Do I really need facial mist?

What is facial mist for? Do I even need it?

The most hilarious response I've seen is...

The main purpose of face mist is to separate you from your money. It's a ridiculous waste. Don't buy any. source

I gotta say... There is some truth in that. It's not entirely a ridiculous waste of money. It has its uses, but I guess one would say it's a waste because its uses are quite minor and many can live without them.

But why do makeup artists always have mists in their kit?

What is BB Cream?

Not long ago, I was rambling about my hunt for the holy grail of BB Cream to my friend when my friend suddenly stopped me and asked...

"What in the world is BB Cream?"

I stopped surprised. BB Creams have been a craze for YEARS in Korea and South East Asia. How could she not know?

In a nutshell, BB Cream is an all-in-one make up foundation, with "all" being...

Tony Moly Aqua Aura Toner and Emulsion Review

Today, I'm going to review a product that I'm absolutely surprised with. I've never heard anything about it before and I used it expecting absolutely nothing but just regular moisturizing results. This review is 100000% my own and not influenced by any promotions, advertisements or reviews.

Presenting...

...the Tony Moly Aqua Aura Toner and Emulsion!
 

My makeup brushes: Ecotools Starter Set and Essential Eye Set

For a very long time, I only used one brush: The blush brush. I had a crappy eyeshadow brush and I felt that it caused more bad than good. As my skills got better, I decided to get a proper makeup brush set.

I literally researched it for months! I got a headache from it because of all the different kinds of reviews I came across. For all kinds of brands, high-end to low-end, there were such mixed reviews that it was hard to decide if the products was good. I had to choose which brushes I'll get, and the brand too! In the end, I decided on getting an affordable brush set that had more good reviews than bad...

...The Ecotools Starter Set ($12.99) and Essential Eye Set ($7.99).

5 Essential Makeup Brushes

When you're new to make up, it is very easy to get overwhelmed by make up brushes. Let me simplify things for you.

The picture below by Sephora shows 5 essential brushes that will meet all your make up needs (assuming you use a brush for every aspect of your makeup). Eyeliner, eyeshadow, blush, foundation and powder. The brushes as shown are straightforward and doesn't require much effort to figure out how to use it

Nature Republic Forest Garden Chamomile Cleansing Oil Review

The cleanser I'm using now, and am really happy with is the...

...Nature Republic Forest Garden Chamomile Cleansing Oil!

If you're going "Cleansing OIL?!" Read about it in my write up here.

What is double cleansing?

Have you noticed how BB Cream is TOUGH to remove? I did not believe what I had read about it, but I found that during my nightly skincare routine, my toner cottons were always dirty even after I had scrubbed my face clean with my cleansing foam. *Sigh*

This spurred me to hunt for better cleansing products and methods, which led me to discovering an essential part of the Korean skincare routine: Double Cleansing.

Korean "double cleansing" in a nutshell is...
Step 1: Cleanse your face with a creamy/oily cleanser to remove all the make up on your face.
Step 2: Wash your face using a foam cleanser to cleanse away the oil.

Result: Ta-da! Your face is supposed to be perfectly clean!

I was like, "What?!" when I saw the word "oily". I had thought that adding more oils to your face would just make your face worse. After all, cosmetics and skincare products are always going on about "Oil control", "Oil-free", bad oily T-zones, etc. So it's natural to think "Oil on face" = Bad!

Cleansing OIL as cleansers? O.O

Missha Stay All Day Stick Eyes review

Missha had its Winter Sale during the first half of December this year. Pretty much everything was 50% off! Who can resist such a sale?! I felt like buying everything there! The great thing about sales is that I can afford to just buy things to try it out. It's easier on me financially, and it feels so much better knowing that I got them at a deal!

So one of the things that caught my eye was...

...the Missha Stay All Day Stick Eyes!
 

Allure Korea Best of Beauty 2012

As people, we can't help judging things by its brand and price. We tend to be more biased to products that are more expensive, or better marketed as luxurious, premium etc., or maybe even an ordinary brand that's worked its magic once, so you assume everything from them must be awesome.

Naturally, the first time I heard about "blind tests" that Koreans do, I was immediately intrigued. Testing products without knowing its brand and price? It's got to be good.

Allure Korea conducts beauty tests every year using a combination of methods, among them being online surveys and blind tests. Over 900 products, Korean and international, were screened over by thousands of people. These participants consist of people like you and me, and professional skincare experts and make up artists.

Using my mediocre Korean, along with the help of Google translate, and my superb guessing skills, I will attempt to translate the result page for you.

Source: Allure Korea Best of Beauty 2012 


Skin

Hera Sun Mate Daily Review

Introducing... my current Holy Grail sunscreen! (Sun cream, sunscreen, sunblock... They're all the same.)

....Hera Sun Mate Daily SPF35 PA+++

Skinfood Quinoa Rich Body Milk review

If you know me, you know I hate lotion. Up till now, I still can't sleep if I feel like there's a layer of "stuff" on my skin. But what's a girl to do, when she has naturally dry skin and during winter, feels like she can't move without feeling like her skin's gonna rip? 

Hence, my hunt for a good body lotion which led me to... 

...Skinfood Quinoa Rich Body Milk

 

Why people with perfect skin should take care of their skin

"Audrey, your skin is so beautiful. What do you use on your face?"

"Um... Water and soap?"

For the longest time, I was that girl. One of the lucky few who were spared from the battle and heartache of (as the Koreans would say) "troubled" skin. I had the luxury of taking my skin for granted. And I did.

Oh.. How I regret it.

24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Vault?! A big girl's dream!

As I was looking around the web, making a Christmas wishlist I came across...

the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil Vault!

I remember when I was young, other kids would bring their big brief-case like colour pencil, crayon, or paint sets to school and show off to everyone else. All the beautiful colours laid out in order in one box... the things I could colour! I would wish I had one too! Hence, my belief that the perfect can't-go-wrong gift for kids in lower-elementary are huge colour pencil / crayon sets.

This formula stays even as kids get older, you "upgrade" from colour pencils to colour pens. A huge set of them in all colours in normal, cream or metallic, or those fancy pens that change colours as your write.

And NEXT! Who knew? There's a big girls's 'colour pencil' dream set in the form of the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil Vault... 40 FULL-SIZE eyeliners in EVERY shade and texture that Urban Decay makes.

Click here to see this in the Urban Decay site. (this is not an affiliate link)

The secret behind the photos you see

When I was young, I always wondered why advertisement models in the past looked (as media calls it now) fat and pudgy, whereas models in adverts these days are so skinny and perfect. I always assumed it was just the drastic change of model size requirements and better make up... but I was wrong.

Watch the short video below to see how she transformed from.... 

Why pay more on skincare and cosmetics?

Frugal. Economical. Thrifty.

That's what I am.

I used to be quite the extreme frugal shopper... probably even outright cheap. When it came to skincare/cosmetics, I would look around for the cheapest deal. If I wanted face wash, I would look at every single face wash at local drugstores, calculate the price per 100ml, and then choose the cheapest. This is how I chose most of what I bought. I figured soap is soap. Eyeshadow is eyeshadow. Lipstick is lipstick. How much better could a more expensive one be?