korean make-up mini reviews: eyes and lips

A while back, I did a few mini reviews about some Korean face and cheek products and today, here are a few more mini reviews about some eye and lip products.

VDL x Pantone Eye Book 6.4 - No. 5

My sister returned from Korea with this palette and isn't it beautiful on the outside and the inside? The mirror is huge and the hinge is sturdy enough for it to stay open, regardless of the angle. The shadows are buildable and that's what I personally prefer. It's not the most portable of palettes though!

Heimish Dailism Eyeshadow Palette in Lovesome Brink

Another palette with buildable shadows and this one is ideal for travelling. It is lightweight, small and has a decent sized mirror. The colours are also nice and neutral; so ideal for everyday wear and also for going out too.

Tony Moly Panda's Dream Mascara

This is my Holy Grail mascara. Cheap, smudge-proof and comes off easily without any scrubbing - what's not to love? If I use curlers before applying two coats of this mascara, I get a decent curl that opens up my eyes and a full day of wear with no smudging. Perfect.

As an aside, my sister bought me this as a surprise gift (it wasn't a request from me unlike some of the other items she returned with) and it was a pleasant surprise to the both of us when we realised how well it performed. I've since re-ordered it because it really is that good!

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers

My sister returned with a pair of these from Korea again - she snagged both in Duty Free while at the airport. They come with a replacement pad each too so are pretty good value for money when bought over there. They do a pretty good job - they fit my eye shape well and I have no complaints.

Etude House Drawing Eye Brow 

Have to confess - I'm still yet to use this as I've been using Anastasia Beverley Hills' Dip Brow Promade. I'll crack it out soon though as I want to test it out before my holiday - with the test determining if it comes with me on my jaunt or if my trusty Dip Brow does. It has good reviews all over the internet though!

Holika Holika Pro Beauty Foxy Eyeliners

Usually, I stick to dark brown or black eyeliner (on the days where I can be bothered!) but I wanted to branch out a bit so I ordered a purple one from Holika Holika. The other one is in dark brown as my Estee Lauder one needed replacing. They seem to stay put during the day and have a decent amount of pigmentation. Not too bad considering how cheap they are.

RiRe Luxe Gel Eyeliner

Again, a cheap eyeliner which seems to do its job. Good if you want to try out alternative colours to the normal black or dark brown!

Tony Moly Easy Touch Gel Eyeliner

These gel eyeliners were pretty disappointing. They had poor staying power (I got four hours out of one before it disappeared completely). The formula is decent and goes on easily with the use of a slanted brush but it just didn't give me a day's wear.

Mamonde Creamy Tint Color Balm Intense Crayons

These crayons come in too many shades for me to count. I opted for three of them but my favourite is number 16 - Velvet Red. They have good staying power and add a bit of colour to your lips at the same time.

Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Lost Identity Lip Crayon

I love these! Creamy, good staying power and don't dry my lips out. The sketchy design on the tube is also pretty cute!

Tony Moly Bunny Lip Gloss Bar

A gift from my sister (she was such a gem) from her (you guessed it) Seoul trip. This lip gloss is good if your lips are moisturised and exfoliated. If they are even a little bit chapped, this gloss won't look good!


So there you have it - a brief run through of all my Korean make-up products in my collection. It's unlikely anything will be added to it as I'm on a mission to finish everything before buying more (so far so good). My usual goal is as natural looking a face as possible so this is more than enough to help me achieve that.

Do you have any recommendations? :)

tony moly i'm real sheet masks part II

Welcome to the second half of my Tony Moly I'm Real sheet mask reviews blog post :) You can see part I here. In this half, these are the masks that are reviewed:

- Nutrition: I'm Real Avocado Mask Sheet

- Elasticity: I'm Real Pomegranate Mask Sheet

- Radiance: I'm Real Tomato Mask Sheet

- Skin Soothing: I'm Real Tea Tree Mask Sheet

- Moisturising: I'm Real Aloe Mask Sheet

Followed by a brief overview of all of the masks. Enjoy!

