Koreadepart Haul!

It's Skin Power 10 VC & VB Effector and Skinfood Black Bean Eye Brow Pencil in #3 Black Brown

I don't know why I didn't order from Koreadepart until now. Whenever I would search for more information on Korean skincare or makeup items I was interested in, Koreadepart would always show up. I didn't think you could actually buy from there! It's a good thing I know now because it's awesome!

I made my order on a Thursday and they received my payment the same day. With Koreadepart, you have to send the payment for the items and the shipping yourself through Paypal. I received the shipping fee notification 4 days later on a Monday and paid the shipping fee the day of. It shipped the next day on Tuesday and I received it 10 days later on a Friday.

I chose Registered Mail and it cost $8.54 for 0.5kg (They also have EMS). It had a tracking number but it is not as detailed as using EMS (where they show every single stop). It only showed when it left Korea (through track-trace) and when it arrived in the U.S. and at the post office (through the USPS website). 

My items arrived safely wrapped with plenty of bubble wrap. I received some samples as well! I picked up two Power 10 Effectors from It's Skin. VB got good reviews so I hope it helps me out with my oiliness! The VB Effector was $6.91 and the VC Effector was $6.79. 

Skinfood Black Bean Eye Brow Pencil in #3 Black Brown

I wanted to try out the eye brow pencil from Etude House but they didn't carry it so I got one from Skinfood instead. I went to the Skinfood store to see how the color would look like and was kind of worried because it looked too brown. The sales associate was insisting I use #2 which is Black Grey because she has black hair as well, but #3 works for me. 

As you can see, it is darker than MAC's Spiked. I'm not used to the darker color since I've been using the MAC one, but if I use a light hand and/or brush it out it looks fine. I find that MAC's eye brow pencil is easier to use because the tip is smaller and the product is softer so you can lightly brush it on. Skinfood's eye brow pencil is bigger and longer (like an oval) so it's a bit harder to stay within the lines. Also, the product isn't as soft as MAC's so you have to use a harder hand to get the color and that can make it look too dark. 

Even though it's not as great as MAC's Spiked eye brow pencil, I would still repurchase it because of the price. Even though MAC's pencil lasts me a few months, $15 is a lot for a simple eye brow pencil. Skinfood's eye brow pencil does the job and it's cheap! (Side note: I saw that it was $5 in the store. Even though it's cheaper on the website, with shipping costs it's about the same). Skinfood contains 0.12g of product and MAC contains 0.09g, so there isn't a big difference but you can get 5 Skinfood pencils for the price of one MAC pencil.

I think Koreadepart is wayyy better than Gmarket for buying Korean skincare and cosmetics. One of the biggest pros is shipping. Gmarket's shipping is SO expensive. I recently added two items to my shopping bag (It's Skin Power 10 Effector and a cell phone case) and the estimated shipping cost was around $40. I know that it's EMS and that they will use the actual shipping cost, but it's not worth it if you're only purchasing a few items. Koreadepart offers Registered Mail along with EMS which I prefer since I'm only buying a few items and I don't need it ASAP.

Another thing Koreadepart has over Gmarket is that their website is in English. It's so hard finding other brands or items on Gmarket that are not the most popular brands (such as Etude House, It's Skin, etc.). I found it impossible to find items because I didn't know the Korean translation for it and I could only find some if they had English in the item name. With Koreadepart, you can search by brand or type which I think is awesome because I can search for things such as cleansing oils or primers from different brands. 

Koreadepart is an awesome place for us to buy Korean skincare and cosmetics and is a great alternative to Gmarket and ebay. I'll definitely be ordering from the again!!!

Some Things From Ulta

Ecotools Bamboo Smudge Eyeliner Brush & Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder

I was looking for cheaper alternatives to the smudge brush the makeup artist from the Make Up For Ever Makeup Bag Event used to apply the crease color on my eye lids and thought this might be a good alternative. It's too pointed and small to use in the crease, but it's great for smudging eyeliner and applying eye shadow along the bottom lash line. I find the sharpener side to be useless because most of my pencils don't fit (for example, Milani's Liquif'eye Metallic eye liner pencil). 

Another issue I have with Ecotools in general is the packaging. I know they are eco friendly and all, but I think that most people do not use the original packaging to store their brushes. I feel like it would be better for them to have recyclable packaging.

The main thing I was looking for in Ulta was this new matte powder from Essence. I wanted the loose powder, but I don't think they released it in the U.S. because it's not on the website or in the store. 

I got Rimmel's Stay Matte powder before to try to help with my oily forehead and nose, but it didn't live up to my expectations (I would get oily after only 3-4 hours and the color didn't match with my skin). I've tried this matte powder for a few days now and I like it better than Rimmel's matte powder. 

Pros:
-Smooth powder
-Natural looking finish (not that unnatural super matte finish)
-Lasted about 5 hours until I got shiny
-Translucent
-Cheap ($3.99)

Cons:
-Only available in Ulta

Etsy Store: ripe

I was on the search for a lip balm because my Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment that I got from Sephora's Beauty Insider's Birthday Gift is halfway done and about to fall off its base (I feel it wiggling around when I apply it). I don't think it's worth it to buy the full size ($22.50 for a freaking lip balm?!) so I searched Etsy for something similar (lemon scent, beeswax, essential oils). I narrowed my search for items in California to be a bit more local and to get it faster and found ripe shop. They had what I was looking for and more and shipping was very affordable!

