Etude House Skincare Haul

Hi Sweeties!

I've been thinking a lot about ageing lately, and I figured that it's about time that I started properly taking care of my skin.
I always seemed to try to keep a routine going, but always seem to fail for whatever reason.

I noticed that www.Etudehouse.com  just so happened to have an offer on a skincare bundle, and as a late Birthday present from me-to-me, I snapped one right up!

The bundle on special offer cost $50, which I think at the time was around £35, with free delivery.
It arrived within 2 weeks of ordering, although sadly I got hit by the customs demons, which was another £15 T_T so that means I didn't get as much of a deal as I had thought (this was the first time I've ever had a customs charge from anywhere) 

I am a massive EtudeHouse & genereal Korean cosmetic and skin care fan, as I really think they're the leaders atm for this, so I was super glad to get this delivery.

Here's what I picked up:

It's quite a good haul, right? There's only 1 thing that I feel is missing, and that's a good cleanser like their Baking Powder one (which I love but am running out of my current one)

Lets have a little look at them individually!

Wonder Pore Freshner

Wonder Pore Freshner is a toner product that boasts a 10 in 1 effect to deep cleanse, restore ph balance, even skin tone, aid elasticity, reduce pore size, control sebum, smooth skin texture etc.
( you get the idea, right?)

I've been using this twice a day since I got it, and I really like it! It's a little alcohol-ly in smell, but quite fresh, and has a a thin, watery consistency, which I also really like in a toner.
 You apply some to a cotton pad, and wipe from the middle of your face outwards to work effectively.

I found that it does take off more of the underlying dirt/grime that I had thought that I'd cleansed off! My skin does feel in better condition and is a lot less oily that it was! (I have combination-oily skin due to the contraceptive injection that plays havoc with my hormones at the moment) 

This really works well for me, though if you have a sensitive skin type, then the alcohol content probably isn't for you. 

Be Moistfull Collagen Cream

Ok, so this is something that I've had my eye on for a while!
The Moistfull Collagen Cream is a collagen infused moisturiser that's supposed to keep you looking youthful with a smooth and elastic skin. (Idk if that makes much grammatical sense, but hopefully it does!)

It's actually a pretty big tub, and comes with a little spatula to stop you dipping your fingers into the tub - pretty handy!
Again, this is something that I've been using since the day I got it, and find that my skin is smoother and more even in texture. You really only need a small amount of this, since it spreads a lot! I imagine that it'll take me a while to finish it! 

Face Blur

This is a primer type product, that gives you a photoshopped look - "blurring your skin" to it looks smooth and flawless.

It also has a built in brightener/whitener, that stops you looking so tired.

This is also a great product for me; I like to use a little of it on its own after moisturising to even my tone out then run off to work. The danger of applying too much is that I look liker a bit of a ghost - so unless it's going under makeup, I need to be kinda careful!

 Missing You Hand Cream

 

This is a super adorable Peach scented hand cream in a Panda shaped case!
I haven't tried this yet as I'm still getting through my current one, but it looks so cute!

Face Masks

I got 6 different types of face mask to try out with this bundle, and I'm quite excited to get a night off to treat myself to one of them!

They all have different properties, but the one I'm most interested in is the Snail mask - I've been hearing a lot about snails for skincare, so looking forward to seeing if it works!

Lipstalk Lipstick - Beige

I finally got another Dead My Wish Lipstick! This time I got one that's described as "beige" though I'm not really convinced it is beige - it has a slightly pinky tone to it, which I absolutely love, and as usual it glides on perfectly!

I wore this for my Valentines day look, which I'll be posting about soon, so please stay tuned for that!

Play 101 Pencil - 1 Black

 So to finish, I got another Play 101 pencil in Black - yay! I really love these things - for those of you that don't know, these pencils are super versatile! They can be used as eyeliner, eyeshadow, lip liner, lipstick, blush etc and come in around 50 different colours and shades - super useful, right?
They also blend really well and create some lovely effects.

I'm definitely going to be using these a lot more to create more smokey looks as I feel like I've been really lazy with makeup over the past while.


So this is everything that I got - again I totally wish that there was a cleanser with this, esp as I'm running low on my current one, but this is great value for money, and the Etude global site always has offers on, some of which are not to be missed.

So if you're looking to test out some Korean skincare and makeup, I'd definitely suggest you check them out!
If you have used these products before, what do you think of them? Let me know below!
Love,

           Kasumi x

Sleek Precious Metals Highlighting Palette

Hi Sweeties,

After the horrifically upsetting task of discarding old makeup, I decided to treat myself to a few new items to rebuild my collection.


