Hey dolls, This post is a part of series of posts that I am going to be doing for the next couple of weeks. If you follow my blog, you know that I have already written about some of the Korean skin care products (road brand) that I am eagerly recommending you guys to try out. Well, this time around, I am listing the Korean road brand "face makeup" products that I am obsess about. Just so you know, I have tried these products for a long time and have actually repurchased them at least twice. Holika Holika Face 2 Change Liquid Roller BB Cream
It is a roller type B.B cream that creates a perfect coverage with advanced application. This B.B. cream claims to create a flawless, luminous skin with colors that matches different skin tone. It comes in three shades - #21, #23, and #25. I have a typical Southeast Asian complexion and skin tone (which is a thud darker than Korean complexion) and I always find it hard to find B.B creams that won't make me look like a walking ghost. Most of the Korean B.B creams available in the market tend to look grayish or ashy on my skin. However, this is the only one I found so far that suits my skin tone better. I wear the shade 25 Sand Beige. It tends to look a bit lighter at first but it blends with my natural skin a few minutes after application. This also has the highest coverage among all B.B creams I have tried ever. It is really rare to find a B.B cream with a good coverage and this does the job of covering my blemishes and hyper pigmentation. The roller sponge applicator makes it so easy to apply as well. Finally, the dewy luminous glow it gives to my skin is just an added bonus.
Holika Holika Face 2 Change Smoothing Primer
This smoothing primer prepares your skin by smoothing it out before applying your makeup. This is perfect for those of you gals who have normal to dry skin. It is not mattifying like the Benifit Porepessional Primer but is rather moisturizing. The other two additional benefits of this primer are its anti-wrinkle and brightening components. This works well, not only with the B.B. cream mentioned above, but also with any liquid foundations out there.
Etude House Face Designing V-line Slim Maker
Contouring/shading is one of the latest fads in makeup these days and almost all higher end brands have released their own contour kit. If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to Makeup Forever's Pro Sculpting Duo, this one from Etude House is a great deal. It comes in two shades- #1 Sun Gold+Wood Brown and #2 Sun Pink+Cherry Brown. The first one is perfect for warmer skin tone and the second one is for cooler skin tone. What I love the most about this product is it does the job of subtle contouring and highlighting and it is perfect for beginners to play around with. In fact, it was my first contour product when I was just starting out with contouring.
The Face Shop Translucent Powder
If you are looking for a setting powder that does not add anymore color to your skin but just mattifies it, this translucent powder from The Face Shop is a must try. It is affordable and works well at setting your makeup. I usually use this to mattify my T-zone or set my undereye area and it does a great job. It reminds me of ELF High Definition Translucent Powder. The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex BB Pact
A couple of months ago, I discovered this yellow powder while I was on a hunt for a local dupe of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Banana Powder. This is not like your ordinary powder pact, the shade is yellow so it gives you that Kim Kardashian kind of inner glow. I recommend applying this only on the the center of your face (see the yellow shade on the photo above). However, be warned that it is a bit powdery and contains talc so it is not perfect for photo shoots with flash since it will leave a white/yellow cast.
Etude House Face Conditioning Makeup Fixer
If you want to have a budge-proof makeup, I strongly suggest this makeup fixer from Etude House. It is perfect for summer because it helps protect your makeup from melting, soothes your skin with its Aloe Vera components, and moisturizes your skin without leaving a sticky feeling.
Tip: You can also use this to moisten your foundation brush before application so it helps the foundation glide better to your skin. Spritz some on your eyeshadow brush and dab it on your sparkly eyeshadows, it will help hold the glitters in place and give it a foiled look.
These are just a few of the Korean makeup products I highly recommend you try. I will be posting my recommendation on Korean lips and eye makeup soon.
Always remember that everyday is a day to doll up.
Hello dolls, There are many things to consider when buying a foundation. Do you want a pressed powder foundation? loose powder? stick type? or a liquid one? For this tip, I will be focusing on the liquid type and not specifically on the formulation but rather on choosing the right shade. Choosing the perfect foundation shade could be very daunting, as there are so many different shades and undertone of foundation out in the market. So, I will be sharing with you the tips I learned over the years.
