One of my readers had requested I do an entry on a few brands to look out for in Korea. I don’t purchase many Korean brands but I do enjoy looking out for exciting new Asian Brands as you know be it Japanese, Korean, or Chinese.
Korea is a place that is near and dear to my heart simply because of it’s vast entertainment selection. Aside from Japanese pop culture I’d say that Korea definately holds plenty of appeal for me in the entertainment field. I adore Korean dramas as you may already know and some pop music as well (I’m more of a J-Rock girl but popular Korean music definately gets some of my attention).
Do keep in mine prior to reading this that the post will probably create some hardcore lemmings so don’t hold the Muse responsible
One of my all time favorite Korean brands which I haven’t be able to locate anywhere aside from Korea would be Clio.
Clio reminds me of Bourjois Paris with it’s cute packaging and baked eyeshadows and blushes. I’ve done an entry on Clio prior to this but it deserves a revisit in this post. Clio is actually made in Italy but distributed in Korea. As I mentioned I haven’t seen Clio distributed anywhere else in the world aside from Korea but I could be wrong! From what I understand Sasa carries the line but I’m not sure where else in Korea you can purchase it.
The line contains plenty of beautiful, funky cosmetics that are sure to appeal to those who love a bit of color. If you’re looking for a natural, neutral look Clio isn’t something you’ll want to look into however if you love a bit of color this will be something you’ll enjoy!
Price is midway in my opinion with blushes running from about $19 USD and eyeshadows at around $14 USD. I’ve had little success locating Clio in online shops or on E-bay so if you want the line you’re either hopping a plane to Korea or asking a mate to pick you up some!
Overall, it’s possibly one of my favorite brands. I own about 6 of the shadows or so and two of the blushes (I wish I had more) and they are all very pigmented, silky, and beautiful more so then Bourjois Paris if possible.
Should you happen to be wandering around Korea another cosmetic line to keep your eyes on would be Laneige. Laneige falls into the luxury group of cosmetics in my opinion but the price is tiny in comparison to some lines. Laneige sells outside of Korea and can be found in Singapore and China however some of the better items pop up in Korea and later are distributed to other countries at later dates. I haven’t seen Laneige in Japan but again I could be wrong.
Palettes are about $23-30 USD some lower. Prices vary from country to country and of course it remains cheapest within Korea.
The line is extensive, covering point, base, skincare, and other bits and bobs. It definately has some very interesting items and if you have access it is worth looking at!
Next up Etude….
Let me introduce you to Etude. Now Etude is truly an awesome line. It’s girlishly sweet with some seriously awesome packaging. It definately falls into a favorite category for me. The brand is available in drugstores and price wise isn’t too bad. The range is very extensive and includes a variety of cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and other bits.
The beautiful commercials and adverts are especially appealing and cutesy! In the video below I’m especially in love with the makeup from the Peach collection which is a new collection for Spring!
Palettes range from $9 USD and up which isn’t bad at all. The shadows fall into the MJ line in my opinion which means they are pigmented as you make them out to be. It takes a bit of work to build up color but in the long run you can get a beautiful look using them!
The new Pore Erasing Peach Base is something to keep your eyes out for. It quite reminds me of Benefit’s Erase Paste but looks like it’ll work much better plus it’s only $11 bucks!
Etude is definately Muse Approved for purchase! If you’re in Korea you’ll definately want to keep your eyes open for products from Etude’s range!
Banila Co is another girlish brand that I adore! The new Spring Collection looks much like Clio’s dual shadows but the price is a bit lower at about $9 USD per shadow. The highest item cost wise is about $20 USD.
The line also includes a variety of items from base cosmetics, point, tools, skincare, and even body care!
Banilia is available in drugstores and quality is excellent for the price!
A higher end of cosmetics within Korea is Vidi Vici. Vidi Vici is created by Lee Kyung Min a famous makeup artist in Korean. The line for me is a bit unappealing due to the elegant packaging. I’m more for cute packaging which could be why Vidi Vici fails to wow me. The line up is geared more towards the working class lady and has that air of elegance minus the kawaii feel about 90% of cosmetics in Asia incorporate into their collections! As you may have suspected the price range is also geared towards the mature woman.
Last but not least is VOV. VOV for me has the feel of Kose as some of the palettes resemble those in the line even the Spring Collection has the feel of Visee with it’s mirrored compacts! The prices are about the same as Kose as well with palettes ranging from $17 USD or so. The line up is appealing to all with it’s beautiful compacts and color combinations.
