Majolica Marjorca Honey Pump Lip Essence Review

Lip gloss. You either love it or hate it. I used to love it, and I still love it. A little bit of gloss on the bottom of your lip really finishes a look and it can be worn on its own, on top of a lip tint, or on top of a lipstick.

I have never tried Majolica Majorca products before, and I got this Honey Pump Lip Essence as a free gift for purchasing the Lash Expander from Watson's in Taiwan. After watching Sheseido's advertisement, I am confident I can become a pretty girl with their products:D

Kose Softymo White Cleansing Oil Review

Cleansing oils have become very popular recently, and for a good reason. They do a damn good job at removing makeup and sunscreen as a first step cleanser. To date, I have used a sample of The Face Shop Oil Specialist Pore Cleansing Oil and a sample vial of the Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil. I decided to purchase this Kose one as it was most accessible for me. My other noteable experience with using Kose products was with a whitening face wash I picked up from Hong Kong. It made my face so white that my aunt asked me why I looked so sallow...

Kose White Cleansing Oil has a rice bran oil and mineral oil base. It is supposed to encourage 'whitening' by stopping melanin production. This cleansing oil is advertised to be able to take off waterproof mascara and clean makeup within pores to produce clear skin. 

Style Nanda 3CE Lip Lacquer Super Coral Review

3CE, or 3 Concept Eyes is the makeup line from popular and trendy Korean fashion brand Style Nanda. I love all the shoots and different looks that Style Nanda does with each of the products.

Initially, I wanted to try Bubblegum (a purple) but I decided that Super Coral would be more everyday appropriate and versatile. Super Coral is a beautiful colour that leans on the pink side of coral. I see a lot of yellow in the colour.

Contents: 6.4g

Price: 18,900won

There are 12 lip lacquer colours in the line. I purchased mine from Bonjour in Hong Kong for 79HKD at the beginning of 2015. All 3CE products come with a safety strip, so beware of that as there are a lot of fake products floating around on the internet.

Etude House Bling Bling Eyestick #08 Ivory Baby Star Review

I love glitter eyeliners because they look beautiful on the inner corner of the eyes. They make your eyes look wide, bright, and awake. Although white is traditionally the colour of choice, other colours such as champagne and baby pink have also been popular 'trendy' colours for kpop idols who wear glittery wide-eyed makeup.


This Bling Bling Eyestick is designed for twinkly, starry eyes and comes in 14 colours. Back when I purchased this from Etude House in Taiwan, only ten colours were released. This line mainly has varying shades of brown and gold with the odd pink, white, silver, purple, and coral coloured stick.

Contents: 1.4g

Price: 4,000won

Thoughts on the Mizon AHA 8% Peeling Serum and Cosrx AHA 7 Whitehead Power Liquid

I really like AHAs. I find that they are great for mild exfoliation, non-drying, and helps to lighten my hyperpigmentation left from blemishes. AHAs help to loosen up the top layer of your skin to leave expose the softer skin underneath. You must use sunscreen in conjunction with AHA as your skin will become more sensitive.

AHAs are actives, you really need to be vigilant in patch testing and building up your tolerance before you start using them daily. My first foray into AHAs was through Mizon. After using three bottles, I decided to move onto Cosrx and am currently more than halfway through my second bottle (they come with stickers and extra samples!). 

Although both products use glycolic acid in its base, I have noticed some differences between how I use them and their effects. In this post, I will talk about some of the differences I've experienced with each. 

TonyMoly Cristal Blusher #4 Milky Violet Review

I came across this blush yonks ago when Teddybearkitties talked about how much she liked the colour #3 Pleasure Peach. Initially I wanted to try Etude House's Cookie Blusher in Blueberry Pie in 2013 but I decided to wait for a sale that never happened and it became discontinued and never sold again for $6 online. Etude House has other items with lavender blush colours such as the Sweet Recipe All Over Cupcake in PK001 Blueberry Cheesecake and the Dreaming Swan Eye and Cheek in #4 Releve Purple.

Many road shop brands also have lavender blushes (e.g., The Saem, It's Skin, Missha, Skinfood, The Face Shop) but I decided to go with Tony Moly as this blush was featured on this episode of Get It Beauty. This lavender colour is not something I've commonly come across in brands available at Priceline. There's just something romantic and youthful about lavender cheeks. It is also the perfect colour for Spring/Summer.

