Beautynetkorea haul *^*)/

Hello! Hope you're all doing well!

Recently received my package from Beautynetkorea.com and thought I'd share what I bought :D

It was my first time purchasing skincare products from Beautynetkorea as I usually purchase from cosmetic-love.com and overall I am really happy with their services.

I found Beautynetkorea through many other bloggers who mention they bought their korean cosmetics/skincare from there so thought I gave it a go especially because their price was cheaper as well! (YAAY!)

They surprisingly stock ALOT more things and brand than cosmetic-love so I was really amazed and took around 4hours+ to browse through the skincare products hahaha! 
Website was relatively easy to use and categorized nicely as well which was great, cos then I found some things that I never even intended on buying ^^; (not sure if a good thing or not but OOPS ;O)

Postage fee was FREE (yayers!) and was surprisingly really fast. On average it would take 2-3 weeks to arrive to me from Korea but this took only a week! Not sure if because the freight traffic was empty or something but hey- definitely not complaining there ^_^)v

Packaging was simple filled with bubble wrap but I feel that they could put a tad more effort in packaging in such to wrap the products in the bubble wrap rather than just throwing it in because I could imagine if worst comes to worst- there would be definite breakage as the products just sit on the edge of the packaging and there's not really bubble wrap on the sides, just the top and bottom. 
But that being said - I'm glad all my items were safe :D The packaging/arrangement inside was nicely done or to sound more smart -tessellating well. *raises glasses* ;D

Got some free samples which were mainly from Etude House which was really nice and also a business card from them thanking for the purchase.

SO! What did I purchase?

• 2 x Etude House Moistfull Super Collagen multi stick/balm (one for a friend)
• Holika Holika ONE solution - Antiwrinkle
• Holika Holika ONE solution - Clear
• Tonymoly Panda's dream So cool eye stick.

Just to give a quick summary/review or first impression of these products since I've been using them for almost 4-5 days now. Will do a more indepth review soon for some of these :D

- Etude House Moistfull Super Collagen multi stick/balm

• I have used this before and it is amazinggggggg. Hence why I bought my friend one :D 
• Smells really nice like chamomile & white tea. Also lingers the skin (may be bad for those that don't like the smell)
• Comes in a fairly small twist tube and in a consistency of a solid balm- like your chapstik, just larger. 
• Super easy to use, just apply the balm to where you want to moisturise and pat into your skin. I usually apply this around my eye area, forehead and expression lines where wrinkle starts but the result is just simply amazing. 
• Skin legit is much more supple and firmer because it contains 58% collagen and does keep those areas hydrated really nicely.
• Does NOT lift the skin or treat wrinkles. Nor would it completely hydrate dry skin. However it's a nice thing to apply afterwards or throughouts to dry spots/patches to keep it hydrated and moisturised throughout the day. 
• 10g / 0.35 oz. of product
• Retailed for $9.90USD on beautynetkorea

- Tony Moly Panda's Dream So Cool Eye stick

• Packaging was so cute I couldn't help to buy it QAQ and thought it'd be nice for my eyes since I wear contact lenses often
• Claims to hydrate the area to keep eyes cool and from drying. Also to help with wrinkle care and brightening.
• Small cute packaging with a pop off cap containing a solid blue balm.
• 9g of product
• Super easy to use like the multi balm- just apply around the eye area and pat in to absorb
• Retailed for $8.99 USD on beautynetkorea
• Result - I don't think this does anything but wets my skin LOL! I feel like I got duped because it doesn't live up to what it claims to do. Doesn't really bring much of moisture or hydration. And I don't sense any tingling or cooling sensation either. 
• So I don't recommend this. Feels like a waste of money honestly :(

-Holika Holika ONE Solution Antiwrinkle

• Love the sleek packaging however it is a glass bottle with a nice dropper.
• Contains 100% Autumn bell extract to aid in anti-wrinkle functions. (I don't know what this Autumn Bell is but I googled image and it was a female and i saw some nudity which concerned me). But what they meant was Gentiana Scabra root extract which is mainly used for inflammed skin. Which doesn't really aid in anti-wrinkle function, it's more of the glycerin content that provides the collagen to aid in the anti-wrinkle function. >_>;
• Contains 30mL of product
• Thick dense consistency with a nice very light floral scent.
• Easy to use - just use the dropper and use 2-3 drops and apply to skin.
• May leave a sticky feeling (as I read other reviews mentioned) BUT I did not experience any of this stickiness.
• Absorbs into the skin really quick and nicely.
• Not heavy on the skin
• Not oily
• Preferably to be used for night time regime. 
• Skin does feel really hydrated however haven't been using it long enough to know the anti-wrinkle properties
• Retails for $13.45 USD on Beautynetkorea