Nutrition: I'm Real Avocado Mask Sheet - 10/10

This mask was left on for an hour and it was pretty much completely dry by this time. It smells super fresh and the result it left was pretty good too! My skin looked a lot brighter, there was a decrease in redness and it felt moisturising without being oily. Any scars after blemishes appeared faded too!

The claim that it makes dull skin look radiant and glowing is definitely true in this case. This was my favourite mask of the lot and one I wouldn't hesitate to re-purchase once I've finished my stash of sheet masks. I can see myself using this mask before an important event or a night out where I want to look my best.

Elasticity: I'm Real Pomegranate Mask Sheet - 7/10

In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure how one single sheet mask is meant to help with elasticity...! Either way, the things this mask did do were brighten up my complexion (my skin was glowing for the next 24-48 hours), dampen down redness and add some much needed moisture due to the weird winter weather at the time. Though not touted as a brightening mask, it was the one that made my skin glow the most!

Radiance: I'm Real Tomato Mask Sheet - 7/10

In the past, the word 'radiant' would not have been one used to describe my skin but lately, it has looked a lot more glow-y than ever before. On a duller day, I decided to try this sheet mask and it's 'radiant' effects were a little... Underwhelming. The smell was pleasant and the mask didn't irritate my skin, leaving it dewy and soft. It definitely felt moisturising but at the expense of it leaving behind a sticky residue, more so than the other masks in this range.

Skin Soothing: I'm Real Tea Tree Mask Sheet - 9/10

Just before one of my exams, I had a particularly bad breakout because I went through a week of eating poorly, sleeping badly and just neglecting my skincare routine. To try and rescue my skin, I whacked this mask on and it actually worked pretty well!

It had a slight tea tree fragrance and there was no stinging during the forty minutes I left this on for. There was a decrease in redness, my skin felt a lot softer and my existing blemishes all looked much less obvious. It was also one of the least sticky masks in the range. Comparing this one to one of my other favourites (the rice mask sheet from part I), it wasn't as good, hence the score being just shy of a perfect 10.

Moisturising: I'm Real Aloe Mask Sheet - 5/10

This one was used during the month of January when the weather was all over the place (super cold one week and then much milder the next) and it definitely lived up to its moisturising name without leaving a film of grease. However, with aloe mentioned as the main theme to it, I was hoping it would help with a breakout I had at the time. This, it did not. It didn't even decrease any of the redness from blemishes! Not impressed with this one at all.

Overall

Some things these masks all have in common are that they all fit poorly on my face. I think I have a larger than average sized face and even that, there is a little bit of misalignment where my mouth is. The sheet doesn't quite cover the sides of my cheeks though it does a bit too much of my jawline (to the point where I can fold it down and have it on the top part of my neck!). Maybe I just have a wider face than the target market!

The smell of all of these masks are pleasant enough and the only ones where I felt had a smell that matched their description were the Tea Tree one and the lemon one. The effects of the masks never seem to last longer than a day or two but that's true of most sheet masks so this isn't a negative specific to these masks; just something to be aware of! It also means that sheet masks are perfect as part of a pre-event pamper.

What I found was that most of these masks decreased redness but my reasoning for this is the cooling effect of the liquid on my skin. I don't think it is something unique to these masks so just something to bear in mind.

Although the instructions say to keep them on for 20-40 minutes, I usually kept them on for longer. Some people say this shouldn't be done as when the mask dries, it ends up taking moisture from your skin but I've yet to have that issue. However, this might not be the case with all skin types and skincare is so awfully objective that if you have any worries about sensitivity or leaching of moisture, it might be worth following the instructions for the first few times at least.

Finally, I think the illustrations on the packaging of these masks are just adorable and I love the fruit and vegetable theme to most of them. These masks weren't that expensive - for the set of eleven, I think I paid around £12 on Amazon.co.uk (including postage and packing) so they are pretty affordable if you are new to the concept of sheet masking!

a multistep skincare routine and travelling: paring it down

My skincare routine in the evening is somewhat ridiculous - twenty minute wait times, nine steps and nine different products, it makes traveling quite difficult. Though it can take a fair bit of time to complete each night, the wait time is when I get some reading in and it also serves as a nightly pamper. Maybe I'll do a full post of my morning and evening routines at some point - my morning routine is currently only five steps long (which sounds equally bad but the layers are so light, it's actually really quick!).

