Isa Knox Timeless Essence Foundation

Isa Knox Timeless Essence Foundation in 21 Ivory Beige:

So all the foundations I wanted to buy from gmarket got sold out and I ended up with this instead.

Description:

(Wrinkle improvement and sunblock dual function/SPF 20, PA++) is a dual-function foundation containing over 20% essence for wrinkle improvement. Glides on smoothly with a moisturized sensation. It conceals fine lines and blemishes naturally for a radiant look.
  
Packaging: 4/5

It's pretty well packaged in my opinion. This line is targeted towards people in their 30s with maturing skin seeing the packaging seems a little more mature and it has wrinkle improvement. The plastic seems really sturdy and doesn't feel cheap at all. The cap comes off easily and the pump works really well. You only need like half a pump. I'm not sure how it'll work once the product starts running out but at least for now it works well enough.

Product: 3.5/5

Since I'm still in my 20's, wrinkle care isn't a big thing for me but I like the idea that its supposed to help improve wrinkles. I bought it thinking I would to give to my mom but ended up getting the wrong shade. I thought I got the darker shade (23) but ended up with 21. Since I don't have wrinkles, can't really comment on how well that particular claim works.

• Moisturizes: fairly well. I don't feel like it dries out my skin or anything but since I have oily skin that's not really a problem for me. I do feel like it has a soft, slightly dewy finish.
  

• Oil Control: is pretty decent. I wore it in the morning, walked around in the hot sun taking lots of pictures and being touristy and by the end of the day, I didn't look horribly oily like I sometimes do.

• Scent: is a little strange. I feel like there's this old ginseng smell from the box or something but the actual product has a light floral-y smell that I LOVE. I normally dislike smells in products I use but I think I'm slightly addicted to this one.

• Durability: lasts really well especially if you set it with powder. By the end of the night, a lot of makeup still wiped off my cleansing tissues.

• Texture: Not too runny but still spreads easily. 

• Color Match: Pretty good. I'm about a NC25 and I think this color works really well on me. Since Korean foundations tend to have like 3 shades, I thought I would have been the darker 23 shade, but I think 21 works well. I'm a little scared to see what will happen when summer comes around and I get darker, but I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.(Left = no foundation, Right = foundation)

• Coverage: is medium, but buildable.

Value: 4/5
22,000 Won for 35ml
I paid about $20 which is good, considering how much you get for the quality of product. Isa Knox is more a mid to high level brand in Korea anyways so for that price, it's a pretty good deal. I find it hard to find retail prices since I tend to shop at gmarket anyway and like most Korean products, it's a little difficult to get outside of Korea

Overall: 4/5

All in all it's a fairly decent foundation. I do like it enough to keep using it. 

Shu Uemura Primal Mix Blush in Rhythm

Limited-Edition Primal Mix Blush

Description: Take a trip to a primitive land! shu uemura's Fall Mode Collection invites you to explorate make-up with unexpected colors found in the primitive tribe. Be wild and go beyond ordinary. Duo-color blush palette combines fresh, soft shades that add a healthy, warm and natural glow to the skin. The unique color combination can be blended and applied to the face in one stroke or used as individual shades for further accents.

Packaging 2/5

Similar to their normal blushes with the clear packaging except it has circular brown beige rings around the top to go with the primal tribe-ish theme. I actually like the clear packaging because it looks clean & simple. However I have to comment that the strip is so small, it isn't very practical. It's fine for the normal blushes because it's one color; however, this is two colors and that honey shade is tinyy, less than half of the pink. As you can see, my blush brush pretty much fills up the whole palette so I have to put it toward whichever color I want to use.

Price 3/5

Retail price is $24 for 4.2g or 0.148oz. Not cheap considering MAC blushes are $18.50 for 6g or 0.21oz and their normal blushes are $21 for 0.17oz but I guess since it's duo-color and limited edition, they had to up the price. It's still cheaper than say NARS blushes which are $26 for 4.5g or 0.16oz but you do get more with the NARS.

Product: 4/5
Shu Uemura blushes are quite famous and I can definitely see why. Even though personally I don't think this pink is that special it comes out quite pretty. Texture-wise, the pink is more powdery, the brown is more shimmery, almost glittery and mixed together it becomes a muted shimmery peach-ish color. It's pretty sheer with the first swipe, but it is buildable and doesn't make you look clown-like. It gives you a very natural looking flush and it's a color I can see myself wearing often. 


Rhythm contains a rosy pink color and a smaller warm light medium brown with gold shimmer.

Swatch: (rather heavily) mixed, pink, brown

 
Overall 3.5/5
This was my first forray into Shu Uemura. I know their blushes are highly raved and since I had been lemming for one for a while, I finally gave in and bought a limited edition one. I can see why Shu Uemura blushes are popular and I will definitely look into getting another one. However, I'm not sure that this color is all that unique so if you have a similar color, I would hold off for something else.


On a life note, my finals are coming up so no updates for at least a good week and possibly half. After that lots of updates should be coming your way! :)

Clio Milky Orange Lipstick vs Clio Milky Pink Lipstick

 

After I saw milky pink in a tutorial I decided I couldn't live without it. So I got them in my mini gmarket haul ^^

Clio is a brand of makeup that is actually made in Italy but distributed in Korea. I don't think Clio is distributed other than Korea so I'm just gonna refer to it as a Korean brand. I believe its in the same company as peripera (the Wonder Girls brand). I heard Sasa carries the line but I don't think they carry it anymore...or at least I couldn't find it anyway. The line has a lot of beautiful, funky cosmetics with lots of color so those who like color should enjoy this brand. Kim Haneul, a Korean actress, is the current representative and she's supposedly wearing the two shades in the picture above.

