That's right, you read the title correctly! Like I mentioned in my post about my New Year's Resolutions, I am going to be better about adding more posts, mainly Korean product reviews, to my website. Afterall, that's really what this website is supposed to be dedicated to! Haha. So I just wanted to make this post to let you all know that starting Monday, January 12, 2015 to January 26, 2015, I'll be posting a new product review everyday! Yes, EVERYDAY! So don't forget to put your email in that little subscribe box on the right or follow my Google Plus page to be updated on when I add a new post. And while you're at it, don't forget to check out The Beauty Breakdown Channel as well!

SO enjoy :)

xoxo, Morgan

It's a New Year, Which Means New Resolutions of Course!

Hi guys! So I'm a little sad that I've been so bad with updating my website! Hey, it's hard when I've been so busy doing an everyday video series on The Beauty Breakdown plus the holidays! Anyways, no excuses! So this is my new plan for this website and my channel!

I explain a little bit more in this video!

Anyways, here's the gist of it!

Out with the old, in with the new...
I got a new start with my makeup/skincare collection by finally going through it, and throwing away/giving away products that I don't like, use, or that are just plain old. I utilized the back-to-mac program and redeemed some new goodies with old products and now I have room for new products (woooooo!)

Makeup items I'm giving away/donating

Whoa baby! Look at all that trash. haha 

So yes, expect a major Korean makeup/skincare haul in the next couple weeks! (Be sure to subscribe to both this website, my youtube channel, and social media accounts to be updated on when I get my package!)

My personal New Year's Resolutions
As I mentioned in the video.. I am the QUEEN of starting projects and then never finishing them. So for 2015, I plan on being better about finishing what I start. (I already finished that quilt from the video. hehe)

My New Year's Resolutions for The Beauty Breakdown Channel
I NEED to finish my Korean vlogs. So yes, those will be coming soon! Plus, I have a couple other series like "WTF Beauty" that I want to finish. By the way, the "WTF" literally stands for "What The F." Because Korea/Asian beauty companies tend to crank out products that make my wonder what they were thinking.

My New Year's Resolutions for The Beauty Breakdown Website
MORE PRODUCT REVIEWS. I know, I'm so bad at putting them up! But I have SO many Korean products that are worth reviewing that I'm sure you'd like to read about! So stayed tuned for that.

Anywho... those are my New Year's Resolutions and my thoughts in general :)

xoxo, Morgan

GD X Taeyang "Good Boy" Music Video Korean Makeup Tutorial

I'm so excited that GD and Taeyang have collaborated and come out with a new music video! I love "Good Boy" and love the direction YG Entertainment is taking with this sound. It's got a great beat and the colors of the video are awesome! I saw the video, and although G Dragon and Taeyang aren't necessarily wearing this makeup, I figured if they were, it'd be something along the lines of this!

Here are the products I used!

These are the eyeshadows that I used in the tutorial. Notice they are all matte! The eyeliner I used is the Clio Gelspresso Pencil in "Frosted Lavender". I also used MAC's Fluidline in "Black Track", but it's not pictured!

I mixed MAC's Fix + Spray with my eyeshadows so I could use them as an eyeliner!

For my face, I used SkinFood's White Grape Fresh Foundation and Salmon Dark Circle Concealer. For my cheeks I used the pH Matchmaker bronzer and MAC's blush in "Personal Style".

For my lips, I used the NYX long pencil lip liner in "Cabernet" and G-Dragon's Global Eco Red from The Saem.

And those are the products that I used :) Be sure to watch the video and subscribe to my channel, The Beauty Breakdownwww.youtube.com/user/morgansbbd! The support means the world to me :) 

xoxo, Morgan

Korean Skincare 101: How to Layer Skincare Products

Here's something that makes the difference between an effective Korean skincare routine and a subpar Korean skincare routine... and that would be the order in which you layer your skincare products. So for today's post, I'm going to discuss how to properly layer skincare products! So let's go ahead and breakdown how to create your own skincare regiment :)

First of all, let's talk about why Korean skincare is so notorious. Have you ever noticed that Koreans have amazing skin? It's because most Koreans religiously follow a multi-step regiment complete with cleansing, massaging, exfoliating, moisturizing etc. It may sound like a lot of honestly, it seems very intimidating. When I first starting reading up on Korean skincare, I was extremely overwhelmed. That's why I would like to try to simplify the process for you :) If you're curious as to which products I use, be sure to check out my posts on my Nighttime Korean Skincare Routine!