Over the last few months, I've been experimenting with leaving things out of my routine to see what difference they make in an effort to decide what will need to come with me when on holiday. This is when travel sized bottles and decanting comes in handy too. Decanting can also help keep the products fresh because you're not opening them over and over again and exposing them to the air. At the most, you'll lose the amount you decanted but not the whole bottle/tub. Each bottle is labelled with washi tape!

To evaluate what else should come with me, the things I deemed essential were: a cleanser, a cream with ceramides in, a serum targeting my main skin complaints and a toner for the morning. My morning toner is one that targets blackheads and unclogs pores which is why it makes this list. Other essentials are light layers which travel well without being too heavy and depending on space, these may or may not come with me.

Some products are repeated in the morning and evening and these are invaluable - they save space in your hand luggage and mean that there is space for other essentials.

In the end, this is the list I came up with:

Banila Co Clean It Zero cleansing balm
Murad cleanser
Panoxyl (as targeted spot treatment)
Dr Jart's Ceramidin cream
The Ordinary's 10% Niacinamide serum
Cosrx BHA Blackhead Liquid
Kikumasamune High Moist Toner
La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo
Biore UV Watery Essence

Though this list is still longer than I would like, I see most of them as essentials and the bare minimum my skin needs to behave. The evening routine has seven steps and the morning routine has five steps so it's pretty close to what would happen at home anyway (continuity is good for my skin!).

my skincare loves on a budget

We all know how expensive looking after our skin can get so if at any point, a bargain can be had, I'm in. Over the last 12 months or so, I've done more research into actual ingredients rather than brands and I've found some, very affordable, products which also work. As always, with skincare, what works for one person might not work for another. All of the following products are under £20 and last forever.

Rosette Ceramide gel, Mizon All in One Snail Repair Cream, Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid and The Ordinary's Niacinamide 10% with Zinc 1%

Rosette Ceramide gel
The key ingredient in this cream are the multiple ceramides. Ceramides are good for repairing moisture barriers damaged by over-exfoliation and is just as good for making skin a bit more springy. Ceramides are also common in many anti-ageing creams and we all know how much they cost!

For me, this gel is used as the last step morning and evening. In the morning, my skin is much softer and during the day, my skin is less oily too. The gel is extremely lightweight and you don't need much for your face and neck. My tub has been going since October 2016 and it is only about a third of the way down.

Mizon All in One Snail Repair Cream
Snail? On your face? Yes, that was my reaction too when I first heard about this product which is recommended time and time again by people who love Asian beauty products. Although predictable, this is a product that actually works! The snail cream has done wonders for making my pores look smaller, fading scars and just brightening up my complexion. I have no idea what the active ingredient in the snail extract actually is but for a cream that only cost me £13 (back in May 2016, including shipping), I'll take it! Not only this, one jar has lasted me ten months or so!

Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid
BHAs are acids and the most well-known BHA is probably salicylic acid - a common ingredient mentioned in anti-acne skincare products. I use one pump of this every other morning and leave it for twenty minutes before applying the rest of my routine.

Salicylic acid is an anti-inflammatory which unclogs pores. I started using this in October 2016 when I got fed up of seeing copious sebaceous filaments on my nose (not to be confused with blackheads - google both and you'll see the difference :) ) and since then, my pores have shrunk in appearance and my skin just looks brighter and smoother because there are less of these sebaceous filaments.

The Ordinary's Niacinamide 10% with Zinc 1% 
Finally, niacinamide. An ingredient I've deemed a 'holy grail' in my skincare routine. I first started using a product containing this in La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo [+] a few years' ago but at about £10 a tube, it didn't come cheap. About eight months' ago, I found out that one of Deciem were coming out with a new line called The Ordinary and when I saw that they were doing a Niacinamide product which costs only £5 (yes, really), I knew I had to try it. So I did. And I've not looked back. I use one drop for my whole face every night and all I can say is, I hope they never stop making this.

