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! 

xoxo, 

Morgan 

[REVIEW] Gold Elements Haul, Review and My Thoughts / Experience

Hello everyone :) So Gold Elements reached out to me a couple of months ago and asked if I wanted to try some of their products out. After looking into their skincare line, I was excited to try out their line because their products feature gold leaves! Fun and exotic right?! So let's go through, take a look at the products, and I'll explain my experience with their products.

Let's get to the breakdown...

Disclaimer: Gold Elements sent me these products for review. They did not pay me and all opinions are my own.

Truffle Infusion Eye Serum

So I know what you're thinking... truffles?! What the heck?! First of all, truffles are a VERY pricy food that's considered a delicacy. However, when incorporated into skincare, it can help make your skin look more even by blocking the production of melanin in the skin. It also contains amino acids, which help prevent aging. 

 So let's talk about my experience with this eye serum. This eye serum has a light-weight consistency. I love that because it's perfect for layering, daytime, and the warmer months...which is when I was using this serum. It also smooths onto the skin very nicely. The serum is a beautiful gold color and almost has a bit of shimmer to it. Now let me talk about my eyes for a bit. I have SUPER sensitive eyes. It's honestly way too much to get into, but if you follow my social media or youtube channel, you've probably heard me talk about this. This serum did not irritate my eyes, which was a relief. I also liked that it kept my under eyes hydrated. I can notice when I'm neglecting my eye area (because my fine lines are more pronounced when I'm not being diligent) and which this serum, I felt that my under eye area looked more plump. It's hard to say whether or not I noticed a long-term difference, but I like this! 

 But here's the thing. This is EXPENSIVE. I actually didn't realize how much this cost (because they sent it to me in exchange for a review) until I looked up more information of this product for this review. When I saw the price, my jaw dropped. It's $699. I actually think this is a very valuable part of this review... I had no idea how much this line cost. In other words, when I was using this line, did I think this was a $699 eye serum? No. I had no idea. I thought it was nice, the packaging is nice.... but I honestly don't this is $699 nice. So takes that for what it's worth. 

Age Treatment Moisturizing Cleansing Oil

I love cleansing oils. I can't live without double cleansing my skin! I don't wear makeup everyday, but when I do, I wear a lot...so cleansing oils and balms are a must in my routine. As you can see in the picture below, it's a beautiful gold color. I love the consistency of this because it's super smooth and glides onto the skin. As for my experience with this cleansing oil, I love that this doesn't leave my skin feeling stripped. It actually leaves my skin feeling very comfortable, soft and smooth. I would say this is best for those you who don't wear a ton of makeup. As you can see below, I applied some mascara and eyeliner to the back of my hand and massaged the oil on the swatches to show you guys how effective this is. It doesn't break up the makeup as much as I'd like it to, so I save this for my no makeup days. 

After massaging the cleansing oil onto the makeup swatches. 

After I rinsed my hand. 

Intensive Cleansing and Softening Lotion

 I have very dry skin. So I've become more selective when it comes to cleansers. I can immediately tell if I like a cleanser or not just by judging how dry my skin feels after using it. This cleanser is really gentle on my skin. It leaves my skin feeling refreshed because it's a nice soft cleanser. However, again, with most of these products... I didn't realize how expensive these products were. So when I was using this, did I think this was a $129 cleanser? No, I didn't. I did enjoy using but I don't think I would shell out that much money for ANY cleanser. 

Also, I would like to note... this cleanser does not really lather! Totally a preference thing.. personally I don't mind but some of you might prefer a cleanser that lathers more! 

D'Or Facial Cream

This moisturizer kept my skin nice and hydrated. As you can see in the picture below, it's a medium consistency... not too thick, not too thin. I felt like this absorbed pretty quickly and didn't feel heavy on my skin. Overall, I feel like this is a pretty basic face cream. I didn't notice a significant difference (possibly because I always heavily hydrate my skin with LAYERS of skincare) but I like that it felt comfortable on my skin.   

D'Or Facial Peeling

Last but not least, I tried out their peeling gel. I personally like peeling gels because I feel like it's a gentle way to exfoliate and stimulate my skin without having to abrasively scrub at my skin. This peeling gel makes my skin feel SO SOFT! It does a really nice job of removing dead skin cells and my skin looks visibly brighter after using this.  

I hope you guys enjoyed my review of some of the Gold Elements products I received! Let me know if you've tried some of their products. I look forward to hearing your thoughts :) 

xoxo,

Morgan

[HAUL] Asian Beauty Products + MASSIVE Laneige Haul

Preview alert! So later today, I'll be releasing my haul from Singapore! (One of the benefits of following my blog... seeing things earlier than everyone else :D )While I was there, I picked up some Asia exclusives, Japanese beauty products, and a BUNCH of stuff from Laneige. I was looking for Singaporean beauty products, but I guess for the most part, they import a lot of their beauty. I took the opportunity, however, to look at some Asia exclusive products and pick up some other things because it's a little cheaper while I'm in Asia versus buying it overseas. Anyways, I'm talking to much so let's get into the haul :)

Let's get to the breakdown...

