♡ June Wishlist ♡

1. Secret Key Snow White collection

2. Dollywink No. 9 'Natural Dolly' Eyelashes

3. Candydoll Cheek Duo in Pink Flamingo

4. Candydoll Make-up Base in Aurora White

5. Candydoll Crystal Powder

6. Too Cool For School Milk Talk Tints Collection

7. TONYMOLY I'm Real Tea Tree Sebum & Pore Lotion

8. TONYMOLY I'm Real Seaweed Aqua Moisture Lotion

9. TONYMOLY I'm Real Rice Smoothe Toner

10. TONYMOLY I'm Real Lemon Brightening Lotion 

11. TONYMOLY I'm Real Aloe Soothing Lotion

12. TONYMOLY I'm Real Avocado Rich Cream

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

♡ Current Skin Care Routine / Products ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I was having a conversation with a friend a few weeks ago about Korean beauty/cosmetic products, skin care routines and what are the best products I use for my kind of skin (combination) and we were having a really long chat about it... until we were distracted by Sons of Anarchy! It wasn't until the other day, when I remembered about our conversation, that I thought that maybe it was a good idea as a post filler in between review posts and other ones I do have planned, but haven't gotten around to preparing and getting the things for etc.

Now first things first, I actually tend to swap products after a couple of months because I've found out that using a certain product over and over again can break me out and make my skin turn either extremely oily or dry to the point my skin feels like sandpaper. It's extremely frustrating trying to find a certain brand / product that won't do this to my skin and I am still on the search for it... sighs. So for now, here are the products until the next cycle of change.

DAILY;

Etude House I'm Blooming Cleansing Water; I love love love this stuff for some reason. It's just like any watery toner but it smells absolutely gorgeous! It also helps control my oily spots and gets rid of the days worth of dirt from work and other activities and if I don't break out by the end of this bottle, this most definitely will be a repurchase if it doesn't get discontinued.
Etude House Dear Girls Moisturiser; eh. This isn't the best of moisturisers as it's rather thick and you need a lot to get a good coverage. It has helped tone down old acne scars though as it's a whitening type of moisturiser so that is a plus. I'm also mixing this with my rice ceramide moisturiser from The Face Shop that I purchased in my haul from last month and that helps lower the usage and give an even cover.

EVERY TWO/THREE DAYS;

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Cleansing Oil; as a person with combination skin I honestly believed that an oil cleanser was the WORSE possible product for my skin and boy was I extremely wrong! This little gem is extremely helpful and you only need to use a pea size amount each time! I tend to use this every three days just in case my skin does turn towards the more oily side of the combination but it's something I am glad I invested it and is amazing value for the size (£8 for 150ml which is cheap here)
SKIN FOOD Rice Wash Off Mask; as you know from the previous post, I love this little gem of a face mask and again, using only every couple of days, it really helps get rid of dead skin cells and the leftover grot and dirt that the toner didn't catch.
Along Came Betty Clearly Perfect Skin Tone Corrector; another superstore brand gem I stumbled upon a while ago but only recently started using and it's so lovely I really can't even. There is red algae extract in this face serum and it helps dull down pigmentation marks and give your skin a healthy glow at the end of the day. And the fact you don't need to use a massive amount helps as well! As far as I know this brand is only sold at Tesco's within the UK... boo.

WEEKLY;

Baviphat Strawberry Toxifying Mask; this is such a good little face mask pack. I actually find this better for my skin than my usual face cloth masks I use as it sticks to my face better and (obviously) doesn't peel off like the cloth mask does. I also like how it does help tighten the pores on my face, especially around my nose area those litte (well not really) buggers. I use this when I'm having a lovely long soak in a bubble bath reading a good book.
Along Came Betty Pore Goodness Sake Cleansing Mask; I use this little beaut the day before the Baviphat mask as this product actually makes my skin feel incredibly soft and helps get rid of all the dirt and other bits and pieces left over from a hard working week and basically stops it all clogging up my poor pores etc. I love this product so much and it smells divine as well! Ugh I need to get some more soon as I'm running low on this in particular...

So that is it! There isn't much left to talk about my routine really as I've kind of babbled on above... oh well! I hope you find this little blog filler post interesting! What product intrigues you the most?