1.) Find your right undertone. This is the first tip on my list because this is the critical part. It is almost impossible to find the right shade of foundation without knowing your undertone. If you check out different kinds of foundation shade, you might discover that there are foundation that gravitates toward pinkish tone and yellowish tone. Your undertone plays a big role in choosing between the two. There are three main types of undertone: warm, neutral or cool. One way to find your undertone is by checking your veins on your wrist - green veins (warm), blueish (cool), mixed (neutral) . Also the color of jewelry that compliments your skin, helps identify your undertone- gold (warm), silver (cool), both (neutral). You may also take this quiz to find out exactly what your undertone is http://www.popsugar.com/beauty/Warm-Cool-Undertones-Quiz-1843402 . If you are on the warmer side choose a yellowish foundation. Otherwise, choose the pinkish tone.
2.) Do not judge the shade of the foundation merely on the color of the bottle. This is probably the most common mistake that most of us do. I have been in this situation when I bought a foundation that looked exactly like my skin in the bottle, but when I got home I found out that it was way too muddy on my face and it made my skin look older. Never ever decide just by looking at it because foundation can oxidize and actually change color a few seconds/minutes right after you apply it on your skin. 3.) Swatch foundation on your chin area/neck. Buying a foundation is pretty much similar to buying a dress- you have to try it on before you buy it. So, I advise always trying out the tester and try to get swatches of the colors you think fits you. The key to it is swatching it on the right place of your body. The common mistake though is swatching it on your arm or wrist. It is helpful, however, I wouldn't suggest it because most of the times, the shade of our arm could be darker or lighter than the shade of our neck. When getting a foundation, match the shade to the color of your neck. You don't want a lighter face and darker neck, or vice versa. So, I suggest swatching your foundation on your chin area. In my case, I normally have makeup on my face while shopping so I don't normally follow this rule. However, I do swatch it on my neck. So, once you have swatched it/them on your neck/chin, your challenge is to find the one that is perfect for you. So how? Simply select the one that melts or literally disappears in your skin. Look at my swatches below. Which one do you think is my match?
I am not sure if the picture does justice. The 3rd one is my perfect match! Once blended it disappears in my skin and is almost undetectable. At first glance you might think the 2nd one matches me because it has a yellowish undertone, however it is too dark and leaves and orangey tint on my skin.
Tip: If you still can not find your match, get the one that is a thud lighter than your natural skin because you can still get away with it if you bronze and/or contour your face.However, if you get the darker one it could be a challenge. BUT, your darker shade foundation can be used to contour/shade so do not dish it out.
3.) Ask for a sample. This third tip is especially helpful if you still can not decide after swatching. If you are planning to get a higher end foundation, I strongly suggest asking for a sample that you can try at home before splurging. If you buy your foundation at a department store, clerks normally can give you a small sample if you ask for it. Explain to the clerk that you have heard a lot of good things about this foundation and would like to try it out at home before you purchase it. This usually works for me. 4.) Do not buy right away. In most cases, you are almost immediately tempted to get the foundation for two main reasons - it looks like it is your match and/or you are too embarrassed to tell the staff that you haven't actually made up your mind. For the first reason, I understand that you must be excited to see that this foundation shade could be the one for you. However, store lighting, especially the ones in department store, could be very deceiving at times. I suggest you take your time and get out of the store and check you makeup under a natural lighting (if possible). For the second reason, do not be intimidated/embarrassed to admit to the staff that you are still not sure about getting it. It is their job to help you swatch and choose the makeup for you so don't feel sorry that you are wasting their time. They are paid to do that! I hope my tips are useful and always remember that choosing the right shade for your skin is trial and error. Do not worry if you are wrong this time, there are still ways to make the most of the wrong foundation shades you have chosen. Try to mix them all up and create the exact shade that you think suits you. Also, consider the seasons. You can use your lighter foundation in the winter/cooler months and the darker ones in the summer/right after you get a nice tan from a trip to the beach. Keep Dolling Up, Gelie (Jelai) xoxo
Hey guys! I hope your week is going well so far. In this week's product review, I unexpectedly strayed away from makeup and instead chose to talk about my recent nail product obsession.
