Pleasing my pink side with Etude House LucidDarling 9 Romantic rose

Pink, as in candyfloss pink...I never guessed I would wear this colour as a lipstick in bright daylight!

But I did...
 
So, in my previous post I was slightly reserved about the latest lipstick of Etude House. I liked some elements of the lipstick, except the opacity and the colour.

You can imagine I was pretty annoyed that I had ordered another one of these lipsticks. These lipsticks were not really Me.

Guess what, I would like to nuance my opinion with another shade I received from the Lucid Darling collection. The no. 9 in Romantic Rose is such a bubbly and fun pink!

When I reluctantly opened my lipstick I first was shocked by the pinkness of the lipstick. Uhohhh, it looked so unlike I would normally wear.

However, the moment I tried on my new pink lipstick, I found it looking 'not too bad' in the mirror.

I upped the rest of my makeup, making my skin more flawless (and made up) than usual, and added some tiny loose fake lashes.

I also went into my wardrobe and dressed up in my minty green gingham blouse, wore my baby pink jacket and a girly skirt...

My normal (neutrally boring) look changed into something dipped into candyfloss...

I stepped outside my confort box, and enjoyed it tremendously.

I even dared to post a mouth-swatch...that is because I actually smiled so happily with this lippy...

Beside of my happy story, I would like to add my 2 cents of why this lipstick was able to work on my skintone.

It looks like a cool and bright pink in the tube and on my mouth. However....it has those tiny, warm gold shimmers inside (NOT glitters...I despise big glitters in lip-products) which makes it wearable for warmer skintones too.  For a high-density and long wearing lipstick they are truly smooth and glossy.

I loved how the change of a lipstick made me change my whole total look. It would absolutely be too high-maintainance to wear this dolly-girl look daily, but it is fabulous for days when I want to up it a bit!

So, no regrets for buying the second LucidDarling lipstick...I think I want the brick red colour (Sunny Red 2) too.

This one arrived with a belated Gmarket order, so I paid ￦9,000 or $8.33 (excluding shipping) for these (here). They are available on ebay too (here) for $11,67 (including shipping).

Etude House LUCIDDarling Fantastic Rouge lipstick in 04 Pixel Pink

Today is a fab day to review a new lipstick from Etude House. Etude House is a Korean brand that focuses on a young public and has a fairly low price range. But most of you readers will already know that. What you also might now is that Etude House lauches something new frequently. It is not as crazy as MAC, who seems to launch something in the limited edition sphere every week, or so, but it still launches something every month or so.

I often skip the skincare range of Etude House as I consider my skin to be too sensitive to experiment with, especially as EH does not shy away from fragance in their product. However, I often really like their affordable makeup items they launch. 

In March I saw that they had a new lipstick on the market, Real Led pixel Lipstick.

Well, if you say the words lipstick to me and the word new, my mind goes a bit blank and I can only think of 'try, try, try', especially when the colours in the chart look so natural and lip-enhancing.

Before I break out in a song called 'I'm not an addict' (from the delighted K's Choice...love them, and they are back after a decade of not making any music!) I want to let you know I made a first step in acknowledging my addiction. That is, indeed, acknowledging that I am an addict. Yes, send me to the lipstick-anonymous group and I will stand up and declare that I am addicted to the beautifying potion that decorates the mouths of women (and some men) around the globe.

On the other hand, is it really an addiction? I can afford it and it does not interfere with my social life. It is not that I wander the streets at night finding my perfect lipstick...ha, that would be odd,! Or am totally disfunctional if I do not carry around any lipstick in my purse. So, my addiction is very mild, if it even is an addiction.

Back to the review. I found out that the etude house site, the Korean part of it, has some pictures uploaded from users of their products giving some reviews. It is not easily to navigate on that site, but I found this girl having swatched all colours on her arm...These were quite helpful for me to pick out a colour, or they look better than the digital pictures above of the colours.

I had a craving for something bordering between peach and neutral, as I find them so lovely and Spring-like. That meant that I was drawn to colours 4, 8 and 9. I picked colour 4, Pixel Pink, as it looked like the perfect peachy pink.

The packaging of the tube itself is reminiscent of Kanebo Kate's packaging, which I find neither cheap looking nor expensive. 

The colour is a true pinky peach with tiny flecks of gold inside. Quite beautiful. (click on the picture for a better view of the micro-flecks)

I made a swatch of the lipstick on my arm. The first in in the warm light of the sun (yippi, SUN) and the one after is in the cooler light of the shadow. The colour is so sweet and girly in the swatch.

I consider the colour to be quite stunning, and the feel of the lipstick is really nice. BUT....

