Product Empties – Hair, Skin and Makeup

The last post I made seemed to be popular, so I wanted to do another product empties post again. I was really upset, because I actually lost half of my products when I was cleaning out my stuff. I must have mistaken the empty bottles for trash and threw them all straight in the bin before I could take any photos of them, so unfortunately for me, I wasn’t able to get photos of my La Mer soft cream, the Creme de La Mer, POLA Grand Luxe, Albion Skin Conditioner, Sulwhasoo First Treatment Essence, Clinique Moisture Surge cream, Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask or The History of Whoo Whitening Ampoule set.

Nonetheless, I did manage to keep some items and so I will be talking about them here. Prepare yourself for ugly photos, dirty bottles and blurry pictures, because I am a professional blogger after all.

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SKINCARE

ALLIE Sun block

I mentioned this product many times, and I believe that I did include this in my last empties post. I did end up repurchasing another 2 bottles, which both are now completely used up. I really love this sunblock as it has SPF 50 PA ++++, it’s light weight, absorbs nicely into the skin, gives slight white cast that appears natural on my skin and it’s wearable under makeup. The only problem I encountered with this sunblock is that locally, the prices were initially only $49.95 AUD, but with our ever declining market and dollar strength, prices for this baby are sitting at an average of $55 per bottle. Sure, the price was steep to begin with, but now I’m starting to feel it’s a bit ridiculous.

Would I repurchase? Probably, once the price stabilizes again, otherwise I might have to look for another sunblock that performs just as well as this one (which I can easily find because Allie UV blocks are comparable to Kanebo’s UV Milk/Gel and Innisfree’s Eco Safety IMO).

KOSE Speedy Cleansing Oil

A cheap spend, and a decent oil cleanser. Honestly, when it comes to cleansing, I don’t really care what product I use, provided it does the job effectively, is pH balanced suitable for the skin, and it is easily accessible to me. It’s very rare I stick to one brand of cleanser or cleansing oil, since I generally don’t care about it too much.

This cleansing oil isn’t an exception to my feelings of cleansing. It does the job very well, it’s gentle on my skin, breaks down makeup and emulsifies easily. I can’t really fault it at all, and it’s pretty cheap as well.

Would I repurchase? Sure, if this is the cheapest oil out in the AB market. Otherwise, I’d just go for the cheaper option, if there are any.

MANDOM Bifesta Cleansing Wipes – Bright Up

These have been a GOD SENT product. You guys know I absolutely DESPISE cleansing wipes, but these ones are enriched with the same liquid found in their micellar water, so I’m never worried whenever I use these sheets. I even wrote a whole blog post about them, which you can read about here.

Would I repurchase? I try not too, only because having cleansing wipes at the disposal can encourage laziness when it comes to skincare, but everyone knows that I’ll end up grabbing another package eventually.

MANDOM Bifesta Cleansing Lotion

Here starts the blurry photos.

Just like the wipes, I wrote a whole blog post on this product, so you can have a read of it here.

Would I repurchase? I like this micellar water, but I do prefer the Acne specific one from this range, so not necessarily repurchase the moist version, unless the Acne specific isn’t available. Actually, let me rephrase this.

I would repurchase depending on stock availabilities, in this order:

1. Acne Care
2. Bright Up
3. Moist Up
4. Q10 Enriched

So, to clarify, if the Acne Care isn’t available, then I would repurchase the cleansing water in the Bright Up formula and so on, so forth.

HELLO FACE Milky Drop Cream

Remember that DoctorCos branded cream I talked about ages ago? This utilizes the same droplet technology where the cream produced liquid droplets upon application to provide extra hydration for the skin. I found that this cream was a bit harder to absorb than the DoctorCos cream, but provided the same level of hydration as the DoctorCos.

Would I repurchase? Since this cream provided my skin with whitening care, that helped with hyper pigmentation, I would say I might repurchase it, since whitening care is so damn expensive. Otherwise, I’m inclined to go for different creams since there are better alternatives to this one in particular.

SECRET KEY Snow White Essence

I heard about this product back when I was working customer service in cosmetics retail, from a Muslim customer who only shopped skin whitening products. She basically told me this was THE product to help brighten the skin, and really stop your skin from getting darker. Since, back then, my peers and a few customers made me feel uncomfortable with my skin tone, I went out and bought a bottle to really “fix” my skin tone.

To clarify, I actually like my skin tone now; I think dark skin, light skin and everything in between are equally beautiful, and for me to think otherwise back then, was a bit stupid. Nonetheless, this is truly an example of how peer pressure or even bullying (if you can call it that) can affect someone’s mental state.

Back to skin care, I used this bottle hoping for a whiter and “more beautiful” me, but this bottle did absolutely nothing other than make my skin appear overly compensated with sebum.

Would I repurchase? HELL NO.

LEADERS INSOLUTION Wrinkle-Tox First Ampoule Mask

I was planning to do a separate blog post on this mask alone, but I lost my photos when I was doing my monthly clean out of images in my phone. Mistakingly, I deleted the mask images along with older blogging content that has already been published, so there goes my hard work down the drain.

Oh well.

As far as this mask goes, it was in this vial-like bottle seeped in serum and wrapped around a stick. The whole mask and design aspect itself was very interesting and nothing like I’ve ever seen before. Using the mask however, my skin was itchy and red upon application, and remained red for the rest of the day. The morning after, my face blew up with pimples.

Would I repurchase? Oh my god yes. I love getting allergic reactions and pimples all over my face.

if you can’t tell this is sarcasm, then you need to turn your locations on so we can chat.

ETUDE HOUSE Dust Cut Facial Mist

I don’t know why I bought this facial mist to be honest, but all I can remember was that the bottle was retailed for $35 AUD. Now, I’m not sure about you guys overseas, but here in Australia, Etude House is NEVER above $30, no sir. I say, that even though I don’t find it expensive at all, if you’re going to purchase a drug store branded item, then you’d expect to be paying drug store prices, right?

Overall, the mist itself was ok, albeit a bit dry on the skin. I mean, it’s to be expected if your mist claims to “cut the dust”.

Would I repurchase? Not at that price. Otherwise, I might get me another bottle.

AVENE Eau Thermale

AKA canned and compressed water.

What is there to say, other than Avene is EXPENSIVE here in Perth, and that it literally is water in a mist can.

It’s good for sensitive skin. BECAUSE IT’S WATER!
It helps to smooth and soften the skin. BECAUSE IT’S FUCKING WATER!!!!!!

Need I say more? Oh BTW I got the largest size and spent $59.95 AUD on it, so other than it being just a can of water, it’s also ridiculously priced. Who in their right mind is OK with spending close to 60 bucks on a can of water?

Would I repurchase? I’m notorious for spending and wasting money on unnecessary shit, but this is a bit too much. I’d rather buy a carton of carbonated water and use that as bathing water, than to repurchase this facial mist.

INNISFREE Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask

Cult favorite, my favorite. I have a Whoo clay mask that costed me a whopping $90 that honestly, performs less than what this mask can offer, and the Innisfree only cost me a quarter of the price. It’s a clay mask, it tightens, softens the skin, brightens the complexion AND it tightens pores. Needless to say, everyone can get their hands on it.

Would I repurchase? Of course; it’s cheap, effective, and it lasts a long time.

CLINIQUE Smart Treatment Oil

This is the beginning of dirty packaging as well.

I was pressured by the staff there to purchase a bottle. She literally made me feel like shit, left tissue paper tearing all over my face after I received a facial over there, and disregarded the fact my skin was literally burning when she applied not only a clay mask I’m allergic to, but also a toner that literally causes my skin to bleed. That stupid bitch made me look bad, feel bad, then came and said a few words that would have had me permanently removed from the shopping centre if I didn’t buy this oil. I was absolutely FUMING, but I couldn’t have myself permanently removed; I worked INSIDE the centre.

I bit my tongue and purchased the damn oil. What else could I have done? Sure, I could have told a few people and got them to help me out, but with no solid evidence, it would be word for word. A formal complaint written in handwriting would also have done nothing. Calling the store manager on her pasty ass? Again, word for word. Ain’t there a single thing I could have said or done to fix the issue.

Nonetheless, that’s in the past and I was stuck with a facial oil I didn’t really need. What did I think of it? Well, it was an oil, and it went on my skin. It absorbed terribly, made my skin congested because it sat only on the surface of my skin, and it smelt really weird.

Would I repurchase? I didn’t even want to purchase it to begin with. It felt disgusting during the facial massage.

ETUDE HOUSE AC Clinic Daily

If this is old packaging, and the new designs came out a while ago, guess how long I had THIS cleanser for.

Yes, I know this is the older formula.

Yes, I know I should have ridden this from my skin care a long time ago.

Yes, I know I ran the risk of skin irritation.

But, I didn’t get any skin troubles, I used it before the expiry date, given that packaging dates differ from the time you open the product and expose it to air for the first time, and I knew that after using this cleanser, I could compare this to the new AC Clean Up.

Would I repurchase? Well, no, because I can’t now. AC Clean Up cleanser, I would purchase it for Summer when my acne gets really bad. It’ll give me an indication as to how the new formula fairs against the classic I’ve fallen in love with over the years.

ETUDE HOUSE AC Clean Up Toner

This toner, compared to the original smells less chemically, but still has that medicinal scent to it. Other than that, the pricing point was the same, as so were the functions and capabilities.

Would I repurchase? Since I’m using a BHA active now, I’m not 100% sure I can, but otherwise I would, since it helps with acne and isn’t drying like other acne skincare products in the market.

POLA White BA Day Mask

Probably the ONLY high end product I was able to retain in my empties garbage.

This mask is somewhat of an extra step, and dedicated for all the extra people in the AB community. This is like a serum, except it is to be worn AFTER applying your moisturizers and such. That said, if you skip out on lotion, cream or whatever you use to keep your skin well hydrated, then relying on this mask is a huge no no.

I found that this mask was quite moist, kept my skin looking brighter, plumper and more glossy than if I were to skip this product altogether. However, being that BA is a collagen based product and intended for those with aging skin, it didn’t click in my mind that this wouldn’t be compatible with my dehydrated, yet, oily skin type at the time of usage. It goes without saying that this mask left me really oily after 3 hours, and it didn’t help my makeup if worn underneath. As a stand alone product itself though, I found this day mask was beautiful on the skin, even with the oily complexion, and it did keep my skin feeling hydrated throughout the day.

