Review: Tony Moly Luminous Goddess Aura BB Cream

Before I went to Seoul, I had this huge list written out of everything that I wanted to buy so I wouldn't forget a single thing as I tend to get easily distracted and buy lots of random things. So, I made sure to put this list in my wallet so I would see it every time I had to pay for something.Yeah, well somehow between Songpa-gu and Myeongdong it slipped and fell out so I was left without my wonderful list and yup...forgot half the things I wanted to buy including this BB cream. I'd gotten samples of it previously and absolutely loved it along with the Aura Beam counterpart, it doesn't hurt that 박지연 (Park Ji-yeon) was their model for this BB cream and I obsess over her eye makeup a bit too much sometimes. It took me a few months before I was able to go back and buy it, but luckily I went when they were having a sale so it ended up being W10,000, which is about 8.98USD. Regardless of loving or hating it later....I mean come on. A BB cream for 9 bucks? Man oh man do I love Seoul~

Review: Mizon Pore Clearing Push Out Volcanic Gommage

I've been reading about Mizon for quite a while now but have yet to try out any of their products which is odd as their Snail Cream is such a huge hit, and I do love me some snail cream. So I finally found this mask and was absolutely loving the fact that it's clay and wondered if it was similar to the famous Innisfree Jeju mask which is almost impossible to grab where I live.

Review: Stila HD Illuminating BB

Now normally I'm not really into the whole Americanized BB scene as a lot of them are nothing more than hyped up tinted moisturizers with little to no added benefits. This one stood out to me and said "Play with me! PLAY WITH ME." Who knows why. Perhaps it's because it's supposed to illuminate (I love glowing skin!) or it could even be the shiny packaging!

Review: Makeup Forever HD Primer 5/Blue

Product Info:

Make Up Forever - HD Primer Shade: 5/Blue 

$34 1.01 fl. oz/30 ml.

Where to get it:
Sephora: 34.00

Description:
"A lightweight, oil-free complexion corrector that enhances the skin's texture and primes the skin for makeup application."

Claims: 
-Nourishes
-Moisturizes
-Softens the skin
-Creates a glow
-Helps foundation last longer

Ingredients: 
Aqua (Water), Dimethicone, Trisiloxane, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Methylpropanediol, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Squalane, Glyceryl Caprylate, Lauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 Methicone, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteth-10, Laureth-4, Ethylglycerin, Panthenol, Potassium Sorbate, Polysorbate 60, Parfum (Fragrance), Argania Spinosa Extract (Argania Spinosa Kernel Extract), C12-14 Pareth-12, Hydrolyzed Algin, Dodecene, Sorbitan Isostearate, Isostearyl Alcohol, Laminaria Digitata Extract, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Tromethamine, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Carbomer, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Linalool. [CI 19140 (Yellow 5 Lake), CI 75470 (Carmine), CI 77007 (Ultramarines), CI 77288 (Chromium Oxide Greens), CI 77289 (Chromium Hydroxide Green), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 77492 (Iron Oxides), CI 77499 (Iron Oxides), CI 77742 (Manganese Violet), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide)] 

This one has two large hits when ran through COSDNA: Laureth-4 and Hydrolyzed Algin. Laureth hits a 5 on acne and a 4 on irritant. Algin hits 4's across the board as it's a thickener and fragrance which can easily irritate sensitive skin. I personally never had problems, but if someone has gentle skin they may want to stay clear of this product or try it on in a Sephora for a swatch test.

Scent:
It has a clean fresh scent to it with a hint of sweetness which is nice, it's not overly powerful so those with sensitive noses should be fine.

Packaging:
It comes in the standard black MUFE packaging, which is kind of sad that they don't really revamp their product boxes for different things, so you don't accidentally grab a different one. The primer comes in a thin tall plastic bottle which is small enough to not take up any room, but tall enough to be able to easily see and grab. The pump for the actual primer is nice as it's hygienic but also annoying. I was finding at about 1/3 left I'd have to unscrew it and try and dig out enough product for my face as the tubing did not reach the bottom. All this unscrewing and re-sealing did more harm than good and kept drying the product out.

















Swatch:
















Results:
I really wanted to love this product but it's making it very difficult for that to happen. If I don't use a really thick heavy moisturizer to mix this primer in with it, it refuses to spread evenly and has a tendency to clump up. It will also often leave a white residue if I forget to add the moisturizer which shows even though full coverage foundation so, I'll have to take it off after that happens and reapply which is wasting even MORE product. If I do follow all these steps perfectly though, it does even out the redness creating an almost perfect canvas for me to then work with.