The two lipstick shades are two of the most popular of the art line.

Price 3/5
The officially listed price on the Clio website is 20,000 Won (~$18) for 2.5g but you can find these on gmarket for about 1/3 of the price...some sellers even listing it at 6,000 Won so you have a wide variation.


Packaging 4.5/5
The design of the lipstick is one of the prettiest I've seen for a lipstick. All of the art collection pieces do have the art designs printed on the packaging as well as the case. Mine's covered in multicolored hearts! But I know there are different designs. I also think the square bottom makes it easy to stay up, but I do feel it is a little more bulky than round ones.

Product: 4/5
 The Clio lipsticks are moisturizing and the color goes on smoothly. It's definitely not sheer, but is very buildable and creamy. Think Mac's Amplified Creme. The color is fairly bright and not necessarily the color you would think it to be. I didn't notice any scents but I give it thumbs up for its durability. I fell asleep after putting on the lipstick and 5~6 hours later, it looked the same. The color does fade when you wear it while you're awake of course.

Clio Art Lipstick in MO15 in Milky Pink

 

So milky pink didn't really apply on me how I expected it to at all. I thought it would be more sheer but then I realized in the video I watched, the artist used a lip brush to thinly spread it out. Milky Pink kinda reminds me of some of MAC's cult faves (I'm thinking St. Germain or Scanty). However with my medium skintone, it kinda looks like a stripperish pink. -___-" It looks much better when I sheer it out and I think it might be easier to pull off for lighter less yellow skintones.

  

 

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Clio Art Lipstick in MO16 in Milky Orange

So while looking up other swatches of milky pink I discovered milky orange which turned out to be an even more popular color than milky pink. It was famous for its neon orange color that was made famous through Wonder Girls Yoobin.

This color was actually more wearable than the pink I think.

 

  

  

 

It was an orange with a slight tinge of pink. If you build it up you can get it to a neon orange. I like that it's one of the most uniquest colors that I own. I own a lot of pinks. And it works better for my skintone :) Overall, Clio lipsticks are definitely worth the investment as it is quite high quality and I plan to try out new colors in the future.

Etude Hourse Cleansing Dream Soft Cleansing Foam Review

Cleansing Dream Soft Cleansing Foam:

I got this when I went to Korea and I realized I didn't bring a facial cleanser. I figured I would just buy one when I got there and I picked it up at duty-free (It was the only Etude House cleanser they had).

Description:

Facial foam cleanser with a soft sensation specially formulated to gently wash away oil, dirt and residues.
Mineral oil free & alcohol free

Active Ingredients: Cellplus & Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Extracts
  
Packaging: 4.5/5

The Soft Cleansing Foam is soooooo pretty and girly and soft looking...the packaging at least. I don't think pictures do it justice. It comes in a pretty white squeeze tube with houses, birds and all sorts of random cute stuff printed in pastel colors. It has a baby pink lid that opens pretty easily. I took off half a point because when I use it, the area around the opening gets messy and it's easy enough to clean but I prefer it to stay clean without much effort on my part.

Product: 3.5/5

 

 

The foam itself is a thick white paste which lathers up well. It has a light scent which isn't too bad but I'm really particular about products that smell. I think it was stronger when you first open the product and as you use more and more of it, it gets a little weaker. It says that it can be used to remove makeup and stuff but I prefer to remove my makeup and then cleanse since it is a pretty gentle product. It doesn't make my face feel all stretched out after I use it but I do feel the need to moisturize afterward (which I guess is indicative that it does clean pretty well). I didn't break out from using it so plus points for that.

Value: 3.5/5
7000 Won for 120ml or 4.06 oz (~$6)
Average pricing I think. Not expensive but not super duper cheap. You do get a pretty decent amount but it's like drugstore pricing. Hard to get outside of Korea

Overall: 3.75/5

All in all it's a fairly decent cleanser. It's not super special but I do like it more than other foaming cleansers I've tried. 

all doll'd up swatches + review

 

  

Barbie closes her eyes

The colors:

Trio #1 = champage, copper brown, pink

Trio #2 = teal, gray charcoal, purple

 

trio #3: light blue, dark navy, silver

 

trio #4 = peach, dark brown, green

 

• Packaging: 3/5
•  Personally I think the Barbie stuff is so cutee, not to mention...pink!!! =DD
• However, holographic Barbie opening & closing her eye is a little freaky for me personally. 
• Also I saw lots of people's eyeshadows shattering once they dropped their palette or shipped it or something so I'm not sure that the packaging is that sturdy. 
• The large mirror is useful since not all palettes come with mirrors. 
• However, when using the shadows, I have to be careful not to push the colors into their neighbors, especially the darker colors into the lighter ones because then you don't get that intended color and I don't plan to mix the colors.
• Quality: 4/5
• Excellent–the shadows are soft and silky with a nice sheen.
• Pigmentation is really good, especially for the darker colors and the colors themselves are diverse but extremely wearable.
• Each trio can be used as a look since they complement each other nicely, but you can also mix and match to create your own look.
• Value: 5/5
•  $28.00 for 0.36 oz
• You get twelve high-quality shades...that's like almost $2.50 per color...how's that for cheap
•  Overall: 4/5
• It's seriously my favorite palette right now. I prefer palettes over single eyeshadows because of its practicality so I have quite a few palettes but I don't think I have any as wearable as this one. For the quality it's definitely worth the price. If you don't have one, or if you're thinking of getting one, or if you can even get your hands on one (at this point) you definitely should!!!

p.s. didn't my swatches improve?! :) sorry for lateness again xD too much craziness in life... and blogger was being weird and uploading all my pictures sideways (weird i know...)