Would I repurchase? Since I can get my hands on POLA for a lovely price of $0, I don’t need to purchase it at all, but I did actually spend my money for this bottle, since my regular supplier of POLA didn’t have any Day Mask left, and I had to venture out to buy one for real. At a starting price point of $205 AUD, I think the fuck not.

HAIR CARE

POLA Emollient Oil Essence

This hair oil is the most pricey from what I’ve tried so far, sitting at $35 AUD per bottle. It isn’t cheap, but it worked wonders for my severely dry and damaged hair. I could wear the oil essence alone as a leave in, or use it as a pre flat iron treatment to coat and protect the hair itself. The scent is florally and light, which I liked, and the essence was thick enough to have an effect on my hair, but light enough that it didn’t weigh my hair down.

Would I repurchase? Definitely. It’s the best oil I’ve used to date, and I don’t think Western brand hair oils live up to the quality that POLA hair care provides.

FUDGE Clean Blonde Shampoo

Back when I had grey hair, this is all I used to retain the ashy color. It works wonders for people who want to achieve the ashy tone, or for those who want to maintain ash grey or silver hair. The only downfall is that the formula of this shampoo strips your hair completely of any moisture, leaving your hair dry.

Would I repurchase? Now that my hair is brown, I see no need for this shampoo. Maybe if I decide to dye my hair again, I’ll consider it.

FUDGE Clean Blonde Conditioner

OK this photo is unusable even for my standards.

Clearly I went for the blurry aspect of this photo. It’s my aesthetic.

Nah I’m joking.

I actually suck.

This conditioner is purple toned just like the shampoo, and is designed to act as a second wash of purple to achieve less brassy toned hair. However, the color is so light, that this conditioner does nothing to address hair tone whatsoever. On top of that, the conditioning capabilities of this product are so sub par that you’re better off wasting money on the cheapest hair conditioner you can find at the drug store.

Would I repurchase? I’d rather spend the $25 on food to sustain my hunger rather than this.

JOICO Intensive Hydrator Treatment

I actually asked the sales assistant to help me find a rich hair mask to keep my hair feeling softer and less frizzy, in which she suggested this product to me. Going home, I had high expectations for this hair mask, since the only other hair packs I liked were from Ichigami and Fino. This mask performed worse than those two, and left my hair feeling the same after washing, as if I were to not use it at all.

What a waste of $39.95.

Would I repurchase? No, and I’ll happily stick to my Fino for $19.95.

MATRIX Biolage Advanced Keratindose

Unlike other keratin hair care products, this one didn’t smell like I pissed all over my hands. That immediately was a good sign. The same lady that suggested the shitty hair pack, also suggested me this.

As a product, it really kept my hair feeling a little bit healthier and more glossy in appearance. I hate the spray nozzle though, since the keratin essence was too thick to be sprayed on in a fine mist. Nope, the keratin came out in jets of liquid. Overall though, not a bad product, but nowhere near $35 good.

Would I repurchase? If this ever went on sale, then yes. Otherwise, I’ll probably go back to smelling like piss again, with the cheap $6 Korean keratin essences.

TRESEMME Luxurious Moisture Conditioner

Everyone uses Tresemme because it’s big, cheap and easily accessible. I only bought a bottle because the AB stores didn’t have any Ichikami in stock, and that made me real sad. Nonetheless, as a fill in conditioner, it lasted longer than my Ichikami (I use a LOT of conditioner) and it worked fine too.

Would I repurchase? Sure, if I can’t find a replacement to Ichikami since it iS ALWAY S OUT OF STO C    K

ICHIKAMI Moisturizing Shampoo

Speaking of the devil, this shampoo is my go to. It smells nice, works nice, and it’s $25 per bottle so nothing too crazy. I can wash with this and literally go without conditioner if I’m running late, and my hair won’t feel dry at all.

Would I repurchase? I don’t know, ask the AB stores when they’re getting their stock back.

ICHIKAMI Moisturizing Conditioner

Just like above, this works great, smells great and costs the same amount of money. There really is nothing else to say about it.

Would I repurchase? Yes.

YANAGIYA Hair Tonic – Super Cool

This tonic is supposed to stimulate the hair follicles to effectively keep your hair healthier and grow stronger. I bought this only because my head gets really hot, and I wanted a tonic to cool down the scalp in order to make my makeup last longer throughout the day. This tonic did just that.

I guess as far as it’s “actual” claims goes, it did alright. Nothing fancy.

Would I repurchase? Depending on my tolerance to heat in the upcoming summer, I might have to think about it.

MAKEUP

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL Artclass By Rodin – Illuminizer

I don’t know if I can give a fair review on this since I was only able to use the highlighter 5 times before I accidentally dropped it and it smashed everywhere in my bathroom causing me to cry heavily for he next 300 years as I reflect back in my life trying to pinpoint where I went wrong as a child.

As far as a highlight goes, it worked beautifully from memory, the colors were really nice and the shimmer was natural since it wasn’t strewn with chunky glitters. Just like the contour, the powder itself is very smooth, and glides upon the skin for a beautiful yet skin like finish.

Would I repurchase? Well I have to, since I never even got to try it out properly.

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL Artclass By Rodin – Contour

Speaking of contour, this is probably the 6th one I’ve used up completely since I first got my hands on it. I love contour, probably a bit too much. That’s probably why I always look muddy in real life, whenever people see me.

Would I repurchase? Well, I only used 6 so far, so I don’t know…

INNISFREE Long Wear Cushion

This is the OG cushion and not the new formula. I’m yet to try it out and see whether it’s the same thing or something completely different, but from what I had here, the cushion itself was nice, matte and stayed on for a very long time.

Would I repurchase? I actually want the My Cushions, you know, the ones with the hella fancy packaging where you can custom design your own case to make it match your cushion aesthetics. If I can get that, then yes I would love to buy another one.

NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray

I have been sleeping on NYX for so damn long, and I’m so mad with myself because NYX is actually so damn good! This setting spray included.

I can’t say much, since this literally goes over the top of your makeup, makes your base real glossy and sets makeup into place for the entire day.

Would I repurchase? It’s a couple of dollars, fuck the Too Cool For School one I was using before.

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If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to like, subscribe to my blog and share with your friends and family. What are some of your empties you’ve tried thus far? Have you used or are currently using everything I have here on this blog post? Let me know down in the comments below, or through my SNS, which you can find below.

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You Clean Your Brushes with What? – Anthony’s Brush Routine

I’ve tried it all; soap bars, shampoo, dishwashing liquid, face cleanser, heck, even actual brush cleansing solution. Nothing really kept my brushes cleaner than what I’m going to share with you now. In saying though, you’ll probably be like “Anthony, what the fuck?”

Keep reading to see what I use to keep all my brushes and sponges free from makeup and dirt.

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My secret ingredient for brush cleansing, is literally hot tap water, a silicone brush cleansing device (the one with all the grooves) and…

HOUSEHOLD LAUNDRY DETEGENT

I’ve tried using powder as well, and it works just fine. I would suggest dissolving in warm water, before adding it to more water, as the powder particles can get a bit annoying after a while. I don’t deal with that shit though, so I use liquid instead. Plus, this one here smells absolutely divine.

Yes, you read right. I remember one time, I got makeup all over my clothes, and I tried everything to get it off, and the only thing that remove the makeup from my stained clothing was laundry detergent, so I decided, why not use them on my makeup brushes as well?

Keep in mind that washing liquids of all types have a pH higher than 7; in chemistry terms, these agents are referred to as alkaline. When mixing an alkaline with an acid, you can neutralize the two agents to (hopefully) produce a neutral pH rated substance.

With this in mind, I always wash my brushes and sponges with a laundry detergent, and follow with a quick wash using a sub acid cleanser for extra precaution.

I don’t measure the quantity of liquid to water. I literally pour and guess the amounts each time, depending on the amount of brushes or sponges I am washing. For reference though, I usually try follow the recommended 1 cap-full of detergent to 5L of water guideline, as I would usually with my clothes.

Sitting at the bathtub, with my laundry detergent and hot water ready, I prepare all my makeup tools to the side, ready for washing them all.

I actually love the design aspect of the Pony Effect brushes being magnetic and able to hang upside down for perfect drying.

I find that washing your tools with just soapy water and your bare hands can prove to be difficult, so I picked up a cheap brush egg with grooves built in, to allow my brushes to be thoroughly scrubbed down and free from makeup, dirt and impurities.

I’m pretty sure I got this for $3 somewhere in Perth, but I could be mistaken. This gadget has been sitting in my bathroom for so long now, I forget the exact price I purchased it for.

See the grooves it has? There are straight indents perfect for your larger brushes like foundation and powders, and tiny cylindrical indents perfect for your smaller brushes like brows and shadows.

From here on out, it’s as simple as dipping the brush in the water, giving it a quick swish around and scrubbing the living daylights of them all, to ensure they’re clean. With the laundry detergent mix though, I’m spending no more than 30 seconds per brush, so cleaning does not take long at all.

To be completely honest, this picture was taken after cleaning only 4 brushes. My fingers get darn pruney very easily.

For verification, I put to the test my most stubborn brushes to clean against this laundry detergent mix.

This is the Stippling Brush from Etude House. One of my favorite brushes for applying blush and shading.

I use this brush practically everyday to add blush to my cheeks, and blend out my contour. Sometimes, I’ll even dive right in with foundation if I want to be a little bit extra, or have a lot of time on my hands. My last cleanse with this brush, using a brush cleansing solution from a Western brand (I can’t remember which, but DB sounds familiar) left all my tools stained and not properly cleaned. I thought that this would be a good opportunity to see how it fairs against laundry detergent.

Directly after washing with the laundry detergent.

Though it”s not pristine white, most of the color did come off very quickly, and the water was practically clear giving the brush a rinse after a 15 second scrub. I guess, with brushes used for powder products, they clean almost immediately.

Honesty, my brushes tend to get dirtier than this. Unfortunately for me, this flat foundation brush was one of the more “cleaner” ones.

Next up is foundation. I use the Pony Effect Flat Foundation Brush virtually for all liquid products. Foundation, concealer on wider areas of the face, contour, liquid highlight. EVERYTHING. So in saying that, this brush was filthy prior to cleansing. Again putting the laundry detergent to the test, I wanted to see how liquid makeup fairs against it.

A tad longer than powders I must say, but overall, 40 seconds on a liquid makeup brush isn’t too bad either. Again, this photo was taken directly after cleansing with laundry detergent.

