Review: Laneige » Pore Minimizing Pack

Laneige as a brand makes me think of crystal clear skin. With the name meaning 'snow' in French it's no wonder that their brand focuses on water to keep skin healthy and lively! I've really grown to love Laneige and after visiting the Amore store awhile back, I received a generous amount of samples of their Pore Minimizing Pack. I couldn't wait to try it out and yes, I absolutely lucked out with this one!

FLASH FACTS
Brand » Laneige
Product » Pore Minimizing Pack
Size » 100ml
Cost » $20 USD
Website » www.laneige.co.kr/en/main.do
Would I purchase the full version? » Yes!!

I really don't have anything bad to say about this clay mask! It smells sophisticated and feminine and spreads on with a consistency of a lotion or BB cream. I loved this aspect of the mask because it wasn't so thick as many other clay masks I've tried in the past. I was actually really surprised by the consistency! I agree with all the claims Laneige makes about this product and have experienced excellent results. I'm definitely on the more obsessed side when it comes to dealing with my pores and this mask helps a lot!

The Pore Minimizing Pack honestly does dry in only 3-5 minutes. You don't need to leave it on longer than that to get results. Laneige says you only need a nickel-sized amount to spread around, but in reality you need more than that for your entire face. A little does go a long way, however, and you don't need to lay this on thick to get results.

Laneige's Directions:
♡Sooth skin with toner and apply a nickel-sized amount over your face, avoiding the eye area. Cover your entire face with an opaque layer.
♡When the pack dries after 3~5 minutes, rinse off with water and sooth skin with toner.
♡You may use this product on the entire face, but it can also be used on problematic areas with excess sebum secretion.
♡Use it 1~2 times a week, but you may increase the frequency according to your skin condition.

Ingredients: water, kaolin, butylene glycol, magnesium aluminum silicate, sodium methyl cocyl taurate, titanium dioxide, moroccan lava clay, melia azadirachta extract, protease, salycylic acid, chlorphenesin, xanthan gum, glyceryl stearate, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, phenoxyethanol, alcohol, disodium edta, fragrance

Sorry I know this photo doesn't have the best lighting, but as you can see it dries to look like I'm wearing way too much sunblock haha. I accidentally put extra on my nose so it looks more white there. The amazing thing about this clay mask is that my face doesn't feel super tight while the mask is dry! Yes, it is a little stiff, but only slightly (it is a clay mask after all). I can still move my face around and it isn't nearly as thick as other clay masks! The mask doesn't turn out looking cracked while drying.

This is SO easy to wash off! Lukewarm water works best and once the water hits your skin the mask just wipes off! My skin feels incredibly smooth after and my pores are significantly smaller. You really can notice!! One troubling thing I've experienced with other clay masks is struggling to wash it off which causes me to pull at my skin. This results with my skin looking red and feeling irritated and tired. But NOT with this mask!! The Laneige Pore Minimizing Pack is amazing in that it is very light for a clay mask and has never left my face looking red or feeling irritated either.

Also, this helps to pull out impurities and toxins from your skin. It makes blackheads especially easier to remove and I can just tell that my skin feels cleaner from within. This does help a little bit with sebum control and exfoliation, but I mainly like it for minimizing my pores. Another great thing about this mask is that it doesn't suck any moisture out of your skin! I'd recommend this for any skin type and for those if you with oily skin to use more often throughout the week. Overall, I love the Pore Minimizing Pack from Laneige and will definitely be purchasing the full version of this product!

Love,

The Liebster Award

Hello everyone! Beautiful Doki Doki has received this wonderful award from the lovely Nineteen&! She has a super cute blog with plenty of great reviews so please stop over and say hi :) Thanks so much to Nineteen& for nominating me for this award!

The rules are easy:

♡ You must link back to the person who nominated you.

♡ You must answer the 10 Liebster questions given to you by the nominee before you.

♡ You must pick 10 bloggers to be nominated for the award with under 200 followers.

♡ You must come up with 10 questions for your nominees to answer.

♡ You must go to their blogs and notify your nominees!

Questions by Nineteen&:

♡ What is on your current top 3 cosmetic-only wishlist?

