Korean BB Cream Mass Sample Review

About a month ago, I purchased a large selection of BB Cream samples from Cosmetic-Love. Over time, I have been testing each and every one of those twelve samples extensively, plus the two free samples they included in my purchase.

First off, let me state that Cosmetic-Love is awesome. I loved the samples I got, shipping was free, and the selection was amazing. Their store is easily one of my new favorite places to buy Korean cosmetics. Especially because they include tons of free samples with each purchase.

Next, let me say that Korean BB Creams are, without a doubt, the best thing I've ever tried. They were all amazing. Some were better than others, obviously, but they were all excellent. My American foundation just didn't stand a chance.

So what follows is my review for 14 different Korean cosmetics, in no particular order.

Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer

I still can't tell you what a "volumer" is, but I can say that this product didn't really do it to me. It left my skin oily and smeared with a fake floral scent that stuck around for far too long. It did, however, give my skin a nice, pink, dewy finish. I can see this product being more useful during the dry spells of winter. 

Skin Food Platinum Grape Cell Essential BB Cream

This was one of my favorites. It smelled excellent, blended frighteningly well, and provided moisture without being oily. It had sheer-ish coverage that made my skin look naturally flawless. 

Lioele Dollish Veil Vita BB Cream

This startled me at first because it was white, not tinted. Basically, it worked like and HD powder, but in a cream. It was soft, moisturizing, and perfecting. It gave my skin a natural glow and a soft finish.

Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream

This was a very thin, moderately fragranced BB cream with sheer coverage. It felt revitalizing, and I can only imagine that it would feel more so after a day spent in the sun. 

InnisFree Eco Natural Green Tea BB Cream

While this cream wasn't as moisturizing at was implied, it was delightfully blendable and color smart. It was thick, but didn't look like I had just layered on tons and tons of makeup. The fragrance was similar to the German cosmetics that I use. Very natural and earthy, but pleasing. 

Missha Signature Real Complete BB Cream

This was a very thick BB cream with excellent coverage. The smell was hardly noticeable and the color looked natural. 

Skin 79 Snail Nutrition BB Cream

This one surprised me. I was scared to put snail ick on my face at first, but it turned out to be an awesome idea. It was very blendable, sheer, and moisturizing. It made my skin feel amazing the day after and every one noticed that I looked like I was glowing and gorgeous. 

Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint

This was the only thing in my package that I wouldn't use again, and it's the only thing that can't be classified as a BB cream. This lip stain came out more as a gloss, which is fine. But it was heavily fragranced like the fakest cherry imaginable. Like cough syrup gone south. It lasted a decent amount of time, but not as much as I would expect from a lip tint. But the nail in the coffin was the taste. It was like chemicals and sugar and cleaning supplies. I don't know how people stand it. Definitely not a winner. 

Lioele Beyond the Solution BB Cream

This stuff, I kid you not, smells like sunscreen. Not overwhelming, but just summery. It's a little on the darker side, so it looked odd on me, but it had good coverage. It was a little difficult to remove at the end of the day, however. 

Lioele Triple Solution BB Cream

This was a very dark BB cream. It had very solid coverage and was difficult to remove. Excellent for those who are trying to cover up any sort of scarring. 

Skin 79 Super+ BB Cream

This BB cream was thick, but easy to apply. It blended very well and provided sheer-ish coverage. It just gave a flawless finish. It is worth noting that this product gave my makeup extreme lasting power. I had zero fading the whole day through. And when I applied my blush on top of it, it stuck like crazy. I actually had to wash a little bit off because it showed up so well. 

Skin 79 Super+ Triple Functions BB Cream

This, like the one above, was thick but smooth. It provided heavier coverage than the above BB cream. There was no fragrance to speak of. Just nice, clean feeling skin. 

Tony Molly Expert Triple BB Cream

This was very thick. Almost clay like when coming out of the tube. It looked darker, was much less so when applied. Kind of threw me for a loop, to be perfectly honest. It has a strong chemical smell at first, but  that fades relatively quickly. Again, my makeup had amazing wear time. 

Skin 79 Super+ VIP BB Cream

This was very, very thick when applied. It felt a bit heavy, but then soaked in a bit and was tolerable. It had great coverage and was dewy and moisturizing. This was another that made my makeup apply better and stay longer. 

Over all, these BB Creams are all excellent. For anyone who is new to the world of Korean cosmetics, I say that you should visit the Cosmetic-Love site. Get some samples and play around. I know I've found a few favorites, and I can't wait to try out some more. 

Thanks for reading!

August BirchBox: (MALIN+GOETZ) Vitamin E Face Moisturizer

First off, sorry for the lack of updates. I've moved recently, and it's been a little hectic. Luckily, I'm pretty much settled now, so this should be more consistent. And more detailed. As I write this, I am sitting at my desk basking in the joy of overhead lighting. Wide windows let in tons of sunlight. I have an entire breakfast nook just for blogging purposes! It's glorious, and I can't wait to get more writing done. You guys can expect lots of things in the future. So keep an eye out!

