Empties February (& January)

The last two months have been in the line of winter survival. 

I don't know about you guys, but somewhat the fun in cosmetics gets out of it and everything is more about necessity. Shortly, I'm looking forward for a warm spring so my skin can behave normal again, and I can have fun with my cosmetic goodies again.

Again, I'll have quite some used-ups and hygienic bye-bye's to show...

I'm gonna start with two of my favourites:

• The NIOD Copper Amino Insulate Serum 1.00 % has been that wonderfully blue liquid that smells so neutral and layers on like a calming liquid. You mix the 2 bottles up and store it in the fridge: how fresh is that? I saw an improve in the quality of my skin: repurchased already!
• May Lindstrom The Blue Cocoon has been a nicely soothing balm, but too expensive and not entirely healing on disturbed skin so I've been looking for alternatives (see here).

• Alterna Caviar repair Fill & Fix treatment Mask is a staple, abeit a pricy one. It packs up proteins for damaged hairs which has an instant effect, but also improves hairs in the long run
• Fountain The Monecule in Happiness: I already shared my like for Fountain's hyaluronacid infused liquid concoctions and I could use some more positive feelings last months.
• Glonaturals Bodylotion: It smells like chemical coconut but it packs in a good amount of moisture into winterskin. I mixed it with pure oils like St. Johnsworth to get extra hydration.
• OlivineLove + Roses hydrating mist: Lovely and so natural smelling rose water infusion.

• Aromantic Camellia Seed Oil: Aka Japanese Tsusaki oil works wonders on hair and is lovely on skin as well
• De Tuinen Prickly Seed Oil: Prickly seed oil is a powerhouse that often sells really expensive, think La Bella Figura's version. I loved this affordable version.
• Andalou Naturals Luminous Eye Serum: I order this in one of my Vitacost hauls and it moisturizes wonderfully without too much fragrance. As for anti-ageing? I'd prefer Pai.
• Alterna Re-texturizing Protein Cream: This is such a favourite of mine! It smoothes in frizzies wonderfully and builds up hair in the long run.
• Givenchy Eclat Matissime: This one is still full: it was not suitable for my sensitive skin.

• Bliss FatGirlSlim has been a freebie in some box. I like it, but I'm a firm (pun intended) fan of my French line of anti-cellulite treatments (see a heap of mentions here). 
• Mario Badescu Super Collagen Mask was another freebie. I feel nostalgic for anything Mario Badescu as it reminds me of my 1st couple of online cosmetic purchases around 2000. Then again, it only adds some moisture so I would not repurchase.
• Givenchy Acti'mine Wake up skin Base: another full tube I have to abandon as I am too oversensitive for it.
• Andalou Naturals Argan Stem Cells Scalp intensive Lotion is targetted for hairgrowth. I have not seen dramatic results but it might have helped.
• Kinvaria 24hr Rosehip Face Serum was a serum I bought on a rave review being best thing ever for sensitive skin. Another case of not liking the fragance: household cleaning stuff. Blerg.

•  Cinema Secret makes some awesome makeup for professional use. Their concealer palette has been fab for covering imperfections, but I have this palette for many years so bye bye!
• Fasio Eyebrow Gel has been perfect for colouring the hairs of my eyebrow when they lightened in the sun. 
• Jadilla J BB Concealer still originates from my Gmarket Haul days. Funnily, now everyone seems to go K-beauty I find it soo 2008! The colour is too light for me these days but coverage was wonderful.
• Another hygiene/older concealer I had to bin is Models Prefer concealer duo. Somewhat it did not blend wonderfully either (green and a beigy colour) so I haven't used it much.
• This Le Metier the Beaute eyebrow pencil in blonde has been a perfect colour, but the pigment-hold was not spectacular on skin. Now it dried out...
• Clarins Eclat Minute...yes, fab coverage for under eyes but hygiene disposal again.

• Tigi BedHead After Party is one of those raved about haircreams that make your blowdry last beautifully. I liked it but prefer my organics and Alterna ranges over this one.
• Tatcha Indigo Soothing cream is another staple. Must-have for me.
• Trevarno Eye cream smelled like herbs gone wild...Also, a bit too thick for eyes.
• Nails Inc make some fab 3free nailpolishes that last and look superb. I loved this neutral pink.
• NVey Eco compact foundation was the most unblendable foundation ever. No likey.
•  I already discussed my Herbivore Lapis oil over here and I liked it a lot. 

• WLL3People Expressionist bio Extreme Mascara is one of the mascaras the natural bloggers rave about. Nice, but they have not reached similar hold/volume over the chemical mascaras.
• Bourjois Rouge Velvet in Fuschia has a gorgeous hold and superb matte appearance before this matte-lip thingy has been going on. 
• Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer Lipgloss in Love Drunk has been a sample I have been scraping the last bit out. Perfect mauvy shimmer! Adore...
• Another Marc Jacobs winner has been his O!Mega Lash Volumizing Mascara I bought in Marseille, France. I would like to try his newer version but the reviews have been mixed.
• Benefit Tinted Primer Hey, They're Real does not live up to my beloved Kate Kanebo version (here).
• Oh, and the tiny oil on the left has been Kiss the Moon Midnight oil. Soo, gorgeous...on par with my new fascination with Herbivore oils.

• Grow Gorgeous End split ends Leave in Serum in from that Deciem line again. Ok, me and my sensitive nose but this is sooo masculine and overpowering I cannot use it.
• Arcona Chamomile balm smells amazingly soft, but it also brings in a good amount of soothing softness on par with May Lindstrom the Blue Cocoon, for a fraction the price: staple!
• Wella Colour Fresh in Silver 10/81 has been a end-of-holiday toner for my then blonde hair. This one tones gorgeously and only needs one bottle without mixing. More about it soon.
• Another case of the ageing makeup product: My gorgeous YSL palette...awww...
• Another staple is my Collistar Face Magic Drops for self-tan. Although I don't use it in winter, I use it to match my face to my body on beachy holidays.

  I have been using up a lot of staples that are suitable to calm my oversensitive skin during the winter period. I have also ventured on some new products which has been a mixed bag of winners and not-so-successful for me. And I have been able to let go of some expensive brands that will not work for me (aww Givenchy)...

So for next month I hope to cleaned out my makeup-drawer a bit more, and be as diligent as ever to finish up products that I like : )

Déjà-Buy: Asian Skincare trending...

That is soooo 8 years ago....

Or, for bloggers like myself who have been buying  and liking Asian skincare for a longer time now...

I still bought this skincare set from Sephora 

a. there have been new innovations and brands 

b. I liked it 8 years ago 

c. cute, travel size skincare!

Dr. Jart + has been one of my frequent gmarket hauls. Erborian has been available in our perfume/makeup stores and I tried a Belif sample too.

I have been most interested in the SK-II facial treatment Essence:

I like Asian skincare trending, but I also feel like I miss the fact that it is not a niche anymore. There is something about sampling up your goods and trying to translate Korean:

From this post in 2010

 However, I guess the people in Asia probably feel more that nothing is new about it.

So how do you feel about Asian skincare trending?

Show me your Marbles...

A week ago I received my 1st Sephora haul...Ofcourse, L.O.V.E...Some highly unaccessible brands like Tarte are finally within my reach.

I also added the Becca Beachtint in Raspberry, which got me into looking at my other marbles (=marbled blushes).

Somehow, like primary school, it feels like showing your marbles before playing a game.

1. Clio ArtBlusher in Light Brown 3: I purchased some of these minerals in 2009 and forgot about these.

2. New Cid Cosmetic Glow Mini in Sirocco

I received 2 of these Mini's as a GWP. In fact, they're both gorgeous colours, longlasting and travel friendly

3. Terra Del Sol No 4:

Once hunted these down at the German Douglas based on rave reviews. Sometimes the chase is better than the catch because I cannot remember using this one

4. Banila Co de la Couture Face blusher:

Korean know how to do BB balms but they also had a good selection of marbled blushers going on.

5. My other New Cid Cosmetic Glow mini: in Coral Crush

6. Prorance Finish Water glow in M16:

Korean & from Gmarket

7. Stila Cheek Duo in Pink Glow

8. YES, my newbie Becca Beachtint Souffle in Watermelon that spurred on the marble-post.

9. My other Clio Artblush in 2 Pink

10. Lioelle Marbling Blusher: Guess from which country? Yes??

11. SkinFood All over Muffin Cake Finish: The Koreans probably think that girls wanna smear cakemix over their face...but it makes a sweet glow for sure.

And, unlike the glassy marbtles of our youth, we can swatch these:

 

1. Clio ArtBlusher in Light Brown 3: Sometimes Marbles are Matte! And this colour looks like the perfect matte bronzer/shader.

 2. New Cid Cosmetic Glow Mini in Sirocco: A glowy highlighter with peach undertones

 3. Terra Del Sol No 4: Sweet, I

 4. Banila Co de la Couture Face blusher: A golden peach

 5. New Cid Cosmetic Glow mini: Sort of NARS Deep Throat dupe without the glitter

 6. Prorance Finish Water glow in M16: This colour has a slightly frosty finish in a warmer pink (peachy) glow

 7. Stila Cheek Duo in Pink Glow: Both shades are more traditional blush than mineralized finish. In both cases, they hint towards coolness with the top shade slightly bubblegum & the bottom Raspberry

 8. Becca Beachtint Souffle in Raspberry is both longlasting, well-blending and in that perfect shade of fruity pink that hints towards berry-ness.

 9.  Clio Artblush in 2 Pink: WOWZA, how did I forget about this one. A deeper pink-berry.

10. Lioelle Marbling Blusher: The funny thing about Marbled blush is that you cannot always forsee the outcome being swached. This one is highlighter whitish pink with a slight frost.

 11. SkinFood All over Muffin Cake Finish: Slightly warmer/peachier highlighter hue than Lioelle and probably a lovely blush on N 15-20 skin.

It's good to know that I had no dupe for my new Becca Beachtint Souffle (no 8). I'm also happy to rediscovered some old new vintage marbles around.

More detailed review of:Clio ARTblusher in 03 Brown

So what have you been rediscovering lately?

Korean Soap *star* Allure

I jumped on the Korean Soap-wagon and gotten myself the Innisfree no 6 Maple Burgundy lippy.

Actually, it's the lip Laquer instead of the lipstick but let me explain further: Korean Soap? For washing?

Nope, Koreans have been quite the comedians for a couple of years. I really adored My Sassy Girl and Miss Korea is the most anti-botox in facial expressions:

And the way the main character,  Oh Ji-yeong, slightly dominates her male opposers by her gestures, demeanor, etc:

All underlined by her fierce lipstick(s). Which proves, you can be as chaotic/human/imperfect as Oh Ji-yeong, as long as the lipstick looks fierce. 

BTW, DrivellerKate has a a fab image of her not being so immaculately lipsticked so head over to hers for the real goop on the show.

Oh, a review on the Innisfree Glossy LipLaquer: I actually think it is quite watery. It doesn't stay on as long as my last generations of liplaquer-ish products (see here [Gosh] & these [YSL]). But the colour is cute in an Autumn kind of way so it's a nice addition. 

I did love the webshop I bought it from: Jolse.com. They've given me 3 freebies when I only got the lipgloss. I used to be such a fan of Korean webstore Gmarket but ordering from them could be such a hassle for one or two things. This webshop is less complicated.

I'll leave you with a fragment of the older My Sassy Girl to show you the bizarre/funny type of humour:

And have a fantastic sunday!

Lotree haul:

A couple of days ago I blogged about my new Lotree haul. I will show you the items I got in the Lovely  Faceline set:

Lotree Crazy Orange is a cheek/liptint in a transparant but vivid colour of orange. It is not Lotree's first time making a cheektint. I still have their Cherry bling Liquid Rouge (see below):

They are not of similar opacity: The Cherry Bling is of a more opaque quality whereas the Crazy orange is a rather transparent colour: UPDATED: Lotree crazy orange actually shows up quite well when layering two thin layers.

I think I prefer the deeper opacity of the former Cherry Bling, but I still consider the Crazy orange to be a cute additional colour for the cheeks, for example when pairing up with my orange-toned Burberry Coral lipgloss.

I think the colour is too transparent and too gel-like for lips, but it has a Cool-aid sort of taste so if you do it, it will taste like children's lollipops (in orange).

Secondly, the Longlash Eye Tention Serum is aimed to make lashes grow naturally

My understanding of Korean is quite limited, but like the Latisse products and the other eyelash growth serum it is probably best to use it once a day when the lashes are free of mascara and other makeup. I will keep you updated and plan to look back on it in a couple of months.

The Lotree Moisture Skin Primer Pact in 23 is actually not a primer, but a post-er. Ehm, to be used after base foundation as a powder (according to this site)

It is formulated with licorice, mineral powder, amino acid derivatives and other powder essences, making it a gentle yet skincare-enhancing powder.

Blush, my fave item! The Rosa Davurica Cheek came in 3 colours: there was no explanation or colour swatch of what colour was what, so I randomly picked no 3.

secret layer containing mirror & brush

It turned out to be the bronzer-type colour: slightly flecked with glitter and in beautiful title pattern:

The glitter is not too noticable and the bronzer turns out rather subtle when layered with my NARS Yachiyo brush  (will make better skinswatch soon)

Lotree Davurica Cheek 3

Last, but not least...a creamy eyepencil in a beautiful navy/purple hybrid: Violet DarkBlue Gel Pencil Eyeliner

 I really loved the colour and the texture of the eyepencil:

Until....

Geeeh, the pigmentation of the blue/purple/violet sparkles is more of an overlayer on a black undercolour. That is not a big problem, if only the multicolour of violet/blue/sparkles would stay on consistently: now it fades in the end, making the pencil not really suitable for blending.

Conclusion: I really like this haul although it has some hits and some misses. The blush-that-is-bronzer has already been used a couple of times to warm up my skin & to shade where there should be cheekbones/thinner nose...So that one is a hit so far. I know I shouldn't blend my eyepencil if I want it to appear in that gorgeous multiflecked navy/purple with reddish sparkles. I have been ordering the finishing powder before and I know I like it. I cannot tell anything about the eyelash serum yet. As for the Crazy Orange cheekgel, that one is probably more gimmicky for me than it would be a regular staple, but sometimes a girl likes something frivolous to alternate in the makeup-routine.

little bit of Gmarket

I had a little Gmarket haul:

I went for the Lovely Faceline Set from Lotree. 

 Lotree is one of my favourite Korean cosmetic brands. I still enjoy one of their face powders the most when being on the road (listed here as a summer-favourite). Even more than my latest La Prairie compact foundation.

The set contains a primer/foundation compact, a blush that turned out to be a bronzer (initially the wrong colour but I adore it as a shader/bronzer), a lip/cheek tint in orange, a blue/black eyepencil & an eyelash growth serum.

I will test & swatch some of them and will keep you updated -**-

Finished Finesse

On the things I used up lately:

1. Shills Oxygen Mask:

This Korean copycat brand probably has been staring too much at Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energysing Mask because the concept is almost the same. But that was the reason I bought this one, as I like the Bliss Oxygen mask but I wasn't too fond of the price. Shills retails around $13 whereas Bliss is $54.

I have been having this mask in my beauty-cabinet since buying a lot of Shills from sasa.com. Lately I have been using it more and I like it as much as the Bliss: it's easy, its fun (when the foamy bit starts to work) and it's fast (also 3 minutes). It might be coincidence, but if I use this the night before I can see my skin being clearer and more radiant the next day.

I would repurchase: too bad it isn't on sasa anymore.
 
2.  Vapour Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation 120.

I am quite happy with the sample of the concealor I got in 020 (here), so trying out this *raved about* foundation was the next step.

It wasn't all perfect. First, as you can see, the colour has been quite dark. I didn't expected that as the colour beneath it, 115, claimed to be for fair skin, and this one for medium. It looks more like a medium-dark to me.  I thought the 120 would match the 020 concealer number? Secondly, the shimmer is too high for the whole face. Remember Mac Strobe cream? Only this over the whole face mixed with some foundation.

I guess this foundation will work for some people, but I prefer focused dewiness over total shimmer in a foundation.

3. L'Oreal Professionel Age Densiforce Omega 6 hairmask.

Another hairmask, and another one from L'Óreal Professionel.

I like this mask a lot, only the chemical rice-based scent will keep me from repurchasing it.

The beauty of this hairmask is that it is actually as thin as the usual conditioner, but works enough to qualify as a hairmask. As it targets for ageing hair, often thinner hair, the lighter consistency means it bring in more volume than the average hairmask. My hair was somewhat bouncier and with more volume than the average mask, without compromising too much on the moisturizing/repairing factor.

Right now I prefer the L'Óreal Professional Nature Mask Omega I reviewed here, because it gives my slightly damaged hair more moisture (although this one is better in volumising), and the scent of that one is so much better.

Etude House Dear My: some Blooming Lips-talk in RD 304

I've been looking forward to do some blooming lip talk about Etude House latest lipstick:

When blush is something essential for looking healthy, I think lipstick is the fun part of makeup. A good lipstick can make you look glowier but if the rest of your makeup is good than you have quite some freedom to experiment with colour and it's effect.

As cute as ever and targetting for a younger market the lipstick appears in a soft pink box adorned with little hearts. The box speaks about a Smooth textured lipstick that supplies vivid colour and moist shine.

The reason I was enchanted the most was by a really adorable (and also slightly sappy) commercial. It is so sugary sweet and quite damsel-in-distress (no further spoilers).

Her lipstick looks quite bright too. I was wondering if this formula would come close to the ones I was so crazy about in 2010: the LucidDarling LED lipsticks (review here & here)

My colour pick was quite bright: I went for RD 30. I have such a large collection of MLBB, rosy tones etc so I wanted a poppy colour.

They have quite some choice, though:

The lipstick has a sweet shape and that cute tiny bow around the waist: just like a dress:

The colour, as I aimed for, is quite bright. It looks more orangy in this photo  

Swatch pictures: (left- photoflash: right: natural light)

Verdict:

• I think the photo on the left is the most accurate. It is a neon-esque pink that will really work with the bright and neon trends now.

• It somewhat feels like a matte lipstick or if you know YSL Rouge Volupté, it has that kind of texture.

• It is quite scented: something florally I cannot put my finger on. Personally, I do not find it hindering.

• It wears for quite some time and if fades away in a not-so-blotty manner. Although you need to check yourself after 4 hours if it is still on in a decent matter.

• It does a good job covering your natural lip colour. In my case I have a somewhat flushed mouth that can alter the original colour, however, this one is almost as bright as in the tube.

Indeed, it is rather similar like their 2010 I was so happy about, both texture and opacity on the lips. I wonder if they just put the same formula in a cuter tube and a different name. However, that is something only the people from Etude House know about.

Conclusion:

Wonderful and affordable. The colour is really unique and not easy to be duped, or not yet, at least. It stays on for a long time and doesn't look flaky nor doesn't it accentuate not so perfect lips: and that is well-done for a bright lipstick. If you have a sensitive nose it might be slightly too overscented.

I bought it on gmarket for for $7.77  (excluding shipping) but I think you are better of buying it from ebay (eg RubyRuby) for $11.99 because you saw they aren't too generous with the freebies (see here).