Month: July 2014

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Nose Doubt: Review of “Nose Up” Bridge-Straightening Clip

01 Nose Up Review
Please don’t blackmail me with this photo.

From the WTF Files comes the Nose Up, a clip that squeezes the sides of your nose together with the purpose of lifting and slimming your nose bridge after regular use. I debated whether to review this seriously, especially when I haven’t used this product seriously.

There are several variations of this contraption (Nose Magic, etc.), mainly aimed at the Asian market. Just search “magic nose bridge lift” in Google Images.

02 Nose Up Review
Mine is plastic and has firm silicone/rubber nubs for comfort (relatively speaking).

Continue reading “Nose Doubt: Review of “Nose Up” Bridge-Straightening Clip”

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My Laneige Serum Intense Lipsticks from Another Star: Review of YR25 Neon Orange & LR07 Love Me Pink

I first grew curious about the Laneige Serum Intense Lipsticks because Cheon Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun) applies shade YR25 Neon Orange in one episode of “My Love From Another Star.”  In that episode, she’s shown sitting at her vanity with the whole range of Laneige Serum Intense Lipsticks organized before her, and she selects this shade to wear before meeting up with Do Min Joon.

So naturally, I bought the exact same lipstick.  While I was at it, I picked up LR07 Love Me Pink.  01 Laneige Serum Intense Lipstick YR25 LR07 ReviewThe lipsticks have a creamy texture that melts onto your lips.  The finish is moist and shiny.  Coverage is medium and buildable to full.  Due to the creamy texture, lasting power is just so-so. Continue reading “My Laneige Serum Intense Lipsticks from Another Star: Review of YR25 Neon Orange & LR07 Love Me Pink”

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Sake to Me! Kiku-Masamune Sake Skin Care Lotion

Sake is useful for making you beautiful…and not just by giving your date sake-goggles ladies, muahhahahah. If you’re unfamiliar, the legend of the famous SK-II brand has it that a scientist in 1970s-era Japan noticed the very soft and youthful hands of women working in a Japanese saké brewery. So now the sake beauty products proliferate.

Also there’s some research saying that the kojic acid in sake decreases your skin’s ability to form the melanin found in spots and freckles. This same type of acid helps your skin retain moisture. Sake yeast is also supposed to stimulate cell-regeneration. Lots of promising “scientific” claims!

Today I binged at Atlantic Square in Alhambra again and blew a bit of dough on experimental products, one of which is a face milky toner lotion by Kiku-Masamune. It’s NOT a beauty brand; it’s a sake brewery!

This milky toner is made from amino acids that are the product of the Japanese sake from this brewery. The 17 fl oz (500ml) bottle cost me $15 so it’s a LOT of product for the price. Great to use it as a cheap toning face mask. I bought those cotton sheet masks that you can use to create your own.
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Continue reading “Sake to Me! Kiku-Masamune Sake Skin Care Lotion”

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Lash Out! – déjàvu Fiberwig Extra Long Mascara

I almost never wear mascara. I used to…until several incidents where I over-crimped the lashes on one eye and all of them broke off and stuck onto the curler. It looked like my sleeping eye was on the curler!

But enough about that fiasco. Occasionally I will try a new mascara because I am inspired by an ad or because I need a new product to be excited about. Most of the time the overpriced tube of mascara (Estée Lauder lash lift mascara-discontinued, Dior Show waterproof, Max Factor, etc) gets tossed into my 2×4 foot makeup bin.

This is the next one: déjàvu Fiberwig Extra Long mascara. I got a combo set which came with a tiny tube for the bottom lashes. Squee! Cute!
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Continue reading “Lash Out! – déjàvu Fiberwig Extra Long Mascara”

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Face Off: Laneige Multi Cleanser Review

Laneige Multi Cleanser ($22 for 6 fl. oz.) makes many claims for a facial cleanser, but unfortunately it doesn’t live up to several of them.

01 Laneige Multi Cleanser Review
“For all skin”? ::eyebrow raise::

First, it’s supposed to be for all skin types. Although it lathers up beautifully into a gentle-feeling cushiony cloud of dense foam (far denser than any typical cleanser; it’s similar to a Shiseido cleanser I tried many years ago), skin is left feeling clean. Too clean. After other cleansers, my fingers can still glide over my skin, but after Multi Cleanser, my fingers drag and skip over my skin. So it’s too harsh for dry skin. (Yet it’s strangely satisfying in the summer to feel all the oil stripped from your face.)  Update: I tested the pH level to be 8, which explains the squeaky clean feeling.  Also, the dense foam takes several extra splashes to rinse it from your hairline or (ew) nostrils.