Clean. Not a single drama at all with laundry detergent. Had I used a specific branded brush cleanser, I’d probably be sitting at the bathtub for a good 10 minutes just on ONE foundation brush. Don’t even get me started on how shampoo and dish washing liquid works on them.

Etude House makes a good spooly brush in my opinion. As shown here, I like to bend my spooly on an angle for easier usage. Most brushes would snap, but this Etude House one hasn’t thus far.

How about a spooly? Such a weird brush to clean. Whenever I do my brows, I always use a wax to sculpt my brows, either powder or liquid to fill in, and then a coat of brow mascara to change the hair colors. With each step, I use my spooly to brush out the brow hairs into place, and to also blend the makeup. That said, this brush used every day, get’s a lot of gunk on the bristles.

I might have scrubbed too hard, a chunk came off at the top.

Not even 10 seconds, and the brush was clean. What else can I say, other than not to scrub this brush too hard as the bristles might fall off like mine. Oops.

NOW FOR THE REAL TEST

Brushes are easy to clean, but how about sponges? They’re the real devils when it comes to makeup tool washing. Again, just like the brushes, I’ve never actually had any good luck using everything else. Even specific brush cleansing solutions. The beauty sponges always stay dirty, and cushions don’t ever return to it’s former white color.

Too Cool For School marshmallow puff, since the original beauty blender isn’t available here from my knowledge. Speaking of which, I need a new sponge. Any recommendations?

Beauty sponges are one of the most daunting to wash; they absorb all the water and end up not even cleaning the makeup off properly. Even when you scrub and squish the living daylights out of them, they always remain dirty. How does laundry detergent fair though?

See the cracks? I definitely need a new sponge. Somebody help me!

I forgot my sponge was this shade of pink. Wow. That’s all I can say.

My arch nemesis – The cushions

“Yeah, but sponges are more easier to clean than cushions are.”

That’s very true. I’ve gone and seen many reviews on cushion cleansing, and virtually every single one I saw, nobody could get their cushions looking half decent no matter what they tried.

I mean, at least the cushion is white…

The liquid definitely made the cushion white again, which is definitely a relief, and the cushion itself is clean for sure. However, as the image shows, the Etude House band is stained from the foundation, and I wasn’t able to remove it at all. Nonetheless, this is by far the most cleanest I’ve ever got a cushion to, so I’m pretty darn happy.

After cleansing with laundry detergent, I go in for a second cleanse with face wash, and then lay all my brushes and sponges out on some kitchen paper to dry. Except for the Pony Effect brushes. I hang them upside down.

You can tell, most of my brushes are Etude House. They don’t shed at all when you wash them, and they stay feeling soft as ever, so why spend money on brushes when I rarely use them to begin with?

The handy magnetic design means water can’t get to the base of the brush, dissolving the glue that keeps the bristles in place. Nonetheless, the fluffier brushes like the powder brushes and the blending eye brushes all shed like crazy, which defeats the purpose I guess.

After all the hard work, and probably 30 minutes in the bathroom, would I recommend using laundry detergent as a cleaning agent for your makeup brushes?

Well, it all depends. Of course looking at it from a skincare perspective, I’m sure we can all agree that laundry ANYTHING should never come in contact with our skin. However, the results do speak very loudly, and I guess, my answer is somewhere on the fence.

Until I can find a good makeup brush cleanser, I guess I’m sticking with Fab.

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If you enjoyed this post, then don’t forget to like it, subscribe to my blog for future updates, and share with your friends and family. Do you have any secrets when it comes to cleaning your brushes? Maybe you’ve seen other methods that might be better than laundry detergent. Don’t forget to share ideas, or any feedback through the comments down below, or through my SNS.

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Playing Around with Stick Makeup – First Impressions and Review

They’ve been sitting in my bedroom for quite some time now, so I might as well whip them out and see what stick makeup products can actually do as far as makeup goes. I own 5 Etude House Play 101 sticks, a 3CE shimmer stick that I haven’t used on myself and an I’m Meme Shading stick that’s about to run out.

What sort of makeup look can I create with these products? Keep reading to see what kind of mess I get myself into today.

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From left to right: PLAY 101 #3, PLAY 101 #12, PLAY 101 #13, PLAY 101 #11, PLAY 101 #10, 3CE Shimmer Stick #Peach and I’M MEME Shading Stick

 

Stick makeup isn’t new to the K-Beauty world by any means, but it is unfortunately one of the less popular beauty items in people’s personal disposal. I honestly bought these since each and every one I own were the only available here in Perth, and I felt like blowing my money on crap I didn’t need.

From top to bottom: PLAY 101 #03, PLAY 101 #11, PLAY 101 #12, PLAY 101 #13, PLAY 101 #10, I’M MEME Shading Stick, 3CE Shimmer Stick #Peach

 

As you can tell from the photos, the products aren’t as pigmented as I hoped for, other than the foundation stick and the shading stick. The others were lacking in pigment. Each formula was notably different as well. PLAY 101 #03, #12, Shimmer Stick and Shading Stick were all creamy in texture, whereas the PLAY 101 #10, #13 and #11 were more satin-powder type.To begin with the makeup, I always start off with a blank canvas, properly cleansed and moisturized. For reference, I use a pH 5.5 cleanser, tone with a pH 4.5 skin and moisturize with a gel type lotion.

Anthony is back at it again with the OLENS Russian Velvet in blue, which I got at Cosmehut for $36 a pair. They are too thick to wear comfortably in my opinion, and I’m hoping that, just like the OLENS x ANNA SUI lenses, these will become thinner over time and be comfortable. For now, I personally don’t recommend them.

 

I saw a sponsored Etude House video featuring beauty creator Pony, where she drew stripes across her face using the PLAY 101 foundation stick, so I took PLAY 101 #03 and did just that.I found that using this product, using a sponge gave more of a natural application than using a brush since the formula was so creamy. In saying that though, using a sponge only allows the product to apply up to a medium coverage, whereas a brush can stretch the foundation to a medium-full. Using a brush doesn’t allow the product to work well with the skin and emphasizes texture. It also makes the base look very cakey as well. Overall, the finish of the product wasn’t too matte nor too dewy. Somewhere in between, which I quite liked.

With two different shading sticks, I decided to use PLAY 101 #11 on one side, and the I’M MEME Shading stick on the other.

Beginning with the PLAY 101 #11, I applied the contour shade as per usual, but had to use 3 layers altogether just to get some color payoff. The overall tone was way too orange in shade for the product to be used as a contour, but I managed somehow.

I did the same with the I’M MEME StickJudging by the photo, you can immediately tell that the I’M MEME Shading Stick is way more pigmented, and has better color payoff. I only needed a single layer to achieve a contour.

In saying that though, the formula is extremely creamy, and thus, blending out for precise contour proved to be difficult. This can ultimately be fixed by using a brush and being careful; all I had no energy or effort for.

With contour done, I decided to do the same with the two blusher sticks; PLAY 101 #13 on one side, and PLAY 101 #12 on the other.

PLAY 101 #13 was sheer upon application and had fine gold shimmers throughout the product. Since this stick applied smoothly with it’s powdery-satin texture, it made my skin appear fairly smooth. However, blending the product out practically made it disappear. It was fairly disheartening.

In person, you can barely make out the blush color if you pressed your face against my cheekbones. On camera, yeah not a single trace of color at all.

PLAY 101 #12 was my hopeful product, since the formula was creamy type, and the color was noticeable upon application. However, just like the latter, this product blended out into almost nothing. At least in person, you can make out the color on the cheeks, but on camera, you can’t really see anything at all.

The last two sticks were the highlighters, which I was super keen on trying. I love me some highlight, especially cream type as they offer you natural glow that can either be worn alone, or be used as a base for your powders which strengthens the overall highlight.

Following suite, I decided to use PLAY 101 #10 on one side, and 3CE Shimmer Stick #Peach on the other.

PLAY 101 #10 was extremely brittle with it’s powdery texture, so chunks of the stick kept breaking off on my cheek. It was so damn infuriating to use and I really didn’t like it from the get go. The product was also strewn with chunky glitters which wasn’t appealing in the slightest. Overall, blending wise, it worked decently so I was at the very least, able to buff away the chunks of the stick sitting on my cheek bones.

I really don’t like 3CE much as far as their makeup goes, so I wasn’t expecting much when I was trying this shimmer stick.

However, to my surprise, it performed pretty darn well. The formula is on the creamy side, but blends out like a dream. Rather than chunky glitters, the shimmer stick has pearl pigments that actually make the skin appear as if it’s glowing.

After trying out the stick products, I finished off the base makeup by setting everything with a bit of powder, adding nose contour using the I’M MEME Shading Stick and filling in my brows.

For extra trials, I wanted to see how the blush sticks performed if they were to be used with a shadow brush and applied directly onto the eyelid.

With 6 layers, I used a small dense shadow placement brush to apply PLAY 101 #13 onto the entire upper lid, and halfway on the bottom lid. Since the pigment was weak to begin with, I wasn’t expecting the color to really peek through even with a brush, and I wasn’t wrong.

Using a shadow placement brush and PLAY 101 #12, apply the cream to the outer and inner areas of your eyes with preferably, 4 layers since the color wasn’t showing up at all.

I tried using the PLAY 101 #11 on the outer corners, but again, the color was way too sheer, so I opted for a dark taupe eyeshadow instead and placed that on the outer corners to contour the lid, and add color variation. I then set the rest of the eye with translucent powder just because the PLAY 101 sticks were creasing and moving around.

Since I wanted to at least finish off an eye look, I decided to draw a winged liner to tie everything into place.

Just to be extra, I added 3CE Shimmer Stick #Peach to the centre of the lids, inner corners and bottom eyelid for shimmer, and it performed excellently with just a single layer.

With that, finishes the eye look (unless you want to curl and add mascara as well) and gave me enough information to come up with a final judgement on the stick type products.

Overall, I am so dissatisfied with what I used today. The contour products were lacking on both sides since they were too orange, and the PLAY 101 #11 was just too sheer to even be seen on the skin with a single layer. At the very least, the I’M MEME Shading stick was somewhat useful.

The PLAY 101 #12 and #13 were products I sort of had expectations for, which ultimately let me down in the end. They blended away to nothingness with a sponge, and didn’t show up very well with a dense brush. I can’t say anything positive about them, other than the #13 being pretty in shade if you looked at it from it’s packaging.

