June's Little Black Beauty Box: The Asia Style Collection Box ★

One of the newer beauty subscription boxes around, I think The Little Black Beauty Box has the most gorgeous box, the box really looks like a book! It even opens like a book. After taking out the items I'm using it as decoration hehehe. The June box is the 4th box, and the theme is Asia Style Collection.

The Little Black Beauty Box is a project by Sharon Au; a collaboration between Mediacorp's StyleXStyle and the department store Robinsons. For S$19.90, it's a steal! However the boxes are made in very limited quantities each month, and they're always sold out! (*´д`*) Been wanting to get it but April's was sold out, May's was sold out...thank goodness I was able to get this! 

The bottom of the super gorgeous box, it really looks like a book! 

Even the side/spine has words that  make it like a book.

The items are neatly packed inside with crepe paper.

Info card introducing the theme of the box, and behind it is a checklist of offers from participating brands.

Sadly the box does not come with a card listing the items in the box...

All the items in the box.
Quite a generous variety and quantity, don't you think so?

Plus many of the items are newly launched ♡

Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50+ PA+++
Been wanting to try the BB cushion, because the texture seems so unusual! (*´ω`*)♪

FANCL Mild Cleansing Oil

Kose Sekkisei Sun Protect Gel SPF50 PA+++ 

Forgot to take a close up photo for Kose!

Holika Holika Luminous Silk BB in 01 Light Beige SPF42 PA+++

Holika Holika Black Caviar Anti-Wrinkle Cream

Holika Holika Miracle Real Skin Finish

Holika Holika 3D Aura Bright Patch

Holika Holika 36.5° Fermentation Cordyceps Sinensis Mask Sheet

Holika Holika $10 Gift Voucher

Tonly Moly Intensive Firming Care C Zone Patch

Tony Moly Intensive Firming Care Lip Smile Patch
So many masks!

Shiseido Perfect UV Protector SPF50+ PA+++

Sebamed Feminine Intimate Wash

Sebamed Olive Face & Body Wash

Anna Sui Secret Wish perfume sample 

Kinohimitsu Collagen Drink

It actually tastes kinda nice chilled! It has a fruity flavor to mask the taste of the collagen. I've previously bought collagen powder from Japan, but stopped taking it after a few cups because the taste of the collagen was to strong for me... (*´д`*)

Redoxon Anti-oxidant tablets 

If you're interested, the themes of the boxes so far:

★ March: The Whitening Box, featuring whitening products, in light of Robinson's Whitening Fair which was held around when the box was released.

★ April: The Star Power Box, featuring "A-list coveted beauty treats", in view of the Star Awards which on around the month box was released.

★ May: The Spring Awakening Box, featuring items inspired by "all things fresh and beautiful".

★ June: The Asia Style Collection Box, featuring Japanese and Korean brands, in view of the Asia Style Collection show which will be held next week on 22 June (Tokyo Girls Collection! Rola and Tsubasa!!! Girls Generation! 2NE1! AI! Thelma Aoyama! Looking forward to the event ♡)

★ July: The Men's Grooming Box, guess it will be featuring men's products?
★ July: Stardust Edition, a special limited edition box featuring Japanese and Korean brands, in view of the Asia Style Collection show, a collaboration with John Little's Stardust corner?  

klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream SPF 40 PA++

I love trying different BB creams and foundations, and something I recently added to my stash is the klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream SPF 40, PA++. I've read many positive reviews of older klairs items by Korean bloggers in the past, but I've never tried the brand because it's difficult to get outside of Korea...It wasn't even available on Gmarket Korea (´Д`)

Packaging.

First impression: I love the minimalist packaging, it looks very chic. The long tube shape also feels nice to hold it in my hands ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

This product can be used by both women and men,

check out the video of Tay applying the BB cream and other makeup on her boss, Eddie!

The opening of the tube is long and narrow,
which allows for good control of the amount of product you want to get.

This BB cream's main functions are:

✿ SPF40 PA++

✿ Whitening

✿ Wrinkle care

✿ Sebum control

All functions are certified by the KFDA (Korean Food and Drug Administration). 

Details/information on the packaging.

The BB cream is made in Korea, and expires 12 months after opening.

Great news for non-Korean speakers/readers, they have English instructions and ingredients list on their packaging, and it's proper English not Engrish^^ They even leave an email address for you to report adverse reactions, very thoughtful. 