This time I picked up the Precious Metals highlighting palette from Sleek MakeUP @ Superdrug, priced at £9.99

totally getting better at this photo taking thing >.> <.<

This is the pretty swish palette! It looks so lovely and classy appearance wise, and comes with 3 cream highlighters, 1 powder, mirror and an applicator brush (which as usual, I don't/won't use)


The creams leave a lovely dewy glow on your skin, and the choice of shades are perfect for mixing and matching to different areas of your face! The powder (antique bronze) gives a lovely shimmer for adding some contouring/depth too.  

Ok so, I just went for a natural look, and hoping that once again pictures will show just how nice a highlight you get from this.

 

I used a combination of Renaissance Gold & Royal Gold for my highlights on cheekbones, browbones, cupids bow & chin.
I used a little of the Antique Bronze to add some shimmer to my foundation base contour.
For the inner corners of my eyes, I went for the Platinum shade, which is the lightest and coolest toned of the 4, as it added such a great pop to brighten up my eyes.


I really do like the dewy, radiant glow that comes from using the palette, though it is a bit of a luxury product for me (Rarely do I spend £10+ on individual products, but I totally couldn't resist!)

 For the rest of the look, I used black liquid liner from Makeup Revolution (£3 if I remember rightly) 

I also used the Astor Eyepencil that I picked up from Poundland in my last post for this - as you can see it's just lovely, and stays on perfectly without setting with powder. 

For my lips, I picked up this nude lipstick called "The One" by Makeup Revolution, for a whole £1!
This stuff, much like the last lippies I got from them, last really really well! Eating, drinking, excessive yapping - stays on perfect! Definitely one to add to your budget buys list!

So what do you think? Have any of you tried this palette? Let me know below! 

Love,
          Kasumi x

Mini Poundland Haul - round2

Hi Sweethearts,

I took another rummage through my local Poundland store after a little tip off about new items from a friend that works in store (I have the best friends ^_^ )

This is what I came out with!
*Remember, I paid £1 per item*

Amazon brings these up for around £2 each +-

Astor Mono Eyeshadow

I've been interested in trying out products from Astor after having seen them about recently in the beauty blog groups. I picked up this charcoal eyeshadow since I really liked the appearance of it - the packaging is quite classic which I like.

 It applies ok, though not with those horrid applicators that keep being put my way XD I'm going to look forward to creating a look with this.

£4.59 in Tesco from my searching.

Barry M Dazzle Dust

I was actually hunting for a red eyeshadow when I spotted this to my luck in store. Same great quality as always from BarryM dusts, and the colour is fab! I used it for the look below!

Currently £6.49 in boots

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet - Burning Lava! 

Ok so, I was really really looking forward to wearing this as it is a lovely lovely colour and the packaging is also pretty cool and on theme for this time of year.

 This applies effortlessly and you need only the tiniest bit of product to cover.

The downside of this however, is that it does leave a lot of residue on things like cups etc even after blotting. After eating it is half gone, which is a problem but it doesn't bleed out so that's a plus. (again used below for todays' look)
 I think with this I'm going to get crafty and see if I can use it for some sfx style things to keep with the Halloween Spirit heehee.

Not sure where else to get it in the UK, but can pick up on amazon/ebay for just under £3

Astor 24h Perfect Stay Waterproof eyeshadow pencil/crayon

Finally another product from Astor - this time an eyeshadow pencil.
 I tried this out shortly after photographing, and I absolutely love it! This stuff goes on super easy and soft, has real staying power, doesn't slide off unlike other creamy type shadows, and can blend super easy if you do it straight after application.

This is super quick to apply to your eyes which is perfect for those days I literally am running out of the door! I'm definitely going to try and pick up some other shades of this since I'm so pleased with it.

Todays' Look
(click the picture to see the colours better)

So here's a quick little look I threw together to play with my new red shadow and lip lacquer!
My selfie skills were most definitely not en point today though! >.<

Products:
Rimmel Match Perfection liquid foundation
Max Factor Pan Stick (for initial contour)
Makeup Revolution Concealer stick
Rimmel Stay Matte powder
Sleek Contour Palette
W7 the cheek of it blush
Makeup Revolution Highlighter - golden lights

Rimmel Glam Eyes HD Golden eye  - (black shadow & silver)
BarryM Dazzle Dust - (Red)
2True White Eyeliner Pencil
Barry M Eyeshadow Trio Shade: Tes2 Pretty Pastels -  (Blue)
w7 super brows pencil - (brown)
Miss Manga Mascara
Makeup Revolution Liquid Liner - (black)

Rimmel Apolalips lip velvet - (burning lava)

That's all for this time, but stick around for next time, where I'm going to go through some other things I managed to pick up! ^_^

Love,
          Kasumi x

Gathering some new basics

Hi Sweethearts,

I really feel that I'm falling so behind in trying to get new blog posts out to you all, and it's just because I'm so busy at the moment.

