Skincare Empties and Reviews

This post is heavy on Ole Henriksen products.  My cousin Linda loves her beauty and skincare, and she generously gives away her extras to the family. And she had some Ole Henriksen extras. A perfect opportunity for me to try out the line!

A Look Inside Korean Beauty Store Tony Moly

When I was younger, I used to watch in amazement (and a bit of incredulity) as my mom went through her nightly skincare routine.  She'd slather on layer after layer of lotions and essences. If you are confused about that term essence, I understand.  I used to think it was some Korean English-sounding skincare line.  For clarification, here is an awesome guide to the difference between toner, serum, essence, and ampoules.  

Anyway, that weird word essence got reintroduced into my life with the recent Korean beauty craze.  And I got bitten by the bug.  Yes, I follow the 10-step Korean skincare routine! <---must read

So I was jumping up with joy when I saw that Tony Moly opened up a store in the city. This brand sells insanely cute products at affordable prices. I love Sephora's description of the items as "criminally cute"! See for yourselves!

Asian Beauty Products Giveaway!

Asian Beauty Products Giveaway! A great opportunity for you to try Asian skincare and makeup if you've never tried...or enter if you just love them! 

To enter: 

Like this page on FB and tell me what your favorite beauty product OR food is (I love both!) in the comments below the post.

Additional ways to enter at the end of this post via Twitter/Instagram.

Deadline: The contest closes at 11:59 pm EST on Sun Jan 31, 2016. I will be announcing a winner on Feb 1, 2016! 🎉

US mailing addresses only (Sorry, guys! Starting domestic!)

TonyMoly: I'm Real Aloe Mask Sheet, Magic Food Banana Sleeping Pack, Peach Anti-Aging Hand Cream, 1 Nose Pack, Mizon Returning Starfish Cream, Peripera: Heart Glow CC Cream, Peri's Fitting Curling Mascara, Rouge Pang in Courteous, Lumi Pang in XXX, and some samples :Goodal Phytowash Yerba Mate Bubble Peeling, Boscia's Cool Cleansing and Oil Detoxifying Black Cleanser, Dr. G Aquasis Water Vital Sleeping Mask.

Review of some of the products in my previous post:http://bit.ly/1ZHYEGj

You can also follow me on Twitter @yesanotherblog or Instagram @1llhaveanother. Following or liking an account PLUS a comment counts as an entry each. So you can be entered up to 3 times via following me on Instagram with a comment, following on Twitter with a tweet, and liking on Facebook with a comment. 3 entries max per person. 

Good luck!! 

Erica

❤

Review of my Korean beauty haul: Mizon, Peripera, Tony Moly, and Goodal!

My First Cushion Compact Experience: IOPE Air Cushion XP

When I first heard of a compact with a cushion that delivers liquid foundation to yo' face, I was super intrigued.  My Korean people bringing the innovative beauty products!

After researching on the good ol' web, I decided on the Amore Pacific IOPE Air Cushion XP  in C23 (Cover Beige).  I bought it at Korean beauty store in Atlanta for about $38. You can also find it at Peach and Lily. Your compact comes with one cushion already inside it and an extra cushion refill.  For some, that could justify the $40ish price tag. ;)



One of the first things I noticed is the packaging. The royal blue and silver box that the compact comes in is so pretty (that I still have it.)

The Winning Korean Sheet Face Mask!

After landing in Atlanta the other weekend, my face was looking pretty rough.  I'm talking about dry skin with more apparent and sad looking wrinkles. :(((

During a trip to the ginormous Mall of Georgia (no seriously, its retail floor area is 1.786 million square feet), I stopped by Sephora to get a sheet mask so my poor skin could drink in some moisture. I asked a worker there what she recommended, and she couldn't gush enough about the Korean Farmacy brand masks.  Their masks are made of naturally derived ingredients and free of parabens, formaldehyde, and artificial coloring.  Bonus: They don't test on animals.  Meow.

Since I was looking for moisture, I went for the DEEP MOISTURE hydrating coconut gel mask with echinacea greenenvy. According to the box, this super echinacea ingredient "contains the highest known concentration of Cichoric Acid, a natural photo-essence that provides the plant restorative properties".  HELLO, antioxidants and anti-inflammatories! And the coconut gel is supposed to provide INTENSE hydration and restore your skin's balance. I was sold.

