[the SAEM] Urban Eco Harakeke Firming Seed Essence

I bought this fairly recently in a haul seen here. 

I needed something extra for my skin in the drying winter, and after looking around, I decided to try out the Urban Eco Harakeke Firming Seed Essence. It claims to use ingredients native to NZ, and as a kiwi, I was sold =w=

It claims to:

• hold moisture between skin, creating moist and radiant skin
• contain Omega 3, 6, 9 which strengthen the skin, enhancing skin elasticity
• contain harakeke seed oil which enhances skin elasticity and supplies nutrients
• contain various vegetable extracts which soothes the skin
• provide wrinkle care

The essence comes in a plastic bottle (safe from fumbling fingers and tiled floors), all sleek looking with a wooden looking plastic cap. The box is also really nice, and looks to be made from recycled paper.

Ugh. Sorry for the horrible lighting. More details and instructions on the sides of the boxes. Comes in several languages which is pretty awesome sauce.

The all wonderful pump! At first when I bought this I was worried that the bottle would just have some hole opening, but nope! A wonderfully easy-to-use and hygienic pump is used. Also, the bottle cap is secured by the little circular knob near where my hand is. 

The consistency of the essence surprised me; I thought it'd be more like a lotion or it'd be very liquid-y, but it's actually more like a gel-cream hybrid consistency, and feels oddly slippery? It's lightweight and moisturising, and it really does trap in the moisture like it claims to. 
Additionally, it's great at being absorbed quickly, which is always a bonus in those rushed mornings!
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Pros:
☺Great packaging (plastic, pump, and cap security is great :D)
☺Light-weight and quickly absorbed
☺Good at keeping skin hydrated; it really takes away the tightness of dry skin
☺Skin feels softer (not sure about firmness) 

Cons:
☹ Provides great hydration, but not much else


Overall: 4.8/5
Verdict: A+. It's very good at what it claims to do, and it's a great product. I only wish that it would also provide things like skin brightening or something!

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[Skinfood] Black Pomegranate Oil

Finally got around to doing a review for the Skinfood Black Pomegranate Oil!

My skin is fairly dry around my cheeks and mouth, and especially in winter time, my regular face cream just doesn't provide enough moisture.

I got this oil around April, and have been using it since. It's supposed to be used as a final step to trap in all the moisture from your lotion and creams.

The packaging is really pretty =w= The box is pretty to look at, and the bottle looks pretty darn cute sitting on my bench top.

The bottle is glass, so it's really sturdy, but be careful not to drop it! 

The oil is dispensed from a dropper. It's easy to use and control (although, when is an dropper not easy to use..?)

The oil itself is clear; all the cute red pink colour is just the glass bottle. It has a light scent that disappears quickly.

The oil isn't very thick, and disappears into the skin quickly. However, it leaves the skin soft and moisturised for hours after. 
This oil is probably best for people with normal to dry (but not extremely dry) skin, that might have slightly oilier areas, as it's good with the drier areas, and not overly oily in the oilier areas.
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Pros:
☺Light weight and absorbs quickly
☺Moisturising (I don't wake up with my skin feeling tight :D)
☺Packaging is cute and sturdy
☺Needs only a maximum of four drops on your face (if your face is feeling rather dry)

Cons:
☹ Some people might dislike the smell..?
☹ Is not enough for extremely dry skin

Overall: 4.8/5
Verdict: I'd give an A+. I'd buy this again, but I'd also like to try out their avocado oil for when my skin is extremely dry.

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jolse Haul!

Apologies for the terrible quality m(_ _)m

It's J! Bought some stuff from jolse.com recently when they were having a sale and thought I'd share some of the stuff with you guys :D

• 2x Etude House Sunprise Water Essence I reviewed it recently here and I really like it, enough to buy one for the bf too
• 1x the SAEM Urban Eco Harakeke Firming Seed Essence Needed to get a new essence and thought I'd give this a try. Harakeke is New Zealand flax, which I thought would be pretty interesting to try given I see loads of them around all the time
• 1x Etude House Drawing Eye Brow Refill It's weird because I can't find this one the jolse site but it showed up on the sale... I bought two because its price (of course TEHEE) and I like it enough that I don't want to try anything else
• 1x Etude House Sugar Tint Balm in Blackberry Jelly (08) It's not for me; my friend wanted to try this colour. I assume the formula is quite similar to the one I reviewed here
• 1x ARITAUM Water Sliding Tint in Coral Fantasy (09) Read a lot of great reviews on this formula so I tried it as soon as I got my package and I love it. Love love love. I'll get a review of this up as "soon" haha. One quick trial and I already know I want more colours :D

As usual I got a load of samples, and most of them are cream or lotions which I love trying out <3

Hopefully I'll review something soon...
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Bought with the money of a poor student i.e. me

Mini Haul!

YAY! My stuff from testerkorea finally arrived. It took so long because they were waiting for my eyebrow pencil which was out of stock :( In the end I decided not to wait so that's not part of my haul.

Enjoy!... I guess?