What's new with me? 

Well, not terribly much! I've been doing well at being an ex-smoker (which isn't easy, let me tell you!), working and failing at being healthy.
 Being so exhausted after work leaves me no motivation to cook or eat healthily at all. Even though I'm at spin classes 3 nights a week, and generally eating less, I've still managed to gain weight due to the amount of crap I'm polluting my body with.
 However, I have managed to lose an inch off my thighs, which is great, however I've gained that inch back around my waist....what kind of sorcery is this?!?!!?
 I suppose that means I'm on the look out for an ab workout that won't affect my back, in addition to attempting to eat right and not just quick and lazy!
If you have any ideas for me, please leave me a comment below! 
I'm also looking at those waist trainer fad-trend-current product - do they really work? 


Moving on, I've been trying to renew some basics in my wardrobe (read: my current ones are literally falling apart or are ripped to shreds with wear and tear) so took a little trip around the high street with my other half before dinner to find some staples.

So, these are what I came away with today!

I've been in desperate need of these items for a while, and after being moaned at for the state of my work jeans (they were ripped from the inner thing almost 3/4 around to the other side!) I finally gave in and got some new ones.

 These 2 pairs came from Primark, for £9 & £11, and DAMN is it difficult to find bootcut jeans on the high street! I had to venture to Glasgow just to get some. Everywhere is skinny, Skinny, SKINNY...and I'm sick of them!
 They don't look good on someone pear shaped and short like me, unless I have a long top and heels on. I much prefer to try and balance myself out with bootcuts, that to be honest, are far comfier on my legs. (does anyone else find that skinny jeans are uncomfortable on the calves after a while, or is that just me?)  

Unfortunately, as usual, I'm going to have to either roll these up or cut them to make them a proper length for my 28inch legs...it's either that or I fork out 4times the price for ones built for shorties!
(whilst I'd have no problem doing this for nice jeans, work ones will just get ruined anyway so it's a waste of cash) 

I also bought a few Bras from H&M as I don't really have enough that are the proper size, so in order to throw them out I needed to restock.
 I got the same style in black, white and light pink as they're super nice, comfy and most importantly...really padded! I have a bit of a complex about my bust size, much like most women on the planet, so I don't feel comfortable wearing bras that aren't padded...I guess that makes me a cheater/let down...right?
They came in at £14.99 each.

Finally...something even less exciting (can you handle it?) SOCKS.
Seriously. Socks.
I am utterly convinced that either my cat steals them all, they magically grow legs and run away at night, or that the washing machine eats them!
 No matter how many pairs of socks I have, I can guarantee that before long they will be long gone! Even a full gutting out of my flat yields no results...this can't be normal, can it? Do they really grow legs? 


Moving on to something a little more interesting to look at, is my outfit for the day!

I really do have a thing for white jeans at the moment. Even though I have to be super careful not to mess them up, I always seem to feel really good and dressed up in them...even if my outfit is casual.
I recently picked up this knitted slouchy Cardigan from Ebay after being after one for a good while!

I never really thought that I'd wear something like that until I saw a picture of Ozaki Sayoko in something similar, and I absolutely love her style so I just had to find myself something similar!

I teamed this up with some white heels (on sale at New Look the other month), offbrand dangly earrings, bracelet, and a strappy black top that my mother gave me a long while back.

I actually used this Cardigan for a photoshoot on Sunday, where I did a little experimenting! Here's a sneak peek/behind the scenes from the shoot whilst I wait for the images! Hopefully you'll like them!

Silly VS super Serious face!

Anyway, that's all I have to report for the moment, as usual please leave me your feedback below! ^_^

Love,

           Kasumi x

Poundland brand bargains [makeup haul]

 Hi Sweethearts,

This week I wanna let you in on some super nice bargains that I got whilst visiting my local Poundland.

I took a break from work as my back was starting to give me some problems, and ventured off to Poundland in search of some heat packs to stick to my back.
  As usual the shop was pretty busy, so had to try and wade through the vast crowds of people - but eventually had to just stand and wait (people have a lovely habit of taking up the ENTIRE isle... sheesh.) so I figured I'd just look at the makeup/beauty products around me whilst I wait to get through.

On looking, I quickly noticed some pretty good bargains and couldn't resist picking them up to blog about!

