tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51597856525489015292024-03-14T04:17:11.536+00:00JoozillaHair, Skin, Music ♥Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-16201503960592132502015-02-22T15:52:00.001+00:002015-02-22T15:52:22.207+00:00It's Skin: Cookie & Hand Cream Mint Review <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BA8Jy1-9OYI/VOnwP5C_AAI/AAAAAAAAJho/0NHpBtF6nzo/s1600/IMG_1748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BA8Jy1-9OYI/VOnwP5C_AAI/AAAAAAAAJho/0NHpBtF6nzo/s1600/IMG_1748.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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So, the <b>It's Skin Cookie & Hand Cream</b>, perhaps my most favourite hand cream to date. Mostly because of its delicious scent. It's just so damn delicious smelling that I want to take a lick of it. But I shall hold back, because from a foolish past experience, where I took a lick of the <b>Skin Food Black Sugar Mask</b>, I realised that no, skincare products will never taste nice - unless you mix up your own facial mask concoction. <i>If only...</i><br />
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<a name='more'></a>I have nothing but praise for this product to be honest. Then again, what is there to say much about hand creams? The ideal hand cream should really just keep our hands moisturised, and this hand cream does exactly that. If you're looking for some special super hand cream that can miraculously rid your skin of wrinkles, protect it from the harmful sun rays, or even whiten it then clearly this product is not for you. This hand cream exists to just keep your hands moisturised on the daily and smelling misleadingly edible.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IV0Pg7n3wyg/VOny7ORhgwI/AAAAAAAAJiE/l5OqpgL-srU/s1600/20140121_181309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IV0Pg7n3wyg/VOny7ORhgwI/AAAAAAAAJiE/l5OqpgL-srU/s1600/20140121_181309.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
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I bought a pack of 6 tubs back in Janurary 2014 (as pictured above) in one of the It's Skin's Hongdae branches whilst in search of Christmas gifts to send home. These really stood out to me on the shelf because they were packaged so festively and cutely for the Christmas season, and the 'Cookie & Hand Cream' title really piqued my interest. Additionally, it was the sales period for all beauty brands, so everything in store was 20-50% off. Originally priced at <b>7,900<span class="st">₩</span> a tub</b> - thus 47,400<span class="st">₩</span> for 6, I managed to get it for 6,320<span class="st">₩ a tub (20% discount). A decent price for <b>80ml</b> tub of nice smelling hand cream I guess - you get a lot of product and<b> a little goes a long way</b>. Purchasing it at the <b>original price is probably too expensive</b> for a hand cream like this - unless you are desperate for that ice cream scent!</span><br />
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The look and feel of this product is on point! The plastic packaging is sturdy, and its design is simple and cute like an ice cream tub. It's great that the product has yet to spill out of the tub during my train journeys back and from uni. The product itself is a <b>pale blue minty colour</b> with bits of <b>oreo-like 'cookie crumbles'</b> in it. Initially I was a bit confused about what to do about the black crumbles, but ths SA at the It's Skin store explained to me that it melts into the skin if you continue to massage it because it's made up of starch or something..? Not sure if it helps add to keeping your hands moisturised, but hey it really does melt into the skin! It's really easy to massage in this product since it <b>feels so light and creamy</b>, therefore making it easier to absorb into the skin.<br />
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The USP (unique selling point) for this product really has got to be its scent. If you smell it right off the tub it <b>smells fresh, sweet, minty and cool</b>. On the hand it smells more like a <b>milky and creamy mint</b> - like ice cream! After application, you're more likely to get a distinct whiff of the scent if your hands are close to your nose. The scent typically subsides after a few hours, which is a given. Some may argue that it is just then pointless, but it's not like you would want to smell this scent constantly for a few hours. Pretty sure people would prefer the ability to smell their body spray/perfume over a minty hand cream scent. Well, that is if you really want to smell like a mint ice cream, then I suggest hunting for a mint body spray/perfume.<br />
Not sure how the other scents Original and Strawberry smell like, but I'm pretty sure they smell divine too. <br />
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It's a<b> moisturing</b> hand cream suitable for daily use. I typically use this in the evenings, and it does a great job at keeping my hands free from getting dry. Provided that you don't slather this stuff on like crazy, it is non-greasy if you apply a decent amount.<br />
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Perhaps one downside is that this is <b>not the super moisturising kind</b> that can fix your skin immediately overnight or from just one use. The back of my hands usually get dry, cracked and/or flaky if I spend a long time outdoors around Fall to Spring time - gloves annoy me too much hence why I don't wear them often, it's usually at its worst state when I'm either travelling back from home from uni or vice versa. If I apply this both morning and night it takes typically takes 2 days to fix my dry hand problem - provided that I remember to apply it in the morning. Otherwise, it will take around 3-4 days. Personally I don't mind waiting this long to rid my hands of dryness.<br />
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And maybe another downside is that the packaging is<b> not travel-friendly</b>, since it is a tub after all. Though, I do know some Koreans who go around shopping with a tub of <b>The Face Shop Shiffon Cream</b> - proven to be somewhat popular amongst the Korean crowd, which is arguably more travel-friendly with its flatter tub scape, but still a cumbersome and space-wasting packaging choice when you're out and about. Ideal travel-friendly packaging would obviously be a tube. But hey, perhaps this hand cream is not intended to be travel-friendly. I can see this product being more as home 'pampering' product, so you can relax and take in that minty scent. Besides, I already have some <b>Nature Republic's Hand & Nature</b> hand creams serving as my travel-friendly hand creams.<br />
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<h3>
Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Sturdy non-spill packaging</li>
<li>Smells like mint ice cream </li>
<li>Moisturising</li>
<li>Great for daily use </li>
<li>Non-greasy</li>
</ul>
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<h3>
Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>Inedible</li>
<li>Not super moisturing to the point that it will save your cracked-skin hands overnight </li>
<li>Not travel-friendly </li>
<li>A bit expensive </li>
</ul>
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<h3>
Overall: 4/5 Rating</h3>
It's a novel hand cream that does the job: it moisturises and leaves your hand smelling great. Despite the pricey price tag a little can go a long way, and you do get an arguably high quality product.<br />
I would repurchase this only if its on sale. And definitely recommend others to give it a try at least in stores before making your purchase. Additionally, it does make a great souvenier/gift!<br />
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Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-16743686468513556632015-02-04T20:51:00.000+00:002015-08-27T16:29:48.588+01:00'The Standing Desk' (+Downsides)In hopes to lead a healthier lifestyle in 2015, I had gone and bought myself a <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Notebook-book-Lap-Top-Table-Bed-Cooling-With-2-Fans-Stand-Tray-Adjustable-/360921927002?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:GB:3160">laptop stand off eBay for £9.99</a> that can elevate the laptop from a desk so that I can use it whilst standing. Because standing is said to be a lot more healthier than sitting for it reduces the chances of heart problems in future, and ever since I came back from Korea it felt weird and uncomfortable for me to remain stationary and sitting for long hours on a daily basis.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lIVBnhQ_Qzc/VNJrIG5bvrI/AAAAAAAAJd0/ONab6abr5ic/s1600/IMG_1532.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lIVBnhQ_Qzc/VNJrIG5bvrI/AAAAAAAAJd0/ONab6abr5ic/s1600/IMG_1532.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My work space.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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However, this particular structure (and possible many others) comes with a couple of setbacks that I believe everyone should be aware about.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It's wobbly.<br />
Whilst I'm typing happily away on my laptop at the best optimum height, the stand <i>wobbles</i>, therefore the laptop wobbles, which really irritates the hell out of me. One way to reduce wobble is to spread the table legs further apart for more stability, but yet it still wobbles to an extent that irks me. And by spreading the legs, the optimum height becomes lowered slightly which irks me even more! <i>Oh the struggle.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmYo4kRtkW8/VNJtpTrJ2MI/AAAAAAAAJeQ/6XHuhXiKsG8/s1600/IMG_1534.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmYo4kRtkW8/VNJtpTrJ2MI/AAAAAAAAJeQ/6XHuhXiKsG8/s1600/IMG_1534.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legs extended so that the table is as an ideal height, whilst feets are trying their best to stay on the table.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The higher you want the desk to be, the larger the desk you need.<br />
In order to minimalise wobble, and increase elevation/height, a larger desk space is needed to accomodate room for the table legs to spread out upon. Quite counter-intuitive for when you increase table height you don't actually increase a lot, because by spreading out the legs the table lowers.<br />
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It can only fit up to a 15inch laptop probably.<br />
My 15inch
Samsung laptop doesn't event fit 100% well on the plastic panel that you place your laptop on. Imagine
trying to get a 17inch on this thing. Even with 15inches I have a
problem where the bottom left corner of my laptop doesn't actually touch
the elevated laptop part, so when I press down on it the laptop moves.
Additionally because of this, it can also slide a bit, which worries me
that one morning I may find my laptop on the floor, <i>smashed</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OYU3n5YGqoU/VNJtpvdT5hI/AAAAAAAAJeU/MJ00av8i0rg/s1600/IMG_1539.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OYU3n5YGqoU/VNJtpvdT5hI/AAAAAAAAJeU/MJ00av8i0rg/s1600/IMG_1539.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The white thing is the middle is stuck at that length! Featuring 2 cooling fans.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Beware of jamming.<br />
The part that holds the laptop up at an angle has become stuck. I can't get the part to shrink back to its compact size, let alone extend it anymore. Good thing it's stuck at an ideal length that keeps my laptop at a decent angle. However, this means that this damn thing is no longer portable because this one part is going to prevent the entire thing from folding up together, unless I break this one part by forcing it back in. <i>What do?!</i><br />
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(Initial) Back and leg-ache<br />
This applies generally to all forms of standing desks. I got a lot more pain out of this than expected. During the first few weeks of use, the back, legs and heels of my feet were screaming by the end of the day. Even though I did take odd breaks here and there sitting down to do other non-laptop related stuff. But once this torturous period had passed, I experienced little to no pain, meaning my body probably numbed itself in response since I wasn't planning to stop this hellish regime.<br />
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Sweaty feet<br />
Perhaps it's because it's Winter and thus my radiator is on high, and it just so happens that it is right beneath my desk area, but man do my feet get sweaty and slidy against my slippers within a few hours! Though recently I haven't experienced this, perhaps the radiator is no longer as high as it used to be. Or maybe my feet just got used to it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljNs6O3fqsg/VNJtoVzGQuI/AAAAAAAAJeE/ntgpSIvKBHY/s1600/IMG_1535.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ljNs6O3fqsg/VNJtoVzGQuI/AAAAAAAAJeE/ntgpSIvKBHY/s1600/IMG_1535.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few great things about this desk: space for a mouse, pen holder, and 'thin cup holder'.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Despite these setbacks, it's still a decent laptop stand for £9.99 - you can't expect it to be <i>amazing</i>. It has yet to collapse or fall apart on me - just that one extender is now seemingly permanently stuck, and it does the job. The extra space for the mouse next to the laptop is very useful, whilst the pen and cup holder not so much. I rarely use the pen holder, and never used the cup holder since all my cups/mugs are larger than size it can hold. Besides, I don't trust myself with placing liquids close to my laptop after what happened during my first year at university - in short I knocked my cup of green tea onto the keyboard.<br />
It would be great if there was extra space on the desk for me to place my graphics tablet on, as well as other bits and bobs that I plan to use in conjunction with the laptop. Then again, I'm better off just getting an actual large standing table/desk that provides this. Let me get a job first.<br />
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Would I recommend <i>this </i>particular standing desk? <b>Yes, if you want to be healthy on a budget.</b> If you got money to spend, then just go for a proper sized standing table/desk because it just makes life easier than having to jump between 2 levels. Or better yet, if you like DIY build one yourself!<br />
I'm pretty sure there are other better standing desks out there in the market that don't wobble or hog up desk space in order to elevate itself. Just do some research and be sensible to realise that cheap plastic stands that are promoted as portable and lightweight are pretty much liars.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-26546072273138537622015-02-01T17:36:00.000+00:002015-02-02T02:17:35.633+00:00A/W 2014: Evening Skincare Routine (Mini Reviews)A continuation of of my <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/autumn-2014-morning-skincare-routine.html">A/W 2014 Morning Skincare Routine</a> post!<br />
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My evening routine tends to be longer than my morning, which is a given since I need to remove my make up. It can be even longer if I plan to use masks. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-peVB3dDQ_eE/VMamfaOB5lI/AAAAAAAAJcg/rm0qC9kot5E/s1600/IMG_0654.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-peVB3dDQ_eE/VMamfaOB5lI/AAAAAAAAJcg/rm0qC9kot5E/s1600/IMG_0654.png" height="466" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The evening arsenal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<h3>
Cleansing Oil: Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil</h3>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9q7t3MUmb2E" width="560"></iframe>
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Inexpensive and does the job well!<br />
I uploaded a review of it on YouTube (above) a few years ago, sorry about the quality and awkwardness. I was going to take a picture of the bottle for this post but after refilling it, for some odd reason, it's been leaking with every pump and the pump head keeps falling off... But hey it's still functional, just that I lose more product <i>*weeps*</i><br />
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I usually would have removed my eye and face make up with 2 different products (<b>Innisfree Apple Juicy Emulsion Lip & Eye Remover </b>and<b> L'oreal Micellar Water</b>) before getting to this stage, but when I'm feeling lazy I pump this 3 times onto dry palms and massage it directly against my face (with full make up on) for a good 1-2 minutes. Afterwards, I would go into the shower and massage it off with warm water.<br />
Reason why I usually follow the former method is because I generally
don't like the idea of moving my make up around my face with the oil, but when I'm lazy I just don't care and make sure I really massage that oil in.<br />
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This is my '3rd bottle' - I basically refilled the 2nd bottle with a refill I bought in Japan, and probably my last. It's not because it is a terrible product, I mean it did actually save my skin, but it's just that I've been using it so long that I want to try a different cleansing oil now that there are so many available in the market. Besides, I very much prefer <b>Biore's Cleansing Oil</b> purely because it smells better (it's lightly fragranced with some berry scent..?) and it works just as well. Additionally, I got myself the huge 500ml <b>Nature Republic's Forest Garden Chamomile Cleansing Oil</b> back when I was still in Korea off Gmarket for a really good price. So I have that to go through as well!<br />
I do recommend this product to anyone as it's cheap and works great, but bear in mind that it does contain <b>mineral oil</b>. <i>Use with caution.</i><br />
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<h3>
Face Wash (no make up day): SANA Nameraka Honpo Soy Milk Cleansing Foam</h3>
I won't go into detail about this product as I've mentioned it already in my <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/autumn-2014-morning-skincare-routine.html">morning routine</a>. <br />
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<h3>
Face Wash (make up day): Etude House Baking Powder BB Deep Cleansing Foam</h3>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GAnWbL6HO_M/VM5GtgW-EpI/AAAAAAAAJc8/AXhydulB7Aw/s1600/IMG_0665.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GAnWbL6HO_M/VM5GtgW-EpI/AAAAAAAAJc8/AXhydulB7Aw/s1600/IMG_0665.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etude House BB Deep Cleansing Foam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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An inexpensive cleanser that's great for cleansing and gentle exfoliation of the skin after a day of heavy make up and exposure city pollution. It has a subtle lemon-y scent.<br />
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I just squeeze out a large pea size onto wet hands, rub it between my palms to build foam, and then massage it againt my wet skin for 30 seconds before rinsing it with warm water. If I'm not planning to do any special follow-up skincare steps like masks and further exfoliation, I would splash cold water onto my face to seal the pores.<br />
My skin feels soft and clean after using this. The exfoliating beads are smooth and round meaning they're less likely to do any harm to your skin if you use this daily.<br />
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Despite claiming that it can remove BB Cream alone, my friend did not advise it for she tried it herself and noticed that it doesn't completely remove the BB Cream off the skin. Even if she didn't tell me this I wasn't planning to remove my BB Cream off with just this product anyway, I'm more likely to try it if it at least contained 50%+ oil which can actually remove any make up effectively.<br />
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<h3>
Face Scrub: Missha Super Aqua Oxygen Micro Essence Peeling</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTXSs3E7lNw/VM5Gt_Tfe8I/AAAAAAAAJc4/Jutv5Uyc-RM/s1600/IMG_0656.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WTXSs3E7lNw/VM5Gt_Tfe8I/AAAAAAAAJc4/Jutv5Uyc-RM/s1600/IMG_0656.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Missha Super Aqua Oxygen Micro Essence Peeling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Similar to the <b>Cure Natural Aqua Gel</b>, a chemical peeling gel that has the added benefit of foaming up against your skin to remove impurities.<br />
Not really a fan of this purely because it smells heavily of alcohol, and when I massage it against my skin it feels more like the product is rolling up itself rather than gathering up my dead skin. Regardless, my skin still does feel squeaky clean after using this. Perhaps it's because I don't have much dead skin to begin with thanks to the Etude House cleanser?<br />
<br />
I always use this after cleansing on nights when I plan to use face masks. This is so that my skin can easily absorb and be effected by whatever mask I set upon it. Basically I'm trying to maximise the effects of my masks. Because I really want to finish this product, I use it liberally by squeezing out 3 pea sizes, 1 per cheek, and the 3rd is split between the forehead and chin. I massage this gently against dry skin for up to 30 seconds and then leave it for 3-5mins for the gel to foam up. Once the foam subsides a bit, I head over to the sink and start massaging my skin in hopes to roll off some dead skin cells. After up to a minute of massaging I proceed to wash it off with warm (near hot) water to keep my pores open so that my masks can draw more impurities out later.<br />
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Originally I wanted to get the <b>Missha Super Aqua D-tox Peeling Gel</b>, but I read that people very much preferred the Oxygen Micro Essence Peeling more. I have a feeling I would have preferred neither since both contain a high amount of alcohol.<br />
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<h3>
Mask 1: Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask (200ml Tube)</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_1Bvwa4tqo/VM5Gugp37lI/AAAAAAAAJdE/pk-MiPVEfaU/s1600/IMG_0672.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L_1Bvwa4tqo/VM5Gugp37lI/AAAAAAAAJdE/pk-MiPVEfaU/s1600/IMG_0672.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Pore Clay Mask</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A decent clay mask that leaves the skin feeling clean. Used it before as an overnight spot treatment whilst in Korea, didn't work. <br />
Probably wouldn't buy again as it really didn't do anything for my skin, and it's getting harder to squeeze out the product from the tube!<br />
<br />
This is one of the 2 masks that I use whilst I'm at my university city as a follow up to my peeling gel. I use this twice a week. Against dry skin, I dot 2 large pea sizes for my cheeks, 1 on my forehead, and smaller ones for my chin and nose. I then gently massage it all over my skin, wash my hands with warm water, and let it sit against my face for at least 15 minutes. I think the longest I had this on is for 45mins, not that the duration really effects the results much. After a lengthy period of time, I rinse it off with warm water and then splash cold water against my skin.<br />
<br />
I've actually used the small tub version before during my 2nd year at university, similarly I found the results to be minimal. When I arrived in Korea it was still a popualr product, and it was on sale at the time, so I decided to give it another go with the larger tube version. I bought it in November 2013, yet sometime in 2014 I noticed they had a <i>'Super'</i> version of it, probably meaning the formula has improved? During my last month I consulted with a friend about it, although he said he really liked it when it came to describing the results he had nothing to comment about. So I gave it a pass. Perhaps he just liked the consistency?<br />
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<h3>
Mask 2: Freeman Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tH1rWlCqrfY/VM5GsWrRiII/AAAAAAAAJcw/y5s2BEiRq_g/s1600/IMG_0670.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tH1rWlCqrfY/VM5GsWrRiII/AAAAAAAAJcw/y5s2BEiRq_g/s1600/IMG_0670.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freeman: Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask</td></tr>
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<br />
A mask with an <i>exciting</i> tightening effect, leaves the skin nice and clean, but with a scent that smells like <i>vomit</i> (at least to me).<br />
Personally I prefer this more than the other previous mask, purely because of its intense tightening effect! <i>Ooh that tightening of the skin, it really feels like it's doing something to my pores!</i> Though, I can't really claim whether it has actually reduced my pores because I use this quite infrequently.<br />
<br />
I use this one less often than my Innisfree clay mask, mostly because I want to use up the latter ASAP. Perhaps twice or a thrice a month? Like the other mask, I use it after the peeling gel against dry skin, with the same product distribution technique. Only difference is that I make sure to remove this after 20mins max! Watching funny YouTube videos with this mask on is really difficult, because it tightens and hardens against your skin it's kind of hard to laugh or smile. Is this what botox feels like?<br />
Also, most of the time the smell is unbearable to me after a while. It's not exactly like vomit, but it just doesn't smell pleasant to me and makes me feel kind of sickly.<br />
<br />
I got this tube in Korea at Olive Young which sells a lot of different Freeman masks. It looked amazing on the shelf for some reason so I did a bit of research and found that people really loved it in America. So I bought this one and the <b>Mint & Lemon Clay Mask</b> (as pictured) since both got a lot of positive reviews. I have yet to try the Mint & Lemon but I already am excited at the prospect of using it!<br />
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<h3>
Toner: Lush Tea Tree Water</h3>
Already mentioned in my <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/autumn-2014-morning-skincare-routine.html">morning routine</a>. <br />
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<h3>
Essence: Nameraka Honpo Isoflavone Moisturizing Lotion Toner </h3>
Already mentioned in my <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/autumn-2014-morning-skincare-routine.html">morning routine</a>. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Eye Gel: The Face Shop Chia Seed Watery Eye & Spot Essence </h3>
Already mentioned in my <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/autumn-2014-morning-skincare-routine.html">morning routine</a>. <br />
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<h3>
Moisturiser 1: The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream</h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QyHdFelnv4E/VM5HEpF5eoI/AAAAAAAAJdg/MKDasD9Uz3I/s1600/IMG_0680.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QyHdFelnv4E/VM5HEpF5eoI/AAAAAAAAJdg/MKDasD9Uz3I/s1600/IMG_0680.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream</td></tr>
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<br />
A rich cream that smoothes ever so nicely across the skin and hydrates it plenty over night, leaving it feeling soft and supple in the morning. Despite thinking that it would be great for those with sensitive skin also, it turns out that the ingredients does contain a bit of fragrance, which is a shame really. Then again I too have fairly sensitive skin, moreso my body than face - I did have eczema for a while before on my eyelids. My body seems to react more to fragranced body wash than facial skincare. Regardless, this is my 2nd tub, I have yet to have any problems with it, and I love it.<br />
The Body Shop's products have yet to disappoint me - then again I almost always go for the products that get good reviews.<br />
<br />
I often use this on most evenings where I haven't used the peeling gel. Usually I dip my right hand's index, middle and ring finger into the tub to get an ample amount of cream onto my fingertips, press it against my corresponding left fingers and slide them together so that the product runs along 6 fingers in total. I then smoothe the cream over my cheeks, forehead and chin and begin to massage from those areas towards the nose - my nose is the oiliest area with a lot of small blackheads so it's probably best to not apply too much moisture here.<br />
<br />
Following a personal belief that the skin underneath combo/oily skin is in fact dry, and the fact that I lose body water/moisture as I sleep, it's only sensible to apply something moisturising overnight. I have yet to experience oily skin in the morning by using moisturising night treatments, so I believe this method is doing a great job.<br />
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<h3>
Moisturiser 2: Holika Holika Prime Youth Snail Cream </h3>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T-5XN18FJaA/VM5Gw6gYHnI/AAAAAAAAJdQ/YZ4k6q_0kow/s1600/IMG_0676.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T-5XN18FJaA/VM5Gw6gYHnI/AAAAAAAAJdQ/YZ4k6q_0kow/s1600/IMG_0676.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holika Holika Prime Youth Snail Cream</td></tr>
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<br />
A nourishing snail cream with a gel-like consistency, lightly scented, and leaves the skin feeling hydrated and smooth. It comes in a box with 3 ampuoles to enhance the product's effects and make 'cream' more runnier so that a little can be spread across more skin.<br />
<br />
I typically use this on nights where I've at least used the peeling gel. The set comes with a spatula to keep the jar hygenic, so I usually scoop out <b>ONE </b>pea size of the product since it's so damn expensive (to me) and place it at the center of my left palm. I <i>used </i>to add 3 droplets of ampuole to the cream before mixing - because the sales assistant recommended 2-3 drops, but recently I've been adding <i>4 droplets</i> instead since I'm starting to run out out of the cream and I'm just half way through my second ampuole! I still got one full ampuole left (the third)! Somehow the first one lasted me around 8 months before running out, which is crazy because the ampuole has so little product. Anyway, I mix the ampuole in with the cream by tapping and folding it together with my index finger before smoothing it out across both palms and then massage it over my face.<br />
So if anyone ever plans to get this, add 4-5 droplets of the ampuole! Unless you want to save some ampuole for some other purposes. I might add the remaining ampuole to my<b> It's Skin Prestige Creme D'Escargot (Snail Cream)</b> when I finish this one.<br />
<br />
This is my first full sized snail cream, perhaps one of the cheapest snail creams you can buy in Korea..? Ok maybe not, I just realised I bought this for approx. 39,000<span class="st">₩ on sale, Tony Moly's Snail Cream is almost always on sale for 20,000</span><span class="st">₩, I swear. I was a bit reluctant at first since I didn't see any online reviews about the Holika Holika Snail Cream, but the sales assistant at the store was really persistent in selling it to me so I gave in. She ended up giving me a bunch of samples as well, including a full sized <b>Prime Youth Placenta Cleansing Foam</b>! Of which I ended up giving to my parents since I already had many cleansers.</span><br />
<span class="st">I've actually used an It's Skin Snail Cream sample before, which I loved, so it made me interested in trying out snail creams.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
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<h3>
Acne Treatment: Quinoderm 10% Cream</h3>
Already mentioned in my <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/autumn-2014-morning-skincare-routine.html">morning routine</a>. <br />
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<h3>
Blemish Treatment: Dr Gowoonsesang Red Spot Laser</h3>
Already mentioned in my <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/12/autumn-2014-morning-skincare-routine.html">morning routine</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YM8hkI1oMSg/VM5Gz6DqxmI/AAAAAAAAJdY/0mi1QU5a7F4/s1600/IMG_0684.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YM8hkI1oMSg/VM5Gz6DqxmI/AAAAAAAAJdY/0mi1QU5a7F4/s1600/IMG_0684.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Body Shop Lip Butter in Dragon Fruit (left) + Maybelline Baby Lips in Mango Pie (right)</td></tr>
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<h3>
Lip Balm 2: The Body Shop Lip Butter in Dragon Fruit </h3>
<br />
Almost smells like dragon fruit, but smells more like a fruity perfume. Does the job on normal lips, and it really hydrates if you thickly apply the stuff on chapped lips. But for some reason it became redundant against freezing Korean Winter weather, it works better in the UK.<br />
<br />
After using this for a while I realised it was indeed unhygenic since it was just a pot of product, so I always made sure my hands were clean when applying it. I typically dab into the pot and apply it with my pinky finger. I spread it very generously across chapped lips, and thnly if my lips aren't chapped.<br />
<br />
I actually bought this back in my 2nd year of university and I'm starting to run out. It's probably filled with bacteria right now but I'm seeing no problems from using it still.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Lip Balm: Maybelline Baby Lips in Mango Pie</h3>
<br />
A fruity smelling (unfortunately not completely accurately mango) and hydrating lip balm that is always a pleasure to use. <i>Doing it for that delicious scent, mm.</i><br />
A recent downside is that it requires reapplication after every hour or 2 if the lips are super chapped and the room's radiator is on high. But otherwise, it is a <i>fiiiiine </i>product. Too bad they don't sell this 'flavour' in the UK.<br />
<br />
I bought this from Korea at Olive Young sometime in February after an intense 10 day trip to Daegu, Busan, Jeju Island, and Tokyo, which left my lips chapped and skin feeling kind of dry. My lip butter wasn't doing much, so I needed to scout for something new and better! I hardly shop or research for lip care products since I use it more often in the evening. I gave this lip balm a go because I recall hearing somewhere that Maybelline's Baby Lips were pretty good and the 'Mango Pie' scent really sold me.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-54553265072131583032015-01-26T18:33:00.001+00:002015-02-01T17:44:06.822+00:00John Frieda Precision Foam Colour: Lightest Cool Almond Brown 6.5PBN ReviewHope you all had an amazing festive holidy and a happy new year (extremely late I know).<br />
<br />
Apologies for my absence because, being a final year student and all, I had a load of university work to do so I had little time to really write a detailed blog post. Luckily, since it is the beginning of a new semester, I do have time now to try my best to not only blog but edit videos! <br />
Take note that this 'activeness' will probably only last for a few weeks more before I'm drowned in university deadlines again <i>*groans*</i><br />
<br />
I am going to kick start the first post of 2015 with one of my 2015 goals: <b>darker hair</b>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PGMGoXtLI6Y/VMZ9qyDzYbI/AAAAAAAAJbA/2lK85gSiJ-4/s1600/IMG_1241.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PGMGoXtLI6Y/VMZ9qyDzYbI/AAAAAAAAJbA/2lK85gSiJ-4/s1600/IMG_1241.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, I really am 22! (ft. spot patch, moustache mask, and Rilakkuma kigurumi bought from Japan)</td></tr>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>For 5 years I've almost always had super light brown hair that sometimes bordered onto blonde. Being naturally black, I always had to use blonde dyes in order to get that light brown hair, which wasn't always great news for my hair since blonde dyes tend to have a higher percentage of peroxide which is what lightens it. Additionally, my hair is pretty thin. And going to Caribbean Bay in August made me realise how damaged my hair can be when exposed to chemicals like chlorine for a long period of time. My hair became so dry almost like hay that I was recommended some super intense treatment 2 days after at a hair salon in Edae. I wanted to get some soft waves (digital perm) added to my hair before leaving Korea but they said my hair was far too dry for it, so I ended up getting a basic cut. <br />
I'm going off on a tangent, but in short I don't want to subject my hair to terribly strong chemicals anymore. I'm at the stage where I'm noticing that more hair is falling out! Or maybe it's just because my hair is so long... Regardless, I am aiming to perhaps get my hair back down to black or to some dark brown in the years to come, meaning less need for peroxide. This is obviously going to be difficult for me since I became so used to seeing myself with light brown hair, and I have friends who have <i>never </i>seen me with darker hair before, let alone my natural black. Hence why I am aiming to go for a slow gradual transition, I plan to have medium brown hair this year and perhaps darker the next. It all depends on how much I can get used to it without experiencing terrible light hair withdrawal symptoms. I might just chicken out this summer and go back to dark blonde dyes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HR1ol9ID0u4/VMZ6m7lRnDI/AAAAAAAAJas/Nvid3-rvsWQ/s1600/IMG_0828.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HR1ol9ID0u4/VMZ6m7lRnDI/AAAAAAAAJas/Nvid3-rvsWQ/s1600/IMG_0828.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: that birthday make up<br />
+ missing lipstick <br />
+ cloudy sky</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hGL24DVsn_M/VMZ6nw6EfHI/AAAAAAAAJaw/4XqK_1i5_hc/s1600/IMG_0881.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hGL24DVsn_M/VMZ6nw6EfHI/AAAAAAAAJaw/4XqK_1i5_hc/s1600/IMG_0881.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: them roots</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YzBeQeRN70s/VMZ-hUgDObI/AAAAAAAAJbQ/gYDnDXDX29w/s1600/IMG_0920edit.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YzBeQeRN70s/VMZ-hUgDObI/AAAAAAAAJbQ/gYDnDXDX29w/s1600/IMG_0920edit.png" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: that yellow under warm artificial lighting</td></tr>
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<br />
Anyway, I opted to get <b>John Frieda's Lightest Cool Almond Brown (6.5PBN)</b> foam dye a couple of weeks ago from Sainsburys since it was on offer for £6.50. I bought 2 boxes so I could just easily re-dye my hair again when I go back home in Easter.<br />
It's in fact a shade darker than the colour I used previously (<b>Dark Cool Pearl Blonde 7.5PBN</b>), which I forgot to blog about! Let's just say I liked that colour too.<br />
As you can see I'm aiming for cool toned dyes to avoid brassiness.<br />
<br />
I won't bother detailing and reveiwing the solution and application process since I already <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/01/john-frieda-extra-light-ash-blonde.html">wrote a blog post about it before</a>. Instead I will be focusing more about the colour result in this post. <br />
<br />
The colours will be reviewed under natural lighting. Pictures were often taken indoors near the window on days where there was a little bit of sun at the very least - UK is rarely sunny in the Winter.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--iMJ-AJHLNs/VMZ_RCe1CfI/AAAAAAAAJbc/aSgCAHndsH8/s1600/IMG_1206.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--iMJ-AJHLNs/VMZ_RCe1CfI/AAAAAAAAJbc/aSgCAHndsH8/s1600/IMG_1206.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After: no more roots!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LP4OM4RL9ps/VMZ_RuRBXaI/AAAAAAAAJbk/VQJ1TvvolK8/s1600/IMG_1243.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LP4OM4RL9ps/VMZ_RuRBXaI/AAAAAAAAJbk/VQJ1TvvolK8/s1600/IMG_1243.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After: even colour</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G3a3hkiMP8M/VMZ_QiAW-kI/AAAAAAAAJbY/qy7KlidxMC4/s1600/IMG_1232.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G3a3hkiMP8M/VMZ_QiAW-kI/AAAAAAAAJbY/qy7KlidxMC4/s1600/IMG_1232.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After: you can still see my super faded pink tips that I had since July!</td></tr>
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The colour came out as a nice medium cool brown, most particularly closer to my roots. Closer to the ends it looked more vibrant and warmer due to the previous light brown/blonde colour. The difference in colour wasn't noticeable unless you really examined it.<br />
<br />
In the last 2 pictures you can see the pinks tips I got back in July 2014. They faded a lot since then, but the amazing thing is that they faded out to a really nice tint that still can be somewhat noticeable! The faded pink has survived past 2 full head dyes despite being temporary.<br />