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Skin Food Rice Mask & TONYMOLY Latte Art Cappuccino Scrub ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I have decided to cheat a little here and put two review items into the same blog post instead of doing two (that probably would have been very short) individual posts. And if you're not okay with that... tough tits I'm doing it this way and saving on time and effort.

Skin Food Rice Mask Wash Off

Details; a wash off mask containing rice extract that moisturises skin and brightens tone. With its texture of ground rice, it leaves skin bright, soft and lustrous.

First impression; it does look like a completely smooth mask... until you actually touched it and there is, in fact, very tiny grains in the mixture. Honestly; I was expecting a coarse, large grained mask, like a nice, thick sugar scrub I suppose, instead of this fine grained mask but... it works wonders!

At first, I believed that this was a simple 'put on, wait a couple of minutes, wash off" kind of mask, until I read the instructions properly and learn that you should really leave it on for about 10-15 minutes. Oh, also the mixture is rather thick? Not thin and watery like other face masks you get sometimes. I only use this mask twice a week... three times maximum if my skin is seriously damaged and in need of some TLC because with this particular mask, I definitely loved how soft it did leave my skin after a couple of uses.

Pros;
↑↑ right consistency (not to thick, not to thin etc)
↑↑ actually make my skin feel a lot smoother / softer
↑↑ pricing range just right for the amount (Honestskin £5.24, Ebay £5.55)

Cons;
↑↑ the seal to prevent any spillages is a bit of a slippery bugger and I dislike it...
↑↑ not much of a fragrance

Overall Verdict; ★★★★★
I like this mask. I like this mask a lot because it does have the right consistency to me and it helps with the dryness of my skin in prominent places - for example, my cheeks and temples get bone dry by the end of the day. I also like how there are tiny granules of rice in the mask because sometimes I really dislike massive lumps of whatever the item was in the first place.  This mask has definitely become a part of my beauty regime and shall be repurchased in the future for sure.

TONYMOLY Latte Art Cappuccino Cream In Scrub

Details; for both massage and scrub that effectively exfoliates dead skin cells and impurities and delivers nutrition. Heating feeling that can be felt with change of colour and removes impurities of pores.

First impression; oh god the smell... the smell is simply divine because it, l i t e r a l l y, smells like sugary, black coffee and that smell is one of my most favourite scent in the entire world, after peach and light, floral scents. Ugh, I could have been a weirdo and actually eaten the mixture given the chance... but I didn't so we're all safe there.

This scrub is a little weird one... honestly I was expecting a lot more for the price but this is a diddly 85g pot but you do get a lot out of it. I've used this scrub twice since receiving it, and using only a 5p coin size each time it has barely made a dent in the pot (for my non UK readers / friends here is the size of a 5p coin compared to our other coins; http://www.primaryteaching.co.uk/prodimg/COIN_1_Zoom.jpg) Another thing, it felt like that this scrub didn't make a difference to my skin until I had finished the rest of my beauty regime and put on my face cream, where as with the Skin Food rice mask I could feel an immediate difference to my skin if that makes sense at all?

Pros;
↑↑ best scrub fragrance to date
↑↑ will last a long time despite the sizing of packaging
↑↑ cute packing design

Cons;
↑↑ disappointing sizing for the price (Honestskin £6.27, Ebay £6.77)
↑↑ didn't notice a difference straight away

Overall Verdict; ★★★★☆
I'm on the fence for now with this product. I'm kind of hoping that it'll get better when I use it more in the future or that it'll start showing a difference after a few more uses? In a way, I'm not holding my breath but I will keep using it just to see if it will make a difference to my skin or not.

So that's it! Two product reviews for the price of one blog post. Lately, I haven't had as much motivation to do anything? Has anyone been having this problem as well? Ahhh hopefully I'll get out of this funk soon enough and I'll be back to my busy, head exploding self.

Also have you joined my giveaway yet?! Ahhh I'm so estatic from the amount of support / entries so far and yet there are still a couple more weeks to go before it closes! Unfortunately though, there have been a few people that cannot seem to be bothered to read to rules properly before entering and such... so naughty people hmph! Other than that... yeah!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Honest Skin Haul ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

Now before you all wonder "Hey I thought you were doing a spending ban?" I am still doing that it's just that I ordered this with my last paycheque in March as I had run out of my usual beauty products and so thus that is why we are here. Plus also the packages arrived on the 1st of April so it was a nice beginning to my spending ban that's for sure!

