Face Base Collection

So it's almost the end of the year and I think I've done almost every major round up so far except for Foundation/CC Cream/BB cream and such and such. Well it's safe to assume that this collection won't be updating any time soon since I'm pretty satisfied and this will last quite long i.e. a couple of years

Etude House Double Lasting Foundation in Tan Review

Etude House has had several attempts at improving their base products from innovative primers to reinventing their BB creams, I've paid attention a few times in the past and some I've liked and some not as much but by golly I think they've finally hit the nail on this one. So listen up High coverage loving, oily-skinned people. Etude House has finally made a base that has got you covered.

Price: P1078

Missha All Around Safe Block Sebum Zero Sun SPF50+/PA+++

Sunscreen, an essential if you don't want to prematurely age or get skin cancer. But I honestly find in irritating to buy one since I'm very picky with their consistencies and how they'll affect my makeup on top and how my skin will react with all its glorious oiliness to them. So I'm constantly jumping around looking for something that'll meet my needs.

Price: P360-P500 Online

The SAEM Cover Perfection Tip Concealer Review

Korean beauty has begun to take over my life again thanks to YouTube and this was a purchase born from their influence. And The Saem is apparently very famous for their concealer formulas, so can it hold up to its claims?

Price: P230-P350 online

Description:

1. Topical area coverage concealer for freckles, blemishes and dark circles.

2. Easy adjusting, convenient tip type concealer.

3. Perfectly fitted to the spots thinly and lightly.

4. Giving brightness and radiance to the skin by covering pores, freckles, blemishes and dark circles.

Too Cool For School Art Class by Rodin

I don't like to keep my love for bronzing and contouring (please refer to this post) a secret, I've had many successful affairs with the ones in my collection and after hearing one of my favorite YouTubers, Edward Avila, rave about this, I knew I had to get it. And knowing Korean brands don't exactly give much focus on contouring, this has been a stand-out in the market,

Price:Variable online, may go from P800-P900

Description:

Too Cool for School’s Art Class by Rodin completes your 3-dimensional makeup with its full set of contouring colors. This shading powder allows you to sculpt your face’s bone structure to be able to create a more gorgeous look without looking matte and flat! This contouring powder is baked the Terracotta way, which makes it give off a more pigmented color and a much smoother texture compared to usual powders. Infused with organic ingredients, this powder not only gives you a beautiful makeup look but also nourishes your skin with its vitamin content.

Content: 9.5g

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask

Clay Masks. Perhaps a boon and a bane for oily skin. Boon as it deep cleanses pores and effectively reduces oiliness, bane because it just generally comes with that tightening and drying sensation which leaves skin so parched. But this mask comes along and is just the opposite of these preconceptions. 

Price runs from P500-P600 variably on Shopee

Skin Food Salmon Dark circle Concealer Cream

I’ve gravitated back into the wonderful world of Korean beauty lately and thanks to Shopee, I have my desires sated. And thanks to a little push from a male Filipino YouTuber named Edward Avila in Korea, I had to get this. Though I’ve known about the existence of this little pot years back, I haven’t been convinced to get this back then.

Price: Currently P400+ on Shopee PH
Availability: belaisenares on Shopee PH

Brand Chat: Innisfree Capsule Reviews

A bit of a new corner here called Brand Chat, which basically can mean an extensive talk on one brand and their products, my personal experience with them and what I expect and think of them with the products I have in my arsenal. And kicking this off is the Korean beauty brand, Innisfree.

The Lip Collection

It's been ages since the last post so I suppose I'll have to make up for that with a more heavy composition. And I can say with confidence that this was the most time consuming roundup but certainly the least boring. And I think that as a makeup enthusiast, lipsticks are definitely that beauty product that you can really say that "Before I knew it I had 20." It seems that every few months or weeks that the number balloons.

So I have about 25 lipsticks but not all are in active rotation, sadly. And I think I have a couple here that are nearing their limit at 2 years old. But besides that, I'm pretty happy with my collection, they're like a family. And I sadly ran out of the Etude House Lip liners, a short-lived romance but nothing a visit to Etude House can change. No lip balms here as I only have one, as listed in my Skincare Routine 2015 post, I only have the Nivea Lip Butter in raspberry. So without further ado, meet the family!

Additions to the Arsenal #2: Makeup and a Mask

A little collective haul from the past week to cheer myself up from my illness and the fact that I've missed a good week of work from this.

