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Helen Park Jalousian Anti-Wrinkle Cream*

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Helen Park - Jalousian Anti-Wrinkle Cream

The Helen Park Jalousian Anti-Wrinkle Cream* is a (seemingly) widely popular anti-wrinkle cream in Korea. I say ‘seemingly’ because all of the rave reviews that I can understand/is in English are from websites that are shilling this product.

The active ingredient is Adesonine, which is “effective for wrinkle care.” Their claims for wrinkle freedom are kind of extreme, and it’s a shame that I don’t have much to show you whether or not it works to that level. Here’s some of the information I found at a Qoo10 listing for this product:

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I won’t even pretend I can understand that enough to attest to its effectivity. I can, however, show you how it’s worked out for me! Now, the company claims that the cream a) gives you “baby skin,” b) makes makeup stick well to the skin (“as it contains 2 types of oil”), c) keep the skin moist for a long time, and d) CAUSE JEALOUSY. Because your skin is so resilient. I suspect this is where the term “Jalousian” comes from, correct me if I’m wrong.

The cream “makes your skin smooth and elastic.” This is the prescribed method of using the cream, which is—dare I say—really typically Asian:

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Hehe.

Anyway, this particular cream is really light and a bit bouncy, a bit jelly-like. It sinks in to the skin really well and is easily absorbed. It comes in a pot like this, which isn’t the most ideal for hygiene, but just make sure you apply your skin care with clean hands and fingers. I mean, you already should be!

Helen Park Jalousian Anti-Wrinkle Cream Open

I don’t have long-term effects just yet, but I haven’t been using this cream for very long. There is a slight reduction in those pesky little face bumps and the fine lines around my eyes, but it could just be the effect of a great moisturizer. I just know that it’s pleasant enough to use. The claims for this product are pretty lofty but if it turns out it’s working out for me, maybe you’ll see it in a Favorites Post soon!

On another note, I was so not attracted to the packaging. It’s such a shame, since Helen Park’s logotype is so cool! See:

Helen Park - Logotype

Say hello to the bntgirls official badge! * PR Sample. Product was sampled and reviewed as part of the terms outlined for the BNT Girls.

Other BNT Girls: Joanne, Kine, Doris, Bella.

I have no information regarding Helen Park’s animal testing policy.

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Makeup Inventory + One Week Series: Rouge Bunny Rouge Long-Lasting Eyeshadows

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My Rouge Bunny Rouge Long-Lasting Eyeshadows multiplied like gremlins when I jumped on an RBR sale. Prior to that sale, I only had Solstice Halcyon and Abyssinian Catbird, which is a really pretty soft taupe, so I actually have a swatch post of these shades, sans Solstice Halcyon and Eclipse Eagle, already (click here). So I figured I might as well show how beautifully these shadows apply on my actual face.

Rouge Bunny Rouge - Eyeshadows - Swatches - Solstice Halcyon, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle, Delicate Hummingbird, Abyssinian Catbird, Periwinkle Cardinal, Tantalizing Lovebird, Bejewelled Skylark

Swatched, L-R: Solstice Halcyon, Bohemian Waxwing, Eclipse Eagle, Delicate Hummingbird, Abyssinian Catbird, Periwinkle Cardinal, Tantalizing Lovebird, Bejewelled Skylark

The quality and texture of these shadows are unreal—I don’t mind the price tag… much. I mean, I get why they’re so expensive: because they are phenomenal. You’ll notice that I don’t have any mattes here. While I’m sure their mattes are exceptional, I didn’t find a shade that I was willing to spend 24€ on.

My favorites are probably Solstice Halcyon, Delicate Hummingbird, Abyssinian Catbird, and Bejewelled Skylark. The most obvious beautiful texture belongs to Delicate Hummingbird and Abyssinian Catbird; they truly feel like the smoothest butter.

Here are some of the ways that I’ve used the Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyeshadows. You can use them without a primer, but it just feels neater and safer to me to use a primer always.

Using Tantalizing Lovebird (center of the lid) and Bejewelled Skylark (outer corner & outer 2/3 of lower lash line) over LUSH Sophisticated:
RBR - Tantalizing Lovebird, Bejewelled Skylark - Face

Using Tantalizing Catbird all over the lid with a bit of Abyssinian Catbird smudged on the outer lash line, over MAC Paint Pot in Groundwork:
Rouge Bunny Rouge - Tantalizing Lovebird, Abyssinian Catbird - Face

Have you tried the RBR Eyeshadows? What are your favorites? And a question to all enablers out there: what do you think I should try?

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Unboxing: Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP for June 2014

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Le Métier de Beauté - Beauty Vault VIP June 2014 - Daily Tonic

The June 2014 Box, aka the penultimate box, of the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP came with one product and no note. The product in question is called the Daily Refresh Tonic, which retails for $50. First of all, this box is huge, and contains 4oz. of product. Here it is in comparison with another skin care item we received earlier in the sub period, the Peau Vierge Dark Spot Correcteur, which contains a mere 0.5oz of product—my main reason for not repurchasing it. It’s a great product, but I don’t have $125 to spend on 0.5oz of product.