* * *

These are some of the products I've been using which are great value for money when you consider how amazing the results have been. No longer do I look for brand names - I now look for ingredients lists or featured extracts. Like I said earlier, however, though these products have worked wonders for me, this doesn't mean that they'll do the same for you (after all, we are all different!).

tony moly i'm real sheet masks, part I

Sheet masking is a huge trend in East Asia and my first foray into them were these Tony Moly I'm Real masks. They came in a set of 11 and were sold on Amazon and there seemed to be one for every skin need. In the first of this two part series, I'll be discussing the following masks:

- Skin Purifying: I'm Real Makgeoli Mask Sheet
- Skin Purifying: I'm Real Seaweeds Mask Sheet
- Vitality: I'm Real Broccoli Mask Sheet
- Clear Skin: I'm Real Rice Mask Sheet
- Brightening: I'm Real Lemon Mask Sheet
- Pore Care: I'm Real Red Wine Mask Sheet

Skin Purifying: I'm Real Makgeoli Mask Sheet - 7/10

I used this when going through a hormonal breakout and left it on for an hour (I know it says 20-30 minutes but I fell asleep!). It didn't worsen the breakout but left my skin very oily afterwards. On the bright side, it smelt delightful and my skin did look a little brighter after that. But the oiliness afterwards trumps all the good it did do, hence the average score.

Skin Purifying: I'm Real Seaweeds Mask Sheet - 9/10

I left this one on for 95 minutes, again during another hormonal breakout and it was actually amazing. I've come to realise that all Tony Moly I'm Real masks smell great but this one did much more than this: it didn't worsen the breakout, my skin was instantly brighter after and it left my skin nicely moisturised and not at all oily. It calmed my skin during this breakout and I could see myself buying this one again for use as an emergency sheet mask.

Vitality: I'm Real Broccoli Mask Sheet - 7/10

Pros? Well, my skin was brighter after, there was a visible decrease in redness (though I can't be sure if that was a cooling effect from the liquid within the mask itself), didn't worsen any spots I had and my skin felt hydrated after. I decided to leave this one on for as long as possible just to see how long it would take to completely dry and it took 90 minutes.

But the bad? Well, my skin felt extremely oily for the next 24 hours. I wouldn't recommend this one if you have combination/oily skin.

Clear Skin: I'm Real Rice Mask Sheet - 9/10

This one and the seaweed one are my favourites from this first part. There was a decrease in redness after use (but again, can't be sure if just a cooling effect of the liquid), my skin tone looked more even, my skin felt very moisturised and extremely soft! Also, no new blemishes after. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this one and this is another I'll most likely purchase again once I'm done with my current sheet mask supply.

Brightening: I'm Real Lemon Mask Sheet - 7/10

My skin did in fact look brighter after using this mask but I've found that to be a common effect of most sheet masks I decide to use on my face. The smell was nice and citrus in nature but the one negative? Well, it left behind a very sticky residue. And I just wasn't that impressed with this one!

Pore Care: I'm Real Red Wine Mask Sheet - 8/10

Having always said I've got huuuuuge pores (which have now decreased in appearance thanks to adequate moisture and a proper skincare routine), I thought this mask would work a little bit of magic. Shrink my pores it did not but it did make my skin feel really moisturised and my face did have a slight dewy glow. The smell had a slight sweetness but nothing red wine about it if I'm honest.

To conclude this first part, here is a brief summary:

- Tony Moly I'm Real sheet masks smell nice;
- They all seemed to brighten my skin;
- They all also seemed to be good at adding moisture to my skin - though some clearly better at this than others (based on how oily my skin was afterwards).

Part II will be coming in a few months (I'm extremely slow at writing this up - all of the reviews are briefly handwritten in a notebook!) so stay tuned if you're interested in these sheet masks :)

my skin journey and my current skincare routine

Since my late teens, I've suffered from skin problems. It was never full blown acne but there were always a few blemishes, my pores were very visible and my skin would be greasy enough to fry eggs on by midday. It affected my confidence a lot and last year, I finally managed to get things under control.

My Skin Complaints

It all started with assessing my skin problems. For most of my life, I thought my skin was oily and as a result, would use products that dried my skin out... Only for more oil to come through. It wasn't until last summer when I thought 'hang on a minute, could it just be dehydrated...?!' did I entertain the idea of a moisturiser for normal skin.