Banila Co. Clean It Zero Foam Cleanser: The Less Known Sister

I think a majority of Korean beauty and skincare enthusiasts are aware of the existence of the award winning Banila Co. Clean it Zero Cleansing Balm. In fact it's literally everywhere nowadays. But since I wasn't looking for a cleansing balm, but was also curious about Banila Co.'s other offerings, this found itself in my shopping basket.

Etude House Play 101 Stick #Contour Duo (Photo Heavy) Review

I never thought I'd see the day when the Highlighter capital of the world would produce a contour stick.

Price: P 748.00

Description: A creamy contour duo that creates a look of authentic dimentionality of face.

Content: .05oz/1.7g x 2

Etude House Liquid Color Lips in PK008 & PK003 Review

Every year Etude House releases some new form of a lip product. Last year this was one of them.

I have two bold colors, namely PK003 and PK008. Both are bright pink but with different undertones. Intensely pigmented and emollient on the lips, this one’s for every bold lip girl out there. But of course it can be applied lightly for a more subdued look.

Etude House Soft Touch Auto Lip Liner Review

Lip liners. Never really got into them. Until now that is.

Description:

Auto dispense pencil comes in multiple shades to create a lip boundary with soft texture and fine line application for elegant, uniform expression.

Price: P98

Net Content: 0.2g

Etude House Beauty Shot Face Blur Cream Review

I feel that it has been ages since I posted here, well there was a lot of adjusting I needed to do at my new job, I currently work as a hospital pharmacist at a hospital 14 km away from me! And to be honest the commute takes out more of me than the actual job. But I work for the MONEY baby, so I'll get through this! But anyhow, I have gotten a few new things, my previously ordered products from march are to arrive next week and I will be posting about that as well as my favorite new sunscreen base which I am torn between this and that. And on to the review and away with the rambling.

Price: P898 (Bought it for 850 since I used up all my points)

Description:

This lightweight cream provides multi-blurring effects for instantly refined and smooth skin. Skin’s texture is smoothed; pores minimized and complexion brightened.

Filters Filters Filters! As much I want to hashtag NOfilter on my selfies outside of my blog (selfies in itself is a rare occasion) I admit that even with makeup I need a little brightening and smoothening. Call it the "perfectionarcicissm" of our generation. We'll never get enough Camera360, VSCOCam and Skinny Apps in our lifetime, we'll always want to look better instantly even just for that one photo. But of course I'd want to take that filtered face outside the square frame and into reality, so that's where blur cream comes in, though truth be told this is not my first blur cream, but I'll do a comparisons post next time.

I am no stranger to Etude House bases, I have liked their Choux cream base, which felt like velvet cream on skin but could get a bit heavy when you need to put on liquid foundation, concealer and setting powder, I am always infatuated with their concepts. But I first found out about this blur cream with this quirky little ad:

And this very convincing How to video from Hyo-young from InsiteTV

So I was sold, I bought a bottle (which turned out to be the last on in stock from the store I bought it from). It was cheaper compared to other blur creams available in the local market (Happy Skin and The Body shop) And I am tempted to get the Happy Skin one so I can do comparisons as I already have the Body Shop one.

Bare Face with redness and uneven skin tone

 My skin will probably never look as smooth as Ayase Haruka's from Japan but I can try to fake it right?

The cream is a tolerably fragrant lightweight white runny cream with not visible shimmer or glitter. It blends easily into skin and melts in to give you "filtered" bright and smooth skin. Dare I say I can go out wearing only this with no foundation needed! (If your skin is looking clear) It can give a blurring effect on pores and slight blemishes but not on full blown red acne which will need some help from a good concealer on top. But if you're a true Etude House Junkie, the consistency is like the Baby Choux base meets their Nymph Aura Volumer.

Blended

Closer look

You can stick with the dewy look but I'm not too keen on that since my skin is very oily, so I'll mattify with a translucent powder. Oil control is around 4-5 hours on me with powder by the way.

With concealer ONLY UNDER THE EYES  and Mattified with translucent powder

Slight blemishes peeking through, yet I don't mind them as much as I would anymore. The effect is honestly awesome. I look filtered! But this probably won't work as well in Ultra HD DSLR cameras but for your phone and lower resolution digicams this could definitely make you looked like a filtered goddess!