The line isn’t as extensive as some brands but does have it’s fair share of point, base, skincare, etc….
Overall, it’s definately geared towards the fresh twenty something but the Muse isn’t twenty and she adores it!
Well…That’s all folks!
I hope you enjoyed this little adventure into Korean cosmetics! Do feel free to share some of your favorite Korean brands!
I’d especially love to hear from those of you within Korea about prices, favorite brands, etc…..
I was in Target a few days ago because my sister enjoys dragging me around that bloody store like nobody’s business!
As she oohhhh’ed and ahhhhhh’ed over her finds I wandered over to the Boots section to have a peek. I generally like Boots line of products and I haven’t really purchased anything that I didn’t love however the eye makeover remover gets my big old “don’t buy” stamp.
I normally get Sephora’s remover for $8 or when I’m feeling lucky I look through E-bay to score some cheap Bi-Facil (you seriously don’t think I’d spend $26 on that stuff did you? Sometimes the Muse is cheap!). However, I was feeling adventurous so I decided to grab some of the No7 Cleanse & Care remover and call it a day!
I was thinking somehow this would become a staple as soon as I noticed that it had a pump! W00t! Awesome! Instead of having to dip my cleaner onto my cotton pad I could now pump the cleaner on! Wow how techy!
The coolness ends right there my friends. Aside from the ultra awesome pump this does absolutely nothing in the way of removing hardcore eye makeup!
I didn’t have much on but it was a whole lot of tugging to get it to remove anything. A few swipes later and about half a bottle I had successfully removed about 60% of my eyeshadow and none of my mascara.
Sigh.
Well that chalks this up as heading right into the trash can! $8 bucks down the drain and still a load of eye makeup on!
If you can believe it Tiffa has updated it’s website!
Whoa.
Big news here.
I can’t recall the last time Tiffa bothered updating it’s site and not only have they updated but they have a new Spring Collection up and available!
I’m not sure when this new line hits shops in Japan but I’d say shortly.
Tiffa is a sub-company of Kanebo and carries a small but lovely line of products that are inexpensive. The updates to the line seem very interesting and I may add a few to my wish list!
Three Glitter Liners have been introduced in pink, silver, and black for 1000 yen each.
Also available are three “fragrant waters”. I’m not sure if these are body sprays or spray toners!
And finally three cologne sprays! The introduction of these leads me to believe that the above could be spray toners! I sure hope so because they look interesting if they are!
The new site is far easier to navigate if you are unable to read characters. The original site was cute but annoying as you had to unlock doors and such to see products. The new site offers a range of categories to find exactly what you are looking for quickly plus the pink theme is so sweet!
Not really any major releases for Tiffa but it’s nice to see the brand isn’t forgotten as it’s been a while inbetween releases! I’m holding onto the hope that they do some more of the dual shadow shimmers! The gold and silver is gorgeous! Love to see more!
I was wandering around the Visee website this morning and it’s pretty much official that Kodi Kumi is a goner from the champaign.
The new site is updated with a face chart when you click “What’s New?”
Here’s what you used to get when clicking “What’s New?” As you can see Kodi Kumi has been replaced with a cutesy face chart!
I believe the site went live again about a week or two ago and the images have been revamped to exclude Kodi Kumi from the ads. I’m not sure if she’s completely gone or this is temporary while the fire cools. I’m betting she’s gone completely and the Summer Collection will feature a new spokesperson! But we shall see! I’ll miss her actually as she has that edge that really brought Visee alive for me and I’m curious who they’ll replace her with!
Below is the new Make-Up theme, again Kodi Kumi has been replaced by the cute face chart image!
If you’re not up to date on the drama click here to read why Kodi Kumi is under fire at the moment!
I was browsing around the Laneige site a few weeks ago and I came across the The Secret of the Snow Crystal Snow Radiant Blushers. Sounds like an epic motion picture! Now playing The Secret of the Snow Crystal starring Bai Ling!
I’m not entirely sure if these were from the Holiday Collection or not and after much discussion and debate with a friend we decided that maybe they were something available from the Korean side of Laneige only!
Anyway!
I ended up getting the entire three that were released because they simply reminded me of MAC Mineralized Skinfinish and I rock Mineralized Skinfinish so that meant I’d be sure to shower love all over these!