Laneige Beauty Products

Ok first let me say I did get all my Laneige products given to me. Laneige was a big sponsor of the Clozette Style Party, so they supplied me with all these goodies! Thank you so much :) Also, if you want more info on some of these products, let me know! For the most part, this is going to be a very pic-heavy post. Also, watch the video to get more of my thoughts on the products and the actual shade names. This post is for getting a closer look of the products :) 

Laneige Skincare

From left to right: Water Bank Moisture Cream, Water Bank Eye Gel, Water Bank Mineral Mist, and Water Bank Essence_EX

 From left to right: Clear C Advanced Effector, Multiberry Yogurt Repair Pack, Lip Sleeping Pack, Foam Cleanser Moisture_EX 

 From left to right: White Plus Review Original Essence_EX, Water Science Mist Sparkling Water, Perfect Pore Cleansing Oil, Firming Sleeping Pack 

 From left to right: Regenerating Sheet Mask, Capsule Sleeping Pack 

 Sun Block Sensitive SPF 30 PA ++

 From left to right: Collagen Supplemental Drinks, White Plus Renew Sample Kit 

Laneige Point Makeup Products

Two-Tone Shadow Bars (shades listed in the video)

 Two tone lip bars

 Whitening, Anti-Aging and Pore Control Cushions 

 From left to right: Intense Lip Gel, Lip Tint Gel

 From left to right: Vibrating Pro Brush, String Longlash Mascara, Water Cushion Conceale, Brush Pact, and Cushion Highlighter

 From left to right: Eyeshadow quad and Blush

 Japanese Beauty and Asia Exclusives 

 These are what I consider Asia exclusives because I can't find these in the United States (well, they're a different version). From left to right: Maybelline White Superfresh UV Whitening Long-Lasting Two Way Cake and Super BB Super Cover Cream 

 Kiss Me Heroine Liquid Liner and Tube Mascara

L'areal Cushion Glow Blush in Pink Fantasia and Sunkissed Coral

 Japanese Sunscreen

When I had a layover at the Hong Kong airport, I popped into the drugstore and picked up these sunscreens! I hear Japanese sunscreens are the best, so I wanted to pick some up to try :) 

From left to right: Biore UV Perfect Spray, Biore UV Perfect Sun Milk, Biore UV Aqua Rich Whitening Sunscreen, and Sunplay 130 SPF Sunscreen

 Alright guys, so that's my Beauty Haul from Singapore :) I hope you guys enjoyed and like I said above, check out the video if you want more info like my thoughts or shade names! Wishing you the best!

xoxo, 

Morgan 

[First Impressions] MASK FROM HELL! Tosowoong Monster Cocoon Pack Review

Alright, alright... this is a post I've been putting off for a little bit.. Probably because I can't stand to look at my poor skin in these pictures. SPOILER ALERT: This mask tore up my skin. I feel like you deserve a proper review however, so I'm relieving this horrifying experience.. for you guys! Anyways, today's review is going to be on the Tosowoong Monster Cocoon Pack. I should've known by the name of this product that this was not going to turn out good.

Let's get to the breakdown...

Packaging...

The product comes in a squeeze tube. There's nothing complex about the packaging but I do like that it's spooky looking. As a Halloween fanatic, I love anything that reminds me of my favorite time of the year! The packaging is probably the only thing I liked about this product. haha. 

Directions...

You're supposed to apply this mask on cleansed skin and leave it on for about 15 minutes. Then you rinse your face to remove the mask. YOU DO NOT PEEL THIS MASK. *sigh* So many people do not read the instructions/my comments/look it up online and comment on my video that I did this mask wrong. People.. this is a wash off mask. It's not a peel off mask. If I'd peeled this off my skin, my skin would've been really sad. haha. Oh and I'd like to note this was terrible to take off.. so hard to rinse off!!

Experience...

Within a couple minutes, this mask started to tighten on my skin. Now that's supposed to happen. Through tightening, it's supposed to tighten the skin and this also helps to remove dead skin cells. You're not supposed to really move your face during this part. I'm aware of this, so I tried to talk whilst barely moving my face. Now, I understand all this. However, this mask was WAY TOO TIGHTENING. I get that it's supposed to tighten, but if a mask tightens to the point where it's tearing your skin... it's a little too much. I feel like that was the biggest issue with this mask. In the process of trying to be interesting looking, it failed to be effective. Actually, it's was more harmful than anything! 

Results...