Beyond the beautiful packaging, the fresh cucumber smell was so delightful! It was light and relaxing.

How to Keep That Summer Glow Year Round

As I sit here in New York looking outside my window at the dreary, gray day, one thing keeps running through my mind.  Yup, the tagline to the ever binge-worthy show Game of Thrones:

image via hdhdwallpapers.com

And with winter comes scaly, pale, dry-as-bone (not unlike that guy above) skin.  

BUT that doesn't have to be the case. 

Here are my tips for keeping your face looking healthy and radiant.

The Amazing Sunday Riley Line Up: Luna Sleeping Night Oil and Good Genes Treatment

Beauty bloggers have been going gaga over Sunday Riley's skincare products.  I was super curious about Good Genes (major Instagram/YouTube love for this one) and the Luna Oil.  Good ol' Sephora provided me with some samples, and in just one night, I was convinced that I needed a full-size version of the oil! 

I saw immediate results. My skin texture was softer, my pores looked smaller, blackheads disappeared, and my skin tone evened out (less splotchy and faded hyperpigmentation). It was unbelievable. Usually, I have to use products for weeks before I see any results. With both of these Sunday Riley products, there was instant gratification.

Luna Sleeping Night Oil

Affordable Dupe for MAC, NARS, and Smashbox? NYX!

According to the blogosphere, NYX is famous for replicating the results of more expensive brands.  For example,  some of the NYX eyeshadows are dupes for MAC shadows. 

The NYX Studio Perfect Primer and NYX Studio Perfect Primer are supposed to be very similar to Smashbox primers.  

image via totalbeauty.com

And NYX Cosmetics Powder Blush in Pinched is a copycat of the NARS blush in Orgasm.

image via persephonemagazine.com/

I really love my NYX Matte Lipstick in Alabama.  The pigment is fantastic, and it has a nice matte texture.  I also found the color to stay put for a long time.  It is known to be a dupe for MAC's Viva Glam 1. The other night, my friend Susi was wearing the lipstick in Perfect Red, and I was amazed at how well it stayed on her lips throughout dinner!

Here's my stash of NYX products.

I really love the NYX HD Eye Shadow Base. I use it as an eyeshadow primer, and it hasn't failed me yet.  At $7, it's a fantastic alternative to the expensive guys.  I haven't used it as a concealer, so I can't comment on that.

The left eyeshadow palette is the Runway Collection.  The right is Beautiful Green Eyes. 

Here is the brush for NYX Doll Eye Mascara.

Close up of NYX lipstick (from L to R) in Perfect Red, Femme, and Alabama.

Here is my look with the Runway Collection palette and lipstick in Femme.

Before Doll Eye mascara

After Doll Eye mascara

I went for a summer glow. The Femme lipstick is a tad more orange in real life. It is super moisturizing!  The mascara has a more waxy feel that helps lift up my lashes after curling. It also contains natural oils and Vitamin E to moisturize and protect. I went a little crazy with multiple coats so I should have separated a bit more. But I was still surprised at how little it clumped.  It has great reviews on Amazon, and you can see how it REALLY pumps up lashes for people who have way more than I do.

And yay to NYX for being cruelty-free!  Thanks, Susi, for my Perfect Red and Femme lips!

The Skinfood Store: Reviews of Egg White Pore Foam and Black Sugar Mask

One of my stops last month during my tour of Korean beauty stores was Skinfood.

Some info on Skinfood:

"Feed your skin, it deserves a treat" is SkinFood's basic philosophy. SkinFood creates delicious cosmetics from familiar ingredients such as sugar, rice, vegetables and fruits. From yummy strawberries to crunchy apples, refreshing aloe vera and invigorating coffee, SkinFood offers over 900 products that pamper, protect and please your skin."

Entering the store

 The back room is for manicures and nail art.

Picking and Choosing Your Favorite Skincare Products at Sephora for $25

Who doesn't love those deluxe samples?

I just found out yesterday from @yourskinwithin that Sephora has a Customized Skincare Favorites Bag option where you can choose 5 deluxe skincare samples for $25. You just click on the link above and then add your goodies to your basket.  You can also get multiple ones of your favorite product by changing the quantity at check out!  The basket will show each item to be $20 until you get to your five products.  After that, you should see the discount applied to bring your total for these favorites (and a cute bag!) to $25!

