Etude House Nail Polish Review

Hi all! I'd like to share a favourite cosmetic brand of mine from Korea - Etude House. Their prices are very affordable and they have a large range of products from skin care to cosmetics, making you beautiful inside out! Unfortunately they are not so easy to purchase if you are not in Asia.

The packaging of the products are usually super cute and with each purchase you'll always receive a lot of samples!

I've been a long time customer of Etude House and today I'll be showing you some of their nail polishes. They are very affordable, approximately 3-5 dollars each depending on the location you go to.  Often times they are cheaper in Asia!

Yay for colours!

The quality of the nail polishes are phenomenal! They are opaque with just 1 or 2 coats and does not chip easily. Because of my laziness, I tend to wear them with no base or top coat and they last me for 5 days with no problem at all!

They have a decent colour selection and finishes. Here are the ones that I own and love!

FLTR: PP903; BR301; PP904; PK011; GR605

The lighter colours are more opaque than you expect them to be for such a good price. I have many nail polishes of different price categories but I always stock up on Etude House's when I am back in Asia!

FLTR: OR206; BL502; BL501; BL505; GR609

My favourite colour of all the ones that I own are the 2 blues above, BL 501 and 505. They look so unique and very flattering on Asian skin tone! Unfortunately the BL501 stains the nail a bit so I would recommend you to put on a base coat to prevent that from happening. Other than that particular one, I did not experience any stains with their polishes.

If you have any favourites please share with me in the comment box or Tweet me at AivysBeautyBlog! I would love to hear from you!

As per my last blog post, I have also started posting on YouTube! Please subscribe to my YouTube page for more hauls and reviews. I'll try to update my hauls as timely as possible so that you are able to jump on the sale-wagon (haha!)!! 

July Favourites

Happy August! We are officially half way through summer! Coming from a background that only has summer all year round, I hate to see the warm weather go. Nonetheless, nothing I can do to change that, so I've gotta embrace whatever that I have now!

I am planning a series of celebrity inspired makeup tutorial for this month. If you have any request or suggestions, please let me know down in the comments or Tweet me! I'm always there and always responsive :)

Today I'm here to share the products I have been loving for the month of July!

1. Maybelline The Falsies Volumn Express Black Drama Mascara

Love this mascara! It gives both volume and length to my lashes!! I have not tried Maybelline for a long time and I am so glad that I decided to give this a try. Definitely the best drug store mascara I have so far.

2. Tarte LipSurgence Lip Shine in Smitten

If it wasn't for the price that they are selling in Sephora, I would pick up ALLLLLLL of them! This stuff is super moisturising and long lasting. I had it on for 4 hours, talking, eating, and drinking, I can't believe that when I looked into the mirror I could still see the remnants of the lipstick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are able to purchase it from QVC, it is way cheaper!

3. Etude House I Love Paris series Lipstick in No.3

If you are lucky enough to have access to Etude House product, this liptick is the perfect nude colour. 

4. ELF Studio Baked Blush in Passion Pink

This blush provides the right amount of sheen and colour on your cheeks for those days when you want to look natural. Surprisingly this colour is not out of stock on ELF's website. I'm definitely going to try out others when I have a chance!

5. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Eye Brightening Eyeliner in Black

I cannot say enough good things about this eyeliner. Although the other colours are great too, I am particularly in love with the black one. I have replaced this with the MAC's blacktrack fluidline for tight lining my eyes. It is also retractable so it makes it convenient to apply without having to sharpen it once it goes dull.

6. Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in 004 Nude

I have many foundations and this is the one that I often go back to when in doubt. It gives medium coverage after first application and looks great in photos. Long lasting coverage!

7. Urban Decay by Skindinavia All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

This is the saviour for humid summer weather. Try it for yourself if you don't believe it. 

8. Tarte Maracuja C-Brightening Eye Treatment

I got this premium size sample from the Tarte makeup set that I purchased from QVC recently. I am so glad that I tried this product! It's so moisturising!

My story behind all eye creams are the irritate my eyes so bad. My eyes will produce excessive amount of gunk build up and in the morning, I cannot open my eyes because the gunk are stuck on my lashes. I know it sounds absolutely disgusting, but that's the truth.

This product is apparently not out in the market yet. I am DEFINITELY going to make a purchase when it is.

9. Forever 21 Bejewelled Hair Pin

Non beauty fav for the month! I picked this up from F21 this afternoon. I love hair pins because my fringe is not long enough to be tucked to the back of my ears. Chic hair pins are must have for me!

Thank you for all the support and please come back for more hauls and tutorial updates!

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Date night out + OOTD

Yoshi and I went to Starfish Oyster Bed & Grill at downtown Toronto today and had some great food. I was very disappointed with the last restaurant we went to for the summerlicious menu, but this was certainly a change!! If you have any recommendations please leave a comment so we can go and try!

LOTD

I won't have a step by step tutorial today but I'll be sharing the products I used to complete my date night out look ^.^

Close up

Dress (I got it awhile ago in Sydney)

The products I used are:

Maybelline Falsies Mascara, Etude House Nude Lipstick; MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Revlon Photo Ready Foundation in 004 Nude

For eyeshadows I used the Smashbox Photo Op Mega Palette, in colours:

Minx (Bottom left corner); Royal (above Minx)

Flirt (First row, 2nd left)

I used a flat eyeshadow brush and applied colour Minx all over the lid, use a pencil brush and darken the outer corner with colour Royal, with whatever colour that's remaining, lightly go across the outer half of the lower lash line. 

