Makeup Academy Haul!

Left to Right: Lip Boom in Let Me Know, All in One Beauty Balm in Medium Dark, & Heaven and Earth Palette

Made an order from Makeup Academy (MUA) after seeing swatches and reviews of their Beauty Balm in Medium Dark. It took more than a month (4 weeks) from the day I ordered for it to arrive. I did not receive an email notifying me that it shipped nor did I receive a tracking number. I ordered back in December when they had 40% off. I also received 5 free nail polishes with the order, but I gave them away because they're the crackle nail polishes. Shipping was ₤7.50. In total I paid ₤15.01 which converted into $24.81.

There was a tear in the package, but it was lined with bubble wrap so none of the items were damaged. The nail polishes and eyeshadow palette were wrapped in bubble wrap too and they arrived perfectly. 

All in One Beauty Balm in Medium Dark ₤4.00

This was the main reason I made this order. The swatches online (here and here) looked nice and golden and yellow. When I got it, it didn't look as golden and yellow in the pictures. I forgot to take swatches, but hopefully I can do it this weekend if it's sunny! I also need to test this out still, but luckily my neck is getting lighter so hopefully it works out!

Lip Boom in LMK (Let Me Know) ₤3.00

I only got this to reach the minimum amount needed to use the 40% off coupon and to get more of the plum/burgundy lip color I've been loving! It comes with a lipstick and a lip gloss. Both smell good! The lipstick side smells like yummy smelling candles to me and the lip gloss side smells like frosting! The color of the lipstick is similar to Milani's Black Cherry lipstick. I don't think I'll be using the lip gloss side because the glitter is super chunky!

Heaven and Earth Palette ₤4.00

Lastly, I got the Heaven and Earth palette because it was cheap and they're neutrals!

Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ No.31 Brown Beige

Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ No.31 Brown Beige

Finally reviewing this BB cushion I got in November! I purchased it on Gmarket for $27.63 (29,900 won). There are other BB cushions out there, but I bought this one because they had a third shade (the other brands only have 2). 

Description:

"New Concept Cushion-type BB: A new-concept cushion-type BB with five active ingredients for Whitening + Sunscreen + Sweat-proof + Soothing + Makeup contained in the cushion to maximize the refreshing and soothing sensation. Every time you touch it, the air pump in the cushion contains air bubbles for thin and skin-friendly makeup. Also, it is provided in two separate containers to preserve the active ingredients and their functionality. The formulas can be used fresh and safely from start to finish."

"Cushiony Soothing Cushion Puff: The special puff designed to feel the refreshing soothing sensation absorbs moisture less than ordinary puff to deliver the refreshing sensation of moisture to the face and stay clean and sanitary. The formulas apply smoothly without irratation and even a small amount can spread to cover a large area."

This product is gimmicky in my opinion, but I wanted to try it out because I loved the dewy look it gave. Even though it's gimmicky with all of it's claims it's easy to use. I find that I apply this faster than a regular BB cream. One gripe is the cushion. It gets dirty easy and it takes a long time to clean. After a week of using it, I felt like I needed to clean the cushion already. I use Daiso's detergent for my makeup brushes and even though it is pretty strong, I had to wash the cushion 2-3 times for it to be completely clean. This can be a problem for germaphobes. Also, the inside of the compact can get pretty dirty/messy. 

I would say that the shade is close to an NC30, maybe even lighter. The shade is very close to Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream in No.27. It has beige undertones.

Left: without product Right: with product

Sadly this shade doesn't work for me because my face and neck are different shades. When I was first using it I thought it worked out well because it was sheer, but after finding out that it matches Missha No.27 I stopped using it because Missha No.27 is too light for me right now. 

(Gimmicky) Claims:

-Whitening: "contains White Plus Renew ComplexTM...for bright and clear skin"

-Sunscreen

-Sweat-proof: "High molecules strong against sweat and sebum form a network to form an elastic barrier on the surface of makeup to hold makeup and UV screen for a long time. Also, highly elastic cushion powder holds up the makeup barrier that can easily be collapsed by sweat and sebum for long-lasting makeup even with one layer."

-Soothing

-Makeup Effects: "The spherical powder with similar refraction rate as the skin controls oil absorption and light diffusion to prevent excess shine and creates a natural and clean skin tone with medium coverage."

This product does give me that dewy look which is great everywhere else except for my T-zone! After I apply it, my T-zone looks really oily/greasy so I have to apply powder. Unfortunately it doesn't last long. After 4 hours my face gets greasy/oily. I find that my face gets oily faster using this compared to other products. It does feel nice applying it, like a cool sensation. I also appreciate the high SPF. I can skip that step when using this. I also like how it's sheer. I think that it can be built up to medium coverage.

