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Well Red – NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Burlesque

Once in a blue moon I’d wear lip stick. Now that fall is here, and the nasty upper lip sweat is no longer an hourly occurrence, I’m diving deep into these crimson, burgundy, vampire hues. So exciting and thrilling….like the original Dracula, and NOT like the new Twilight series. Vampires used to be sexy. Now they just glow like Korean pop stars. But I digress, of course.

From the free files graciously donated to us by NYX Cosmetics comes this lippie. I didn’t think much of it because it looked like a dark reddish brown in the tube. But I was feeling in the mood to #shopyourstash, so I grabbed it: The High Voltage Lipstick in Burlesque

Continue reading “Well Red – NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Burlesque”

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Glow Getter: NoTS Lip Shimmer Gloss Review–Dior Lip Glow Dupe?

I’ve been in a long-term relationship for more than 5 years…with Dior Lip Glow.  I love it so much that my review of Dior Lip Glow was one of my first blog posts.  But I like to keep my options open, so I was delighted to receive the NoTS Lip Shimmer Gloss for review from Q-Depot.  The NoTS is just one of many “customized pink” lippies (i.e., uses that fancy mood-ring technology) knocking off the Dior–and just one of many that I personally own.

So how does this Korean lip balm compare to the beauty that started it all?  Read on, and for good measure, I also compare it to the e.l.f. Studio Gotta Glow Lip Tint, a recent budget entrant.

01 Dior Lip Glow NoTS Lip Shimmer Gloss elf Gotta Glow Lip Tint
Wearing Essie Splash of Grenadine

Continue reading “Glow Getter: NoTS Lip Shimmer Gloss Review–Dior Lip Glow Dupe?”

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Ape Hit – Mizon King to the Kong No. 1 King’s Berry Aqua Step-Up Cream 300mL

I went BANANAS when I saw this at the Peach & Lily sample sale for freaking $5. It’s usually $35 at Urban Outfitters but it was on its way to being discontinued, I assume. You can no longer find it at UO but KoreaDepart still sells it. Such a steal at 5 bucks for 300mL which is (10 ounces) of face gel moisturizer! Or is it?

  Continue reading “Ape Hit – Mizon King to the Kong No. 1 King’s Berry Aqua Step-Up Cream 300mL”

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Blanc Check – FANCL Whitening Mask

I spent Labor Day trying to learn how to swim in my friend’s mucho fancy rooftop pool and got soooo dry and chapped and pruny. So of course the logical conclusion was: hey let me dry my skin further via a whitening mask.

Miss FANCL pants pulled out this preservative-free, freshness-dated, hermetically sealed mask for me: the FANCL Whitening Mask
  Continue reading “Blanc Check – FANCL Whitening Mask”

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The Yeon and the Restless -The Yeon Lotus Root 365 Moisture Capsule Essence

During one of those ‘daze-of-my-life’ lazy summer days I moseyed on to my favorite tiny cosmetic store in Chinatown, OO35mm and WHOA there was another K-Beauty store right next to it that just opened! This store was called The Yeon and it was new to me! As the world turns I can’t believe I have been buried in work and missing this new shop.

The store was beautifully set up, with white tiles and shiny shelves lined with mysterious products in candy-like packaging. However I’m wary of Asian cosmetics with no English ingredients that cause my 1001 allergies to flare up. After a LOOOOOONG 45-minute dawdle and elimination of everything without an English ingredient label, I picked this beauty up for $37. It promised natural ingredients and lots of herbal/floral/calming natural-sounding extracts:

Continue reading “The Yeon and the Restless -The Yeon Lotus Root 365 Moisture Capsule Essence”

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Flat-lining – The Face Shop’s Face It Extreme Flat Pen Liner

I’m on the train from NYC to DC hauling literally 25 lbs of cosmetics. Most of this weight comprises of Angela’s haul and my makeup for our YouTube debut. We’re filming inside http://www.studiowerksdc.com/ which is owned by my Emmy-award winning pal. But don’t let all this fool you. Chances are the videos will be blurry because Angela and I are n00bs and we ourselves haven’t gotten any Emmy awards…sigh.