Sample Review: Etude House Like 20 Cream Pact Review

'Everyone likes their 20's skin. Like 20 moisturizes and firms, just like 20's skin!'

I have no idea why Etude House decided to go with this Like 20 line. Is it because teenagers have acne in their teens so your twenties is meant to be the best time for your skin before you get too sun damaged?

I picked up a few of these Cream Pact samples because they contained ceramides and it sounded interesting. The blister packaging got me.

SANA Hadanomy Collagen Cream Review

I've found more HGs in Japanese skincare than I have with Korean skincare so I thought I'd try my luck with the SANA Hadanomy Collagen Cream. This cream has a lot of interesting ingredients such as hyaluronic acid (one of my favourite ingredients of all time) and honey. Yes, we've all heard that collagen particles are too big to be absorbed into skin but it makes an excellent moisturising ingredient.

A collagen jelly cream your skin drinks up! Suitable for dry skin.

Moisture retention formula. Micro collagen 1000mg, Hyaluronic acid Na, Honey, Acerola extract.

Nature Republic By Flower Lip Balm EXO Suho Honey Lemon Review

I love love love lip products. And EXO. I had a hard time deciding whether or not to purchase this in my second last day of Hong Kong in February 2015. I was with my twinnie Gabriel who was visiting Hong Kong from Singapore during Chinese New Year. Most of the shops were closed but Nature Republic was opened and the EXO standees in front of the store kept on enticing me to come in and buy stuff so I went in and bought stuff:/

This By Flower Lip Balm is a clear lip balm that changes to a nature pink colour on contact with heat. It gives your lips a naturally pinkish red flush. Other than that, the main selling point is that there is a picture of an EXO member and their autograph when you open the lid! Etude House did something similar with SHINee's autograph a few years ago, but their lip balm was opaque which means you have to finish the entire product before you can reveal the autograph.

My favourite member is Baekhyun, but I also have extreme soft spots for D.O, Kai, Chen, and ex-member Luhan. I'm starting to have a bit of a soft spot for Sehun as well.

Quick Review: Mizon Peptide Ampoule Cream Review

I don't think I have ever tried any skincare with peptide ingredients before (maybe I have in a sheet mask?) and I picked this Mizon Peptide Ampoule cream up out of curiosity. Afterall, I am at the age where I need to start using anti-aging skincare... Thank you Rose Rose Shop for having free shipping on Mizon items:)

This is the wrinkle improving functional ampoule cream where highly enriched peptide ingredients grant firm elasticity to the skin with lowered elasticity, manages living wrinkles densely and keep baby face skin.

1,000mg of extract contained

Innisfree Apple Juicy Lip & Eye Remover Review

The Apple Juicy line is one of Innisfree's most popular makeup removal lines. I first tried a sample back in 2014 and I was impressed by it. As you can see, this is a lip and eye makeup remover, not lip and eye remover. That would be awkward, but I've seen lots of Korean and Japanese makeup removers. 

Enriched with apple extract, this line offers softness and healthy radiance to your skin like a freshly washed apple. This lip & eye remover rapidly and effectively removes long wearing point makeup.

I made a maid dress

I made this maid dress from a t-shirt tutorial by Yumi King in June 2015. The apron was the most difficult part of the sewing process. I used a yellow chalk to draw on the measurements and you can still see it showing through the white fabric :( The circular shape of the apron is also not every even haha.

The criss-cross design at the back of the apron does not sit well and folds over a lot. I think the strap will need to be doubled up. Overall, this was really fun to make! I still have a pink dress that I also started sewing in June 2015. I will pick up the motivation to finish it soon and to start some other sewing project.

Lydia gave me cat ears! I think they will look super cute with this dress. I still need to make a ruffle headdress thing for this dress. Once again, this dress will look cute with rocking horse shoes and knee high socks. Maybe also a choker necklace and those lace wristlets.

Rose Rose Shop Neulii Samples

A few weeks ago, Rose Rose Shop announced that they were releasing a new skincare line called Neulii. You can get free samples if you message them on Facebook, or through your orders with them. They are giving out ten samples (five of each type of serum) per request. I think that's a great way to promote your new line. Everyone loves free samples.

