Asian Cosmetics Standards + FAQ

Sunday, May 31, 2015


Asian Cosmetics safety standards and regulations and frequently asked questions faq
credit: futureatlas.com
Inspiration for today's #skincaresunday post comes from reading statements such as "I am not about to trust the chemicals in Asian products" and "in Asian countries, [lack of regulation] is worse" over and over again.

I am going to preface this entire post by stating that I am not an Asian cosmetics expert. I am an enthusiast. And as such, I took it upon myself to investigate the standards to which different Asian cosmetics brands are held... for my own benefit and hopefully yours as well. Today's discussion will cover the different health and safety standards in different parts of (East) Asia, touching upon the cosmetics oversight in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and China. I've also crafted some answers to common questions posed by people interested in Asian cosmetics based on my personal experience, and by drawing upon the collective experience of the wonderful members of the (20000+ strong and growing) AsianBeauty community on reddit. Interested? Read on!


Melt-proof Makeup: Peripera Peri's Tint Water for Lips & Cheeks

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Peripera Peri's Tint Water 02 Pink Juice 페라페라 페리스틴트 워터 2 핑크 쥬스 Review


Temps are high around these parts and I have been feeling less and less motivated to wear anything on my face other than a healthy dose of sunscreen and brows (since I don't want to scare any kids around). Then the Peripera Peri's Tint Water came into my life. Well, it's more like I invited it into my life... with my wallet.

I picked up the shade 02 Pink Juice out of the 5 shade collection here. There is a red tone, 2 pinks, and 2 oranges. The idea was that I'd pick the most natural looking shade so that I could use it as a cheek stain as well.

Peripera Peri's Tint Water 02 Pink Juice 페라페라 페리스틴트 워터 2 핑크 쥬스 Review
Peripera killin' it with the packaging. 페라페라 페리스틴트 워터 2 핑크 쥬스 

3 Concept Eyes (3CE) Special Nourishing Facial Mask Review

Sunday, May 24, 2015


Stylenanda 3 concept eyes 3ce special nourishing facial mask review 쓰리컨셉아이즈 스페셜 너리싱 페이셜 마스크

Welcome to another Skincare Sunday!

Stylenanda 3 concept eyes 3ce special nourishing facial mask review 쓰리컨셉아이즈 스페셜 너리싱 페이셜 마스크

I don't know if it's the same for everybody who starts getting into Asian skincare products but I know that for me, Sundays mean sleeping in, eating brunch, and wearing sheet masks. I may not be a part of the 1 day 1 mask club (yet), but I never skip face masking on Sundays.

The flavor of the day today is Amazonian Murumuru Seed Butter (an emollient with similar characteristics to palm oil) via the 3 Concept Eyes (3CE) Special Nourishing Facial Mask.


Stylenanda 3 concept eyes 3ce special nourishing facial mask review 쓰리컨셉아이즈 스페셜 너리싱 페이셜 마스크
쓰리컨셉아이즈 스페셜 너리싱 페이셜 마스크

ICYMI: A Brilliant and Easy to Understand Home Hairstyling Tutorial

Saturday, May 23, 2015


home hairstyling tips Beauty Bible 2015 Korea

When it comes to the hair department, I've always hidden behind the moniker of "low-maintenance", but at the end of the day if I'm real honest about it, I'm just a dunce when it comes to hair.

You know when you get so overwhelmed that you just decide to not try at all? Welp, that's me with my hair. In high school and college, I used to dabble in hair straighteners and I know I must have a graveyard of rusted curling irons somewhere in the house, but for the past 5 or so years I've been a member of the Church of Air-Dry. Oh, I try to get motivated every once in awhile, especially after a spate of Youtube hair tutorials but I'm at Level What's-A-Hairbrush? and most of those tutorials are at Level Fishtail-Braid.

Well, just yesterday, Beauty Bible, a Korean tv show about beauty trends, did a segment on at-home hairstyling that was actually on my level. Hooray! I had to share in case you missed it!


Easy Pink Monochrome with Tony Moly Lovely Crystal Eyes in Pink Beam

Wednesday, May 20, 2015


effortless pink monochrome look tony moly lovely crystal eyes pink beam 토니몰리 크리스탈 러브리 애교 아이즈 3 핑크 빔 review

Today is all about one of those awesome makeup bits that give you that little thrill when you use it because you know that you got it for really cheap. It's the Tony Moly Lovely Crystal Eyes and I have it in the shade #3 Pink Beam. 

What is it?

This product is actually way cooler than it looks. It looks just a regular colored eyeliner pencil, which is totally what I thought it was for the first couple of uses... but I found out it's actually a dual purpose product! 

On one end it has a thin eyeliner pencil and on the other, there's a sponge tip applicator that automagically re-saturates itself with cream eyeshadow after every use. I had no idea that I could get a whole eye look out of just using this guy and of course some brown eyeliner!

Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum Review

Sunday, May 17, 2015


drunk elephant c-firma day serum review

So sticking to the skincare theme for Sundays, I've recently updated my skincare routine again and have a small backlog of products I'm testing. Today I realized that I've finally logged about a month of using the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum (!!!), my new vitamin C serum, so it's about time for a review.

Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum Review and Photos Pictures



The Shopaholic Tag + Seasonal OOTDs

Friday, May 15, 2015



We've finally got some nice weather going again here in Chicago so I thought it'd be fun to do a quick post on spring / summer fashion along with a little tag. My first one ever!

Shopaholic Tag

No one's tagged me. I tagged myself. Looks like I'm that guy for today.

NSQ Spring 2015 Giveaway Winners

Tuesday, May 12, 2015



Thanks to everyone who entered the NSQ Spring 2015 Giveaway! I was thrilled to see that people were as excited as I was about getting that beautiful glow-y summer skin with the help of the products that were featured!

3 lucky winners will be receiving their choice of one of the following products:
  • Holika Holika Pro Beauty Tinted Rouge Lip Color
  • TonyMoly Luminous Goddess Aura Beam
  • Peripera Ah Much Real Cushion Blusher
  • Skinfood Royal Honey Mist
  • TonyMoly Crystal Lovely Eyes

So, are you one of the winners? Let's find out!


I Try Purple Lipstick: 3 Concept Eyes #602 V a Dupe for MAC Heroine?

Monday, May 11, 2015


I'm having a big purple moment in my life right now. I'm wearing it on my eyes, my cheeks, and now my lips.

Purple has always been underrepresented in my lipstick stash because it just didn't seem that approachable to me. I mean there are a lot of bold lipstick colors, but purple is the kind of color that really gets you noticed. Plus, I found myself wondering if it clash or pop with the yellow undertone of my skin. I turned to the blogosphere only to find that there's a serious lack of Asian beauty bloggers sporting the truest shade of the hue, making it tough to picture how it would look on me. So I sez to myself "so what?" and pick one up anyway.

Meet 3CE #602 V. Like a secret agent, it does not have a regular name or surname like you or I. It's a HBIC like that. I've included a shot of it below next to the only other shade I have that pushes purple - Essence Wear Berries.

3 Concept Eyes 3CE 602 V #602 V 602V #602V Lipstick Review Swatch
So secret ssso ssseductive - 3CE #602 V. Essence Wear Berries.

Part II: Asian Beauty Ingredients 101

Sunday, May 10, 2015




Lately, I've been finding myself really enjoying sifting through skincare blogs and research on the weekends. I think I may turn this into something like Throwback Thursday or Tutorial Tuesday... Maybe Skincare Sunday. This can be a thing. Let's roll with it.

Welcome to Skincare Sunday.

Today's topic of the day is the plethora of Asian beauty ingredients out there. Asian skincare is pretty hot right now, I think it's safe to say.. which is wonderful. Why you ask? Well, it's a great option for people who want to buy great products while cashing in on good value. Generally speaking, Asian skincare lines have been able to incorporate top-of-the-line ingredients at a low cost without sacrificing quality. I have to attest that in the short time I started paying attention to my skin and incorporating some of these Asian skincare products, I've seen my skin progress from something I could only describe as a blotchy, red replica of the Sahara desert into skin that I can be proud of. It's more even in tone and almost unrecognizable to me by touch whenever I "accidentally" graze my face with my hand. Ok I'm lying. I'm touching my face non-stop lately because I still can't believe the vast improvement I've seen.