Next, it makes four claims: Continue reading “Face Off: Laneige Multi Cleanser Review”

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Lash Sale: Latisse/Bimatoprost/Careprost Review + Before & After Pics

CAUTION: Latisse/bimatoprost/Careprost are prescription drugs.  Consult your doctor regarding use.  This post describes my personal experience and is not intended to provide medical advice or recommendations.

The prescription lash-growing drug Latisse by Allergan is notoriously expensive.  The good news is that there is a cheaper version available.  Latisse works because of the active ingredient bimatoprost.  This same ingredient is found in the same concentration (0.03% bimatoprost) in Careprost, a generic version available outside of the U.S.

01 Careprost PackagingI use it by squeezing a drop into the lid, dipping a (clean dry) eyeliner brush into the lid, and then applying the product on the upper lashline.  One drop is more than enough for both lashlines.

I apply it to a lashline that’s clean and free of any skincare products so that the product can absorb and also to avoid contaminating the brush and product.  I go from the inner corner to just short of the outer corner because, in past experience, I think some dripped down the outer corner and caused some skin darkening.  Gosh, that sounds bad, but it’s really not.  I feel comfortable walking out without concealer and it’s easily covered up by a light concealer and looks like regular undereye darkening. Continue reading “Lash Sale: Latisse/Bimatoprost/Careprost Review + Before & After Pics”

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Top Korean Beauty YouTube Channels

In no particular order, below are my personal favorites that I’ve come across for keeping up with Korean beauty products and trends (good reviews and swatches, frequent posting, well produced). My method for discovering Korean beauty gurus on YouTube is quite haphazard, so I welcome your comments on your faves.

I did briefly consider posting everyone’s “My Love from Another Star”/Cheon Song Yi tutorials, but instead I picked some of my favorite videos spanning different looks and topics.

Updated March 2015

1. Meejmuse (English)

Jen used to live in Australia and teach children but is now a K-style reporter for Arirang TV in Korea. Blogger turned TV personality? An inspiration to us all.

Her TV segments (also in English) are assembled in a playlist under her username. For example, care to learn about men’s makeup?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdytMEOnJhU

2. So Young’s Beauty Room (Korean w/ English subtitles)

So Young’s videos showcase a lot of the latest trends in makeup. Continue reading “Top Korean Beauty YouTube Channels”

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The Queen and I – Queen Helene Avocado & Grapefruit Facial Masque

Queen Helene probably wasn’t even a real Queen, but I won’t hold that against her (who is probably not even a real person.) Well, I guess she (the non-person) is the queen of facial masks considering the cult favorite Queen Helene Mint Julep mask. But this is not about that mask. It’s about the other one in the range of masks, and I just put it on tonight to shrink wrap my tired saggy skin and oil-oozing pores in this 99-degree LA weather.
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This avocado grapefruit mask has the same primary ingredients as the mint julep mask. I just wanted to try something new. It smells a bit better than the mint julep mask, which leaves an after-smell which is a combination of dirt and sulfur (i.e: not entirely unlike fart.) Let’s be clear: the avocado grapefruit mask has the same sulfur smell, just much more faint. Continue reading “The Queen and I – Queen Helene Avocado & Grapefruit Facial Masque”

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You Go, Curl! Best Lash-Curling Mascaras for Hooded/Asian Eyes

After extensive (and expensive) trial and error, I’ve narrowed down the universe of mascaras that hold a curl the best. Hint: They’re not Chanel, Dior, Lancôme, Fiberwig, Josie Maran, Revlon, . . . I could go on. Even mascaras that specifically claim to hold a curl cannot always pass my stringent test.

01 Non Lash Curling Mascaras
All no go! Actually, the Fairydrops and Fiberwig might have been OK at curling but not consistently enough to warrant a recommendation

Maybe I’m asking for too much. I rely on my mascara to lift my hooded eyelids, which sliiiightly enlarges my eyes (relatively speaking; no one’s going to mistake me for a tarsier).

01a Best Lash Curling Mascara
A great mascara can hold up hooded eyelids, creating a (small) faux crease. My real crease is tucked underneath my eyelids.

Well anyway, if these work for me, they will surely work for ordinary lash-glamming needs. Continue reading “You Go, Curl! Best Lash-Curling Mascaras for Hooded/Asian Eyes”