I actually never heard of honestskin.com until someone (probably from the site) left a comment on one of my old posts and so... despite nagging feelings about scams and stuff... I decided to google and upon finding out that it is not indeed a scam site, I proceeded to see what was available and I was really was not disappointed at all. First off; the site was holding a 30% sale so how could you not purchase something at this point? Secondly; the site is extremely easy and straightforward to navigate around and find exactly what you're looking for, which for me is a good point because I get so frustrated when you cannot find the products you want and there is no organisation whatsoever (once bitten, twice shy moment) Thirdly; the payment method is quick, painless and the fact they just use paypal for an option, it is like angel noises for me. So overall this site is ringing on all levels and it is definitely a site I recommend for everyone.

Now, once you've decided all that you've purchased and go on for payment, on the page where it wants you to fill in all of your details, it has a section telling you when the next shipment shall be sent out. When I placed my order it was on the 14th of March and in that section it said that the next date wouldn't be until around the 4th of April... which made me a little agitated but it all worked out in the end as it in fact shipped out on the 19th of March, with a tracking number and everything at no extra cost which was a lovely surprise, and it arrived safely to me on my doorstep on the 1st of April - so no jokes happening there... /l a m e/

Everything came all wrapped up, all lovely and securely in bubble wrap so there were no damages to any of the products inside. 10 gold stars there.

It's Skin Rice Ceramide Moisture Toner, Emulsion & Cream

First impressions; there isn't anything special about this set... it's meant to help keep the moisture balance in your skin and even boost the moisture levels. Like a traditional toner > emulsion > cream kit it contains rice extracts and ceramide (which is a family of waxy lipid modules... google it) and honestly this has a really pungent smell. I also have combination skin so let's see if these products will either dry out my skin or make it extremely oily or hopefully do what it says on the packaging.

TONYMOLY Tomatox & Latte Art Cream-In Scrub

First impressions; I have such a thing for anything TONYMOLY at the moment as their packagings are beyond cute and these two products didn't disappoint in that end of the market for me. My favourite is definitely the scrub as it honestly smells like sugary coffee and despite the fact that it was a lot smaller than I thought it would be (especially for £7 I did think it would be double the size...) it's something I am looking forward to using the most. Also the Tomatox whitening cream I have heard so many positive things about it that it just seemed crazy not to purchase and the smell is really light and airy (if that can even be a thing?) and it doesn't feel all heavy and greasy when I tested it out on the back of my hand.

TONYMOLY Dear Me Balancing Lotion & Toner

First impressions; again it's the packaging... I couldn't resist the pastel pink and white picture online and these products are a re-purchase anyway so nur. I loved how smooth and soft the products made my skin feel and they lasted for aaagggeeesss last time as well so these, most certainly, had to become another investment. Plus as I have a line up of things to actually use, these have been stored into my 'emergency' box for future use.

ETUDE HOUSE Dear My Blooming Lipsticks in BE104 & RD302

First impressions; cute packaging again and the colours are a lot darker in person than they are on a computer screen that's for sure. I got my safe colours (nude and red) just in case and already I'm intrigued by them. I've heard mixed reviews about these lipsticks so I thought it was time to get a couple to see for myself what was happening. Also these have a pretty, non-waxy, smell to them which is always a bonus for me as I love sweet smelling things.

Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder

First impressions; sturdy and simple. As I needed a new pore powder and sadly my usual Baby Face Pore Powder was out of stock so I went with this one instead. Hopefully this will be just as good as my previous or hey, hopefully it'll be even better we'll just have to see.

Freebies

The only freebies I was expecting were a few beauty/make-up sample pieces that tends to arrive whenever I purchase anything Korean related and I was pleasantly surprised to find a few face masks inside my parcel that's for sure. I'm excited to try out the Skin Food Black Sugar Serum the most as I've been hearing good things about this particular product and line... so now I can try before (even thinking about) buying!

All in all I've been really impressed by this website and their services and I honestly (no pun intended) recommend it from the bottom of my heart. It's not one of the cheapest sites though when there isn't a sale on... I've noticed that the prices are closer to shop value than trying to be cheaper like other websites and ebay sellers. Mind you, certain products actually turn out to be cheaper on here than via other stores etc so if you do want to make a purchase, do have a shop around and find what is best for you. I will definitely purchase from Honest Skin again though as their services are to notch as well as having products that seem to be sold out on other places.