When creating a skincare routine for your skin, the cardinal rule for layering skincare products is you must apply products from the thinnest to the thickest.  The typical order of application is as follows:

1) Cleansing (i.e. the "Double Cleansing Method" + Exfoliating)
2) Toner
3) Booster
4) Essence or Serum
5) Ampoule
6) Emulsion
7) Eye Cream
8) Night Cream
9) Sleeping Pack/Sheet Mask (Optional)

Cleansing: In order to prep the skin for your skincare products, you MUST make sure your skin is properly cleaned. This, in my opinion, is one of the most important steps because you must start off with a good "foundation" for your skincare so it can be properly absorbed. This is where the double cleansing method comes into play...
Double Cleansing: This refers to using a cleansing balm or oil cleanser to remove your makeup first. Typically, you massage your skin with the balm or oil to work the makeup, oil and dirt out of your skin and rinse this off. Massaging is important because it increases blood flow to your skin, allowing your body to bring nutrients and oxygen to your skin. Next, using a foam, milk, or gel cleanser to remove the excess makeup, oil and dirt. This is important because your skin should be squeaky clean after washing it! I also take this opportunity to remove my eye makeup with a q-tip and makeup remover. I love Skinfood's Milk Shake Point Makeup Remover.
Exfoliating: To remove dead skin cells, exfoliate your face 1-2 times a week. One of my favorite exfoliators of all time is Skinfood's Black Sugar Wash Off Mask. It's great for sloughing off dead cells! Exfoliating is important because it encourages cell turnover and collagen production. However, don't overdo it! You don't want to scrub your face raw..
Some of my faves:
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil , Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil, Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Cleansing Foam , Skinfood Milkshake Point Remover

Toner: Next, you need to tone the skin. This means prepping it for skincare. Since toner is very watery, this step is first. Unlike Western skincare toners, Korean toners do not contain alcohol or other ingredients that dry or strip the skin of oil. Instead, Korean toners further purify the skin of pollutants, add a very light layer of moisture, and prep the skin for absorbing more skincare products! I recommend Etude House's Wonder Pore Freshener! This toner is very popular!
Some of my faves:
Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner and Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence

Booster: Technically, boosters and toners are very similar. Some people differ than me and feel that boosters should go before toners, but I personally like to apply my booster RIGHT AFTER my toner. Literally, I try to not waste anytime between the two because they're more effective this way. Just like the name implies, boosters are intended to boost the effects of any serums, ampoules, and essences you apply. A skin booster I really enjoy is Holika Holika's 3 Second Starter.
Some of my faves:
Holika Holika 3 Seconds Starter Hyaluronic Acid and Nature Republic Collagen Dream 90 Skin Booster

Essence or Serums: Essence and serums are very similar, in my opinion, and interchangeable. The only difference is essences contain essential nutrients and vitamins and serums are a concentrated version and they are slightly thicker than essences. I personally use either an essence or serum, not both. I only want to give my skin what it needs and I feel that using both is a little excessive. If you do choose to, however, more power to you! Koreans add this step to their skincare routine because this is the most direct way to supply your skin with the vitamins and nutrients it needs. It's also important because you can find targeted essences and serums for whatever you feel like your skin needs (for example, you can find brightening, anti-aging, etc essences or serums).
Some of my faves:
Etude House Pearl Aura Brightening Essence and Skin Food Peach Sake Pore Serum

Ampoules: This is the most concentrating version of an essence or serum. This should also serve as the most targeted version of your skincare routine meaning if you have issues with hyperpigmentation, sunspots, wrinkles, etc. this should be the product that is intended to correct this. My favorite ampoule is Missha's Time Revolution Night Repair New Science Activator Ampoule. This is a very famous ampoule because it's a dupe for Estee Lauder's Advanced Night Repair serum, which is almost 3-4 times the price!
Some of my faves:
Mizon Snail Intensive Repair Ampoule and Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule

Emulsion: I consider emulsion a light moisturizer. I love emulsion because since I have dry skin, I can periodically apply emulsion throughout the day whenever I feel like my skin need a pick-me-up and it will absorb quickly and freshen my face. My favorite emulsion it Etude House's Collagen Moistfull Emulsion.
Some of my faves: Etude House Moistfull Collagen Lotion

Eye Cream: You can't neglect the delicate skin around your eyes. It's important to make sure you take care of this area because it's the first place on your face to show signs of aging and wrinkling. I always applying my eye cream by tapping the product on with my ring finger. I like Elizabeth Arden's Perpetual Moisture 24 Eye Cream.
Some of my faves: Elizabeth Arden Perpetual Moisture 24 Eye Cream

Night Cream: It may seem excessive to apply another layer of moisture but this step seals in all your skincare and makes sure your skin is nice and supple. To me, I am a firm believer that keeping your skin moisturized is the most important part of skincare and preventing signs of aging. My favorite night cream is SkinFood's Gold Caviar Collagen Cream.
Some of my faves: Elizabeth Arden Good Night's Sleep Restoring Cream and Skinfood Gold Caviar Collagen Cream

