Review: Holika Holika Apple Shine Turn-over Essence

This product was provided by Holikaholika.ca, all opinions are mine.

Happy Halloween! ^_^

It's been so long again, apologies for the lack of updates, D: but my laziness has been really kicking in lately, mostly because whenever I've finished some school work I just want to rest and be lazy. TAT 

So without further ado, today I have a review on a Holika Holika product, I thought it was rather fitting because of the magical witch-y theme it has going on. :>

This Holika Holika Apple Shine Turn-over Essence is part of the Apple Shine line, in which I have reviewed the Apple Shine Peeling Sheet! There are several products in this line including a peeling toner, scrub foam, scrub soda, and sleeping cream! All of these products have the function of exfoliation~

The packing is really cute, the the glass bottle is super cute, like some magic potion! :0

"Lustrous and vibrant-looking skin created by country-fresh apple and grain ingredients. Contains rich concentrations of organic apples, other fresh fruits and grain, which leave your skin looking smooth and lustrous. Removing the dead skin layer can make your skin as lustrous as a freshly picked apple.  Fruit and hyaluronic acid contents help your skin retain moisture, while removing dead skin cells, to promote supple, vibrant-looking skin. Simple and convenient peeling system for those on the go or who have sensitive skin. An exfoliation line with eight exfoliating products, each for a specific need ranging from simple peeling to sensitive skin. Choose the product that suits your individual skin type and lifestyle"

-Holikaholika.ca

This product, unlike other exfoliating products, do not contain beads or particles for scrubbing, it's a gel type lotion that will gently remove dead skin while providing moisture! :o

Quite interesting, I have never used a non-mechanical exfoliator, I'm curious to see the results compared to regular exfoliators!

It does not say anywhere if this essence is for daily use, I'm assuming it is, judging by the size and that it's an essence. I have been using it every night, and have had no problems with it.

The glass bottle is really sturdy, and has a good weight to it. Look really cute on a table. :P

I was really happy to see that this packaging has a pump, unlike some essences! >.<

Adorable logo on the cap and inside the box! :D

Smooths out easily with no stickiness!

Texture/Application

I was surprised to read that this is supposed to go on as the last step of your skin care routine, shouldn't it have immediate contact to the skin to have the exfoliation take effect? :o I'm not sure.

But nevertheless, I really like the pump on this essence, as I find most essence do not have one and it's a pain to get the product out, with this it's no problem! :D Just about two pumps of this will do for the whole face. It's a viscous gel-like essence, quite thick, but smooths very easily, and makes the skin feels silky and not sticky! :D

5/5

Effects

I like how after my skin care routine, with essence moisturizer etc., applying this last seems to have an effect of sealing all the moisture in. I certainly like the watery feeling of this too, it makes my skin feels even more moisturized. There's also a cooling effect that goes with it, it's quite soothing.

As for the exfoliating effects, it's really hard to tell since there's not much immediate evidence. But I have been using this for some weeks now, and it does seem like my skin has gotten smoother, but I don't know if I can attribute it all to this product. 

3.5/5

Scent

 Similar to the Apple Shine Peeling Sheet, this essence has an apple scent, it's decent and unique. But it's a bit artificial and plastic-like. It's not too strong so I don't mind.

3/5

Overall
I think this is a decent product, there's certainly a nice moisturizing effect. And if you have dry or sensitive skin, this would be a good exfoliator essence to consider since it does not irritate the skin with harsh scrubs, and quite moisturizing too. It can fit to your everyday skin care routine too.
4/5

Pros
-Moisturizing
-No harsh scrubs, good for sensitive/dry skin types
-Easy to use
-Silky and non-sticky texture
Smooths skin
-Cute packaging

Cons
-Exfoliation effects not immediate
-Apple scent, but a bit artificial

You can find this product here for $25 at holikaholika.ca or your local holika holika store. :P


Gosh I just love the packaging of this haha, it's too cute and I really like colour and the fact that it's glass. :P

Have you tried an exfoliator essence before?

Also, I've picked a winner for the MOOTA giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Congratulations Monika! I have sent you an email, please reply as soon as possible! :D

Thanks for reading everyone! I really appreciate it. :)
I haven't been replying to some of the comments in the last few posts, but I'll get to them right away! ^^
Hope to see you very soon!~

-Chee

Review: Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion

This product was sponsored by cosmetics.jolse.com,  opinions are mine.

Hello!~~~

Finally another review! :D

 I'm almost through with my midterms and I can see the finishing line. e.e sooon~

Anyways,

This Etude House Any Cushion has been a very popular product lately, along with other 'cushion' type foundations. And this one in particular has had advertisements with Shinee, and they are quite funny. :P

Although I have never tried a cushion foundation, it seemed like a good concept judging by the combination of coverage of a foundation, and the light-weight feel of dabbing on make up with a sponge, if that makes sense. ;u;

Keep reading for the full review!~

Thanks to Ji Eun from cosmetic.jolse.com for letting me review this product. ^^ 

 (Apologies for the grainy/blue-ish colours of some pictures, the lighting was really odd ^^;) 

I love when products come in a box! I know it's a waste of packaging most of the time, but they are so pretty. *_* And I horde them =.=, need to think of a use for them!