The PLAY #03 was surprisingly decent as a foundation when used with a sponge, The only fault is that the coverage isn’t the best, and you’d better not risk looking cakey if you’re using a brush.

The 3CE Shimmer Stick #Peach actually blew my expectations out of the water. I fell in love the moment I started blending it into my skin with my sponge, and when I used it on my eye lids. The color is beautiful, the highlight itself is very natural, working alone for a beautiful glow, or as a base for your powder highlights. Out of everything I tried today, I would only recommend you buy this one, since it performed well.

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Have you tried the PLAY 101 sticks or stick makeup before, or are intrigued as to why I don’t like them? Maybe you own some stick products that I might like. Let me know down in the comments below, or through my SNS and tell me your experiences with Stick Makeup. As usual, if you enjoyed this post, then give it a like, subscribe to this blog for future updates, and share with your friends and family.

Twitter : beavties

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ATTEMPT TWO: Red Light Only

Throwing away the idea of the rosy pink makeup in my last attempt, I went only for the red light concept with the natural one side, and full glam on the other. Again, with Krystal of F(x) as my inspiration, I decided to reattempt the Red Light makeup.

Is there really a need for me to say that I CLEARLY DO NOT own this image NOR DO I CLAIM COPYRIGHT, or is that already a given?

I have to stress that I am NOT a professional makeup artist, nor have I received an ounce of training whatsoever, and so I kindly ask you not to expect much at all.

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STEP ONE: Start off with a clean and well moisturized face. For the full Krystal effect, have only one contact lens in the eye you are going to do the heavy makeup on.

The natural lighting was weirdly changing every 5 minutes, because here in Australia, winter is undefined. It’s either oddly sunny, heavily raining with clouds scattered throughout the sky, or both at the same time. With that said, hopefully some pictures aren’t brighter than other ones.

As far as skincare goes, I always wash my face with a pH 5.5 cleanser, tone using a pH 4.5 skin and moisturize using a gel type lotion.

I’m using my trusty old OLENS x ANNA SUI grey contact, sitting at a DIA of 14.2mm. I have a GEO Flower lens which is 15mm DIA but I found that it looked too strange to have a natural 13.8mm eye with a 15mm DIA lens. If you own a 14.5mm lens and your eyes are as big as mine, then I’d probably recommend you try using that as it creates a better effect. BTW I don’t recommend wearing these lenses for a long period of time, since the lens itself is fairly thick and can become irritatingly uncomfortable to wear as it gets drier.

STEP TWO: Prepare your face by applying your base, concealer and cooking material. Skip this step if you prefer to do your eyes first.

But I use a lot of powder. Probably best to avoid baking like I do.

STEP THREE: Prepare your eyelids using a primer and base color.

I used concealer and a muted taupe shade as my base color for the eyeshadow.

I forgot about the bake on my nose, that I ended up leaving it for too long. After removing the bake, my nose felt incredibly dry afterwards.

STEP FOUR: Draw your guide for your eyeliner using shadow before applying eyeshadows

This step really is optional. I’m just terrible at planning and usually go with the flow when it comes to everything, so just as a precaution, I chose to draw the guideline for my own benefit. Heck, maybe this step might help one of you guys.

STEP FIVE: Avoiding the middle of your eyelids, apply your dark shadow on the entirety of your eyelid, including and emphasizing the crease. Extend the color all the way to the front and inner corners of the eye, and drag along the bottom eyelid halfway from the front of the eye.

Krystal actually had black on her eyes, but since I wanted the look to be a bit softer, I opted for brown. The color is also way more forgiving than black is.

STEP SIX: Using your finger or a dampened shadow placement brush, apply a shimmery shade that is two shades lighter than your crease color to the blank areas of your eyelids for color variation.

If you used black, then a silver or a gold shimmer will look really nice with this look. Otherwise in my case, I used a shimmery copper with fine glitters.

STEP SEVEN: Line your eyes following the guideline you created, winging the liner upwards to create a cat wing.

STEP EIGHT: Fill in your brow either the way you usually do them, or seek permission from the All Maker and rock an angry birds styled brow.

I didn’t ask the All Maker though, and unfortunately for me, I’m going to hell. God dammit.

Unlike Krystal’s eye look, by using brown and adding the central shimmer, the eye looks less dark and more wearable.

STEP NINE: Curl your lashes and apply your mascara, and if necessary, apply highlight to your half of the face to complete the makeup for your dark side.

With the concept photos, Krystal appeared to not be wearing any blush or contour at all, so it’s up to you whether you want to apply it or not. I added the tiniest bit of blush to the outer cheek for color to the face, and highlight along the cheekbones to bring back some liveliness to the skin.

Once again, my facial expression is giving off the “I’m dead to the world” feels.

STEP TEN: Starting off with your natural eye, make sure to have primed and set your eyelid ready for eyeshadow. Take a camel shade and apply to the inner and outer eyelid for definition.

Usually I pray for pigment when it comes to eyeshadows, but in this case, I really wanted no pigment whatsoever. This eye look needed to be extremely light, as if it were barely there, in order to achieve the “no makeup” feel.

STEP ELEVEN: Line your eyes with dark brown eyeshadow, being careful not to extend past the eye line. Follow the natural shape to create the “no liner” appearance. Drag the color slightly down to the bottom eyelid for the “puppy” liner look. Alternatively, apply BROWN eyeliner to the upper water line and in between the lashes for the “no liner” appearance.

Except, I lost my pencil liner so I can’t actually fill in the water line naturally. I went for the latter instead.

STEP TWELVE: Fill in your brows very naturally, following the natural shape and curvature of your brow, to make them look as if they haven’t been drawn on. Curl and apply mascara to your lashes and with that, completes your natural eye look.

STEP THIRTEEN: Finish off the rest of your makeup however you please. Make sure to create the gradient lip look on your dark makeup side, and that completes the Red Light inspired makeup.

I also decided to contour my nose because why the fuck NOT.

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Once again, I’m probably going to do another attempt, this time, trying to actually recreate the proper look, by paying close attention to their eye makeup and the rest of the face. For the time being, if you enjoyed this post, then don’t forget to like it, subscribe to keep up to date with future blog posts and share with your friends and family. As per usual, your feedback is highly regarded and appreciated so don’t forget to leave any comments down below, or through my SNS.

Twitter : beavties

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What’s In My Bag?

Heaps of people were wondering what the hell I carry in my clutch, since it was always bulged and heavy. To answer this question, I decided to snap a quick photo and basically go through all the things I carry along in my daily life.

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Now, it’s very obvious that I will carry my house keys (the little blue plush animal thing) and my wallet (the black one) with me if I were to go out. How else will I be able to return home, or do anything that involves cash? HAHAHAHA

Going from right to left:

• Étude House My Beauty Tool blotting papers – I get very oily throughout the day in my T-zone so blotting is a must. I like this one in particular, as it comes in a compact with a mirror and a sponge with adhesive, which makes blotting sebum so much easier and more hygienic.
• Oscar wireless headphones – Who can honestly be bothered with headphones that move around and literally get in your way, especially if you’re carrying a clutch? Wireless headphones means no dramas, and discreet listening PLUS this also doubles as a portable charger. Why not kill two birds with one stone?
• Rohto Lycée Contact eye drops – It’s pink and it keeps my eyes moisturized without damaging my contacts. I’m not a huge fan of this product so if you have any recommendations, then please let me know because I’m definitely in need of good eye drops for contact wearers.
• Kailijumei Flower Lipstick – If I feel like adding a pop of color to my lips, then I generally reach for this color changing balm for it’s moisturizing capabilities and long lasting wear. The case also has a small mirror which is convenient for travel and quick touch ups.
• Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair & La Mer Brightening Essence Intensive samples – Just in case my skin is lacking hydration, I carry whatever samples with me as a backup for hydration when touching up or as a booster when I have to leave the house without makeup.
• The History of Whoo Luxury Golden Cushion – Again, I just carry whatever cushion with me, but this one generally comes along with my trips because I quite like the formula and the design of the case is great for show.
• Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra Moisturizing Hand Therapy – I always have dry hands so I try to carry at least one hand cream around with me so I can maintain soft and smooth hands throughout the day. I also double this as a cream type perfume by applying a tiny bit of hand cream behind my ears for subtle fragrance.
• Shiseido Cle De Peau Rouge Liquid Eclat – I have mine in shade 12, which is the ultimate nude shade for my lips. Literally the exact tone of my natural lips, which gives me that voluminous lip appearance without looking like it’s makeup.
• Sulwhasoo Beauty Pouch – This little pouch contains a handheld mirror and a small metal comb; both very unnecessary and very extra. It feels luxurious though, and for the price ($45 AUD) why not carry it around with me for show? I guess it DOES have some practicality to it in the end, in case I need a mirror or a hair brush.
• 3CE Stylenanda Moist Glossing Face Oil Mist – Just like the beauty samples, if my skin feels lacking, then I’ll quickly spritz my face and go about my day. This formula not only makes my skin feel more hydrated, but it also gives my skin an impeccable dewiness that no amount of highlighter can achieve.
• My Gummy candies – I usually bring whatever snack around in my bag, because I’m a fat ass and you highkey always see me eating something. Snacks generally vary depending on the amount of sleep I get; on days I’m lacking energy, I usually carry sweets with me, and days I’m normal, I carry savory foods.

The clutch is from Zara and cost $49.95 AUD. I bought mine in the navy blue shade, but other colors were available when I picked mine up. The simple design and color scheme of the navy blue clutch dresses up your simple clothing style (in my case, I generally wear black comfortable clothes) or adds a level of sophistication to your look.

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Now that this post answers your question, my question to you is “what do YOU carry around in your bag?” If you enjoyed this post then don’t forget to like, subscribe and share with your friends and family. You can find my current SNS down below.

Twitter : beavties

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The Skin Smoothie? Beauty Food for Beautiful Skin

A smoothie a day keeps the dermatologist away, or so I’d like to hope. Nonetheless, it’s no joke that what we consume on the daily determines our overall health; beauty included. You guys have probably seen this smoothie recipe a million times, but oh well. Here’s my take on the beauty smoothie that helps to brighten your skin, and keep it plump all year round!