<i>Note: I used Directions <b>La Riche Carnation Pink</b> for the tips.</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFF0kqxA0zE/VMaFu6rpOiI/AAAAAAAAJcE/Jjcm2Ysl2Mw/s1600/IMG_1262.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hFF0kqxA0zE/VMaFu6rpOiI/AAAAAAAAJcE/Jjcm2Ysl2Mw/s1600/IMG_1262.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After (1 wash): colour still intact</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5oaPzE0gkQ/VMaFykmx0YI/AAAAAAAAJcQ/BFYMz_FYJq4/s1600/IMG_1298.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v5oaPzE0gkQ/VMaFykmx0YI/AAAAAAAAJcQ/BFYMz_FYJq4/s1600/IMG_1298.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After (1 wash): no patches, so lines</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_1BBMwZrf0/VMaFt2Z-U1I/AAAAAAAAJb4/jB51TOlQoVs/s1600/IMG_1277.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_1BBMwZrf0/VMaFt2Z-U1I/AAAAAAAAJb4/jB51TOlQoVs/s1600/IMG_1277.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After (1 wash): the sun changes the colour of old hair</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1EMAvjN6s1E/VMaFumTe0yI/AAAAAAAAJb8/MPUCG0GjQYI/s1600/IMG_1286.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1EMAvjN6s1E/VMaFumTe0yI/AAAAAAAAJb8/MPUCG0GjQYI/s1600/IMG_1286.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After (1 wash): ends can still look light brown/blonde when light hits it</td></tr>
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Even after one wash since I dyed my hair the colour hadn't really faded. Still the same hair colour as before. However, if the sun really hits the ends of my hair there is a noticeable difference in colour - it becomes lighter, but that is expected. <br />
It may take some time to get an overall medium brown colour, either by subjecting it to more darker dyes to mask it or just chopping it off with future hair cuts.<br />
<br />
3 weeks has almost passed since the dye job, and the colour still looks the same at the 'after 1 wash' pictures! Still experiencing lighter ends in certain lighting conditions.<br />
<br />
I may dip dye my ends again when spring comes a bit closer, perhaps to a purple colour. But I'm more keen on pink since it works so well.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-51701436396127203992014-12-15T19:11:00.001+00:002015-01-26T20:32:29.066+00:00A/W 2014: Morning Skincare Routine (Mini Reviews)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jgTvWj-1zWc/VI8t7wbUfnI/AAAAAAAAJXw/H4YyYTPWwi8/s1600/IMG_0594.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jgTvWj-1zWc/VI8t7wbUfnI/AAAAAAAAJXw/H4YyYTPWwi8/s1600/IMG_0594.png" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
You'll probably be surprised to see that my skincare routine doesn't comprise mostly of Korean products! This is mostly because I decided to swap stuff around for university, and plus most of my newly bought Korean products just arrived back home from Korea.<br />
My night routine will feature more Korean products, so stay tuned for that! <br />
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Products will be listed in order of application.<br />
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<h3>
Cleanser: SANA Nameraka Honpo Soy Milk Cleansing Foam</h3>
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<br />
Love this cleanser! It leaves my skin clean, smooth, and moisturised.<br />
<br />
It most definitely improved the texture of my skin after a week or two of use.<br />
Before I came back from Korea in August I had ditched my <b>Etude House AC Clinc Acne </b>cleanser since it wasn't giving me any game changing results - my acne was so bad in Korea because of all the alcohol. So when I got home the first cleanser I used was this one since I recalled it being a previous favourite. My acne calmed down and my skin texture improved noticably after a weeks use, even though I was using Missha's Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence at the time.<br />
<br />
I've actually opened this tube since my 2nd year of university back in September 2012! Reason why it's still going strong is because I used it in alternation with my Hadalabo Tamagohada cleanser, and I only used it during term time. Right now I have around half a tube left, and hoping it lasts me till the end of my final year at university.<br />
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<h3>
Toner: Lush Tea Tree Water</h3>
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<br />
Refreshing toner that I often apply as a spray of mist as opposed to on cotton pad. The latter method seems to be less effective since my cotton pad absorbs the product so much that not much of it has a chance to even reach my skin!<br />
Have yet to experienced any major break outs since use. Pore tightening doesn't appear too apparent though, unfortunately. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoy using this in the mornings the most!<br />
<br />
Korea's toners disappointed me. Most were targetted towards dry skin, and the ones for acne either contained alcohol denat in them or didn't have amazing reviews. Though, I did like <b>Etude House's Wonder Pore Toner</b>. I stupidly decided to bring back the bottle with a tiny bit of product left, meaning I had to go find a good UK toner, and hence why I ended up with this one! It had great reviews online, I really wanted to try something natural, and the price for the smaller bottle was decent!<br />
Since then I ended up getting the bigger bottle in Leeds because I liked it that much. <br />
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<h3>
Essence: SANA Nameraka Honpo Isoflavone Moisturizing Lotion Toner </h3>
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<br />
I'd like to introduce you guys to my<i> new holy grail! </i><br />
It moisturises, greatly improves skin texture, and does a <i>fantastic </i>job at plumping the skin!<br />
My skin's been feeling so lovely and bouncy after using this for over a month! The results became apparent after 1 or 2 weeks use, paired with healthier eating (my vegetable game has been going strong this semester).<br />
<br />
Before, I used <b>Missha's Time Revolution The First Essence</b>, which did an okay job. However, it couldn't beat the amazing results I got from this lotion toner! Perhaps this is also why <b>Innisfree's Soybean Energy Essence</b> got amazing reviews too. <i>Soy > Yeast!</i><br />
Despite being labeled as a toner, I feel that this product is more like an essence due to it's high soy concentration.<br />
<br />
One downside to this product is that it probably contains alcohol since I can smell it when I pat it on my face. <br />
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<h3>
Eye gel: The Face Shop Chia Seed Watery Eye & Spot Essence</h3>
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<br />
Great eye product for us milia sufferers.<br />
Lightweight, watery, and appropriately moisturising.<br />
<br />
Since using this product I haven't gained more <b>milia seeds</b>, and the existing milia looks <i>less </i>noticable than before - though still noticable. This is largely because the product isn't greasy but thin, so it can absorb into the skin more easily.<br />
Can't say this is my holy grail because I'm still bound in futile hope that maybe one day I can find a product that can get rid of my milia completely. But I can say this is a favourite, and I will consider repurchasing if I can't find another water/gel based eye product to try out.<br />
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<h3>
Moisturiser (no makeup day): Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil-free Moisturiser</h3>
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<br />
Not great, but not awful.<br />
Unfortunately a thick cream that requires more product than usual (for me) in order to spread evenly, but it does leave the skin feeling partially matte for the first couple of hours. Additionally upon application it feels kind of minty.<br />
<br />
I desperately needed a new non-make up day moisturiser since I was running low on <b>The Body Shop's Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion</b>, which was too expensive for me to repurchse without a Body Shop member card.<br />
So I contemplated on repurchasing the <b>Clean & Clear Dual Action Oil-Free Moisturiser</b>, a trustworthy product for combo/oily skin. But Boots was doing a 3 for 2 promotion, and I already had 2 other products priced around £6 on my wish list, and getting a £3 moisturiser didn't seem worth it. This product was priced around £6 and on my want-to-try list, so I gave it a shot.<br />
<br />
Can't say I regret the purchase. But I'll go back to Clean & Clear's moisturiser once I finish this, purely because it's easier to apply. <br />
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<h3>
Moisturiser (make up day): Olay Essentials Complete Care Normal/Oily Day Fluid</h3>
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<br />
I guess you can call this my holy grail since I <i>always </i>use this as a moisturiser-base to my make up, and it's my 2nd bottle. <br />
It's appropriately moisturising, spreads nicely, and provides a good even base for my make up. Doesn't magnetise the make up to your face though, unfortunately. But otherwise, I really have no other complaints about this product.<br />
<br />
Before, I didn't like it because it felt thick and I thought it broke me out - this was years ago before I used cleansing oils. But then I decided to give it another go one day (can't remember when), and ended up loving it. <br />
I believe the break out problem stemmed from the SPF in the product, and without a cleansing oil, my face wasn't cleaned properly (apparently SPF requires extra care in removing).<br />
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<h3>
Acne Treatment: Quinoderm 10% Cream</h3>
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Whenever a new bright red pimple pops out of nowhere, I <i>must </i>slather a layer of this product on top in order for it to work and dry the bugger out. If it's a new baby pimple, a thin layer will suffice.<br />
With such methods, it works, but the downsides are that under make up it looks dry and patchy, and it can turn that area of skin dry and flaky for a few days.<br />
<br />
This is an over the counter product at the Boots pharmacist.<br />
My first tube ran out whilst in Korea, it lasted for a good year or two. The <b>Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot</b> did squat, so I asked my friends to mail me a new tube. I did seek for a second tube before going to Korea, but at the time the product was unavailable in all pharmacies for some reason.<br />
<br />
I knew about Benzoyl Peroxide because my brother suffered from major acne problems, went to the doctors, and ended up getting it as a prescription (I think). One day I decided to try using it and it worked decently. So I did some research and found out you can just simply buy it over the counter. Though, there are 3 different levels of concentration to consider. It's highly advised for you to try out the 2 lower levels before getting the highest.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Blemish Treatment: Dr Gowoonsesang Red Spot Laser </h3>
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<br />
A new favourite that I wish I had bought more of before leaving Korea!<br />
This gel-based product really helped my blemishes heal faster than usual to the point that it doesn't become as noticeable. It basically lightens the blemish, though it doesn't get rid of it compeltely. I'm pretty sure if I was more diligent in applying it to the light blemishes, all of my old blemishes would have been gone by now.<br />
<br />
I got mines from <b>Gmarket </b>when there was a deal: 2 tubes for around £10 - the original price for 1 was pretty expensive (£17 I think). I haven't seen this product in stores in Korea, but I may have seen the brand appear somewhere at least once.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-46534544115393805542014-12-06T17:53:00.000+00:002014-12-06T17:59:34.794+00:00Say hello to my new coworker.<div style="text-align: center;">
The <b>Canon Powershot SX50 HS</b>!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Prj7Fpfpais/VIM9w96y4FI/AAAAAAAAJWc/duxj8_pzza0/s1600/IMG_0580.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Prj7Fpfpais/VIM9w96y4FI/AAAAAAAAJWc/duxj8_pzza0/s1600/IMG_0580.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tada!</td></tr>
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In a situation where I am low on money and in dire need of a new phone - that doesn't take a minute to load up appplications, a new bridge camera was purchased instead.<br />
Take note that at the same time of needing a new phone I was also in dire need of a new video recording device to replace my <b>5+ year old Sanyo Xacti</b>, which produced below average video quality compared to the standards of today, and was clumsily dropped by my foolish hands numerous times throughout the years. Additionally, the constant change of colour tones most noticeable in my videos agitated me greatly.<br />
Although I dislike the sudden invasion of the American <b>Black Friday</b> sales in England, it was <span data-dobid="hdw">admittedly </span>a great opportunity to scout for my muchly needed discounted technology. And that was how I discovered the new camera.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U3h0-17ph34/VINBCd7TF8I/AAAAAAAAJXE/P00x7TFajtA/s1600/IMG_0002.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U3h0-17ph34/VINBCd7TF8I/AAAAAAAAJXE/P00x7TFajtA/s1600/IMG_0002.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneak peak of future YouTube videos' background (my dorm bedroom walls)!</td></tr>
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Arguably, the chances of me producing a new high quality video for my <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCwQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fuser%2FJoozilla&ei=40ODVJezAYO07ga914CoCQ&usg=AFQjCNGwe9Ocw1QQ6jn7X3GOf7f0zlapZw&sig2=VW0Eb0u_WYy2-euwVBnu9g&bvm=bv.80642063,d.ZGU">YouTube channel</a> within the next month is pretty slim, thanks to university work and the need for me to constantly bombard companies with tailored CVs in order to get a job. So there was really no rush to buy one. <i>But damn the deal was good (£100 reduction), so why the heck not?</i><br />
<br />
However, in the mean time, I'm pretty sure I can still pump out some blog posts with high quality pictures to make up for it all - like I am now. Before, I have actually been using my phone camera to take all of my pictures, which is pretty sad as a blogger of this day and age. So do expect accurately coloured images from now on. Those phone camera pictures are no more - <i>unless I went somewhere and forgot my bridge camera, then woops I'm sorry.</i><br />
And pray that I don't lazily edit my photos on Photoshop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CXkVDoVOCB0/VINBCfocFKI/AAAAAAAAJXI/1rhV77buSyA/s1600/IMG_0032.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CXkVDoVOCB0/VINBCfocFKI/AAAAAAAAJXI/1rhV77buSyA/s1600/IMG_0032.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Marianne' says hi - not our cat. He comes sometimes to sponge off our milk and cover our flat in white fur.</td></tr>
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As for my aging <b>3+ year old Samsung Galaxy S2</b>, which should have been replaced last year before my year-long adventure in Korea, I'm praying it can hold out for another 6 or 7 months at the very least until I get a graduate job and a salary.<br />
Money isn't the great barrier between me and a new phone, but myself. Because hello I am Julie, a fool who can easily get attached to personally owned inanimate objects, especially when said inanimate object now has a groovy <b>Pororo phone case</b> bought from Korea - perhaps the best case ever, and a protective layer of gel on the screen so it's goodbye to screen protectors forever. No matter how often my friends and inner consciousness scream at me that its seriously time to let go, I will remain reluctant and pesevere to find solutions to save my doomed and dying phone like a true problematic fool that I am.<br />
I'll forever futilely complain why my phone (technology) cannot work and last longer against a capitalist consumeristic backdrop that demands for new sparkly things every single damn year, because living comfortably with one working thing is never enough. <br />
<br />
And so, I apologise to family and friends in the mean time for another 6/7months of terrible call quality and delayed texts.<br />
<br />
And I pray that a phone, designed to last, can be brought forth and be available in the years to come *<i>glances expectantly at <a href="https://phonebloks.com/en">Phonebloks</a></i>*<br />
Because changing a damn phone every 2 years is stupid. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZcr7IdyDIc/VINBBVTvl5I/AAAAAAAAJXA/b9UbRbM4c0s/s1600/IMG_0307.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZcr7IdyDIc/VINBBVTvl5I/AAAAAAAAJXA/b9UbRbM4c0s/s1600/IMG_0307.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is 'Joseph', again not ours, another sponger who likes to lick his balls.</td></tr>
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Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-87590895178697269912014-10-30T13:51:00.001+00:002014-10-30T13:51:44.568+00:00October Music: Korean R&BI have been terribly out of the Korean music loop recently.<br />
Occasionally I see the odd update on my Facebook feed, but I haven't been solely actively seeking everything out.<br />
<br />
I've been busy with university commitments, watching<b> The Return of Superman</b> (슈퍼맨이 돌아왔다) and <b>The Apprentice</b>. The former is so damn time consuming because of it's 1 hour 30 minute episodes, and the previews always makes me want to crave for more baby/toddler action! Meanwhile the latter has been making me double think about my career decision to dabble into the world of marketing. Earlier this month I attempted to do some job hunting at the graduate fair but unfortunately they're all very London/city based which isn't ideal since I live in a small town. I do have friends living in said cities, but it's actually quite burdensome to ask someone if you can stay at theirs for a long period of time. I'd rather start out small and then move onto the bigger things.<br />
<br />
Anyway, enough of that depressing future career stuff. Let's sit back and admire these two new recent releases:<br />
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<b>As One: For the Night</b><br />
This is an incredibly sexy soft tune for the evening. Their voices are so lovely and light that it makes me wonder why I haven't attempted to actively search for their other releases after falling completely in love with their <b>Awkward Love</b> track -<i>gulps-</i> last year... Wow, time really does fly!<br />
The MV is like something out of a softcore porno, rich muscular business man and a voluptuous maid. I very much enjoy oggling over the male lead's body though, yes. Apparently he's a member of <b>TROY</b> - I only know of <b>Bumkey</b> and <b>KANTO</b> in that group.<br />
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<b>Crush: Sofa </b><br />
<i>Crush, my boo. </i>Although I do like this track, I still very much prefer the older ones because they make me want to body roll and break out singing. Only the chorus makes me want to body roll and yell "SOFA!" so far. <i>Haha, sofa, so far...</i><br />
<i>-ahem- </i><br />
<br />
Alright, I'm off to do some readings about Lacan, Zizek, and Baudrillard for the rest of the day.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-20684456275694197562014-10-06T22:59:00.001+01:002014-10-24T22:19:04.316+01:00The Great Korean Make Up HaulI <i>think </i>I bought less make up products than I did with skin care. Then again, make up products look smaller than skin care, maybe that's why *<i>shrugs</i>*<br />
Additionally, it appears that I've garnered a handful of Japanese imports too, because sometimes the prices are very decent and not crazily overpriced. <br />
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<b>The list of products I bought in Korea/featured in this video is listed in the description box on the YT page.</b><br />
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Before coming to Korea I was also very into Korean make up products.<br />
Having used mostly mascaras shipped from <b>Japan</b> - all the British ones were failures apart from <b>Max Factor's False Lash Effect</b>, I had a feeling Korea would also offer great mascaras for our droopy straight and short Asian lashes! Reason why I never bothered to attempt to online order some Korean make up products was because I saw more online hype for Japanese make up products than I did with Korean. <br />
<br />
Korean make up, like their skin care products, rarely disappointed me.<br />
<br />