- Holika Holika ONE Solution CLEAR

• Sleek glass bottle packaging with a dropper like above.
• Contains 100% Wintergreen extract to aid in troubled skin such as acne pimples etc. Wintergreen has anti-inflammatory properties which help kill germs and also soothes the skin from redness and pain.
• Contains 30mL of product
• Thick clear transparent consistency with a nice herby tea scent which I know some people apparently didn't like from other reviews. The consistency is not as thick as the antiwrinkle.
• Easy to use - 2 to 3 drops and apply to the skin
• Apparently also leaves a slight sticky feeling BUT once again I did not experience this. Instead mine made my skin not sticky at all.
• Not oily
• Absorbs into the skin really quick and nicely
• Not heavy at all, light and fresh.
• Preferably to be used for night time regime BUT I also use this during the day because I don't experience any sticky feeling and it absorbs into my skin immediately.
• Result is amazing. Used this for 4-5 days now and all my breakouts and redness has gone down and has made my pimples dry up and healed. Can literally see the skin around the pimple peeling but it's not a dry-peeling, more of dead skin just appearing. Soothes the skin really well.
• Does NOT clear the skin from blemishes (as far as I know). I've heard the Whitening version lightens scars and blemishes but I haven't used this long enough to know if it lightens scars.
• Retails for $13.45 USD on Beautynetkorea
• I actually really like this and would recommend it :D

That concludes for my haul and quick review for the products I purchased on Beautynetkorea.com 

Hope this was somewhat helpful - please leave a comment below on your opinions ^_^)/

Until then, stay well & take care!

[REVIEW] The Face Shop - Natural Sun Eco Super Perfect Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA+++ (PICTURE HEAVY)

Hello everyone! Hope you're all doing well!

 
Today's review will be on a sunscreen by "THE FACE SHOP" called the "Natural Sun Eco Super Perfect Sun Cream". (PHOTO HEAVY)

This product was purchased on cosmetic-love.com and retails for $15.13 USD. (Apparently out of stock so I can't link it >_<;;).  I think there's also a possibility that it may be discontinued as they recently released a new one called the "POWER LONG LASTING" with an SPF 45+ PA+++ BUT I will check with that.


Package claims to be "A daily sun cream that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Protects skin better and has less oilliness, making it usable everyday"

Left side of box : Click to enlarge

Direction : Apply an adequate amount on the face and neck at the final stage of skincare

Right side of box : Click to enlarge

• Contains 50mL/1.69 fl.oz. and an SPF 50+ PA +++. 
• Contains purified extract of sunflower sprouts (600 μg [micrograms])
• Is a/contains NMF (natural moisturizing factor) [imitates and functions like healthy skin, keeping skin complex stabilised or moisturised]
• NO animal sourced ingredients (YAAY MY FRIENDS! but I hope you don't test on them ;A;!)

Box packaging is VERY nicely design with a matte finish.

Front & Back of package - Click to enlarge

The package inside is a wide squeeze bottle/tube that is approximately the size of a hand, pretty travel friendly. Matte soft plastic bottle/tube with a nice orange hard plastic twist cap. 
The back of the bottle is mainly in korean but judging from the icons on the top - I guess this sunscreen is also water friendly for swimming but I'm not so sure since I can't read korean >_<;;

Front & Back of Bottle - Click to enlarge

The tube comes with a squeeze nozzle which is a BIGGGG plus as it lets you control the flow and amount of product you want.

click to enlarge

The consistency of the sunscreen is fairly like standard sunscreen however I feel this has a more lightweight consistency with a slight water-base/gel texture rather than the chunky cream. If I had to shorten this consistency- it'd be a wet cream. :D
Because of this texture, a little product comes a long way as it spreads so easily and blends into skin really nicely.

Click to enlarge

Scent wise- there IS a subtle scent of floral and at the same time the sunscreen zinc smell but you smell more of the floral scent. Overall the scent is subtle and light.