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INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup of chopped bananas
• 1 tablespoon of almond powder
• 1 tablespoon of black bean powder
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 cup of milk
• ½ cup of ice cubes

I tried making it look fancy as hell but nah

I say ½ cup of chopped bananas, but it’s up to you. I mean, it’s a smoothie after all

Honey Honey In My Tummy, because it’s a better sweetener than sugar, plus it’s good for you

I mixed the black bean powder and the almond powder together, because I felt weird mixing black powder into my smoothie

Showcase of the JUNG mug that holds the base of the smoothie; mmm milk

METHOD:

• Throw all your ingredients into a blender and hope for the best blend until smooth.
• Pour into your favourite mug and drink it up!

Just in case you guys don’t know what a blender is, you never know

JUNG cup featuring the Skin Smoothie

This smoothie is a great choice for something to drink throughout the day, for rushed mornings where you have no time to cook yourself a good breakfast, or for those people who, like me, get home from work and don’t feel like eating dinner. This recipe has a slight sweet-nutty taste which I thoroughly enjoy, and even with the powdered ingredients, the concoction isn’t too thick and fairly comfortable to drink.
The reason why I call this the skin smoothie, is because the skincare you apply topically can only do so much. Without good diets or a healthy body, your skincare will only backfire on you at the end. For your skincare to work, you need to maintain a balanced diet and practice healthy lifestyle so you can reap the benefits to it’s maximum potential. This smoothie not only is a great way to have your fruit and nut intake, but also has special properties that can boost your skin’s appearance and health.

CLAIMS:

Bananas, black beans and almonds have one thing in common. They’re jam packed with magnesium and fibre. Magnesium is huge in skincare and also in food, as it helps to slow down the process of aging (premature wrinkling, sagging skin and loss of elasticity) and it’s beneficial for those who suffer acne, as it increases your skin’s ability to fight against break outs. Fibre is really great for your bowel system as it helps relieve symptoms of constipation and allows for healthy stools.

Food for thought, being regular when you need to take a dump is incredibly healthy. You should be worried if you don’t have a regular time to go. Whether you go every 3 days or every morning at 9AM, as long as you are consistent with your timing, then you’re healthy. Did you know that regularly emptying yourself out can be good for the skin? Gas builds up inside of you over time, and the gas dulls out your skin, causes you so much abdominal pain, and that pain can trigger skin troubles through stress, and the fact that something nasty is building up inside of you, of course something like that would be detrimental to your health HAHA!

Almond contains vitamin E, which protects the skin and improves skin suppleness. It’s also full of anti-oxidants to repair your skin from sun damaging, prevent fine lines and wrinkling and keeps your skin looking firm. Almonds are also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids which improve the health of your skin, hair and nails. As far as skin goes, it keeps your skin radiant, firm and well nourished, as well as boosting the repairing of for skin during the night. Almonds also contain proteins that help boost the natural levels of collagen in your skin. If you read my post on collagen intake, then you’d know that you naturally lose collagen as you hit 20 years of age, and it’s vital to maintain the collagen levels in skin in order to slow down the process of aging. Collagen also has a huge impact on your pores as well; being able to maintain their shape and elasticity.

Black Beans have the same benefits as almonds do. They also help maintain your skin’s natural pH levels and also the pH levels inside your body too. Your skin is naturally acidic and for internal system is naturally alkaline, so black bean helps to regulate both, your inner and outer health. Regularly eating black bean has been known to help you lose AND maintain your weight too, so most people in Asia swear by black bean whenever they are on a diet. If you’re a woman, then the benefits get even better for you. Did you know that regularly eating black beans can help your periods? They help to prevent irregular uterine function, and decrease the likelihood of unbearable cramps.

Now we all know how great honey is for the skin and body. Do I really need to explain why so many people swear by the use of honey? Not only is it full of antioxidants, but they’re antibacterial as well, so it’s great for those who often get sick. Honey has the ability to fight the common cold symptoms and it’s also great for boosting the immune system too. Not only that, but honey is so repairing that it can heal damages to the skin or body over time.

Milk is packed full of calcium and good bacteria, which again, is great for inner health to prevent the common cold symptoms and boosting your immune system. Calcium is a fundamental source for strong bones and teeth. I used to drink 2 glasses of milk a day as a child and ever since, I’ve had the utmost strongest bones and teeth. Only when I stopped drinking milk everyday (which I think I stopped at the age of 16) I got my first tooth filling and I injured myself pretty bad. Lesson learnt, do not stop drinking milk.

ADDITIONS AND SUBTRACTIONS:

The great thing about smoothies, is that you can always add or take out certain ingredients to suit your very needs, or tastes.

You can replace the bananas with other ingredients like fresh blueberries which are packed with vitamin C, or avocados which have immense beauty properties for more radiant, supple and nourished skin. Feeling a bit adventurous? How about trying this smoothie recipe with some diced butternut pumpkin. Did you know that butternut pumpkin contains vitamin C, alpha AND beta carotenoids? Carotenoids are powerful antioxidants that reverse UV damage from the sun, so they have strong abilities to slow down the process of aging, protect your skin from sunspots and promote your skin to defend against other damages like sun burn or skin related cancers. Pumpkin also has a high source of vitamin B which help skin cell turnover during the golden hours of night (10PM to 2AM), help with blood circulation around the face and also help address skin tone.

How about trying your smoothie with chia seeds for an extra boost to fight acne? Just like bananas and almonds, chia seeds are jam packed with vitamin E, magnesium and fibre. Chia seeds are a natural superfood and these little black seeds are really no joke. They contain zinc for an even stronger ability to fight wrinkles and acne troubles, omega-3 fatty acids for more firm and plump skin and also potassium which helps lower cholesterol. A happy heart is a happy you right? I actually stirred a tablespoon of chia seeds into my smoothie because blending the seeds with the rest of the ingredients makes the smoothie way too thick and a tad uncomfortable to drink in the end.

Since I’ve stopped drinking milk for so long, my body has slowly built up an intolerance to dairy (another reason to not stop drinking milk on the daily) so I decided to replace regular milk with some soy milk instead. Please note, that you can’t replace almond powder and milk for an almond milk, as almond milk contains such a tiny amount of almonds, there’s no point to use it.

What about someone who likes textures? My friend (I’ll name her E) likes to add granola clusters to her smoothie and drink it like that. Sometimes, E also adds diced fruits or shaved almond slivers through the smoothie too, just so she has something to crunch on. I know, she’s a bit weird.

WHEN TO DRINK YOUR SMOOTHIE:

Studies show that nuts, bananas and dairy are indeed bad to consume at night as they can potentially be the cause to your weight gain. I however, have had trouble gaining weight my entire life, and still do, so I’m quite content with consuming this smoothie after dinner. If you are concerned with weight however, this smoothie is great for the morning or afternoon as you’re more likely to see the full effects of these foods during these times. You also burn more calories throughout the day so you’re less likely to have weight gain when consuming earlier in the day time. As I said before, I like to have mine as often as possible, everyday perhaps, in the evening as I relax with my favourite sheet masks while I wind down, getting ready for bed.

This is my way of relaxing after a long day of stress and fatigue. I make my smoothie, sit in the bath for like, 5 hours and place one of these sheet masks on my face. Be careful not to fall asleep and drown yourself!

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This is a little different to my regular posts, but I wanted to emphasize that skincare is only effective if you take good care of your health too. There is no point buying the most expensive products out in the market, if your overall health is abysmal at best. Did you like this post, or did it tickle your fancy? Don’t forget to like this little blog, share with your friends and family and don’t forget to subscribe for posts about beauty and skincare.

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[ REVIEW ] SULWHASOO Gentle Cleansing Oil Mini

Over at Cosmehut in Carousel, we ran out of stock of all oil type cleansers and as I just finished my Missha one, I opted to grab the Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil in small size, since the larger size was also out of stock as well. This review will still be a normal breakdown of what this baby can do, but also, whether I’d buy the full sized one or thank the All-Maker that I only grabbed the sampler. Stay tuned to see what my thoughts on this product are.

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산뜻한 사용감의 오일이 얼굴에 부드럽게 롤링되어 메이크업 잔여물과 노폐물을 없애주는 저자극 클렌징오일

클렌징 다음 단계를 위한 피부 바탕 정돈
의이인과 진피 추출물, 행인유 성분을 원료로 맑고 건강한 피부 바탕을 다져줍니다.

부드러운 오일의 섬세하고 매끄러운 롤링감
매끄럽게 롤링되는 오일이 적은 자극으로도 가볍고 빠르게 침투해 메이크업을 말끔히 제거해줍니다.

잔여물 없이 산뜻한 마무리감
물과 만나면 활성화되는 워시오프 성분으로 메이크업과 노폐물이 얼굴에 남지 않고 산뜻한 마무리감을 줍니다.

물을 묻히지 않은 상태에서

손바닥에 2회 정도 펌핑하여 이마→코→볼의 순서로 원을 그리며 마사지하듯 클렌징합니다.
메이크업 잔여물과 노폐물이 녹아 나오면 티슈로 닦아내지 않고 미온수로 여러 번 헹궈냅니다.

 

A cleansing oil that gently removes makeup residue and skin impurities.

• White Birch promotes the skin’s natural circulation and turnover cycle to restore a healthy glow
• Spreads smoothly over the skin to remove makeup and pore-clogging impurities
• Delicate enough to be used around lip and eye area

Before moistening face, pump Gentle Cleansing Oil 2-3 times.
Massage starting from forehead, nose and to cheeks in a circular motion.
Cleanse makeup and residue with warm water. Do not use tissues to cleanse.
Rinse thoroughly and continue with regular regimen.

Sulwhasoo products always call for Korean introductions, as well as the diagram of the lady showing us all how to tend to our skin. Nonetheless, the description sounds promising and worth an investigation. It claims to improve the skin cycle turnover for brighter looking skin, remove impurities from the pores as well as break down makeup particles.

The bottle I purchased was $18 for a 50mL sampler, which I think isn’t too bad of a pricing, considering how expensive Sulwhasoo products can be. The full sized product is 200mL worth $48 which is decent to say, that other branded oils I have tried offer less amount for a higher price. I think, compared to other oils in the market, Sulwhasoo comes off quite moderate, to, what I’d consider even cheap. The packaging is made with a sturdy plastic exterior, comes with a pump and a pump cover to prevent accidental leakages.