The Haul:

Sooooo....you can see the brands that I've managed to get, all for £1 each!!! How good is that?!?!!

Lets' look a bit closer!

Rimmel Colour Rush colour lip balm shade: 610 Sun-Kissed

RRP: £5.99

If you didn't already guess, I love lip colours at the minute!

This is a lovely warm pinky/orangey/corally type colour in handy pencil form for easy application, and it smells like vanilla! I've tried this already, and it lasts pretty well, and keeps my lips feeling moist and plump.
These come in 14 different shades, however in poundland you'll only have a choice of a couple of shades of each thing. Slightly disappointing, but if the colours they have match you then you're laughing.

Barry M Supersoft Eye Crayon,  Shade: 9 Matt Pink
RRP: £3.99

This is a jumbo eye pencil in a matt pink shade. Like the label says, it is a supersoft formula, and like  Barry M products, it's highly pigmented, for thick bold colour.

The consistency is lovely and thick, and the colour is adorable, however, I find this rubs off pretty easily (on my hand anyway - one smudge with my finger and it was gone), so I'll use this as a base to press another shadow on top.
 I think I could have some fun and get creative with this.

Barry M Dazzle Dust, shade: 1 Ice Pink

Barry M Dazzle Dust, shade: 96 Gold
RRP: £4.59

Ok! Here we have a couple of the Dazzle Dust colours.
 There's a few different ones in Poundland, but these 2 are the ones that stood out the most for me.

I've always liked these as they're super pigmented, lovely shades that give a nice effect. I generally don't buy these unless I get a bargain such as this, as I find that Barry M can be out of my budget beauty price range (aka, as cheap as I can find, but still good) 

Barry M Eyeshadow Trio Shade: Tes2 Pretty Pastels
RRP: £5.99

I couldn't resist picking up this cute pastel coloured eyeshadow trio!

I think I've had a bit of a pink makeup theme in this haul, though everything can work in together to create some cute and cool looks!

There are other versions with different colours available, I think I spotted a more marine type palette which looked pretty sweet. This comes with a double ended shadow applicator. On one side, a (dreaded) sponge tip applicator, then a brush on the other side.
 I generally don't use the brushes that come with the palettes as I prefer to use my own, but this one is o-k. Definitely better than the w7 palette brush, but still not terribly great, but heyho.

Cost & Savings:

Time for a little bit of maths (I hate maths, so bear with me) 

Adding the RRP of each item together, comes to £25.15

Take away the £5 that I paid in total for all of these, (£1 each) and that gives me a total saving of £20.15!!! 
How good is that?!??

Final thoughts:

I definitely suggest that you all take yourselves on a little trip to your local poundland to see what they have in store for you!

If you have been recently, what did you buy? Did you get some great bargains too?

Let me know in the comments below!

Love,
           Kasumi x

Branching out into Onee-gyaru (Wardrobe Update)

 Hey Sweethearts,

Finally getting round to doing another outfit post!

Spring is finally here....well, it was here, briefly, until we had snow here in Scotland this week! >.<
 For the last while I've been having a good hard think about what direction to take my style & wardrobe in. I'm not far away from the dreaded 3-0, so it's probably about time I grow up in terms of style too.

That being said, I still want to keep my Gyaru influences, just make it a bit more age appropriate. Upon searching, I came across a style called "onee-gyaru". "Onee" translates as "older sister" and this sub-style of Gyaru is a more toned down, grown up & refined style - and I was quite excited to see this!

I haven't given myself Gyaru makeup here due to my eyes being pretty dry so lenses aren't a good idea, and my hair is in desperate need of a revamp, so I've just been tying it back and avoiding it!

I've been doing a lot of research and trying to find equivalent or similar items on a budget that can give me that look & hopefully rebuild my self-confidence. (lately, I'm struggling to wear items other than running gear and jeans with holes in the thighs....thick thigh issues)


I went a little nosey around Primark, hoping to find a nice dress & accessories to make an outfit from and I think I got something pretty good!

Dress:

Price: £13 - Primark

I really love the colours and pattern on this dress. I'm really into neutral tones, and the splash of blue worked so well to make it pop a bit more. 

It regards to the cut of the dress, I'm enjoying trying out higher necklines as usually I opt for something more low cut to show off my collarbones. (and make my bust look bigger than it actually is  - padded bras are friends, ladies! XD)
 The downside of the neckline is that it minimises the bust area for me, but it still looks nice. 
 Generally the dress has quite a loose fit, which is why it comes with a little waist belt to pull it in and give shape. Unfortunately I currently lack shape (well, aside from pear...), so every little bit helps. 
 I wasn't entirely sold on the little thin belt as I didn't feel it pulled my in enough for my liking, so when I added a jacket to it, I changed belts. 