For people with sensitive skin who might be worried about the suitability of the product, here's some information about klairs products in general (not just the BB cream):

☆ Low-irritation cosmetics specialized for sensitive/troubled skin.

☆ Collaboration with professional dermatologic cosmetics

☆ No alcohol

☆ No animal testing

☆ No paraben

☆ No artificial coloring

☆ Eco-friendly

☆ Minimal fragrance

The tube.

The first time I've seen BB cream come in a tube like this, it really reminds me of a toothpaste tube! But I love the long design, personally it's more convenient and aesthetically pleasing to me^^ Plus there's the line "You look so wonderful just the way you are", which is always nice to see when I pick up the tube to use it.

klairs' recommended instructions on how to apply, I'm sorry if my translation are a bit off!

For me I do step 1, apply dots on my cheeks, nose, forehead, chin, then use the Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush to blend everything on.

Oiliness test:

It's not as oily as the ElishaCoy CC Cream, so this would be suitable for daily use in tropical weather countries like Singapore. It's not very dry , and would be great for ladies working in an air-conditioned environment. If you don't work indoors, I would set this with loose powder because it does tend to melt after a few hours of wear outdoors...

Consistency test:  It's quite thick and creamy, but is non-sticky and blends into skin easily.

Personally, I prefer creamier BB creams because they blend easier on my skin and end up less streaky. Streakiness is a problem I encounter with products having thinner consistencies...anyone else face the same problem? Although the klairs BB cream has a thick consistency, it doesn't cake and it blends well into my skin.

Coverage comparison.
The BB cream has buildable light-medium coverage and leaves a dewy glow.

It can cover some freckles and redness, but not totally, so you might need extra concealer if you have a lot of redness. The product has a smooth, dewy finish, and if you work in an air-conditioned environment you can probably forgo loose powder when using this.

Right now WISHtrend.com has the klairs BB cream on offer at a 20% discount, going for USD18.50.

http://www.wishtrend.com/beauty-steal/587--klairs-illuminating-supple-blemish-cream.html

I don't know how long the offer will last, but the regular price is USD22.99.

Some of klairs' other bestsellers are the Rich Moist Soothing Cream and Rich Moist Soothing Serum.
I've read lots of Korean reviews on these^^

But the item that totally caught my eye was the CHERRY BLOSSOM AND ROSE FACIAL MIST
http://www.wishtrend.com/toner-mist/262--klairs-essential-facial-mist-cherry-blossom-rose.html

Almost all my Korean friends carry around some sort of facial mist to refresh their faces throughout the day.  Feels really good to spray ♡ I used to use Avene's Thermal Water, but now I'm currently using Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist (smells great!) and Hanskin Hyaluron Facial Mist.

Anyway, you can use the code "RFXLSCOZ" at checkout for a USD3 voucher. 

- Minimum USD20 order

- Expires end of 2013

- Can combine with other vouchers

If you live in Singapore, WISHTrend also has a Qoo10/Gmarket shop to cater to Singaporeans. They've narrowed the selection to their more popular items, so not everything on the WISHTrend website will be there. But they often have promotions and special deals, so the prices come up less than the main site prices.

Too Cool For School Twin Color Eye Crayons ★

One of my favorite Too Cool For School products, the Twin Color Eye Crayons! ♥ There are 5 color combinations available, and I got 4. Each crayon is supposed to have a "base" color and "main" color, though I don't actually use them like that. To me they're like 2 "main colors". So I have 8 colors in total! ♥

Each crayon retails for 12,000won, and they each come adorably packaged in a triangular prismy brown paper box ♥

The "base color" ends: #3 Gold Beige, #1 White Pink, #2 Pearly Red and #5 Metallic Grey. 

The "main color" ends: #3 Warm Green, #1 Dark Purple, #2 Pearly Brown and #5 Dark Navy. 

I actually prefer the colors of these ends to the "base" ends!

 

The Eye Crayons are soooo smooth and creamy, and go on like a dream. They're all extremely pigmented and pearly, and are super easy to blend. My only complaint is that since they're so thick, they're hard to use as eyeliner at the outer corners, especially if you want to make sharp edges or cat eyes. So I use these as color eyeliners/eyeshadow, and use a black liquid/pen liner over it because I like sharp-edged eyeliner.

I don't think the Eye Crayons fit regular sharpeners, you have to get the sharpener from Too Cool For School. The Eye Crayons are the same thickness as the Lip Crayons, so the sharpener is the same, but for hygiene purposes I bought two sharpeners, one for the lip crayons and one for the eye crayons.