Anyway, here is the size difference:
Le Métier de Beauté - Beauty Vault VIP June 2014 - Daily Tonic - Comparison with Dark Spot Corrector
(The Peau Vierge bottle is so grotty; I apologize!)

See? Huge.

Product Description: “Freshen up: this skin-invigorating tonic is an essential step in any skincare regimen prepares the skin to better receive topical restorative treatments by stimulating circulation, restoring balance to the complexion, as well as conditioning and hydrating. It also re-energizes the skin, creating a freshly-flushed appearance.

How it Works: Daily Refresh Tonic, featuring the Rebalancing Complexe, uses a combination of gentle, non-drying ingredients to clarify, soothe and balance the skin.

How to Use: Apply twice daily after using Daily Renew Cleanser. Dispense a small amount onto a cotton ball and smooth over face, neck and décolletage. Follow with Revitalizing Anti-Aging Day Creme in the morning and Rejuvenating Anti-Aging Night Creme at nighttime.

Active Ingredients:
— Hemolymph Extract: absorbs oxygen from environment and delivers it to skin
— Peppermint, Cinnamon, Thyme and Geranium Oils: mildly stimulate with a gentle warming effect.
— Rosemary: gently cleanses skin
— Cypress Oil: balances the skin with soothing properties
— Anise Oil: provides a cleansing and warming effects on the skin
— Vitamins E, A and B: condition and protect

Alcohol and petro oil free”

I’ve only used the Le Métier de Beauté Daily Refresh Tonic once so far, but I can attest to a tingly sensation that I suppose signals gentle circulation of the blood in the skin. The sensation of it was immediately cooling. I followed it up with something I got from BNT News, which I will review soon. It seemed to help; I don’t know if it’s a placebo or something. (It probably is.)

I will report back to you if this works out for me. I’m kind of bummed that this didn’t come sooner, so that I could have used it alongside my now-empty bottle of the Peau Vierge Dark Spot Correcteur. I understand the rationale behind it (two skin care items in two boxes one right after the other does not look appealing), but I’d love to be able to try the entire skin care line together. Alas, I am not Veronica Lodge.

I am always excited for the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP sub, which is why I signed up for the next round. A CSR stated on their Facebook page that they wouldn’t be doing any duplicates this year, and would be collecting info on coloring, in case they plan to send out complexion products. EXCITEMENT.

Sign-ups for year two can be found here.

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20 Days of Lipstick: Week 3 Recap

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Hello to a late and incomplete Week 3 Recap. I only have 3 lip colors to show you this week, because there are times when a hermit just needs to be a hermit. Yesterday, I also wore a neutral lip (more on that later). Anyway, here are the lip colors I managed to wear! If you’re new (hello!), I’ve been trying to not fall into the trap of a neutral/MLBB type of lip… at least for 20 Days.

20 Days of Lipstick - Week 3

20 Days of Lipstick - OCC Lydia
DAY TWELVE feat. OCC Lip Tar in Lydia

ACK, Lip Tars. I love ’em, but I don’t wear them often enough. Lydia is a purple-y mauve that translates really pink-ly on me. I love it, but it looks like I’ve cheated because it looks like a normal, not-so-bold lip color, huuu. Sorry, guys. I tried! Also, elephant in the room: my eye is really frakking red. I had to remove an eyelash, so that happened.

20 Days of Lipstick - Tarte Bold
DAY THIRTEEN feat. Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-Hour Lipstick in Bold

Yay, another lipstick from Laala! I love this lip—definitely a statement lip in a bold coral for the summer! I think I was trying to compensate for Lydia and decided to go on full color blast.


DAY FOURTEEN feat. Addiction by Ayako Lipstick in Lady of the Lake

And here’s yet another statement lip, a true vampy lip if there ever was one—Addiction’s Lady of the Lake! I purchased this one last year on a trip to Japan with my friends. On the last day, I went back to the Addiction counter to see if I missed on anything (lol) and ended up trying this on, passing on it, but then going back for it a few hours later because it just made me feel so good HAHA. It looks really red here (meet my BFF, Isa!), but the color is much closer to the next one I’ll show you…

OH, and I cut my hair again. HEH. I like it a lot!

I’ve been pretty bad with documenting faces, etc. this week. Also, I didn’t really go out much + I wore a neutral-ish lip yesterday (MAC Mehr) because I was wearing pretty strong blush (Illamasqua Lover/Hussy) and didn’t want to go all bold and look OTT. I mean, we just went to see 22 Jump Street, which was hilarious. As expected.

Anyway, that’s it for me for Week 3. I know, I’m losing it, but I didn’t account for me actually staying at home this much. The point of this challenge is to wear something you wouldn’t normally wear outside the house. Something about going out of your comfort zone or something.

Anyway, more next (this) week, I hope. If it’s any consolation, I really tried!

