Haul: Etude House Sweet Recipe

I have to start out by saying that I absolutely love the Sweet Recipe collection from Etude House! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ* I won't lie, my initial interest in their spring collection was sparked by the adorable packaging (not to mention the members of the k-pop boy band Shinee are some of the faces behind the brand). However, don't be fooled into thinking the cute packaging is all there is to these products; these are truly awesome cosmetics!

I picked up plenty of goodies with this haul, but I wish I could have purchased the entire spring line! If the name isn't enough of a hint, the line is designed around candy, cupcakes, and cuteness. As an introduction, take a look at the commercial for their Dear My Jelly Lips Talk, that features Shinee and models Krystal and Sulli:

The first two items that I picked up with my order are the Sweet Recipe Cupcake Eyes in Blueberry&Strawberry and the Sweet Recipe Cupcake All Over Color in Peach Sugar Cake which both come in adorable cupcake tins. Etude House is a Korean brand and I feel that this line fits well with the makeup trend there. Young Korean girls typically do not where heavy makeup on the eyes and go for a natural looking face. That being said, the Cupcake Eyes duo that I tried is very light, so those looking for an intense eye makeup won't get that with this product. However, the color is actually quite pretty and has a slight shimmer in the right light. I also love the way the purple brings out the green in my eyes!

As for the Cupcake All Over Color in Peach Sugar Cake, it smells absolutely amazing! As if the products didn't look good enough to eat, they smell that way as well! This one smells just as the name describes: very peachy, sweet, and delicious. You can use this one on the cheeks, lips, and eyes!

The Sweet Recipe Cupcake Eyes baked shadow duos come in five different color combos, same as the Cupcake All Over Color! I personally would love to add the Cupcake Eyes in Maple&Choco and basically all of the Cupcake All Over Colors to my collection.

Although nail polish isn't at the top of my list when online shopping, I couldn't resist adding two of the Ice Cream Nails limited edition colors to my cart. These come in four different colors and I chose #3 Apricot Candy and #4 Strawberry candy. I love the Strawberry Candy, but for some reason the Apricot Candy just isn't the color I wanted it to be. It looks the same as it does in pictures, but I had imagined it being a darker orange color...don't ask me why. However, the glitters in both colors are very appealing and I think Etude House did a great job matching them with their base colors.

The last two items in my order were the Dear My Jelly Lips Talk in JPK004 and the Candy Stick Lips Tint Gloss #2 Orange. They both smell divine! The Dear My Jelly Lips Talk smells just like a jelly bean and adds a sleek shine to your lips. The Candy Stick Lips Tint Gloss smells like some sort of yummy orange candy and doesn't color your lips orange, but rather more of a dark fuchsia! (To be honest, the Candy Stick Lips Tint Gloss smells so good it makes me want to eat it...literally, but no I haven't tried it and don't advise anyone to haha). Plus, they both feel very moisturizing!

I tried to make the swatches remain true to color in this pic which in turn ended with my hand looking a little too pink. Keep in mind that the colors are more noticeable in person, especially number 4, trust me. Note: you can add on more layers to each of these to make the colors pop.

Other Sweet Recipe items I didn't pick up with this order, but wish I had:

Lastly, I'd like to make a special shout out to KollectionK! I received my entire Sweet Recipe haul from their website in a short 2 weeks. They carry some other great Korean cosmetic brands, along with kpop CDs and merchandise! Unfortunately, there are no Etude House stores in the US...((╥﹏╥)terribly sad), but KollectionK did a great job at getting my order to me. Plus, they gave me a great sample kit that came with some items from Etude House's Moistfull Collagen line, which I will do a mini review on in a later post!

Website: www.kollectionk.com :)

Thank you for reading!

Love,

P. S. What do you think of the Sweet Recipe line?

Review: Skin79 » Hot Pink Super+ BB Cream

My skin was pretty sad before it met BB Cream, and once I made the switch from foundation I never wanted to go back! BB stands for "blemish balm" or "beblesh balm" and these amazing skincare-conscious creams are made to look natural while simultaneously enhancing the complexion. The best part is that they are packed with plenty of powerful ingredients that rejuvenate and maintain the health of your skin! I can't think of a foundation that does that!

Skin79 is a highly popular cosmetic brand in Korea that is especially known for their BB Creams, and if you've never heard of them you have certainly been missing out! Their Hot Pink Super+ BB Cream is a gem I picked up from a local store here in Los Angeles, but it can be easily purchased online (the time it takes to ship is well worth the wait).

