Review: Etude House Oh~ m'Eye Line eyeliner

If there's one makeup item I can't live without, aside from foundation, it would definitely be eyeliner. Ever since I discovered the wonders of it back when I started college, I've never been without it in my makeup collection. I'm also a big fan of the makeup styles from the 40s, 50s, and 60s when eyeliner was an absolute must.

Because my eyelids aren't perfectly smooth and have these natural lines and creases on them, then I have difficulty using gel and pencil eyeliners to line the top of my eyes. I always end up having to tug or stretch my lid just to get an even line. That's why I love and have always used liquid liners. I know some people find it intimidating or difficult to work with, but trust me, it's all about practice!

Last week, Etude House was having a sale so I decided to try out their Oh m'Eye Line liquid eyeliners. It comes in three shades: #01 Black, #02 Gray, and #03 Brown. I didn't see the gray one so I got black and brown instead which is perfect anyway because they're the two colors I use most. I use brown more often because it looks a little softer and more natural, so it's perfect for everyday. I opt for black when I want to define my eyes a bit more intensely.

The packaging is nothing fancy and isn't the typical 'Etude House cute', I guess. I've seen some reviews calling the packaging cheap looking, but I don't think they are. The bottles are made of seemingly sturdy plastic, have a twist off cap, and they hold 5ml of product each.

The applicator itself is a soft, fine-tipped brush. I have tried other eyeliners with an even finer tip, and for me personally, the finer, the better. But I think this brush is just right and it'll please both beginners and those who are already used to working with liquid liners. I like how the brush doesn't pick up or hold too much, or too little, product each time too. If you need less, then you can always easily wipe away the excess back into the bottle.

Review: Nature Republic Mango Bebe Lip Scrub

More than once have I mentioned my curse of dry lips. You can imagine my frustration, as well as the extra maintenance I have to keep up in order to prevent my lips from becoming flaky and cracked. Aside from having to apply at least a hundred layers of lip balm before bed, I also need to reach for a lip scrub two or three times a week. I've used a number of lip scrubs before, but none have been very effective and alas, I still tend to wind up with flaky lips afterwards.

But a few days ago I suddenly remembered something Sabs from Musings of Makeup Maven had written. It was an entry that featured Nature Republic's Mango Bebe Lip Scrub. It seemed like such a great product so I immediately dropped by the nearest Nature Republic stall and picked it up for myself.

The Nature Republic Mango Bebe Lip Scrub is housed in a mostly clear squeeze tube. This is my first time using a lip scrub in this kind of packaging, so I'm loving how convenient it is to bring along if need be.

The name of the product and the product information written behind it is a nightmare to read though as the font is way too light in color, especially against an already light background which is the color of the scrub itself inside. Aside from the name, the product info is in Korean so I wouldn't be able to understand it anyway. But thankfully this Ebay page has translated it:

Contains 1% mango butter. Walnut particles gently remove dead skin cells on the lips. Vitamin A nourishes lips. Alpha Carotene boosts lip elasticity.

It's a simple lip scrub though, so that's all you need to know in the end I think. I do like how it contains 'walnut particles' though, also the first time I've heard of it being used in a lip scrub, and it's apparently supposed to help improve lips' elasticity.

The cap is a secure, twist off type and like many lip balms or essences in a squeeze tube the product is dispensed through a slanted tip which makes application easier. Controlling the amount of product released is easy to do also, though I'm sure it'll become a nightmare once I've used most of this up.

Sponsored review: [Neo Vision circle lenses] Madonna Gray 13.5mm from Kpop2

I love circle lenses. I feel like they just complete my entire look, no matter where I'm going - whether it's to a fancy event or just a casual day out with a friend.

I only recently got into wearing them last year and currently have three pairs that I use. One of them, my newest pair, was kindly sponsored by Kpop2.com, a Korea based website that sells over 300 kinds of lenses at very affordable prices. You can shop for lenses by color, brand, size, type or even browse a specific category which features lenses that retail for only $10. Didn't I say they were affordable? Plus if your order totals over $50, you get free shipping! Also yes, they do ship worldwide.

My package arrived almost two weeks after they confirmed it was shipped out. The contents were in perfect condition thanks to how securely and properly they packaged everything!

They asked me to choose which lenses I wanted so I decided on their Neo VisionMadonna Gray 13.5mm pair. My other two pairs are dark in color, so I wanted something lighter that would also stand out more. I also requested for them to add a grade of 3.00 for both lenses.