Upon using this on skin, it absorbs into the skin really easily and nicely and does NOT leave any white residue. Feels really light BUT does give a slight sticky feeling. In comparison to alot of the sunscreen I've tried- the sticky feeling isn't much at all. 
On a good note though- it doesn't give that white cast as most sunscreen give off but it does give off a sheen.

click to enlarge

Oily-ness/Oilliness isn't bad and does live up to what it claims. Only VERY little oil is produced on my T-zone but for the rest of the face, almost none. 

Moisturising wise - pretty good I'd say and I'm sure this is due to the sunflower extracts and the product's NMF properties.

Just a little side research - Sunflower extracts (notably oil) is high in vitamins A, E and C and has antioxidants and antiflammitory emollient properties which helps protect and moisturise the skin from the environment.

Click to enlarge

SO! TL;DR- to summarise :
PROS:

• SPF50+ PA+++ UVA/UVB
• Moisturising
• No white cast
• Not so oily
• Lightweight
• Squeeze tube

CONS:

• Slight floral scent with some traces of typical zinc sunscreen smell (may not be pleasant for sensitive skin)
• Leaves a bit of a sticky feeling
• Gives off a sheen

VERDICT:

Overall I do like this sunscreen and I think it'll be great for colder days as winter is approaching as it MAAYYY get quite sticky in the heat of summer.

Sensitive skin may have to be aware because of the high SPF content, the scent and the sunflower extracts.

Dry skin users may enjoy this as it is moisturizing.

Oily skin users will have mix feelings because of the sticky feeling + oil = not nice.

Hope this is somewhat helpful! O3O)/

So sorry for the picture heavy post >_<; my bad habits ;w;

Until then~ stay well & take care!

Facial Cleansing Schedule (picture heavy)

Hello everyone!

Yes it has been a super long while, been well here and there and yeah! Hope you're all doing well! *^*)/

I've been meaning to make this type of blog post for a while now on how I take care of my skin and my routines etc as I do get alot of questions about it. But laziness kicks in to take my camera out ;___; (BUT NOT ANYMORE! :D ) 

Honestly my skin is not perfect nor is it even near to flawless - however I do enjoy taking care of my skin and it is a crucial routine in my life as my skin easily gets affected from many different factors like pollution, sun , wind, diet, hormones, etc. 

Before I talk about my routine/schedule - lets talk about facial cleansing.

SO! Why is cleansing important?
Cleansing your skin cleans your skin from the build up of impurities and oils and also removes the dead skin cells sitting on your skin. These build ups are one factor that causes your skin to be rough and break out (pimples).

Facial cleansers comes in different forms from gel, bar, scrubs, cream, foam, etc. Each cleansers have a unique benefit to treat and also have different uses such that some are for daily use whilst some for once or twice a week (exfoliates).

REMEMBER to NOT use body soap for your face as it may be too harsh for your skin causing skin irritation as the skin on your face is much more delicate (although I've heard that it gives a really nice feeling O3O; ).

Typically you should be cleansing your face twice a day, in the morning when you wake up and before you go to bed. However this all depends on your skin, BUT should be no more than twice a day. Reason being is that if you cleanse too much- it strips the good natural oils from your skin causing your skin to be dry HENCE producing more oil ;A; .

You should always be gentle when cleansing your face - treat it as a nice relaxing time to treat the skin and enjoy it *^*)/ Rinse thoroughly and pat your face dry with a nice facial flannel or towel or sponge (NOT RUB YOUR FACE DRY OAO!) and then treat your skin with your usual skincare ^__^)/

WOOH! Now that's outta the way, so what about my skin?
I have normal-combination skin but depending on the weather and situation, it may be on the oily side or even on the dry side. But usually it is on the oily side throughout the day T__T; 
Because my skin is prone to get affected from the surrounding - I only wash my face once a day and that's before I go to bed. I find that whenever I wash my face twice a day - my skin feels really dry even if I use a well hydrated gentle cleanser.

I usually follow the following cleansing schedule for the week :

Monday : Daily cleanser

Tuesday : Daily cleanser

Wednesday : Exfoliate & Mask

Thursday : Daily cleanser

Friday : Daily cleanser

Saturday : Daily cleanser

Sunday : Peel, Exfoliate & Mask

Of course this schedule sometime changes for example on Friday nights where I may be attending an occasion or a convention the next day - I'll use my daily cleanser and have a mask to treat my skin.