But that diary rant has nothing to do with this review, nyeh! This flat line liquid pen eyeliner has been in my Cosmocube for some time now and it’s due for an evaluation:

Continue reading “Flat-lining – The Face Shop’s Face It Extreme Flat Pen Liner”

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Sea Spot Run: Shark Sauce Review

06 Holy Snails Shark Sauce Review
Why so angry, mer-man? Your skin looks great.
A month ago, Holy Snails (Chel) thoughtfully sent me a bottle of her DIY concoction called Shark Sauce (link is to version 2.0, the one that I have).  Update: You can buy the latest version directly from the Holy Snails store. Chock full of functional and purposefully selected and proportioned ingredients, Shark Sauce can be thought of as an ampoule or serum with brightening, repairing, and hydrating properties.

The ingredients that caught my eye were: 5% niacinamide, 3% n-acetyl glucosamine, and 5% licorice root extract. Where do the sharks come in? Thankfully, no sharks were harmed in the making, but there is some sea kelp bioferment (15%) and the recipe was spurred by /u/Sharkus_Reincarnus (aka Fifty Shades of Snail; link is about the first version of Shark Sauce). Continue reading “Sea Spot Run: Shark Sauce Review”

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Over the Moonshot – Moonshot Makeup Ready Mask

From the Peach and Lily sample sale files is this random mask which I had to have because hel-lo, all the skin care was being grabbed and swiped like it was the zombie apocalypse and the only cure was moar skin care! And I’m a mask luna-tic (heh, heh, heh).

I looked up this brand and, until very recently, there wasn’t a ton of information on it. Apparently the flagship store in Korea only opened October 2014 and the brand is backed by YG Entertainment which churns out bubble gum K-Pop (the likes of Psy) rather than serious cosmetics. They DO have an online shop where you can purchase all their stuff. Free international shipping IF you spend over $200. Good luck. You can get the Moonshot Makeup Ready Mask being reviewed on here as well. As stated, this mask is made so that you can be ready for makeup. Because who knows when Makeup can strike?! Continue reading “Over the Moonshot – Moonshot Makeup Ready Mask”

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Eastern Promises Part 2: Angela’s Skincare Routines–August 2015

Read Part 1–Translating Between the Asian and Western Skincare Routine–here.

Broken down into components of CLEANSE, TONE, TREAT, MOISTURIZE, the routines in this post list what I’m currently using the majority of the time and why (and also link to my reviews if there is one).

I do occasionally use something else in my stash just because I feel like it or am bored. There are two exceptions: (1) When I review skincare provided for free by a company, I test that item continuously so that you can be sure my opinion isn’t compromised by lax testing. (2) I want/need to use Shark Sauce and my PocketDerm prescription (referral link) consistently–2x/day and 1x/day respectively.

05 Shark Sauce Continue reading “Eastern Promises Part 2: Angela’s Skincare Routines–August 2015”

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Eastern Promises Part 1: Translating Between the Asian and Western Skincare Routine

Oftentimes I forget that some readers are new to Asian skincare or new to having a skincare routine at all (e.g., MY FRIENDS), so I end up writing for the intermediate-level reader (for lack of a better description).

Today, I’m taking a step back to explain:

  • in general terms, how to build a skincare routine–especially now that entirely new product categories originating from Asia are popping up to complicate things further; and
  • the biggest changes to my skincare routine from incorporating Asian beauty products.

06 Asian Western Skincare Routine

Translating Between the Asian (Korean) and Western Skincare Routine: More Similar than You’d Think

Some articles focus on the “otherness” of the Asian skincare routine.  There are SO.  MANY.  STEPS.  Look at the exotic ingredients!  What does this product even do??  Continue reading “Eastern Promises Part 1: Translating Between the Asian and Western Skincare Routine”