There are five types of serums:

1. Aloe BHA Soothing Serum
2. AHA VITA Brightening Serum
3. Tea Tree BHA Blemish Control Serum
4. Snail Bee Anti-Wrinkle Serum
5. Green Tea BHA Pore Tightening Serum

I got my package yesterday!

Neulii will keep your skin young and beautiful as a baby's every time, all the time.

Canmake Cream Cheek in CL01 Clear Heart Review

I haven't reviewed makeup items for quite a while. I love makeup, but it takes time to use up and fall in love with an item. I decided a long, long time ago I wanted to purchase this Cream Cheek from Canmake. I read a lot of good things about it in Popteen and I saw a lot of my favourite models use these cream blushes (not necessarily in this colour though). I really wanted to try something from the Clear line.

This type of colour is supposed to make you look healthy. It looks scary in the pan, but it really is a subtle, versatile colour to use. After being able to pull off this colour, I feel I could tackle using NARS Exhibit A.

Nature Republic Moist Steam Cream Review

Steam creams were very popular back in 2013. I believe they are called 'steam creams' because of the process in which they are produced where the shea butter is supposedly melted into the cream. Nature Republic has three types in their Steam Cream line, all made from African shea butter:

1. Fresh Steam Cream (for oily skin)

2. Moist Steam Cream (for normal to dry skin)

3. Ultra Steam Cream (for extremely dry skin)

I purchased the Moist Steam Cream version to try out. I got it for 69HKD from Bonjour when I was in Hong Kong early 2015. 

NARUKO Raw Job's Tears Supercritical CO2 Pore Minimizing & Brightening Night Gelly

NARUKO is a highly regarded Taiwanese brand produced by Niuer, a beauty and skincare expert. I knew I had to pick up something by NARUKO when I went to Taiwan in early 2015 (wow, that was a year ago!). I decided to pick up a Night Gelly.

The Raw Job's Tears line is supposed to minimise pores and brighten the complexion. The night gelly is essentially a sleeping pack.

What they say: Hydrates, softens, minimizes pores and brightens skin tone.

Directions: With the included spatula, retrieve two pea-sized amount and apply evenly over the face each evening. No rinsing necessary.

Skin types: For all skin types, especially for the skin with uneven complexion and visible pores.

Contents: 60g

Cost: approximately 15-20AUD

Nature Republic Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel Review

The Aloe Vera 92% Soothing Gel by Nature Republic has been reviewed to death. It is also extremely popular due to its great value and multi-purpose function. I'll give you my quick two cents on how I feel about this gel. I feel a lot of things. I've finished using four tubs (and nooooo, I initially wanted to try this product before EXO started advertising for them).

Mizon Acence Mark-X Blemish After Cream Review

Mizon products are affordable and usually perform well. I purchased this particular Blemish After Cream in an attempt to fade my hyperpigmentation scars. I love that this cream contains propolis and has a pleasant scent. 

How to use: Dab on your blemishes or scars that you wish to fade.

Contents: 30ml

Cost: 23,000 won (buy this Rose Rose Shop! It's only around 6USD with free shipping on Mizon products)

This cream is a pale yellow colour with some tiny, grainy bits throughout. It doesn't feel tingly or numbing on the face (you know how some acne treatments feel like that?). I saw some brightening effects of this on my scars, but I didn't find that it did that much for my active problems. I used up three tubes of this stuff before I decided to try using AHA which I am still using. 

I think that this is a good alternative for people who can't tolerate acids. The effects are there but emerge slowly. I would categorise this as a gentle acne treatment. Hurray for propolis.

☆☆☆/ 5

CIRACLE OST C20 Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum Review

Continuing the trend of what I said in my Laneige post... this OST vitamin C serum now has a new family member and the entire brand had a name change. *hang head in shame* Don't worry, I used my bottle up in 2013 and had kept notes on my thoughts.

I decided to purchase a vitamin c serum to help lighten the hyperpigmentation on my face. As you can see, the dropper is packaged separately.

This is the old packaging. The new packaging says 'C20'.

A replenishing facial treatment infused with vitamin C.

Etude House Baking Powder Pore BB Deep Cleansing Foam Review

Finally a review post hurray! This cleansing foam is a cult favourite and is specially designed to remove BB cream. 

What they say: Baking powder is used as an active ingredient to deeply cleanse makeup and residual. Ideal for bb cream removal.

Contents: 150ml

Cost: 9.80USD (from the official Etude House website)

ibuybeauti Haul and Review

I'm pretty sure this is the last of my backlog hauls. This was the first time I purchased from ibuybeauti and I had a good experience with them. I had been lusting after Innisfree lipsticks for so long. I gave one to my mum for her birthday in 2014 and she really liked it. Ever since then, I had been keeping an eye out for the Creammellow lipsticks. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to swatch them in store in Hong Kong or Singapore when I went in early 2015.

Thesis pressure and stress was building up... so I thought I'd treat myself to some lipsticks in September 2015. ibuybeauti  has some good deals and carries products that other stores do not.

Ordered: 9/9/15

Shipped: 12/9/15

Received: 1/10/15

Sasa haul and review #2

Okay, I thought I was done with my backlogs of hauls but there's still one more after this one! I ordered from Sasa in September 2015 for a second time because I was running out of my favourite sunscreen. Lo and behold, Sasa was having a sale on the sunscreen where if you buy one, you get the second one 40% off! I also thought I was running out of my Kose Whitening Cleansing Oil back then... it's February and I'm still using it whoops. 

Not only that, they were having a free shipping promotion if you spend over 50AUD. I didn't think I was going to be able to buy so much sunscreen so I spent a few days asking around the office and asking my friends if they wanted to buy things with me. I finally bit the bullet and decided I'll just suck up the shipping fee... but when I went to check out with only spending $44, I did not get charged for shipping:D

Ordered: 16/9/15
Shipped: 19/9/15
Received: 23/9/15

Thank you for covering up my address Ace.

Rose Rose Shop Haul and Review #3

Backlog haul:) This one is from Rose Rose Shop in July 2015. This was definitely an impulse haul. I had initially only wanted more Mizon stuff, namely the AHA 8% Serum and more moisturisers. I really wanted to try more hand creams so in they went. In the last minute, I decided to try the Cosrx AHA and due to the upper weight bracket I had to pay for shipping, I threw in a whole heap of other stuff I wanted to try.

Ordered: 26/7/15

Shipped: 28/7/15

Received: 6/8/15

Shipping was unexpectedly quick!

Innisfreeworld haul #2 all of the It's Real Squeeze Mask mini review

Still going through the backlog of my hauls... this is semi-recent. Innisfree had another 10 +10 mask sale in January 2016. I have depleted my current mask stash enough so I decided it was time to order again.

I purchased 120 masks at around 86c (AUD) per mask. In the month of January, Innisfree was running a free shipping promotion if you purchase over 50USD. 

Hurray for free DHL shipping! Innisfree used to ship via EMS but I've had a better (and quicker) experience with DHL. DHL also has a better tracking system than EMS imo. Thank you to my brother who signed for the package.

Ordered: 5/1/16
Shipped: 7/1/16
Received: 11/1/16

I spent 72USD, which was equivalent to 104.21AUD.

Quick Review: Innisfree Canola Honey Hand Butter Review

I have gone through many hand creams in the past two years. This Canola Honey Hand Butter has to be my favourite by far. I love everything about it and I want to repurchase the heck out of it. Unfortunately, Nature Republic released more limited edition EXO collaboration hand creams and I will get some of those instead. Worse (or better) still, each of the Nature Republic ones are 1+1... anyway, back to Innisfree.

Priceline 40% off Makeup Sale; Australis Velourlips and Maybelline 910 Shocking Coral Review

Going through my backlog hauls... Priceline has been having regular 40% off sales for makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrances since 2013. I was super excited for this makeup sale in November 2015 because I had been swatching and eyeing the Maybelline Color Sensation lipstick in 910 Shocking Coral since September.

Australis had also recently released their mini Velourlips set. I had been wanting these on and off and swatching them periodically. I decided to just pick up the Brights set as a treat on the day.