Etude House Lash Perm 3 Step Volumecara, Holika Holika Heartful Glossy Lipstick in Forever Coral, Dolly Wink Sweet Cat Lashes

♡ What is your life motto?

Life is an adventure! 

♡ Lipstain, Lipstick, or Lipgloss?

I'm definitely a lipstick kind of girl. Although, lipstain and lipgloss can be fun!

♡ What childhood memories to do want to revisit again?

I miss the absolute freedom of being a kid. It was awesome not really knowing about money and work and boring things that adults do. I could let my imagination soar! 

More specifically, I miss walking home from school and knocking on my friend's door who lived nearby. Remember when randomly showing up wasn't considered weird? His parents were from Germany and his mom would always give us the best German chocolates ever. I remember one where inside the chocolate was a capsule that had a little toy inside that you would build after eating the chocolate! That and snow days...I definitely miss snow days.

♡ If you could be someone else for one day, who would it be and why?

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu! She's a jpop megastar for those of you who don't know and she's famous for kawaii fashion. I'd love to dress up in crazy outfits and be respected for it. Plus, it would be cool to speak Japanese for a day lol

♡ Name a song that perfectly or somewhat describes your life.

This is a really tough question...and I really don't know, sorry lol Probably something about never giving up cause I think that's important!

♡ Are you comfortable with walking out the door with a bare face?

The short answer is...sometimes. If I'm just running errands and don't expect to see anyone I know and am extra lazy that day OR if my skin looks great then I don't mind. But, if I'm meeting someone I know or my skin is terrible that day I like to have at least base products on. If it's a date, you've got to be kidding...mascara and the works! Most days I put on makeup though, even if I'm not going anywhere because it's fun!

♡ What is your morning beauty routine?

My routine changes from time to time as my skin's needs change throughout the year. Also, I don't believe in sticking to the same exact routine or products. Usually, I start with a foam cleanser, then essence, emulsion, moisturizer, eye cream, primer, bb cream, powder, and makeup! When I have extra time in the morning I like to use a mask and massage my face. Also, I drink green tea to detoxify and plenty of water to stay hydrated! Stretching also does wonders :)

♡ What is your go-to makeup brand?

Right now I'm really loving Etude House, but I believe that almost every brand has something great to offer! I tend not to stick with just one brand, though.

♡ Do you tend to trust people easily?

No way! It sounds bad, I know, but I believe that trust is something to be earned. Once you earn my trust though, I am very loyal ^___^

10 of my beautiful nominees:

♡ Fauunzie's Finds

♡ JustTalkNails

♡ LittlePorcelainPrincess

♡ Candy Kellzy

♡ After 5ve

♡ Tootsy witlove

♡ Beauty & Me elinivana

♡ Blonde Candy Doll

♡ Keep Calm & Beautify

♡ Red Sakura Beauty

Beautiful Doki Doki's questions for nominees:

♡ What is your favorite thing about blogging and why did you start?

♡ How would you describe your fashion style?

♡ If you could be fluent in any language, what would it be and why?

♡ What is the worst skincare product you've ever tried?

♡ What is one makeup item you couldn't live without?

♡ If time and money weren't an issue, where would travel and for how long?

♡ What is your summer beauty routine?

♡ What is the first Asian cosmetic brand you ever tried?

♡ Does cute packaging get you to buy?

♡ Coffee or tea?

Well, that's it!

Thank you so much to everyone who supports me! 

xo,

The Face Shop » Lovely me:ex Pastel Cushion Blusher #03 Plum Cushion

Anyong beautiful readers! I wanted to show you this adorable little blush from The Face Shop! I am such a sucker for cute packaging and I really couldn't resist this one.

FLASH FACTS
Brand » The Face Shop
Product » Lovely me:ex Blusher #03 Plum Cushion
Cost » $7 USD
Website » www.thefaceshop.com

The Lovely me:ex Plum Cushion Blusher comes in an adorable cardboard container. The packaging is pretty sturdy and I actually quite like it, but it might not be the best for the adventurous traveler to take along. I am pleased that the lid fits tightly and securely. The cardboard isn't flimsy or anything so as long as you take care of it you shouldn't have any problems with it not being of the plastic variety. It comes with a cute little powder puff inside topped with a bow to apply the blush. There is no separation between the puff and the product itself, however, so it's best to clean the puff before replacing. Or, you can simply use your own makeup brush of course!

