All posts filed under: Reviews

BNTGirls Review: Faith in Face Cherry Scoop Hand Butter*

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One of my desk essentials right now is a good ol’ hand cream, especially after colder weather has ravaged my hands. I usually go for clean and fresh scents, but the Faith in Face Hand Butter in Cherry Scoop* has a black cherry scent that has a sweetness I can get behind. The FIF Hand Butter boasts of a whopping 20% shea butter in their mixture and is available in four scents: Cherry Scoop, Peach Crush, Sweet Spell, and Fresh Garden. The packaging is a flexible metal type of tube, typical of ointments, which I gravitate towards. The tube says, “Butterlicious: Melt smooth rich shea butter over your hands to give you an intensive nourishment and a touch of cherry and nuts.” Aside from shea butter, this contains chamomile flower water and herbal extracts from the Swiss Alps. It also contains cherry extract which, aside from the lovely scent, provides antioxidant effects, cell activation, and anti-aging properties, as well as brazil nut oil extract to effectively promote cell regeneration and provide moisturization. The cream is …

COMELYCO 95% Aloe Gel Tub

BNTGirls Review: Comelyco Jeju Organic 95% Aloe Gel*

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Hey everyone! This may be the last wave of BNT Girls reviews for a while, so get ready! I picked this product to review first as it is one that I’m most familiar with. I didn’t realize how much of a staple aloe is to Koreans until I stepped foot in Myeongdong and saw shop after shop selling tubs of this stuff. The Comelyco Jeju Organic 95% Aloe Gel is one of the many iterations of aloe gel out in the Korean market, but it also has a very high concentration of aloe with only 5% of it made from other ingredients. (The Nature Republic aloe gel I have is only made of 92%.) For the uninitiated, aloe is a plant that many have used for its moisturizing properties. It can also be ingested. I personally like having aloe with my fresh teas instead of boba or tapioca pearls. The benefits of aloe feels like a laundry list, but most are related to moisture and hydration, as well as soothing irritated skin. I’ve mentioned that …

Unboxing & First Impressions: Glossier Phase 1 Set

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OK, so I think it’s kind of obvious that I’m a sucker for great visuals and aesthetics. I am a total slave to “things that look nice,” and so I was suckered into getting the Glossier Phase 1 Set, despite not really needing anything from the set. If you are not familiar with Glossier, it’s the off-shoot beauty brand of beauty blog Into the Gloss, which I used to read very regularly. Sidenote, but I find their content a little “off” and different these days. Anyway. Launched just a couple of months ago, Glossier’s Phase 1 Set is comprised of 4 products: a face mist, a priming moisturizer, a tinted base, and an all-around salve. Despite my disappointment at the fact that “Glossier” is pronounced “glossy-yay,” I went with it, because… well, why not? I’d seen many glowing (and not-so-glowing) reviews and—STICKERS! It looked so sleek and so much fun at the same time. A gif, because half the fun of this experience was the actual unboxing! Though the items can be purchased individually, I …

ILIA Beauty - Multi-Stick, Tinted Lip Conditioner, Lipstick, Mascara, Lip Crayon

ILIA Roundup

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ILIA Beauty, a “green beauty” brand, has steadily become one of my favorites these past few months. After first trying out the Multi-Stick and the mascara, I have somehow accumulated five of their tinted lip conditioners, three lipsticks, and a lip crayon. I don’t know how that happened either. Because I purchased them so quickly, I don’t think I have been able to really speak about them, besides the standard “I like ’em!” This isn’t really going to be a full-length review on every single one of them (mostly because I’m not in the mood to wax poetic), rather a sort of overview of each of the items I have managed to try.

Ellis Faas Skin Veil* & Concealer*

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While I was away on holiday, I received two base products from Ellis Faas. Previously, I’d tried three of their Hot Lips* and loved them (review) so I was pretty keen on trying their bases, too. First up is the Skin Veil*, a liquid foundation. It has active ingredients such as Vitamin E and a special selection of natural minerals, and is suited for all skin types. There is no scent, parabens, or animal testing. (!) Product description: “With an exceptional balance of high-quality ingredients, Skin Veil glides on in a thin layer, blending into the skin. A foundation that illuminates the skin without feeling or appearing like a mask. To achieve a porcelain, even skintone. Skin Veil minerals diffuse light across the skin’s surface, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. ELLIS FAAS foundation incorporates moisturising ingredients which nourish and protect the skin.” The texture is quite dense and not runny, though it is very easy to distribute all over the face and blends in beautifully. The recommended method is to apply Skin …

Unboxing: Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP September and October 2014

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I’ve been running behind on unboxing posts for the Le Métier de Beauté Beauty Vault VIP, a monthly subscription box for the brand. (Not that anyone looks forward to these, amirite?) They are on their second year of the program, and I’ve got to admit that it just keeps getting better! For a subscription program that requires subscribers to pay upfront for the entire year, expectations are understandably high. Luckily, we’ve been getting awesome products (see other unboxing posts here), the only hitch being their sometimes slow and inadequate responses to customer service queries. For September, the second month of the sub as shipments start getting mailed out in August, the product is the Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complexe, a tinted base that provides “sheer natural-looking coverage for instant smoothing and perfecting.” It can be used as a standalone (very sheer!) foundation or as a luminous base under other foundations.

Sample Stash Sunday: Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick Set

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I was going to publish this post next Sunday, but I figured it might be useful for people who wanted to get this set during the Sephora VIB sale this week. OK, so I was eyeing Lovecraft from the new Kat Von D Studded Kiss range, but when I was about to buy it, I spotted a minis set with 9 shades that included Lovecraft, so I thought I’d give it a go. The Studded Kiss Lipstick range wasn’t really met with the best reviews—basically failing at their “an innovative lipstick that coats lips with bold color,10-hour wear, and luxe comfort” claims—so I’m not sure what possessed me to get this, but $39 for nine shades didn’t seem like a bad deal to me. Here’s how much product you get when you extend the bullet: The selection of shades is pretty decent, representing quite a good amount of shades of the range. From left to right: Countess (matte hot orange red), Agatha (matte pale peach nude), Adora (metallic golden red), Sexer (iridescent fluorescent pink), Wonderchilde …