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From left to right:
1. [innisfree] Green tea serum
2. [LANEIGE] Pore control BB cushion
3. Keratin SilkProtein Hair Aqua Essence
4. [It'sSkin] Green Tea Calming Cleansing Oil

All of these products are from testerkorea.com. I am not sponsored or affiliated with them in any way. They're my new favourite site to order off because prices average about $5 cheaper than cosmetic.jolse.com.

Hopefully you'll get a review for the BB cushion soon! (Kinda worried about the colour, was deciding between this one and the next shade down). Am also expecting good things from the serum based on all the reviews and recommendations from makeup bloggers. It's a pretty small bottle and quite expensive for NZD$21 (USD$16) T T

Special thanks to my sis for buying this for my birthday :D

[THEFACESHOP] Milky Moisture Tint

HI GUYS! I'm still alive LOL. I lost a lot of motivation after getting crushed by the workload from last year. Now that I've finished my internship and uni is once again under way, it's time to procrastinate :D

Container. Yes the hand photo is completely unnecessary.

Bare lips -> 1 coat -> Maxed out colour

Sorry about the cracked lips... I really need one of those lip masks xD".

This tint looks nothing like its container colour... THE PACKAGE IS A LIE D: Then again it could be due to the natural colour of my lips mixed with the tint. I'm not sure how the above image will look on your screens, but it's kinda like a deep orange on mine, which reflects what it looks like in real life.

Pros:
✓ Moisturising compared to other tints I've tried (I like the formula better than the Etude House one)
✓ Long-lasting
✓ Cute, sturdy container
✓ Nice price at around $7 USD on testerkorea.com.

Cons:
✗ Colour looks different from the packaging D:<

Overall: 4.5/5 - I am pretty pleased with this tint :>

Disclaimer: We are not sponsored by testerkorea. Opinions are completely our own.

[Etude House] Color in Liquid Lips

It's arrived! I've been dying to get one of these since I saw these pictures!

This is a review for the Etude House Color in Liquid Lips, which is the newest release from Etude House!

The design of these totally remind me of the Maybelline Color Elixirs, the whole lipstick design but SURPRISE! It's actually a lip gloss! (Or in this case, a lip mousse.)

As always, Etude House packaging is spot on. Is there really a time where Etude House's packaging didn't do it justice?

Just some close ups of the design and size. It's really designed to look like a lipstick, but it's described as a "water sliding texture". However, as you can see in the following picture, it's definitely more like a mousse or cream than gloss.

Got mine in BE101, which is supposed to look like this.

I keep trying to find the perfect, beige-y, soft, everyday lip colour, which I was so hopeful this time. Did it live up to my dreams?

Oh yes, the tear-drop applicator; extremely useful and well designed. Already, out of the tube it looks slightly darker than the picture shown on the Etude House website.

Swatched on my hand it shows up a muted pink coral, which really is not a beige. The texture is definitely not "water sliding texture", and despite its claims of not being sticky, it is a little. Definitely not sticky like the Innisfree Lip Lacquer, but still a little sticky. 

Sorry, I had my four wisdom teeth pulled out the day before and my lips are quite dry U_U
I definitely do not call that beige. I seem to have hit another coral-y colour, in a different formula... sigh.

And the formula... is just so unforgiving.
Which I find weird, because it's supposed to contain sweet almond oil and sunflower oil for "vivid colour" and "long lasting shine"? 
Don't get me wrong; it's is glossy when you apply it, but it applies on a little patchy, and the only way to really fix it is by patting it in, which loses the shininess, and also cause it to feel a little drying...
On the plus side, the scent is nice; my boyfriend commented on that before anything else.

Maybe lipliner and practise will help me get better with this formula, but that does seem like an awful lot of work :c

Maybe I'll pass it onto a friend?

Much better after moisturising and exfoliating!

If you take the time, it can look quite nice I guess :D

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Pros:
☺Amazing packaging
☺Nice scent
☺Pretty colour

Cons:
☹ Unforgiving formula that's also a little patchy
☹ Colour doesn't match up to the site colour

Overall: 3/5
Verdict: B-. I think the two things that really let this down was the formula being really unfriendly on chapped lips and being a little patchy. Also, the colour for BE101 is totally not what they show in the picture; a major let down, and not the first time for Etude House.
I guess I'm still on my hunt for the perfect everyday colour, but I might have to stop shopping online since I seem to keep not getting the colour I want. 

You can buy it from jolse.com, or F21beauty on ebay (which is the cheapest option so far). Not sponsored; all opinions are my own.

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[Etude House] Sugar Tint Balm

I bought this in a recent haul that can be seen here.

What's up everyone? The first month of the year is already nearly over!

Thankfully it's still hot and summery here, which calls for pink lip colours :D
For example, the Etude House Sugar Tint Balm in Pink Macaron.

I love the box it comes in; it's absolutely gorgeous. Etude House always nails their packaging, and I think this is another example of their prowess. I never have the heart to throw out their boxes even though they sit uselessly in my drawer. 