5 Minute Makeup Tutorial (Semi-hooded Eyes)

Thursday, May 7, 2015



WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Products
  1. BASE - preferably one with SPF for this daytime look. BB and CC creams give a natural finish. Matte foundations are great if you have oily skin or want more coverage. Luminous foundations are also a good choice if you want a dewy finish. 
  2. EYEBROW FILLER - This can be in the form of a brow powder, a pencil, or gel. Today, I chose to use a gel in a medium ashy brown color.
  3. EYESHADOW TRIO - This is the easiest way to get a complete eyeshadow look with colors that are complimentary. I chose a shimmery trio with a champagne, a rose gold, and warm medium brown. Another good option is Wet N Wild Walking On Eggshells.
  4. EYELINER - Comes in gel, pencil, or liquid form. When drawing clean lines on semi-hooded eyes, liquid is preferred because it will not smudge onto your crease once it has dried and set. For smudgy looks, you can try the other forms.
  5. MASCARA - Comes in volumizing or lengthening formulas. I used my Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant for today's look.
  6. LIP / CHEEK DUO - Currently loving dual-purpose lip and cheek products. These can be in cream, stick, or jelly form. Today I went with a cream formula in a neutral pink.

Tools
  1. SPONGE/CUSHION - to blend your foundation or bb / cc ream.
  2. EYEBROW SPOOLIE - to soften filled in eyebrows
  3. EYESHADOW APPLICATOR (optional) - you can also use your fingers
  4. EYELINER BRUSH - to take the eyeshadow underneath eye
  5. EYELASH CURLER - to curl lashes and make them visible, especially when lining the eyes

Make sure you have prepped your skin by moisturizing it and applying sunscreen! All set? Let's begin.

5 Luster-worthy Korean Products at Urban Outfitters + Giveaway!

Monday, May 4, 2015


Summertime, Time to Shine...

Today I bring to you my 5 picks for summertime shine from Urban Outfitters's cache of Korean beauty products, a way to snag them for less, and a chance to win some of the products in my very first giveaway! Interested? Read on!

We all want our skin to glow in the summer. I know summertime is when I play around with my high-shine products because they accompany tanned skin so nicely. This year I've been eyeing up the glow-inducing Kbeauty products that are now carried at Urban Outfitters. I look to Korean luminizing products because they often feature ingredients that double as good skincare. I turn to Urban Outfitters when I like to give myself the gift of immediate gratification which can pretty much only be had if you buy from a U.S. based retailer. The fact that Urban participates in online rebate programs make that give-it-to-me-now markup a bit easier to bear.

Part I: A Primer on Skincare Ingredients [INFOGRAPHIC]

Saturday, May 2, 2015




On an uneventful Saturday, I found myself scouring the internet for more information on skincare ingredients. Thrilling, I know... Well, actually since some of you are as into skincare as I am, if not more, maybe it is your idea of a thrilling weekend activity. *shrug* Well, I found that there were of resources on the basic order in which you should apply products (oil cleanser, other cleanser, chemical exfoliators and toners, essences, serums, ampoules, emulsions, lotion, cream, sunscreen in the am, and sleeping packs in the pm in case you forgot + an oil to seal it all in), but there were relatively few resources on when you should start introducing your skin to various skincare ingredients out there. Okay there were a few resources like Paula's Choice and CosDNA, but they were encyclopedic, and I had to sift through pages and pages to really get a handle on each ingredient. I couldn't find a one-pager for me to consult QUICKLY when purchasing skincare products. So I took matters into my own hands and decided to make one.

Below is a guide to skincare ingredients which may help you (as it did me) understand:
  • different classes of skincare ingredients
  • the benefits of each type of ingredient
  • lists of all of the forms of each class of ingredient

So check it out! I made it because it's pretty and it will help me when I buy new products. I hope it's helpful to you too! You can save a version by double-clicking on the photo.