On that note; I just wanted to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has already entered my giveaway! I am already overwhelmed and honoured to the people that decided to join in and also a big HELLO to all of my new followers! I will go through all the entries and check out everyone's blogs and other sites very soon I promise as well as noting down all of your kind suggestions for what to do in the future of this blog ヾ（*⌒ヮ⌒*）ゞ if you want to come and join along click HERE please thank you very very much wow so much over whelming happening I can't even ヽ( °◇°)ノ

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ March Wishlist ♡

1. MAC lipstick in Snapdragon

2. MAC lipstick in Fleur d'Coral

3. TONYMOLY broccoli cleansing cream

4. Gothic Lolita Rhapsody wig in Rose

5. Lee Hyori 'MONOCHROME' limited edition

6. Lime Crime lipstick in Geradium

7. Lime Crime lipstick in Glamour 101

8. Lee Minho 'MY EVERYTHING' special album

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

♡ Tonymoly Cat Chu Lipstick in Red Cat ♡

みなさん、こんにちは! 

I come bearing another review for TONYMOLY's Cat Chu Wink Lipstick... but this time with the colour 'Red Cat' meow ヽ(=^･ω･^=)丿

I definitely adore the packaging for this particular product... hence the purchase again! It's so cute and sleek and with the pure black colour of the package it really brings out the colour of the lipstick. The red isn't as red as others... for example MUA's lipstick in Shade 13... but this one is a more subtle tone of red that gives off a 40's inspired vibe? It is such a wonderful colour though and at first glance, I honestly thought it wouldn't suit my skin tone but with choosing the right make-up to pair it with... it turned out much better than expected!

Again, like with the peach vanilla version, it took a good couple of swipes on the lips before it was at a shade I was comfortable in and I've had problems before with red lipstick where it has bled without a liner, but this product didn't bleed at all... a major bonus there as I haven't found a liner that matches this shade of red just yet. I chose to wear this lipstick on a day where I was going out to see how long it would last before it needed a top up and again, just like the peach vanilla colour, I only had to re-apply after a good 5+ hours so Tonymoly certainly gets my approval in that catergory!

↑↑ In natural lighting ↑↑

Pros

↑↑ Moisturising and lasts for 5+ hours before a re-apply

↑↑ Easy to purchase online (this one was purchased via ebay this time around)
↑↑ Affordable pricing (£5.56 on ebay)
↑↑ Amazing to use for 40's inspired makeup
↑↑ Easy transition from day to nigh time look

Cons
↑↑ Clings dramatically to the breaks if you have dry/cracked lips like I do...

Overall Verdict: ★★★★★
It was probably obvious from the start that I would rate this product five out of five stars... but once I like a product I will rave about it to anyone who asks and now even my mother has been sneakily borrowing my Tonymoly lipsticks... heck I don't mind really just as long as she puts them back where they belong ლ(╹◡╹ლ)

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Tonymoly Cat Chu Lipstick in Peach Vanilla ♡

みなさん、こんにちは! 

Ugh I have been slightly too idle when it comes to writing and finishing posts that I have already started but now my friend, who was staying with me for the weekend, had been metaphorically poking me and getting me to finish scribbling this blog post! Bless her for helping me but now she's gone home I'm lagging again... I  do need the motivation sometimes ヾ(。￣□￣)ﾂ

Recently; I purchased some Tonymoly makeup - now is it Tonymoly or Tony Moly? I always get confused - from my usual online store for purchasing Korean cosmetics. To cut a long story short, I managed to get my hands on one of their Cat Chu Wink lipsticks in Peach Vanilla and I won't lie... the packaging is absolutely to die for and it was love at first sight there but at first glance of the colour, I was slightly skeptical it wouldn't suit me so I was worried that I had wasted money but as soon as I tried it on, I fell in love!

The colour is between a coral pink and a peachy pink, I believe there is a slight difference between the two, but there is just a subtle hint of orange/peach tones. Also, straight away you can tell that the main focal point of this product is the cat shape on the lipstick top as well as using bright colours against the extreme darkness of the packaging.