Well, it's clear to see what happened to my skin. It got SUPER irritated from this mask. Like I mentioned above, through tightening this mask actually hurt my skin because it was pulling at it. I don't understand how they can actually say that this is designed for all skin types?! This would be absolutely terrible for sensitive or acne-prone skin types! I mean, there's not much more to say about this mask.. I won't be using it again and I think there are a ton of other masks that are more effective and gentle. Also, I do want to note that I always patch test products. Proper patch testing is to be done on the side of the neck/behind the ear since the skin there is about the same thickness of your face and because it's more similar to your face. My neck turned out ok but that goes to show.. sometimes with skincare you never know! Just proceed with caution :) Oh and my skin was fine after a couple days. Just a little tender and in need of some TLC but everything is fine. Thank you for those of you who left sweet comments! I love you guys :) 

Overall: NO STARS! (well, except for packaging haha)

Packaging: ****

Ingredients: *

Experience: 

Results:

Mini Korean Beauty Haul: 3CE, Biege, and A True Makeup and Skincare

Hellooooo everybody! I wanted to do a follow up post of my most recent K-Beauty Haul! I had fun checking out this website, surfing through the pages, and looking at the different products and brands I'd never tried before. I was particularly interested in Cupidrop because they carry a lot of brands that are harder to find including 3CE! The only other websites that I've found 3CE are either way overpriced or kill you in the shipping department. So I was happy to see Cupidrop is a good option for those of us living in the United States!

Let's get to the breakdown...

A True Sweet Song Black Tea One-Step Cleansing Water

I'm always down to try cleansing waters! Lately, I've been using them as an extra cleansing step, particularly to remove excess makeup on my neck and chest at the end of the day. This one I found really interesting because instead of being water-based, it's actually black tea water based. I like how gentle this is on my skin and it seems very effective! 

 A True Black Tea All Day Long Sun Cream

I burn through sunscreen like crazy. I wear it everyday and it's super important that you are too! Protect that skin!! Anyways, this is a nice sunscreen for those of you with dry skin because it's a little thicker. I feel like it moisturizes my skin while it's protecting it. However, I wouldn't recommend this for oily-skinned people because it's probably a little too heavy. 

 Beige 3 Seconds Perfect Eye Remover

Ok, let's get things straight. This is a makeup remover. It does not remove your eyes. haha. This is an oil-based remover and you have to shake it before using. It does remove my makeup very quickly and I like how gentle this is. It also does not leave any residue behind! 

 3CE Highlighter in #BlingPeach

I was really confused with this product at first. When you initially touch it with your finger, this powder seems to be chunky and rough. I didn't think I was going to be impressed by this. However, when you use a brush and apply this to your cheeks, it is B.E.A.utiful! I love this. It looks amazing and I've been obsessed with it ever since I got it! If you're curious to see what this looks like on my skin, check out my video above! I'm wearing it :) 

Alright friends! That's my mini Korean Beauty haul from Cupidrop! Let me know if you tried any other products from these brands and what you'd recommend! I'm always looking for new, amazing products :) 

xoxo,
Morgan 

[Review] Gram Double Chemi Ban Ban Pack First Impressions!

Hi everyone! So I get a lot of requests to do reviews on products that are designed for different skin types. While that's a bit difficult, since everyone is different, I do my best to help everyone out and show products that address a wide range of concerns. Today, I'll be reviewing the Gram Double Chemi Ban Ban Pack, which is designed for combination skin.

Let's get to the breakdown...

Packaging....

The packaging of this product is a tub with two sections inside. It separates the two different masks inside. 

Formulas...

The green side is the detoxifying/purifying side. It sucks out all the impurities from the skin and helps level out sebum production. The main ingredients that help with this are bentonite, green tea, lemon balm leaf, applemint leaf extract, tea tree and broccoli. On the other side, you'll see an orange mask. This is made for drier parts of the face. The ingredients in this that make it effective are sweet almond oil, shea butter, papaya, buckthorn, rose hip and vanilla bean.  

Directions...

The green mask is meant for the t-zone since that is wear most people have an excess of oil production. The orange mask is meant for the u-zone, which tends to be more dry. Of course, you can apply these where ever your face is dry/oily. After leaving it on for 10-15 minutes (I usually wash the mask off before it dries completely) wash it off. 

Results...

I did enjoy the 2-in-1 aspect. You can see in the close up pictures of my nose below that there is definitely less sebum on my nose. As for the moisturizing mask, I think it was nice but I've definitely used better moisturizing masks. 

Overall...

I think this is such a great multi-tasker! It's great for combination skin or if you skin tends to change during the different seasons (I'm pretty sure everyone's does!). I liked how it removed my excess sebum, but like I mentioned above, I have used more moisturizing masks. Overall, I think this is a nice mask to use if you don't feel like using multiple masks or if you want something that will address your skin's needs fairly well.