Seoul Trip - Day 3

Day 3

                                     

Wore this shirt out (from taobao) I really like it!

Went to Myeongdong in the morning at about 9am? We ate kimbap at one of the shops. Apparently, only a few eateries were opened! After that, I went to Lotte departmental store, just to collect tax refund. Yes, it's extremely convenient to get VAT refund at the very same building you shop at! As for lunch, I ate ginseng chicken porridge.


Looking at it now makes me long for the flavour.. mm the seaweed and porridge!

After shopping for a while, I went back to the hotel just to rest. It's mostly shopping (yes, I've only mentioned shopping so far in my entries). This is actually my 2nd time in Seoul, so I've already visited places like namsan tower, mt sorak, insadong, teddy bear museum, etc. Besides exploring areas that I have not explored before, this trip is basically a go-crazy-shop-till-you-drop kinda trip :P Oh, where was I? ahh, Yes the toilet.... Apparently some incident happened and my toilet bowl kinda flooded (TMI) so I had to call for help LOL. After resting, we headed to Ewha Women's University (Edae for short) FOR SHOPPING!!

           

The University from afar

We stumbled upon this store that sells discounted korean cosmetics! There were brands like 3CE, Etude house, Its skin, tool cool for school, laniege, Tony moly, Holika Holika ETC
The prices are unbelievably CHEAP! I will do a separate post on that! All details regarding its location will be stated in that post :)



This is my overseas-kinda thing. I will always look out for signboards with my name and take a picture of it. Is this strange? haha.

We had early dinner at this place! Not much of a selection, but I chose to eat Phad Thai!

Phad thai for dinner

I have this amazing discovery during the trip. I managed to stumble upon the very same Paris Baguette outlet that I visited in 2011 with my sister and mum. It was near to my hotel, hotel PJ. It's an amazing feeling to revisit a place that you think you won't be going to ever again.

 My Macaron Ice cream Sandwich woohoo! So sweet but sinful!

After that, we walked back to the hotel. Tadah! Hotel sweet hotel in 5 min!

 Yay, goodnight everyone! - says the panda

p/s I thought that the SNP panda mask was so cooling but it's probably due to the alcohol content and I will only do it again for FUN. Haha, other than that, I didn't see any good effects after usage.

Review: 3 CONCEPT EYES DOT LIP COLOR #801

Product name: 3CE Dot Lip Color #801 Air Balloon

Price: 17,900 won in Korea stores

20 USD at Stylenanda

Amount of product: 3.5g

Review

Texture: Glides on smoothly on my lips, feels very smooth and slides on the lips easily. Gives a nice natural sheen to the lips

Pigmentation: One swatch to get good pay-off, the coral-pink colour is very versatile and sweet for everyday use.

Packaging: TO DIE FOR. HAHAH kidding. Lets spare my life. Its gorgeous. 1970 retro pokadots has returned this year.

Longevity: Nothing too special about its longevity since it is not a tint, and it is creamy with a little sheen. Matte tends to last longer anyway. Lasts 4-5 hours without eating, lipstick does transfer to cup but I don't mind touching up a wonderful colour like this. 

Overall: I wouldn't repurchase this since it's not cheap to get it in Sg. I got this in korea so it was cheaper (17,900 won for RTP).

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

Till the next review, take care readers! xo.

Seoul Trip - Day 2

Day 2

Took the free shuttle service from Hotel Sky Incheon to the Incheon Airport at 9am! Procceded to get the tickets at airport (10,000won per passenger) to board bus 6015. The bus took roughly 1 hour 15min to get to Hotel PJ, the hotel which I stayed for the subsequent 6 nights.Since we could only check in at 2pm, we decided to go shopping at Myeongdong after leaving the luggages at the concierge. It was just a stop away from Chungmuro station (near to hotel PJ).

Settled lunch at this restaurant:

Settled for buckwheat noodles with beef!


After lunch, I went to get some K-pop CDs and yeah just shopped like mad^^

The street of Myeongdong

We went back to the hotel to rest since I shopped till I could not carry anymore plastic bags haha. After that, we took the free shuttle bus service at the hotel lobby. Off we go to Lotte departmental store! There was a crazy crowd at duty free level especially at the 3CE counter. OMG. HAHA. Well it is expected. Anyway I'm glad that I know how to speak Chinese. Many of their sales(persons) are chinese or taiwanese.

My dinner at Lotte Departmental Store food court: Beef Bibimbap!

 Ending off this post with a picture of my bracelet, flowers and (my hand ofc)

Sorry for this short post, I was so busy shopping that I did not take many pictures!

 p/s I wont be featuring any haul posts regarding my beauty-related purchases since I think it's unnecessary and will only do so when I review them! :)

Korea Trip: Night 1

Hey readers! I am so excited to blog about my recent trip to Seoul, South Korea. ^^ I wouldn't consider the first day as 'day 1' because by the time I arrived in Seoul, it was already sleeping time (10pm) BOOHOO. That's what I get for booking cheaper tickets. Oh, btw I took Singapore Airlines

Night 1: I did not do much after landing except checking into a hotel at Incheon area. It was just for a night's stay. I figured that it was cheaper to spend a night near the Incheon airport than taking a taxi to Seoul. I guess I can give a short review of my stay at Hotel Sky Incheon Airport hotel. :) I will just weigh the pros and cons, the likes and dislikes (In point forms) during my stay.

