Hi Sweethearts,
Life has been pretty hectic for me as of late - I've barely had a moment to even think for myself or relax, so blogging has sadly been neglected. Not to worry though, I'm writing up a couple of posts to tide myself over and going to make a conscious effort to making myself look acceptable at least once a week to give everyone something to read on a Sunday XD
(I really miss making Sunday blogposts as they're always a nice end to my week - though the last few Sundays have consisted of me being too tired to get out of bed until I have to leave the house for my weekly family visiting. I'll get back on it, though. >.<)
Life has been pretty hectic for me as of late - I've barely had a moment to even think for myself or relax, so blogging has sadly been neglected. Not to worry though, I'm writing up a couple of posts to tide myself over and going to make a conscious effort to making myself look acceptable at least once a week to give everyone something to read on a Sunday XD
(I really miss making Sunday blogposts as they're always a nice end to my week - though the last few Sundays have consisted of me being too tired to get out of bed until I have to leave the house for my weekly family visiting. I'll get back on it, though. >.<)
Moving swiftly on, my wonderful lady buddy Sah of Reinka (check out her work - she's pretty fab!) made a trip back to S.Korea recently, and brought me back some goodies from my beloved Etude House! I know, this is my 2nd haul of the year from them, and it's only March...but I've fallen madly in love and it's that time of year where I throw away a lot of used and/or out of date makeup and replenish stocks. This time, I'm trying to convert the majority of my makeup to Korean items, as I seem to much prefer them to most of the products we get here. (I'll never give up my Makeup Revolution eyeshadows, or my sleek cream highlighters though! Everything else is up for negotiation.)
So, onto the haul!
BOOM! Yesyesyes - can you feel my excitement yet?
I had many squeals of happiness when I picked it up from the post office, and all the shop customers at my work today were subjected to tales of how wonderful it all is haha!
I'm not entirely sure where to start with this post to be honest, since there are so many things here to gush over!
I think firstly I'll start where my last haul left off - at skincare!
I had many squeals of happiness when I picked it up from the post office, and all the shop customers at my work today were subjected to tales of how wonderful it all is haha!
I'm not entirely sure where to start with this post to be honest, since there are so many things here to gush over!
I think firstly I'll start where my last haul left off - at skincare!
Baking Powder
Ok - here we go!
If you've followed my blog from the beginning then you'll know that I got a tester of the baking powder pore cleansing foam last year - safe to say that I really really like it!
Here we have a massive bottle of the cleansing foam, that works really well for my skin and smells lovely and citrus-y, using baking powder to cleanse the skin.
On the right is the Baking powder wipes (oil type) that you use to remove your makeup - and boy does it do that really well! I used a wipe to see what it would do tonight, and I was shocked at how easy it took everything off - no scrubbing at my face like I usually have to do with makeup wipes!
Super impressed!
Face Mask Sheets
If you've followed my blog from the beginning then you'll know that I got a tester of the baking powder pore cleansing foam last year - safe to say that I really really like it!
Here we have a massive bottle of the cleansing foam, that works really well for my skin and smells lovely and citrus-y, using baking powder to cleanse the skin.
On the right is the Baking powder wipes (oil type) that you use to remove your makeup - and boy does it do that really well! I used a wipe to see what it would do tonight, and I was shocked at how easy it took everything off - no scrubbing at my face like I usually have to do with makeup wipes!
Super impressed!
Face Mask Sheets
Got a couple of mask sheets from Tony Moly within the goodie bag which is a nice change! I've only ever tried their hand creams, and I really liked it so hopefully these will be equally as lovely!
Here we have another few masks from EtudeHouse- a green tea, couple of Tea Tree, and a honey one! I really love these masks and all the different types you can get - there's so many options it's insane!!! I look forward to trying out all of them ^_^
True Relief
True Relief
This is a Trial sample pack of intense moisturising skincare that deals with calming down dry and sore skin. I feel like this might be pretty good for winter months and when it;s cold and windy here in Scotland - I do currently suffer from adult acne thanks to the contraceptive injection, and the face rub the doctors prescribed me tends to dry out my skin a lot, so this might come in handy!
Various Samples
Various Samples
Here are some various samples of different products - does anyone else like to take things like this on short breaks with them, or is it just me? I love collecting samples then using them whilst I'm away - it's so easy to transport and disposable!
The downside to this is that I'll end up loving a lot of them, and then be torn between what to buy next!
Moving on to the makeup....
Base:
I've always wanted to try out the legendary Korean BB cream, but I've always been put off by the potential for them to be too dark for my skin. I did try western ones, and their lightest shade turned me into David Dickinsons' love child....not a good look!
However after seeing this product in the Etude House online store, I went and looked on good old Youtube for some reviews and found some Western ladies using it on the lightest shade without any issues so decided that I'd bite the bullet and give it a go!
I'll be writing some review posts to let everyone know of my experiences with these products - so fingers crossed they go well!