INGREDIENTS: Isopropyl Palmitate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, PEG-8 Isostearate, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Spirodela Polyrrhiza Extract, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-Yuen Seed Extract, Castanea Crenata (Chestnut) Shell Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Pinus Koraiensis Seed Oil, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Camellia Japonica Seed Oil, Prunus Mume Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Germ Extract, Squalane, Dextrin Palmitate, Glyceryl Behenate/Eicosadioate, Butylene Glycol, Fragrance

Ingredients in BOLD writing are potential acne triggers sitting at level 1 and 2 category except for the first ingredient in the list, being Isopropyl Palmitate. Being deemed level 4 for acne triggering and level 1 for irritation, Isopropyl Palmitate is a synthetic ester that can clog pores with prolonged usage, thus blackheads and possibly leading to acne and breakouts. Ingredients highlighted in orange are category 3 for safety and is an indication for ingredients that may trigger some sort of reaction depending on your skin type. YMMV and thus it’s best to sample the product before buying, or do what I did and purchase the latter before making a big decision to purchase the full sized product.

As for using the oil itself, it performed just like any oil would; it cleansed my skin from all the heavy makeup I was wearing, it emulsified very well and it washed away easily. With the Sulwhasoo one, I noticed that my skin did feel more conditioned and more smooth compared to other oils I have used in the past. I found that my skin did appear brighter after using the oil, my skin didn’t feel dry and my pores seemed to be clean. Now, with all Sulwhasoo products, there is a faint herbal scent, that of ginseng, their main ingredient that made Sulwhasoo what it is today. Funny, because there isn’t ginseng in this ingredients list whatsoever. I quite liked the smell, but I know a lot of people hate the smell of medicines so it’ll be a huge hit or miss when it comes to how you perceive this scent.

Being someone who has sensitive skin around my chin and nose, I personally didn’t have any issues using this, and selling this product to customers, not one of them have complained about this either. Though it has no ginseng inside it whatsoever, this oil didn’t break me out or cause itchiness and discomfort. It was quite soothing for the skin and was a great way to relax as well, as I found the scent to be aromatherapeutic. I am however, not happy that this fragrance is more artificial and would have liked to see real ginseng used in this. I’m also not happy that, despite Sulwhasoo being a huge high end brand, that they use ingredients with level 4 category acne triggers, especially as their FIRST ingredient. Though, I can’t say I reacted negatively to using the oil, it’s still a worry in my books.

PROS:

• Compared to other oils, it is moderate priced to cheap. $18 for the 50mL and $48 for the 200mL
• Handy packaging design
• Claims seem to be true; brightens skin effectively and clears pores and skin from impurities like dirt, excess sebum and makeup
• Emulsifies incredibly well
• Leaves skin feeling smooth and well nourished

CONS:

• The dreaded ingredients list, with a level 4 potential acne trigger as the first ingredient
• Artificial ginseng scent, would have liked it to be real ginseng instead
• Despite being a Sulwhasoo product, it didn’t contain ginseng in it at all
• The smell may bother some people, though I personally liked it
• Only one skin irritating ingredient, but with the 6 potential acne ingredients, it is best to sample the product before purchasing as you may have an adverse reaction to this cleansing oil

RATING:

QUALITY ★★★★☆
PRICE ★★★★☆
REPURCHASE RATE ★★★★☆
OVERALL ★★★★☆

★☆☆☆☆ – I want all my time wasted and all my money back for this crap. If I could turn back time and tell my past self not to use this, then I would without a single doubt. If I find this in my collection or if someone gave it to me, I’ll set it on fire and pray to the All Maker to repent for using such a terrible product.

★★☆☆☆ – It’s pretty bad and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this to anybody, but it’s nice to give it a go for myself. I’ll only use it if it was given to me for free and I’m severely desperate.

★★★☆☆ – It’s nice but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get another one for myself. Maybe if it was on special then I’d consider buying it, otherwise there are better products that I like a lot more than this.

★★★★☆ – It’s quite good and I would repurchase definitely. It’s not a staple yet, but if I can’t find anything better, then I’ll happily stick to this product.

★★★★★ – OH MY GOD GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS BECAUSE IT IS A LIFE SAVER AND WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY EVEN IF YOU BECOME POOR BECAUSE OF IT OMG

Now that you know what the stars mean, you can figure out what I mean by my personal ratings.

VERDICT:

I’m probably being nit-picky because as far as using the Sulwhasoo cleansing oil goes, I can’t fault it in any way. It does a good job at cleaning the skin, breaking down makeup and keeping skin well nourished with an improved skin texture. In fact, I’d possibly go on to say that my skin has never felt this nice with an oil cleanser before. It’s that ingredients list that gets to me, and it’s due to the fact that I get acne very easily that using the oil makes me worried. I would still recommend this oil to those who don’t have issues with acne, or aren’t prone to breakouts because I can honestly say that this weekly trial has thus proven that it doesn’t irritate my skin. I’d probably still recommend it to people who do suffer acne as well, because it caused me no problems whatsoever. I would however, highlight the fact that this ingredients list has a few flaws that makes me question myself each time I use this, and a plausible reason to bring light to as well.

If Sulwhasoo were to change it’s ingredients, I will change my rating to full 5 star rating, without a second thought. For the time being, I sit on 4 stars for the product based on the ingredients, despite the oil performance itself hitting 5 stars. Will I buy the full sized product? I can’t say I won’t but I am not going to be running for the Gentle Cleansing Oil every time I run out of cleansing oils. There are better oils out in the market that I can put my faith in, more so than this Sulwhasoo one. I’d most likely repurchase again (and the full sized one this time)  if there aren’t any other oils available and I can’t be bothered venturing out to get the Missha one.

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What did you think of this review? Give it a like if you found it interesting and don’t forget to leave comments down below if you’ve used the Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil before. Do you feel the same way as I did with the oil, or do you have a different opinion on the matter? Let me know through my social media networks because I like hearing your opinions.

Facebook : Anthony Jung / The Beauty Aesthetics
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[ REVIEW ] Aprilskin Magic Stone

I’ve been MIA for a very long time (again) and I apologize. Work is getting the better of me and I’m finding it a lot harder to type up posts on time. I urge that if you are an avid reader of my blog, or are constantly on the lookout for my latest material, that you turn alerts on for my posts so you can always know when a new article is released. I am relatively busy these days and I can’t maintain a steady posting routine like I was able to in the past. Please bare with me guys! You can turn alerts on by following my social networking sites, subscribing to this blog where an email is sent out to you each time I deliver a post, or by messaging TF out of me until I tell you when a post is up. I highly recommend you DON’T resort to the last option, because, well… no. HAHAHA!

After posting it on my private Facebook, everyone around me has been asking me about Aprilskin, and since it made a huge wave all around the world, I decided, why not grab some Aprilskin products for myself. Today, I wanted to talk about the Aprilskin Magic Stones, which was the product that took the nation of Korea, no, the world by storm.

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Get beautiful skin like the sunny days in April with Aprilskin. As the beginning of Spring, April is seen as a time of new life being born. Aprilskin symbolizes the radiant skin that’s beautiful like the sunny days in Spring. The term also means the renewal, new skin being born. Aprilskin is a natural cosmetics brand that rejuvenates skin cells to reveal beautiful and healthy skin.

THREE PRINCIPLES OF APRILSKIN

1. Hypoallergenic: We use absolutely no harmful ingredients
2. Skin rejuvenation: We make products that revitalizes your skin
3. Carefully selected ingredients: We only provide products that passed complex inspections

Until everyone has beautiful skin like the sunny days of Spring, Aprilskin will continue to strive.

Bare faced soap Magic Stone is a hard soap that does NOT soften even when it is soaked in water. It helps to deep cleanse with an abundant amount of foam generated from ingredients such as toreumallin and E.M. fermented broth. It is a 100% handmade soap that can not only be used for removing makeup, but also for kids with sensitive skin or someone who is sensitive to scent.

So, seems like a pretty decent product according to what the official site says, but of course with any of my reviews, I had to undergo a long trial to see how the product performs, and with my ever changing skin type, I could see how the magic stone truly performed. There are two colors for the magic stone; black stone which is intended for morning use and original stone which you use during the night.

I used the stones in replacement of my usual cleansers and pore care products, and I must say, these stones do a very dandy job. They’re made with natural ingredients (though stated, I can’t actually find an ingredients list anywhere, sorry guys) and also do not contain the 7 harmful ingredients known to skin. The Magic Stone is free from formaldehyde, mineral oils, fragrances, parabens, animal oils, artificial hardeners and chemical surfactants.

KEY INGREDIENTS:

• Shea Butter – Deep nourishment and skin repair
• French Green Mud – Pore tightening, sebum clearing and blood circulation
• Fermented Migang – Whitening and anti-aging
• Sulfur – Acne care and improves rosacea, sensitivities
• Tourmaline – Brightening and anti-aging
• E.M. Fermented Broth – Activator (?) I honestly have no idea. If you guys know, then message me so I can update this ASAP!
• Sunflower Seed Oil – Humectant and skin hydration
• Hyaluronic Acid – Superb hydration and anti-aging
• Coconut Oil – Deep nourishment and anti-trouble
• Palmolein Oil – Rich in vitamin E which helps anti-aging
• Castor Oil – Deep nourishment and anti-aging
• Grape Seed Oil – Deep nourishment, and regulates sebum in the skin

Using the soaps, they foamed up pretty well and didn’t crumble apart in the water, like regular soap bars do. I found that other soap bars for the face actually fell apart in water, or dissolved quickly, so the fact that the Magic Stone retains it’s shape even when wet, means you’re getting your money’s worth. I’ve used the soap for almost a month now, and still have almost the same amount of product from when I first started using it. The black and white soap are very similar, with a few ingredients and functions differing between the two.

Since the black stone is used during the morning as your gentle cleanser to keep your skin fresh for the day, the stone focuses more on keeping your skin purified, brighter and soothed, whereas the white stone focuses more on deep cleaning and pore care. What I like about this, is that the stones can do very similar things, yet focus on certain aspects that are more essential during certain times of the day. This means, you can custom fit your cleansing with these stones according to what you need more of. For me, I think I prefer a deep cleaning all round, so I’d solely choose to stick to only using the original stone rather than the black stone.

As for the claims, I’ll go through them one by one, though I think I did touch on it earlier in the post.