The SPF50+/PA+++ is really great! Same as the Etude House Precious Minerals Sun BB!

I got mine in Natural Beige W13, they also have N02 Light Beige, and W24 Honey Beige.

Ingredients, and easy directions.

The pact is thicker than I imagined, but it's quite sturdy, and still travel friendly. I really like how mess free it is to use, perfect for touch ups during the day. :D

The cushion inside is replaceable, and can be pushed out from the bottom.

Love the big mirror!

Puff~

It comes with a plastic separator, and not the flimsy kind, this one flips over and easy to open.

The puff is also quite nice, I really like that it doesn't suck up too much product, just enough to use, and it's easy to clean too. I wipe it with a wet cloth, since I don't want to soak the whole thing in water just in case that ruins it. >.< lol

When you first open it there's a seal, so you can be sure that no one touched it. lol

*flip* And there's the cushion!

Close up, spongy foundation. :3

Here's the before and after on my face. The lighting was really harsh though. D: I don't think my skin looks that bad. lol

It really brightens my face! And has pretty decent coverage!

Application/Texture

First time trying a cushion foundation, and I have to say I really like how convenient, quick, and mess-free the application is! It takes less than a minute for a very even and light-weight coverage. Just press the puff into the spongy cushion to pick up foundation and dab it on your face! :D No need to get fingers dirty!
The texture is light and non-sticky! And feels so weightless, and looks even (no streaks!), the coverage is decent too.
I really love this~ *_*
5/5

Colour/Coverage 
Like most Etude House BB creams/foundation I chose mine in the shade W13 which matches my skin quite well (for a while I used N02, but realized it's too light/grey for me). I really like the brightening effect it gives. In the second picture you can see after one dab on my face, it really covered most of my freckles and spots, but that's before blending it out. Blending is a breeze, since it's so light it kind of just melts into the skin. haha It does give decent light-medium coverage, although a bit more could be better. :P
4.5/5

Wear
I think the wear for this is decent, it lasted for about 5-6 hours for me. But I find since the packaging is so convenient, I can carry it around with me anywhere and reapply anytime. :3 This also doesn't make my face oily or flaky without powder, please keep in mind I have normal to dry skin type in cold seasons. :P I have no complaints here either!
5/5

Scent
I think it smells like any other Etude House BB cream/foundation. Floral, and powdery scented.~

Overall
I have no complains on this whatsoever! I love everything about it~
It has high sun protection, easy to use, decent even coverage, not sticky, and travel friendly! The only thing that might be a down side is the price, which are usually $20+, higher than most Etude House products. But the refills are only around $10.
4.5/5

Pros
-Travel friendly packaging
-Even light-medium coverage
-Easy to use
-Light weight
-Brightens
-High SPF
-Refills avaliable

Cons
-One of the more pricey Etude House products

If you are interested in this product, you can find it here for $19.79 on cosmetic.jolse.com, one of the cheapest out there! :D And refills here for $9.88!

Are you interested in trying this? Have you tried any other cushion type foundations?

Thank you for reading! :) and thanks for 300,000 page-views *_* <3
I'll go back to studying now, new review up soon!
See you then~

-Chee

Unboxing: September Wantable Beauty Box

Hi Everyone!

Long time no see!~ ^_^; 

Still in the middle of my midterms, and there's not an end in sight just yet. =A=

 So this post will consist mostly of pictures. :D

So after looking through a lot of bloggers' posts on monthly beauty boxes, it's so tempting for me to try some too, but I always hesitated and wondered if it's ever worth it.

And I think it was during late September, I suddenly received an email from Romil Patel from Wantable, a new beauty and jewelry subscription box, to try out a complementary box! *_* Gah so exciting, and perfect timing, since I wanted to try one too! xD

The package came in this box, nothing else on the outside. .-. This is the September Beauty box. :)

So on their website there are 3 box choices to choose from; a beauty box, jewelry box or an intimates box, and right now a limited edition Halloween box! I choose the beauty box of course, which will come with full size products! The personalization of the boxes are super specific too, you can select exactly what you like or dislike for a LOT of categories, including colours, and types, and they'll never send the ones you dislike. xD And you can change preferences any time. Then they'll sent a box valued at $80 or more! :0

Also, they only ship to USA, Canada, and Australia at the moment.

But the downside is that this is quite expensive for a subscription box, priced at $40 per box, or $36 if you get a subscription. A bit too much for my budget, but I guess it's worth it in the end?

(I'm not affiliated with them, this box was just a complementary box, thanks to Romil Patel! ^_^)

The card that came inside, and some info.

Right after opening the box, the card, a sample, and the order list of the items and their original prices!

Tada~ The products! I received 5 beauty products + a sample.

The two sample cream eye shadows, so creamy and soft. *_* Looks like pills here! haha

I like Sunrise Peach the most.

Foundation brush! The bristles are really soft. I gave this to my mom though, since she needed one. xD

Retail $25

I like the colour and the pigmentation is quite nice, but it's a bit powdery. I've also seen Be a Bombshell eyeshadows in other cheaper beauty boxes.

