Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA+++ Review

I think I originally bought this in June of this summer... I've really been slacking on the blogging lately ): Please forgive me everyone! I have some really exciting reviews coming up, including some sponsored ones. I appreciate everyone's patience and support, and I fully intend to get back into blogging- it just might be a gradual process. 

Anyway, this sunscreen is amazing- if you don't know the ingredients. Despite how great it is, I just can't get past that. More details after the jump break.

Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner (Moisture) Review

The last of my Laneige products to review! I've been using this product for over 3 months now and I'm excited to finally review it. It is a nice light moisturizing toner, but does it really do anything else besides that? More after the jump.

What's Going on in my life + October Posting Goals

Happy October everyone! It's officially fall, and I've been enjoying the chillier weather and everything it brings. As many of my regular readers might have noticed, I was relatively inactive with this blog during September. Now that I've finally settled into life in Oslo, I'm ready to get back into regular blogging. I won't go all out like I have previously, as I'd prefer to ease myself back in. Please be patient with me! :)

Makeup
Missha Real Signature Complete BB Cream #21
Etude House Water Color Blusher (no. 2 Coral)

Skincare
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA+++
Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner (Moisture)
Mizon Snail Repair Eye Cream
Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence

Masks
Sana Hadanomy Collagen Sheet Mask
MBD Black Peal Sheet Mask

Sasa and Ebay Haul!

At long last, an update! I'm very sorry for how long it's taken me to write up another post, but I promise that I'll start updating more regularly again. Despite having a looong list of products I need to review, I thought I would ease back into blogging with a simple haul post! 

I purchased these products from Sasa and Ebay seller AlphaBeautyUK, who sells a lot of Japanese products at a reasonable price. I'll list out the products and give a brief description where neccessary.

Skincare

Left to Right

1) Mentholatum Skin Aqua UV Moisture Milk SPF 50+ PA+++

I'm constantly on the search for the perfect sunscreen! This one is alcohol free and quite gentle, and so far I like it a lot.

2) Kracie Naive Naive Deep Cleansing Oil (Olive)

It was cheap and simple.

3) Avene Retrinal+ 0.1 Cream 

Not Asian, but I've been wanting to incorporate retinoids into my routine for awhile. Unfortunately, I won't be able to book an appointment with the dermatologist until I'm back in Texas this December, so I got an OTC product instead. This was purchased at Dermstore.com

4) Juju Aquamoist Vitamin C Toner

I wanted to get my Vitamin C in a different skincare step, versus my previous serums. Cheap and has great reviews :)

5) Hada Labo Gokujyn Hyaluronic Acid Lotion 

It's getting colder and dryer here in Norway, and this is cheap but works sooo well so far. Really happy with it!

6) Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream

Omg this cream is so good so far. I wanted the benefits of ceramides, but I hate the texture of popular ceramide creams like CeraVe. 

Makeup

Left to Right

1) Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour Volume on

I was tired of being unsatisfied with my cheap but unremarkable mascara, so I finally coughed up the $15 for this. So far I really like it.

2) K-Palette 24hr Real Lasting Eyeliner (waterproof) 

I just realized that I accidently bought the waterproof version haha... oh well. So far it's quite nice, I'll write a comparison post between this and Dolly Wink eyeliner later.

3) Canmake Lasting Creamy Liner (black) 

I didn't have a pencil eyeliner, and everything is expensive in Norway.

4) Kate Designing Eyebrow N

My current eyebrow pencil was too dark for my hair, so I got this. I really like it so far, though it's a lot smaller than I expected.

It's Skin Babyface Petit Blusher (01 Pink) Review

Super sorry for my laziness in posting reviews ): I lost my SD card, and because my camera is from 2005 or something, it can't use the new SD cards that have been released... so I'm trying to find places that ship SD cards from 2005 to me... with limited success. I know that the picture's quality is lacking, but please bear with me! As for the product... it's adorable and you get what you pay for (in a good way).

An update on my life / Please be patient with me!

Hiiiii y'alll!! First of all- I'm really, honestly, very sorry for my lack of quality updates lately. My life has just been changing a lot these past couple of weeks, so I don't have a set schedule and I'm quite busy most of the time. Secondly- I lost my SD card for my camera haha... woops. I need to buy one, possibly this weekend? But yea, it's impossible to do reviews without it ): So please be patient while I try and get my life sorted out! I love blogging and I appreciate your (collective) support so much, so please forgive me if it takes me some time to respond to comments or questions.

As for the details of whats going on in my life... it's a lot. I live in Norway now, and my classes have begun! My Norwegian has improved rapidly, but I still have a long way to go before I'm fully fluent. I'm also taking a course in Old Norse, so I get two Germanic languages for the price of one! I figure after I get fully fluent in Norwegian and get to a decent point in Old Norse, I can try to learn Japanese or Korean... maybe.