1. Deep cleaning: I’ve never had a cleansing product work so well to keep my skin and pores THIS clean before. It usually took me a heating gel and a mud mask to keep my pores ultra clean, but the Magic Stones managed to clear my pores in a matter of seconds with only the cleansing step alone. This is definitely a huge recommendation for those who have pore troubles, or oily skin
2. Skin Detox: I don’t exactly know what skin detoxing is, but I can mention that my skin always feels clean after using the Magic Stones and my skin texture has improved significantly. I have however, been breaking out a lot more since using the stones, but that is due to the stones drawing out all the impurities from my skin, and not my usual factors for when I break out.
3. Pore Cleansing: Read above
4. Skin Soothing: Omitting the breakouts, my skin hasn’t reacted at all to the soap, and even when I cut myself from shaving, I don’t feel any stinging or pains whatsoever. This soap is so mild that I can use it with ease, even when my skin feels a little sensitive from other causes. This also has yet to dry my skin out. My skin always feels so soft and never dry after using the Magic Stones, which was my biggest concern since every soap I’ve tried thus far, has stripped my skin from any moisture and left my face feeling tight or irritated.
5. Whitening: I have omitted my usual whitening products from my skincare whilst using the Magic Stone and I can say that my acne scars are fading quite dramatically. My skin also appears brighter each time I use the stone, and my face has not darkened as of late, especially during Summer where I tend to be out in the sun a lot.

I received my two soaps from a small Asian Beauty store for $49. That’s averaging $25 per soap, which is a tad pricey for some, but I think it seems pretty decent, compared to other soaps or cleansers out in the market. In fact, I wouldn’t even bat an eye for that price, considering I got two products for that price, and my usual oil cleanser costs the same amount of money. Judging by how much you actually end up using, it looks like I’ve barely used the soap during the month of trialling and I’d have at least a few more months before feeling like I need to restock again.

PROS:

• 7-free meaning that it’s less harmful than other products out in the market
• Ideal for all skin types, even sensitive though YMMV
• Two different soaps to be used at different times of the day
• Superb cleaning abilities, without stripping your face from hydration
• Creates a decent amount of bubbles
• Treats a variety of skincare issues at once
• Voted one of the most popular items to own, and a MUST HAVE for every beauty enthusiast
• Featured by many idols on talk shows, Youtube, Instagram and other various SNS sites, and became a global HOT ITEM
• Ideal to use on the body as well, though not recommended
• Removes makeup residues and heavy duty makeup thoroughly, though not recommended as I believe and swear by the double cleansing method

CONS:

• Might be pricey for some, sitting at $49 for the pair or $25 each
• Sensitive skin should be ok, but YMMV
• Hard to get actually, as Aprilskin only started trading outside of Korea recently
• Not travel friendly
• Being a soap, and not a cleanser in a bottle, there is a risk of bacteria growth on the soap and the surrounding areas in which you store the soap as well
• Taking a photo of it now and posting onto Instagram is no longer cool

RATING:

QUALITY ★★★★★
PRICE ★★★★☆
REPURCHASE RATE ★★★★★
OVERALL ★★★★★

★☆☆☆☆ – I want all my time wasted and all my money back for this crap. If I could turn back time and tell my past self not to use this, then I would without a single doubt. If I find this in my collection or if someone gave it to me, I’ll set it on fire and pray to the All Maker to repent for using such a terrible product.

★★☆☆☆ – It’s pretty bad and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this to anybody, but it’s nice to give it a go for myself. I’ll only use it if it was given to me for free and I’m severely desperate.

★★★☆☆ – It’s nice but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get another one for myself. Maybe if it was on special then I’d consider buying it, otherwise there are better products that I like a lot more than this.

★★★★☆ – It’s quite good and I would repurchase definitely. It’s not a staple yet, but if I can’t find anything better, then I’ll happily stick to this product.

★★★★★ – OH MY GOD GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS BECAUSE IT IS A LIFE SAVER AND WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY EVEN IF YOU BECOME POOR BECAUSE OF IT OMG

Now that you know what the stars mean, you can figure out what I mean by my personal ratings.

VERDICT:

I think that the Magic Stone is a worthy investment and something you all should get your hands on. I’ve so far had no noticeable troubles with using the soaps and I would hands down, recommend this to all my friends. I already have people asking me where I got my soaps from, but sorry, that’s my little secret. I can’t risk an out of stock on my beloved product HAHAHA! It cleanses very well, doesn’t make my skin dry or uncomfortable, whitens, brightens, helps acne, draws out sebum and washes away blackheads. It’s literally everything you need in life, in the form of a round soap bar.

You can find the soaps online for a decent price, but be wary that you’re looking at an authentic product, and not something fake. if you’re going onto eBay then good luck to you, because people are selling this item off for $100. Ridiculous, but who knows who’ll actually buy it for real.

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What did you think of this review? Give it a like if you found it interesting and don’t forget to leave comments down below if you’ve used Aprilskin’s Magic Stone before. Have any other products I should try out? Let me know too, because I’m always on the prowl for more things to give a shot.

Facebook : Anthony Jung / The Beauty Aesthetics
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[ REVIEW ] Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Cushion

After a week of pure illness, major issues and a lack of WiFi, I am finally back this week (excuse the unannounced hiatus) with a cushion review. I often try to watch Get It Beauty whenever I have the time to, so noticing the cushion I’m reviewing today was chosen as one of the top picks for Summer in Korea, I had to get my hands on it. Luckily for me, it was one of the best sellers on W2Beauty and I was able to get one easily.

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I am a huge advocate for multi-use products, or things that don’t take up a lot of space in your bag. The cushion itself looks really chunky and something you wouldn’t want to carry around, or so I thought. This beauty is a cushion, primer, concealer and lip & cheek rouge all in one. Introducing the Too Cool For School Dinoplatz UFO Cushion 4-in-1 that takes the hard work out of your daily makeup!

Ever wonder how celebrities have skin that look pore-less and absolutely blemish free? Well we have just the solution, and the best thing is that this dinoplatz compact is all that you will need to achieve that flawless face! The pore balm seamlessly covers any blemish and pore so once the BB Foundation is applied, the radiance level of your complexion will transform that dull, uneven skintone. The BB Foundation also sits ever so lightly on your skin so it doesn’t look heavy or cakey! Then go back and cover up any darker areas like your under eyes, and any darker blemishes with the concealer. Finally, add some color back into the new you with the lip & cheek duo that can also be used as an eyeshadow…talk about convenient and AMAZING! Featured on Get it Beauty and Allure as an 2015 Hit Item!

The cushion sounds so promising, but since the description gave the impression that the finish was leaning towards a more semi-matte feel, I wasn’t too sure how this cushion would work for my skin. As I mentioned, probably every time I posted this past month, semi-matte or matte products look terrible on my skin. Get It Beauty and Allure reassure this is the must have item for 2015, so I definitely had high hopes for this product when I received it in my W2Beauty parcel. Rather than doing a super complicated review, I wanted to keep this one simple, by talking about each component separately, and a quick overview for how each product works well together.

PORE PRIMER:

This is a clear balm that you apply around your t-zone, any area you tend to get oily and around your enlarged pores for a smoother and less oily complexion prior to applying your cushion. The balm itself is clear and melts easily into your skin without highlighting any of your flaws. I think it does the job pretty well, but since it’s so small, you wouldn’t want to use it for your entire face. I think this works better as a second primer for smoothing rather than something you’d use on your entire face. You only get a little bit of the pore primer as well, so you’d want to save as much of it as you possibly can so you don’t run out of product before the actual cushion. I used the pore primer on my nose, along my t-zone where I get uncontrollably oily and under my eyes. It works to control sebum output in the skin, but also doesn’t feel too drying either. The primer also makes the makeup last a lot longer and doesn’t aggravate dry areas around my face, which tends to happen with other pore primers. I’d probably suggest the pore primer to people with normal to oilier skin types.

CONCEALER:

This stuff covers so well; I have opted for this concealer more often than my Kill Cover concealer from Clio, which I love soooooo much. I find that the cake type concealer in this compact works very well with my skin without being too dry. Other branded cake concealers are too heavy and very drying, especially for my under eyes, but this concealer works like a dream, even if I don’t apply any hydrating eye creams before using this. I really want to get the concealer itself upon my next purchase, since it’s so good. If you know where to get the concealer, then let me know down below, because I truly need it in my life. It will settle into your fine lines and wrinkles if you aren’t careful, so don’t forget to powder under your eyes and easy-to-crease areas to avoid terrible looking makeup.

LIP AND CHEEK ROUGE:

This has a semi-dewy finish that brightens the overall complexion. The color isn’t too loud and definitely build able, so it’s perfect for natural makeup, but also for very strong or bright makeup looks as well. Using it on my lips isn’t too bad; since my lips are basically dry all of the time, I try not to use it unless I moisturize beforehand, since this will aggravate any chapped or very dry lips. It’s not too flattering if your lips look flaky. It does seem to moisturize a lot better than other rouges which I like, so I suppose it’s really one of those products that are either a hit or a miss. Using it as an eyeshadow works like a dream if you’re into cream types. You can use this as a base before your powders, or alone as a single color, but keep in mind that it is a creamy type, so don’t forget to set it into place to avoid the product creasing throughout the day. I used this rouge under the concealer to cover up my ultra dark circles, and the pink shade works very well to cancel out any blues or purples from the dark circle itself, which means better coverage! My little tip for you, shh.

CUSHION:

The actual BB cream itself isn’t as matte as I thought it would be. Yes it’s more matte than what I prefer, but this isn’t so matte that it accentuated my dry areas excessively. My skin these days have become more dry due to the whitening products I’m using to prevent my terrible face tan I generally get when Summer approaches. I’ve solely relied heavily on my hydrating cushions and BB cakes, but this multi box cushion seems to work pretty decently with my skin without the overly dry feel to it. Possibly due to the hydration care it claims to give as well. The coverage is quite light to medium, build able coverage that goes onto your skin thinly with each layer application.

I got myself the shade Janna (Natural Beige – 23) which might be a tad too dark for my preferences, but I knew beforehand if I were to get the lighter shade, it would fit NC15, which I am NOWHERE near. My skin seems to fit NC25 according to my preference, and NC30 if I want my face to match the tone of my body. The cushion in shade 23 seems to lie between NC25 to NC30, which comes off a little dark compared to what I wear usually, but definitely workable. The product also contains SPF50+/PA+++ which is notably high, but I’d suggest applying sunblock before this cushion as well.