And now I have to end my rave about the lipstick.

It is something personal which might be an incredible plus for a lot of girls looking for a lipstick. However, it is too opaque...it tones down my natural lip-colour entirely and I do not find it sheer enough.

I did not include a lipswatch for my readers, as I am not happy about showing of my pucker these days. However, believe my word on it that it is a high dense colour that almost transforms the lips in the colour of the lipstick itself. It stays as lustrous as in the swatches, so it is not matte at all.

Somewhat, I did not think the youthful colour of pink/peach suited me when wearing it. I was aiming to channel a bit of Brigitte Bardot with the colour, and I turned out to look like 'aunty X in bright lipstick'...

However, I absolutely think this is a kind of lipstick that will leave lots of lipstick-likers excited, especially the ones that consider Japanese lipsticks to be too sheer and natural. In that case I think it is a fantastic choice to take.

I bought mine on ebay, for a change (here). These are also available on gmarket (here), but they do not have 04 anymore so I linked to colour 8.

Maquillage lasting Perfect Rouge RD 306

Since Shiseido Maquillage had lauched a new type of lipstick for 2010, and I am always interested in

a. Japanese lipsticks, especially from Maquillage

b. New and improved products (even though the improvement might not be the ultimate miracle product ever, I still stay curious)

c. ordering online (called shopping therapy...a type of therapy that can lead into other therapy-> that is undoing an online-shopping-addiction, he he...but hey, it helps every now and then!)

d. doing profound research for the blog (ha, what an excuse?...but wouldn't you use it too?)

result after a,b,c and d= I purchased yet another lipstick....

Maquillage actually launched two types of lipsticks, which they normally do: one of them is the sheer version and the other type is a colour version. Simply, the sheer version is...well...sheer and the colour has more pigment.

I opted for the colour version, because I already have a huge range of sheers that seem similar on my lips...at least to an untrained lipstick observer (normally men and other persons who are not really into lipstick and colour, as it all looks natural or "the same" to them...my boyfriend, in contrast, is quite sharp by seeing the lipstick....more that he does not like to kiss 'goop' of my lips)

Oh, I bought colour no RD 306, as it looked like a toned down peachy red on the picture I borrowed from the Maquillage website.

The colour is more a orangy peach in this picture, but it actually has a hint of pink in it as well. I am quite suprised that it is somewhat not in the RD Red category. Or, normally the Japanese lipstick makers will put a colour like this in the PK pink category.

picture in daylight, no direct sun

The colour is lovely and quite light, which is fine, only I really was counting on a reddish base. Plus, it has quite some microglitter that has the tendency to cluster together.

picture in direct sunlight

I do not consider this lipstick to be incredibly longlasting. I would actually say that it is quite shortlived.It provides an accurate amount of moisture, and it is an evolution far away from those dreadful longlasting lipsticks from the 90s (for the younger public...probably the ones your mother's used to wear) which were some superglue versions of lipsticks that would fade in a clownish manner. Still, these are not coming close to Maquillage superb launch of 2009 Maquillage Moisture Rouge Sheer Type and Colour Type.

Overall, even though it is a lovely colour and a good quality lipstick, I will not repurchase the Maquillage lasting Perfect Rouge again.  I simply prefer they Moisture Rouge Sheer and Colour over these.
More opinions and other colour swatches of these lipsticks can be seen at Rougedeluxe and Lotuspalace.

geeeemarket: clothes, masks and accessories

This week I was really happy to see this little fellow again...

For the people who still have not lost their gmarket-virginity...this is the little icon that is on the box of gmarket goodies.

I had not seen this fellow for ages. After a couple of orders on Gmarket, I continuously found the Custom service crediting me for taxes...grrr. However, Gmarket has too many cute goodies and fantastic Korean items to miss, so I just HAD to make another order.

My order was small, but cute (as I say myself). Although one item is not really that good qualitywise.

This feather headband was something I really liked. Ehm, actually I bought another one, at least I thought I did.

But my Korean has been incredibly limited, so I ended up with this feather headband. I probably clicked on a different code and ended up with another cute headband.

A year ago I bought a feather headband on Etsy, which I have worn at special occasions (does shopping count as a special occasion as well?).

It differs from this one, as it has different colours. So wonderful, now I have two feathery headbands...

Sometimes you get some sweet packages from fellow bloggers. Old Cow once sent me a super package, and it had a VOV Daily Fresh mask inside of it. I found out that the Volcano Ash mask is really superior for the skin. Moreover, it is non-irritating!

I could not find it on ebay, but Gmarket had it available. For this one, I typed in the right code!