 #1 White Pink + Dark Purple 

My favorite crayon of the lot, because the dark purple is my absolute favorite color! I don't know why it seems more brownish/maroon in the photos, but the actually color is really more like the crayon than the swatch. The White Pink is a very sweet color, and looks like the "without flash" color, though slightly more pink in real life.

#2 Pearly Red + Pearly Brown 

For this it's the opposite, the color of the pearly brown is actually more like the swatch than the crayon.

#3 Warm Green + Gold Beige 

I didn't buy this at first, but after leaving Seoul I kept thinking about the green and how unique it looked, so I asked my friend to help me get it^^ I like using the gold beige for highlighting the inner corners of the eyes, it's not too white and doesn't have huge glitter chunks.

#5 Dark Navy + Metallic Grey 

I really like the navy! 

I like the Metallic Grey too, though I think I'd like it even more if it were slightly darker?

These were part of my Too Cool For School haul from Seoul last year. 

Other posts on Too Cool For School stuff:

★ Too Cool For School Blending BB Series

★ Too Cool For School Lip Products

I don't think I can describe how much I love Too Cool For School! I love the fun, quirky designs of the products, they're definitely an unconventional cute, but cute nonetheless and oh-so-fun! And the products themselves are amazing ♥♥ The Blending BB Cream is one of my absolute favorite products from Too Cool For School, and so is the Lip Tint~

WISHTrend + ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream Review

Just got the ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream from WISHTrend~♬ Yepp that's right, move over BB cream, now comes the CC cream craze! After an over-saturation of BB creams in the market, many Korean cosmetics companies have moved on to coming up with their version of CC creams (Etude House, Innisfree, Tony Moly, Banila Co, to name a few). Even Western brands have some too! (Lancome, Chanel, smashbox, Clinique, etc). I personally don't think CC cream is a substitute for BB cream, but instead it's a complement to BB cream, you'll see why later. First, I'll introduce WISHTrend, and you can watch their super easy-to-understand video introducing CC creams vs BB creams!

If you've read one of my Gmarket Tips from a looong time ago, local Korean cosmetics brands are divided into several categories like roadshow, word-of-mouth, brands under larger companies etc. WISHTrend.com is an online portal selling Korean cosmetics, stocking mostly word-of-mouth brands like ElishaCoy, Skin79, Tosowoong, Skinsmo, Ciracle, etc; and Korean makeup artist-produced brands like Liz K and Seo Su Jin Palette. Basically, brands that are difficult to get outside of Korea.

Some of the brands available on WISHTrend.

Their mission is to "Help you become more beautiful." Believing that all women desire to be better and more beautiful, WISHTrend aims to be a place where you can find the best solution for being a better you. Though located in Gangnam, Seoul, WISHtrend ships worldwide and provides free shipping with orders over US$70. Though they're a Korean company, the site's entirely in English! They give freebies/samples with every order, right now they're offering a USD3 voucher to all new and existing users, just use the code "RFXLSCOZ" at checkout (minimum USD20 order).

Not just another store, WISHTrend also has a YouTube channel (WISHTrendTV), where they regularly upload videos featuring Korean cosmetic trends. Best of all, their videos are in English~ Check out their introduction to/ comparison of  CC creams from Banila Co, Tonly Moly and ElishaCoy:

The current host, Tay, is such a joy to watch~! ♥
The previous host, Liah, was adorable too ♡

Anyway, onto the ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream review. A noticeable difference in CC cream is that while BB cream is skin-colored, CC cream is usually white. But the micro-encapsulated color spheres in the white CC cream are activated by the warmth of your skin to change and blend into your skin naturally.

Another main difference is that BB creams offer coverage, building on the concept of foundation with skincare benefits; whereas CC creams focus more on the skincare benefits part, like hydration/ moisturization. Hence, most CC creams offer minimal coverage.

Description and benefits of the CC cream.
The ElishaCoy Always Nuddy CC Cream has a 10-in-1 formula that claims to have the functions of:
★ Whitening
★ Anti-wrinkle
★ UV Protection
★ Hydration
★ Correcting skin texture
★ Correcting skin tone
★ Covering imperfections
★ Long-lasting
★ Excellent application
★ Making skin look instantly refreshed

Consistency test: It's quite runny, not very thick, and extremely easy to spread.

