*Cookiie; Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream All Day Strong in #3 (review)

Product description: Precious Mineral BB Cream promotes silky complexion and brightened look with pearl infused sheer coverage. Improved SPF protection with a hypoallergenic and oil-free formula.

How I use it: Apply evenly on skin with 1:1 mix of foundation. Continue reading for more details!

For the longest time, I hid this product because it was just way too pink for me. It looked fine in yellow artificial light, but when I was in the sun my head was just obviously a lot pinker. I solved this problem by the directions I mentioned above. I will explain this more in detail, so continue reading if you want to know why this would work out and what the results will finally look like!


The product

Like most BB creams, the Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream All Day Strong in '#3 Sheer Flawless Skin' promises skin-improving effects like anti-wrinkle, whitening and anti-darkening. It contains SPF 30/PA++ which is pretty good already for the always cloudy Netherlands. The formula is quite liquidy and gives you medium-coverage, but after application it makes your skin look dewy and almost flawless. I still haven't found the perfect BB cream for me yet, but I have to say that this one is quite close. However, like I said before the undertone was way too pink for me so once again I was disappointed and almost gave up on it. I went back to my so far favourite foundation called the One Step Makeup Foundation from Stila in '04 Medium'.


Yes, I have never written a review about this favourite foundation of mine. The main reason for this is that Stila discontinued it (Why?! ) so it was really no use of recommending it anymore. I won't go into too much details about this foundation, but the reason why this product works so well with the BB cream is because it is a very thick, high-coverage foundation. The thick formula makes it very hard to blend, so I used to always mix it up with a moisturizer. I figured a BB cream will be able to do that as well, but it will be even better because of the extra coverage and skin benefits.


The results? Semi-matte finish with great coverage and no obvious pink undertone. I tried looking for a picture where I could show you how good it looks, especially in pictures. I had a minor break-out when this picture was taken, but as you can see they have been almost completely concealed even without actual concealer. For the first time I have had friends complimenting me how good my skin looks with this on, so I'm really satisfied with the combination.

The verdict

For some of you with pink undertones, this might just be the perfect BB cream. For more neutral or yellow-toned, please do try to mix it up because the formula is still amazing. I would advise you to try it with a thicker, matte foundation, but obviously you can always play around with different formulas to see which one suits you the most. A 4/5 for this one, since I still want Etude House to come with more shades.

Rating: 4/5






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*Milk; Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer in #2 (review)

Product description: Makeup Multi-Cream maximizing the radiance and dewy glow on skin, completing flawless skin with plumped up moisture

Direction of use:
Apply evenly on skin with 1:3 mix of BB cream or foundation.
Use foundation brush or BB brush to get perfect blending.
When used for highlighting, apply on the nose, forehead and cheekbones with the Volumer alone.

The product

The Etude House 'Nymph Aura Volumer' comes in two shades, #1 Pure Honey, a peach toned honey shade and #2 Brilliant Nymph Aura, an opalescent light pink.

When I purchased the product on eBay, I did not know what to expect since the product was newly released and there were not many reviews on the internet. The 'Nymph Aura Volumer' is surprisingly similar to the Benefit 'Highbeam'. It is thinner in texture, but both products are light pink liquids that provide a pearly sheen. The Etude House 'Nymph Aura Volumer' has a pink lilac sheen whereas the Benefit 'Highbeam' is light pink with ultra fine silver shimmer.



The 'Nymph Aura Volumer' seems to blend better with foundation and BB cream due to its light texture and it tends to look more natural as the 'Highbeam' can look slightly 'metallic' because of the silver shimmer.


When swatched side-by-side: Nymph Aura Volumer (left), Highbeam (right)

The verdict

When mixed with foundation, the 'Nymph Aura Volumer' gives a soft sheen to the face which is great for dry skin. It really does make your skin look more moisturized. The liquid is pearly rather than shimmer, so there won't be any shimmer particles which can sometimes accentuate large pores. When mixed with BB cream, it enhances the dewy effect and can look borderline oily.