Yippi, now I have 10 sessions of facial pampering with these babies... I bought these mask by seller ♪드림코스♪ over here (LOL at the music signs...sounds like music in my ear) .

I really wanted a couple of headphones that I can place on top of my ears, instead on internally. I really liked the mint green colour of ONTO headphones. However, as I said earlier...my Korean ain't top notch, so I received the pink ones...

Although they look incredibly cute and are not that huge as the normal-sized earphones, the quality is not that good. You can hear what music I hear, even when playing soft. The sound is a bit tin-like as well. OOPS!

Still, I will list the seller for information, 디지안 (here). They can still function as earwarmers, or to listen some music as home.

Ha ha, I have been writing a lot about being really happy about the latest fashion trend, which is girly/frilly/sweet. Korean fashion can be really cute and fun, so I browsed the site for some items.

I came across this petticoat-esque skirt in girly ballet pint! Yey...and it fits as well.

The only thing that worried me was the possible size. I do not consider myself to be full-figured, but I am a lot bigger than the average Korean girl. Still, it fits!

The pic on the seller's site 더꾸엔 (link over here)

This girl is wearing the skirt in such a sweet and dainty manner.

I do not think I will wear it in this sweet manner. I probably wear it with some grungy elements as well, to get a bit of sweet-meets-edgy combination.

Those were a couple of my Gmarket items. A very wonderful haul!

Ok, I did not buy that much makeup, which has to do with my 2010 detox of makeup I did before. So, am I not writing about makeup anymore? Ofcourse not...I am plotting buying some of Christian Dior's gorgeous 2010 spring collection soon! I finally found this collection over here as well!!! And it is really pretty...

Have a fantastic weekend!

Kose Esprique Precious Symphonic Fit eyes F-3

What a lovely haul-day!

Today I received a personal pre-Christmas haul I ordered from Mihokoshop.com. One that contained a palette from Kose Esprique Precious from their upcoming spring 2010 collection. It has been given the harmonious name Symphonic Fit eyes, which is probably a beautiful manner of Japlish to describe the beauty of the palette.

Esprique Precious is one of my favourite brands of Japanese cosmetics. It has a clean but girly and glamourous exterior and packaging without the overprincessy vibe that Jill Stuart has (I still love love love Jill Stuart packaging, but most people in my country find it age-inappropriate and too cutesy when I flash the princessy compacts of JS). And they make such excellent products that are suitable for the mature woman as well.

The compact case is elegant and still feminine with a white case and a three rows of silver and pink dots.

I ordered the combination of greens and silvery taupes. Green is not the colour I order the most, when buying eyeshadow. It has something to do with the rule I received when growing up that 'one must never use the same colour eyeshadow as the colour of the eyes'.

I still loved the online colour of the green, and it is not exactly matching my eyes either (it would be a weird but fun colour to have exactly thát type of eyecolour)


The palette has four powder colours. They are laced with a flowery motive that threads throughout the whole compact. It is so beautiful!


I have some close ups from the powders. The first one is the light-silvery grey from the left:

The second left colour in a beautiful, water-like, fresh green:

Colour three and four: Both taupes, only the far right is deeper and more pigmented as well.


Aww, I found it hard to touch this supergorgeous palette, however, I wanted to make swatches for you readers as well.

The next swatches have been photographed with flash, which makes the sparkles pop up more. The texture is so incredibly smooth and buttery. The white stipe on the top is the cream colour that is on the bottom of the palette.

I would not guessed from the palette that the colour on the far right would be so deep and intense. Although it has been a smaller stipe of colour than the others, which often means that it is meant for use as a liner.

Mmm, I prefer the picture with flash because my skin looks prettier in that picture, but I included the picture in (bleak) day-light as well, without flash. It shows how the colours are looking in normal light.

The cream colour looks like a stark white, from the first glance. However, it is a white with delicate pink iridescence, which is slightly visible on this picture:

I normally do not use the cream shadows from the Japanese palettes, as they often are too glittery or not really convienient. I do like this one, and I might use it as a base, or to pop in the corners of my eyes to light up the area.

The colour I thought I would not like as much as the others, is actually the one I find the most unique and pretty: the green one. It is so fresh and springlike.

I have few green in that category, but from the ones I have I made a comparising picture:

All three are incredibly pretty, I believe, and have a unique quality of colour.

Overal, I adore this palette. I still have to use it on my eyes to completely see how it will hold and lasts.

If you would like to see an EOTD of the Symphonic Fit eyes F-4 palette, I would suggest to take a look at Haru's blog Rougedeluxe over here.