So what happens at a Korean Beauty Sample Sale?

Peach and Lily had its very first sample sale with skincare up to 90% off and makeup products at $5 or less ($5 each, 5 for $20, 20 for $60).  

It was my first beauty sample sale, so I had no idea what to expect.  

Lauren joined me! My partner in BB crime (blogging and beauty). I know, can I be any more cheesy?

It was an hour wait time to get into the building.  Apparently, there were too many people at the initial start of the sale so the coordinators had to scoot a whole bunch of customers from inside to the outside. Good thing the line was in the shade, and I had my iPad for listening to podcasts while getting emails out. 

We got inside 2 hours after the sale officially started.  A lot of damage can be done in 2 hours. As you can imagine, shelves were already ransacked. Oh, I trust my people to come hella early and get in on those discounted prices.  You can see how the well stocked this event was in the beginning here (click on the gallery). The link also gives updates on product availability.

Like at many sample sales, you have to check in your big personal items like purses and backpacks.  You got a ticket and go claim it after you do your shopping.  I am over-explaining here. You guys know how coat check tickets work.  Then we received purple shopping bags aka roomy paper gift bags.

My favorite area was the Club Clio makeup tables with eye, face, and lip products. $5 dolla!!

Sephora Makeover: Colorful Eyes

I'm an idiot. I thought today was Sephora's VIB Rouge event, so I took a break from our Saturday morning Fargo viewing party to check it out.  The event was actually tomorrow. To make myself feel better, I decided to get a mini makeover.  I told Izzie the makeup artist: "Let's do something fun!" The results...

 Holding some of the makeup used

Ta-dah! Here is the mystery makeup!

Hit or Miss: Kiehl's Skin Tone Correcting + Beautifying BB Cream Sunscreen + Clinique "A Different Nail Enamel"

My cousin Linda gave me a great stash of beauty goodies (thank you!).  They included this BB Cream + nail polish.  She knows that I love trying + reviewing products. ;)

Let's start with this mouthful: Kiehl's Skin Tone Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream Sunscreen.  According to the Kiehl's website, there's pretty much nothing this product doesn't do.  It provides all-day hydration, fades discoloration, minimizes pores, corrects skin imperfections, and protects skin from skin damage with SPF 50.  Additional pros include being paraben free, fragrance free, silicone free, mineral oil free, and non comedogenic.

Here are some before and after photos from the website.

Interesting Korean Beauty Trends

Koreans like to look younger than they actually are. They are always striving for the "dong-an" baby face. That doesn't sound uncommon, right...aiming for a more fresh-faced appearance?  Well, Koreans take that goal to another level by playing up their "aegyo-sal", which loosely translates into "cute baby eye fat" and "eye smiles." I prefer the term that I saw in one article: "under eye bulge". 

I guess enhancing your aegyo-sal is supposed to make you look cuter? 

Here is a picture without and with aegyo-sal.  Can you tell the difference?

source

source

My favorite eyeliners

As an Asian woman with monolids, finding the best smudge-proof eyeliner has been one of my main beauty missions.  Too many times, I've sported raccoon eyes and went out in public with liner transferred onto my upper lids.  I am pleased to say that it hasn't happened since I've found the following products:

image via amazon.com

 stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner, Intense Black* was the first liquid liner that made me feel confident about my liner... staying all day.  I stopped checking the mirror to see if my liner had migrated to other parts of my eyelid.  I loved it so much that I recommended it to my other friends.  I've had only one complaint from a friend who had been using it with no problems. But when she started putting moisturizer on her eyes before the liner, she said that the liner would come off. That has never happened to me, and I also apply moisturizer/eye cream before putting on my makeup.  I always make sure to put on an eye primer and then powder after I allow my moisturizer to absorb.  I swear those two steps are the key to my liner staying in place.  So if you have any transfer/smudging occurring with eye liners, definitely try adding those steps to your makeup regimen.

