May 2016 Birchbox

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box ($10 plus tax) of personalized beauty, grooming, and lifestyle deluxe sized samples tailored to your profile. You can accumulate points with each box and redeem those points at the Birchbox shop. If you review all your products in each monthly box, you can accumulate 50 points which is equivalent to $5 and half the value of the box.

Product Empties #8

My last empties post was at the end of January so I have quite a few things collecting in my Lululemon "trash" bag. I won't go into too much detail over every product because there's a lot to get through. Some of the stuff I finished waaay back so I might not remember much about it if it didn't knock my socks off. That's what I get for procrastinating on these empties posts.

April 2016 Favorites

It's been so long since I've blogged that I've forgotten HOW to blog. Hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things and post consistently. No promises but I'll try my best!

I haven't been wearing makeup all that often this month and my skincare routine has been relatively simple.

Jolse Haul

My new favorite site is Jolse and I have no idea why I resisted ordering from there before. The biggest appeal about the company is that they offer free worldwide shipping. And they often run promotions with discounts on various brands and free EMS shipping if you spend a certain amount of money. In general, their prices are slightly higher than Tester Korea but the free shipping makes up for it in my mind. When you first sign up on the site, you will automatically get $3 in credit which you can use towards your first order. You will also get 3% store credit on every order. As of now, they sell 50 brands on the site along with a few other miscellaneous brands.

I made two orders with Jolse over a period of two weeks. I should have just combined everything together to get better perks but I was trying to restrain myself. Spending over $20 will get you a free charcoal nose strip, over $50 a sheet mask, over $70 a shower glove, over $100 a hair string and socks, and over $150 will get you a hand cream and free EMS shipping. They are also very generous with samples which I always appreciate. The first order arrived quickly, within 10 days, and the second order took a little longer because of the Lunar New Year, around 16 days.

Let's get into the haul!

Etude House Big Cover Concealer Cushion ($8.78): I am definitely going to review this concealer since I purchased 4 out of 6 of them. These are all the shades offered: Illuminate, Mint, Peach Pink, Vanilla, Beige, and Sand. I have Mint and Peach Pink and couldn't decide which shade would conceal blemishes so I went with Vanilla and Beige. I've noticed many Western brands have been releasing color correctors this season and these concealers fall into that category. By the way, I only own a few products from Etude House. I find their packaging extremely cute but the brand is a little too young for me in general. Their target age group seems to fall into the 20's and I'm less than a year away from 40. *gasp* Anyway, I went against my normal inclination and got sucked into their newly released products as you'll see below.

Etude House Big Cover Tip Concealer in Beige ($7.28): Up until four years ago, I never touched concealer. I had nearly perfect skin but now concealer is my best friend. I have serious PIH that I can never seem to completely cover. There are a few concealers I really like but I'm still in search of a holy grail concealer. This Etude House one claims to hide flaws, blemishes, dark circles with full natural looking coverage. The two shades offered are 21 Beige and 23 Sand.

Etude House Play 101 Stick Foundation ($11.18): Apparently this is a collaboration with Pony for contouring. You can use the various shades to contour your face depending on your skin tone. This is a long lasting foundation stick that glides onto the skin to create a smooth and flawless looking face with a soft and creamy texture. There is no scent or fragrance added to the product. The four shades available are: #1 Fair (No 13-17 purchased), #2 Banila (No 21 Bright Tone), #3 Beige (No 21 Natural Tone), and #4 Sand (No 23). I swatched Fair on my hand and it seems like a good color match so I'm hoping it will work for my face.

Etude House Berry Delicious Color in Liquid Lips Juicy ($7.98)
The Berry Delicious collection is Etude House's latest launch with a full range of products from cream blushers to a body scrub and wash to nail polishes with pops of reds and pinks. I had to restrain myself from going crazy with the line.
There are a total of 10 Color in Liquid Lips shades available:
RD 304 Berry Apple Grande (purchased)
RD 305 Berry Berry Much
OR 207 Berry Orange Drink
OR 208 Berry Mange Tango
PK 013 Berry Banan Homemade
GR 701 Berry Kiwi Tok Tok
PP 502 Berry Beat Dancing
PK 014 Berry Cherry To Go (purchased)
PK 015 Berry Tropical Dream
RD 306 Berry Plum Squeeze (purchased)
They have a light and shiny texture without any stickiness. Provides long lasting moisture to give the appearance of healthy lips. I might purchase a few more shades if I end up loving the formula of these. I will review the liquid lips very soon since I received the order awhile ago. I usually test a product out for three weeks or so before I write up a review and I'm almost there.

Etude House Berry Delicious Fantastic Color Eye ($11.58): This is a 6 color eyeshadow palette available in two colors: #7 Strawberry Mojito (purchased) and #8 Strawberry Fondue. I wanted to purchase both palettes but decided to go for the palette with shades I don't already own. I've never tried any Etude House shadows but I've heard they're on the sheerer side.

Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Tissue ($5.93 for 15 sheets): This contains apple extracts and removes makeup without being sticky. Contains a cleansing oil ingredient which removes skin impurities. I typically use cleansing tissues to remove swatches and remove makeup during the day before a workout. I've been using the Bioderma cleansing tissues which I don't really like. It has a funky smell and the tissues are a little rough. I chose the Innisfree one because the cleansing oil from the same line is pretty good. And I love the apple scent!