If you are like me who loves nail polishes but is impatient to wait for drying time. Or probably disappointed about the lasting power of your nail polishes but don't want to risk damaging your nails by using gel polishes. Then, read ahead coz you'll thank me later. :) Let me introduce you guys to Incoco Nail Polish Strips. They aren't nail stickers (although the concept is similar), they are made of real top coat, nail color, and base coat. You can tell it from the smell itself and just like your bottled nail polishes you should store any unused strips in an airtight bag to keep them at their best.
The photo below pretty much sums up everything: the features, application steps, how to store unused strips and how to remove it.
The nail strips come in various designs - french tips, plain colors, stripes, floral, metallic, glitters and also pedicure sizes. Name it they have it! For your $10 you can have an effect of a nail art from a professional nail artist. When I was at there store, I seriously had hard time picking because they all just look gorgeous. The photo below shows you a few of the awesome designs they have.
Now, let me sum up the pros and cons I found out about this product. Pros:
Variety of designs to choose from
Easy to apply
Lasts for about 14 days (big plus!)
No drying time required
Doesn't chip off
Easy to remove (just with your regular nail polish remover)
Doesn't contain harmful chemicals that can potentially damage your nails
Reasonable price (compared to having nail arts done in a nail shop)
Cons:
Pungent nail polish smell (I don't mind it but others might find it strong.)
Storage of the excess nail strips (needs extra caution and checking if its airtight close)
Where to buy? The easiest way to shop for this is online through their website. If you are in Korea, you may check out their webpage at http://www.incocokorea.com/or you can physically visit their stores located at Coex Mall (Gangnam), Noon Square (Myeongdong) and Lotte Fittin (Dongdaemun). Tip: If you are unsure about this nail strips, you can visit their store and ask for a free test. They can apply it to one of your fingers. Also their store at Coex Mall, have staff who can apply them for you for an extra 5,000 won ($5). However, other places don't have it.
If you are outside of Korea, go to http://www.incoco.com/or search Incoco in your respective countries (Google is your friend!).
There are also sites where you can find monthly coupons. Try http://www.goodsearch.com/incoco/coupons or simply search for coupons online. There you go, dolls. You may also check out my YouTube video below where I talked about this product and did a mini-tutorial on how I apply this.
Thanks for reading/watching!
Have you guys tried this yet? Or anything similar? What are your thoughts about this product?
So, you have just applied your foundation and set your face makeup. Have you noticed something? Your face looks flat and you lose the natural definition of your facial features. Well, worry no more. I will help you bring it back and make it look even better. This week's makeup tip is something a little more complex yet once mastered will create a big difference in your looks. I am going to be sharing with you my tips on how to contour and highlight your facial features to create a slimmer face and to bring out your facial assets.
So, what is contouring? Contouring is literally like shading or creating a shadow on your face to recede a certain part of your face. With that being said, when choosing a contour shade it is best to choose a cool tone bronzer or just even a press powder that is two to three shades darker than your natural skin color. Never use a bronzer that is warm-tone or orangey because when contouring you are mimicking a shadow and shadows don't look orangey at all. In the photo below the first color on the left is a perfect contour shade, cool-toned with greyish undertone, compared to the other two.
What about highlighting? Highlighting is use side-by-side with contouring in order to create a seamless look. It's purpose is to bring forward some of your facial features. When choosing a highlighter, consider your undertone. I suggest a highlighter with hints of pink if you are cool tone, whereas if you are warm tone, a highlight with golden finish will suit you better. If you are not sure about your undertone, a champagne highlighter is the safest choice. Also, make sure you don't use highlighter with big flakes of shimmer because you want to make it more natural and flakey shimmers will make you look like a disco ball instead. ^^ Banana powder (yellow powder) will also work well for highlighting if you have a medium/tan skin.