With a clean pencil brush, use colour Flirt and highlight the inner corner, both on the lid and lower lash line.

Complete with eyeliner and false lashes. Apply your favourite blush and bronzer to complete the face makeup.

Please comment down below if you have any questions or restaurant recommendations for the Summerlicious deal in Toronto! Thanks!

Maybelline Dream Fresh 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Review

Hello everyone! As promised I'm back today with the Maybelline Dream Fresh 8-in-1 Beauty Balm review.

Maybelline 8-in-1 Beauty Balm with SPF 30 in colour Light/Medium

I thought today was a good day to test it since the weather is pretty hot and humid. I put this BB Cream into a serious test under this weather! Although I was at home the whole day doing nothing much, I made sure that I was in the heat to imitate the conditions if I was running out and about.

BEFORE

AFTER

Upon application, the texture was smooth and nothing like the BB Cream they launched before (picture at the end of post). It has light coverage but still gives an overall even complexion.

Close up of the BB Cream

As you can see it doesn't cover much of my flaws or redness.

3 hours later...

3 hours later after application

Close up

It doesn't feel very oily, however due to the weather, I could start seeing the foundation gone from my face especially in the cheek area.

After approximately 5 hours

Close up of face after 5 hours

Foundation was completely gone on the cheeks, what's left is only on the forehead. Keep in mind I do not have oily skin!

Pros:

• Light weight
• Sun protection of  SPF 30
• Not oily
• Affordable (about $9 at Walmart)

Cons:

• Very light to no coverage - I have a lot of Asian brands BB cream and they all have decent coverage
• Probably only good as a sun screen 
• Have to reapply quite often

On the side note, I have to say it is a big improvement from the Maybelline Pure Mineral BB Cream that they launched previously. The mineral BB cream was horrible, it made my face REALLY oily after 1 hour of wear and it oxidises into a very dark colour. Maybe it works for some but certainly didn't work for me!

First Generation Maybelline Pure Mineral BB Cream

To end this post, I would like to thank my readers for the support by sending out a gift to a random reader!

Brands include: Etude House, Kiehls, Maybelline, Skin Food, My Beauty Diary, Skin79

Conditions:

1. Please follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AivysBeautyBlog

2. Please go to my Facebook page and click like.

3. Leave a message on my Facebook wall and let me know what you would like to read next in my blog!

Random draw will end on the 30th of June 2012 at 9pm EST. Open worldwide!

Good luck and see you tomorrow :)

Favourite Asian Drug Store/ Affordable Make Up

For some of us, access to Asian cosmetics might be easier than others. If you are one of the lucky ones, please take the opportunity to drop by an Asian cosmetics store to find the products mentioned below. If you are from Asia, you are able to find the cosmetics in your local drug store or designated brand outlet in your shopping mall.

The reason I have this post dedicated to Asian make up as some of us have difficulty to get cosmetics that compliment our skin tone. Asian brands are often designed to enhance our yellow tone skin colour and less defined bone structure.

Etude House Miss Tangerine Sweet Shower Lips Lipsticks

Swatches

Unfortunately there are no specific name or code listed on the packaging itself, but this line has about 5 colours in total. They are moisturising and gives a gloss like finish upon application.

Etude House "I Love Paris" Lipstick in number 3

Perfect nude lipstick for Asian/ Yellow skin tone! Ideal for everyday wear. It is non drying, lasting power is decent.

Water Strong W Eyebrow Pencil and Eyebrow Liner

FTTB: Pencil swatch; liquid swatch

Brows are the most annoying but also most crucial part of the face! Due to my sparse eyebrows, I've been looking for the ideal brow product forever. I've tried brow powder, brow pencil, eyeshadow and everything in between. Currently I'm using this product as it gives a natural finish and does not smear off if I accidentally touched my eyebrows during the day. The liquid part provides a semi-permanent stain on your skin, suitable for pool/ beach wear. 

p/s: very difficult to find this eyebrow pencil. I purchased in while I lived in Japan. If anyone knows how else I can get my hands on more, please leave a comment :) Thanks!

Biore UV Aqua Sunscreen

This is an alcohol based sunscreen that provides a smooth finish to your face. I am a huge believer of sun protection and this product is good for the days when I like to have light make up on the face. It does not leave an oily residue, however if you are allergic to alcohol products on your skin, this is definitely a pass for you.

L'oreal UV Perfect Longlasting UVA/UVB Protector

I've used this product over 7 years. Although it leaves a slightly shiny finish, it acts as a great make up base for your foundation to adhere on it. It is slightly expensive but can be found in Duty Free zone in all airports. 

Majorlica Majorca Eyeshadow in BE286

This particular colour from Majorlica Majorca is absolutely beautiful on all skin tone! The pigmentation is great and long wearing. One thing to note about Asian brand eyeshadows is that they are generally more glittery or shiny rather than matt finish. 

Sweets Sweets Blusher in MP2

I purchased this is Japan for 720YEN in the local drug store. This brand is very affordable and has great quality. Usually I do not use the brush that comes in the palette but this one has served me well! 

ZA Brightening 2 Way Powder

Last but not least, the ZA Brightening 2 Way Powder is what a lot of people swear by! You can apply it dry or use it with a wet sponge for heavier coverage. It leaves a very natural finish and provides medium coverage. I usually wear this on humid days as it stays put on the skin.

Thank you for visiting my website and stay tune for tomorrow's update!