Sleeping Packs/Sheet Masks: If you feel your skin is in need of more treatments, a sleeping pack or sheet mask is an optional tool that can give your skin what it needs. Sleeping packs are great for another step of moisture, brightening, etc. My favorite sleeping pack is the famous Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX. Sheet masks can serve all different kinds of purposes for your skin. There are anti-trouble (i.e. acne prone skin), anti-aging, brightening, whitening, firming, collagen boosting, etc. sheet masks so you can always find a sheet mask to suit the needs of your skin. Koreans firmly believe in the use of sheet masks, and typically use them 1-3 times a week. Some Koreans even sleep with the sheet mask on their face (I'm sure you've seen this in K-Dramas)!
Some of my faves: Laneige Water Sleeping Pack

Overall, this is just a guide as to what a typical Korean skincare routine would be like. Feel free to alter the steps or products to the needs of your skin and let me know what your favorite Korean skincare products are! I'm always on the lookout for new additions :) Thanks for reading and I hope this helped! Please let me know if you have any questions :)

xoxo, Morgan

First Impressions: Starting my 14 Day YourTea.com Tiny Tea TeaTox

Hi gems! :) Recently, I was contacted by Yourtea.com to see if I would be interested in doing one of their TeaTox programs. Of course, I said yes because I've never tried one of these programs before and I'm also on the lookout for new and different ways to add healthy fixes to my life! I just received the box of tea yesterday and wanted to give you a first impressions of what I think of the tea so far. Officially, this is my second day, so I'm just giving a brief explanation of what my goals are and what I think of the tea so far :)

Disclaimer: I was sent the product, but the views and opinions I express are completely my own. I am, in no way, influenced by the company to post in a particular way. Just to let you know :)

So first off, they sent me their 14 Day Tiny Tea Teatox. This program costs $35 on their website. Here's a quick breakdown of what this is specifically supposed to do.

Ingredients: oolong tea, jue ming zi, he ye, shan zha, lai fu zi (Chinese herbal ingredients)

Directions: My teatox came with 42 packets of tea bags. Since this is a 14 day program, you're supposed to drink the tea 3 times a day, 30 minutes before or after a meal. 

What it's supposed to do: In a nutshell, what this teatox is supposed to do is aid digestion, balance the body, and restore digestion. On the website, it does say that it will can help you lose weight, but technically this is not what the tea is designed to do. Essentially, this would be good for someone who is looking to reboot and restore your body. 

What makes this tea unique: According to the website, the main difference between this teatox and other teatox is it doesn't have a laxative effect. Therefore, you can confidently complete this program without having to worry about it inhibiting your daily lifestyle (aka no running to the bathroom every 5 seconds!)


For any other questions or information, please be sure to check out their website! They have a very thorough explanation of how the teatox works and how it can affect your body. 

Sorry for the blurry photo -_-

Now, I want to discuss my experience with the teatox so far! 

Taste: Ok, this is where I'm a little "if-y". I do like tea, but I actually prefer coffee over tea (If that's any implication as to what my tastes are like). And this tea does have a very "herbal" taste to it. If you have any experience with Chinese or Korean herbal medicines, I would liken the taste to that except very mild. So if you don't like that "natural" taste, I would definitely drink this with lemon or honey. If you don't like tea.... then why are you reading this?? (haha I'm kidding of course.. )

Smell: Again, it has a very natural smell. If you've ever smelled any type of Asian herbal medicine, or gone into a store that has natural asian medicine, it smells just like that!

Side Effects: So far, I've drank 4 of these teas (I started yesterday). I did experience a headache last night, but that's gone away. I don't know if this has anything to do with the teatox specifically, but I haven't experienced much yet (Hey, it's still the 2nd day!)

Anyways, let me know if you've ever done a tea tox! I'll keep you updated on my experience so please check back or check my Youtube Channel, The Beauty Breakdown, as I will be doing a video about it when I finish!

xoxo, Morgan   

Wanna see the final results??

  

  

3 Fall Fashion Outfit Ideas ft. ToFebruary

Here is where I got the items seen in this fashion video! This is my first outfit idea video so let me know what you think :) Also, for the items that say they're from "Korea", I show them and give more detail in my Korean Fashion Haul Video/Post if you're interested in them and want more info!

