[REVIEW] Innisfree Jelly Tint #3 Orchid Lavender and #4 Sour Grapefruit

One of the main reviews I started blogging was to provide useful information to shoppers and beauty enthusiasts out there. As someone who rarely buys anything cosmetics without reading about it first, it's only right that I contribute back to this community.  As a beauty blogger, writing reviews on products is something I love, love, love doing. However, there are quite a few occasions where I have to bring myself to write honest, bad reviews on things I didn't enjoy and this is one of those products.

I'm the type of person who will apply on makeup and not look in the mirror for the next 5 hours. Now do you see why I need smudge proof liner and lasting lip products? I cannot be trusted nor have the patience to deal with things that are high maintenance. This is why I avoid bold lipsticks. However, bold lip tints that lock and stay in place? I need those. Lip tints are probably one of my favourite types of makeup. Today, I am reviewing the Innisfree Jelly tints. I must be on a lippie kick these days because I'm accumulating more lip products than I can ever use. These guys come in tiny sizes of 3ml for 6 000 Won (around $6 USD).  

The two colours I picked up are #3 Orchid Lavender and #4 Sour Grapefruit.

#3 Orchid Lavender - this isn't very pigmented and wears better as a gloss with a slight bit of colour

#4 Sour Grapefruit - this is much more pigmented and opaque than #3. It's a very warm, wearable red.

If you look closely, the shimmers in #4 (top) are very visible. #3 (bottom) swatches like it's got a bit of colour but on girls with pigmented lips, it's not really going to show up at all. 

TEXTURE
These have a very slippery liquid thin feel to them. It spreads easily because of it's liquid consistency and doesn't tug nor patch up.

SCENT
Fake, lemony dishwasher soap scent.

PERFORMANCE
The performance of this product varies from colour to colour. #3 was very light, not opaque and definitely did not leave any tint behind. #4 was more opaque, more difficult to control and the shimmers it left behind was much more visible. For tints, these certainly don't last very long. I'd say it's on for around 2-3 hours before disappearing. They rubbed off easily onto cups.  Both colours had the same slick, slippery feel and the over powering lemon dishwasher soap scent. While these were on, they felt pretty moisturizing and nice. However the moisture doesn't sink into the lips and when they wore off, my lips felt a tad dry.

I like to use #3 when I just need a quick gloss of colour because that's what it reminds me of - a light slick gloss with just a teeny hint of colour. The gloss doesn't make my lips look greasy nor oily, just shiny. #4 isn't really my colour because of it's warmth so I don't reach of it often. Not to mention, I'm not fond of the very visible shimmer it leaves behind when the gloss wears off. It just looks like I've got glittery bits on dry lips.

OVERALL
I don't usually dislike Innisfree products but I'd say give these a skip. They're not long-lasting, moisturizing, nor pigmented. The pigmentation, performance of the colours differ from colour to colour so it's rather unpredictable. There are tons of tints out in the market that are better.

2 comments cosmetics, Innisfree, lip, review, tint

[REVIEW] Biotherm Pure-Fect Skin Anti-Shine Purifying Cleansing Gel

When Sephora mailed me a $15 discount code to be used for orders over $50, I spent days planning out my purchase so that I was exactly a bit over $50. Little did I know that I would NOT be able to use this discount code for online purchases! Why Sephora??? WHYY??? It even says on the email that I could use it online! (After doing further research, codes could be used online in USA but not in Canada.) This cleanser was online only and not available at any of the Sephoras near me so although I couldn't use my code, I placed my order anyways, thus spending $50 + no discount.

I've never used anything from Biotherm before but I used to always see their advertisements everywhere in Korea. I remember going to the washrooms at Lotte or Shinsaegae and just seeing giant pictures of their famous gel cream all over the stall doors. Something so loved and well received in the land of skincare must mean that they are an awesome brand.

Bother Pure-Fect Skin Anti-Shine Purifying Cleansing Gel (Normal to Oily Skin) Anti - Bacterial Action

CLAIMS
"Did you know that 70% of women aged 20 and older suffer from shiny skin, enlarged pores and imperfections? Help your skin look perfect and pure with the triple-action power Pure.Fect Skin. Featuring L.Digitata, a powerful marine algae that produces a powerful purifying anti-bacterial protection, this complete range helps to matify your skin while keeping it hydrated, balanced, and clear of imperfections." - Source: Biotherm 

PRICE

$21 CAD ~ 125ml (Sephora)

(Also available at Biotherm counters and Shoppers Drugmart)

DIRECTION

"Lather up with lukewarm water in the palm of the hand, before applying to the face using gentle massage movements, avoiding the eye area. Since thoroughly. Morning and evening."

SCENT

It has a fresh, slightly sweet floral scent with a hint of smoke. Where does the smoke come from? I have no clue. Yet every time I was my face, I notice it. I'm not sure if it's just a matter of subjection because although I really notice it, others may not pick up on it. The scent isn't that strong and unlikely to offend anyone.

CONSISTENCY

A clear liquidy gel. 

