It was a glorious day. I checked my mailbox and discovered a mysterious box. To my surprise, inside was 29 different shades of the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils! I wanted to play around with the shades and I figured it was the perfect time to do a swatching video. So without much further adieu, here are the swatches!
Well, what do you guys think? What's your favorite shade? I definitely have a few that I gravitate towards... cruella, dolce vita, do me baby, walkyrie, etc. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!
FTC: This is not a sponsored video or post. Products were provided for review purposes. Links provided are affiliate.
Ok, so I felt like this video deserved a post on the blog as well. I've noticed that although Korean Beauty has been gaining popularity, there are also some things that are being done...incorrectly. I don't like using that term because I feel like I'm being very patronizing. Also, let's face it...there's really no definite way to do anything. There always several ways to do something and different methods in makeup and skincare. However, there could be certain things you're doing that's not utilizes Korean Beauty to its maximum potential. So, I'm here to clarify! But hey, if you are doing these things and they work for you... by all means... don't let me stop you!
Let's get to the breakdown...
My Related Product Recommendations
1. Not washing off your sleeping pack
Sleeping packs are meant for...well...sleeping. I know all of us sometimes get lazy in the morning and decide to skip washing our face. If you applied a sleeping mask the night before, then this is a HUGE mistake. Leaving sleeping masks on the following day can causes breakouts because it's collects dirt and oil ... and then you're applying makeup on top of that *cringe*. I've experienced it myself. I literally forgot to wash my face (hey, I get wrapped up in work!) and then immediately had little breakouts all over my skin. I understand, sometimes we're running late or don't have time for a whole skincare routine in the morning. At least, use a cleansing water or face wipe on your skin though. Moral of the story, start your day off with a fresh face... ALWAYS!
2. Rubbing vs. Patting
If you're familiar with Korean dramas or you've watched Korean skincare commercials, you'll notice that everyone majestically pats skincare onto their face. Is this just a ploy to sell skincare and make it look more luxurious?! No. It's actually a technique. The idea behind this is that through patting, you're increasing the absorption of your skincare. You're essentially slapping (ok, don't slap that hard!) the skincare into your pores so it absorbs more effectively and faster. Also, when you pat your skin, you don't agitate your skin as much as you would when you rub your skin. It also bring blood flow to the area, which is thought to be healthy for your skin. Side note: I once took a yoga class where we started each class off with 5 minutes of patting the skin on our bodies. I always thought this was silly (I'm sure it looked silly) but I have to say, my skin and body did feel more energized. If anyone knows the science behind this, please share!
3. You're not double cleansing your skin
Double cleansing is a Korean technique where you use a cleansing oil/balm first to break up your makeup and then you cleanse your face with a face wash. Why is this important? Simple. When you don't double cleanse, you're not really cleaning your skin. The first step is using a cleansing balm or oil to breakup your makeup, sunscreen, etc. I know what you're thinking... if I don't wear makeup, should I still double cleanse? Yes, because I'm assuming you're at least using a sunscreen everyday (SMH if you're not! Protect that skin!). After you breakup all that makeup and rinse your skin, then you can use a cleanser to wash your skin. This step actually works into the pores and removes all the impurities. If you just go straight to your face wash without using a cleansing balm or oil first, your face wash is working hard to remove the makeup, sunscreen, free radicals. It doesn't actually get down to your skin.
Here's what I use to double cleanse if you're curious!
4. You're not toning your skin
Toning in North America is a little different than toning in Korea. In North America, toners are usually very astringents and harsh on the skin. It's not suitable for dry skin because it dries your skin out. It could also over-strip oily skin and cause your skin to produce more oil. In Korea, toners balance your skin after cleansing and adds moisture to your skin. Think of it as a reset for your skin after washing. It's super important and helps the rest of your skincare routine absorbs more effectively.
5. Don't be too rough with your skin
For this point, I'm also referring to toning. You'll notice some people really pull at their skin when they're toning. You don't need to be rough with your skin! Just gently swipe the toner over your skin. The toner will do the work! Also, always swipe in an upward morning. You do this to fight gravity and prevent premature sagging/wrinkling!
6. Pat on cushion compacts, don't swipe
Wow, I talked a lot about applications methods! Now this one, I can't really fault people for. Cushion compacts have become more popular in the last year and I've noticed a lot of bloggers reviewing cushion compacts. However, most of them are not into Korean Beauty, nor do they research or follow it. Because of this, it's assumed you're supposed to swipe on the foundation. However, the correct method is to pat the foundation on. The foundation will have higher coverage, will look more smooth, and will blend better. Plus, I LOVE air puffs and I want everyone else to see how amazing they are! To do this, you must pat, not swipe and you'll experience the magic that is the air puff!
7. You're using eyelid glue or tape
*Sigh* I know this is going to be rough for those of you guys who use eyelid tape or glue. I'm really doing this as a PSA so you understand the consequences of using these products. They might make your eye appear larger and give you the effect of a double eyelid, but they could permanently stretch your eye. Anything that is pulling at your eyelid for prolonged periods of time will stretch the skin and cause it to sag. So even though it might correct something, it could also be causing another issue. Just keep that in mind! I know that some people also use them thinking that it'll eventually create a double eyelid but unfortunately, this is not how it works. This might be slightly controversial but there's no way that these will permanently create a crease. If you don't believe me, just do a little research. A lot of doctors and plastic surgeons (who are professionals!) say that these do pull at the skin and cause sagging.
I hope you guys enjoyed this video and maybe learned something! Let me know of some other things you've noticed are being done incorrectly or videos you'd like to see!
I'm always on the hunt for interesting and fun products (let me know if you find any ok? :D ) so when I saw this RIRE Lip Powder, I knew I had to get it and test it out. Check out my video review below to see what I thought about it!