Pictures as seen on agoda:



(+) 24h front desk
I could arrange a free shuttle service from the Airport to the hotel. (Which is a plus, i mean who says no to free transport haha) You just need to go to the info counter at the airport and ask for help to contact the hotel staff. TADAH, the driver arrived 10-15min after the phone call. They even offer the service to drive us back to the airport the next morning. You just need to let the hotel reception know when you check in.

(+) Cosy blanket and bed
I managed to have a good sleep. Aircon was a tad noisy but it did not bother me much.

(+) Availability of food in the neighbourhood

It was a pity that I did not explore the place since it was already late at night. The only stores that were still opened were convenience stores.

(-) Weak wifi
Wifi in the room just did not work. I think my instagram feed only refreshed 2 times haha. Tbh, it was just a night and I could bear with it. After all, I was about to sleep. 

Rating on agoda: 7.5/10

Overall I'm satisfied since its just a night's stay. Definitely much cheaper than the transfer hotel at incheon airport. It was apprx 60+ SGD for a night.

Review: Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi Action Foam Cleanser

Hi lovelies! I have recently tried a sample size of the Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Multi Action Foam Cleanser, and here's what I've got to tell you about it!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Claims: The creamy formula rapidly lathers into a rich foaming cleanser that gently removes makeup and other impurities without drying. Unclogs pores. Leaves skin healthy, fresh and luminous.
Price: 25 USD
Amount: 150ml, 5 Fluid ounces

On Estee lauder's website:
Use it 2 ways: Morning and night as a daily cleanser to purify skin. Or twice a week as a 3-minute purifying mask.

I like such multi-purpose products! 2-in-1 product all the way~

REVIEW

Texture: Rich and creamy, easy to foam up. I did not have much bubbles in the picture above as I used too little water. Otherwise, it lathers really nicely and fast.

Sensation: Feels really clean and refreshing after using it, but does not strip the moisture off my skin

Scent: Mildly scented; fresh smell

Results: I have sensitive and oily skin but this cleanser did not break me out and leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth

Recommend: to those with combination or oily skin/ those looking for a good cleanser for double cleansing routine (after using a makeup remover)

My overall thoughts
Decent cleanser that does what it claims. However, I think the price is a little steep, and I will continue to look out for more price-tag friendly products. I'm still a student so.... T_T Wish me luck in finding my holy grail cleanser!!

Overall rating: 4/ 5★

Summer travel makeup bag ; Seoul 2015

 My baby pink korilakkuma bag! So cute :>

 An overview of the contents

 Face products: Laniege Pore control BB cushion #31, Collection lasting perfection ultimate wear concealer, Benefit porefessional primer, VDL lumilayer primer, ZA concealer

I love to bring travel sized products! Small and light! If you noticed, I did not pack any blush or bronzer, simply because I can use my matte lipsticks to stain my cheeks and my ZA concealer(tad darker than my skin) for shading/contour. I did not show my beauty blender in the post, but I will be bringing that as well. A powder is a must for setting foundation/ bb cream but I will exclude that. :)
The bb cushion stays really nice and matte on my skin for long hours.

 Lip products: Sleek lipstick in Heartbreaker, Estee lauder double wear lipstick in 09 coral, Crazy rumours lipbalm in Gingerbread

 Swatches of my lipstick: Versatile for summer looks with coral and hotpink lipsticks!

I did not include any of my skincare in this post as this is makeup-only bag ;)
Till next post,
xo, G

DIY bb cushion

I recently uploaded a video on how I made my own BB cushion based on my skin's needs. This is great for oily skin types. Be sure to use products that you're comfortable with. It's great to do this yourself compared to paying, say, $40 and above for a cushion from Laneige? Dont get me wrong, I love my Laneige pore control bb cushion (#31), but it feels good to save money as well!

For those who are looking for empty BB cushions, you can get them at:


1) Taobao (China's version of Ebay)
For easy shopping experience, you can also try shopping through agents like
Sgshop.com or 65daigou.com (For those living in Singapore)
I got mine at about 4 SGD from:
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.32.k8sM5Z&id=44629703667&ns=1&abbucket=8#detail

2) Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Air-cushion-BB-cream-DIY-Empty-case-For-Hera-IOPE-Langgie-Refill-Replace-Puff-/271840276662

There are so many sellers selling them so be sure to do more research to get better bargains! Feel free to ask me any questions at the comment section below!

Stay lovely,x
G

[Review] Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay in Place lipstick

Hi guys! I'm back with another review for 

ESTEE LAUDER's Double Wear Stay-In-Place Lipstick!

I hope this would be helpful for many, since there's not many reviews for this product!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Claims: 12 hour wear, transfer resistant. Non-drying formula.