My lip balms arrived bubble wrapped and in this cute hand made pouch! The lip balms were also sealed with plastic!

ripe Brown Sugar Lip Balm $4.00

Oh man, the scent of this is so strong! It definitely smells of sugar and caramel. My boyfriend said that he wanted to eat it!

ripe Lavender Lemon All Natural Lip Balm $6.00

I am absolutely in love with this scent! It has the fresh, uplifting scent of lemons with the calming scent of lavender. Both of these lip balms do the job, but compared to the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment these have a thin consistency. Still, I love these so much that I ordered more!

Mineral Fusion Brush Cleaner

Mineral Fusion Brush Cleaner

I was planning on making my own daily brush cleaner until I saw this at Sprouts (a grocery store with natural/organic foods, kind of like Whole Foods). I felt too lazy to make my own and this was all ready, plus it had oils and extracts so I thought why not! It contains 3.45 fl oz/ 60ml and was $8.99.

This brush cleaner does the job but the alcohol scent is really strong. I also notice more shedding, but maybe it's because those are my cheap brushes. Still, I'm glad I have something to clean my brushes with after every use! I also like the grapefruit scent it leaves on the brushes. 

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer Swatches

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealers in Fair/Light, Light, & Light/Medium

I wanted a new concealer because I felt like my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer wasn't doing it. I also had it for a year now so it was definitely time to throw it out. I went back to Sonia Kashuk's concealer palette and Hard Candy's Glamoflauge concealer, but I didn't like how either of them looked. I checked out Makeupalley's reviews and saw that this concealer had an average rating of 4.1 out of 5. Walgreens also had 50% off Rimmel cosmetics so I definitely had to try it out! First I picked up the light/medium shade, but it was too dark for my skin. Next time I went, I picked up light and fair/light. 

Left to right: Fair/Light, Light, Light/Medium

The range of colors are really weird. Light is super pink, light/medium is tan, and the next one up (Medium) looks straight up yellow. Fair/light works for me right now and I'm hoping that light/medium will work when I get tanned during the summer. I'm bummed I can't return the shade Light because Walgreens doesn't accept opened/used cosmetics unless it caused a bad skin reaction. 

I'm still figuring out if I like it or not. When I first tried it, I liked how it didn't crease as much as my other concealers. I can also put a few layers without making it cakey, but I still see my dark circles showing through. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude

I was finally able to get my hands on this after going to 3 different stores. I got it at Target for $3.99. NYX also has a nude pencil, but the closest Ulta is about 15 minutes away. 

I picked this up to use on my waterline to brighten up my eyes. It is super creamy and I have to be careful in applying it so that I don't get it in my lashes. I haven't worn this out yet, but after 10 minutes I can see that it's starting to wear off. Still, I'm glad Rimmel has given us a drugstore option for nude eyeliners!

Gmarket Haul #8!

OMG...I've had so many problems with Gmarket lately. The two items above are from two separate orders so technically this isn't a haul but I decided to put it together anyway. First off the items and then the problems.

GY8024 Black Lace-up Ankle Boots

29,800 won (~$28.45) (discounted price)

Seller

I finally got a pair of black boots that I was looking for, but they weren't perfect! I ordered a size 240 (I'm a US size 7), but these were tight when I first tried them on (my toes touch the front of the boot and the boot shaft is slim). I feel like these are more of a size 6.5. I wore them out the past two days and they loosened a teeny bit so I hope that they will loosen even more with wear. Other than that these boots are great! The quality is very good. They didn't reek of chemicals. The sides of the boot and the insole are cushiony! I'm thinking of buying another pair (maybe in a size 245 instead) because these boots are the kind I'm looking for and this seller actually has it in stock (compared to other sellers where I've tried to buy boots from, but I'll explain more later).

Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil

12,800 won (~$12.30)

Seller

I bought this back in January. I haven't been using it a lot because I want to finish the Kracie Purenavi Cleansing Serum but I've tried this a few times. The oil is slick and not thick. It emulsifies easily and it cleanses well. I feel like I don't have to follow up with a cleansing foam when I use this. This has that fake apple smell like apple flavored bubble gum but it doesn't bother me. This also does not include mineral oil.

Ok, so now onto the issues:

1) The Long Frustrating Journey of Finding New Boots
In my previous Gmarket haul, I got a pair of black boots but they weren't the ones I was looking for because the boot shaft was too short. In my next order, I ordered a pair of boots from a different seller along with the Innisfree Apple Juicy cleansing oil. A few days later, the boots were cancelled and it was too late to return the cleansing oil so I only receive that. Luckily I had a gift certificate from the Top Bloggers so I just paid $16.32.

For my next order, I order another pair of boots from a different seller. I check a few days later and see that it is "On Delivery". After a week I send an inquiry to both the seller and the Gmarket help center telling them that it's been a week and it still hasn't arrived at Gmarket and I receive an email saying the order was cancelled. I feel like if I didn't email them, I would be waiting forever for them to finally notice anything. Finally, I made the third order with the boots shown above. When I made the order I also added an item from Etude House but a day or two later, I put in a return request for it because I was so afraid of the same thing happening again. Luckily it didn't but I didn't want to take any chances.

Overall, it took a few times just to get the kind of boots I was looking for. One of the downfalls of Gmarket is having the item go out of stock and being cancelled even though it was "available" at the time of order. It wouldn't be so bad if I had ordered a bunch of other things, but nowadays I only order a few items. What I do now is wait a few days before placing my order in case an item becomes out of stock.

2) Not being able to pay
I feel like this is a technical issue, but sometimes I'm not able to pay. For example, when I click the "Pay Now" button it doesn't load or go to the next page. It happens when this shows up:



I find that it only goes through when this is shown:



Really random and weird but I've had this issue and it's extremely frustrating because you just want to buy the stuff and receive it already.