Let's get to the breakdown...
So, in typical fashion, here are the close-up pics and my written review of the product.
RIRE Lip Powder in Hot Plum
Pick one up HERE (affiliate)
Packaging...
The packaging is... ok. Honestly, to me, it looks a little cheap. Plus, I don't find it that functional. As you can see in the demo that I did in the video, the handle actually makes applying the product more difficult. It doesn't allow for an accurate application and since the handle is tapered, I could see this slipping out of my fingers, dropping it, and making a mess.
Consistency
This had the COOLEST consistency. Like the name implies, it does start off as a powder. However, magically, it turns into a liquid lipstick consistency when you apply it or rub it. I love it and it actually feels fairly moisturizing on my lips considering this started off as a powder.
Application
This applies really smoothly. I love how it glides onto my lips, which are usually very dry. Like I mentioned above, I'm not a fan of the packaging, but overall, the actual product was nice to apply. Plus, I really liked the color!
Overall
I didn't test this to see how long it would last, however, it did pretty much seem like a liquid lipstick stain. It does stain a little bit but you can also wipe it off for the most part. Hopefully, that makes sense. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this first impressions and let me know of any other cool products you've tried!!
In my video below, I went shopping in theExpress Bus Terminaland Dongaemun Market in the same day. Hence why they're included in the same video. However, I wanted to make separate posts about them so I could focus on tips and information for each. This post is going to be about my experience while shopping in Dongdaemun Market while I was staying in Seoul, Korea!
Let's get to the breakdown...
Dongdaemun Market
Description
Dongdaemun Market is...not really a market in my opinion. Lol. When I think of markets, I think of fresh fruits, homemade goods and cute little boutique shops. Maybe I'm crazy.. which is a good possibility. Dongdaemun is where there are lots of department stores, shopping malls, and some outdoor booths and stalls. The shopping malls and department stores are MASSIVE and are sometimes 14 stores high! Or more! This is also where you can go night shopping because the stores tend to stay open really late!
Directions
If you want to get there by subway, here's the stations! I'd say this is the best way to get there...
Seoul Subway Line 2 Dongdaemun Stadium Station, or Line 1 or 4 Dongdaemun Station
To go to Hello apM, which is where I went shopping in my video, here are the directions by subway!
Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, 4 & 5), Exit 14. - 100 meters from Exit 4.
Shopping Tips
My mom haggling for my pink back pack! :D
This is another area where it's best to shop with cash! In the big shopping malls (where there are vendors that own their own booths) you can usually haggle. However, if it's already really cheap (say around 5,000-20,000 won) you're less likely to be able to haggle. The vendors consider this cheap already and aren't usually willing to budge.
Similar to shopping in the Express Bus Terminal, a lot of the vendors will have similar looking items, if not the same exact things. Shop around if you're looking for a good deal! You're likely to find a cheaper option :)
There are a couple major shopping malls. This includes Doosan Tower, Migliore, Freya Town and Hello apM (which is the one I visited in the video!). In my opinion, once you've been in one of these and explored a little bit, you've seen it all. They're all pretty similar inside and again, in my humble opinion, not worth spending the time to check out every single one!
If crowds are a concern for you, these big shopping complexes are great because things are so spread out! You won't feel too claustrophobic because, as you can see in my video, there's a lot of area to walk around in!
There are some of my tips for shopping in Dongdaemun Market! Let me know if you have any tips of your own.. always love to hear them :)
Hello gems :) Today I'll be reviewing a beauty box subscription service calledJini Beauty. They sent me one of their boxes so I could check out the products, service and give you my overall impression of them. The biggest thing that makes them different from other Korean Beauty Box subscription services is they curate boxes for different skin types. So you can choose a box based on whether you have dry/mature, normal/combination, oily/acne, and sensitive/trouble. Neat right? Every month, you'll receive 1-2 full sized produces and 3-5 deluxe samples. Anways...
Let's get on to the breakdown...
Packaging...
Everything I got in my box was packaged very nicely. It came in a sturdy box and had a bunch of crate paper cushioning all the products. It also came with a card that had all the products listed and some other facts.
Products...
I got the box for Dry/Mature skin. Inside there was a
-Sulwhasoo Overnight Vitalizing Mask
-Illi Ginseng Firming Mask
-Missha Time Revolution Night Repair New Science Activator Ampoule
-Etude House Moistfull Collagen Cream
-IOPE Super Vital Cream Bio Intensive
-Tony Moly Delight Tony Tint in 02 Red
Pricing and Shipping...
These boxes are $24.95 a month. If you subscribe for 3 months, you get a 5% discount. For a 6 month subscription, you get 8% off. For a 12 month subscription, you get a 10% discount. As for shipping, they only ship in the United States right now!
My thoughts...
When I opened this, I was kind of confused because I couldn't figure out which product was supposed to be the full-sized product since they all seemed like deluxe samples. I ended up emailing the company and I was informed that the sheet mask was considered the full sized products. I was a little surprised because in my head, I don't feel like a sheet mask is considered a full sized product? I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way so it could just be me!! I'm assuming this is because there's a Sulwhasoo deluxe sample in this box. Its a VERY generous size and would probably last a while. I looked up how much the full size retails for and it's around $50. I couldn't find how many oz the sample in the box was, so I can't breakdown how much the sample is worth. This whole topic is subjective though so you'll have to judge for yourself whether you think it's worth it or not :)
If you want to see what was in the other boxes, check out their blog post. I saw the full-sized products in the other boxes and they seem fairly reasonable! :)
Anyways guys, that's my review of this Korean Beauty box. I always love Korean Beauty subscription services and think it's a great way to try products that you might not have gotten for yourself. Plus, it's like Christmas every month :D
