"The cat is beauty and the beast, a baffling blend, a wicked feast.”
WTF File No. 2 is . . . drumroll please . . . the Eyelid Trainer!
I can’t make too much fun of this one since I actually tested it for several weeks and saw subtle results. The Eyelid Trainer consists of 2 flexible arcs of thin plastic attached onto a modified eyeglass frame. The purpose of this contraption is to train your eyelids to fold–to either fold at all or to fold at a higher place/rounder shape. That’s my best guess anyway. I can’t read Japanese.
Asian cosmetic packaging is so damn cute. It’s not always the fanciest or most sophisticated, but it’s always so miniature and nicely compartmentalized. Gets me every time.
Behold the Babyface Petit Pact which is a mini compact powder. It’s only about 2 inches in diameter! Great for nights out when you have to fit your massive phone, credit cards, ID, and makeup refresher staples into a teeny clutch. Don’t get me started on chicks with big purses at bars and lounges.
Continue reading “Hit me Babyface One More Time – It•s Skin Babyface Petit Pact”
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.
Continue reading “Nose Doubt: Review of “Nose Up” Bridge-Straightening Clip”
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. 
The 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”
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.
Continue reading “Sake to Me! Kiku-Masamune Sake Skin Care Lotion”
I HAD to have this. The Asian/child/Asian child in me squealed at the super super “kawaii” cute packaging. The apple cartoon being smiles at me with anime lashes and an open teeny mouth.
Continue reading “Holy Moly it’s so cute! – TonyMoly 7 Fruit Princess Lip Gloss in Apple”
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!
Continue reading “Lash Out! – déjàvu Fiberwig Extra Long Mascara”
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.
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”
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.
I 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”
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
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
So Young’s videos showcase a lot of the latest trends in makeup. Continue reading “Top Korean Beauty YouTube Channels”
BeautyandtheCat's Beauty Blog 