Pros: 

-Pleasant smell
-Evens out the redness

-It has a thicker texture to fill in all my fine lines

-Oil-free
-Dermatologist

Cons: 

- Pump quirts out way too much and wastes a lot of product

-It dries extremely fast so I need to work fast
-Dries white if i'm not fast enough so I take it off or it'll leave white spots through foundation
-I need to mix it with a very thick moisturizer to help spread it evenly

-The packaging leaves quite a bit on the bottom and easily dries out.

Rating:
4/10

I really just don't understand the hype for this primer. I like the rest of the line just fine and haven't had any really big issues (aside from the HD foundation), so it's kind of sad that I just can't get this to work for me. I wouldn't repurchase this one at all especially when there are so many other better primers out there for 1/3 of the price and less irritants on the skin. All the pros is has going for it are definitely not enough to weigh out all those pricey cons, plus to use this I need to add a few extra steps in my foundation routine.

Review: Tony Moly Red Appletox Honey Cream

I really had no knowledge of Tony Moly before I went to Korea other than trying some samples I had gotten from ordering BB creams online. They were nice and worked well for how long I had them, but not a lot of places offered much information on the product or ingredient lists which made me slightly hesitant to actually purchase them. So, when I walked into one of the many TM stores in Myeongdong I wasn't really expecting much. THEN....I saw the adorable fruit section. I mean, they're so cute! I had to grab a few for my mom.....and myself of course.
Now, all the labels on the Appletox are in Korean which I am a novice in so please forgive my mistakes and let me know if I need to correct something please!

Review: SkinFood Black Sugar Mask

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had hit up a SkinFood's store in Seoul, South Korea a bit ago and wasn't really looking for things to buy for myself, but ended up grabbing a few goodies. Well, this mask is another one of those goodies!
I had heard a lot about this mask from friends in Seoul as well as seeing it in a lot of window displays around town. From working at Sephora I had heard about the whole sugar mask trend and how amazing they are for your skin as the lemon helps tone and the brown sugar is a natural, gentle exfoliant that gently polishes the complexion. Seeing as I already had the Fresh Sugar Face Polish, I was curious as to how this well this one worked.

Review: Tony Moly Tomatox Magic Massage Pack

Another Tony Moly product!  I know, I know, but I can't help it I'm absolutely addicted to their products and their store! I got this as a gift for a translation that I did, but I've used it enough to comment on how well it performs. I have such a back log from switching blog platforms, so I'm trying to get caught up with all my old reviews and such. Hopefully it'll happen soon!

Review: SkinFood Watery Berry Serum

My friend and I were shopping around the 신촌점 (Sinchon) area when I spotted SkinFood and begged her to come with me inside as my Korean was still lacking. I went in originally to grab something for my mother but after seeing how cheap a lot of the wash-off masks were I realized I needed to grab like, 10. I asked the SA  if they had a line that was specifically for dry or dull skin as 14 hours on a plane is definitely not fun for the skin. She pointed me towards the Watery Berry line and started to tell us about the different berry extracts and how it contains Sodium Hyaluronate, which is able to hold up to 1,000 times it's weight in water. I finally completed a month of use so I figured it was safe to review on it.

Review: Tony Moly Broccoli Sprout Cleansing Cream

I first got this cleansing cream as a sample when I ordered a BB cream from Missha last year. I tried it, loved it and then forgot about it entirely until I went to Seoul a few months ago. While looking around a Tony Moly store in Myeongdong I kept seeing this guy, but couldn't remember if I liked it or not. I asked for a sample but then totally forgot to try it while I was there. A total and complete failure on my part. To make it worse, I didn't even realize this until I got home and saw my sample mixed in with other samples I had received from other shops. ^^;
Luckily I live a few miles from the Pretty & Cute flagship store and my boyfriend told me to grab one immediately. I paid $16.99 at the time, but as of right now they have it on sale!

Review: SkinFood Steam Milk Bubble Mask

I was shopping at the Pretty & Cute store by my house and decided I needed more SkinFood in my life after buying and loving their super famous Black Sugar Face Mask. I saw the cute milk carton and it was pretty much decided. Yup, purchasing.