If you guys have more yellow undertones, then don’t get this BB cushion, since it lies more in the neutral to pinker shades than it does yellow. If your undertone isn’t overly strong, then I’d suggest you sample it before you make a purchase to see how comfortable you are wearing it, otherwise, steer clear for now. If you are pinker in undertone, then this will fit your skin very well provided your skin tone is an NC25 or higher. Other people found the cushion to be more yellow in undertone, but whenever I use it, I found it to be more pinker, so I’m either completely blind to colors, or everyone else is wrong.

With my purchase on W2Beauty, I received the cushion compact, and a refill for the cushion for $55. It seems that the other components don’t have a refill to it, so use the concealers and rouges sparingly if you have the cushion refill. The cushion contains 12g of product, which is 3g less than other cushion brands which sit at a minimum of 15g. Keep in mind though, that you also get the other goodies, so the packaging isn’t too much chunkier than it already is. I think the 12g is a fair call with the addition of the other parts to this cushion. I think that $55 for a cushion and a refill is a decent price, since the IOPE cushion I bought a while back was for the same price for the cushion and a refill. If you want the cushion itself, then the price is $39. The refill alone is $21

The sponge is unlike other cushions; it is a rounded square puff that has more surface area to cover your skin faster, and the rounded edges are able to cover hard to reach areas like around your nose and lips. It also seems to be more porous so the liquid distributes evenly, rather than smearing a huge dollop on your face, which is also a smart move as well. The sponge doesn’t seem to absorb a lot of product which I personally think is good, because who likes sponges that sucks up more BB cream than it does applying it to your face?

Bare faced, primed with only the pore primer. It smoothed out my skin in preparation for the cushion BB.

With BB applied only to the left half of my face. The color comes off pale at first, but oxidizes almost naturally.

Cushion applied to all over my face, which has oxidized after 10 minutes and is basically the same tone as my neck now, if not albeit slightly paler. I applied concealer and rouge to eyes, cheeks and lips as well as drawn my eyebrows on (very poorly).

Since the blush didn’t come up on the camera very well, I took a close up, and the color payoff for the rouge on my cheekbones is quite strong with two layers. One layer looks almost naturally flushed, whereas two layers looks more dolly. I also applied one layer to the eyelid for a rosy appearance.

PROS

• Good money investment
• Contains primer, concealer, BB cream and rouge which saves you time on busier days
• Concealer is the star product in the entire compact, being able to hide away all your imperfections
• One of the few cushions that is able to match your skin tone provided you sit darker in the spectrum of skin tones
• Pretty good for oilier skin types without being overly matte and drying
• Swivel tray tucks well underneath the cushion itself
• Handy design in packaging
• Porous sponge that distributes product evenly onto the skin and doesn’t soak up too much product into the sponge
• SPF50+ with a PA protection of 3 pluses.

CONS

• Better off not intended for those sitting in the dryer skin types since it may emphasize patches and flakiness
• Rouge can emphasize chapped lips if you don’t moisturize your lips with a balm beforehand
• Product can settle easily into fine lines or wrinkles if you don’t powder to set into place
• Lighter to medium coverage means you’ll need to layer more if you want to hide larger imperfections
• I personally don’t like matte products, and this is a bit too matte for my liking

RATING

QUALITY: ★★★★☆
PRICE: ★★★★☆
REPURCHASE RATE: ★★★★☆
OVERALL: ★★★★☆

★☆☆☆☆ – I want all my time wasted and all my money back for this crap. If I could turn back time and tell my past self not to use this, then I would without a single doubt. If I find this in my collection or if someone gave it to me, I’ll set it on fire and pray to the All Maker to repent for using such a terrible product.

★★☆☆☆ – It’s pretty bad and I definitely wouldn’t recommend this to anybody, but it’s nice to give it a go for myself. I’ll only use it if it was given to me for free and I’m severely desperate.

★★★☆☆ – It’s nice but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get another one for myself. Maybe if it was on special then I’d consider buying it, otherwise there are better products that I like a lot more than this.

★★★★☆ – It’s quite good and I would repurchase definitely. It’s not a staple yet, but if I can’t find anything better, then I’ll happily stick to this product.

★★★★★ – OH MY GOD GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS BECAUSE IT IS A LIFE SAVER AND WORTH EVERY SINGLE PENNY EVEN IF YOU BECOME POOR BECAUSE OF IT OMG

Now that you know what the stars mean, you can figure out what I mean by my personal ratings.

FINAL VERDICT

It’s definitely a good investment to spend your money on, since the Dinoplatz cushion comes as a 4-in-1 product that doesn’t take up too much space in your bag. For beginners starting out with makeup, this is something worth getting your hands on. For expert makeup artists or those who regularly wear makeup, maybe not the best of the cushion crop, but still handy to have at your disposal. I love how there are only two colors, but they fit well to my skin if I want natural makeup, and each component seems to work very well. With other multi cushions I’ve tried, they disappointed me, but not this one. Overall, this lost points for the formulation of the BB cream since it was more matte, but otherwise, definitely something I’ll repurchase regardless. The concealer is a huge hit for me, and one I get my hands on the concealer itself, then it will definitely become a HG. For the meantime, I have better cushions I can use, but I still would recommend this product to people, and I’ll still use this cushion when my skin gets too oily during Summer.

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Have you tried the Dinoplatz UFO cushion before? How did it work for you? Are you planning to get one for yourself now? Let me know in the comments below, or leave a message on my Facebook to let me know of your thoughts. I’m always looking for new makeup goodies to try so send in your suggestions too. Until the next post.

Anthony signing out.

Q&A with Anthonay [ 25 ]

I’ve finally hit post number 25 with this weekly tag that you all love so much. Basically, every weekend, I’ll get you guys to submit in all your beauty, off topic, stupid or thought provoking questions into me and I answer them here for you with honesty. If you haven’t already, add me on my SNS accounts, which you’ll find here and get into submitting any question and have it all answered for you. Let’s get started shall we?

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How did Q&A even begin?

I had a heap of questions come in at one time, and since I wasn’t able to dedicate a post to each and very question, I decided that it would be ideal to begin with a tag post where I’d answer those submitted questions briefly in order to satisfy you all. From the first post, it became incredibly popular amongst my other posts so I continued with it all. Now, it’s become an integral part of my space here on the internet and I’ll continue to do these Q&A’s up until you guys get bored, or I leave blogging (which I hope won’t be for a very long time).

You know how Korean products have all these weird ingredients like horse oil. bird saliva and snail excretes, can I just grab them from the garden and do my own facial?

Uhm, no. First an fore mot, I don’t think you are able to physically harvest the fat from a horse by going up to it when you see one at a farm. That’ll be weird and you’d probably get arrested for trespassing or harassing an animal. Secondly, snails found in the garden may contain toxins that are lethal to the skin and it’s not advised to just grab the old run of the mill snail you can find in your veggie patch to put on your face. The snail secretes found in our skincare are from snails that are bred by dermatologists for skin purposes only and are exposed only to environments that allow us to benefit from. Thirdly, good luck trying to get a bird to spit on you. Again, just like the snail, birds found in the wilderness may carry disease or toxins that can harm us, so not advised.

What do you think of the new iOS update?

I don’t have an iPhone and I don’t plan on getting one honestly. I think I’ll be ok for the time being, but for those who do have iPhones and are suffering from this new update which, from what I have heard is a huge pain in the ass, I am so sorry for you all and that’s why I am using a Samsung.

Why is it so important for you to use a toner?

Your skin naturally sits at a pH of 5.5 and after cleansing, your skin pH levels may shift, depending on the type of cleanser you use. If y’all don’t know what pH stands for, it basically means potentials of hydrogen that are found in substances with determine the acidity or alkalinity of products and molecules. The pH scale is graded from 0 (most acid) to 14 (most basic or alkaline). The lower the number, the more acidic it is and vice versa. 7 is the middle ground and is neutral, and this is where distilled water sits.

The acid mantle, or the skin’s natural barrier helps to fend off germs and pollutants to protect your skin from harmful damage caused by the environment. If your skin is too alkaline, it can become more sensitive and dry, and if your skin is more acidic, your skin produces more sebum which calls for oilier skin. Now, using a toner is essential to restore the balance in your skin to recreate the pH 5.5 balance that your skin calls for. Without the toner, your skin can possibly suffer from either spectrum of the pH grade and may lead to skin damages and alterations.

I think I may write a post about this, whenever I have the chance, or remember to.

What is one of your biggest pet peeves when going out?

I generally don’t go out these days and whenever I do go out, it’s generally to a restaurant with friends or family. The most annoying thing would definitely be the water they serve at restaurants of any kind. I am very picky and only like the taste of certain waters, so if the restaurant isn’t able to provide a nice tasting water, then I’ll be incredibly pissed off and possibly avoid going to eat at that place again.

What would you tell your younger self now that you’re an adult?

Study hard. I actually enjoyed studying, but being the lazy person I am, I often procrastinated and would rather spend my time doing other things to avoid boring myself with a huge workload. I wish I had studied more harder but nonetheless, because of my fails during my schooling years, here I am today, blogging and working a job I’ve always been interested in.

i most important thing though would have to be me pretending to like everyone. I was so fake and oh my god did I fool a lot of people into thinking I liked them when really I despised every single person I met. I do apologize and honestly out of the so called friends I had back then, only a select few are people I’d keep in my life. I suppose growing up made me realize who I could possibly trust or like.

Any decisions you regret taking?

There are so many that I can’t possibly list them all since everyday brings a new regret that I’m fretting over. However, there will always be a new day and it’s something to reflect upon in order to avoid it from happening again. With every mistake you make, you can learn and hopefully overcome them as time goes on. It’s one of my mottos I try to live by.

What’s your favorite contouring kit?

I prefer naturally shaded kits where you can see the natural gradation between your facial structures to your skin texture, so anything too harsh looks way too fake. I love Korean contour kits the best since they’re not too opaque and they allow you to gently shade in your face without it going past the natural benchmark. Saying that though, I haven’t found my favorite liquid type yet, but I am absolutely loving the Artclass by Too Cool For School for powder contour as it has three shades to suit almost all skin tines between NC10 to NC35 without it being way too artificial. I use it every working day and I still have a fairly huge amount after 3 months from purchasing, so it lasts a while as well.

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That’s it for this week’s Q&A with Anthonay. As per usual, I rely heavily upon your submissions and feedback so don’t forget to let me know your questions or any comments you want to leave behind. Don’t forget to like this post and subscribe to this space for future Q&A posts, beauty content and random blogs about my life. Until next time~

Anthony signing out.