Like I've mentioned in my previous post, the make up products tend to cater more towards the dry skin crowd. Foundations/BB/CC creams were often moisturising and gave a very dewy finish. Cosmetic ads tend to emphasise the 'tok tok' skin (sound of moisturised and plump skin) and 'bling bling' eyes (eyeshadows. Hence why there are more glittery/shimmery eyeshadows than matte in the Korean cosmetic market. Shimmery eyeshadows are more prevalent than super glittery ones since Korean girls like to keep their make up looking youthful and clean. <br />
<br />
I recall hearing from somewhere (probably some <b>GetItBeauty </b>video) that Korean girls' make up revolves around a traditional ideal: black hair, dark brows, red lips etc. Something along those lines where the ideal beauty was to have black hair and red lips for sure. Then there was something about the brows and/or eyes being dark.<i> </i><br />
<i>Basically, Snow White fits this ideal. </i><br />
<br />
Sure, girls there do wear pale looking BB/CC Creams - unfortunately there's limited choice of skin colours on the store shelves. But this can also be because of the crazy amount of SPF that's added into these creams. Pretty much most of the base products involve at least SPF 20 in them.<br />
When Summer comes around the corner you see the cosmetic stores rolling out the big guns: SPF 50 sun creams/screens/milk/sprays. This is not just because the girls want to look pale all year round, but the Korean sun is unforgivingly <i>intense</i>. After my first 10 days strolling around Korea in August in a heatwave I discovered tan lines! Usually, I burn back in England, but in Korea I got a tan! Even if I did wear my SPF (on some days), regardless my skin still got dark. It happened again during my round 2 of Korean summer 2014: a tan within days. From that experience I've learnt to adore my natural tan, ha! Upon coming back to England I tried my very best to keep it by topping it up with some <a href="http://www.boots.com/en/Garnier-Body-Summerbody-Moisturising-Lotion-Deep-Sun-Kissed-Look-250ml_1116005/">Garnier moisturiser that has a bit of tanning solution in it</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>I'm going on a tangent...</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Hot Trends in </b><b>Korean Make Up</b></span></h3>
<br />
<b>Cushion pacts</b> were <i>very </i>in when I came to Korea. Whenever I see girls do touch ups on their make up in the washrooms I would always see them using a cushion pact of some kind (with some bright lipstick). I often see the <b>IOPE </b>cushion pact a lot. I don't think I've seen a girl whip out a powder pact yet.<br />
Unluckily I didn't end up grabbing one before leaving Korea because I felt that I had too many base products already, and I regret it. I had planned on getting either the<b> HERA UV Mist Long Stay Cushion</b>, or the <b>Innisfree Long Wear Cushion</b> since they were more suitable for oily/combo skin and had received great reviews so far. My <b>Mamonde Founder</b> isn't exactly a cushion pact, but more like a cream. A real cushion pact involves the pressing of 2 cushions, one cushion absorbed in the product, and the other as the applicator. The effect you get is a sheer layer of product on your skin that will feel lightweight, refreshing, and natural-looking.<br />
<br />
<b>Orange/coral/pink shimmery eyeshadows</b>. They're <i>gorgeous</i>. Korean girls often sport the sheer-medium pigmented colour type of eyeshadowsso that it appears more natural looking and give them an extra boost of glow. A light orange or pink is popuar amongst many. I once had trouble looking for one of Missha's orange mono eyeshadows because it was so popular - and because there was a sale.<br />
As mentioned in the video, I'm not a huge fan of sheer pigmented eyeshadows, which Korea is very big on selling. But I did end up finding a handful of eyeshadows that did offer very nice pigmentation (<i>they're all listed in the list at the very end of this post</i>).<br />
<br />
In the summer, <b>bright/neon lips</b> are in. <b>Aritaum's Honey Melting Tints</b> are popular amongst many. Whenever I see Aritaum doing a 1+1 sale on them I always encounter a flock of girls crowding around the area where the tints are sold. The same applies to <b>Stylenanda's 3CE</b> lipstick stand in Hongdae and Myeongdong, a flock of female tourists of all ages can be found surrounding the lippies at all times of the day.<br />
<br />
Whilst in the winter, the <b>lip tints</b> are brought out. Though, some girls do still sport the bright/neon lip.<br />
<br />
<b>Gradient lips</b> are an all-year round popular look.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Products that I enjoyed</b></span></h3>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #990000;">(products in red are <b>Japanese products</b> sold in Korea)</span></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>3CE Full Cover Concealer</li>
<li>Mamonde Real Skin Founder #1</li>
<li>Etude House Aloha V-Line Slim Maker: #1 Sun Gold | Wood Brown</li>
<li>Skin Food Rose Essence Soft Cream Blusher: #4 Orange Rose</li>
<li>Etude House Look at my Eyes Cafe: PK004 Deep Berry Soda</li>
<li>Peripera Finger Tap Tap Eyeshadow: RD001 Dragon Fly & PP002 Madrid & BR003 Royal Brown</li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Castledew Diacut Eyes 9 Colours: #901 Planet Diamond </span> </li>
<li>Clio Gelpresso Pencil Gel Liner Mini Case</li>
<li>Clio Waterproof Twistup Mascara: Volume & Curling<span style="color: #990000;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Edge Meister: Waterproof Black</span></li>
<li>The Face Shop Design My Eyebrow Pencil: #2 Dark Brown & #4 Brown</li>
<li>Maybelline Baby Lips: Mango Pie</li>
<li>3CE Lipstick: #605 Fatal & #409 Kiss Woo</li>
<li>Aritaum Honey Melting Tint: Raspberry Cake & Strawberry Chips & Fruits Bubble & Coral Candy</li>
<li><span style="color: #990000;">KAI Precosme Eyelash Curler 18R</span></li>
</ul>
Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-8798771576055073002014-09-20T21:08:00.002+01:002014-10-23T01:31:19.959+01:00The Great Korean Skin Care HaulFilmed the video in Korea, editted a month later in England.<br />
<br />
Made me miss browsing skin care stores in Korea. It's always fun because almost every product in store had a tester for you to try out before buying, which was <i>amazing</i>. Ever since I got back I've been grimacing everytime I wanted to test a product out at Boots or Superdrug, to find out there is no tester.<br />
The struggle is real.<br />
<i>Korea's skin care culture has spoiled me.</i><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PL61Q-Oshog" width="640"></iframe>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The list of products I bought in Korea/featured in this video is listed in the description box on the YT page.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Take note that most of the products were bought at a reduced price either online (Gmarket) or in store when there was a promotion. Only ever bought it at full price if I was desparate for it.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Although Korea is renowned for it's awesome cosmetics, you have to remember they won't all work beautifully on you sadly. Some Korean products will suit you, some won't. Heck, some Western products may work even better on you. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
We all have different skin conditions. Often affected by our diet, genetics, environment and etc. Skin care products sold by country are often mass produced for the consumers of that respective country. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So for Korea, there's often a higher amount of products available that cater to dry/normal skin, because most Koreans have dry skin (so I've heard from somwhere from someone). This is why Korean skin care advertising tends to always emphasise on having that "tok tok" feeling on your skin. Hydration, plump, dewy, well-<i><b>moisturised</b></i> skin. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Me being a typically oil/combo skin girl, these products are not really ideal for me, but then again it doesn't hurt to give it a go. I recall being taught that oily/combo skin-type people tend to have skin that are in fact <b>dry</b>, hence why our skin, in response, develop more sebum and oil. So in reality, we have dry skin covered in a sheen of oil. Incoporating some products for normal/dry skin won't hurt. But don't build your skin care regime with just normal/dry skin products, have some mix and match. <b>Anyway I'm getting off topic.</b> So yes, I have invested in some products that are more focused on hydration - I typically use these for my night regime. But I've also managed to find products catered to us oily/combo people, which are often labeled as products for "Troubled Skin"<i> (what a nice way to put it).</i> I would say such products make up 30-40% of the Korean skin care market. So it's not terribly difficult to find them.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Nonetheless, from my experiences in using a multitude of Korean skin care products whilst in Korea, I've noticed the <b>dry/normal skin care products work the best</b>, which is no surprise really. Unfortunately for us 'troubled skin' girls Korean products aren't <i>amazing</i>, but decent. If you're really keen on trying out Korean products for oil/combo/acne prone skin like me, I suggest searching online for reviews first because yes Korean products can be disappointing <i>*side eyes the Etude House AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot*</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
However, if you're looking into trying out some amazing hydration products, you don't need to look for reviews to be honest. Just look out for viral or online hype. If theres a sticker on the shelf where it points out that the product is #1 on GetItBeauty or won an Allure award, get it. It's bound to make you somewhat happy. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Some of my happy on-the-spot purchases include: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner Toner<br />
Missha Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence</div>
The Face Shop Chia Seed Watery Eye & Spot Essence<br />
Nature Republic Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream<br />
Laneige Water Sleeping Pack <br />
<br />Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-40137858679334197092014-06-01T06:51:00.002+01:002015-02-21T18:50:24.484+00:00CLIO Lipnicure in #3 Crime Pink Review<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pjhyOe1MPAc/U4q1Xit0sJI/AAAAAAAAJF8/6NazYTTVYFE/s1600/1601173_10203330321006283_8409471967807619055_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pjhyOe1MPAc/U4q1Xit0sJI/AAAAAAAAJF8/6NazYTTVYFE/s1600/1601173_10203330321006283_8409471967807619055_n.png" height="497" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CLIO Lipnicure #3 Crime Pink</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Up until now I never had a <i>bad </i>lip product experience. That's right,<b> CLIO's Lipnicure</b> disappointed me <i>a lot</i>.<br />
<br />
During Autumn, CLIO released a line of lip laquers titled 'Lipnicure'. The packaging looked sexy, and so did the colour range. The price was not so sexy, retailing at<b> 16,000</b><span class="st"><b>₩</b> (almost £10). </span><br />
<span class="st">Not knowing much Korean, I guessed that its selling points were that it offered vivid matte results and long lasting colour. </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="st">There were 8 colours available in total, a glossy top coat, and remover gel. A remover gel tester was provided instore since the product was so damn hard to remove. Whenever I reached for one it was always near empty. One requires much of this remover gel to actually remove the stuff completely. </span><br />
<span class="st">So before I even bought the product I knew it will magnetise itself to the lips for sure, no matter how much I ate or drank.</span><br />
<span class="st"></span><br />
<span class="st"></span>
<span class="st">Believing that this would give me amazing long lasting results, I snatched one up when there was a sales promotion. Oh boy was I wrong.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhBjjqsF4H4/U4q1XuPKA2I/AAAAAAAAJF4/NlDb20Qtutk/s1600/10304343_10203330321326291_3884476389613612981_n.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhBjjqsF4H4/U4q1XuPKA2I/AAAAAAAAJF4/NlDb20Qtutk/s1600/10304343_10203330321326291_3884476389613612981_n.png" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The curved applicator fitted very nicely on the lips.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span class="st">Although the product does 'magnetise' itself to the lips, it did <i>clump </i>on me after an hour or so. Yup, it <b><i>clumps</i></b>. Never experienced such nonsense before, after an hour my lips would start to appear kind of dry, and by the 2 hour mark tiny clumped up balls of the product could be found sitting on the surface. On the 3rd hour my lips just looked gross and messy with large clumps of product sitting on my lips! I walked aroung Myeongdong with this terrible look once, and didn't notice until the end of the day when I looked at myself in the mirror at Lotte Young Plaza! </span><br />
<span class="st">Trying to pull off the clumps was tedious, and at times lead to more clumping. I've attemped to rub off the product completely, but there were always stubborn patches leftover that were actually rub-resistant (<i>why?!</i>). Reapplying the product didn't help either, it just looked messy and uneven.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
<span class="st">I've worn this product 3 times since I bought it in November, and it always clumped on me. Even when I didn't eat or drink, applied it lightly onto my lips with my finger, slathered lip balm on before application, <b>it clumped regardless</b>.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v5wDgkbfKp8/U4q8Gz_6CFI/AAAAAAAAJGU/n-_P1WkPrKw/s1600/lip+test.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v5wDgkbfKp8/U4q8Gz_6CFI/AAAAAAAAJGU/n-_P1WkPrKw/s1600/lip+test.png" height="312" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CLIO Lipnicure Crime Pink on the lips</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span class="st">The product doesn't feel nice on the lips either. </span><br />
<span class="st">When your lips are closed you can feel its tackiness as your lips automatically sticks itself together, despite its 'matteness'. </span><br />
<span class="st">Also, it feels like as if you're wearing an extra layer of something on your lips. Whenver I wore it it totally felt like I had something sitting on my lips. Not a comfortable feeling.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="st">Luckily (I guess), I bought this when it was on promotion for around <b>12,000</b></span><span class="st"><span class="st"><b>₩</b> at <b>Olive Young</b>. I was with my KUBA buddy and she recommended it strangely enough. She was wearing it on the night as well! Weirdly, it didn't clump on her like crazy...<i>a mystery</i>...</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="st"><span class="st">This review sounds incerdibly biased right now so I will lay down a few of the product's good points that I managed to savage from my dreadful experience.</span></span><br />
<span class="st"><span class="st">Yes, it gave me lovely matte-looking lips during the first hour of application. The colour was indeed, vivid and pretty. Packaging is sexy, sleek and professional looking. Plus the doe foot applicator looks cute and is shaped into a curve to fit onto your lips perfectly.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<h3>
Pros</h3>
<ul>
<li>Matte lips</li>
<li>Vivid colour</li>
<li>Nice soft applicator</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
Cons</h3>
<ul>
<li>Expensive</li>
<li>Leaves lips feeling dry and tacky </li>
<li>Easily clumps and sheds</li>
<li>Reapplication makes things worse</li>
<li>Looks decent for only 1 hour </li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #a64d79;">Result: 1.5/5</span></h3>
Personally I would not recommend nor repurchase.<br />
First hour results were ideal, but things just goes downhill from the second hour onwards. Not really worth paying 16 bucks for.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-17963838523731724792014-01-23T13:28:00.001+00:002015-02-21T19:01:32.494+00:00Clio Gelpresso Pencil Gel Liner ReviewDuring my first few weeks in Seoul, I passed a small <b>Clio</b> store whilst shopping around in Myeongdong. On that day, I didn't take my 'Korean cosmetics shopping list' with me, but I did vividly recall wanting to try out the <b>Gelpresso liners</b> after reading numerous positive reviews of it online. So I went straight in and headed for the eyeliner section.<br />
<br />
The staff there didn't know much English. So when I asked one of the female assistants if they sold any non-glitter/shimmer ones she had no idea what I was talking about. My friend helped out by saying "Bling Bling" and that was then that they understood! I should of said matte because then one of the male sales assistants proceeded to loudly say "<i>MAT-TAY! MAT-TAY!</i>". The female SA then started plucking out all the brightly coloured matte pencils and started making swatches on my hand. Unfortunately, there were no matte black liners available in the Gelpresso line, only <b>Golden Black </b>which was a black liner with gold shimmers.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3swRYVlJUfI/Ut5sOanigNI/AAAAAAAAA8U/PMHE1FA9X5k/s1600/01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3swRYVlJUfI/Ut5sOanigNI/AAAAAAAAA8U/PMHE1FA9X5k/s1600/01.png" height="283" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CLIO Gelpresso Mini Liners in Beige Shine, Golden Khaki, Star Purple, Dark Choco, and Golden Black</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
In the end I decided to get the mini's set so I could give a variety of colours a go. At the time they were doing a 20% discount on all eye products, so the mini's tin set was <b>16,000<span class="st">₩</span></b> (RRP 20,000<span class="st">₩)</span>.<br />
There were 3 different sets, one that had more earthy colours (#1-5), another that focused on the 'bloody' range, and the last one offered all the matte 'pop' colours. I opted for the more earthy tin.<br />
<br />
The tin consisted of:<br />
<ul>
<li> #1 Beige Shine</li>
<li>#2 Golden Khaki</li>
<li>#3 Star Purple</li>
<li>#4 Dark Choco</li>
<li>#5 Golden Black</li>
</ul>
<i>Take note that the numbers printed on the mini pencils <b>do not </b>match with the normal sized pencils. I bought Golden Black in its original size last month and it's marked as #7.</i><br />
<br />
On the back of the tin it claims that the Gelpresso liners are:<br />
<blockquote>
<i>"filled with sliding gel texture in the retractable mini auto pencil. It glides on smoothly and gives high-defined eye line. Creamy and melty formula stays put all day long without smudge."</i></blockquote>
There is some truth to the "sliding gel texture" which makes application smooth and easy. <br />
The liners are super easy to apply on the lids and do feel somewhat like gel. Therefore, the liner can glide againt your lid smoothly without tugging on the skin! It's so much easier in comparison to my <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/01/clio-waterproof-pencil-liner-in-killer.html">CLIO Waterproof Pencil Liner</a>. However, after a couple of months the liner becomes less creamy since it dries out a bit. To regain it's creaminess just simply run the liner against the back of your hand to warm it up, I found that just 1 stroke usually does the job! Just to get rid of that dried up outer shell.<br />
Furthermore, the colour is buildable. With one stroke it gives you a natural-looking line, but with a few more it gives you a much bolder look.<br />
<br />
It's at its creamiest and 'meltiest' during the summer in my opinion. But because of the heat it makes the liner sort of breakable/snappable. I accidentally pressed too hard whilst swatching these liners for the first time during the Summer and they snapped! <i>So be careful!</i> Then again it's not like you're likely to snap it while applying to the lids since you don't use as much pressure. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zL3NwXDQzno/UuEWb3P05rI/AAAAAAAAA8s/Zj_gjAE0Nxs/s1600/02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zL3NwXDQzno/UuEWb3P05rI/AAAAAAAAA8s/Zj_gjAE0Nxs/s1600/02.png" height="320" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swatches: Beige Shine, Golden Khaki, Star Purple, Dark Choco, Golden Black (left to right).<br />
Unrubbed swatches (left)<br />Wet & rubbed swatches (right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As you can see here, there liners are definitely shimmery.
Unfortuantely my phone camera couldn't quite catch all the detail, but
in reality Beige Shine has a more pearlescent shimmer, Golden Khaki has
gold shimmers, Purple Star primarily as blue glitters and some pink,
Dark Choco strangely enough as a mix of yellow and purple shimmers,
meanwhile Golden Black has gold sparkles with a bit of pink. Of
course,when you apply it on the eye it's not like anyone can tell what
colour shimmer these liners have. I guess the shimmers help bring out
the colour of the liner in a certain way.<br />
<br />
I
tested out rubbing the liners after they had set to see if they were
smudgeproof, and luckily they did not budge! I then proceeded to run
the liners under water before rubbing them once again to find out that they are water resistant too!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PPEWN8noC1I/UuEXAkv58jI/AAAAAAAAA80/yvEgM4OJ0YM/s1600/03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PPEWN8noC1I/UuEXAkv58jI/AAAAAAAAA80/yvEgM4OJ0YM/s1600/03.png" height="214" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing the liner: Dark Choco (left) and Golden Black (right)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
In reality, the liners are in fact smudgeproof on the eye most of the time. During the colder and less humid seasons the liners don't smudge on my usually-oily lids at all! However, during the hot and humid Summer in Korea I have experienced smudging a few times after wearing it for about 18 hours! But the smudging is nothing drastic where I will return home at night to find racoon eyes, just a faint shadow line of black near the outer corner.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pros</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Waterproof (<i><b>EDIT:</b> I went to Caribbean Bay in August with the brown one on and it was the only bit of make up that stayed on the entire day!</i>)</li>
<li>Smudgeproof</li>
<li>Glides on smoothly (no tugging!)</li>
<li>Vivid and vibrant result</li>
<li>Can be smudged within 10 seconds after application for soft effect, it sets right after</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cons</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Limited matte range</li>
<li>Not 100% smudgeproof under hot and humid weather</li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Result:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>5/5 ★★★★★</b></span></span><br />
This is the best set of pencil liners that I have ever used! In the past, all my pencil liners ended up smudging on me, so it's a huge relief to finally find a set of liners that hardly ever smudges on me! <br />
<br />
Would I recommend? Definitely!<br />
Would I repurchase? Already done so! <br />
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-79946470669226617022014-01-22T18:25:00.000+00:002014-10-23T01:08:50.456+01:00John Frieda Precision Foam Colour: Extra Light Ash Blonde 10A ReviewLate hair dye review post, but I think it's necessary that I tell you all about my lovely experience with <b>John Frieda's Extra Light Ash Blonde</b> foam dye. In short, I love it <i>just as much</i> as <b>Prettia's </b>foam dyes!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d-JFSb4cJ9k/Ut5YdeHeUDI/AAAAAAAAA70/uL1FfhBuDs8/s1600/01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d-JFSb4cJ9k/Ut5YdeHeUDI/AAAAAAAAA70/uL1FfhBuDs8/s1600/01.png" height="491" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Frieda: Extra Light Ash Blonde 10A. Mini picture on the right is the foam solution.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I bought the box from Boots back in early June 2013 when it was on sale for around £6, and ended up using it in early August before my 1 year-long study abroad adventure in Seoul, South Korea. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Just like Prettia, the dye is mixed by pouring bottle 2 (colourant) into bottle 1 (developer), tilt a couple of times to mix, replace the cap with the pump and you're ready! It's super easy to apply and distribute evenly throughout the hair.<br />
In have in fact used this brand of dye on my parents' hair before, and it's such a breeze to work with and covers white hairs very well. My parents are also very satisfied with the results.<br />
<br />
<b>Note that I <i>always </i>use hair dye on (almost) 2 days old hair to prevent serious hair damage.</b><br />
<br />
As usual, after I finish applying it to my hair, I cover it with an old shower cap, blast some heat into it with the hair dryer, and wait for 1 hour 30 minutes before washing it off.<br />
I did experience a few moments of stinging during the application process, but they only lasted for 30 seconds at most and faded soon after.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FBqp0RrWsdg/Ut5YfKK-paI/AAAAAAAAA8E/lnJgnavIQq8/s1600/02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FBqp0RrWsdg/Ut5YfKK-paI/AAAAAAAAA8E/lnJgnavIQq8/s1600/02.png" height="230" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before and after: roots area</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As you can see the roots has been dyed over very evenly and blends in very well with the rest of the hair, despite it originally being many shades darker. This shows that the dye has a really good lightening properties - strong developer perhaps? <br />
So if you're using this colour on virgin black hair, the area where my roots once were is basically the result you would get after leaving it in for 1 hour 30 minutes! <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJ8z9J5WaUc/Ut5YedbTggI/AAAAAAAAA74/KkgvKJSCdBQ/s1600/03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJ8z9J5WaUc/Ut5YedbTggI/AAAAAAAAA74/KkgvKJSCdBQ/s1600/03.png" height="522" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before and after: pre-dyed L'oreal Absolue Mousse in Very Light Frosted Blonde 1021</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As expected, my hair colour does turn slightly brassy months after a dye job, it's only natural. The John Frieda dye has done a great job in re-applying the ash to my hair to make it less brassy!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tx_IeDgfNOE/Ut5YfmlvdXI/AAAAAAAAA8I/mgVHf90VRdo/s1600/04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tx_IeDgfNOE/Ut5YfmlvdXI/AAAAAAAAA8I/mgVHf90VRdo/s1600/04.png" height="384" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before and after: dip-dyed tips with La Riche Directions in Turquoise</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The dye had lightened my 1.5 months old dip dye job (in turquoise), as expected. Because the dye itself is essentially yellow in colour, it made the dye turn a tad green and faded.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Pros</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li>Adds ash tone to hair (balances out brassiness)</li>
<li>Even coverage</li>
<li>Blends roots with rest of pre-dyed hair</li>
<li>Works on natural black hair </li>
<li>Easy application</li>
<li>Hair doesn't feel dry post-dye job</li>
<li>Covers white hairs (parents approve!) </li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Cons</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><b><i>NOTHING. </i></b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Result:</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>5/5 ★★★★★</b></span></span><br />
The <i>best </i>alternative to the Prettia foam dye. Definitely recommended and will repurchase!Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-52897246004355047682014-01-21T10:54:00.001+00:002014-10-24T22:18:20.940+01:00Freshlight Hair Dye: Melty Cherry Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--TwdnjeAo0k/Ut5ICAhX9SI/AAAAAAAAA68/SzUSCzE0d-8/s1600/20131214000521745-text.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--TwdnjeAo0k/Ut5ICAhX9SI/AAAAAAAAA68/SzUSCzE0d-8/s1600/20131214000521745-text.png" height="400" width="300" /></a>I thought I was going to die just hours into my birthday because of this dye's fumes! Yes, I was dying my hair when the clock struck midnight, marking the beginning of my 21-year-old years. I began my 21st by dying my hair with <b>Freshlight's Melty Cherry</b> foam dye.<br />
<br />
Originally I wanted to try out <b>Rose Macaron</b> because it was a lighter pink, but unfortunately it appears that Korea does not sell it. I've tried browsing numerous Olive Young and Watson branches in Seoul, before I dyed it and even after dying it, but still I can't find it. I think the Korean market prefers having medium/darker hair colours, and if they really wanted a light colour it would be blonde.<br />
At one point I was searching up other brands' reviews online, one of them being Palty's foam dye. I was deliberating between the <b>Palty's Raspberry Jam</b> and Freshlight, but chose the latter in the end because people online had said that Palty foam tends to fizzle out quickly and you are left dealing with a pile of <i>gloop </i>when you're halfway through application. In Korea, they only sell Beautylabo, Palty, and Freshlight dyes from Japan. Beautylabo had mediocre reviews also. I also ventured into looking at Korean foam dyes, but reviews online were limited and I never heard anything special about Korean foam dyes anyway. Plus, a Korean friend did <b><i>NOT </i></b>recommend trying out the <b>Mise en Scene Hello Bubble</b> dyes since they dried out her hair big time.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Dc-vh3xd_8/Ut5KVpqBLeI/AAAAAAAAA7I/qSwToycbBkw/s1600/01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Dc-vh3xd_8/Ut5KVpqBLeI/AAAAAAAAA7I/qSwToycbBkw/s1600/01.png" height="500" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: forgot to take proper before pics, so we're gonna have to make do with recent selcas!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My hair had been previously dyed with <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2014/01/john-frieda-extra-light-ash-blonde.html">John Frieda's Extra Light Ash Blonde</a> in early August. I have also dip dyed the tips with <b>La Riche Directions Semi Permanent</b> hair dye (I will post a review on this soon).<br />
<br />
So, just like Prettia the mixing of the solution is pretty easy. Pour small colourant bottle into larger developer bottle, tilt a couple of times to mix, unscrew cap, change it with the pump and you're ready to go.<br />
<br />
As mentioned before, the fumes were overpowering. I was applying it in the shower cubicle with the door closed. Despite having the fan/vent on, I still ended up choking mid-way through. So I ended up opening the cubicle door to let more air in, which consequentially ended up making my room smell like hair dye.<br />
The application process was just like Prettia, no hassle, stiff foam that doesn't disintergrate, and easy. Upon finishing I covered it all up in an old shower cap. <b>I was too lazy to blow heat into it.</b><br />
<br />
After leaving it in for 1 hour 30 minutes, I jumped in to the shower to wash the gunk off with slightly cold water along with my <b>L'oreal EverPURE shampoo</b>, and followed up with the conditioner satchet provided. Unlike Prettia, my hair didn't feel sticky/tacky after it dried - the past few times I dyed my hair with Prettia it always left it feeling tacky for some reason... Although it didn't feel super soft and moisturised, it wasn't dry either.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PVrCt_3wd5s/Ut5OIJLTS1I/AAAAAAAAA7U/bjJsQG_Au8s/s1600/02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PVrCt_3wd5s/Ut5OIJLTS1I/AAAAAAAAA7U/bjJsQG_Au8s/s1600/02.png" height="531" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After: hair under natural light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V5aMQ5jpcqY/Ut5OJSCZIzI/AAAAAAAAA7c/HLXttgYtRS8/s1600/03.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V5aMQ5jpcqY/Ut5OJSCZIzI/AAAAAAAAA7c/HLXttgYtRS8/s1600/03.png" height="400" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After: hair under artificial white light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The colour result was disappointing. I expected the results to turn out similar to <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.kr/2012/12/winter-hair-prettia-cassis-berry.html">Prettia's Cassis Berry</a>, a lovely rich reddish brown, but instead it ended up looking like I dyed my hair with any old brown warm-toned colour that lacked any sort of noticeable red/pink hue. Maybe I am really desperate to believe that the product worked somewhat, but I think there <i>is</i> in fact a <i>tiny </i>bit of a pinkish hue to the brown roots. Do inform me if I am in fact being a tad delusional. But then again it's hard to tell on the picture since I <i>am </i>using my <b>phone</b> camera. You just have to see my hair in real life to know. Then again, I have noticed that my pink tip-dyed ends have become more noticeably<i> pink-er. </i>Unfortunately the phone camera taken photos fails to show this...<br />
What was even more disappointing is that it hardly changed my hair colour at all, and I'm talking about the pre-dyed part that has been lightened to a really light brown for years. The colour only turned a tad <b>warmer</b>, but that's it. No colour change. It looked more like I had dyed my roots instead. Luckily the roots were dyed a medium-light brown as a result, although the transition between the roots and dyed hair isn't perfect, it will do.<br />
<br />
I am going to consider the fact that I didn't apply heat when I dyed my hair, because I usually do. Heat/warmth is what I consider to be a vital part of hair dying, since it increases the rate of chemical function. Although I covered the dye job with an old shower cap, I didn't blow heat with a dryer into it. Additionally, I had to open my window in order to let the fumes out, which conversly let the cold air in - it was snowing in Seoul around that time. Despite not sitting near the window most of the time, the room did get pretty cold.<br />
<i>Perhaps this is why the colour never turned out properly... </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pros</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Foam stays and doesn't liquidify </li>
<li>Mixing and application method is just like Prettia</li>
<li> Hair doesn't feel dry post-dying</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Cons</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>The fumes are strong</li>
<li>Tad minimal effect on dyed hair </li>
<li>Pink/red hue did not show</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Result:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #741b47;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>2/5 </b>★★☆</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">☆</span><span style="font-size: x-large;">☆</span></span><br />
I expected so much from this since it's a brand under Schwarzkopf. Having handled Schwarzkopf dyes before on my parents' hair, I know the brand offers really nice vibrant colours that, unfortunately, stains your towels and fades over time. But no, it did the exact opposite where it did not give me any sort of colour at all.<br />
However, I shall be lenient and be open to trying out another Freshlight colour in future that is <b>not</b> from the pink/red hue range. Most preferrably in a warmer location/season as well so the chemicals can work at its optimum.<br />
So in conclusion, I would not be repurchasing nor recommending Freshlight Melty Cherry, you're better off buying Prettia's pink dyes like <a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2012/12/winter-hair-prettia-cassis-berry.html">Cassis Berry</a>.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-2464748238928199872014-01-20T19:00:00.004+00:002014-10-24T22:19:30.556+01:00CLIO Waterproof Pencil Liner in Killer Black ReviewHope you all had a great new years! <i>*laughs nervously* </i><br />
<br />
So I may have accidentally abandonned this blog for a long while since my last post in early October. This is because I wanted to focus on updating my <a href="http://yeohaenggi-joo.blogspot.com/">Korea blog</a> more as well as be able to balance a social life and uni work.<i> </i>I know,<i> I actually have a <b>social life</b> in Korea *le gasp*</i><br />
But now that it's Winter break, and a majority of my newly made friends have now left me forever since they only came to study for one semester (<i>*cries*</i>), I now have time to update you guys on my latest experiences with Korean cosmetics! Huzzah! <br />
<br />
So let's start off with a product that I have a love-hate relationship with. The<b> CLIO Waterproof Pencil Liner in Killer Black</b>! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DITXqcM8Uc4/Ut1sA0gUfpI/AAAAAAAAA6M/12XHFRglAAY/s1600/clio+waterproof+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DITXqcM8Uc4/Ut1sA0gUfpI/AAAAAAAAA6M/12XHFRglAAY/s1600/clio+waterproof+1.png" height="392" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CLIO Waterproof Pencil Liner in Killer Black. The black end of the pencil is the sharpener.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Bought from Olive Young when it was on sale and reduced to 9,000<span class="st">₩</span> (RRP 12,000<span class="st">₩).</span><br />
<span class="st"></span>I was getting tired of my glitzy <b>CLIO Gelpresso</b> liner set, in which I will attempt to review really soon, and really wanted to try out a matte black pencil liner. Having already experienced the amazingness of the Gelpresso liners, I decided to give the brand's Waterproof Pencil Liner in Killer Black a go.<br />
I assumed that this liner would be just as amazing as the Gelpresso, but unfortunately not...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ubHLI3vs4hk/Ut1sB4qU2BI/AAAAAAAAA6U/CumVZgzGwn0/s1600/clio+waterproof+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ubHLI3vs4hk/Ut1sB4qU2BI/AAAAAAAAA6U/CumVZgzGwn0/s1600/clio+waterproof+2.png" height="420" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pencil itself and swatches.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The colour is strong but requires a few strokes in order to achieve a 'killer black' look.<br />
It is smudgeproof and waterproof since I have yet to experience any smudging with my every day look, and it has done very well against my contact lens eye drops - I tend to miss my eyeball a lot.<br />
That's all the good points of the liner I guess. <br />
<br />
In terms of bad, unfortunately the pencil is quite hard so it's best to apply with with a light hand. However, somtimes the colour fails to transfer nicely onto your lids with a light hand and requires a bit of pressure. This results in the slight tugging of skin, which is highly undesirable.<br />
I've also noticed that there is a bit of 'fallout' with the liner as you apply it sometimes, a few bits tend to land somewhere on my cheekbone. Luckily when I dust it away it doesn't leave marks on my skin.<br />
On average, I probably spend a tiny bit more time applying this liner than my Gelpresso one since it is less forgiving as I'm applying it with more pressure. With the Gelpresso I can easily smudge out the liner seconds after application before it sets, so I can easily smooth out the line. However, for this liner it's fairly harder to smudge out in comparison. The reason why I have suddenly decided to try out pencil liners is because of its convenience - I take far too long in applying my Bobbi Brown gel liner still!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1fCjd77ujw/Ut1sB5HAiMI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/5nKTHbTboQA/s1600/clio+waterproof+3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1fCjd77ujw/Ut1sB5HAiMI/AAAAAAAAA6Q/5nKTHbTboQA/s1600/clio+waterproof+3.png" height="320" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My every day look</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pros</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Lives up to 'killer black' result - strong black line</li>
<li>Great for producing <i>clean </i>and <i>sharp </i>lines </li>
<li>Twist-up pencil with sharpener provided</li>
<li>Smudgeproof</li>
<li>Waterproof </li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Cons</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li>Hard pencil = slight tugging of skin</li>
<li>Pressing lightly does not transfer colour easily </li>
<li>Possible 'pencil fallout'</li>
<li>Smudges when you tightline on <b>bare </b>eyes - unprepped eyes (only eye cream/gel) with no powder to mattify it </li>
</ul>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Result</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>3/5 </b>★★★☆☆</span></span><br />
Although I love the end result of this liner, the things you have to experience to achieve it is not really worth it in the long run. Tugging of the eye's skin area is never a good thing.<br />
Would I repurchase this pencil liner? Nah. <br />
But would I <i>recommend </i>it? Perhaps. Only if you really want to use a pencil that produces really clean and bold lines. <br />
<br />
If only CLIO offered a matte black colour of the Gelpresso liner it would be <b>perfect</b>! <i>*sigh*</i>Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-2396700385743096732013-10-02T17:21:00.002+01:002014-10-24T22:20:26.131+01:00Etude House Membership Card<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fwpr94Rl13o/UkxGGgMec2I/AAAAAAAAAtI/B1RHf_ZN6gw/s1600/20130926_145103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fwpr94Rl13o/UkxGGgMec2I/AAAAAAAAAtI/B1RHf_ZN6gw/s400/20130926_145103.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The haul!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you're a student studying abroad in Korea, who is also a skin care fanatic like me, get your ARC (alien registration card) ASAP so you can pop into Etude House and set yourself up with an <b>Etude House membership card</b>!<br />
<br />
With the Etude House membership card you can take advantage of their random sales.<br />
Etude house sometimes sets up a large 'up to 50% off' poster outside their store, meaning that a majority of their products are on sale. Inside you'll see sections and shelves marked with stickers on them tellng you how much % is being taken off. The 20% and 30% stickers are more frequently seen.<br />
<br />
Of course, this discount sale is only available for membership card owners. Visitors without a Korean ID card or ARC unfortunately cannot set up a membership account.<br />
<br />
This membership card is going to be like the Body Shop card for me, fantastic but lethal to my bank account.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Anyway, I discovered this after having lunch last Thursday. I just so happened to walk past the store with the 50% poster stuck on it and lots of people inside in for once. I was determined to get the Aloha V-Line bronzer with this discount opportunity. But at the same time, I was scared that there would be some catch to getting the discount. I had a feeling that I needed a membership card in order to take advantage of this deal. So I asked one of the Etude House staff members (luckily the Anam branch has an English speaker!) if I needed one or not and she said yes. Apparently I needed either a Korean ID card to set it up, I only had an ARC at the time and she said it would be fine. So I was taken to the counter where this other staff member opened up the store's iPad and started setting up the account for me, all she needed was my ARC and phone number, then <i>wallah!</i> Done.<br />
<br />
So I went absolutely crazy in the store. I grabbed a basket and started piling in stuff that I had been eyeing on for ages, such as the Aloha V-line Bronzer and a few of the ice cream bottled nail polish. In the end the total came to around 55,000won (without discount: 77,000won).<br />
My wallet hated me that day.<br />
<br />
Items bought:<br />
<ul>
<li>Brush Shower Cleaner</li>
<li>Nail Remover: Acetone Free</li>
<li>Ice Cream Nail Polish in #GR701 and #OR201</li>
<li>Help Mt Finger Art Gel Coat</li>
<li>Juicy Cocktail Gradation Nails #2 Kiss of Fire</li>
<li>Rosy Tint Lips #8 After Blossom</li>
<li>Aloha V-Line Slim Maker #1 Sun Gold/Wood Brown</li>
<li>Collagen Moistfull Water Filler</li>
<li>AC Clinic Intense Pink Powder Spot set</li>
</ul>
I also bought 2 other products the week prior to this which I may also do reviews on in future: <br />
<ul>
<li>Real Art Cleansing Oil Light</li>
<li>Baking Powder BB Cleansing Foam</li>
</ul>
Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-72532713608373705072013-09-18T18:52:00.002+01:002014-10-23T01:32:31.436+01:00Itaewon Skin Food ExperienceSo I headed down to Itaewon today to try out Wolfhound Irish Pub's fish and chips (I was craving for some and they weren't really worth the 13,900won...), as well as to explore the area when I ended up finding myself chatting to a sales assistant in Skin Food.<br />
I do love it when the sales assistants in Korea can speak in English, you can ask so many questions about skin care products and they can recommend you certain stuff. This has only happened so far in a couple of stores in Myeongdong, the Etude House in Anam, and including this one!<br />
<br />
I didn't end up buying anything since I was down to around 15,000won. I was doing a bit of browsing to familiarise myself with what products Skin Food had to offer. I felt bad when I told the sales assistant that I was low on money today and couldn't really afford anything, but I said I will return once I got my Korean bank account sorted!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><h3>
Black Sugar Perfect First Serum</h3>
Anyway, the first product she introduced me to was the <b>Skin Food Black Sugar Perfect First Serum</b>. She claimed it to be the newest best seller, highly raved online, and that <i>no one </i>could say anything bad about this product. It's said to clean the skin very well, hydrate it as well as tighten the pores.<br />
<br />
She then proceded to pour some onto the back of my right hand for me to test it out and told me to pat it against my skin. The product itself felt very watery as it flowed down my hand as she poured it, but at the same time it looked kind of thick.<br />
The scent was similar to the Skin Food Black Sugar Mask, but not as strong and more light and fruity.<br />
I spent a good while massaging it into my hand and it made it feel really hydrated. At first it felt sticky, but as time passed the stickiness went away and it just felt nice and smooth.<br />
<br />
When I returned home I done some research on it and indeed so far I have yet to come across anything terribly bad about it apart from it's stickiness. Furthermore, when you buy the product or get a sample you are also provided a set of 'special' cotton pads where one side is textured for wiping and the other is smooth for patting. I also have a small sample box of these cotton pads from my Nature Republic Aloe Vera haul, so far I love them for the textured side!<br />
Anyway, from the reviews I found out it also has skin peeling properties, in that it really does help remove dead skin cells - there was picture proof! I don't recall the SA telling me this, but she probably did and it totally flew over my head.<br />
<br />
I may consider buying this product to try it out properly. <br />
I believe the product was around <b>21,000won</b>. <br />
<br />
<h3>
Blanc Pearl Caviar Eye Cream</h3>
I had also asked the SA on what good eye creams she would recommend. First, she lead me to the Blanc Pearl Caviar range and handed me the eye cream from that line. Apparently it's a new product that just came out a week ago and only Korea has it so far. Plus it was said to be yet another new best seller. <i>Oh this SA...</i><br />
<br />
The pot was white with a design similar to the other products within it's range. I didn't take some out to try out the consistency, but the scent wasn't heavy at least. It's said to be for dark circles and fine lines.<br />
The product was priced at around <b>50,000won</b> which was pretty damn steep so perhaps I may skip on this one until they give me a sample or a good promo offer.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Platinum Grape Cell Eye Cream</h3>
Said to be the best selling eye cream Skin Food had to offer before the Black Pearl Caviar Eye Cream came on the shelves. This product was the cheaper alternative at around<b> 39,000won</b>.<br />
<br />
I did try this product out and the consistency was smooth and gel-like. It was tinted a light purple and gave off a very light grape scent. Didn't really notice that platinum flakes in the product though the SA said you could actually see it...<br />
<br />
I may give this product a spin as well if it's ever on offer.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Salmon Brightening Eye Cream</h3>
The cheapest alternative of the bunch. The SA used it before as well and she highly recommends it.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately this product offers brightening only, which is a shame since I am looking for brightening and re-plumping of the skin's fine lines.<br />
The consistency was thin and the product is a white cream. Nothing too special. But it did feel smooth and I noticed that it gave my skin a very light sheen. So this product looked promising, especially for day time underneath make up.<br />
<br />
Again, I may consider purchasing this since it's priced at <b>19,000won</b> (?). Perhaps on a day where I go absolutely crazy and just buy it because I'm leaving Korea soon.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-87154443638737042302013-09-17T20:00:00.002+01:002014-10-23T01:11:58.596+01:00Andrew Barton Designer Curling Multi Styler Set Review Pt. 2 (Curling Wand)I was <i>VERY </i>close to selling off my Andrew Barton curling set to fund my study abroad year. But during the Summer, on those days where I stayed inside doing nothing practically dying of boredom, I decided to play around with my AB curling set again before I decided fully on whether I should sell it or not.<br />
<b>Thank God I didn't to be honest.</b><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><h3>
Curling Tong (2nd Round) </h3>
<h3>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lsD7k0teXl8/UjanfNp85-I/AAAAAAAAAqE/SIwsiOACx7M/s1600/2013-03-23+14.25.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lsD7k0teXl8/UjanfNp85-I/AAAAAAAAAqE/SIwsiOACx7M/s320/2013-03-23+14.25.57.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big loose defined waves! Not sure if I like...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</h3>
On the first day of reusing this curling set again I wanted to try perfecting my skill in curling my hair with the tongs.<br />
<br />
This time I used larger chunks of hair at a higher heat setting so I could get more loose curls that actually held nicely.<br />
It worked out alright in the end. Though I wasn't completely satisfied. It didn't look natural enough, perhaps because my hair isn't that long and I still needed practice.<br />
<br />
So I tried again the day after, and it turned out to be a mess. At that point I realised I should just give up with the tongs. The curls either turn out <i>alright </i>or just messy. I do recall having to recurl certain sections a lot.<br />
Maybe the AB curling set's tongs aren't that great after all.<br />
I may give them another spin when I get back to England, only with smaller sections next time.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Curling Wand (1st Round + more)</h3>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZjfkFp68dk/UjaqPOCBsDI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/aMx1VAMsv8s/s1600/IMG_20130731_163939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UZjfkFp68dk/UjaqPOCBsDI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/aMx1VAMsv8s/s320/IMG_20130731_163939.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hair reminds me of Lily Collins' hair. Love that hairstyle!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As mentioned in my previous review (<a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.kr/2012/05/andrew-barton-designer-curling-multi.html">part 1</a>), I didn't want to use to the curling wand purely because I believed it would give me tight curls. <i>Oh boy was I wrong.</i><br />
<br />
One day I watched Weylie's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIQrtTC67UU">Easy 10 min Summer Waves</a> video and realised that the curling wands <i>CAN </i>give you nice loose curls! All you had to do was hold the curl for 5 seconds and then let go. The longer you hold, the tighter the curl.<br />
Well this was news to me. Had no idea why I didn't think about it in that way.<br />
<br />
So I hurried off to try it out and <i>voila</i>! Nice loose wavy curls!<br />
Exactly what I wanted this Summer!<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oUaAgLbUBCI/UjaqQDs5uSI/AAAAAAAAAqY/QV_rM0MjHJA/s1600/20130731_163102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oUaAgLbUBCI/UjaqQDs5uSI/AAAAAAAAAqY/QV_rM0MjHJA/s320/20130731_163102.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I do recall using the wand on one of the lowest heat settings since I didn't really want to kill my hair or make tight curls.<br />
<br />
Needless to say I became infatuated with the curling wand. I ended up bringing it with me to Korea rather than my straightners.<br />
To be honest, I didn't really need my straightners. Only wanted to bring it to style my fringe on days it decides to refuse to side sweep, or when my shorter layers decide to flick outwards. Plus I already mastered on how to curl my hair with the straightnets, though the end result was still not 100% exactly what I wanted. But with the AB curling wand, yes. It is exactly what I wanted!<br />
<br />
I've used the curling wand a couple of times since I arrived in Korea. And I noticed that I couldn't quite get the same kind of result as I did during the first time. The curls couldn't quite hold so I had to increase the heat a little bit and hold the curl a little longer against the wand, meaning I ended up having more tighter curls.<br />
There could be a number of reasons for this:<br />
<ol>
<li>I dyed my hair before leaving for Korea</li>
<li>I didn't bring my <b>John Frieda Frizz Ease Heat Defeat spray</b>, used friend's Aussie Dual Personality Heat Protection spray instead</li>
<li>Korean water may have altered my hair properties a little (?)</li>
<li>Poor diet (it's hard to maintain a good diet in Korea when you're eating out everyday)</li>
</ol>
But I think the main reason is the heat protectant. I noticed that whenever I used John Frieda's Heat Defeat it always made my hair feel denser and thicker. As if you knew it would hold heat-influenced styling very well.<br />
I wasn't a huge fan of my friend's Aussie heat protectant anyway. It felt like I was spraying water onto my hair.<br />
<br />
However! Now that we're running out of the the Aussie heat protect (the friend is also my room mate at Korea University) we went and bought a new spray to try out! The <b>Lucido-l Hair Perm Water </b>for around 7,000won at Olive Young (Korean drugstore).<br />
I have yet to try this heat protectant but I will soon! Once I've used it a couple of times I will try my best to find time to post up a review.<br />
<br />
<br />Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-84380470609694544252013-08-29T15:56:00.003+01:002014-10-24T22:20:06.572+01:00Korea Summer Haul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HDCizRYGL-I/Uh9fQYlT37I/AAAAAAAAAms/oIFTJZcn72E/s1600/sneakpeak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HDCizRYGL-I/Uh9fQYlT37I/AAAAAAAAAms/oIFTJZcn72E/s400/sneakpeak.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
Unfortunately the laziness kicked in again and I didn't mange to post new reviews up in time before I left for Korea.<br />
I shall try my best to find time in future to type them up!<br />
<br />
Here's a sneak preview of what reviews to expect in the next few weeks ;)<br />
<br />
So far I'm loving the Clio Gelpresso liners, Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner, and Nature Republic Aloe Vera Gel (not pictured)!<br />
Yet the Clio eye make up remover and Nature Republic Lemon Cleansing Water (not pictured) is not pleasing me so much...<br />
<br />
My wallet continues to weep because this is only 1/4 of what I've bought in total. <i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>The BWCW collab store is deadly.</i>Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-30461775426072900082013-08-08T23:52:00.000+01:002014-10-23T01:14:23.687+01:00New side blog and future posts forecast!Since I will be studying abroad for a year in South Korea starting from September I've decided to open up another word blog to document my time there! I've also opened up a photo blog on tumblr as well where I will post most of my pictures.<br />
<br />
Please check them out: <a href="http://yeohaenggi-joo.blogspot.com/">Word Blog</a> | <a href="http://yeohaenggi.tumblr.com/">Photo Blog</a><br />
<br />
Also, follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/Joozilla">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://instagram.com/joozilla">Instagram</a>, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/joozilla">YouTube</a> for more updates!<br />
<br />
As for this current blog, please stay tuned for a wave of Korea skin care product reviews! After all, South Korea is famous for their skin care and cosmetic products. I have a strong feeling that most of my money is going to go towards skin care for the next year. Well, skin care and food.<br />
<br />
I have 4 days left in England before I leave for South Korea on 12th August! Shall try my very best to publish more posts that I've been too lazy to type up during the past week cosHannibalandtheMortalInstrumentseries<i>woops</i>;;;<br />
<br />
Upcoming posts features:<br />
<ul>
<li>Dip dying hair (Directions Colour Hair Dye review)</li>
<li>Andrew Barton Wand review</li>
<li>John Frieda Extra Light Ash Blonde Foam Dye review</li>
</ul>
<br />
I have also filmed 3 skin care product review videos during the past 2-3 months. I think I'm going to do less product review videos when I'm in Korea, it's just easier to type up a review these days.<br />
I will be reviewing<br />
<ul>
<li>The Body Shop Vitamin E Night Cream (needs editting)</li>
<li> OMG Perfect Gel (almost done editting)</li>
<li>Naruko Oil Out Cleanser, Toner & Serum (needs editting)</li>
</ul>
All 3 videos will hopefully be uploaded onto my YouTube soon. I'm hoping to edit them all in the next few days on top of everything.<br />
<br />
This is what happens when you procrastinate all summer /<i>sigh</i>.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-79573677702365847782013-04-10T21:48:00.001+01:002014-10-23T01:14:51.999+01:00L'oreal Mousse Absolue ReviewOn Sunday evening I decided dye my hair with L'oreal's Mousse Absolue in Very Light Frosted Blonde 1021.