Left to right: [1] Out of tube, [2] Spread, [3] Blended.

As you can see, it totally matches my skin tone after blending, and has a soft sheen. It's also very moisturizing and hydrating, so if you're gonna be in an air-conditioned place most of the day, this is great. However it  might be too rich if you're not, especially since Singapore's humid weather is such a bane...T_T The CC cream provides SPF30 PA++ sun protection, which is fairly decent, though I would still use sunscreen with higher SPF/ PA.

When I wiped the back of my hand with a tissue, the product that got wiped of was skin-colored. So you can see that within just a matter of seconds, the color of the CC cream changed from white to a color that totally matched my skin.

For me, this CC cream works great as a base/primer, and with BB cream over it the BB cream applies smoother and lasts longer, for a more flawless finish. I wouldn't use the CC cream on its own, because it has very little coverage, and I need coverage for redness...Overall, I think the ElishaCoy CC cream is good as a primer/base/moisturizer, but is definitely not a substitute for BB cream unless you have really good, even-toned skin or don't require coverage.

This is the first CC cream I've tried, so I've got nothing to compare it with at the moment. However I will be getting the new Innisfree Real Skin CC cream from a friend soon, so I'll update and compare when I try that ♥

Anyway, I was browsing through WISHTrend and came across a couple of other items of interest:

ElishaCoy 3D Spin Cleaner 

A rotating, vibrating facial cleaner that's kind of like a Clarisonic Mia. And it's pink! 

The bristles look really soft and finer than that of the Clarisonia Mia, 

and it comes with two power settings, low and high.

Looks awesome doesn't it! Definitely want to try ♥

Skin79 BB Facer 
A vibrating puff  to help spread foundation on more evenly. 
Hanskin has one of these too, saw it when I was in Seoul last year!
Worth a try as well~ (^^)

O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum
A serum containing 20% pure Vitamin C,
it first started selling at Shinsegae (department store in Korea),
and sold so well that it's commonly just called "신세계 빨간병", or "Shinsegae red bottle".

Ciracle Pimple Solution CC Powder
(Ciracle = Ciramisu + miracle? Hahaha, just kidding!)
A concealer + treatment to cover up blemishes whist treating them.
A mixture of liquid + powder, looks promising~

If you live in Singapore, WISHTrend also has a Qoo10/Gmarket shop to cater to Singaporeans. They've narrowed the selection to their more popular items, so not everything on the WISHTrend website will be there. But they often have promotions and special deals, so the prices come up less than the main site prices.

Check out their Facebook pages for your region:

Wishtrend Global/ Korea || Wishtrend Singapore ||  Wishtrend Thailand || Wishtrend France 

Wishtrend Japan || Wishtrend Taiwan || Wishtrend UK

Too Cool For School Blending BB Series

A little overdue, but here's a mini review/introduction to Too Cool For School's Blending BB Series. Part of my Too Cool For School haul from Seoul last year, I've previously introduced the Too Cool For School lip products, and now it's onto this wonderful Blending BB Series! Their BB cream is one of my absolute favorites! 

 

The three items in the Blending BB Series: Mineral Jinju Ball Blending Powder, Blending Cake BB and Blending Cream BB. Too Cool For School also has other BB creams, but my friend recommended the Blending Cream BB, so I tried hers and loved it, and ended up buying rest in the series. (By the way, Too Cool for School sticks a yellow sticker saying "all mine!" at the counter when you buy it, it's like their "Paid" sticker, so cute! ^^)

Too Cool For School Blending Cream BB

This is one of my absolute favorite buys from Too Cool For School. It looks cute in the bottle, with alternating swirls of essence and cream~  ♬ The scent is really pleasant, kind of floral but not sweet. Perhaps due to the almond oil and macadamia oil? The BB cream also contains aloe vera to sooth the skin.

This gives a wonderful dewy, glowing finish. The only downside is that it has no SPF, so you definitely need to use sunscreen under this. Other than that, it's really amazing! I used it everyday for about 6 months...see the difference in amount of product! I'll be finishing soon...  (*´д`*)

The tube comes with a handy, hygienic pump, and on the swatch I believe you can tell which half has the blended BB cream on! The finish is really natural, giving a brightening effect; the coverage is light-medium, but enough to cover redness. The Blending Cream BB comes in 2 colors, #21 Light Beige and #23 Natural Beige, and costs 20,000won.

