Jessica's Japanese Beauty Haul! [Swatches]

My mom's friend has a daughter who lives in Japan, and she recently came to visit her father the States. Knowing how much I love everything Japanese and makeup-related, he asked me if I wanted her to bring anything over. I graciously requested Cure Natural Aqua Gel and K-Palette's 1 Day Tattoo Eyeliner after hearing great things about both of them. Turns out she got me a little more than that! Daww, how sweet! ^^

Skincare
Going in somewhat of an order from the picture, the first of the two skin care items I received was this Curel Foaming Wash for Sensitive Skin with Intensive Moisture Care (most of these products are completely in Japanese-- just trying to pull some English words from here lol). It comes out of the pump as a light foam and has no scent.

Next is my beloved Cure Natural Aqua Gel. It's apparently Japan's best selling exfoliant and it's safe and suitable for all skin types. What makes this exfoliant unique is that it has the consistency of a gel at first with no scrubby bits or anything. As you massage it on your face, a fine layer of dead skin cells on the surface of your face are sloughed off and "ball up". I used this last night, and my skin feels sooo smooth right now..

Left to right: Cure Natural Aqua Gel, Curél Foaming Wash

To BB creams/foundation!

Packaged in the plastic box with pretty black detailing is the AC AngelColor Perfect Keep Makeup Base. After some googling, I learned that this is a popular Japanese "base makeup", which is more like foundation than BB cream. It comes out of the tube with an opaque, yellow-gold tint.

Moving onward is the Kanebo Freshel White C Mineral BB Cream. I got a small sample tube, and according to the label it is "something OK!" and "No.1 something of 2010" (again, it's all in Japanese, but I'm assuming it's all good). It comes out of the tube with a more neutral tone than the AngelColor base makeup.

Nanoce BB Moist Cream is the last face product I got. It comes in a lovely pink tube with taupe-y accents. When swatched, it looks the least-yellow with a smidgen of a pink undertone.

Left to right: AC AngelColor Perfect Keep Makeup Base, Kanebo Freshel White C Mineral BB Cream, Nanocé BB Moist Cream

Makeup

Finally is K-Palette's 1 Day Tattoo Eyeliner. I've been eyeing this liquid eyeliner for a long time and here it is now! It's Japan's best selling eyeliner and has the ability to draw thick and the thinnest lines thanks to its pointy brush tip. However, the pigmentation isn't that great at first stroke. You might have to go over the line many times to get the intensity you want.

K-Palette's 1 Day Tattoo Eyeliner

So that's basically everything I got. Reviews on many of these products coming soon!

Love,

Jessica

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Philosophy Purity Made Simple Review

Two weeks ago, I got this cleanser from Sephora as a free 100-point reward with the purchase of any skincare item. I've heard many great things about this cleanser, but I've never gotten the chance to buy it because the price can be pretty steep ($20 for 8 oz, $32 for 16 oz) compared to my usual drugstore purchases. However, you only need a nickel-sized amount each time, so one expensive bottle can probably last you a long time.

Product Description
"Philosophy Purity Made Simple is a ph-balanced formula that rapidly dissolves dirt and makeup while deep cleaning pores. The best-selling cleanser contains infusions of sage, chamomile, and carrot."


Other Information

• "One-step", meaning it's supposed to replace makeup remover, eye makeup remover, facial cleanser, and toner
• Safe for the eyes
• Designed to soothe even the driest and most sensitive skin, but can be used for all skin types (including acne-prone)
• Can be used everyday,  day and night

Packaging
Comes in a round, fat plastic bottle with a black push-top cap. Although my 12 oz bottle is short, it holds a lot of product because the bottle is so wide.


Experience

The bottle with a stack of nickels

The cleanser has a soft, milky texture that smells strongly like rosemary, sage, and other fancy herbs (every time I use this in the shower at night, the smell reminds me of the soap you'd get in a five-star hotel or cruise ship spa, which is a very very good). I wet my face, take a small amount in my hard, and spread it onto my face for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It doesn't have much of a lather (bubbles), which I don't mind. Because this cleanser claims it can take off stubborn eye makeup, I massage it on my eyes as well, and experience zero irritation.

I can feel it clean deep down and gently wash away dirt and grime when I use it. Although it doesn't contain any acne-fighting ingredients, existing breakouts looks smaller and less red (but doesn't eliminate them) and I haven't had any severe acne breakouts since using this (although I still get small bumps here and there). The cleanser doesn't leave any soapy residue on the face, and your face feels moisturized and smooth, not tight. I don't see much of a reduction in pore size, oil-control, or skin texture improvement though.