Outfit #1:

-Sweater from ToFebruary

-Skirt from H&M

-Sandals from Korea

-Teal Purse (in video) from Korea

-Scarf (in video) from Forever 21

Outfit #2:

-Shawl from Forever 21

-Tank top from Forever 21

-Necklace from Korea

-Skirt from Forever 21

-Purse is vintage

Outfit #3:

-Sweater from ToFebruary

-Leggings from American Eagle

-Boots from Reflections

-Purse from Michael Kors

xoxo, Morgan 

[Review] Missha Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing BB Cake PA ++ 40 SPF No. 23

Today I'll be reviewing one of Missha's newer BB creams. This will be a first impression on the Missha Misa Geum Sul Vitalizing BB Cake. It has an SPF of 40, comes in two colors (No. 21 and 23), and comes in a compact form.

As soon as I saw the packaging for this BB cream, I was immediately drawn to it because it is so beautiful! Missha is also known for having nice BB creams so I figured this one had to be good. I paid around $40 USD when I bought this in Korea. This BB cream claims to be:

• Wrinkle-care + Whitening + UV Protection (3-in-1)
• Long-lasting for up to 12 hours
• Makeup + Skincare (contains oriental herbal ingredients)
• No stickiness
• Sebum Control 

I absolutely love the packaging of this product. It is soo pretty and eye-catching. I also love it when BB creams come in pan-form because they are great for carrying with you and touching up while you're on-the-go!  

Like most tradition compact BB creams, this Missha one comes with a puff. This puff is supposed to anti-microbial, but you can buy replacements ones if using the same puff over and over bothers you. Personally, I only use the puff while I'm on-the-go. When applying makeup at home, I prefer brushes.

I chose the second shade obviously. I put shade #2 on the picture, but the actual shade in the store is #23. You can choose from two shades (shade #21 and #23) but since I'm naturally tan, I opted for the second shade of couse! In the pan, it actually looks like it will be my shade! I was excited because as you may or may not know, Korean cosmetic companies make their foundations very light. It's very difficult to find a Korean foundation that matches your skin if you're even slightly tan.

 When I placed the puff into the foundation, it seems nice and creamy. The texture seems smooth and it is not very dry at all. With these type of compact foundations, be sure to keep the cap nice and tight when you're not using it! Otherwise, it'll dry out very quickly!

This is what the foundation looks like on the puff. Again, it looks like it will match my skintone! YAY :) 

I started applying foundation so my skin. With these type of foundations, you want to pat the product on. Patting gives it a more opaque coverage. 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the Missha Geum Sul Vitalizing BB Cake on one side of my face. You can definitely see a difference in color! Although it's light on my skin, usually I can blend out light foundations enough to wear they look nice on my skin. This, however, it a little too light even though this is the second shade. The definitely has a high coverage, almost too high of a coverage. This foundation on my skin is borderline cakey :( I was dissappointed because I really wanted to like this foundation. 

Conclusion:

As you can see in the picture above, there is a stark difference between the foundation color and my skin. You can basically see the makeup line along my hairline and jawline. This picture was taken in direct sunlight, and I felt like in the sun, this foundation emphasized any flaw. It stuck to any dry spots and just sat on my skin instead of absorbing in and looking natural. I could also feel it on my skin throughout the day and it didn't really feel like it "set". For how expensive this foundation was, I felt that more money was spent on the packaging, not really the quality of the product.

Packaging: *****

Coverage: ***

Consistency: ***

Color Match: *

Lasting Ability: **

If you're interested in buying it, you can buy it here! 

Missha Signature BB Cake Spf 40/pa++

[Review] G Dragon for The Saem Global Eco Red Lipstick + Swatches

Hi there! Today I'm going to be reviewing G Dragon for The Saem Global Eco Red Lipstick! When I first found out G-Dragon was endorsing a lipstick specifically, I knew I had to pick it up! I was able to buy it during my trip to Seoul, Korea! I also featured this lipstick and other Korean cosmetics in my Makeup Haul. 

Back to the actual lipstick itself! I love the packaging... very sleek and I love that you can see what color it is from the packaging. 

Look at the glory of completely untouched, unswatched makeup! It looks so perfect I don't want to even swatch it!

 But of course I did :) As you can see from the swatch, it is a nice, wearable red, that is more on the orange side of red the a true blue-red. The texture is nice and smooth and it glides on without being dry.

This is what it looks like on my lips facing my window. In direct sunlight, the color looks a bit more orange than red in my opinion. Still very bright though! And a nice orange color at that!

This is what the color looks like in natural light (meaning not in the direct sun). As you can see, it becomes more of a red color! I love it :) 

But Morgan... is it worth it? 

Oh you bet I believe it's worth it! I bought it for around $8 when I was in Korea, which is a reasonable price to pay for a lipstick. Plus, it's wearable, which makes it a versatile lipstick. It's not too over-bearing and it doesn't look too harsh on any skin tone. 

xoxo, Morgan