PERFORMANCE

 This gel cleanser is so thin that if you leave the lid open, it will leak. Despite it's liquidness, a pea size amount is more than enough. With a bit of water, this bubbles up. I like to massage this all over my face focusing especially on my chin where I get the most breakouts and around my nose. It has really help remove oil and sweat without ever making my skin feel dry or taunt. It also rinses off really easily without clinging to my skin like some cream cleansers can. 

It claims to help oil control and balance imperfections but I'm not really sure it did that much for me. I didn't notice that my skin was particularly less oily nor clearer.  For this reason, I think this is a nice cleanser but nothing amazingly effective.   The results might be better if paired with the Pure-Fect Gel Toner which I don't have.

OVERALL

 I really enjoyed this cleanser. I've never seen anything foam up from a gel like this and I really enjoyed the experience of it. It has made cleansing a breeze because it's simple to put on and simple to rinse off. I'm not sure I will repurchase it as its expensive and I'd like to try other cleansers as well. However, at the moment, it is my favourite. 

4 comments biotherm, cleanser, skincare

[REVIEW] Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes #1 Snow Magic #2 Pink Oyster #13 Brown Bunny

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I've last blogged and I apologize for going MIA.  The main reasons have been lighting and dissatisfaction with my photos. Over the last few months, I've realized that I'm not happy with how my photos look. They're quite plain and I don't want that anymore.  I really wanted to improve but my mind just isn't picking up on any type of creativity or inspiration lately. I didn't want to put out anymore photos that I'm not proud of and the stress of it just made me stop blogging altogether. I've realized now that not blogging is counter-productive and so I'm back. My photos are just going to have to improve along the way.

---

Although I've been thoroughly enjoying the matte, naked look I've decided to come back with a little bit of bling to give my eyes a bit more life.  The holidays may be over but I love keeping a bit of shine in my daily life and there is nothing more sparkly in my collections then the Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes.

Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes originally came out as part of a Limited Edition Holiday Collection back a few years ago. However, due to the amazing response and demand they received, Aritaum decided to make it part of their permanent collection and over the years, they've added more and more colours. To date, there are 35 colours and the collection seems never endingly expanding - which just speaks volumes of its success.

PRICE
8 000 Won ~ Aritaum (Often on 1+1 deals)

NEW COLOURS

(Source: Aritaum Website)

Today, I will be sharing with you my picks which are pretty basic colours. 

 #1 Snow Magic, #2 Pink Oyster, and #13 Brown Bunny.

PACKAGING

Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes are housed in simple, plastic containers with a little plastic piece in the middle to keep the product flat. The tops of the lids are also flat making it easy to stack on top of each other. The large sticker on the back makes it easy to read the names. It's quite similar to the Maybelline Colour Tattoo pots except a study plastic instead of glass. 

TEXTURE

In the pots, the shadows are soft and cushiony. Once applied on the eyes, they feel quite dry. There is quite a lot of product squished down in the little pots. The glitter, although fine, do have a range of sizes. 

#1 Snow Magic: before I even went into the store and swatched these, I knew I wanted Snow Magic. I feel that it's the most versatile out of all the shades in this collection because it could be layered on top of other shades of eyeshadow. It's just a white base shadow with white/silver sparkles.

#2 Pink Oyster: I fell in love with this shimmery pink sparkle. It's beautiful for the inner corners of the eyes and on the lower lash line. This is a great alternative to #1 because it offers the same brightening effect but more natural as it's less stark than the white in #1 Snow Magic. The base is a soft pink with a harmonious blend of pink, orange-gold sparkles.

#13 Brown Bunny: This is a beautiful neutral-cool brown with gold and silver glitter. Although I love the brown in this, the colour of the glitters are too cool toned to match it. Out of the three colours I got, the texture of the shadow on this one is the driest.

PERFORMANCE

These shadows are beautiful and the sparkliest things you can find in the Korean market at the moment (which is saying a lot). Many people compare them to the Georgio Armani Eyes to Kill but I've never tried those so I can't comment on it. I do feel that although initially the shine is really bright, it does die down as time goes by. I think it's probably because the glitter falls off whenever you rub your eyes. In the case of #13, most of the glitter fell off by the end of the night, but the base colour did not budge one bit.

I love using #1 Snow Magic and #2 Pink Oyster on the inner corners of my eyes and at the centre of the lids as a highlight. It really draws a lot of light and focus without being overly obvious. #13 Brown Bunny is the only one I use all over the lids. I'd say the staying power is decent. I didn't notice any creasing or smudging at the end of the day but a lot of the glitter did wear off. For better application, I use a small brush to apply and blend. You can use your fingers but they will pick up a lot more product and thus creating a hassle to blend out.

 As these are meant for the eyes, the glitter is not abrasive. It doesn't irritate the skin around my eyes but they do irritate my eyes a little bit, especially when it comes to removal time. Glitter is a pain in the butt to remove and these do take a bit of effort to get everything off. 

OVERALL

I think these are fun additions for everyone's makeup arsenal but I don't think they're absolutely necessary. Personally I don't wear glitter on the daily so I don't reach for these much. However, I can imagine they would be great for the holidays and special occasions.

6 comments Aritaum, eye shadow, makeup