Skinfood V-Zone Patch Mask ($5.85 for 2): My obsession with V-line masks continues. This firms and lifts with pomegranate extract and collagen to promote a better complexion and restore elasticity to skin. I've been rather lazy with masking these days, once or twice a week as opposed to every other day. I really have to get back into it so I can start reviewing the newer masks in my stash.

Samples

2 Luke Total Skin Solution Charcoal Nose Cleansing Strips
2 Jolse Blotting Paper
Jolse Purple Hair Tie
2 Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream Blooming Fit SPF 30/PA++
Etude House Moistfull Collagen Essence
Etude House Moistfull Collagen Deep Cream
Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint
Tony Moly Tomatox Magic Massage Pack
Tony Moly Panda's Dream White Hand Cream
Tony Moly Goat Milk Premium Cream
Tony Moly Nutra Energy Foam Cleanser
Tony Moly Intense Care Dual Effect Sleeping Pack
2 Tony Moly My Sunny Body & Family Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA+++
Tony Moly Goat Milk Moisture Mask Sheet

Follow or like me on Twitter and Facebook for updates. It helps me out a lot!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jenn

Memebox Haul #6

Apparently being put on bed rest after a minor procedure equals online shopping. This haul is an accumulation of two orders. Believe it or not, sometimes I have to search the site long and hard to get the order total to $30. I miss the old days when you could make a Memebox order and get free shipping under $30 after using a code and applying a discount towards your order.

Tosowoong Dr. Troubex Sparkling Mask Review

Product Description: Provides intensive relief to irritated and troubled skin. The mask contains centella asiatica extract and aloe vera leaf extract which both work as perfect anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents to help the skin recover. It is also specially formulated to aid with redness and keep the skin’s hydration levels balanced.

FYI, 까지 means until so the mask is good until August 2016.

How to Use: After cleansing and toning, place the mask on your face. Remove the mask after 10-20 minutes and pat in the remaining essence.

Ingredients: Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Peg/Ppg-17/6 Copolymer, Bifida Ferment Filtrate, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate, Centella Asiatica Extract, Rh-Oligopeptide-1, Carbonated Water (100 ppm), Larix Sibirica Wood Extract, Chrysanthellum Indicum Extract, Rheum Palmatum Root/Stalk Extract, Asarum Sieboldi Root Extract, Quercus Mongolia Leaf Extract, Persicaria Hydropiper Extract, Illicium Verum (Anise) Fruit Extract, Corydalis Turtschaninovii Root Extract, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract, Machilus Thunbergii Bark Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethyl Sulfone, Allantoin, Betaine, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Arginine, Disodium EDTA, Adenosine, Salicylic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Perfume
According to CosDNA, there are no irritants in the mask and the only acne trigger is the Butylene Glycol.

Price: I purchased the Tosowoong mask from Memebox for $1.50 and the retail value is listed as $3. You can also find them at RoseRoseShop for 25,000 won in a set of 10 masks and Korea Depart for $29.95 also as a set of 10. I suggest ordering the mask from Memebox if you're interested since they have the best price and shipping is much faster.

My Skin Type: I have oily, acne prone skin which can be sensitive at times. In my battle with hormonal cystic acne I'm often left with red, angry looking post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation regardless of whether I pick at the pimple or not. I tend to look for sheet masks that calm, soothe, and brighten my skin.

My Thoughts: The mask has a light floral scent which doesn't linger around for long. It smells like a perfume I can't quite place. Drives me nuts when I can't properly describe a scent!

The fit is definitely on the wider side. I'm usually grumbling about sheet masks not covering the sides of my lower face. This one was a little too wide so I had to fold over part of the mask at the forehead and the sides.

The sheet is on the thicker side so it was very easy to unfold and place on the face. There's a good amount of essence on the mask but it's not overly drenched like I've seen with other masks. I was able to use the left over essence in the pouch two more times the next day.

The area around my eyes was a little itchy during the 20 minutes I wore the mask but it wasn't unbearable. I really liked how my skin was sufficiently hydrated after the mask. Most masks are too hydrating for me and I usually don't have to continue on with the rest of my skin care. This Tosowoong mask is great for anyone with oily/combination acne prone skin. I did notice that some of my chin acne appeared less red an hour or so later. AND, the next morning my chin acne looked like small dots that could easily be covered. They literally shrunk in size overnight. I will definitely pick up some more of the Dr. Troubex Sparkling Masks for future breakouts and I highly recommend it to anyone that is suffering from irritated skin or acne (even hormonal).

Follow or like me on Twitter and Facebook for updates. It helps me out a lot!

Thanks for stopping by,
Jenn

February 2016 Birchbox

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box ($10 plus tax) of personalized beauty, grooming, and lifestyle deluxe sized samples tailored to your profile. You can accumulate points with each box and redeem those points at the Birchbox shop. If you review all your products in each monthly box, you can accumulate 50 points which is equivalent to $5 and half the value of the box.