ♥

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asian cosmetics asian fashion beauty Beautychamber PR Sample review

Review: Solone Charming Eyelashes ♥sponsored♥

15. September 2013

Hello :)

This will be a short review on Solone Charming Eyelashes sponsored to me by Beauty Chamber. I presented a product by Solone to you before and described briefly this Taiwanese brand in my blogpost >>here<<.

As you can see these lenses are provided in a plastic packaging, together with a little tube ob eyelash glue.

These lashes are very thick and feathery and really look beautiful. The Lash band is very thick and the material is sturdy. Thus the lashes won’t get broken easily and you can reuse them often. The description on the package is in Taiwanese, but provided with some self explaining images. The provided glue does it job and sticks the lashes properly. I could wear the lashes for more then 6 hours and they didn’t fall off or even loosen themselves the tiniest bit. :)

You can see that these lashes create a very dramatic effect and since they are so thick they feel a bit heavier than naturally designed eyelashes. The feeling was a bit unusual for me, since I rarely wear fake lashes. Nevertheless they are really beautiful in my opinion, but not suitable for daily use.

You can get Solone Alice in Wonderland Collection from Beauty Chamber. It doesn’t list all the products which are available, so if you are looking for something special like this, write an Email to Amber, the shop owner, and she’ll give you a quote. She has a blog at http://chamber2u.blogspot.tw/. Check out the facebook page, too: https://www.facebook.com/beautychamber2013

http://beautychamber.bigcartel.com/

All in all I can say, that the design and the sturdiness is great. But, since they are a bit heavy I only gave 4/5 points.

Rating:

20 Comments

Beautychamber

Review: Balala Eyshadow Kido Bear No. 1 ♥sponsored♥

27. August 2013

Hey ♥

Today I’ll be reviewing Balala Eyeshadow Kido Bear No. 1, a cute little eyeshadow palette with four matching shades. This product was send to me by BeautyChamber for reviewing purpose. Thanks a lot!♥

Actually, this is again a product and a company I never heard of before. I think it is a Taiwanese brand. It was also very very hard to find any information about it. I didn’t find a company web page or anything. Just some images on Google. The promotional pictures below belong therefore to Balala and were edited by myself.

As you can see, the packaging is super cute, with the bear face logo on the front. I really like the simply designed black plastic packaging. It seems they have quite a range of products.

I love the bear face so much, it is even on the side of the paper packaging ♥ The ingredients are written in English on the back side, but the rest of the information is Taiwanese I guess.

Funnily, when you search for any images, it appears often that you find pictures from products, looking very similar to Tony Moly’s product, like the Cat Chu Wink Lipstick. I was wondering if they are somehow connected to Tony Moly?!…If anybody has information about that, please feel free to write a comment!

The eyeshadow palette I’m reviewing contains two purple shades, a brown shade and a highlighter. The packaging comes with an applicator and a mirror, too. Each eyeshadow has the face of the bear imprinted on it. Sadly, they will disappear if the eyeshadow is used too often :/

The colors are really pigmented, even without a eye-shadow base. I love how they feel, but you have to be careful that the powder particle don’t fall off and ruin your face make-up. The best way to prevent this is using an eye-shadow base. The staying power is great, too.

I rarely wear eyeshadow myself, simply because I’m too lazy to spend too much time in the morning. Eyeliner is usually enough for me. But on special occasions I try to put on a little bit eyeshadow, mostly natural shades. Below you can see me wearing the eyeshadow palette in two different ways.


products used: Balala Eyeshadow Palette 01, Estée Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara, Jelly Pong Pong 2-in-1 Eyeliner & Shadow, Kiss Me Heroine MakeSmooth Liquid Eyeliner Pen, Zoeva Eyeshadow Brush

You can get Balala Eyeshadow Kido Bear from Beauty Chamber. At the moment there is a back to school promotion with 10% off the entire order. It doesn’t list all the products which are available, so if you are looking for something special like this, write an Email to Amber, the shop owner, and she’ll give you a quote. She is very nice and answers fast to your emails. She has a blog at http://chamber2u.blogspot.tw/. Check out the facebook page, too: https://www.facebook.com/beautychamber2013

http://beautychamber.bigcartel.com/

I don’t have anything bad to tell about this little cute palette. Lately nearly all the products I tested were absolutely convincing and I was giving a lot of 5 berries rating. I “hope” I’ll have some more critical products in the next time, otherwise nobody will believe my rating anymore XD. On the other hand, I’m happy I like the products and can use them :D

Rating:

20 Comments