Note: The lettering is slightly scratched on my container, but of course it does not come like this new!

FLASH FACTS

Brand » Skin79
Product » Super+ Hot Pink BB Cream
Size » 40g
Cost » $16-30 USD
Website » www.skin79northamerica.com
Would I repurchase? » Definitely!

HOW TO USE: Pump out an adequate amount and spread all over face with clean fingers (or brush or sponge, however you prefer). Tap onto skin to help with absorption.

The Hot Pink Super+ BB Cream comes in a sturdy hot pink pump container, which I love as it's very hygienic. 40g of product is also a great value as you don't get that much with most foundations. I don't even need to use a full pump to cover my entire face. It has a satin finish which is quite lovely, but if you prefer you can always dust on a little powder. I would say it has medium coverage, which looks very natural on the skin, but you will need a concealer to cover a lot of blemishes. Also, it only comes in one shade, so darker skin tones might run into a problem here.

The first time I put this on, my skin was not only noticeably softer, but it also didn't feel like I was wearing a mask. My skin felt very breathable throughout the day and the softness remained even after removing the product at the end of the night. Even better, I noticed that over time the quality of my skin had improved. Red spots were diminished, I had fewer breakouts, my skin felt firmer, and honestly I know I just said this, but I can't get over how much softer my skin was!

It comes out looking slightly grey, which tends to scare people off, but once it is applied onto the face it oxidizes into a really wonderful shade that matches my skin perfectly. I've also heard complaints in the blogosphere that the grey and pink undertones show up horribly on film and make your face look ghostly. However, I don't agree. I wore this as a stand-in on a professional photo shoot here in LA and my skin in the pictures looked completely normal! The photographer even mentioned how flawless my skin looked!

The Hot Pink BB Cream is great for those with oily skin because it has a good amount of sebum control, but I think any normal skin type can benefit from this product. I have annoyingly oily skin, and although this isn't a miracle product it definitely does help control the oil on my face throughout the day. On some days, I still have to use oil control film once (twice on a bad day), but my skin is noticeably more oily when I'm not wearing this product.

Another great thing about this BB is it contains SPF25 PA++! It won't help you with that tan, but honestly who wants wrinkles when you're old (or even worse when you're young)? Not me! In fact, the Hot Pink BB Cream actually helps with wrinkle improvement and keeps your skin moisturized throughout the day!

NOTABLE INGREDIENTS

Arbutin » helps whiten skin*
Tangerine oil » for lively skin
Phyto-complex » provides nutrition to skin
Adenosine » wrinkle improvement
Ceraminde3 » moisturize skin
Osmopur (sunflower, rice bran, ivy, green tea) » protects skin

*In case this sounds alarming, "whiten" does not mean "bleach" or anything of the sort. It simply means that the product will help diminish redness and imperfections, which in turn makes your skin look more even and bright, or "white". Also, keep in mind that pale skin is often desired and considered beautiful in Asia...probably has something to do with the word choice.

WHERE TO GET IT
- For my LA readers, I picked this up from TOKYO Japanese Lifestyle, a cute little store I'm kind of obsessed with in Burbank (check their website for other locations). It has a small cosmetics section with some pretty great products (mostly from Japan) and the rest of the store is filled with plenty of kawaii products like Hello Kitty and Rilakkuma!
- If you're not near LA, you can always purchase this BB on Skin79's website, or other sites like Amazon or Ebay.

If you're still undecided about what your next BB should be, there is a useful chart from Skin79 on their website that shows what all their BB Creams can do, which you can find here: Which BB is best for me?

Although I personally prefer this to foundation, it might not work that way for you. Did I mention it only comes in one shade? However, BB Creams, including this one, also work great as makeup primers and can be applied before your foundation as an added step to your skincare routine. Overall, I am in love with this product and highly recommend the Hot Pink Super+ BB Cream from Skin79, especially if you are new to the BB Cream world!

Love,

P. S. Have you tried any BB Creams from Skin79?

Intro: Hello and Welcome to Beautiful Doki Doki

Hello! 안녕! Bonjour tout le monde! Hola amigos! Xin chào!

I started this blog because it sounds like a fun way to connect with people around the world. I'm a huge fan of asian cosmetics and I'm excited to share my experiences with them with anyone who reads this blog. It is my hope that you will find something useful, interesting, or exciting while reading Beautiful Doki Doki.

Love,