Now, my main complaints are:
- blemishes when stressed/hormonal
- hyperpigmentation after a spot disappears
- patchy redness (not sure of the cause at the moment! Don't think it's rosacea, just think my skin is more sensitive than originally thought).

The Beginning

At first, my routine consisted of water, a cleanser, benzoyl peroxide, a cream targeted at one of my complaints (blemishes in this case) and a sunscreen. I know benzoyl peroxide isn't the best thing to use on skin but it seems to work ok for me. At the moment, it is a targeted blemish treatment rather than an all-over one. With this three stage routine, my skin was oily and dull so I knew something had to change. This led to me writing down my first list of skin complaints that needed tackling.

Targeting The Complaints

For each of my complaints, I researched ingredients that would tackle them. For example, I started using acids to make my skin less dull and also help with the congestion I had at the time. Because of this, my skin's moisture barrier had to be protected so that's why ceramides were sought out and added to my routine.

My recommendation for those of you who are into researching, Reddit's Asian Beauty is a great place to start. The emphasis there is more on the ingredients list rather than the brand name or price. I've found some products which have worked amazingly for me at a lowish price point this way.

The things I ended up adding to my routine (and keeping) are acids or 'actives' as they are sometimes called, The Ordinary's Niacinamide and ceramides. Niacinamide features in two of the routine's products and ceramides are in two also.



The Sucker Punch

For me, the sucker punch was going back onto the combined contraceptive pill. A lot of the blemishes I get during the month are due to the fluctuations in hormone levels (I kept a blemish diary for a bit and figured this out!) and this has eliminated about 90% of the blemishes that used to surface. They don't help with stress breakouts or ones caused by eating poorly but the effect it has on the skin and the regulation of periods mean that the pill has been a game changer for both myself and my skin.


So this is a somewhat brief overview of my skin's journey and it still isn't perfect. However, I'm happy with the direction things are heading and my next goal is to whittle down my routine to only a few essential products. To do this, I'm eliminating steps to see if they make a difference.

Do you have a skin journey to share?

keeping a skincare diary

For the first few weeks of this year, I kept a daily skincare diary where  the products used in the morning and evening were logged. I even noted down the make up products used that day too. Now, I only note down things when there is a change to my routine or if there are more imperfections than expected (redness, blemishes, more visible pores, etc). Prior to this year, Evernote was the tool of choice but being a paper fiend, it was unlikely that the log would carry on electronically.

To do this, I have been using my Mossery planner and the vertical layout works quite well. As you can see, there is enough space for my routines and also a bit at the bottom for a note or two on the state of my skin. I'll talk more about my skincare journey in another blog post soon!

By keeping this log, I can see if anything is a potential cause for a breakout or for some unexpected redness. This is especially useful for when I introduce something new into my routine or do something a bit different. However, it can also be useful to note down deviations from my usual diet to see if that could be a cause for blemishes. In the past, I've found lactose is a trigger, as are foods high in saturated fat so I tend to avoid both now.

Another advantage of doing this is that I can see how long a product lasts for before I have to repurchase it. Sometimes, I leave an item out of my routine on purpose to see if it makes enough of a difference to warrant a repurchase.

Other times, I try a product which has the same primary ingredient but is cheaper to see if the effect is the same. An example of this is ceramides - an ingredient that helps restore the skin's natural moisture barrier - where I initially tried Dr Jart's Ceramidin cream, then Cosrx's Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream and finally Rosette's Ceramide Gel. I found that the Rosette Ceramide gel worked best during my night routine as a final step because it was a bit too thick and sticky for morning use.

However, doing this is a really time consuming process and I'm trying to decide if the time spent keeping this log gives me enough of a pay off to continue doing so. At the moment, I don't think it is so it's likely that a brief note or two is made when a new product is being tested or if my skin is being particularly difficult so that I can try and identify a trigger.

Do you do something similar? If so, how does it work for you?

skincare heroes for blemishes (+ reviews!)