This pressed powder blush is a very pastel shade and gives you a doll-like appearance. I think this would look great paired with a light lip and accentuated eyes, especially with falsies! Sorry, but I really couldn't get the blush to show up very well in pictures (due to lighting), but it is much more prominent in person and I find it gives you a very cutesy, youthful look. In the right light, it shimmers and is quite pretty!

You can barely tell that I am wearing any blush in the photo, but if you don't want a stand out blush then the Plum Cushion blusher is a good choice. It's a great pick if you're going for a porcelain doll finish, but want to stay close to looking natural. In terms of wearability, it's lasted me all day and I haven't had a problem with it wiping off. The only thing I do not like about the blush is you cannot build up the color! I'd say there is a difference between layer one and layer two, but after that no matter how much you apply it won't get any more pigmented. On the bright side, there's basically no way can mess it up lol.

The Lovely me:ex Blushers come in five variations. I chose #03 Plum Cushion after testing all five in store because I liked the color the best (although I think the award for cutest packaging goes to the Rose Blusher). Overall, this blush is chalky in texture and matte with a slight shimmer. I love the packaging and think the pastel is perfect for anyone wanting to look super kawaii!

xo,

Review: JuJu » Aquamoist Hyaluronic Acid Whitening Washing Foam

I've heard plenty of great things about the Japanese brand JuJu Cosmetics and their Aquamoist line! So, on my last trip to Little Tokyo in downtown LA I picked up this White Washing Foam cleanser. I was excited for the whitening properties and Vitamin C and since my beloved Steam Milk Bubble Mask from Skinfood finally ran out I figured I'd give this a go. Unfortunately, I ended up hating this cleanser!

FLASH FACTS
Brand » JuJu Cosmetics
Product » Hyaluronic Acid White Washing Foam
Size » 120g
Cost » $12 USD
Website » www.juju.co.jp/eng/
Would I repurchase? » Never!

The Aquamoist White washing foam is supposed to hydrate your skin with hyaluronic acid, brighten with vitamin c, and whiten skin while cleansing off makeup and impurities. It is also meant for sensitive skin as it contains no colorants, no fragrance and no mineral oil. However, this cleanser did nothing but torture my skin!

I am a huge fan of hyaluronic acid because it does an amazing job at hydrating skin by drawing in moisture from the air. I've had huge success with hyaluronic acid before with another Japanese brand, Hada Labo, but for some reason this cleanser did the exact opposite of hydrating my skin! I had to stop using this after just one week because it was completely sucking my face dry! I was really surprised by this because I had heard so many great things about this being extra hydrating. Unfortunately, it made my skin feel tight and uncomfortable after each wash and after a few days my skin started to flake off!

This comes out of the container looking pretty simple. I know this contains no fragrance, but honestly when I first put this on my face it reminded me of the faint smell of pool water, but maybe a little fresher. It wasn't necessarily off-putting, but it wasn't pleasant either. It creates a decent amount of foam and isn't difficult to wash off, which I did appreciate.

Ingredients: water, myristic acid, glycerin, stearic acid, potassium hydroxide, glycol distearate, lauric acid, palmitic acid, sodium laureth sulfate, sorbitol, glyceryl stearate se, peg-190 distearate, phenoxyethanol, hydroxypropyl methycellulose, bht, butylparaben, disodium edta, ethylparaben, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, trisodium edta, ascorbyl glucoside, papain, sodium hyaluronate.

I don't know if the whitening or brightening effects work because I was unable to use this cleanser for very long, but after one week of use I didn't notice a difference. This did not do very well at removing my makeup with gentle scrubbing and even left some of my BB cream on my face. It also stung any sensitive areas while washing. Overall, the Aquamoist White Washing Foam left my skin feeling unquenchably thirsty, sensitive, and awful. I haven't given up on the Aquamoist brand altogether, but for a cleanser I had such high hopes for, it did nothing but disappoint! (╯︵╰,)

Love,

Review: The Face Shop » Mugwort Herb Day Massage Cream

Did you know that facial massage is something you can do every day and is very beneficial to the health of your skin? However, you don't want to be rubbing and irritating your skin with excess friction and this is where the Herb Day Massage Cream from The Face Shop comes in handy. In short, this cream is amazing!