Closer look

Overall great product from Etude House, definitely walks the talk. It brightens, blurs blemishes and smoothens.  And definitely shot to my favorites in the primer/makeup base category, But be warned to wear SPF underneath for daytime as it only provides a low SPF 15, or skip it altogther if you're going to use it on a night out! In fact also be warned that this might incur a white face in flash.photography.  However this might not be so ideal for those with darker skin as it is a white cream. So test it before ending up with a bottle of ashiness. But if it can work for your skin tone and type, give it a go! 

Etude House Drawing Show Brush Liner in Brown

Price: P548

Description:

Brush pen eyeliner conveniently produces smooth, clean lines for stark definition.

Directions

1. Use brush to trace lines along upper and lower eye lines.

2. For stronger look,trace thick lines along upper and lower eye lines in one motion.

I'm not  very good with eye-liner, it is perhaps the most difficult makeup skill for me. I can never seem to get it right, and I am aware that practice makes perfect, but I also find that it is important to have the right product. I bought this at the Etude House sale last December.

Bare lids

 This is my first serious eye liner, I've never been serious about them at all, I'd buy the cheapest kind only to have it end in a disastrous way every time I try. It comes in a plastic brown container, not sleek as metal but it will do, and it has a very fine brush applicator, I have to say I am impressed with that bit since I am so used to seeing thick brushes on the cheap stuff. In fact the brush is so fine, I found out I could draw thin lines after all.

Applied on (your) left eye

 It is very easy to work with as well, since it dispenses product with the slightest touch. Very good for subtle definition.

But it can also be good for thicker lines as well.Of course seeing this is a brown eyeliner the effect is less dramatic and stark as black. And may need going over some parts at times for full impact.

The Water Test

 

Holds up to water well

But is rendered powerless against rubbing

 Overall a good try for beginners at eye liner, good point about it being easily removed by rubbing is that it can be easily corrected when one makes a mistake, I think a good recommendation for it to be more sturdy, would be to go over it with an eyeshadow to set it. But for the pros when it comes to liner, the Drawing show creamy liner would be a better choice as it is a long wearing gel.

Etude House BB Cream Comparison: Perfect Fit, Cotton Fit & Blooming Fit

Who doesn't love samples? They are a great way of giving you the feel of the product which will save you money and tears if it's disappointing and something to look forward to purchasing in the future if the experience is good. For a long time, stores in Korea have been giving out samples with purchases to give the customers a preview of other items, and if or they have, they'd be great for travel right?

Anyway, a few weeks I received a free BB cream sample from Etude House with 3 variants of their bestselling BB cream: Perfect fit, Cotton fit and Blooming fit. I don't want to purchase any more base products at the moment if possible since I still have a LOT to go through , so I thought this wold be the perfect time to try out samples and give you guys my thoughts, especially for someone who is in need of recommendations. Keep in mind my skin is very oily and acne-prone. The shade from the testers is W13, the second lightest shade, from what I remember.

Description:

Consistency comparison.

My face was recovering from breakouts during that time of the month, though feint in real life, the camera just hates me haha, but none of the red marks are raised, all are healing. But it's quite good, (not for me) as a gauge for you to see the coverage of each BB cream.

My skin is oily all over since the start of puberty, I am the most spotty during my period, and my pores are mildly noticeable.

No photos were retouched and no concealer or powder was used.

Click for fuller size and better view 

Perfect Fit

From what I can remember since I tried out the original Precious mineral BB cream, this is the improved version of the original, or let's say the relaunched version, this is basically the middle ground between Cotton fit which is matte and Blooming fit which is dewy. It didn't smell as strongly as  remember, and less of that grey tone, their shades have definitely gone more beige.  I believe this is recommended for normal skin types as it is not quite matte, and it is hydrating to the skin, lasts well with or without powder, and is overall has a medium coverage, Evens skin tone quite well and covers mild blemishes, but any more prominent ones will need concealer. But it does have that "set" feeling, when it's not so dewy but if you are oily skinned, only the cotton fit variant will be able to cater to you. This variant does have a bit of oil control, at around 2 hours without powder, and depending on your powder it could last longer. 