As with the BB cream, I've also been in the market for a new concealer in my ever continuing quest to reduce the dark, deep set circles under my eyes that I've been burdened with since I was young.
I've colour corrected, I've used thicker concealers, lighter ones, brightening/whitening creams, being constantly hydrated, eating well, sleeping properly - nothing has really done the job well enough. I'm now considering having fillers/botox injections to the area to get rid of them for a while. If anyone has any information on under eye filler then I'd be really interested in having some advice.
That being said, I figured that I may as well try out a concealer from Korea since my current lot of concealers have come to the end of their lives - this one in particular has a few different versions of it. I picked the liquid tip, though they also have a stick version, and also a more expensive version with something or other else in it (currently slipped my mind, sorry! )- I may try that one next if this one doesn't work out.
On first impressions that I tried out on my hand - its a really good consistency, light colour and has some good staying power once its dried. Wish me luck!
I've colour corrected, I've used thicker concealers, lighter ones, brightening/whitening creams, being constantly hydrated, eating well, sleeping properly - nothing has really done the job well enough. I'm now considering having fillers/botox injections to the area to get rid of them for a while. If anyone has any information on under eye filler then I'd be really interested in having some advice.
That being said, I figured that I may as well try out a concealer from Korea since my current lot of concealers have come to the end of their lives - this one in particular has a few different versions of it. I picked the liquid tip, though they also have a stick version, and also a more expensive version with something or other else in it (currently slipped my mind, sorry! )- I may try that one next if this one doesn't work out.
On first impressions that I tried out on my hand - its a really good consistency, light colour and has some good staying power once its dried. Wish me luck!
This is the new Play 101 sticks that Etude have brought out - from what I gather, they're replacements for the cupcake all-over colour that they used to do (which I loved) but it is a lot more user friendly in the stick format. As with other play 101 products, they're multi-use ie. you can use them for eyes, face, lips - anything really! They also brought out contouring and foundation tones of the sticks too which will work really nicely with the pencils.
I have to confess, it was watching Etude x Pony videos that totally sold me on this - I absolutely love Pony's makeup style and watching her videos with these products is really inspiring for me.
(Check out Pony Makeup on youtube)
Lips:
I have to confess, it was watching Etude x Pony videos that totally sold me on this - I absolutely love Pony's makeup style and watching her videos with these products is really inspiring for me.
(Check out Pony Makeup on youtube)
Lips:
My Usual lip balm has ran out, and I'm slowly building my etude lip arson since I love their lip products so much - they're just so cutely designed and in such pretty shades! This tint balm is just in the natural clear, but slightly pinky tone that going to hydrate my lips on a daily basis - I drink wayyyyy too much coffee every day at work to be able to keep lipstick looking immaculate, so a balm is going to suit me pretty well!
This is the latest edition to my lipstick collection - it's the dear my blooming lipstick - it's so pretty! This is in a pink shade, though it looks a little more red in photos - but take a little minute to appreciate how cute the packaging is! It even has a heart stamped into the lipstick!!!! (click the pictures to see it bigger) ^_^
Bonus gift:
Bonus gift:
Bonus time!
So this is a surprise gift from my lovely friend, described only as "I know you said you don't really like these things, but trust me and try it." - this was definitely not what I was expecting!
To be perfectly honest, the first thing I asked was "is it edible?????????" because clearly the way my mind works is that anything that I should trust and try is definitely going to be some delicious, obscure food. Wrong!
However, how cool is this!!!! It's SAILOR MOON LIQUID EYELINER!
SAILOR FREAKING MOON!!!
*notes that I should probably mention* I'm a ridiculously massive SailorMoon fangirl, and have been for the past 20 years now....oh jeez, that really makes me sounds old haha!
Anyway, I actually let our a squeal and tears of joy at this - because Sailor Moon is made of win!
I tend to steer well clear of pen style eyeliners, or generally pen type products in general as I find that they dry out really quickly and don't tend to last nearly as long, or they break easily etc etc etc so this is definitely going to be an interesting one!
I've actually heard a lot of good things about this one though, and the brush tip is pretty nice - not too solid, but not flimsy either, and has a good tapered end.
Definitely going to be trying this out for my next full look and posting my thoughts - but seriously it's Sailor Moon, and it's so adorable that that's probably going to outweigh any potential issues that I come across. Did I also mention that it's Sailor Moon??????? T_T
I may have a slight problem - my work room also has little sailor moon items dotted around, so that may well be a hint! Next may well be a Sailor Moon tattoo....probably. Definitely. Yup.
Final thoughts
I am actually so super excited to play around with everything! Like it's 2am UK time, and I'm considering spending the next while in front of the mirror trying things! I'm determined that I'll wait till morning to road test, then do a full blog post on Sunday when I'm not rushing to work and can actually plan an outfit for the day!
As always, any comments or questions? Leave them below!
Love,
Kasumi x