Overall, I wouldn't buy any more refills for this (this already came with an extra one). I feel like this would be great for the summer because it is light, easy, travel friendly, and has high SPF, but I can't use it over the summer because that's when my skin gets darker! The only time I can use it is over the winter when my skin lightens up, but by then I prefer a thicker BB cream/foundation for more moisture. 

Gmarket Haul #6

I had some problems with this Gmarket order. Finally coming around to posting it two months after I put in the order! First the haul:

It arrived in the usual 3 days. The estimated weight and shipping cost was 3.00kg and $44.07. The actual weight was 2.68kg. Shipping per item was $8.81.

Mizon Toners in Chamomile and Bulgarian Rose

9,900 won (~$9.15) + 2,500 won shipping fee

Link

This was the other rose toner I was talking about in the Meishoku Organic Rose post. I got it because it was a rose toner and it was really cheap. I haven't used it because I have all the other rose toners to go through. I did take a whiff and I can barely smell any rose scent. It is very subtle. It contains 210ml.

Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50 PA+++ in No.31 Brown Beige

29,900 won (~$27.63) + 2,500 won shipping fee

Out of Stock

I first saw BB cushions while looking at some Gmarket hauls online. I wanted to try it because of the dewy look it gave. I was thinking of getting the Hera one, but the shades they had were too light for my complexion. When I saw that Laneige had a third shade (the other brands only had two), I immediately searched Gmarket to find one for sale. I was able to find one seller who had the shade and could ship worldwide, but unfortunately it is out of stock now.

I am going to make a separate post reviewing it, but what I can say now is that it matches very closely to Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream No.27. It is also very sheer and does not have any oil control. 

The seller also gave me a bunch of samples!

Black Faux Leather Jacket
41,000 won (~$38.71)
Shop: Migunstyle (Link)

I've been wanting a black leather jacket and looked around Gmarket for one. I found other shops/sellers with the same jacket, but Migunstyle had the cheapest price. I got a size 66/Medium. It looks big in the picture, but I prefer it loose. I think that if I got a Small it would have been tight around the shoulders. I can layer underneath this jacket and zip it up all the way without it being too tight. Overall, it is exactly what I was looking for. The only con to it is that one of the zippered pockets in the front is small so I have to dig my hand into there and my hand gets caught against the zipper. Ouch >_<.

Black Circle Skirt

6,900 won (~$6.38)

Shop: Migunstyle (Link)

I was looking for a simple black circle skirt as well. Other shops/sellers had black circle skirts, but I got it at the same shop because it was cheap and I was getting the jacket and other items as well. It is an okay skirt. I would say it's good for $6.38. 

So onto the issues with this order:

1) It took a long time to ship out

All of the orders I've made with Gmarket before have shipped out a week after I made the order. This order shipped out two weeks after I made the order. 10 days after I made the order, I sent an inquiry asking why it was taking so long. They replied back the same day apologizing and saying they "would contact the person in charge of the matter". After 3 days my order finally shipped. A few days later I saw in the News section that they were having delayed worldwide shipping orders because they were having an increase of them. I just made another order recently so now I know to keep that in mind.

2) Out of stock item and wrong item sent from the shop "Migunstyle"

One of the items I ordered (this grey Beatles tee) became out of stock so I was refunded the money. When I received my package, I received the wrong skirt from the same shop/seller. I looked at their shop and they weren't even selling the skirt -__-. First, I sent an inquiry to the seller, but they replied back in Korean. I put it through google translate and it said something about sending it back for a refund. 

Next, I sent an inquiry to the Gmarket customer service. They said to email them attachments of pictures of the wrong item sent. After a week of not hearing from them, I sent another inquiry and they answered 3 days later. That same day I got refunded for the skirt. Overall, it took a long time to finally get it resolved. It is frustrating emailing back and forth and waiting for their answer. I'm just glad it's over with, but now I'm weary of buying from that shop now that I've had issues with it.

Other Gmarket news:

YOU CAN COMBINE CASH BALANCE AND PAYPAL! WHOOO!

I saw in the News section that you can use multiple payment methods. On the order I just made, I used my cash balance and paypal. 

Here is a screenshot of the payment page of the order I just made:

This is pretty good news considering that we couldn't use our cash balance unless it covered the entire order. 

So overall, not a smooth Gmarket order. Hopefully I won't have any problems with my next one!!!

Mini Skinfood Haul!

Watermelon Mask Sheet $3.30

Peach Sake Pore Essence Mask Sheet $4.40

Peach Sake Pore BB Cream in shade 05 Honey Beige $16.80

Went to the Skinfood store located in the Stonestown Galleria in San Francisco to check it out and pick up a few things! I got most of the items I wanted but they didn't have the Salmon Brightening Eye Cream because the FDA hasn't approved it yet. I asked the sales associate if they were opening any other stores in the Bay Area and she said they're opening one in Valley Fair! Hooray!!! 