For many years, I've struggled with my skin. I wouldn't say it was bad enough to be described as acne but my skin was never without at least a blemish or two. Let's not even talk about those horrific big, red lumps that would crop up from time to time - always when I had something important the next day!

Now, my skin is much improved and this is due, in part, to a better diet and skincare routine. It also helped that I eventually realised my skin wasn't actually as naturally oily as I had thought it was - it was just very dehydrated! Now it is normal/combination and my complexion is so much better as a result.

Anyway, today, I want to just talk through a few of products targeted at blemishes as exam season is fast approaching and we all know that exam stress and comfort eating is the perfect recipe for a break out.

From L to R: Freederm Fast Track, Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion, La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I., Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, Murad Blemish Spot Treatment, Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel.

Freederm Fast Track
This was one of the first products I tried for spot treatment - mainly because of how easy it is to get hold of it and also how often it was on offer in Boots or Superdrug. Although it promises it the world, I found that it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. It has a translucent gel-like texture and the idea is to put a tiny amount on the head of the spot in order to reduce its size and redness. I found that a cool wet cloth would decrease redness better than this gel.
Rating: 1/5

Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion
The Buffering Lotion is aimed at those under the skin, red, cystic bumps and having tried it on both cystic spots and whiteheads, I have found that this product is one of the better ones. It is one of the pricer products I've tried but it actually does work! It works better on spots with a head in my experience. Within a few hours of application, the spot has decreased in size and redness.

Remember to shake before use and then apply a small drop to the spot in question. It dries clear (though if you apply too much, it can leave behind a slight white powdery cast) so it can be used under make up. It can sting a little (probably due to the alcohol in it!) so just be aware of that. My skin isn't that sensitive so I can get away with it. I got mine from Beauty Bay as I'm not aware of any other UK stockists! They often have discount codes floating about so it's worth waiting for one before ordering this if you want to give it a try.

This one is permanently in my handbag as I can apply it a few times during the day in an effort to bring the blemish down as quickly as possible.

Rating: 4/5

La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I. 
I've had huge success with La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo [+] so I was eager for Effaclar A.I. to do the same for any blemishes that crop up. It is a white cream which dries clear so again, would be okay to use under make up, but it takes a bit longer to work than Mario Badescu's Buffering Lotion. However, it is a lot gentler and doesn't cause any stinging on application. I probably won't repurchase this once this tube is done because I've found a more effective product to go under my make-up.

Rating: 3/5

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion
Another Mario Badescu offering! I was skeptical about this when I first heard about it in 2012 but I'm glad I gave it a go back then. This is my 'holy grail' spot treatment and one that I would recommend for those difficult to deal with cystic spots. In contrast with the Buffering Lotion, this is one bottle you do not shake before use. Instead, dip a cotton bud in all the way to the pink stuff at the bottom and then apply to each blemish as needed. It dries with a pink cast and is best left overnight. I usually put it on a spot before I go to bed and when I wake up, I wash off the pink cast to see that the blemish has either gone down significantly or has pretty much almost disappeared without a trace.

Again, this could sting a little so make sure to only apply on the blemish and not on healthy skin. As before, I bought this from Beauty Bay.

Rating: 5/5

Murad Blemish Spot Treatment
Another dud product I've tried. It didn't do anything and I only resort to it when absolutely desperate (and even then, it does nothing!). Doesn't dry completely clear but could potentially still be used under make up. It is a yellow gel which is easy to apply and doesn't have a strong fragrance. The one (and probably only) benefit is that it doesn't sting.

Rating: 1/5

Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel
This product is basically just an alcohol gel in a plastic bottle! It stings like mad when you apply it onto a blemish (and can even make your eyes water if you apply it to a spot that is close to your eyes). I guess the main goal of it is to dry out the blemish but there are better products out there that do this and more.

Rating: 1/5


Other products I've tried but not mentioned:
Cosrx Acne Pimple Patches - actual life savers for those spots you've popped. Apply over a popped spot and the hydrocolloid plaster sucks out all the gunk whilst helping the skin to heal quicker.
Benzoyl peroxide - can be good as a spot treatment as it dries out the blemish whilst killing bacteria. Can be drying on the skin and increases skin sensitivity to UV light so a sunscreen is a must when using this!