Product details:

Product name / Madonna Gray             Overall diameter (DIA ) / 14.0mm
Duration of use / 6 months or more      Graphic diameter / 13.5mm
Manufacturer / NEO                                 Moisture content / 38%
Place of origin / KOREA                          BC / 8.6mm
Frequency range / 0.00 to -9.00            Astigmatic / impossible

Review: Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint in "PK002 Cherry Hot Pink"

I love cherries and cherry themed products. I also love the color pink. Combine both and you definitely have a winning combination for me, so here's one of my most favorite products from Etude House, their Fresh Cherry Tint lip tint in the shade "PK002 Cherry Hot Pink".

Product description:

Tint promotes moist & shiny cherry lips with a creamy, smooth texture.

L: old Fresh Cherry Tint ad, R: newer Fresh Cherry Tint ad

What I have is the old packaging of the Fresh Cherry Tint line. As far as I know, the shades are still the same or very similar, it's just the packaging that's changed, and in the newer line they removed one of the shades so there's now three instead of four.

Personally I find the older packaging cuter. It's unique looking with its curved shape whereas the new one looks a lot more ordinary and emphasizes the whole cherry theme less.

Review: Cupcake All Over Color (PK001, OR202) + Candy Stick (Berry, Orange) (Etude House)

With Etude House having already released its newest makeup collection, "Dear Girls", I decided to finally put this post up featuring some of the products from their Sweet Recipe collection. These are actually birthday presents from my bff so thank you, dear! I also have one more Sweet Recipe item which I'll review in the next post.

I was a bit late in seeing these items for real since the small Etude House stall in SM Makati only recently started selling from specific collections or lines. Before, I always had to go to an actual EH store in Megamall which is farther away. I still have to since the SA told me that they won't always get every item for each collection, but at least I won't need to make the trip as much anymore!

Phew, is it just me or does EH release collections way too fast these days? I feel like they need to slow down to give us a chance to try everything without resorting to hoarding...

Review: Trouble Calming & Brightening Ampoule (Baviphat)

Recently my skin has been rebelling and breaking out. It's mostly been happening along my jawline too, which I found out after some research was due to hormonal imbalance. Now if it was a diet related problem, I could easily try to eat a wee bit healthier to counteract what's happening with my skin. But hormones? What am I supposed to do about that?

I already have a medicated acne cream I've been using for years that's highly effective for me. It can get rid of small to medium zits practically overnight. But it's really drying on the skin (to help dry out the zits, I guess) so I can't use it in the day when I'm going to be headed out because it'll cause my makeup to look flaky and patchy on those areas. So I decided to purchase something additional I can use any time to help me combat my acne's redness and overall appearance.

I was browsing around Baviphat in Glorietta 3 mall the other week and happened about telling the SA about my breakout woes and she instantly recommended me their Trouble Calming & Brightening Ampoule. I'm a big lover of Baviphat's products, so it wasn't that hard for me to decide to get it!

Left side of the box

Right side of the box

Baviphat never fails with their packaging. It's always colorful, girly, and accompanied with cute illustrations!

Review: vitamin hand (Evas)

I'm just one of those people who's very particular about my skin. I always want it as flawless and smooth as possible, all the way from my face down to my feet! That's why I regularly use both face and body exfoliators and lotions to pamper and care for my skin, and that of course also includes the skin on my hands. Call me old-fashioned perhaps, but I believe women should always have smooth and soft hands. It just adds that extra touch of femininity, and I'm sure your boyfriend or husband doesn't want to be holding onto rough and dry hands!

Luckily, a Korean brand, Evas, has a product that can help you achieve smooth and delicately scented hands with their vitamin hand hand lotion.

I never fail to apply hand cream or lotion before bed every night as well as every morning after I'm done getting ready, so when I ran out of my usual hand cream, I decided to try out a new one and spotted this product at Watsons. Lucky for me, it was also on a buy-one-take-one promo hence I grabbed two right away! Not sure if the promo is still ongoing though as I got these last month.

Review: Cherry Lip Gel Patch (Etude House)

Another lip product, another review! This time, Etude House's Cherry Lip Gel Patch which I'll admit, I fell for just because it looked so cute and I learned was one of the newer items from EH. Also, remember my previous entry about me having dry lips? You can see why I bought this one right away.

The product claims to be "Formulated with vitalizing cherry extract, this lip-shaped hydro gel patch hydrates, repairs, and soothes for soft, supple, and smooth lips."

Isn't the illustration on the back adorable? It also demonstrates how to use the patch already, but nonetheless, how does one use this "lip patch" exactly? As an alternative to lip scrubs, and according to the directions, "Place onto clean lips and leave on for 10~15 minutes. Massage remaining product into your lips." Now I bet you're wondering how it looks in real life, well let's see!