Ok let's begin... Below is an infographic I created on basic contouring, highlighting and blushing.
Contour the following parts of your face:
Outer perimeter of your face- your hairline and along your chin
Forehead (outer sections)
Along the sides of your nose (parallel sides)
Hollows of your cheeks - draw an imaginary line from the top of your ears to the tail of your brows. Tip:Do not take it all the way down near your mouth or else you will look like you have a beard. lol
Below your lower lips - Tip:This will create a fuller lower lip.
Crease of your eyes
Along your neck (draw parallel lines)
Above and below your collar bones - Tip:This will instantly give you a model-like shoulders.
Highlight the following parts of your face:
Bridge of your nose to the center of your forehead
Above your cheekbone - Draw a C- shape from your cheekbone to the top of your eyebrow. Tip:This will give an illusion that you have a nice round cheekbones.
Under your eyes - Draw a triangle following the tip of your nose to the edge of your eyes.
Brow bone
Cupid Bows (the arch on your upper lips) - Tip: This will create a fuller upper lip.
Below the hollows of your cheek (only do this if you are using a banana powder not the shimmery highlighter) - This will clean up your cheek contour and make it more define.
On top of your collar bone - This goes well if you contour below and above it.
Finally, I love to use two different kinds of blushes (totally optional). The first blush is what I consider a transition blush. I use a brownish blush (somewhat similar to my skin color) as a transition color between my contour shade and my ordinary blush. This helps create a gradient look. Then, I use my ordinary blush on the apples of my cheeks. Tips:There are different ways to place your blush depending on your face shape. Refer to the photo below:
Still fuzzy about the whole thing? You can also watch me in action.
If you are afraid on trying out this tip, all I can suggest is to practice doing it before you wash off your makeup at night so you don't have to worry going out with crazy face (if it doesn't turn out well). The key to it is having the right tools, practicing, blending and practicing again... Don't be scared to experiment!
Hey dolls, I recently had a chance to participate at the Cosmo Beauty Expo held at Coex Mall Seoul, South Korea. I came home with several makeup and samples, which I haven't yet seen in any Korean cosmetic stores. So, it was very exciting for me to try out new things. Among the things I got from the event were 3 shades of eyeshadow pigments, 3 shades of lipnicure, 1 lip gloss, nail masks, foot mask, face mask and a bottle of organic guava juice (yummy!).
Here are the swatches of the three eyeshadow pigments (01 penny, 10 dorosi, and 13 carol) and the three lipnicure (pink brown, chiffon coral, and brick red).
Being the makeup junkie that I am, I couldn't wait to try out the new makeup I got and so I created this monochromatic look from one of the eyeshadow pigments and a lipnicure I got, which coincidentally match so well. They both have a brownish pink shade, which almost look like "marsala" (the color of the year).
Below is the complete list of products I used to create this look:
Face:
Nars Sheer Glow Foundation (Fiji)
Missha Undereye Brightener(Light Beige)
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil - for subtle contouring
Mac Bao Bao Wan Beauty Powder - for highlighting
Essence Silky Touch Blush (Natural Beauty)
Eyes:
Essence I love Stage Eyeshadow Base
Look At Me Cosmetics Fairy Dust Eyeshadow Pigment (13 Carol) - applied all over my lid
Etude House Give Me Chocolate Shadow in Cherry Truffle - I only used the coral color as a transition color on top of my crease
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara
Etude House Play 101 Pencil (number 7) - waterline nude eyeliner
Lips:
Rire Lipnicure (Pink Brown)
I feel like this color suits well on Southeast Asian Skin Tone. If you have a morena/naturally tan skin like I do, I certainly recommend this shade of lippie and eyeshadow color. It is bold enough to be seen but not so over powering and it still comes out natural. What do you guys think about this shade? What makeup colors are you into these days?