As many of you know, I was in a long distance relationship with my boyfriend for over 3 years. Now that we are finally together in the same city, I've been spending tons of time with him AND LOVING IT! But unfortunately that means my priorities have slightly shifted, so it's very easy to get distracted from what I used to occupy my time with (blogging, running, etc).

Anyway, here are a few pictures from a recent adventure, I hope this suffices for an update!

Baviphat Grape Juicy Mask Sheet

First of all- sorry for the poor quality of this review!! I lost the pictures for this review, so please excuse that ): As for the actual product, its better than previous Baviphat masks, but still nothing great compared to my favorites. I wouldn't repurchase this mask, but it was fine for maintaining moisture and reducing a little bit of redness.

Etude House Color POP Shine Tint (Swing Pop) Swatch & Review

 

I received this tint as a part of my Reddit beauty exchange, and I quite like it! It's not the best tint ever, but it's a unique color and moisturizes nicely, so I cannot really complain. I also want to apologize for the delay in posting, just been busy with moving and settling in! I'm still around though!!!

Laneige Perfect Renew Emulsion Review

My favorite out of the two Perfect Renew products I've tried- it's really just lovely. It has everything I need in an emulsion, and smells nice to boot!

Laneige Perfect Renew Essence Review

 

Since I'm already half way through this essence in a month, I thought that I should get this review done earlier rather than later. I like this essence, but don't love it. It's great for hydration and firming, but I'm just looking for different things for my skin right now.

By the way I'm moving to a different country in about 8 hours.  More after the jump.

Dr. G GOWOONSESANG Perfect Pore Cover BB Cream SPF30 PA++ Review

I figured that I should actually try out some of growing sample hoard- so here's the first of my sample reviews! I got this BB cream in my Reddit Beauty Exchange, so thanks to phlee921 again for sending me all the lovely Korean goodies! (:

My First Giveaway results!

Hey everyone, this is about a day late so I apologize buuuut, the winner for the giveaway has been chosen and contacted! I am really happy with the results, because it's actually someone I know from tumblr who has started her own little blog as well!

Her name is Tiffany and you can find her blogs on Tumblr and Blogger. Congrats Tiffany, your package is being mailed tomorrow!! Thank you so much to everyone who participated, I will definitely be hosting more giveaways in the future, so I hope that you all continue to read my blog! I appreciate all of my readers, it means the world to me that you guys actually find my reviews useful. I've taken all of your suggestions into account, and will do my best to make what changes I can.

Expect more reviews starting tomorrow~

What's going on in my life + August Posting Goals

I'm freeeeaaaking out, y'all. I'm moving to Norway in less than a week, haven't practiced Norwegian at all this summer (besides very short conversations with my boyfriend), and am generally unsure of what I have to do. It's exciting and awesome but also frightening... and I'm sad that I won't see my family for awhile, of course! But life is full of stuff like that, I guess. Oh well. Anyway- I've tried to get the next couple of weeks' reviews written up in preparation for my busy transitioning time! I'm here for another 6 days, but please forgive me if I'm slow with replying to comments or anything~

Makeup

Dr. G Perfect Pore Cover BB Cream SPF30 PA++ Review

Etude House Color POP Shine Tint (Swing Pop) Swatch + Review

Dolly Wink False Eyelashes (no 9 Natural Dolly) Review

It's Skin Babyface Petit Blusher (01)

Skincare

Laneige Perfect Renew Essence Review

Laneige Perfect Renew Emulsion Review
Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner Review

Biore UV AQUA Rich Water Essence base SPF 50+ PA+++ Review

Sheet Masks

Finish up Baviphat Mask Reviews

Sana Hadanomy Collagen Sheet Mask Review

Other
Giveaway Winner Announcement

Life in Oslo

My Birthday!!!!

Recent Buys

Hi y'all!! <3 I wanted to share some of my recent purchases~ For clothes, I'm trying to buy warmer things or layer-able items, since I'll be in Norway for fall, winter, and spring. Unfortunately almost everything in Texas right now is more summery, but I was able to get some nice deals thanks to July sales. I've also included some other small items I've got, like stationary and makeup! Please note that I bought so much stuff at once because stuff in Texas is like 1/2-1/3 the price of Norway, so I wanted to stock up for the year!

Also- I tried taking my own pictures of everything, but they ended up really inconsistently lit and it just looked sloppy, so I hope this is okay! ):

Tony Moly Luminous Pure Aura CC Cream Review

 

Quite a nice introduction to CC creams, but not quite my cup of tea- maybe I'm just terrible with blending though :| More details after the jump.

Baviphat Green Tea Juicy Mask Sheet

While it smells nice and is great for a moisture boost... it doesn't really do much else. Definitely a pass.

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX Review

This is the second sleeping pack that I've tried, and I have to say that I really like it! I would say that it definitely lives up to the hype. Details after the jump.

Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base (Mint) Review

Despite having super high hopes for this base (due partly to the adorable packaging) I'm not amazed with it... :/ More after the jump!

Baviphat Peach Juicy Mask Sheet Review

Suuuper moisturizing- but not much else. The mask itself dried very quickly and fit very poorly. I'm not very impressed by my first Baviphat mask, but only time will tell how I like the others!

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream Review

Super effective, cheap, and cute- what's not to love about this amazing product? (hint: very little)

Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream (no 1) Review

Sooo. I'm not sure how useful this review actually is, since this shade has been (woefully) discontinued in Korea. Regardless, I thought I would take the time to write it up as a display of affection for what was my favorite BB cream... :'(

Reddit Beauty Exchange (aka why the internet can be awesome)

Exciting stuff! In late May I began arranging a sort of beauty penpal exchange with a lovely girl living in Korea- on a website called Reddit~ There's a small subreddit for Asian Beauty which has an active and nice community. I sent her some British beauty products she couldn't get in Korea, and she surprised me with lots of lovely Korean products! C: I plan on reviewing all the BB creams, the masks, the foam, and the two small Etude House products. If you want any of the other samples reviewed, just let me know! 

Etude House Aloe Moistfull Mask Sheet Review

Etude House's Aloe Moistfull Mask Sheet is surprisingly nice... but there are some potentially serious issues with the ingredients that make me wary of using it again.

My Beauty Diary Peach Soda Eyes & Lip Makeup Remover Review

Basically the perfect makeup remover. So. Cute. (Also effective, non-irritating, and non-greasy...)

Etude House Lashes (Secret Long) Review

Well priced, sturdy, and natural looking- these lashes are first set I've been able to successfully apply. All you need is a trim and good lash glue before you're good to go!

Etude House I need you, Green Tea! Mask Review

Despite its impressive claims about metaphysical comfort, this mask doesn't do much beyond moisturize. It does a good job of moisturizing, but I'm not sure how useful this mask is beyond that. As with all of the masks in Etude House's I need you, X! line, their fit and mask material are terrible.

What's going on in my life + July Posting Goals

Hey everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful June, and I hope July is even better! It's time for my traditional (I've done it the past 3 months, so it's a very serious tradition obviously) update on my life + what I plan to post this month! I've decided to cut back a little on posting, down from roughly every other day to 3x a week. It won't be a huge step down, but it will give me a bit more time to focus on each review, and will be less stressful.

Anyway, my liiiife. None of my friends are in my hometown this summer, so I've just been kind of working 2-4 days a week and hanging out with my family... and internetting. Work has been fine, it's been nice to see old coworkers and nice to get money! I've been slowly getting back into running as well, though I'm pathetically out of shape at the moment.

As many of you know, I got my wisdom teeth removed on Wednesday! It's been pretty decent actually, but until today I had trouble talking, smiling, or opening my mouth widely. I had to miss work on Saturday and Sunday because of that, since most of my job involves interacting with customers and being super friendly. I wouldn't have lasted more than 10 minutes lol u_u

Buuut, exciting news! I'm currently in a hotel room in Houston, with an appointment at the Norwegian embassy tomorrow morning to see if I can get my residence permit for my year abroad starting in August! Fingers crossed that I didn't screw the application up terribly, because that would be absolutely horrible （；へ：）

So yea, as for my posting plans:

Skincare Reviews

• Laneige Water Sleeping Pack Ex
• Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream
• My Beauty Diary Peach Soda Eyes & Lip Makeup remover

Makeup

• Tony Moly Pure Aura CC Cream
• Etude House Choux Base (mint)
• Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream (no 1)
• Etude House False Eyelashes (Secret Long)

Masks

• Finish up Etude House mask reviews
• Start Baviphat Mask Reviews

Other

• Vitamin C Serum Information and Possible Recommendations
• Reddit Beauty Exchange Post
• Recent Clothing Buys

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream (no. 21) Review

Just a headsup everyone- not feeling 100% after the wisdom teeth extraction, so please excuse the bad skin, dead eyes, and swollen jaw! The surgery has basically sapped me of all energy, but I wanted to get this review out so I buckled down and did it! 

Paula's Choice Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment + Weekly Resurfacing Review

So, this is a change of pace from my usual Asian cosmetics reviews, buuut I still wanted to review these two products for you because they changed my life. If you look at past reviews, you can see I had really bad hyperpigmentation and very uneven skintone.

Early March

And if you look at more recent reviews, my skin's significantly more even toned and less red.

Late June

I still get the occasional pimple (that one near my lip was from testing out a new product u_u ) but most of my PIH has been dramatically reduced. Paula's Choice products played a huge part in dealing with my hyperpigmentation, even if I don't still use them. I hope reading these reviews can convince some of you with hyperpigmentation to look into chemical exfoliation as a gentle and viable option for helping make your skin beautiful.