This is the eye primer I've used for years.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Reviews: Caudalie Founder Favorites Set, L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Intenza Mascara, Burt's Bees Soap Bark + Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

Caudalie Founder Favorites Set

image via pinterest

I was at Sephora asking about a serum that results in a more even skin tone. The rep went straight for the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum. It is known for combatting the appearance of dark spots, which is exactly what I needed for my sunspots and freckles. So how excited was I to see that Caudalie had this Founder Favorites Set that included the full size bottle of the Vinoperfect serum! The ENTIRE set costs as much as the serum AND it includes three other products as a bonus!  Yup, $79 for the serum alone. Or $79 for 4 products. C'mon. A no-brainer.

I haven't had the set for long, but I wanted to share this with you asap because it already keeps selling out online. I think you should still be able to pick one up at a Sephora store.

My thoughts so far (I'm also linking reviews from Sephora):

Vinoperfect Radiance Serum- I love the clean smell and how quickly it absorbs into the skin. I'm talking fast! I try to use my Foreo Luna to get my serums and lotions deep into my skin, but my skin has already sucked up this stuff by the time I've taken the Foreo out of my drawer.  Reviews mention how quickly people see differences in the lightening of hyperpigmentation (especially for people with darker complexions). My skin tone is totally evening out, and I feel like parts of my sunspot are lightening. I know that it is pricey, but I highly recommend this!

Premier Cru the Eye Cream- I've actually used a sample of this before. It has a nice, rich texture that doesn't leave a greasy residue behind. I hear it's great for undereye circles. I didn't notice a huge difference for myself, but I will keep testing it out. 

Beauty Elixir- If you have money to blow, then you should get this for its refreshing effects. I will admit that it perks me up when I spray it on my face. But then again, any minty concoction sprayed in your face would probably wake you up. Definitely smell this before buying...it has a very strong scent.  And you may hate it. This product is also supposed to tighten pores, smooth the skin, and stimulate microcirculation. The only thing I noticed was a tingling of the skin, especially the lips. Maybe something is going on under the surface that I can't see? I personally don't feel like it is worth the $18-49 (depending on size) price tag.

Instant Detox Mask- I have only used this once so far. Unlike other masks where you feel like you have to cake it on, this product goes on like a thin layer of lotion. Light spa-like lavender scent. All I can say is that it didn't dry out my face. I will have to report back on this.

As of now, the champion of this set is the Vinoperfect Radiance Serum.  I would be open to trying other Caudalie products. The brand offers some all-natural products and is known for containing no parabens, phenoxyethanol, sodium laureth sulfate, mineral oils, synthetic colors, or ingredients of animal origins. To read more about Caudalie's "green actions",  click here.

***

image via target.com

I picked up this mascara in Blackest Black at CVS for about $9.  It comes in a waterproof version of the same color and non-waterproof Black. The metallic packaging is fun and futuristic. The main attraction is the double-winged applicator. 

When you actually insert the wand into the mascara, the applicator kind of looks like a mess. And the formula is a little clumpy. The tiny bristles do an ok job at separating my eyelashes- you can actually feel the gentle tug as it combs through them. 

You can see some of the clumps here. 

For the price, I think this mascara has potential.  Most days, I think the applicator does a good job of separation. But as you can see on the pics above, sometimes I get clumps. I don't have a lot of lashes, but the Voluminous Butterfly Intenza mascara gave them length and fattened them up a bit.  I experienced no smudging.  People online complained of flakiness.  Maybe my clumps are actually flakes? This mascara is an "upgrade" from the original L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly mascara with an applicator that has only one winged side. 

Reviews on Ulta and Makeup Alley for the Voluminous Butterfly Intenza

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Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

image by feelunique.com

I bought this facial cleanser for about $8 at a local drug store.  The ratings for this product were relatively high, and I was stoked about the "100% Natural" description. 

I'm going to preface this review with the note that I tend to prefer foaming face washes for a clean feeling (it's psychological). This cleanser has a lotion-like texture with no suds. I tried to rub the cream in my hands first and then apply to my face. Little globs fell into the sink. Then I tried to directly apply the stuff to my face.  I still had some of it slide off of my face and down the drain.

The menthol and citrus ingredients made me feel like I was rubbing Ricola cough drops all over my face. The sting from the menthol was quite overpowering. My face got used to it, but your eyes may never forgive you. I suppose the tingling sensation can be refreshing on a hot day.  I didn't love this cleanser, but a lot of people do! 

Reviews from Drugstore.com and Amazon