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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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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Skin79 Super Plus Triple Functions BB Cream (Hot Pink Label) Review [Swatches]

Mel bought this BB cream from Hong Kong over the summer and we’ve both been using it everyday for the past three months.

Product Description

“Moisture based triple function BB cream takes care of the base as well as colour makeup and allows the skin to look bright and natural without greasiness or feeling tight”

Other Information

• Contains ingredients to protect, brighten, and whiten (fades acne scars and discoloration over time)
• Contains anti-aging ingredients
• Controls oil
• SPF 25 pa++

Packaging
This BB cream comes in an adorable hot pink cylinder container with a hygienic vacuum pump. The mirrored, silver top has a button you press to dispense the product with ease and control. Contains 40g of product.

Experience

Not sure what BB cream is? Read our article here.

Overall, we both like our experience with the Skin79 Hot Pink BB Cream. Considering that Mel has combination skin with dry patches and Jess has oily and acne-prone skin, this BB cream has proven to be quite versatile and suitable for most skin types. This BB cream did not break any of us out, but it can accentuate dry patches on Mel’s skin.

Like most BB creams, this one only comes in one shade. It has a slight grey cast but will oxidize to suit most pale skin tones. The consistency out of the pump is thick compared to most mid-coverage foundations, but applies thin once smoothed out with fingers (our preferred method), sponge, or a brush.

Swatches on the back of Mel's hand

BB creams are generally very pigmented; a little goes a long way. The coverage is definitely buildable. It provides medium coverage, if rubbed on, to full and concealer-like coverage, when patted on with fingers. It covers sunspots very well (in fact, even whitened them) and covers pimples and acne scars moderately well. In addition, it doesn’t accentuate pores or wrinkles.

This BB cream gives a satin finish that should be set with powder if you need to control oil or prefer a more matte finish. Because it contains SPF 25 pa++, your face will appear paler than the rest of your body in flash photography (set your face with a tinted powder containing no SPF to fix this problem).

Though the product claims to minimize sebum production, the oil control is medium. It doesn’t contribute to oiliness, but the natural oils produced by your skin throughout the day will not be completely absorbed. Those with dry to normal skin should not have any problems, but girls with oily skin or those who plan to wear this all day should set the BB cream with powder and keep blotting sheets handy.

The scent is mild and pleasantly floral. It fades after application and should not be offensive to those who are sensitive to strong smells.

Because this BB cream is an imported product, it can be hard to find and expensive if you order it out of Asia. Mel bought this BB cream for 55% off at Sasa for 89 HKD, or 11.44 USD.

Final Thoughts

• Does most of what it claims (lightens spots, protects and anti-ages with SPF, but can’t say anything about anti-wrinkle yet)
• Good experience with different skin types
• Only comes in one shade, so not be suitable for all skin tones
• Thick consistency, applies thin
• Buildable, medium to full coverage
• Medium oil control
• Container is a bit smaller than expected, but still holds a lot of product
• Imported, may be expensive and/or hard to find

Recommend it? Definitely.

Rating: Jess gives it a 9.5/10, Mel gives it an 8.7/10

Love,
Jessica and Melody

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