In short, the experience was very disappointing.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJ5xsOfwJq8/UWXJm7aI8MI/AAAAAAAAAgU/UqCc5uTHEOc/s1600/after.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJ5xsOfwJq8/UWXJm7aI8MI/AAAAAAAAAgU/UqCc5uTHEOc/s320/after.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After: Mousse Absolue 1021 under dimmed sunlight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YC1vOXqnF6M/UWXJm1nbp9I/AAAAAAAAAgM/WZYujRZHeqk/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YC1vOXqnF6M/UWXJm1nbp9I/AAAAAAAAAgM/WZYujRZHeqk/s320/before.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before: faded Prettia Cassis Berry under strong sunlight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a name='more'></a><br />
Didn't do a skin test 48 hours prior to the dye job, risky choice seeing as my eczema had returned due to the cold weather. But luckily, like all my other previous dye jobs, I didn't get any sort of allergic reaction.Was too lazy to even apply Vaseline to my skin before dying, I just went straight into it after changing into an old shirt and combing through my hair. <br />
Take note that I was dying my hair in the warmest area of my living room: right next to the radiator! This is to ensure better results.<br />
<br />
The dye is really easy to essemble together: take off the cap, hold the nozzle by its sides, click it on, shake it for a while, and you're ready to go. <br />
Please remember to keep your fingers off the top of the nozzle otherwise you might accidentally squirt some of the dye out (<i>woops</i>).<br />
<br />
<b>The dye comes out in a smooth glossy white mousse-y foam, which unfortunately dissolves within seconds.</b><br />
This is the main reason why I am so disappointed with the product. I expected the foam to at least hold till I was near done with the application, because all the other foam dyes that I've used before held their foaminess till I was done applying the stuff! After all, the foam helps the application process speed up a lot faster and gives more even results.<br />
With the Mousse Absolue, the mousse/foam dissolves into a fairly dry solution on my hair, which makes it <b>difficult to massage the product in later</b>. So by the end of it all I went back to seemingly dry looking patches (espescially the ends) and reapplied more foam - I'm paranoid about uneveness. My hair did <i>appear </i>glossily wet with the dye on it, but not wet <i>wet</i>. It's like as if I hadn't applied enough product.<br />
<br />
When I was done there was perhaps only less than 10% left of the dye - not that I could tell exactly because the packaging is opaque. This is clearly not enough for a root touch up.<br />
If I don't plan on buying another Mousse Absolue in future I would probably use the rest of it for my brows.<br />
<br />
To further ensure that I got the best results, I blasted some heat onto my hair with the hair dryer and quickly covered it all up in a shower cap. I planned on leaving it in for 1 hour and 30 minutes - like always since my hair is originally black after all, however I ended up leaving it in for almost 2 hours because I go distracted.<br />
The last time I left it in for 2 hours was years ago when I asked my friend's mum to dye my hair for me with Palty's Milk Tea Brown. That was not a good move since it left my scalp super sensitive and my hair feeling thinner than ever - but hey the colour turned out <i>amazing</i>.<br />
And so, similarly with the Absolue Mousse, I had to be super gentle when I was washing the dye out, because my scalp had indeed gone sensitive on me. Water didn't seem to make the dye foam up again or anything of the sort, but it was easy to wash out at the very least.<br />
I shampoo'd my hair with a small amount of <b>L'oreal's Expertise EverPure shampoo</b> to make sure the dye was completely washed out, and then left in the conditioner supplied for around 5 minutes.<br />
<br />
Came out of the shower with <b>soft hair that didn't feel dry and frazzled</b>. My black roots appeared to have been covered and <b>blended in well with the rest of my hair</b>. And it looked as if I had just used a lighter version of Prettia's Milk Tea Brown. Though, hair does look fairly ginger under warm lighting still. But it's kind of expected since my hair is originally black.<br />
I thought everything looked fine until the morning came. Under natural light I noticed <b>there were some tiny black roots on my hairline </b>(refer to after picture)! Clearly the dye didn't budge despite having spent a good 5 minutes massaging every part of my hair after application.<br />
<br />
I haven't noticed any patches on the other parts of my hair yet, but this is probably because it's like as if I was dying my hair with the same colour as I used before, so patches don't show up even if there were any. <br />
<br />
In conclusion I would give this dye a<b> 3/5</b>. <br />
<br />
Pros<br />
<ul>
<li>Convenient dye set up</li>
<li>Vibrant and high-shine colour result</li>
<li>Hair doesn't feel terribly damaged </li>
</ul>
<br />
Cons<br />
<ul>
<li>Mousse/foam dissolves too quickly</li>
<li>Difficult to know whether you have covered your hair evenly or not</li>
<li>Uneven coverage due to quickly dissolved mousse/foam </li>
<li>A lot of product is used to make sure the dye is evenly distributed</li>
<li>Higher chances of patches </li>
<li>Opaque packagin: unable to see how much product is left </li>
</ul>
I wouldn't recommend this dye to anyone dying their hair from one extreme colour to another.<br />
If you're just going a few shades lighter or darker, maybe it will be fine.<br />
To avoid undyed patches of roots like mines, perhaps you should take some extra care to massage the mousse onto your scalp/roots thoroughly before it all dissolves. Like, <i>whack that stuff on and don't stop massaging till the foam's all gone!</i><br />
<br />
Despite how much I love the convenience of the dye and the colour result, I probably wouldn't buy this product again, most definitely not for it's RRP at £10.99! Would only buy this again if L'oreal improved the formula to make sure that the foam actually holds.Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-42970790856372000942013-03-30T20:22:00.001+00:002014-10-23T01:15:16.363+01:00L'oreal's Mousse Absolue: Very Light Frosted Blonde 1021<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BGcUPRuCUAA7_FA.jpg:large" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BGcUPRuCUAA7_FA.jpg:large" width="240" /></a> After having seen <b>L'oreal's Mousse Absolue</b> hair dye being advertised on the Boots website a week prior at an introductory price of £8.99, I decided to give this a try.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Yes, I gave up the idea of getting Prettia's Rose Tea Brown despite it only being a few pounds more expensive at around £11, which is basically how much Mousse Absolue would retail at starting from mid-April - £10.99. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
L'oreal Mousse Absolue is marketed as an '<i>innovative</i>' re-useable hair dye. I had to visit the main website for a more detailed explanation since Boots wasn't in-depth enough. In sum it's basically <b>foam hair dye in a spray can</b>. Almost like hair spray: you spray on the necessary amount required (obviously enough to cover your hair), clean the nozzle, pop the lid on, and leave it on your bathroom shelf until you need it again for future touch ups. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Very handy and convenient. Far less tedious and time-consuming in comparison to other dyes out there which would require you to squeeze the tube of colour into a developer bottle - I always spend a good minute or two making sure every little bit of colourant comes out.<br />
Looking at the diagrams for the Mousse Absolue, it hold two canisters - a developer and colourant, and mixes the two together within the nozzle once it's pressed. Meaning the developer and colourant is kept separate for future use - no product wasted! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Went for colour 1021 purely because I wanted lighter brown hair whilst making sure to avoid going too ginger. I tend to go for blonde colours if I plan on dying my hair to a light brown with Western dyes.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Referring to L'oreal's Q&A on their website (what do the shade numbers mean?), I found out the lower the second/third numbers are the ashier the tone of the dye is. 1021 being a 2 meant "Irridescent/mauve ash", perfect - there was no 1 (blue ash) in the blonde category unfortunately. There was 1000 but I'm assuming it has no tones to it since it's described as <i>natural </i>light blonde - I need ashy blue tones to tone down the ginger! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Being a fan of foam dyes for it's ease of application, this product is most definitely suited for me.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Before I was tempted to try out the Excellence Creme range or retry the Recital Preference again. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The former wasn't desireable since I find cream/liquid dyes to be too heavy and gunky for my hair, meaning I pull out more hairs whilst rinsing - this happened when I was still using Palty. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Whereas with Recital Preference, I didn't actually use it to its full potential because I was scared that too damp hair would make the colour not sink in too well. Of course I was probably wrong, because having damp hair meant the liquid dye would then lather up into foam which therefore ensured a more even application - then again the colour did end up turning out even despite being un-foamed. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I would definitely try Recital Preference again if Mousse Absolue turns out to be a fail.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<strike><b>Dying my hair with the Mousse Absolue sometime next week, stay tuned for a review!</b></strike><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://joozilla.blogspot.com/2013/04/loreal-mousse-absolue-review.html">Review Here </a></b></div>
Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-67633826656190751042013-03-22T18:39:00.001+00:002014-10-24T22:18:26.396+01:00New Prettia Colours *SCREAMS*<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3s1YuzeT2Ts/UUyh3-TN73I/AAAAAAAAAfw/vg4kP-TXuT0/s1600/prettianew.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3s1YuzeT2Ts/UUyh3-TN73I/AAAAAAAAAfw/vg4kP-TXuT0/s640/prettianew.png" height="281" width="640" /></a>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now that I'm back home from university for Easter break it's time to think about dying <span style="font-size: small;">my roots! Initially<span style="font-size: small;">, I was thinking <span style="font-size: small;">that maybe it's best to save <span style="font-size: small;">£10 for Korea and try out some British dyes instead,<span style="font-size: small;"> which can be</span> risky since it can leave my hair looking a tad ginger as well as darken it. Not exactly what I want because I really want lighter and brighter hair for Summer.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wondering if the price for Prettia has dropped or not (<i>hah yeah right</i>)<span style="font-size: small;">, I <span style="font-size: small;">paid a visit to eBay to only find out that <span style="font-size: small;">Pr<span style="font-size: small;">ettia has released two ne<span style="font-size: small;">w colours<span style="font-size: small;">: <b>Candy Beige</b> and <b>Rose Tea Brown</b>!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">I have my eyes on Rose Tea Brown<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">, </span>despite knowing that the model<span style="font-size: small;">'s hair on the box is blatantly photoshopped and there's no way my hair would look like that without pre-bleaching.</span></span></span></i> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aSUxFic_Scs/UUygKs33VrI/AAAAAAAAAfk/bB66XP2SW4M/s1600/colorchart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aSUxFic_Scs/UUygKs33VrI/AAAAAAAAAfk/bB66XP2SW4M/s320/colorchart.png" height="320" width="265" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">According to this chart <span style="font-size: small;">the two new colo<span style="font-size: small;">urs are relatively less <span style="font-size: small;">lighter <span style="font-size: small;">to my <span style="font-size: small;">usual colour: Mil<span style="font-size: small;">k <span style="font-size: small;">T</span>ea <span style="font-size: small;">B</span>rown. However, they are in fact <span style="font-size: small;">a step lighter than my currently dyed colour: Cassis Berry. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">There's a very likely possibility that the pink will wash out within <span style="font-size: small;">a few weeks, but at least <span style="font-size: small;">the brown in my hair will appear a lot more lighter than it does now. Though, I'm quite unsure whether I should ta<span style="font-size: small;">ke this risk or not, seeing as no one in the blogosphere</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> has posted up a review/pic<span style="font-size: small;">tures of themselves using Red Tea Brown yet. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Do I take the ri<span style="font-size: small;">sk and order 2 boxes of <span style="font-size: small;">Red Tea <span style="font-size: small;">Brown or s<span style="font-size: small;">tick to a safer option like Chiffon Beige?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Why <span style="font-size: small;">2 boxes? I want to build the colour when I re-dye in August<span style="font-size: small;">, 1 box simply <span style="font-size: small;">doesn't do<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-58810552772912768872013-02-01T13:52:00.002+00:002014-10-24T22:18:33.841+01:00Prettia Cassis Berry: 1.5 Months Later<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUhg0fmr4jk/UQvGKpm0baI/AAAAAAAAAe4/TR30-tJKvXw/s1600/cassisberry1monthlater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GUhg0fmr4jk/UQvGKpm0baI/AAAAAAAAAe4/TR30-tJKvXw/s400/cassisberry1monthlater.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pictures taken under natural day light with camcorder set on 'sunny' white balance mode.</span></i></div>
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Alas, the pinkish/redish tone has been washed away, pretty much disappeared after about 2 weeks, and now I am left with a warm toned brown hair. Maybe I'm a tad bit delusional but I can see a slight tinge of pink here...no? Ok, ignore me.</div>
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Friend-with-experience told me that <b>red/pink/purple dyes tends to wash away easily</b>, so I guess this also applies to Prettia.</div>
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Now the question is what hair colour do I dye to next? Do I go back to Milk Tea Brown or venture into building a proper Chiffon Beige colour? Or do I give my hair a break and switch to a dark brown and let my natural hair colour finally grow out after 4 years?</div>
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Perhaps I should venture into L'oreal's ombre section. I dunno.</div>
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Early note that I plan on getting highlights again when I travel across the oceans to Korea later this year. I shall be blonde again! (As long as highlights are cheap over there;;;)</div>
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<i>Yup you read that correctly! I got into Korea University for a 1 year exchange!</i></div>
Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-30935656905869013602012-12-13T21:12:00.001+00:002014-10-24T22:18:44.136+01:00Winter Hair: Prettia Cassis Berry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCyYN-OYcnM/UMpCD1mMsHI/AAAAAAAAAeg/K5kiLBZb8nA/s1600/casisberry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCyYN-OYcnM/UMpCD1mMsHI/AAAAAAAAAeg/K5kiLBZb8nA/s1600/casisberry.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Pictures taken under natural light, no sun, just clouds, indoors, autocolour <span style="font-size: x-small;">on camcorder</span>. </span></i></div>
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So on Tuesday night I finally broke out of my 3 year long Milk Tea Brown hair for a more darker and red-ish/pink-ish colour: <b>Cassis Berry</b>.<br />
Summer 2012 didn't count ok. The L'oreal Recital Performance dye was just a tinge darker than MTB.<br />
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I normally wouldn't go for this colour, but because my mother bought Prettia Cassis Berry from HK in Summer 2010 and realised it doesn't work on ageing white hair - thus leaving it in our home's hair dye box to collect dust, I decided to use this dye box before it expires. Waste not want not! <br />
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The colour turned out well. My hair's noticeably darker than before: more red-ish brown than golden yellow brown. I was hoping to get a nice pink tint to my hair but it didn't quite happen, but oh well, I managed to get the colour that many had sought for a few years ago thanks to Cheryl Cole.<br />
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Under warm yellow-ish lights the hair tends to look a bit red-er. In the above picture it looks more brown.<br />
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I was worried that the colour would come out patchy since I didn't actually massage it properly into my hair. I also planned on dying my brows to this colour as well as an experiment, but alas, I forgot. I only remembered to do day exactly 24 hours after I finished dying my hair. There was still some product left in the bottle after the dye job!!Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5159785652548901529.post-43621291697521152282012-06-07T03:37:00.003+01:002013-02-23T02:17:14.661+00:00Rooftop Prince & The King 2 Hearts Finale, I Do I Do, and Queen InHyun's Man.<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
I'm on a K-drama roll this year. Really. I haven't seen this many dramas consecutively in ages.</div>
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I'm writing this entry within the comfort of my own room, back home, in Ipswich. Yes I just finished my first year of university, it feels so damn surreal. Feels just like yesterday when I spazzed about moving into Leeds with my friend to start my university life. And here I am now, trying to comprehend how fast time has gone by...</div>
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Anyway, back to the main topic of this entry. I shall be talking about 'Rooftop Prince' and 'The King 2 Hearts' finale - <b>spoilers</b> ahead, thoughts on the first two episodes of 'I Do I Do', and 14 episodes of 'Queen InHyun's Man' - I have a lot to say about this drama mainly due to <i>Ji HyunWoo</i>.</div>
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Right now, where to begin?</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x5-k-DhKLIo/T9AMWgQQd-I/AAAAAAAAAcc/SlQCTUBP-WI/s1600/rp.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x5-k-DhKLIo/T9AMWgQQd-I/AAAAAAAAAcc/SlQCTUBP-WI/s320/rp.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Rooftop Prince</b></span></div>
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Yes, I gave this drama a second chance, purely because I was bored, YooChun was in it, and I felt that the drama has potential to improve. And it did.</div>
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Overall the drama was basically a <b>light hearted romcom</b>. Nothing too serious about it. Something just for laughs really. Not much emphasis on <i>mystery of the princess' death</i> throughout the drama, it's mainly focused upon in the beginning and the end.</div>
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I wouldn't highly recommend it to people, but it's something you can watch when you're bored. Not the best drama this year. Not really a waste of time either. It's an okay drama. I would give it a 6 or 7 out of 10.</div>
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<i>Here comes the spoilers.</i></div>
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<b>The ending was satisfying and realistic</b>.</div>
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The writers didn't have to entirely meet the demands of the viewers. I liked that.</div>
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Everything was explained in the end in a clear manner, thus clearing my intial scepticism of the drama. It unfolded well.</div>