To assist in the cleansing process - I use a facial cleansing brush pad thing. It's made of silicon and has these tiny soft spikes or bristles that scrubs the skin gently and I find that it really does help clean the skin more than just using your hands with the cleanser.

Front

Back

The one I have here is a cheap 1 dollar one from EBAY and it works JUST AS WELL as the Sasatinnie one which costs like 10 dollars AUD. The difference is that it is smaller than the Sasatinnie one and that the bristles or spikes are more finer and longer whereas the cheap EBAY one is smaller and have shorter bristles. BUT it does the trick VERY WELL. To find - search on Ebay "Silicon facial cleansing brush" and you should find something similar or same to the one I use :D

Now I use ALOT of different daily cleansers as each of them have different textures and benefits and the use depends on each day. For instance if I have light makeup (BB cream) on , I use the cleanser that also removes makeup. 

On some days where I like to treat my skin - I like to exfoliate and use a mask to further aid in treating my skin to remove impurities like clogged pores, blackheads and dead flaky skin.
Exfoliators are used which have a more grittier texture or consistency which scrubs the skin gently to unclog (and shrink) pores and to remove the dead skin cells or any flaky skin. Exfoliation helps aids in skin renewal for healthy smooth skin as it invigorates and assist in breaking up the broken tissues (scars, wrinkles, fine lines etc). 
Masks are used to treat the skin- either to help cleaning the skin further (such as peeling masks) or to simply give nutrients back into your skin.

Here are just some that I am currently using and just a quick rundown on what it is and it's use. Will maybe do a proper for review for some of them later on ^__^

 
- Hada Labo Pro Anti-Aging 

• Foam Cleanser
• Collagen + Retinol
• Anti Wrink, Firming, Evening skin tone
• Unscented
• Usually used when skin feels tired

- USANA Sensé Gentle Daily Cleanser 

• Gel Cleanser
• Removes makeup (even waterproof and wax based)
• Aqua-sea mineral scent (that FRESH scent I can't explain >_<;)
• Oil Free
• Commonly used - almost everyday

- pHisohex Anti-bacterial wash

• Lotion Cleanser
• Medicated containing 1% w/v Triclosan (10mg/mL) - removes bacteria
• Regulates pH of skin
• Does contain Sodium Benzoate (5mg/mL) & Benzyl Alcohol (5mg/mL) therefore may be harsh on sensitive skin. For killing bacteria.
• Unscented
• Oil Free
• Specially for acne & pimple

- Cure Natural Aqua Gel 

• Aqua Gel cleanser (gel that forms to liquid)
• Used on completely dry skin to effectly remove dead skin
• cross between daily cleanser and exfoliator (more of exfoliator)
• Unscented
• Oil Free
• Used once a week/fortnight (on exfoliation days/nights)

- USANA Sensé Rice Bran Polisher 

• Cream consistency exfoliator with some grounded rice grains
• Soapy-rice grain scent
• Oil Free
• Used once a week especially when needing light exfoliation 

- St. Ives Apricot Scrub 

• Natural cream exfoliator with a more grittier consistency
• Fights blemishes and acne
• Contains salicylic acid to treat acne (may not be suitable for sensitive skin)
• Skincare cream with subtle fruity scent (typical cream smell ><)
• Oil Free
• Used once a week especially for more intense exfoliation

- Daiso Black charcoal peeling mask

• Natural peeling mask with a black thick gel consistency 
• Very slight scent (can't make out what it smells like ;__;)
• Gentle peeling helps remove dirt and oil. (May be harsh for sensitive skin)
• Unclog and tighten pores
• Oil free
• Used once a week after exfoliating

- USANA Sensé Nutritious cream mask

• Cream consistency
• Oil Free
• Cleanses & tightens pores
• Replenish's skin moisture
• Made from clay to draw out impurities and oils
• Used once a week as final step in exfoliation
• WARNING : SLIGHT TINGLING SENSATION. KINDA FEELS LIKE SKIN IS BURNING BUT IT'S NOT.

And that concludes this blog post on my facial cleansing schedule. ^__^)/

Hope this post is useful somehow ~

Until then, stay well & take care!