Hey Lovelies! I'm so glad I finally found the time to write my next post. I've been getting quite a few questions/suggestions about what Korean skin care products I can recommend. So, I decided to gather all my favorite products and share it all with you guys. This week's product review will not be as in-depth as my previous reviews because I will be featuring not one but all of the products featured below. However, if there is a product here that you want me to give a more in-depth review then I am more than willing to write one for you, guys.
Just so you know, I don't use high-end skin care products because I believe that most road brand products (equivalent to drugstore) in Korea are just as good or even better as the ones we can get at the department store. I have received and tested samples of high-end skin care products like Hera and SK-II but really couldn't tell that much difference. Also, I don't want my skin to get used to that expensive stuff. :) Maybe I'll consider it when my skin becomes more mature and needs more care.
So let's jump right into it!
The Face Shop Phyto Powder Green Tea Lip and Eye Remover
It is a lip and eye makeup remover with green tea, which mildly and thoroughly removes super-strong waterproof makeup on sensitive skin. It is one of those cleansing oil that is made of two layer solution, which you have to shake before using. I like this product for two good reasons - affordability and efficacy. It does the job well and it costs about $3 or less. I wear mascara and lip makeup everyday so I normally use a lot of this oil remover. Therefore, it isn't practical to get an expensive one when there's a cheaper alternative.
Missha Time Revolution One Step Oil-Gel Cleanser
It is a one step cleanser to help gently melt makeup with oil massage and cleanse the face with foam. It means it starts off like an oil when you apply it on your dry face and as you massage the product it slowly hardens almost like a clay mask. Then, you can splash your face with a bit of water and it literally turns into a foam. You can immediately see the result as your makeup melts with it. Before I used this product I normally use different cleansing oil and foam, but after I found out about this I never looked back. This is truly a one-step cleanser! It is also very gentle to your skin and leaves a very nice soft and moisturized effect afterwards. I use this stuff every night and the product lasts for over 3 months. I am finishing my second tube of it. I obviously LOVE this product! (125 ml)
Missha Time Revolution Essential Cream Scrub
It is skin treatment scrub to help remove dead skin cells and make skin smooth and bright with natural rice bran scrubs and fermented essential ingredients. This is the product I used every other day (3 times a week) to exfoliate my face. I have suffered from terrible acne breakouts about 2 years ago and it has left my skin some minor scarring and hyper pigmentation, exfoliation helps with the healing of my skin. And since this product contains natural ingredients for brightening and scrubbing it helps a lot with gradually blurring out my skin discoloration. I HIGHLY recommend this if you have pore problem, black heads, white heads, coarseness on your facial skin and things like that. It is very smoothing and it is the only exfoliating scrub I found that doesn't dry out my skin. It is AWESOME! (110 ml)
The Face Shop 9 in 1 Skin Solution Toner
It is a toner that claims to do 9 beneficial things to your skin: Cleaning (pores, skin texture, makeup residue), Controlling (sensitive skin, skin stress, pH balance) , and Caring (skin tones, skin moisture, skin elasticity). Just so you know, toner is one of the products that I run out almost immediately because I use adequate amount of it twice a day (morning & night). This supersize toner (400ml) is awesomeness in a bottle. The product itself does the job well and the packaging is so practical - it comes in a pump so it is very easy to dispense compared to other toner in a regular bottle. It also has a citrus smell in it that makes it so refreshing. Finally, I got it on sale which only cost me 7,000 won ($7) , regular price is 9,000 won ($9).