As far as its makeup-eliminating abilities go, it is effective to an extent. It takes off the day's BB cream and eyeshadow gently and very well (although I only wear small amounts of eyeshadow on a daily basis. If you like to sport darker or more dramatic eyes regularly, you may have to wash your eyelids two or three times because this cleaner may not get all of it the first time around). Its mascara-removing abilities are average-- although it takes off most of my usual Covergirl Waterproof LashBlast Mascara, I still have a faint gray ring under my eyes after I'm done showering (but nothing that can't be removed with another makeup remover).

Does this cleanser live up to the price and hype? Indeed it does, not by too much. It is an excellent cleanser for a soothing experience, effective cleansing, acne control, and light-to-moderate makeup removal, but I feel like a few drugstore cleansers can do the same. If you have the money to spare, definitely try this cleanser out! If you're strapped for cash, just keep looking for the right drugstore cleaner for you because I'm sure there's one out there.


Final Thoughts

• Can be expensive, depending on your budget
• Very smooth and creamy texture
• Strong smell of herbs
• Cleans skin well
• Diminishes existing acne and prevents severe acne from forming
• Skin feels nice and soft after use
• Safe for the eyes, but may not remove all of your eye makeup if you wear a lot of it
• A very good cleanser overall, but drugstore cleansers can definitely compare

Recommend it? Yes!

Rating: 9.1/10

Love,
Jessica

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My Beauty Diary Mask (Arbutin Whitening and Black Pearl) Review

Mel and I recently went on a trip to New York to visit Chinatown before attending SMTown Live at Madison Square Garden (AMAZING concert, btw). In Chinatown, we went to Kam Man, which is an Asian supermarket with a little Sanrio/accessory/Asian cosmetic boutique on the second floor. The both of us purchased a My Beauty Diary Mask for the first time; I got the Arbutin Whitening Mask and Mel got the Black Pearl. 

Product Description

Arbutin Whitening Mask - "Arbutin is combined with cherry blossom extract for a one-of-a-kind skinwhitening that gives skin an ethereal and radiant glow. Fruit extracts then act to metabolize skin's natural renewal process, refining and evening out skin tone with continued use."

Black Pearl Mask - "A best seller, Black Pearl Mask softens and whitens skin while bringing back its original resilience and glow. The natural active ingredients of white pearls brighten and soften skin. The citrus trio of pineapple, lime and cucumber gently shed off dull and dead skin cells to reveal a newer and more vibrant complexion. Black Pearl Mask is recommended for normal skin types to improve skin elasticity."

Other Information

• The masks are in sheet-form; each is made of thin cotton fibers thoroughly soaked in serum
• My Beauty Diary offers many different types of masks for different skin benefits
• Taiwanese brand, made in Tawian

Packaging

All My Beauty Diary Masks come in a colored paper box specific to the type of mask. Each box contains ten sturdy foil pouches. Each pouch contains one sheet mask, meant for one-time use.

Experience

My Beauty Diary is an Asian skin care brand that is especially known for its sheet masks. The masks come individually packaged. Once you open the pouch, the cotton fiber mask (in the shape of a large circle with holes for the eyes and nose) will come neatly folded with a plastic blacking; the plastic helps you unfold the serum-drenched sheet. You then are supposed to fit the mask over your face: I had an easy time adjusting the mask to the contours of my face, but Mel thought the mask was too big so she had to fold the corners over. After leaving on for 20-30 minutes (I left in on for 40 with no problems), you take the mask off WITHOUT RINSING. The last step is to massage the remaining serum into your face until fully absorbed. It may take a few minutes, but during the entire process your skin will feel extremely refreshed and soft. You can follow with your usual skin care routine (eye cream, moisturizer, etc.) but I found that it wasn't necessary. These masks are meant to be used 2-3 times per week, which is sufficient for the quality of this product.

Both of us had an excellent experience with each of our masks. For Mel, she thought her Black Pearl mask was soothing and refreshing (keeps you awake during homework). After you put it on, she feels like your pores get clean and your complexion is instantly brightened. The only thing she didn't like about the mask was the once size, which was too big for her small face. My experience with the Arbutin Mask was much the same; the mask feels fresh and cool, with a pleasant scent, upon putting it on the face. After taking it off and in the process of massaging the serum in, I could tell that some of my acne scars were clearly lighter (but nothing too dramatic. With a few more applications I predict that some spots will be completely gone.). My face was incredibly soft and moisturized afterward, but the serum can leave a slightly tacky feel on the skin.