These were about the same cost as an MSF and honestly they have the potential for converting non MSF users. Some folk hate Mineralized Skinfinish because they are glittery and shimmery. A wide range of the colors released thus far have contained chunky bits of glitter and not everyone likes to hose themselves down with glitter the way the Muse does!
Those of you who may have ranted that MAC’s powders have some major shimmer will be delighted to know that these perform the way you probably hoped for from MAC. They highlight, create a soft glow on your face, and enhance your blush minus the shimmer and glitter.
The powder is soft and silky and easy to blend. The effect that these create is what I call a sort of photo finish glow. You can use these on natural bare skin or over your blush. I personally like to use them over my blush. You can also contour areas of your face for extra highlighting if you prefer.
Laneige Snow Radiant Blusher in Snow
Laneige Snow Radiant Blusher in Gold
Laneige Snow Radiant Blusher in Pink Prism
I think they are quite a nifty powder to add to your beauty arsenal and a wonderful alternative if you’re not loving the amount of shimmer you get from a MAC Mineralized Skinfinish!
MAC Shimpage vs Laneige Gold
MAC Glissade vs Laneige Pink Prism
MAC Lightscape Vs Laneige Snow
Click here to read my review on Laneige’s Darling Big Eyes Palette!
Click here to read about Laneige’s Snow Bloom Collection!
Click here to read about Laneige’s Slick Sliding Foundation Compact!
I adore stains! Big time ! I love the natural, flushed look you can get from a stain. I’ve been a big time user of Benetint for ages but in all honesty I’ve found far better alternatives. Benetint is a bit sheer for me and I can get a deeper color from other brands. Good quality stains don’t come cheap however I’m about to show you an inexpensive, high quality one!
I got this off of JPmon but believe it or not I’ve also seen it in various Asian supermarkets in the US. Fact is I never knew what it was prior to seeing it on JPmon. When you’re in an Asian supermarket surrounded by stuff you aren’t familiar with you practice caution when making your selections. My main reason for not purchasing it was the fact that I wasn’t sure what it was for. Sure it has a beautiful geisha-like girl on the cover but that doesn’t mean anything! This could be dip for chicken or something how could I know it was cosmetic? Seriously have you been to an Asian market before? EVERYTHING has cute labels! Packages of Baby Star (this is a snack) have really cute images on it! The US is not yet exposed to the kawaii packaging of food and just about everything else. Hell, the only thing cute about our food packages would be cereal. America wants to shove cereal down the throats of babes so they showcase cute tigers, tucans, and three strange little elf like chefs named Snap, Crackle, and Pop. Hey, I never claimed we were creative in the US!
Anyway!
I was ordering some Kose Airy Whip on JpMon as the shipping is a bit cheaper for a few cans in comparison to my friends buying it and shipping it over (because you have to stock up on Airy Whip like it’s the end of the world as we know it) when I noticed that this same cheek stain that was available in my local Asian market was here at JpMon! Hmm! After being hypnotized by the delightful animation of the cute girl applying this I knew I must have!
So on with the review after all that babbling…!
I can’t recall how much I paid for this on JpMon but it was cheaper in the store I believe at $6 bucks or something like that. I just added it to my cart at JpMon as I was doing an order anyway so why not!
This is a bit thicker then Benetint but easy enough to blend. Three dots across your cheeks, smile, blend, and perfect flushed cheeks. A tiny bit lasts all day, literally. As with all cheek stains it’s virtually waterproof, smudge-proof, and atomic bomb proof! This stuff isn’t going anywhere unless you take it off!
This will work well enough on medium light skin tones like my own and it’ll also flatter a medium dark skin tone. My sister is what I call a coffee skin tone and it looks beautiful on her and even more flattering then on my own paler skin!
This is something you might want to nosy around your own markets or small shops for if you have any local ones! If I can find it here I’m positive you’ll be able to find it in similar markets! Who doesn’t have a local Asian market around?
If anything it’s probably the best cheapest brand of tint I’ve come across and I’ve tried them all! Works way better then Benetint that’s for sure!
My obsession with Ettusais continues with a review of these interesting little mousse blushes that I picked up!
I don’t like these but I won’t give them a bad review because they are actually great yet a bit too natural for me.
First of all the packaging is ultra cute and I believe that’s what sold me on these. They come in a tiny glass jar with a cute screw top! Awww! Packaging really sells me on a product and in this case I had to have these as they were so yummie looking!