The only downside to this product is that it is very, very, very (!!!) heavily scented. I could even smell it on the inside of my arm while I was taking photos of the swatches. This is also the reason why I do not wear it on a daily basis because I do feel that it causes a bit of irritation on the skin. I only wear this when I have special occasions. I do not notice the scent after 5 - 10 minutes after application, but I am not completely sure if the scent fades away or if it is simply because I get used to the scent after a while.

This is a nice product to have for those who want to get a healthy, glowing complexion, but it is not as unique as I thought it would be. It can easily be substituted by MAC 'Strobe liquid' or any kind of liquid highlighter.

Rating:

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*Cookiie; Small Gmarket Haul

A short while ago, a friend of mine in Australia wanted to purchase some beanies. He didn't know where he could get some affordable ones, so I recommended Gmarket. All the Gmarket buyers who are reading this, know how incredibly hard it can get to navigate through Gmarket; so I helped him to order. He didn't mind to do a joint spree, so I figured I could get something myself as well! I never order Gmarket directly from Holland, since the taxes would make it so not worth it. But yeah..this wasn't entirely cheaper either, so I got to find another way. Enough jibberjabbering, onto the haul!

So I didn't actually purchase a lot, since it all needed to fit into an bubble wrap envelope. I basically took this as a chance to finally repurchase the Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint in '03 Peach'. I lost mine a long time ago probably in London, so there was no chance in finding it back. But since I got all three again, I can finally do my review on it! To be continued... Oh btw, all the other products in the background are samples. Crazy generous!


Since I'm a stereotype Chinese cheaptard, I filled the extra shipping weight with random stuff. I got me some black socks (god knows why I picked black while I could pick more interesting colours) and a pair of adooorable cookie shaped earring studs. The blue gem studs and extra ear nuts were also random gifts.


Last but not least, shorts! Both Ella and I have finally passed our jeans-with-tees-fase and have gone kind of obsessed with shorts. You can wear them with nearly anything, at any time of the year if you combine it properly. The yellow/beige pair of shorts was actually a mistake, as I was planning to get navy blue ones. I failed to read the Korean names properly, so you can tell I felt really sad when they arrived. Blue navy shorts, I shall get you someday! *shake fist*

That's all~ I'll be posting up an OOTD with Gmarket clothing within a few days, including the denim shorts I purchased this time. Until then!

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*Cookiie; Etude House Milk Screws (review)

A tiny bit late, but finally a real post!

Product description: “Lip damage cure & prevention”. Lip moisturizer. ..Yeah, that's the official website description

Retail price: ₩3500 (got it from a friend who was in Seoul for a trip, but it's around $8 on Ebay depending on who you're buying it from)

The product

There are five colours in total: Lime Milk, Apple Milk, Berry Milk, Coconut Milk and Mango Milk. I asked my friend to get me Lime Milk and Mango Milk, because they sounded the most interesting. I honestly don't get why they're called Milk Screws, because they don't smell like milk at all..ok maybe a liiitle bit. I believe that they do all have a different scent that suits their colour name, although it's very subtle yes I did sniff them real long and it looked weird.

When it comes to lipbalms, I'm very picky about the moisturizing effects. My favourite HG lipbalm is the ever so known Labello Classic. I swear, nothing works just as well for me. Not even this one, but it's the closest a lipbalm has ever come so far. I could use it alone when my lips aren't so dry, but I prefer to use it on top of a layer of Labello goodness for perfectly moisturized lips.


The pigmentation

As they are tinted lipbalms, I'll also review the pigmentation of these babies. On my arm, there's a big difference between Lime and Mango. On the lips, the difference is a little bit less. I guess it'll just give your natural lip colour a little extra, making you look more alive. Mango Milk obviously shows up more, being a little more red than orange. Lime Milk turns out to be more orange than yellow (just like the packaging colour), so it shows up more sheer. The staying power is pretty good. The colour can actually still be apparant even after the moisturizing effects are gone and is in need of re-application, but it will get off if you rub it with a tissue.





Completely bare lips; can you see how the skin gets so dry that it actually tightens my lips? Definitely need to keep them moisturized all the time..



Only #5 Mango Milk applied. Lips look well moisturized!