Cotton Fit

This was a surprising product for me since it launched, I guess a year ago (or was it two?) that Etude released a matte BB cream, because most of their base products promoted that glowy dewy look. I think this also won an award from Get it beauty a while back. This variant has the thickest consistency of the three as you can see from the photo of the three creams on the plastic pan above. And when I saw the three under fluorescent or artificial lighting, this one leaned more to pink than the rest.Though thick it is not suffocate skin, to be frank, it actually isn't that thick at all, I find this is a normal consistency for liquid foundations rather than BB's. It covers just as perfect fit does but a bit more difficult to blend on skin (I used my fingers), since it sets like a powder, you must blend it fast. This holds oil around 3 hours without powder, 4-5 with powder, of course again depending on your powder. This is recommended for oily skin, who steer clear of the dewy finishes. It doesn't have a strong scent as well, reminds me more of baby powder. 

Blooming Fit

The easiest to blend, runny and thin consistency. and very hydrating. The dewiness this cream gives is lovely, I think this would be the variant I'd choose if I was not an oily skinned girl. See from the photo that skin just looks gleaming with this on. Definitely the most dewy of the bunch, made for the extra dry skinned girls, I think this would be most suited for them in Winter, especially if they get dry patches or skin is dehydrated in the cold.  Good for them, but not good for me,I'd oil up in less than 30 minutes with this without powder, and an hour and a half tops with powder on. though I adore that radiant young dewy glow, I find myself likening it to my slick face. Otherwise very good for the dry skinned girls. The smell is almost the same with the Precious Minerals Any Cushion, which I have, i could swear it was the same BB cream in there, but the Cushion BB is just more superior in terms of coverage, oil control and SPF, so it's not the same.

Since all three have the same SPF and same benefits, and they seemingly have the same level of medium coverage, now it's just the matter of choosing for your skin type, Cotton for oily, Perfect for Normal, and Blooming for Dry skin. As for combination, I think it's all learning how large the surface area of your concerns are, and choosing the product that best corresponds to that.

Overall I find all of their variants to be good, and suitable for day time, especially with their SPF, although I for one would definitely use a different SPF product underneath. I wouldn't use this if I know flash photography is involved though, High SPF usually equates to Pale white faces on flash cam photos.

Hope this helped you in choosing what BB cream from Etude House would benefit you the most.

Etude House Color Lips-fit in PK002 Silhouette Pink

This has been back log for months now and I have finally took the effort to take pictures today. my laziness is infinite!

 Price: P498

Description: 

This is a revolutionary liquid type Lipstick that moistly glides onto lips with its vivid color and finishes off with a weightless powdery texture.

Content: 10g

I was really in to lovely strong bright pinks a few months back and picked this up at Etude house. Normally I would have chosen a beige or orange color but this pink stood out too much and the pigmentation is a dream. So off I went to the counter. The packaging is also darling!

I might be too presumptuous to call this a dupe for the YSL Babydoll kiss et blush, but it may have a similar feel. As the color lips fit is a dual functioning product for cheeks and lips. It is a bit thick, similar to Nyx soft matte lip cream. It applies smoothly but be careful as the pigment is strong and making a mistake is very hard to correct.

It also has a perfumed scent, some may enjoy and some might scoff at but I don't mind. But beware that this is a true blue velvety matte finish, which I appreciate as an oily faced female but some might steer clear of that. For lips it is quite nice but I'm not very comfortable with matte products so I do apply some lip balm underneath or lip gloss over the top.

In Action on lips and cheeks

It is a strong cool pink that pops out nicely on a face, good for fair skinned ladies and would work for our morena sisters out there! It lasts long too, well that's an advantage of a matte product. Worth checking out if you want something multi-functional in your makeup bag.

Etude House Dear my blooming lipstick in BE101 Review

I am a big fan of beige-y pinkish nudes and it was no surprise that I picked up this shade at Etude House.

Price: P478

Available at all Etude house stores

Content: 3.4 g

Etude House does not disappoint the girly girl with their pink and fit for a princess packaging. Although this is now repackaged in stores in Korea, not a drastic change but it corrects that stray lipstick bullet issue.

Anyways there is a lovely heart embossing on the bullet itself and a pleasant smell present even in their look at my lips collection. And boy do I love that scent.

Here's what it look likes on my pale lips.

Not too nude and not too pink, like a light wash of natural pigment on lips. And it is also quite hydrating. Of course the feel would differ on different skin tones but feel free to check this out at your local etude house stores. 

And a good nude lipstick is never a bad investment.

Etude House Lovely cookie Blusher in #8 Blueberry Pie Review

Price: P348

Available in all Etude House stores