Retail $14

A very pigmented, creamy and gorgeous red lip stick! I really love this, but don't know when to wear it. ;u; 

The colour is in Russian.

Retail $21

A maroon metallic nail polish, it looks quite nice! But it peels, so a base coat is a must.

I also like the interesting packing design.

Retail $11

An eyebrow gel with built in brush! It's quite handy, the colour is a dark brown, and it lasts quite long too!

Retail $22

So the total retail prices come up to $93!

In this box I like the lipstick, eyebrow gel, and nail polish the most! 

Do you think it's worth $40? 

I think it is worth it, but it really depends what you get, and it really is luck of the draw. The surprise factor is what draws me in to subscriptions boxes. xD

Are you subscribed to any beauty boxes? Any recommendations? *_*

Okay thanks for reading, take care~ ^^

 I'll see you next post for a review!

-Chee

Review: Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips-Talk OR204 + RD304

This product was provided by cosmetic.jolse.com. The opinions expressed are my own, and are not affected in any way by the sponsorship.

Hi Lovelies~

Sorry, it's been a week since I last updated! ;-; There's just so much never ending work in school ahh @_@;

But...

Today I have a review on the Etude House Dear My Blooming Lips-Talk Lip sticks! :D

 These are quite popular, I've seen a few reviews on these already, and the overall consensus was positive for them, and I really wanted to try Etude House lipsticks. So I bought the RD304, and OR204 was sent to me by Ji Eun from cosmetic.jolse.com! 

I believe these come in a total of 24 colours! (There's also Pink Talk and Color Pop versions, which have different sets of colours!)  It was really hard to choose which to try, so I got the ones that I thought would be the most wearable. ;u;

They do have quite a funny long name though. :P

The packaging is really cute! I love the design of the box, and the tube on the inside, with that little bow.  It feels so girly, and princess-y. :3

Features

 -Lipstick bloom with emotion to supply moist, cream textured color and shine for long wear comfort.

-24 Emotional colors.

*From cosmetic.jolse.com

The right is RD304 and left is OR204. The colour on the box is a bit paler for OR204, don't know if it's intentional though.

The back.

"Smooth textured lipstick supplies vivid color and moist shine." *_*

The top labels.

The tube.

I've used some of RD304 before taking photos, so it looks a bit rounder. ^^;

I love how it has the Etude House logo ingrained on the bullet. I really adore these details. :)

Swatch! This was taken during overcast, so it looks a bit cooler here than in person.

I actually find the to colours looking a bit similar. xD Thought the OR204 would be more orange.

Sorry these pictures are blurry, didn't notice until I zoomed up to crop them. =.=; 

But I just want to point out that both of these do sink into lip lines, and a bit uneven, more so for OR204, which might show more in the photo above. :<

Texture/Application

 These lipsticks are so creamy and smooth! Although it's not as creamy as the innisfree juciy gloss pencil, it's good enough in it's own right. :) OR204 is just a tad bit drier.

I had no problem with both of these lipsticks gliding on my lips, without tugging.

However, the downside is both of these lipsticks colour sink into lip lines and will grab on to any uneven surface, so it's best to exfoliate your lips before applying these. Both have uneven coverage, more so for OR204. :< It's not noticeable from far away, but up close the colour does not look even at all. 

3/5

Color

Both colours are quite bright and adds nice pop of colour!  They are pigmented, and buildable too, but I do find even with many layers, it still looks uneven. :<

 The finish is a bit glossy. :3

OR204 is a peachy, orange colour. It looks darker in the tube than on the lips. I find actually find it a bit too light for my skin tone. :S But it's pretty nonetheless.

PK304 is more of a coral colour on the pink-ish side. 

4.5/5

Wear

 These lasted on me for around 3-4 hours, and maybe 2 hours if I was eating. Not really long, and it doesn't leave a stain or anything. 

I do like the moisturization properties of these lipsticks, I don't feel like I need a lip balm underneath, and it keeps my lips moisturized for the duration. Also it's not sticky. :D

3/5

Scent/Taste

 Both smell sweet maybe fruity? It's just a general 'sweet' smell. ;u; hehe

And I don't think I tasted anything while I had this on. No complaints here. :>

5/5

Overall

 I do like these lipsticks for the numerous colour choices, the price and pigmentation. But I think they fall short on the hours of wear, and the fact that the application is not even. However, these are not fatal flaws so I think it's worth it just to have a try. :)

4/5

Pros

-Pigmented

-Moisturizing

-Smooth and creamy

-Plenty of colour choices

-Build-able

-Cute packaging

Cons

-Not long lasting

-Uneven application, and sink into lines

If you are interested in these lipsticks you can find them here on cosmetics.jolse.com for $8.89!

Have you tried any Etude House lipsticks?

This is the first time I'm trying out Etude House lipsticks. I usually go for lip tints or tinted balms. I think these are alright, but could be better. :3

Thanks for reading, hope it was helpful!

I hope to update once next week, a shorter post probably, since I have 2 midterm coming up consecutively next week. >.< 

Okay see you next post, take care! :D

-Chee