Korean Eyeshadow Review - Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes in #25 Vampire Kiss

Hello everyone!

This post is the start of a little series of reviews. I've got quite a lot of eyeshadows lying around and while I want to review and swatch them all, I want to do it in an *~orderly~* fashion. So, themed reviews. The first part will be a look at red hues.

While I only have one 'true' red eyeshadow, I do lean to buying reddish hues like browns, sienna colors, and the occasional orange or pink. Wearing only red is impossible for me, as my eyes just look swollen and sickly, but combining red-brown hues with a red color as the point of focus works very well for me! (also, there will be one burgundy eyeliner thrown into the mix!)

The brands introduced in this series will be my usual fare, cause I'm just that boring:

Innisfree Mineral Single Shadows (the old formulations as well as the new collection that came out in autumn 2015)
Aritaum Mono Eyes (the 'basic' eyeshadow line)
Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes (the glittery-sparkly eyeshadow line)
Mamonde

Let's start this series of with my very red, very sparkly contestant:

The Shine Fix Eyes eyeshadow line by Aritaum is quite popular in Korea! All shades are incredibly sparkly, but they also have great staying power, which makes them easy to wear when compared to some more fall-out prone glitter shadows.

Them being popular makes it a bit difficult to get certain shades on sale... As soon as they're part of an event (mostly 1+1 sales) all the popular shades are immediately sold out.

The shade I own is: Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes #25 Vampire Kiss or 뱀파이어키스

It's a deep red with gold glitter particles.

I went with this red shade because I figured that, as I don't like to wear glittery eye makeup on a daily basis, it would be great to have a more 'special' color instead of a simple one for daily use.

I'm surprised to say that this IS actually very wearable! I like to combine it with a brown hue, though.

The packaging is very well made. In addition to the screw-on lid, there's a plastic cap to protect the glittery gel-like eyeshadow from drying out or spilling.

I've already used this several times but there's not yet even a dent in the product! This lasts forever!

Shade #25 looks like a bronze color in the pot, but don't be fooled! It's really a red (leaning slightly pink), and the illusion of an orange-bronze color is created by the golden particles reflecting the light.

See? Nothing bronze there. I was really surprised how pretty this looks when swatched, but it's impossible to catch all the glittery goodness on camera...

Swatching on paper (yes, I'm an illustrator, I HAD to do this.) and on my arm.

The beige hue on top is what I'm using in the following swatches on my eye as a base color. Innisfree Mineral Single Shadow (the old collection) in #22 Cashmere 푹신푹신 캐시미어

The second from the top is the Shine Fix Eyes #25. Due to the angle and lighting, the glitter particles aren't visible - you can see the base color clearly!

The swatches below are what I normally would combine with that red shade to give the eyes some depth and definition. I'll introduce them in another blog post (this is a series after all) - they are by Mamonde and Innisfree respectively.

The Innisfree Mineral Single Shadow in #22 is barely visible on my skin, which makes for a great base color.

For the following swatches, I didn't use any primer, just layered the Shine Fix Eye #25 on top of the Innisfree Mineral Single Shadow in #22.

This was my first eyeshadow - bought it two years ago, some time after I'd moved to Korea. It's suffered a lot since then!

A warm beige with very, very, INVISIBLY tiny shimmer particles.

Here we go. Eye swatches!

First, just a tiny smudge near the eyeline. The Shine Fix Eyes are surprisingly easy to blend and use. I didn't use a brush, just my fingers - I seem to generate less fall-out this way.

Blend blend blend! I built the color up gradually, as I'd never used it all over my lid before. It's easy to layer, too. There's definitely some glitter all over my under-eye area and in my lashes, though. Not sure if that's just my lack of practice and precision, or a general feature...

I think it could be cleaned up by applying eyeliner and mascara, though!

The shade changes slightly depending on lighting. Sometimes it's more pink, sometimes a deep, blood-red. I love the glitter! The particles are very small, and the effect all over is delicate and beautiful.

Also: Red shades are great for hazel and green eyes!

Overall:

Especially when used in combination with a primer or fixer, this shadow really stays put! In that, the Shine Fix Eyes shadows are similar to the Mono Eyes shadows by the same brand. Aritaum's stuff just won't budge, or crease. The inital fall-out (if you're as untalented with application as I am...) can be cleaned with a soft brush. Once the application is done, there was no more falling out over the day.

This shade is also great for a night out - it looks good in dim light and, as I said, stays put.

Now I kinda want some more shades, though... I'm falling in love with how the glitter looks both in reality and on camera! Here you can have a look at the shade selection on Aritaum's official website. Which should I get...? (And review, of course.) #22 and #32 are calling to me!

These retail for 8,000 Won and contain 3.5 g of product each. For comparison, the Mono Eyes eyeshadows contain 1.3 g of product - so there's really a lot in these little pots here!