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My Beauty Diary Egg White Gommage Peeling Facial Wash Off Mask*

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My Beauty Diary - Egg White Gommage Peeling

I’m not the biggest fan of girly, frilly packaging, so I wasn’t really expecting much from My Beauty Diary Egg White Gommage Peeling Facial Wash Off Mask* when I received it in this month’s BNT Box. Aside from the Easter-esque packaging, the name threw me off at first. What exactly does “peeling” + “wash off” mask mean?

I turned to “gommage,” which turns out is a type of facial peel that was popular before the advent of all the alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) treatments. Gommage comes from the French term, “to erase,” and gommage facials involve a paste or cream (a gommage!) to be applied lightly on the face. After it drying slightly, the layer is scrubbed off, resulting in light exfoliation. In theory, gommage doesn’t need to be washed off… so you understand my confusion. This is a great exfoliation method for sensitive skin types, however, since it’s chemical-free unlike AHA peels.

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Apparently, G.NA, a Canadian singer based in South Korea uses this as part of her skin care routine, which you can read more about here. The Egg White Gommage Peeling mask “removes dead cells very softly.” It has egg white and oatmeal extracts for moisture and nutrition, to treat the skin after peeling so that it doesn’t get dry. Read More

Take Two: iSOi Bulgarian Rose Blemish Care Serum*

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Here’s another item I’ve already received previously, the iSOi Bulgarian Rose Blemish Care Serum*! To recap, here’s the product description from EC21:

    Concept: Intensive, quick and effective anti-spot care

  • Improvement of uneven skin tone, blemishes and pigmentation (whitening function): While it fills sunken area with moisture, arbutin and natural vitamins from Bulgarian rose oil, as whitening agents, even out and clear up red skin tone.
  • Quick and gentle soothing serum (anti-trouble care): Natural anti-trouble ingredients including centella asiatica prevent clogged pores and quickly calm sensitive skin.
  • Continuous supply of moisture (24 hour-lasting skin hydration): Ultra fine rose oil having superior skin penetration and natural skin hydrating ingredients deep penetrate through the skin and keep it soft and supple for 24 hours and increase the skin’s own regenerative power by strengthening the skin barrier.

    • How to Use: After using a tonic, apply 1-2 pumps evenly to the skin and gently pat onto face until absorbed.

The serum is formulated without parabens, synthetic colors and fragrance, PEGs, mineral oils, propylene glycoli, silicones, and EDTA Cinnamate.

ISOI Bulgarian Rose Blemish Care Serum

You can read my initial review here. After more sustained use, I found that it didn’t do much for my skin. I read this post by Tine of Beautyholics Anonymous, though, called Boost Your Body Moisturiser with Unwanted Facial Serum, so I’ve been using this serum mixed with a bit of my body lotion at night. It’s working out pretty well. 🙂

I'm SO Intelligent Bulgarian Rose Blemish Care Serum - Product

Say hello to the bntgirls official badge! * PR Sample. Product was sampled and reviewed as part of the terms outlined for the BNT Girls.

Other BNT Girls: Joanne, Kine, Doris, Bella.

I have no information regarding iSOi’s animal testing policy.

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Lazy Girl Makeup: Day to Night Using MAC Mythology

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Ever since I posted my first Lazy Girl Makeup post, I’ve been wanting to make a new one. Alas, I had been too lazy to actually make the posts. Here’s a pretty easy Day to Night look that centers on only three MAC eyeshadows: All That Glitters, Sketch, and Mythology.

DSC_0223 - Eyeshadows

I actually used one more—Smut—but only as a really subtle wing for the Day Look. Speaking of which, here’s the Day Look:
LGM - Day to Night - MAC Mythology - Day

I’ve got All That Glitters all over the lid with a bit of Sketch lightly buffed into the outer corner of the lid and the outer 1/4 of the lower lash line. Like i said, I used Smut on the upper lash line for a little definition.

Rest of the makeup: The Body Shop Brow & Liner Kit (02) for brows, MAX Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara*, MAC Blush (Springsheen), MAC Lustre Lipstick (See Sheer) lightly dabbed on lips.

I had a completely different thing I had in mind for a Day to Night look, but I saw this look by Karima of Shameless Fripperies where she relied on a variance in texture instead of shade to transform a look.

So, I picked a MAC Lustre Eyeshadow called Mythology for my Night Look:
LGM - Day to Night - MAC Mythology

This photograph is really blurry, sorry about that! I used Mythology with MAC Fix+ on my brush, dabbed on the center of the lid and on the lower lash line. Then I just deepened Sketch on the outer corner of the upper and lower lids, blown up a little bit more.

LGM - Day to Night - MAC Mythology - Eyes

Here’s the Night Look:
LGM - Day to Night - MAC Mythology - Night

I just added a liquid liner by KATE and added more mascara on my top lashes and then a layer on my bottom lashes. I did nothing else. Because lazy.

I think this is a great new way to change up a look for a night time affair. I would probably have reapplied my lipstick, too! But, lazy.

I hope this gave you a great idea of what you can do to change a look from day to night. 🙂

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