Too Cool For School Blending Cake BB

Haven't used this yet, though I'm planning to move onto it after I finish the Blending Cream BB. It's basically a cream pact version of the cream, and the pact has a unique twist-lock cover as opposed to regular snap-lock ones. Comes with a puff that sits on an attached inner cover that closes over the cream. Hygienic and convenient!

The BB contains mango seed butter, shea butter and argan oil to keep skin moist. And the outer casing of the pact has a cute graphic of a girl~ The Blending Cake BB comes in 2 colors, #21 Light Beige and #23 Natural Beige, and costs 20,000won.

 Too Cool For School Mineral Jinju Ball Blending Powder

"Jinju" means "pearl", and this product is kind of like Guerlain Meteorites, but skin-toned. For use after the BB cream, it has slight shimmers to further give a glowing look. Each ball is made up of a mix of two colors (see the ones at bottom of the jar, the ones on top are overexposed!). The balls contain pearl powder for highlighting, and avocado extract for moisturizing the skin.

Too Cool For School is an amazing brand, and I adore the quirky adorable packaging they have for their products, their store concept/layout and their fun products! Their Twin Color Eye Crayons are another favorite of mine! If you're ever in Seoul, you should definitely check it out~ They have two stores in Myeongdong, one in Ehwa, one in Insadong, one in Sinsa...and those are just the ones I visited^^ Plus they're very generous with their samples, and the staff are really friendly.

Too Cool For School Lip Products! (and Blusher)

So I went to Seoul last month, and fell very much in love with the brand Too Cool For School. One of my favorite products: their Art Class Lip Crayons! These were 6,000won each. I wanted to get all 5 colors, but couldn't find the orange anywhere (I went to 5 different stores!) :(

Yellow isn't really yellow, but rather it provides a golden glint. And blue gives a shine/kind of highlight to make your lips look fuller. I love the red, it's quite pigmented but sheer! The texture is really smooth and creamy, a breeze to put on; it's really like coloring your lips with a crayon. And I really like how they're designed to look like crayons, with the position of the wording and the wavy lines.

So these are most of the lip products I got, and I say most because some of them (about 2?) aren't in the picture...because after coming back I decided I wanted other colors so I got my friend to help me get them.

Another favorite: Kiss Time Ice Beam Glass Lip Plumpers

These were 8,000won each.

I got three colors, from top to bottom: #1 Sparkling Beam, #3 Pinky Baby, #2 Red Beam.

#1 is a clear gloss with sparkles. It's not pigmented, but can be layered over lips for sparkle.

#2 is a sheer red gloss with sparkles.

#3 is a slightly more pigmented pink color that isn't as sparkly as the other two.

They're wonderful to use: non-sticky, don't drip down your lip, give great shine and a slight plumping effect. Plus the packaging is really cute! They're small and have the adorable red ribbon on the cap, as well as cute heel motifs on the bottom!

A doe-foot sponge applicator.

Currently, I like using the red lip crayon and dabbing the lip plumper in #1 over.

Haven't tried these yet: Creamy Glow Pens

I got them in three colors.

Top to bottom: #1 Dusty Pink, #2 Acid Tangerine, #3 Warm Raspberry.

They're something like the Stila Lip Glazes, in that it's a brush tip applicator, hence the "pen" in the name. But instead of twisting, you push the bottom of the pen to push the product through. I haven't used them yet, but from the testers in the stores, these glosses are quite opaque and non-shimmery.

Another love: Milk Tint

The two colors are pink and orange.

These were 8,000won each.

This has a sponge applicator. It gives a very natural tint!

I'm really addicted to the pink, but I haven't tried the orange yet.

Hot Girl Lip Sticker in #3 Lady Salmon.

Love the words on the box:

Sometimes life can be boring, but you cannot!

You are not boring, you are too cool for school.

Jolly Jelly Lip Gloss.

This is #2 Nudy Orange.

This is #9 Mission Pink.

The applicator is a spatula-type applicator.

Smoky Nudy Lip Color

Lipsticks from the Glam Rock collection.

Nude lipsticks!

Left to right: #1 Pale Beige, #2 Satin Beige.

Too Cool For School has other blush products, but since I have a ton of blushes, I just got this.

Art Class Blusher. A super cute cream-type blush!

The packaging is adorable, like a tube of paint!

This is #1 Pink.

It was 8,000won.

I bought A LOT of stuff from Too Cool For School. There are still BB cream/powder products, eye crayons, skincare products and accessories/tools!