Skinfood samples

I got a lot of samples! I saw a poster saying something about if you bought a face mask you get 8 samples from around the world? I can't wait to try them out!

Skinfood Peach Sake Pore BB Cream

Skinfood Peach Sake Pore BB Cream

I stumbled upon a Skinfood store in Cerritos while I was vacationing in Long Beach in July. I was super excited  because 1) Ahhhh!!! It's a Skinfood store! and 2) Ahhhh!!! They have darker shades of BB cream in their Peach Sake Pore BB Cream line! 

Skinfood Peach Sake Pore BB Cream in 04 Soft Beige and 06 Golden Beige

They have a total of 8 shades in the line. The first one I swatched was straight up brown (it was shade 06 Golden Beige). I ended up getting that one because  my skin was pretty tanned. I came back two days later to get the lighter shades for when my skin got lighter, but they were sold out of shade 05. They only had 2-3 left of shades 04 and 06 so I picked up shade 04 Soft Beige. The sales associate said that shades 03 to 08 were only released to the U.S. market. 

It contains 30ml and comes with a pump. The pump doesn't have very good control compared to Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream. You can't use just one finger to control the exact amount you want. The second time I came in a sales associate who was helping me pumped one whole pump on my hand -__-. It was sold for $16.80 and with tax I paid $18.27. 


On to the swatches! (Don't mind my hairy arms :p):

Left: 04 Soft Beige

Right: 06 Golden Beige

Left to Right: Missha shade 27, 04 Soft Beige, 06 Golden Beige

For nighttime I use MUFE HD Foundation in shade 128, so I would say that I am a MAC NC37-NC40. I believe that shade 04 Soft Beige matches my face, but it is slightly pink (I have warm yellow undertones). I use shade 06 Golden Beige during the day to school and work to match my neck. I prefer using shade 06 because I don't like it when my face is lighter than my neck (even though it naturally is). Even though it's dark, when blended in it gives my face a nice warm, golden tan color. Compared to Missha shade 27, 04 Soft Beige is slightly darker and has a more pink beige undertone while Missha's is more yellow. 

Description on product: "Containing Peach extract that soothes oily, troubled skin, and Sake that controls excessive sebum secretion, this light-textured blemish cream effectively conceals skin impurities and gives a natural coverage for a flawless complexion. 

Coverage-wise, it is sheer to a buildable medium. I apply it to my face using my fingers and use  ELF's Studio Powder Brush to blend it out and then I apply a bit more product to the areas I want more coverage. Although it is marketed towards people with oily skin it leaves a dewy, non-matte finish. I like dewy finishes but most people with oily skin don't. It lasts about 4-5 hours (that's when I can start to see the marks on my face). My skin isn't extremely oily, but it starts to get oily after about 4-5 hours as well. Even though it starts to fade after 4-5 hours, by the end of the day (8-9 hours later) the majority of my face is still covered. I like the nice peach scent and only notice it when I apply the BB cream. It isn't as strong smelling as Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream. 

Overall, I really like this BB cream. I don't need that much coverage during the day and this is a step up from my usual tinted moisturizer. I like the smell and the dewy finish. I love the fact that it comes in darker shades. If shade 06 is this dark, I'm pretty sure shades 07 and 08 will work for NC42/44! I thought that the only place I would be able to purchase it was Southern California but I just found out recently that they opened a Skinfood store in Stonestown Galleria is San Francisco. It's still an hour drive for me, but it's better than driving 8 hours to go down south!

Pros:
-Darker shades
-Comes with a pump
-Natural coverage

Cons: 
-Only available in Skinfood stores in the U.S.
-Expensive for the amount
-Pump doesn't have good control
-Not long lasting (only lasts 4-5 hours)
-Low SPF in my opinion (SPF20 with only PA+) Edit: it doesn't list SPF 20 PA+ on the packaging, but it does have uv filters Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate and Titanium Dioxide

Rhoto Hadalabo BB Moist Emulsion in Natural Ochre

Rohto Hadalabo BB Moist Emulsion in Natural Ochre

Left: Rohto Hadalabo BB Moist Cream in Natural Ochre

Right: Rohto Hadalabo BB Moist Emulsion in Natural Ochre

Finally getting around to posting about this BB cream! I purchased this BB cream from beautykat back in April to use for the Spring and Summer months. It  contains 40ml and was $22.00.

Although it is slightly darker than the Moist Cream I felt unsure about the color because while it would match my face, it would not match my neck making it look weird overall.Currently, the color does not match me because I've tanned. I believe I am an NC40/MUFE 128 now. Back in April, I was an NC30 and it looked ok.

Without BB cream



With BB cream

I think that I've given up on finding BB creams that will match my skin tone. I feel like the darkest Asian BB creams out there will only match up to an NC30 with the exception of Missha No.27 and No.31.