FLASH FACTS
Brand » The Face Shop
Product » Herb Day Massage Cream in Mugwort
Size » 150ml
Cost » $10 USD
Website » www.thefaceshop.com
Would I purchase again? » Absolutely

This comes in a decently sized plastic container with a twist off lid and a second lid that lifts off. The cream is the consistency of warm butter and melts onto the face after application. The package says that it smells like mugwort. Now, I don't really know what mugwort smells like, but this smells herbal as you would expect. If you're not a fan of overwhelming or strange herbal scents don't worry because this one is rather light and soothing! I really like the smell because it makes me feel calm and relaxed. Also, in case the word mugwort sounds scary to you, mugwort is an herb that grows naturally in Europe and Asia and the extract has calming and soothing properties! Pretty awesome!

The cream changes into more of an oil once you start massaging and I was worried that this would cause my skin to break out. Fortunately for me, this massage cream has done nothing but benefit my skin! But beware, this contains mineral oil! Although my skin has no issues with mineral oil I know many of you might be allergic to it or your skin simply doesn't agree with it. On the bright side, this contains vitamins B and C to refresh the skin and helps to flush away any redness with a calming effect. This does an excellent job at moisturizing your skin and I can't express enough how soft my skin feels after use.

Ingredients: water, mineral oil, cetyl ethylhexanoate, petrolatum, caprylic/capric triglyceride, glycerin, propylene glycol, glyceryl stearate, beeswax, cetearyl alcohol, polysorbate 60, aspalathus linearis extract, lilium candidum flower extract, borago officinalis extract, salvia officinalis (sage) leaf extract, centaurea cyanus flower extract, artemisia vulgaris extract (50ppm), anthemis nobilis flower extract, peg-100 stearate, dimethicone, sorbitan sesquioleate, triethanolamine, benzophenone-9, butylene glycol, carbomer, disodium edta, methylparaben, phenoxyethanol, propylparaben, fragrance (parfum), caramel, green 3 (CI 42053)

The Face Shop has this great chart that shows you an easy massage! I honestly think that anyone who wants to take great care of their skin should be doing this because it has SO many benefits. When you massage your face it helps to calm the muscles underneath your skin, which in effect, helps diminish fine lines and prevents deeper wrinkles from forming! In addition, it increases blood circulation in the area which filters out acne causing and skin clogging toxins. It also helps diminish dark circles and brightens and de-puffs the eye area! Another great benefit is that because it eases stress and tension in your face it can help get rid of headaches and helps your skin heal more quickly.

As the chart suggests, you can massage your face for as little as one minute a day and see results. I personally like to massage my face for longer than one minute because honestly it just feels really relaxing! In addition to this chart I would add that if you press on the sides of the bridge of your nose between your eyes, on your eyebrows, and under your eyes it will help to diminish dark circles. I would also suggest to massage your neck with upward strokes (we're working against gravity here) to prevent wrinkles in that area. Lastly, while massaging your face make outward swipes all the way to your ears and from there swipe down the sides of your neck. You want to do this because you are helping to flush the toxins down your neck and away from your face, where your body can then flush them out of your system.

I highly suggest incorporating facial massage into your skincare routine if you haven't already! Since I've started doing it my skin has looked much healthier and brighter. Although I don't have any deep wrinkles, I have noticed that any fine lines have disappeared and my skin is left more firm and supple. You can massage your face with anything as long as it reduces friction so you aren't pulling at your skin, but the Herb Day Massage Cream is extremely gentle and soothing! My hands glide effortlessly over my skin while using this. Also, the cream never absorbs fully into your skin which means it lasts for long massages and you'll want to wash it off with a cleanser when you're done. I believe there are two other variations of these creams, one in Cucumber and one in Ginkgo, but I chose Mugwort because it smelled the best and left my skin feeling the softest when I tested them in store!

Love,