Missha Time Revolution Wrinkle Cure Silky Lotion (my daytime moisturizer)
It is an anti-aging face lotion/moisturizer for fatigued and stress skin. It claims to give moisture, vitality and elasticity to your skin. I have been using this product for close to 5 years now and I'm an avid fan of this moisturizer. I especially use this at daytime because it acts perfectly as a preparation for my makeup. It has a very moisturizing and silky/dewy finish to it that gives my skin a healthy glow. I sometimes use it as my eye cream because it has a similar consistency. I should also add that a little goes a long way with this; I believe I have used 4-5 bottles of this already. I probably will use this product forever as long as they don't discontinue it. (130ml)
Missha Time Revolution White Cure Radiance Lotion (my night moisturizer)
It is a brightening emulsion/skin moisturizer that clears up dull complexion and brightens pigmented, rough skin. It contains highly concentrated brightening ingredients that create radiating skin by providing moisture and nutrients needed for damage skin. It also balances out oil-moisture level. I use this product at night because it is less tacky and absorbs faster than the wrinkle cure silky one (featured above). I also think that the brightening effect of this one might work better when I am not exposing myself outside - weird but that's how I think so. I would say that I find the previous one (wrinkle cure silky lotion) more moisturizing than this one. (130 ml)
Etude House Collagen Moistfull Cream
This is a collagen cream with elastic texture that hydrates the skin. It claims to keep the skin hydrated, smooth, and fresh longer for a youthful, water-bouncy skin. You're supposed to use it like a moisturizer but I use it as an eye cream instead because I am already satisfied with the moisturizer I talked about above. This has a very cooling effect so I love to put it on my undereye area after applying my moisturizer. I only have the sample size and have only been using it for 3 weeks now so I hope to give more in-depth review about it in the next couple of months when I am fully familiar with how it works on my skin.
The Face Shop 24k Gold Mask
It is a royal jelly golden gel mask which claims to bring back skin vitality and firmness through 24K gold and royal jelly. I use this mask 2-3 times a month. It gives me an added moisture that penetrates deeper to my skin. However, I don't seem to grasp the idea behind the 24k gold here. It didn't seem to do much on my skin; the moisturizing effect is good though. The only downside about this product is the design of the mask- it is divided horizontally so you have to apply half section of your face first. I found it troublesome and it has a very slippery texture that slides off my face easily. So, I have very limited movements when I'm wearing this stuff on my face.
Foodaholic Snail Mask
It is a snail essence mask that contains snail secretion, which claims to provide optimum skin moisture that nourishes and improve skin elasticity. I know you might think it is gross to use snail secretion on your face, but it actually is not. It doesn't even smell gross, it just have a nice slimy texture that is very very moisturizing. I would actually recommend this more than the 24k above. You don't have to find this exact brand. Most snail masks are just the same. You should give it a try it is really good for your skin especially after travelling and you feel like your skin has lost its natural moisture. I use this once or twice a week depending on my skin condition.
Missha M Prism Luminous Mist
This mist is made from moringa oil that promises to give your skin a lustrous, luminous glow. You can use this product before and/or after your makeup application. It helps prepare your skin for makeup and it takes away that cakey look after you apply your makeup. I use this as a finishing spray to keep my makeup in place and at the same time give me a luminous glow to make my skin look healthier. However, be warned that I won't recommend this for oily girls. It works best for my skin because I have normal to dry skin condition.
You can also listen and watch me on YouTube talking about these products.
That's it, guys. I hope it gives you an idea as to what Korean skin care product to try out. I do want to remind you that what works well for me might not work as great for you. Just consider your skin type and condition. For reference, I have sensitive (acne prone), dry to normal skin condition and all the products mention above works well for my specific skin needs. I suggest assessing your skin condition first - see what you need and what ingredients could probably irritate your skin- before you purchase any of these.
"Above all of these, I'd like to stress out that there is no better skin care routine than eating healthy and getting enough sleep."
If there is anything here that you want me to write a more detailed review please write me a comment. ^^
Useful Tip: If you are in Korea, I suggest getting these products when they're on sale. Missha has 20%~30% every 10th of the month. Also, Face Shop has a monthly sale and lasts for more than 3 days. Etude House does have an occasional sale but it is hard to pin down the exact time.
As promised, the makeup giveaway winner of Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara has been chosen. There could only be one winner; if you didn't make it this time please don't lose hope. There are more makeup giveaway challenges to come in the future.
Just simply subscribe to my blog, be interactive (write comments, share ideas, etc), and follow me on my social media accounts.
Congratulations to the winner and thank you for sharing some wonderful ideas for my next blog post!