[Hint: After you use the mask, there will be so much remaining serum on the plastic and in the pouch that it feels wasteful throwing it all away. You can massage the remaining on other parts of the body, or, to save some product for later, carefully fold the plastic back into the pouch and store the pouch upright back in the box so the serum doesn't drip or dry out. For the days in between when you don't use the mask, take the plastic out and rub it directly on a cleansed face, or squeeze the rest of the serum directly from the pouch.]

Final Thoughts

• Many different varieties for all skin types and needs
• Good value (We each paid $11 for a package of 10 masks)
• Smells pleasant
• Visible difference after only one use (face brightened, sunspots and acne scars lightened), but nothing drastic
• Didn't break us out
• Save the pouch in between uses to get the most out of it
• Asian brand; can be hard to find

Recommend it? One million times yes.

Rating: Jess gives it a 9.4/10, Mel gives it a 9.0/10

Love,

Jessica and Melody

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Melody's October Mini-haul! [Swatches]

Hey guys! Can you believe it's already November?! I know this is a few days late but here are the products I bought in the month of October.

• NYX blush in #06 Peach
• Wet n Wild Color Icon blusher in Pearlescent Pink
• L'Oreal HiP metallic eye shadow duo in Electrified (#510)
• L'Oreal extra intense liquid pencil eyeliner in Carbon Black
• L'Oreal Limited Edition Cockatoo's Mystery
• Revlon super lustrous lipstick #668 Primrose
• Escada Taj Sunset Eau de Toilette
• Ecotools blush brush

Quick Overview of the Products

The NYX Blush I bought was quite a disappointment. I've never had a problem with NYX's pigmentation; in fact, their products' pigmentation are excellent for their price. However, when I applied the blush, the color was barely noticeable on my cheeks. It took a few buffs until the color showed. I love the color, but it was just too sheer for my taste.

Unlike the NYX blush, the Wet n Wild Blusher was definitely not disappointing! This product is extremely pigmented and the color is beautiful. Be careful not to apply an overwhelming amount though! I advise you to dab the your brush into the blush rather than swirl the brush because it will grab a tremendous amount of product.

I also picked up L'Oreal Hip Metallic Eye Shadow in Electrified on my trip to Harmon's. The pigmentation is   amazing! I absolutely adore the colors; they are very wearable even as an everyday look (maybe not to school though). The shadows have a slight cream consistency and are very bendable. I originally thought the purple would be more purple, but it's actually leaning on the purple-brown side. However, I don't really mind because I think the duo looks great together either way.

Another L'Oreal product I bought was the Intense Liquid Pencil in Carbon Black. Originally, I had hope to find Milani Liquif'eye at Walgreen, but the store I went to didn't carry Milani. In desperate need of a liquid pencil eyeliner, I bought the L'Oreal one only to find out it wasn't water proof (I should have payed more attention to the labels). The eyeliner comes with a smudger which can come in handy in making the look softer. As the name suggests, the color is very black. When applying the eyeliner, I would wait a few seconds to let it dry so it doesn't smudge. However, because it is not waterproof, rubbing your eyes can easily mess up the look! So watch out for that.

Grey nail polish seems to be a trend this fall, so I bought L'Oreal's Cockatoo's Mystery on a whim. I love this color! The color is a medium grey and a hint of purple can be seen depending on the lighting. Two coats was enough for me to get an even look my nails. I would really recommend this nail polish!

The Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Primrose was an okay product. I found that it doesn't apply evenly on my lips, which was a disappointment because the color is very pretty. Although it claims to be moisturizing, I actually found it to dry out my lips rather quickly. However, the pigmentation and the lasting power is excellent.

I have always been a fan of Escada perfume. Therefore, I had to get the Taj Sunset before they took it off the market. I only found out recently that they change their perfume every summer (No wonder I can't find Rockin' Rio anywhere!) This perfume has a very summer citrus scent. The citrus scent is not overwhelming like oranges or lemons; it's really sweet. I can also smell mangoes, which are one of my favorite fruits! It is now my new favorite perfume and I absolutely adore it!

Without flash - From left to right: Revlon lipstick in Primrose, Wet n Wild blush in Pearlescent Pink, NYX blush in Peach, L'Oreal HiP eye shadow duo in Electrified

With flash

That is it for my October mini-haul! I will be doing a more indepth review for few of the products, so stay tuned!

Love,

Melody

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