Etude House I need you, Pearl Extract! Mask Review

As regular readers might have noticed, I've changed my blog layout! (: I also got my Wisdom teeth removed yesterday! :( I'm in a bit of pain/the pain medication makes me nauseated, but I'm hoping it will improve by the weekend so I can work a bit. Anyway, Etude House's Pearl Extract mask has some nice things going for it, but also a couple of bizarre issues (weird eye holes, makes my eyes water, etc). More after the jump.

June Misc. Hauls (Sasa, Ebay, and more!)

I thought it would be good to show y'all all the products I've bought in the past month that haven't come as huge hauls. This has been the accumulation of a few things here, a few things there, etc. I'll try and say where I bought each item in the descriptions, but I had so much stuff that I couldn't fit it into one large picture... oh well. Also- I'm not sure if any of you have noticed, but I rummaged around my house for a camera, and found an old one from Middle School/High School that takes nice pictures. I also found a place with better lighting, so hopefully my picture quality will improve now! :)

Skinfood Red Bean BB Cream (no. 1 Light Beige) Review

Great for those with dry to normal skin, a pale complexion, and not many pimples, I can see this being many women's favorite BB cream- but not mine. With a thick texture that can be hard to spread and undertones that don't quite match mine, I like this BB Cream... but I don't love it.

Lioele Secret Pore HD Powder Review

Hi! This powder was one of the first Asian beauty products I ever purchased. I'm happy I did, though I won't be repurchasing it. It works well and does everything it claims to, but with a high price and mediocre packaging, I feel like I could probably get a setting powder that works just as well for a lower price.

Etude House I need you, Red Ginseng! Mask Review

Sorry all for the lack of updates, I was on a family trip for a few days and the next review I have to do is for a BB cream..... and I'm really lazy with doing BB cream reviews because they require so many pics. Anyway, I promise to be better about updating now! This mask was a big improvement over the Pomegranate version, read on to find out why! ALSO, getting my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday! Woohoo!

Announcing my first GIVEAWAY!

So, it's finally time to say what my secret announcement was- a giveaway! :OO In fact, it's...

I'm really excited to have this opportunity! I know that I don't have a ton of followers, but I've enjoyed blogging and interacting with you guys so much these past few months! It's not the biggest giveaway ever, but I think there are some really good products in it! 

The giveaway starts: June 14th 2013  (my 3rd year anniversary with my boyfriend)

The giveaway ends: August 3 2013 (the first Saturday of August!)

This giveaway is open internationally! 

Make sure you have your parent's permission to give out your address if you end up winning!

Prize details below~ 

My Scheming 7 Day Refreshing & Balancing Set

I haven't posted any reviews of any My Scheming masks yet, but I've tried out a couple and love them! This set includes 7 masks: 2 Skin Clarifying Masks, 2 Aloe Vera + Vitamin E Masks, 1 Green Tea and Barley Whitening Mask, 1 Herbal Anti-Acne Mask, 1 Deep Cleansing Mask.

Tony Moly Appletox Peeling Cream + Tony Moly Cat Chu Wink Lipstick!

The lipstick is in shade 01- I bought myself the one as well and I really like the formula. :)

Juju Aquamoist Hyaluronic Acid Washing Foam

I bought this and tried it once, but it didn't work for me- that doesn't mean it won't work for you, though! I thought it was better to give this away rather than throw it away C:

One Etude House Pomegranate Mask, One My Beauty Diary Earl Grey Mask, One My Beauty Diary Arbutin Whitening Mask

Just threw in some extra masks I've tried and reviewed! Check those reviews out ;)

Lioele Fringe Bow

Great for keeping your hair out of your face while you do your skincare routine and makeup! Also super cute~

A set of different samples~

A bunch of Skinfood Egg White Pore Foam + Good Afternoon Honey Black Tea BB Cream + A random set of Samples from KoreaDepart!

Join below via the Rafflecopter widget! You have to follow me on Bloglovin' and you have to add me to your circle(s) on Google+ in order to qualify for other options! :)

^ Use this image if you want to link to my giveaway on your blog~ ^

Again, this giveaway is open internationally. The winner will be chosen randomly via this widget. Good luck to everyone, I look forward to hearing from you guys!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Juju Aquamoist Vitamin C Emulsion + Cream Review

Hi y'all~ Tomorrow is my 3rd year anniversary with my boyfriend! I'm super excited and happy about that. But in the mean time, I'm finally getting out a double review on two of the products I have from the Juju Cosmetics Aquamoist Vitamin C line. I have good things to say about the lotion/emulsion, and terrible things about the cream. More after the jump!

Etude House I need you, Pomegranate! Mask Review

With a poor fit, thick material, and unimpressive results, Etude House's I need you, Pomegranate! is a pass. More after the break.