I'll admit, because of my skin tone, I was extremely worried that this colour wouldn't suit me at all but I'll also admit that I was totally wrong. It only took a few swipes to get the desired colour and after that, I didn't need to top up until 5+ hours later! That made a nice change as recently a few different brands needed topping up after a maximum of three hours...

↑↑ In natural lighting ↑↑

Pros

↑↑ If a lover of cute things and cats... then this will pretty much hit every nail on the head in that department

↑↑ Moisturising so it doesn't dry out my lips

↑↑ Hardly needed to retouch the colour even after 5+ hours - this includes eating and drinking in between!

↑↑ Easy to purchase online via cosmetic-love or even ebay

↑↑ Reasonable pricing (£5.56 via cosmetic-love and around the same on ebay)

Cons

↑↑ Just the fact it took a few swipes to get the desired colour... other than that no gripes with this product at all!

Overall Verdict: ★★★★★

This product is simply divine for any lipstick lovers out there and with the range of colours in the line, you can go from a simple / neutral daytime look to a full blown evening look with just a few swipes of lippie! The pricing is pretty decent too as it can be hard to find something so good on a budget.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

♡ Cosmetic-Love Haul ♡

みなさん、こんにちは! 

I've decided to write this blog as a joint review / show off on what I bought and it has been a long time since I've purchased some beauty products and so I was finally able to using this online store cosmetic-love.com! What I love about this website is the fact is sells Korean branded cosmetics only, which makes choosing less complicated for me! They are providing a service to customers, like myself, with the wide range of products from various Korean brands such as Laneige, Etude House, Tony Moly, Missha, Skinfood, The Face Shop etc etc. They also say that they're going to expand their ranges also so I am hoping they'll stock some Banila, Amore Pacific and Nature Republic! Oh and also alongside the fact I got a lot of free samples with my order! It really was a nice surprise upon opening the box.

The three brands I stuck too were Skin Food, Tony Moly and Etude House because these were the products, beside Tony Moly, that I had brought back from my trip to Seoul so the fact that I knew these brands made my decisions on choosing what to buy easier.. I managed to spend £36 on these seven items, which compared to UK prices on make-up it is extremely well priced and much cheaper!

Here are a few pros and cons about cosmetic-love;

Pros

★ Easy to navigate around website
★ Free shipping worldwide
★ Good price range of products - ranging from £2 all the way to £34
★ Good range of products such as BB cream and even sun care products
★ Reward points system
★ Quick delivery

Cons

★ I don't believe there are really any cons for this websites...

Obviously this is personal opinion when saying that the website has no cons and even though this was my first order from this particular site, it was a pleasurable and easy experience and in the future I shall decide to use this store to purchase all my Korean beauty products and they have a customer for life.

Skin Food Lemon Tea BB Cream and Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder

Skinfood Good Afternoon Rose Lemon Tea BB Cream: A hydrating and fitting BB cream that revitalizes and hydrates skin with aromatic rose and refreshing lemon extracts. Immediately releases water drops to transform skin into a soft, supple texture.

Skinfood Peach Sake Silky Finish Powder: Powder, that leaves the skin feeling smooth and clear with the micro silica powder of the Air Jet Mill method of construction.

Etude House Sweet Eye Cupcake and Lovely Cookie Blusher in Apricot Pudding

Etude House Sweet Eye Cupcake: Two-toned baked eye shadows with light reflecting properties. Colour bought is Menu 1 which is brown tones

Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher: Various beautiful and bright colors lasts for long time on your cheeks with its sebum control powder and coating pigment. Colour bought was Apricot Pudding which is a soft, baby tone orange colour

Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer

Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer: It prevent from removing and creaseing eyeshadow and eyeliner for a long lasting effect. It makes silky and sleek eyelids for better adhesion and it makes perfect eyes without sticking or stiffing.

Etude House Easy Brow Pencil

Etude House Easy Brow Pencil: Smooth texture for natural brow and water proof & long lasting effect. Colour ordered was in brown.

Tony Moly Baby Doll Pot Concealer in Light Beige

Tony Moly Baby Doll Pot Concealer:  A long-lasting and perfect cover item. It maintains clean make-up for a long time, because Porous powder absorbs excessive sebum and cotead powder particles enhances adhesion.

I do believe that is everything I wanted to write about this site and the products purchased... so I honestly recommend going there if you do buy Korean cosmetics / beauty products because their service is just exquisite.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo