Beauty

K Beauty Products

6:20 PM

My friends have been obsessing over Korean beauty products lately. I can't blame them because the packaging is super cute and they do have some cool products (Have you seen the lip stain that peels off and lasts all day?). I decided to give a few products a shot to see if the Korean beauty industry's obsession with clear skin could work wonders for me. Also, since CVS Pharmacy now has a section dedicated to affordable K Beauty products, it makes it super easy to get your hands on some of the trendier products.
  • SIDMOOL - Real Moisture Mask: I couldn't find any English instructions for this face mask, so I left it on for 20 minutes and then rubbed the extra fluid into my skin. I liked how this mask wasn't heavily scented, but I have yet to see any change in my skin. To be fair, my skin is usually pretty smooth/healthy other than the occasional acne, so it could help someone whose skin isn't as hydrated.
  • Holika Holika - Smooth Egg Peeling Gel (Gudetama Lazy & Easy Edition): Not gonna lie, I bought this product strictly for its Gudetama packaging. For the most part, I like this product. It peels away dead skin effectively, leaving your skin smoother. The only issue I have with this product is it's not easy to dispense. To dispense it, you squeeze the bottom half of the egg, which you have to squeeze hard. However, if you squeeze it hard, too much comes out, so a lot of product goes to waste.
  • Holika Holika - Gudetama Jelly Dough Blushers:  Other than the super cute packaging, there's nothing special about this blush. However, I do like how bright pink it is and how it comes unscented. It's just I'm sure there are lots of other blushes that work just as well for cheaper.
  • ENature - Birch Juice Hydro Sleeping Pack: Ipsy sent me this face mask in its September glam bag and Soko Glam claims that it'll leave your skin looking rejuvenated.  I was excited to try this product because keeping your skin moisturized is super important, especially during the colder months.  However, I haven't noticed any change to my skin after using this product for several weeks. If anything, I think my skin was more hydrated when I used Cetaphil every day.

Beauty

Ipsy vs Play! by Sephora

1:13 PM

Two of the biggest monthly makeup delivery boxes are Ipsy's Glam Bag and Play! by Sephora. Pictured are their July makeup bags (Top: Ipsy, Bottom: Sephora). For $10 each, they're both great deals. However, I prefer Ipsy's Glam Bag for its makeup focused curation while Sephora's was more skincare/hair care focused. I don't do much for my skin and hair other than what my dermatologist recommends, so I found that a lot of Sephora's products I wouldn't use in the first place. Additionally, Sephora's bag came with only sample sizes while Ipsy's did come with some full-size product. One big thing going for Ipsy is that when you sign up, you list out all your preferences for colors that you would wear. Sephora didn't so the one lipstick they sent me is a color I would never wear.
Overall, if you're trying to choose a box, I would sit down and consider what I wanted out of a box. Ipsy is more fun fashion with cutesy, personalized makeup bags and offers makeup from drugstore to high end. Sephora is more professional and only offers brands that they themselves carry. Additionally, Sephora sends out six beauty items, while Ipsy only sends out five. One thing that I love about Ipsy is that they consistently feature WOC and men in their makeup, while Sephora has mostly been white women (and the men have mostly stuck to skincare). 

Beauty

First Ipsy Bag

11:08 AM

Ipsy is a personalized monthly make-up delivery service started by makeup vlogger, Michelle Phan. Originally, I started just because my friend needed to rack up points for her account and if I signed up, she'd get them. I didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised at the array/quality of the items and all for $10. In the pack, there was: Urban Decay's Afterglow 8-Hour Powder (Sin), treStiQue Mini Matte Lip Crayon (Tuscan Wine), Luxie Dreamcatcher Precision Foundation Face Brush, Hey Honey Lip Balm in Besame Mucho, and Starlooks Artist Edition Eyeliner. The only product I wasn't totally nuts about was the highlighter from Urban Decay because I just didn't notice much of a difference when I put it on. The lip crayon and brush are phenomenal though.

Popular Posts