Category: Angela

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr.–HIDE!!! W.Lab Tone Line Change Pack Review & Demo

01 WLab Tone Line Change Pack ReviewW.Lab’s Tone Line Change Pack is like something out of a horror movie. Luring you in with promises of youth and beauty, it soon transforms your face into a grotesque distortion of yourself. The category of “monster” packs is something I’ve seen trending in the last year or so, but curiously W.Lab’s version (provided for consideration by Q-depot) appeared to be an innocuous wash-off mask. Was I in for a surprise!

Warning: Photos of shriveled, puckered, Quasimodo skin ahead.

Continue reading “Dr. Jekyll and Mr.–HIDE!!! W.Lab Tone Line Change Pack Review & Demo”

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Blue SWOON: Sunday Riley Blue Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm Review & Comparison to Banila Co. Clean It Zero

01 Sunday Riley Blue Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm ReviewSunday Riley Blue Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm made a splash as soon as it arrived. Its deep aqua color and ingredient-of-the-moment blue tansy made it eminently Instagrammable. At $50 for 3.4 oz./100 g, it’s a splurge to be sure.

The balm can be used as a first cleanser (to dissolve makeup and sunscreen) and as a hydrating mask.  It’s targeted towards dry and dehydrated skin and claims to leave skin “thoroughly clean, comfortable, hydrated, and glowing.”  Tall claims!

Along with blue tansy oil, it has vanilla, tangerine, sweet orange, and chamomile oil and moringa and cocoa butter.  It’s also fairly heavy on the waxes, with various waxes at the top of the ingredients list and beeswaxes in the middle.  The cocoa butter ranks a 4 out of 5 on CosDNA’s acne/comedogenicity scale.  I don’t normally mention CosDNA rankings, but I mention it here because Blue Moon may have made me break out.  More on that at the end of this post.

Continue reading “Blue SWOON: Sunday Riley Blue Moon Tranquility Cleansing Balm Review & Comparison to Banila Co. Clean It Zero”

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Win or Lu-lu-lose: LuLuLun Sheet Mask Review – Premium Hokkaido Edition

LuLuLun sheet masks are a staple at many a Japanese beauty shop.  They’re the first bulk sheet masks that I recall seeing and come in resealable bags and boxes, big and small.  I bought a bag containing 7 sheets in 80 ml of essence.

01 Premium LuLuLun Sheet Mask Hokkaido ReviewAfter some extensive investigation (i.e., Googling), I learned that this is the special edition LuLuLun Premium Hokkaido version (Japanese MSRP ¥ 1,700 (~$15 USD) for 7 masks x 5 bags).  The labeling is almost entirely in Japanese, so initially I didn’t know which version I had.  What marks this as the Hokkaido one are the tiara made up of stars at the top and the silver packaging (some stock photos make it appear light lavender, but it’s silver) .

Continue reading “Win or Lu-lu-lose: LuLuLun Sheet Mask Review – Premium Hokkaido Edition”

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Dropping Acid: Making Chemical Exfoliation Work for Me

01 Dropping Acid

Acids and I have a long turbulent history together.

Most recently, I flirted with Biologique Recherche’s P50 Lotion (see my beginner’s guide to buying P50), Sunday Riley Good Genes (40% lactic acid), and Pixi Glow Tonic (5% glycolic acid).

Before that, I had regular rendezvous with Neova Reveal Exfoliator gel (20% glycolic acid) and Peter Thomas Roth 10% glycolic acid toner (link to my review).

The appeal of uncovering new baby skin after sloughing off the top layer–with acne marks, sunspots, large pores, forehead lines, and slight textural imperfections–was undeniable.  And when you regularly follow Caroline Hirons–a big proponent of acid toners as a regular part of a routine–it’s hard not to feel as if you’re handicapping your skin’s full potential when you omit acids. It’s like writing blog posts instead of the brief that’s due tomorrow and still expecting to get that promotion.  ::quickly looks away::

Continue reading “Dropping Acid: Making Chemical Exfoliation Work for Me”

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To Bee or Not to Bee: W.Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion in No. 21-Review & Swatches

This cushion caught my eye with its sassy bee-girl whose side-eye rivals only Renee’s when she’s seen bad contouring.  Very Yoshitomo Nara.  (<–I’m not that cultured; Renee pointed it out.)

01 WLab Honey Beam Cushion ReviewThis W-Honey Beam Cushion by W.Lab (provided by Q-depot for review) promises “celebrity’s honey skin.”  Yeah, I started salivating on the spot, too.  The cushion boasts SPF 50+ PA+++, honey, and honey extract.

Continue reading “To Bee or Not to Bee: W.Lab W-Honey Beam Cushion in No. 21-Review & Swatches”

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2015 Furvorites

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If you notice something funny about my (Renee’s) lips, you’re right. It’s swollen AF after a Restylane injection. Because vanity. Moar on that in later post.

Our first full year of blogging is almost at an end. At the end of last year, we toasted to many more beauty-filled meowments, festive felines, and bad cat puns in 2015. We can confidently say “check, check, and CHECK” to them all.  See?

Now here are our furvorites that made 2015 a little purrrettier.
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Neither Hair Nor There: Mamonde Pang Pang Hair Shadow in 06 / #1 Babyface Hairline Review + Swatches

01 Mamonde Pang Pang Hair Shadow 06 Review
The end of Mr. Baldy?
I was nearly ready to pronounce this HG after one use.  Now that I’ve used it a few times more, I’m positive that it’s HG.  The Mamonde Pang Pang Hair Shadow is one of those Things I Didn’t Know I Couldn’t Live Without.

Here’s my hairy situation: I’ve always had (in Korean beauty terms) an M hairline rather than a U hairline, i.e., my hair’s very thin above the temples.  It’s most apparent whenever I pull my hair back, but you can see it even when I part my hair deeply to the side and it just sort of throws my face out of balance.

Continue reading “Neither Hair Nor There: Mamonde Pang Pang Hair Shadow in 06 / #1 Babyface Hairline Review + Swatches”

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Wetting Zoo: SNP Face Art Mask-Rabbit Whitening & Cat Wrinkle Review

We were browsing at New Kam Man in Chinatown (NY) last weekend when–of course–this cat mask by SNP caught our eye. Thankfully, because I’m overloaded with sheet masks as it is, they were available individually, so I picked up one along with a rabbit mask ($3.25 or $3.50 apiece).

SNP Rabbit Whitening Cat Wrinkle Face Art Mask Review 01
The salty one in the middle is not for sale.

These were part of a (modest) haul from oo35mm and New Kam Man.  Unh, I love NY for Asian beauty shopping.  (But not as much as I love LA! Renee and I are going to break the bank when we’re there together during Christmas. 😉 Just you watch…)

Continue reading “Wetting Zoo: SNP Face Art Mask-Rabbit Whitening & Cat Wrinkle Review”