Review: Jasmine Water BB Cream (Pure Beauty)

As a big fan of BB creams in general, and who isn't, I decided to give Pure Beauty's Jasmine Water BB Cream a try. I initially stumbled upon this product months ago, but only now decided to give it a try since I'm on a lookout for a more budget-friendly bb that does the job! So what does the product claim?

Jasmine Water BB Cream provides intensive moisture to skin with the help of fragrant jasmine water. It is also an excellent cover cream to make your skin look more radiant and healthy with a natural glow.

And from their website:

A 7-in-1 formula that will give you a natural, fair and radiant look you won’t believe. This lush, lightly scented cream harnesses the advanced moisturising power of Jasmine Water and other active ingredients to keep your skin fully hydrated while it gets to work bringing back your radiance and natural glow. It also contains arbutin, which whitens and actively combats the formation of dark spots, and adenosine that smoothes wrinkles until they disappear.

It comes in a very elegant looking 30ML squeeze-type bottle and is well-sealed so you know if it has or hasn't been tampered with.

The Face Shop: Club 20

I finally joined the club! The Face Shop's Club 20 that is.

Yes, I got my VIP card just the other day at Robinson's Galleria which is conveniently located just across from my school.

But one of the best parts is you get lots of free samples! The list of all the product samples are:

• Power Perfection BB Cream SPF37/PA+++ (Natural Beige)
• E'thym O2 Water Recharge Essence
• Natural Sun Power Long-lasting Sun Cream SPF 45 PA+++ [Super Antioxidant Acaiberry]
• Clean Face Special Gift Set (inside are two small bottles: one Clean Face Mild Toner and one Clean Face Mild Lotion)
• Real Nature Mask Lemon

I can't wait to try these out, perhaps after a couple of weeks or so, and hopefully be able post up some quick reviews on all of them!

Review: Masquerade 4D Black Dress Mask (TONY MOLY)

Another review, another TONY MOLY product!

What can I say? I've been splurging on them quite recently, but I do have other products from other brands in mind (Etude House, Maybelline, and Lioele specifically) that I already either recently bought or will purchase soon enough that I'll definitely put to the test also.

This time around however, it's TONY MOLY's Masquerade 4D Black Dress Mask. The review will be short and sweet since how much detail exactly can one go for a one-time use face mask?

Isn't the packaging just the cutest? I love anything that's masquerade-themed, and a part of me still wishes it was shaped like an actual, traditional masquerade mask but that would be silly. Haha.

There are, of course, instructions in English and Korean; but the illustrations are already easy enough to understand. Cleanse your face first like you normally do, then unfold the mask, place it onto your face and arrange it so it covers as much as possible and sits on your face properly, then rub in the excess or leftover serum afterwards when you remove it. The mask should be left on for 15-20 minutes.

Review: EGGPORE Blackhead Out Oil Gel (TONY MOLY)

Here it is, my first product review and for one of my favourite beauty brands; TONY MOLY. The brand's presence is still quite new to the country and if I'm not mistaken, the stores only started opening around Manila in 2011, not too long after Etude House branches started springing up too. I'm glad stores for TONY MOLY are now in the Makati area too (although the only one I've seen so far is in SM Department Store, next to the InterContinental Manila hotel), since the first branch I ever saw was all the way in Ortigas in SM Megamall.

Okay, now onto the actual review...

Though I've seen this product many times whenever I browsed through a TONY MOLY store or stall, I finally decided to give it a try. I was immediately attracted to it because I'm willing to try anything that promises to focus on removing or minimizing/reducing blackheads. There are many days where I simply don't have the time to properly apply foundation and concealer and have to settle for quick BB cream applications to lightly mask and even out my skin, and as we all know, BB creams technically still aren't foundations so sometimes imperfections like blackheads are still quite visible. Basically, a product that will remove or reduce them would save me more time and energy in the end.

Here's the product itself, both in its original plastic packaging and out of it. Super cute, right?

When you twist open the top half, the actual product is sealed with a soft, rubber cap which you simply pull off. Important note: Be careful when pulling it off because it removes easily and you can end up accidentally spilling a bit of the product itself. You have to be even more careful when placing it back on! Since it's so soft and flexible, even when you try to seal it again gently the cap will 'fall' into the product and cause spill over again. Here's a tip though: place the bottom half on a flat surface and apply a light, even pressure all around the cap when pressing it back on to seal the product in. It just takes some practice!

The actual product. As you can see, it's semi-translucent and contains hard, yellowy orange beads that are common in a lot of other beauty products meant for cleansing or exfoliation to provide that extra buffing and cleaning power. It also has a light, almost citrus-y scent to it.