Made another dress

I started making this dress in June-July 2015 and finished it in November 2015! This is from another video tutorial by Yumi King. 

The measures didn't fit me as my bust is a lot bigger than the standard measures that were used T_T I changed it up a little bit with the collar so that I can wear it. 

I purchased several metres of trimming to trim everything. I'm so proud it doesn't look too ita (at least on camera). I think this dress would look gorgeous with long socks and rocking horse shoes. I need to find out how to make other head dresses besides the bow!

Quick Review: Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Guide

Since I suck at drawing my brows, I thought I'd cheat and buy some eyebrow guides. I purchased this Etude House Drawing Eyebrow Guide set for 4AUD at MD Ranking.

How to use: You place your thumb and pointer finger on where the little paws are. Fill your eyebrows in with an eyebrow crayon. Flip the silicone guide around to use the guide on your other eyebrow.

Look at the little paw prints! 

Jolse Haul and Review #5

I have quite a few backlog 'hauls' to go through. I'll also start writing more reviews. This mini package was purchased in October 2015.

Ordered: 19/10/15
Shipped: 21/10/15
Received: 10/11/15

Jolse haul and review #4

Man, I've actually purchased more times from Jose than I thought I have. Here is my fourth purchase from them back from May 2015.

Ordered: 31/5/15
Shipped: 2/6/15
Received: 12/6/15

I made this purchase mainly for the eye makeup remover. Priceline hadn't had their 40% off sale for a while and I had run out of all my remover:( I had to pick up something else in order to use my credit points. I had really liked the scent of the Etude House 'Bite Me' perfume when I smelled it in store in Hong Kong last year. I decided to add this in as a TREAT YO SELF gift heh.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack, Power Essential Skin Refiner, and Balancing Emulsion Review

I'm embarrassed to say that it has taken me two years to write this review. In the K-beauty world, that's long enough to discontinue products, change their formula, and refresh their packaging. Being a much loved line, all the products I will be reviewing have only gone through a packaging change. The packaging you see here was from 2014.

Laneige is a mid-end brand that focuses on skincare that uses special types of water as a main ingredient. The brand as a whole is targeted towards those in their early to mid-twenties.

Totally irrelevant to the performance of the products, but the packaging is heavy and is a pretty blue colour. I like that.

Today I will be doing a mini review for these three items in the order of application:

1. Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner (Moisture)
2. Laneige Balancing Emulsion (Moisture)
3. Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX

Eckkk out of focus... when I didn't know how to use my camera very well

Finish all the samples 2k16 and Project Pan: Everything

I documented and inventoried all the makeup and skincare I own. No nail polish because that's not as interesting and most of what I own was gifted to me by Stefanie or Christina. This exercise made me realise how much 'stuff' I've accumulated. My reasoning for this stash varies from hitting free shipping, getting the most out of my shipping bracket, not having to go out of my way to replace something, and random stuff I wanted to try out after reading reviews. I want to be able to have a better idea of how long it takes me to use up things so I know I don't have to buy multiples at a time.

Would I rather have the money or have my 'stuff'? It depends. There are things I can do without, but there are also things I feel like I need, like BB cream or eyeliner. Because I wear makeup, I need cleansing oil, makeup remover, and cleansing water to clean that stuff off. Cleanser is a non-essential luxury step to me so I don't use it (but really wanted to use one again and I will buy a cleanser when I land a high paying job).

I made separate spreadsheets for makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrances, and samples. Here is a snip of my skincare inventory.

An example of my skincare spreadsheet

Makeup and Skincare empties + review Jan 2016 (Project Use Up All the Samples 2k16)

This year, I decided to make a spreadsheet to keep track of my consumerism and consumption. I already keep track of my spending and get a better idea of how long it takes to finish using something (I had fun making pivot tables...).

Since early January, I have finished using a variety of samples and full-sized products.

Samples

1. Tony Moly Tomatox sample- 3
   - I used this on my neck to try and even out the colour difference between my face and neck; didn't really do much but gave me a mild brightening effect. It didn't break me out or give me a weird rash. WNR*
2. Milky Dress sample- 2
   - gave me a ghostly glow on my neck. I liked that you didn't have to wash this one off and it smells nice, like bubblegum. WNR