Ingredients and descriptions of the balm is on the exterior of the box. 
Mine is in #05, PK002, Pink Macaron. 
On the Etude House website, the colour is shown on the lips is sort of different to the colour it shows on the tube which is a little misleading. I thought the colour of the balm would show up like the picture on the lips but it really doesn't. 

Anyway, as you can see in the images above, the base of the tube is screwed, so the lid doesn't come off randomly, which is quite nice as I can see this product as something people would carry around in their bags. 

Cold lighting

Swatch in warm lighting 

The colour is a lot cooler toned and less opaque as shown in the pictures provided by Etude House.

The Sugar Tint Balm is described on the Etude House website as coming with 'a sweet colour that gently melts into lips for long-lasting soft and moist lips'.
It's more opaque than I thought, but definitely not at the level of lipsticks or lip butters. It does create moist looking lips, but the moisture sits on the lips more than penetrating in to improve the condition of your lips. Also, it's not entirely forgiving on dryer lips.

This product is scented; it smells sweet like the typical Etude House product. A slightly cheap, sweet scent, but not off putting.

Pretty nice for an every day touch of colour!

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Pros:
☺Provides moisture
☺Good packaging (no loose lids floating around in your bag)
☺Subtle, everyday colour

Cons:
☹ Scented (which may be off-putting)
☹ Not amazing on chapped lips (but not bad either)

Overall: 3.5/5
Verdict: B. Good, but not something to write home about. Probably wouldn't buy another one--not because I didn't like it, but because I know there's better out there. Bought from jolse.com here for $8.98 USD. Not sponsored; all opinions are my own.

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[Etude House] Play Nail Arctic Aurora

I bought this in a recent haul that can be seen here.

The full name of this product is pretty long actually; it's Etude House Play Nail, in the Arctic Aurora edition (otherwise known as the 2014 Winter Edition), "Dancing Aurora", #302.

Originally, I wanted to get the Snow Queen and the Falling Polaris shades as well, but both were out of stock too. This line seems to be pretty popular huh.

On a side note, can we just appreciate how gorgeous the names are? Falling Polaris? Dancing Aurora? Totally makes me think of this beautiful, frozen landscape with ethereal lights in the skies.

My boyfriend's mom (who's a total nail polish junkie) loved the shade "Dancing Aurora" when she saw it on my nails, and she's asked me to buy one for her as well. I agree with her though; this is one gorgeous shade.

The one I got is the one smack bang in the middle. 

The bottle in real life isn't nearly so light coloured. 

Here she is--on the pelt of a polar bear. (I jest; we don't go hunting polar bears in NZ.) 

As you can see, the formula in the bottle appears much darker than the on in the image. 

There's minimal packaging on here, and somehow Etude House can still  manage to make it fricking adorable. The snowflakes? The mama polar and the baby polar bear? So cute.

I have no idea what difference there is for the Etude House brush compared to other brands but it's just so easy to apply, even for a total nail polish noob like me.

Here's with one layer on. It's sheer and pretty; adds a sheer pink sparkly layer to my nails, and can I just emphasise again how easy it was?

Second layer makes it more opaque. I didn't go for a third layer. 

One thing I just adore about this nail polish is the formula. It doesn't streak, it applies on like a dream, and it starts setting within a few minutes.
I accidentally smacked my nail against my keyboard about 2-3 minutes after applying and I was certain I'd have to start over, but it had already set enough to not dent! O: It takes a bit longer to totally set, but I love how quickly it starts to harden.

I totally love this nail polish shade and formula. I'm definitely buying more from this line when jolse restocks.

One final picture of my nails again~

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Pros:
☺Streak free
☺Applies on like a dream
☺Starts drying quickly
☺Can go from sheer to opaque

Cons:
☹ Smells like nail polish, but what do I expect? XD

Overall: 5/5
Verdict: A++! I love it! I'm going to buy other shades as well when they're back. I got this review up as quickly as I could because I just love it so much I wanted to share it with everyone.

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Mini Jolse Haul

Not even sure if this qualifies as a haul LOL, but just a couple of items I wanted to share.

As usual, jolse shipped these items out incredibly quickly; got it in NZ in 5 days. Impressive as always. 

I didn't even realise all these items were in a similar shade until it got here so I figure this colour must be a new phase I'm going through.

From left to right:

• BBIA Shade and Shadow, colour no. 7
• Etude House Sugar Tint Balm, colour no. 5, "Pink Macaroon"
• Etude House Play Nail ARCTIC AURORA, colour no. 302, "Dancing Aurora"

Will review the items soon, especially the nail polish; I tried it on as soon as I got home and safe to say, I already love it. I'll talk about it very soon. 

Jolse seems a little stingier with their samples this time; only three. I'm pretty keen to try the Lioele Secret Pore Rich Balm, which I've read a couple of good reviews on. 

Not too interested in the other two though; I've got enough bb cream samples to use for at least half a year, and I've already got lotions I'm loving.

I reviewed the nail polish here!

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