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Though I did feel slightly confused as to how YiGak eventually understood what really happened back in Joseon. How did he find out every little detail so quickly? There wasn't much emphasis put into that aspect of the narrative. I also felt that it was a bit sudden that they suddenly mentioned TaeMu's ancestor. I mean, he could have at least appeared or been mentioned in the first episode.</div>
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The most realistic thing about the ending was the fact that YiGak had to eventually return to Joseon and Pak Ha understood. Though I did find their wedding to be a bit on the crazy side. But it was cute. They both took it very well. The parting was bittersweet. But it had to be done.</div>
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The whole letter to Pak Ha from Joseon was adorable too, but it was still saddening at the same time how the letter was pretty much the last thing YiGak communicated to Pak Ha.</div>
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Despite this depressing aspect of the ending, I liked how the writers kept the drama's themes - happiness and humour, intact.</div>
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How we see ChiSan jamming to his iPod - in which it would become useless once it runs out of power, YongSool offering gum in exchange for food, and the four of them sitting down to eat some good old omurice.</div>
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And the omurice stall! All because of Pak Ha.</div>
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This is a really satisfying scene since I personally feel that the three of them are coping with their departure from modern day Korea by cooking omurice and eating it all together in their comfy <i>power rangers</i> outfits.</div>
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I felt slightly confused and a bit unsure at the very end of the drama. How the <i>real </i>TaeYong appeared to meet Pak Ha, but then we are shown YiGak, thus hinting that Pak Ha is reminded of YiGak through TaeYong.</div>
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But what is the meaning behind TaeYong meeting Pak Ha is the real question here. Are the writers suggesting that they're going to get together? Is TaeYong interested in Pak Ha? Heck, is that even TaeYong? Wasn't he a human vegetable? Or is Pak Ha being delusional? <i>Curses this kind of an open ending!</i></div>
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I was glad that TaeMu got what he deserved, and even more glad when
SeNa turned herself in. Initially, as viewers, we were made to believe
that SeNa and TaeMu will never turn to the good side, they were too
stubborn and committed far too many bad deeds to turn over a new leaf,
they were villains.</div>
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We hated TaeMu for being a greedy bastard and SeNa for being a snobby bitch.</div>
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However,
only TaeMu turned out to be the stubborn one till the very end. I
believe we witnessed a few cracks in SeNa's bitchy persona, a few
moments were her weakness was shown. She was a fragile girl, easily
scared by threats, utilising lies to make her feel stronger. In the end
she cracked when someone's life was at stake, her real younger sister,
Pak Ha. SeNa regained the viewers' respect in the end when she turned
herself in, realising her mistakes. Her 'mothers' were almost like the
representatives of the viewers, telling her that it's okay, as long as
she understands that she's wrong, something good will happen to her in
return. That was a touching moment.</div>
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It also links with SeNa's ancestor I guess. How she was merely a powerless pawn. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wcKkk1sz7D4/T9AMFy0DlKI/AAAAAAAAAcU/2laFfus0YDE/s1600/k2h.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wcKkk1sz7D4/T9AMFy0DlKI/AAAAAAAAAcU/2laFfus0YDE/s320/k2h.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The King 2 Hearts</b></span></div>
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An enjoyable series overall. I loved it. It felt fresh and definitely something out of the comfort zone - well for me personally.</div>
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It wasn't<b> </b>entirely focused on romance, it balanced well with the political conflicts - action, how both acted in relation to each other, as if it was cause and effect. These themes were in complimentary with each other.</div>
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Both characters were strong in different ways. HangAh was physically strong and JaeHa was stronger in terms of intellect and influence. I found JaeHa to be an interesting character, laid back most of the time yet hard working and serious when necessary. He didn't want to become king, but eventually accepted it, because his hyung mattered that much to him. </div>
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Having studied feminism in the media recently I can't help but see that HangAh is still the damsel in distress in this drama despite her militarian character. She was treated as a dainty girl at times when she was in the palace, she had to restrict herself. Perhaps it's due to the influence of society, how the potential queen must live up to the expectations of being a submissive being, especially when she had come from North Korea as well, she was put into more pressure. But then there's also the aspect where she no longer wants to be the strong Hulk-like woman, but instead a fragile girl who only wants a man to marry.</div>
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Another aspect of this drama that I really liked was the villain. The villain was interesting. He wasn't dashing and suave villain in a sexy black suit most of the time, he was pretty much a loser with a child-like mind getting everything he wanted through influence and power. He was just eccentric.</div>
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Despite his childish personality he was very strategical. Him being slightly childish was actually pretty creepy. Magic tricks to threaten and potentially harm people. Giving his <i>dangerous </i>assassin a <i>cute </i>child-like name, Bong Bong. He was a messed up man alright.</div>
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<b>The ending was intense and well thought out.</b></div>
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Nations basically ready to release fire at will.</div>
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South Korea being <i>taken as hostage</i> by North Korea, threatening to shoot if America shoots (omg <i>hetalia</i>).</div>
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Pressuring someone for a decision during gun point.</div>
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Utilising JaeHa and HangAh's wedding in order to stop perhaps WWIII from happening - awesome solution or what? Though quite corny...</div>
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Again, a few realistic factors were included as there is still some kind of tension between South and North, how the South believe that the North should remain submissive since Southern citizens criticised JaeHa and HangAh's child for using Northern dialect. As well as how they should all still be wary of Club M despite BongGu getting jailed.</div>
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Though, <b>I am still upset over ShiKyung's death</b>. It was like City Hunter all over again. The guy tells the girl that he'll come back and makes a promise. Promise ends up being broken because the guy dies in the hands of the villain. Fab.</div>
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Eun ShiKyung was innocent. Why did you kill him?! *<i>flail punches writers</i>*</div>
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Got me tearing up during that scene when JaeShin watched a pre-recorded video of ShiKyung telling her that he'll come back as a humourous man <i>/insert ugly sobbing here. </i></div>
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Why ShiKyunhg, why are you like this?</div>
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Damn you writers.</div>
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I wanted to see a ShiKyung making silly jokes to JaeShin at their wedding. I wanted to see JaeHa clinking glasses with ShiKyung in celebration of them becoming brother-in-laws!!</div>
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Excuse me while I flail in feels.</div>
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Definitely would recommend this drama to people.</div>
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Best drama of the year? No, not really. It's up somewhere near there though. A rating of 8 out of 10 I would say. </div>
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After I finished this drama I ended up watching Secret Garden again because I love how Ha JiWon is always playing the fiesty strong-woman character!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G9t97yf9_Jw/T9AJ7Fs2U7I/AAAAAAAAAcM/PnT-IZ_EYcE/s1600/I-Do-I-Do-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G9t97yf9_Jw/T9AJ7Fs2U7I/AAAAAAAAAcM/PnT-IZ_EYcE/s320/I-Do-I-Do-03.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>I Do, I Do</b></span></div>
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Initially I wasn't too interested in the drama but then my friend convinced me to give it a shot, in which I did, and I thorogouhly enjoyed it.</div>
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<b>Plenty of humour</b> was packed in this drama. <i>Love it.</i></div>
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Lee JangWoo's character is hilarious. JangWoo's acting felt natural as well. The comical scenes were indeed exaggerated, but it wasn't something cringeworthy like Jung IlWoo in Flower Boy Ramyun Shop. JangWoo really got into the shoes of his character because I started believing that he was just the same in real life too, <i>girlish screams and all</i>.</div>
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Why wasn't I interested in this drama featuring the legendary Kim SunAh in the first place?</div>
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Call me dated all you want, but I can't help but feel weird about older-woman relationships. Not that I'm against them or anything, but I just find them...weird. Perhaps I'm too tied/used to social constructs where the man must be of a higher position in terms of relationships, income <i>and </i>age. I don't know, personally I wouldn't want to be the older one in relationships so...</div>
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Oh, and call me shallow, <i>brick me all you want</i>, but I couldn't help but feel a bit weary that SunAh is a bit too old to be the main actress of a romcom..?</div>
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<b>But don't worry</b>, I totally forgot about the age thing whilst watching this drama. How SunAh is in her late 30s in reality but still looked like a late 20s babe. And the age gap worked well since it gave room for humour.</div>
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I am looking forward to the rest of this drama. Especially how the relationship between JangWoo's and SunAh's characters can develop into love.</div>
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Oh and I think Park GunHyung is pretty fit in this drama. He's just so charming!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DgfBaVJPHI/T9AJSBppIyI/AAAAAAAAAcE/MbLkFXxq8V4/s1600/250px-Queen_In-Hyun%27s_Man-p1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4DgfBaVJPHI/T9AJSBppIyI/AAAAAAAAAcE/MbLkFXxq8V4/s320/250px-Queen_In-Hyun%27s_Man-p1.jpg" width="225" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Queen InHyun's Man</b></span></div>
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<b>I HAVE FAR TOO MANY FEELS FOR THIS DRAMA (屮゚Д゚)屮⌒┻━┻ </b></div>
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It got me squealing, screaming, flailing and melting. Seriously. Well, mainly because of the main actor, Ji HyunWoo, but I'll <strike>spazz</strike> talk about him later.</div>
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Currently waiting for episode 15 to be subbed and 16 to be aired. Expect an entry that expresses my exploding feels soon.</div>
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<b>This drama is the ultimate fluff drama I tell you. Everything about it is fluffy!</b></div>
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It's adorable. Ji HyunWoo's character, BungDo, is so freaking clever and romantic. Yoo InNa's character, Hee Jin, is perky and cute.</div>
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<i>I love this drama to bits!</i></div>
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Alright. So initially I was a bit weary of this drama. It looked mellow and slightly...boring. It looked incredibly far too romantic for my liking. I mean, <i>look at the poster!</i></div>
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But a few people on Twitter recommended me to go watch it, and so I did - purely because I wanted to watch a drama on the 3 hour train back home on Monday. So I tried out the first episode on Sunday evening, or to be exact, 3am on Monday, and loved it.</div>
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Watched episode 2 and 3 on the train, <b>hooked</b>.</div>
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I ended up watching from episode 4 to 12 yesterday. <b>Now <i>that </i>is something.</b> This is perhaps the second drama that I've watched so quickly and consecutively - first being Coffee Prince when I rewatched it in April. So perhaps it holds potential to become one of my favourite dramas of all time? Only the final episodes could determine that...</div>
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Comparing this drama to Rooftop Prince, I must say that I very much prefer QIHM over RP.</div>
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QHIM was more complex. BungDo kept travelling to and back between Joseon and Korea. Whatever he changed back in Joseon affected Korea. I liked this kind of complexity. Mainly because the effects pretty much only effected on HeeJin's drama filming, not like the entire nation - now <i>that </i>would have been overly complex and confusing. It was basically change that was important on a small scale, which is necessary in order to keep audience engagement. If it actually affected the entire nation then that is going to be hard to write. There would be too much information for the audience to process. The writers have kept it simple for us.</div>
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Also I like how it was made possible that the dates between Joseon and Korea were kept in sync with each other. However long BungDo stayed in Korea meant how long he had disappeared for in Joseon. </div>
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BungDo was a clever guy who could adapt sensibly and calmly to modern Korea. Whereas YiGak was a bit...stubborn, perhaps, to blend in properly. YiGak was pretty dumb compared to BungDo. But then again YiGak adapting to modern life was quite funny. BungDo was a bit boring, then again it was actually cute.</div>
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Additionally, BungDo's strategicness had me mind blown in the later episodes - mainly episode 14. He knows how to utilise time properly and wisely in order to change history for the better.</div>
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Oh and BungDo can fight. YiGak? He has YongSul. I has much respect for a man who could fend for himself /<i>bricked</i>.</div>
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Anyway, enough with the comparisons.</div>
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I don't <i>hate </i>it, but I don't <i>think </i>I like it either. It can leave the viewer unsatisfied and a bit intimidated. It's too <i>busy</i>.</div>
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The multiple cuts of the character in different angles with each cut sometimes work when the character is angry or being spontaneous and quick with their words. Sometimes it feels like the multiple angles are too over done. Sometimes it feels like the flow of their sentences have been cut and ruined, jagged and staggered.</div>
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Oh and <i>dear loard</i>, the <b>phone conversations scenes</b>. I <i>like </i>how it is edited to <b>show both of the people's faces at the same time</b>, but when their <b>panels starts to <i>move</i>...</b><b>just <u>stop</u></b>. There's too much for the viewer to focus on. The viewer has to follow the freaking character's 'panel' to see their reaction, whilst trying to pay attention to the other character's 'panel' to see their response. It doesn't help when the panels move, making the audience have to work harder in order to entirely take in the scene. Heck, it's even harder when us foreign viewers attempt to read the subtitles too!</div>
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I know it could be used to give a sense of pace on the drama, as well as make it look more modern and '<i>hip</i>', but sometimes, it's just too overdone, cluttered, overworked that it loses...flow.</div>
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This drama is definitely recommended. And perhaps if it had ended on episode 14 I would have given it a 9 out of 10! But alas, there's 2 more episodes left, meaning more drama has yet to come. It's going to be another rollercoaster ride of emotions for me *<i>sighs</i>* </div>
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I swear, the previews for this drama make me want to not carry on watching the drama because it keeps showing the horrible heart wrenching parts of the next episode! My poor little heart can't take it!</div>
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<b>Can I talk about <strike>BungDo</strike> Ji HyunWoo now? </b></div>
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<b>Yes? </b></div>
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<b>Okay.</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>ignore the rest of this entry if you don't want to know how infatuated I am with the main actor of this drama right now</i></span></div>
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I'll start by stating that this fellow has climbed himself up my bias list ladder, dodging Tao and his wushu stick, effortlessly and landed himself on my bias list pool. But it doesn't stop there. He's making his way towards the ultimate bias thrones where YooChun and Onew had been sitting on for years.<i> </i></div>
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<i>Ji HyunWoo's a threat to my overall bias list I tell you.</i></div>
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He looks old in some angles, shots and expressions. Sometimes when he smiles he looked kind of weird, old yet strangely cute.</div>
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He is incredibly manly looking but cute at the same time.</div>
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And mother of God.</div>
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When his character suggested that HeeJin spends the night with him.</div>
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That cute pout.</div>
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It looks weird, strange and odd, but at the same time I find it adorable.</div>
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I mean. If I was HeeJin I would be all over him after he shoots me that pout. Heck, I think I would be all over him already by just being in the same room as him! Yes I am <i>that </i>attracted to him right now <b><i>guhhh!!!</i></b></div>
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And holy crap! This guy has really nice singing vocals and is great at guitar! Talk about romantic! Have you guys seen the YouTube videos of him strumming his guitar while singing English songs? OMG SOMEONE HOLD ME *<i>fans self</i>*</div>
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But yes, indeed I had been shrieking like some school girl throughout the episodes whenever he done something that I deemed as cute - which is basically EVERYTHING, and whenever he smiles I just gush over how perfect he looks despite the smile looking slightly crooked.</div>
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*<i>breathes</i>*</div>
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Let's just say if someone asked me who my ideal guy is now I'll just reply "someone like Ji HyunWoo, actually <b>can't Ji HyunWoo just marry me?</b>"</div>
Joohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04979763380831014571noreply@blogger.com0