Shoes:

I also realised that I had thrown out all of my little flat shoes in my last wardrobe clearout, so had to get myself a couple of new pairs. I found these little brown ones for £6 which matched the belt on my dress, so picked them up.

Price: £6 - Primark

These are super comfy and fit well, so perfect for running around in town, and for when I need to change out of heels! (I always like to carry flats in my handbag if I'm going out in heels)

Bag: 

I went out shopping with a good friend of mine who came back to visit this week, and stupidly went out without a handbag - only grabbing my purse and keys before running out of the door! -_-

However, I used this as an excellent excuse to buy this cute little bag that I spied on my last venture to the shops: 

Price: £8 - Primark

I absolutely LOVE the lace cut out detail on this, it's just so cute! ^_^ It also fits in with the rest of the things I bought the few days prior, so that's always a plus!
To be honest, I've been wanting a brown bag like this for the longest time, so I'm really happy to have it.
It's quite a small bag (for me, at least) but it can hold my big purse, keys, phone, makeup & mirror, and a Manga quite comfortably!
The drawback is that it doesn't have a zip, which is quite a big deal for me - I'm a paranoid person, and prefer to have a zip underneath for extra security.

Outfit: 

So here is my outfit!

I teamed this dress with my favourite soft, nude coloured jacket from New Look that I got a couple of years back. I kept the accessories simple with a little necklace and bracelet set that I also got from Primark for £4, and a thicker belt that I had in my cupboard (also from Primark a few years ago).

Improvements: 

Ideally to complete the look, heels are definitely a requirement, but I haven't found a pair to match that I like enough to buy. Do any of you have any suggestions?
I also need to make an effort with my hair & makeup...I can't wait to take a bottle or 2 of dye to my hair again!
  I've been trying my best to let my hair grow out after all the bleaching, but I'm getting to the point of hair hatred, where it's a case of I either;

a) Dye it and get extensions
or
b) shave it all off and start again

I don't mind the brown so much, but all the same 1 colour is too plain and boring for my tastes...I really want to add some blonde into the mix.

What do you think?
Have you got any hair or shoe suggestions for me?

As always, leave me comments below!

Love,

          Kasumi x

Etude House Makeup Review pt. 3

Hi Sweethearts!

Finally finished doing my reviews of the Etude  House Makeup from my haul. I'll go some posts about the skin care products when I get round to using them too, but after this post I'd like to break it up just a little bit!

I've been having a little think about what to do with the purple etude house shadow, but in the end I went with my first thoughts on using it as part of a smokey eye look.

First thing's first - I wanted to see just how pigmented a colour this was compared to the mint. 

The tester at the top is the colour on bare, non primed skin - as you can see it's more pigmented than the mint as it's a darker colour, but it's still a bit sheer for my liking. The bottom test patch is the shadow applied on top of a base (in this case, white eyeliner pencil) which makes it a lot richer and brings the lovely purple shade right out.

It also has such a lovely shimmer to it & applied pretty easily took, catching the light really well for a light metallic finish.

The Look - Eyes:

I went for a dark smokey type look here, using the Etude purple shadow by itself in the middle of my lids, and blended with Rimmel Glameyes Black shadow at the corners, and blended upwards towards my browbone.

I highlighted my browbone using the Etude House Crystal Tear Powder that I got a while back from a friend. This stuff is super metallic/sparkly and comes as a loose powder that you really need just a tiny amount of! I like to use this on occassions that I want a super sparkly/shiny look, though it doesn't tend to show it at it's best on camera - you have to see it in person to appreciate it!

The changes between the black and purple shadows are really subtle since it's such a dark purple shadow, but for a nice smokey effect I think it works really well. For me, this is more of a night out type of makeup than for during the day - unless you're the kinda chick that rocks a smokey eye and edgy style on a day to day basis, like I used to!



Lips: 

For my lips, I wanted to give them a natural gloss, so road tested what has become a favourite gloss - the Dear my Crystal gloss from Etude House.

This is the cutest gloss! It's got little sparkles in it, so it shimmers in the light. The soft nudey pink colour blends to my lip colour well, and is super glossy and long lasting - I really adore this & want to get more of them!

Here it is on my lips:

So this concludes the Makeup review Section of my Etude House Haul....finally!

I really hope you all like the looks I've created with these wonderful products, and hopefully you'll stick around to listen to my other ramblings!

As always, any comments or questions are greatly appreciated, so feel free to leave me a message below!

Love,

Kasumi x