Author: BeautyandtheCat | Angela & Renee

We are a couple of ladies whose obsession with cosmetics (particularly from Asia) has manifested itself into blog form.
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Worth It? Voloom Hair Volumizing Iron – Review & Comparison to Crimper and Voloom Petite

Life. Changing.

I don’t say that lightly. But as someone with straight and slippery hair that could barely be teased after 15 mins of backcombing and hair spraying by a wedding hairdresser, that’s the truth. If I lost this $130 tool, I’d immediately order a new one. And yes, I paid for both the original and petite versions. JAN. 2019 UPDATE: I’ve since bought and tried the Rootie version as well. It’s too subtle without getting any closer to roots, so it just ended up taking longer to achieve the same amount of volume. Of the three versions/sizes of Voloom, my fave is still Voloom Petite.


This post will sound like a paid ad for Voloom (“Turn the volume up to 11!!”), but it’s not. (I *wish* we got commission for all the people we’ve converted.) I’m just obsessed with it because IT WORKS and IT’S EASY. Ever since Renee introduced me to this, I’ve used this regularly and often. And both of us named this one of our 2016 furvorites.
Continue reading “Worth It? Voloom Hair Volumizing Iron – Review & Comparison to Crimper and Voloom Petite”

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BeautyandtheCat Sunscreen? Yes Please!

BeautyandtheCat Sunscreen Sun Pearls

COMING SOON: Volition will hold another GIVEAWAY starting this Monday, June 26th!  Each vote for Sun Pearls will be automatically entered.  Voting is open to all; U.S. residents are eligible for the giveaway.

I (Angela) am obsessed with sunscreen.  Maybe you picked that up when I reviewed 12 Japanese ones in a megapost (all SPF 50+ and PA++++ of course).  But one question always nagged at me: how do I know whether I’ve applied enough to get the actual level of SPF advertised on the bottle?

I dreamed of sunscreen that came pre-measured and perfectly portioned in capsules to make it easy to apply just the right amount.  No guesswork and no measuring spoon required.  (Yep, I resorted to using a 1/4-tsp measuring spoon at one point.)

Well now you can vote for my idea to come to life!  (One vote per email.)

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

https://volitionbeauty.com/campaigns/sun-pearls-spf-30

Once there are enough votes, the Sun Pearls move into the formulation stage (with my input) and will eventually be sold on VolitionBeauty.com.
Continue reading “BeautyandtheCat Sunscreen? Yes Please!”

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Call of Duty-Free: Renee’s Mini Airport Haul at YVR

I just came back from my annual snowboarding trip in Whistler. Beside the bazillion foot elevation and vertical drop, and jaw-dropping, audible-gasping sights of this mountain, this & the surrounding Vancouver area has among my (Renee’s) FAVORITE duty free shopping because it’s a huge port for Cathay Pacific routes to Asia. Behold:

Duty-Free Mini Haul at YVR Terminal and Cathay Pacific inflight catalogue

Continue reading “Call of Duty-Free: Renee’s Mini Airport Haul at YVR”

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Wet ‘n’ Mild: Erborian Eau Ginseng, Yuzu Double Lotion, & Ginseng Milk Reviews

Korean-French brand Erborian has several “multibenefit lotions” in its lineup.  Sometimes “lotion” refers to a hydrating toner (this is the case for Japanese brands), but in this case, “lotion” seems to refer to products–from watery to milky to creamy consistencies–that are applied between cleansing and moisturizing the skin.

02-erborian-review
You guys have now been in my bed.
Last year, I bought a $25 “lotion discovery kit” that came with three 1-oz. minis of its most popular and hydrating ones: Eau Ginseng, Yuzu Double Lotion, and Ginseng Milk.  Sadly, I don’t see the kit any more on either Erborian’s or Sephora’s site.  On Erborian’s site, you can buy most of the minis individually for $10 each.

I’ll review each one in order of lightest to heaviest consistency, but spoiler alert: Yuzu is my fave for my dry skin and the one I think about buying the full size of.  Just keep in mind that all three are heavily fragranced, which can be a dealbreaker.

Continue reading “Wet ‘n’ Mild: Erborian Eau Ginseng, Yuzu Double Lotion, & Ginseng Milk Reviews”

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Hit or Missha? Missha Time Revolution Immortal Youth Blue Essence and Cream Review

The lure of immortal youth was too good to pass up.  Yeah, yeah, it’s marketing–but irresistible nonetheless.