A few US companies do a similar style blush such as Clinique’s Touch Blush. These have the feel of a silky mousse. It’s very light and airy! Application is a breeze as these blend on perfectly and sink into the skin practically on contact!
The color selections I got were a dark bronze peach, a cooler, lighter peach, and a natural pink. Here in lays part of my dislike of the blushes, they go on very sheer and give me a beautiful glow of color but it’s a bit too natural for me. I like blush that’s vibrant and these just give me more of a natural, I’m not wearing any blush flush.
All in all they are very cute and are interesting to use but I just can’t love them! They are looking for a new home If anyone is interested shoot me an e-mail!
Ettusais has been on my hit list lately every since I purchased some of the new Spring Collection! Click!
I randomly came across the Limited Edition Cinderella Kit while browsing for Ettusais cosmetics at Gooddealer!
In keeping with the Disney theme of Spring (Click here and here for other Disney Collections released!) Ettusais has released a Limited Edition Cinderella Cosmetic Kit. I can’t tell you an exact release date of this but it may be older then a Spring release and I’m leaning more towards a release for the past Holiday Collection probably!
The kit includes an eyeshadow, blush, lipstick and gloss palette, applicators, blush, shimmering powder, a curler, and a cosmetic case!
Cute right?
It appears there are four variations of the kit all the same aside from the shimmering loose powder which comes in your choice of white, purple, pink, or orange!
The kit is only $40 USD so really you can’t go wrong for the price!
I got something kinda sorta interesting to show you guys today and I have to post this super quickly I’m extremely busy at work today! If I owe you an e-mail or a reply to a comment I promise I’ll get to it soonish! I’m just a bit backed up due to work, life, the universe, and everything!
Albion Eprise has released it’s Spring Collection and one item that particularly caught my eye was the Water Face Color. Before I introduce you to the Water Face Color allow me to babble a bit about the new Collection.
I personally left behind a majority of the Spring Collection but it did have some very interesting pieces! The Collection consists of some very pretty items and unlike most of the releases this Season I’ve noticed that this particular Collection consists of some very fresh and interesting colors. Albion Eprise is obviously making it’s own kind of music with their Collection!
I feel a real sense of Spring with these colors and I was tempted to purchase a majority of this collection for that reason but I was good and only indulged in two pieces. Basically they went with really bold lips and really soft eyes which I totally love!
The lippies are almost all very bright reds and pinks while the eye colors are very soft blues, greens, and purples.
The release consists of a beautiful array of lipsticks, three new colors in the Creamy Eye Color, three new nail varnish colors, lipliners, and the Water Face Color Blush which ended up in my cart!
As I said I skipped all of these delightful goodies and went for just the Water Face Color Blush. They blush was released in five colors and I ended up with two. All in all I thought it was rather the best of the lot of items! They have some really cute cartoon promo images using the cosmetics and this in itself almost convinced me to buy the entire lot of items used on each face but I was good!
Ok enough babbling on to the review!
As I was saying I ended up with the Water Face Color and these are so, so, so interesting! The blushes come in a heavy glass bottle that’s quite cute. These are truly interesting as they aren’t quite a stain but they almost give you the same effect as one. On top of each bottle is a stopper which you place your finger over and proceed to tilt the bottle upside down to distribute a bit of the color on the tip of your finger for application! Not alot of product comes out of the bottle using this method which is good because you can slowly build the color up on your cheeks or use a lighter hand for a more natural, fresh look!
The texture is a silky cool liquid that’s quite pigmented and beautiful. I found I got a beautiful flush of color to my cheeks when using this. This doesn’t dry as a powder nor does it really give you the benefits of a stain. It’s like nothing I’ve really tried on the market before and reminds me a little bit of Hard Candy’s Sweet Cheeks Liquid Blush but not quite as the texture is more water based where as the Sweet Cheeks is more thick. The blush is very lightweight and has excellent staying power. I imagine this is going to work excellent in humid weather!
If you’re seeking a very light, refreshing blush this might very well be something you’d be interested in purchasing! The colors are natural and beautiful and the formula is light and refreshing! I find it especially flawless on my combination skin (which is more dry right now in the cold weather)!
Overall, I’m very impressed with these! The entire Spring Collection from Albion Eprise appears very wearable and beautiful and I feel the need to go back for a second helping of this fabulous line up!
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