Only #1 Lime Milk applied. A real my-lips-but-better-lipbalm.
The verdict

As a real Facebook addict now, I'll say: I like! Since I'm not a big fan of lipglosses, I'll definitely use these a lot for a subtle glossy effect. The moisturizing effects are a big extra, but I'll keep using my Labello baby for the real deal.

Rating: 4.5/5

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*Milk; Eyeliner Comparison & Review

Finding the perfect long lasting, smudge proof eyeliner seems like a quest for most women, especially for someone who has mismatching eyelids like me. I technically fit into the category of having 'double lids', but the fat eyelid of my right eye is slightly droopy which always makes my eyeliner transfer onto my upper lid.

I’ve already accepted the fact that there is no eyeliner on the market that won’t smudge on my wonky right eye, but I have come across one particular eyeliner which has been working pretty good for me so far.

From my experience, gel eyeliners give me the best results. Therefore, in this entry I will compare the 3 gel eyeliners that I own and give my opinion on each of them.


From L-R: MAC, Bobbi Brown, Etude House (brush not shown in picture)

MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack

Website description: Ultra-smooth, Fluidline’s gel formula provides the precision of a liquid liner with a silkier, softer finish. Goes on “foolproof” with a brush in an easy dip-and-stroke action. Long-wearing. Smudge-proof. Lines up in a rich array of colours and finishes. Brush sold separately.

3 g/0.1 oz US $15.00 (6 shades available)

The MAC Fluidline is the first gel eyeliner that I purchased. It is probably the most popular amongst all 3 eyeliners. Its consistency is the closest to a true 'gel', meaning that it's very soft in texture. At first, I liked it a lot because it lasted a lot better than any other pencil or liquid liner I've tried, but it still smudges a lot on my right eye.


Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink

Website description: This award-winning liner offers the precision of a liquid liner and the ease of a gel-based formula. Awarded: "Elle" Magazines's ‘Top 5’ (Nov. 2009), "In Style" 'Best Beauty Buy' (2008), and "Allure" ‘Reader's Choice Award’ (2008).

3 g/0.1 oz US $21.00 (16 shades available)

It took me a while before I decided to invest in the Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner because of the hefty price tag. Even though they call it a 'gel' eyeliner, the consistency is different from the MAC Fluidline. It's a lot more dry and waxy. I feel that the drier consistency prevents it from melting off, but after a long period of time and a lot of blinking, the eyeliner does rub off eventually.


Etude House Code B Strong Eyes Cream Liner in #1 Strong Black

Website description: Cream textured eyeliner supplies smooth, adhesion for long lasting smoky eyes. (Comes with Makeup Brush)

3 g/0.1 oz KR ₩9,000 (3 shades available)

The Etude House Code B eyeliner is a great dupe for the Bobbi Brown. This cream liner is the cheapest out of all 3, retailing for 9,000 won (~ US $8) in Korea or US $11,99 (available on the US website here)

The consistency is very similar to the Bobbi Brown, but just a tad more waxy. I can't comment on the pigmentation since the Etude House one is in 'Strong Black' whereas the Bobbi Brown is in 'Caviar Ink'. It applies very smoothly and the included brush is not bad at all! The thick, waxy texture of the liner makes it very long lasting. The eyeliner can transfer onto my upper lid after a few hours, but overall it lasts very well. Probably the best out of all 3!


Here is what the included eyeliner brush looks like. Even though the quality is not amazing, it is not bad considering that its free. Even a noob like me can manage to draw a straight line with it.


The comparison


From L-R: MAC, Bobbi Brown, Etude House
Please note that the Bobbi Brown is in Caviar Ink while the other 2 are in black.

	MAC	Bobbi Brown	Etude House
Price
Lasting power
Pigmentation
Shade selection
Availability

The verdict

Despite the poor color selection compared to Bobbi Brown, the Etude House cream eyeliner is of great quality considering the price. For those who want a long lasting black eyeliner, Etude House would be a fantastic choice. For those who do not live in a country where Etude House is readily available, you can easily find it on eBay. And for those who live in the US, you can order it from the US website (here).

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