01-missha-time-revolution-immortal-youth-blue-essence-and-cream-reviewI’ve been regularly using two items from Missha’s Time Revolution Immortal Youth line: the Blue Essence and the Cream ($55 and $65, respectively–both courtesy of Missha).  While they haven’t turned me into Benjamin Button, they have protected my skin–which is already prone to flaking due to tretinoin and natural dryness–from the parched winter air.

Continue reading “Hit or Missha? Missha Time Revolution Immortal Youth Blue Essence and Cream Review”

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Chanel Ya Later: Chanel Camelia de Chanel Illuminating Powder Review & Swatches

02-camelia-de-chanel-illuminating-powderTo be honest, I’ve never used up a highlighter and I currently have ::mumbles:: four…or six…or more ::mumbles::.  But this limited-edition beauty by Chanel called to me like no other.  Talk about sparking joy!

Camélia de Chanel Illuminating Powder officially went on sale in the U.S on Chanel.com a couple of weeks ago.  As of this writing, it’s still available.  Chanel’s description:  Continue reading “Chanel Ya Later: Chanel Camelia de Chanel Illuminating Powder Review & Swatches”

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Holding the Line: Neogen Long-Lasting Eyeliner Coating Serum Review

Neogen is well known for its skincare (ex: wine gauze pads and cleansing sticks), so I was surprised to spot a makeup item among the Neogen items at Skinfood in Flushing (Queens, NY).

Fine, Neogen Code9 Long-Lasting Eyeliner Coating Serum is pseudo skincare because it’s “serum,” but seriously, just use it as a clear topcoat to seal eyeliner into place.  Something my hooded eyes could really benefit from.

02-neogen-long-lasting-eyeliner-coating-serum-review Continue reading “Holding the Line: Neogen Long-Lasting Eyeliner Coating Serum Review”

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It’s About Time…Evolution – Missha Product Reviews

We felt like true beauty bloggers when Catherine from PR for Missha reached out to seek our opinion on a few of Missha products. That’s what I AM full of anyway, opinions! The more unqualified I am, the stronger my opinion, kekeke.

Missha is one of my (Renee’s) gateway products into KBeauty. When the BB Cream craze was barely hinted at stateside, I searched high and low in every Asian mall, supermarket, and beauty shop for the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream. This was back when the only shades available were #21, 23, and if you looked really hard, 27.  Now KBeauty is so mainstream, you can even get Missha at Target! It was one of the best BB creams I used in terms of natural coverage and high SPF, except that I was highly allergic to whatever sunscreen chemical was in it, and ended up looking like the elephant man.

Anyway Catherine kindly selected a couple of items for us to honestly review. I had her pick for me, indicating that I am concerned about aging and pigmentation.

With no further ado, Roxy and I purrresent to you our views:

Miss Roxy can be very hard to please.

Continue reading “It’s About Time…Evolution – Missha Product Reviews”

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Happy Mew Year! – A Recap of 2016 Furrrvorites

A lot of bad shit happened in 2016. Like, furrreal. But a lot of good shit happened too. As we bid adieu to 2016 and its poopoo platter, please remember more strongly the things that brought us happiness. Such as:

  • This catman who gives a cat a bath WHILE rapping. Is he a wizard? A rapper? A w-rapper?
  • New technology in genetics means we are SO CLOSE to the fountain of youth, or Gattaca or Sharktopus, please thank you.
  • Angela and Renee got to gallivant in England and France and hoarded stuphs!
  • Also, any year spent in the company of healthy loved ones, including Miss Roxy, can be considered a good year.

Here we are on a Manhattan rooftop wishing you a Happy 2017! May this year be the right time for your endeavors to be met with success and all your wishes to finally arrive!

Other stuphs that brought Angela and I much happiness in 2016:

Our Beauty Favorites Roundup for 2016

Continue reading “Happy Mew Year! – A Recap of 2016 Furrrvorites”

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To Whoom It May Concern – History of Whoo Gongjinhyang In Yang Neck & Face Sleeping Repair

Whooohooooo!!!!! I entirely furrrgot that I had this until my lazy ass looked through the drafts for posting on our site and saw this succulent luscious beauty staring back at me. I bought this months prior to leaving to London for the summer, and since this is a fairly thick moisturizing cream, didn’t touch it except for decanting some for Angela.

Behold the History of Whoo In Yang Neck & Face Sleeping Repair

Now that summer’s truly over, I find myself going back to this thick, luscious, creamy goodness that is The History of Whoo. Whoo has never let me down.

Continue reading “To Whoom It May Concern – History of Whoo Gongjinhyang In Yang Neck & Face Sleeping Repair”