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This is one of the first things that I tested once I got my August Birchbox. I love Vitamin E, and I'm always looking for ways to work it into my skin care routine.

This moisturizer is honestly leaving me on the fence, though. 

It certainly does its job, don't get me wrong. It is soft and gentle, leaving my skin feeling supple for the entire day. It goes on easy, absorbing quickly into the skin without leaving any trace of greasy residue. 

One thing that should also be noted is that it didn't make my face oily later in the day. And that's saying something, since I live in the Southern US and it's August. For those of you who don't know, that means it's an average of 80 degrees Fahrenheit every day with a humidity of close to 100%. Having a moisturizer that doesn't make me oily or acne prone is a boon. 

The only thing that I don't like about this particular cream is that it smells. Really strongly. And, honestly, it smells a bit like a chemical factory. I think it's supposed to be fragrance free, but as such it smells like I just walked out of a plastic factory. 

This is really unfortunate, because I feel like (MALIN+GOETZ) really hit the nail on the head as far as moisture goes. I just don't think I could stand to smell this every day. 

Thanks for reading!

Birchbox July 2013 Uber Review

Since July was crazy for me (and August is looking to be crazier), I figured I would save myself some time and review my entire BirchBox at once. Hopefully this won't become too much of an occurrence. I like to pace things out and get the full scope of a product. July's, however, is going to be one of those wam-bam deals. So buckle up, kiddos, it's gonna be fast.

These bobby pins...what can I say about them? They're bobby pins. I only wish they weren't so straight, since they tend to stick up on my head. They're also insanely difficult to get on there just right without bending them out of shape. They're cute, though, and decent for certain occasions. 

This blush, however, is awesome! It's become my new, go-to color. It's bright and fresh without being obvious. It lasts forever, even in the middle of summer. In fact, I wore this for a 13 hour workday and it stayed put then and for drinks afterward. It's a nice, peachy color that looks amazing with my complexion. This is going to be a full size purchase from the Birchbox store.

Benefit's It's Potent eye cream was kind of a let down. I was expecting something that would drastically reduce my under eye bruising and sagging. And it helped. A little. But even after two weeks of use, there wasn't a significant difference. Not significant enough for the price tag, anyways. Maybe it works better on people who aren't always on the go, but it was still a bit disappointing. However, it is moisturizing and feels nice on the skin while it soaks in.

Another let down this month. No. 4, a brand I generally really like, missed it with this one. The product does sort of detangle, but not as well as the Beauty Protector I got in my box a while back. It smells like fake flowers, like they were trying too hard to smell fresh. It also doesn't make my hair nearly as flawless as many of the other (cheaper) products I've used. 

This product made me change my preferences on my Birchbox profile. Why, you ask? Because the past several boxes I have gotten tons of acne centric product. And that's a shame. I put acne as a skin concern because I get occasional zits and blemishes. I wasn't expecting to have nothing but those products for at least three months in a row. 

However, this product is great. It does exactly what it's supposed to do by controlling a blemish and reigning it in. Less redness, less pain, less icky. I've found that it's awesome for my husband's severe acne (which is great). I've only used it a couple of times, but it's well worth the price tag. For someone who actually has an issue with acne. 

Overall, this box wasn't as wowing as the rest have been. It tried, but it missed the mark on more than a couple of items. I'm hoping my boxes get better from here, now that I've tweaked my profile a bit more. 

Thanks for reading!

Review: Coastal Scents Go Palettes

Alright, everyone. I have a new makeup love affair. And it’s the brand Coastal Scents.

I heard about this brand through Eat Your Kimchi, a blog I’ve been following for years about Korea. Martina swears by Coastal Scents, so it’s always been in the back of my mind.

Well, recently I discovered that their products are for sale on Amazon….and they’re super affordable. Especially the ultra portable Go Palettes, each themed after a country. So I was gifted one palette (Cairo) and bought another (Sydney).

And it really is true love. Deep, passionate, heart wrenching love. The love where you hate being apart from the object of your affections.

These palettes are stunning. The colors are rich and dramatic, each one heavily pigmented. They are complimentary and beautiful, unique and yet still harmonizing.

 Cairo is a neutral palette with deep purples, luxurious tans, and earth tones. There are mattes, satins, and shimmers in this palette, so it is exceptionally versatile.

Sydney is a palette of bright pinks, yellows, greens, and blues. These are the happiest of colors, perfect for a warm summer. Again, there are mattes, satins, and shimmers. And again, the pigments are intense without the need for anything extra.

This brand is standing out because the colors are high quality without being expensive.

My only complaint is the lasting time. Even with primer, I got about 6 hours of wear before I noticed some creasing. But still…six hours with no need for reapplication? That’s still pretty amazing. Especially with the richness of these colors. I’ve also noticed that they last longer if I’m careful about touching my eyes. Duh moment, I know, but I have contacts, so I’m always rubbing at my eyes through the day.

Overall, this is a brand I’m going to be coming back to again and again. In fact, I’m longing for the Ultimate Palette with a whopping 252 colors. Soon….Very soon….

Thanks for reading!