Price: 36 SGD

Amount: 0.36g/0.13oz

Shades to be reviewed: 09 Stay Coral & 01 Stay Rose

Packaging: Sleek with Gold on the top and metallic blue below

Swatches of the lipsticks

Formula: Creamy consistency, does not dry out my lips, applies smoothly. It does not sink into lip lines, but I will recommend using a non-greasy lip treatment prior to application.

Pigmentation: Bold with just one swatch & the shades I picked out flatters my skintone (Warm) 01 Stay Rose: Everyday lip colour, tends to look mauv-y on my lips.
09 Stay Coral: Glamourous coral lipstick! This looks great during the summer.

Longevity: After applying the lipstick(Stay Rose), I drank a cup of hot tea. I noticed that the lipstick has transferred to the cup's surface. However, when I checked using a mirror, my lips still look great! The formula acts like a stain, but I'm not sure about the 12 hour staying claim. It lasts for approx. 8 hours without eating much greasy food. You will definitely need a touch-up if you consume oily food.

Price: This is worth to try if you are willing to splurge on lipsticks! However, I will probably look for other amazing lipsticks/stains/tints with a lower $ tag! 

Overall rating: 4/ 5★

Favourite Foundation Brushes

Hi precious viewer! The pictures above contain the brushes I use often for base makeup. However, I've sorted my Holy grail foundation brushes out and they are:



1. Real Techniques Expert face Brush
I've used this since late 2013, and this is an awesome & versatile brush! I use it for liquid foundation, bronzer, blush and setting loose powder. The results everytime? Flawless and even coverage. The hair feels soft to the touch and does not tug harshly on the skin. This is THE brush I use when I'm overseas, or when I just need a simple touch up. The handle is designed in a sleek manner and till today, I have not experienced any colour bleeding/hair shedding.

2. Sigma F82 Round Kabuki Brush
3. Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki Brush
I got both brushes at the same time in mid 2013. Compared to the RT expert face brush, they are softer and glide on my skin smoother. Both brushes give me amazing coverage and pore-less finish. Great investment and very worth for the money. They do not absorb a lot of my foundation. I, however, prefer the F82 to F80. The F82 is more useful in terms of applying powder foundations. I've noticed a few strands of hair (F80) sticking out. They look like they are shedding, but they are actually still intact. I just reach for the F82 more often than F80 :)

4. Ecotools Blush brush
I got this in the ecotools set way back in 2010. It has been 5 years! This brush still works amazing. I have not experience any colour run-off or shedding. This exceeds my expectation in terms of its sustainability. Great for blushes, lose powder and powder foundations.

5. Chinese Brand: 瑾萱 Loose Powder Brush
What can I say about this? It's cheap, gathers sufficient loose powder to set my foundation, and its colour does not bleed. I got it in a set of 10 brushes for only the price of ~13SGD(excludes shipping). The pink + gold combination is so pretty. I've not experience any shedding of the brush so far.
For people living in Sg, you can check out 65daigou/sgshop to get the set from taobao. The set is rated 4.9/5 stars, you can view the link here:
http://detail.tmall.com/item.htm?id=37193212311&sku_properties=7814360:28352

6. Tarte Inspired Kabuki Brush
I also got this from taobao(China's version of Ebay). Works well with loose powder/mineral foundation. It feels so soft (almost like my sigma/RT brushes). Great to travel with. Price: 3.56 SGD excluding shipping. It's rated 4.8/ 5 stars. Link:
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=38212193963

7. Beauty Blender Makeup Sponge
This is a sponge that I've just discovered and regretted not trying it earlier. It provides an even yet natural coverage. This is wonderful for my combination skin. You need to use it damp- which means my foundation will be more moisturising for the dry sections of my face. It does not absorb my foundation as much as other sponges. I also like how I can just wash a dirty sponge and use it immediately for an application. I have to wait for my makeup brushes to dry before I can even use them! Some may think that the price is hefty, but for the sake of an even complexion, an investment in makeup tool is needed.


Hope you enjoy this mini-review! I will most likely do a "What's in my travel makeup bag" very soon! Take care, Xo.

Review: 3CE one colour shadow in Uranus

General Information:

Product name: 3CE one colour shadow shimmer in Uranus 

Amount of product: 18g

Price: Differs but usually around 15SGD

Where to get it: (WW) Stylenanda    eyecandys
(SINGAPORE) Luxola.sg

Packaging+Swatches:

Texture: Smooth and easy to blend, glitters are not chunky at all, good amount of sheen

Pigmentation: Bold with just one swipe on the surface (Refer to the pictures above!)

Colour: I chose Uranus because I felt that it will look good on my skintone. Very versatile and practical shade for everyday wear.

Longevity: Did not crease or smudge. Holds well whole day with primer.

Pardon the ungroomed brows>

Wearing the eyeshadow alone all over the lid

Together with Colourpop's eyeshadow in Get Lucky (Gold metallic eyeshadow)


Overall rating:

★★★★★