I hope the swatches and my rambling review were useful and I'll be back with more soon!

Over on the science side of illustration...

Hello everyone!

January has blown by (as did that blizzard here on Jeju, taking all the warmth and my trust in nature with it) and this is only my second blog post.

This month was dominated by science illustration jobs.

Yes, there were some other commissions thrown in there, but they barely made a ripple in the sea of biology, botany, anatomy...

Maybe I should mention that science illustration - or 'Scientific Visualization' - is what I graduated in back in good ol' 2013. These jobs aren't coming out of the blue.

For example, my bachelor project on molecular depictions of Alzheimer's disease (trying to combine modern fields of science with traditional illustration media like pencil...) led to a recent commission of biology illustrations, focusing on cells and molecules. 

Cute little plant cell~

Or this infographic/drawing/chaos depicting a hurricane in pencil and digital coloring led to similar projects:

Pencil, A3 paper, and lots of patience in Photoshop...

... and now a very simple adaption of that style.

And an old study of the muscles of a hand (which was drawn based on sketches made during a very long, very disturbing session in a very cool and smelly part of the local medicine school) ...

... brought about a small series of anatomy art commissions.

Yeah. I just might have a tendency to enjoy grotesque (?) subjects, made up all pretty and colorful.

This rag-tag series of commissions made me realise several points I want to improve on. 

So, here's to my good intentions for 2016!

~ Draw more realistic illustrations

~ Rediscover media like colored pencils (I've been too focused on watercolors for a while, I believe... Still my favorite material, but I want to discover new techniques!)

Which means:

Project 1: I'll draw one realistic (...let's hope) portrait in my sketchbook each week, rotating media.

Or maybe some silly little studies like this~

Project 2: Tackle a series on local plants, typical for Jeju island or South Korea in general. Old-school botany illustrations, hopefully combined with some trips around the island to take pictures and make sketches. 

Started on the nutmeg tree - there's a nutmeg tree forest right around the corner from where I live!
"Bijarim"

I won't try my hand at anything like 'daily drawings' - I draw every single day, anyway, and creating additional sketches would just get in the way of my work. But one portrait a week sounds more than doable (and I can do some round-up blog post each month) and will help me improve anyway! 

Drawing plants is pure joy, and I've wanted to do something specific to Korea and Jeju for a while. 

Very pumped!

NEW YEAR, NEW ART - Closing the year 2015 and opening art commissions for 2016

Happy new year, everyone!

How can 2015 be over? I'm in denial and using a planner from 2015 that was too pretty to throw away unused. Will be confused about which day of the week it is for the whole year, but it's probably worth it anyway.

After a very hectic and kind of restless December, January is much more relaxing. I'm back on Jeju after having been away for over a month - don't misunderstand, I love traveling! Switzerland, Paris, Seoul, it was wonderful to be there, but traveling with all my art supplies and several commissions that have to be crammed in while catching up with all my friends and family is always tiring me out.

Yeah, yeah, as if eating and playing around was hard.

Also, my luggage was the strangest beast ever, with a mixture of interior design objects we bought on sale in Switzerland to take to Jeju, gifts from the Korean family to the Swiss family and the other way 'round, the mentioned art supplies, A2 paper, all sorts of food we can't find in Korea and absolutely had to stuff in (who doesn't want goat cheese in their handbag?) aaaand Christmas gifts aaaaaaand cookies from two grandmothers aaaaaaaaaaaand (for the trip from Seoul to Jeju) a CAT.

You talkin' about me? Miaow!

As for traveling:

It looks so peaceful...

... and beautiful...

...with food everywhere.

Everywhere, I said.

With a coffee here and there to change things up.

Food again. (Fondue!)

... You get the drift.

Rant over. I'm so glad to be home and a lazy bum again.

Like this.

As for blogging new year resolutions: I'm very motivated and very intimidated at the same time, haha!

On the beauty front, there are a lot of reviews lined up - especially for some of the newer makeup releases in Korea. Also, I FINALLY own a mirror that isn't a handmirror, so I can now use both hands for applying makeup and everything has gotten a lot less shaky, which makes me want to up my skills and maybe even do some tutorials. As if anyone could learn anything from me.

It's a game-changer.

On the art front:

I've started and finished a variety of things last year. 2015 was a turning point in my 'career', if you can even call it that. I'd done commissions before, but had mostly worked as a Manga artist since my first year of art school. While it was so fulfilling and fun to work on books, it also consumed all of my drawing time and while I have, by now, several books under my belt, I'm still a relative newbie to the whole 'freelancing' thing.

... a deserved (??) art haul
Seoul has the best art stores. My favorite paper!

After finishing my last book in spring 2015, I wanted to try something new. I started working as a freelance illustrator, accepting odd illustration jobs - and slowly, out of those, came projects and art styles I really grew to love. Children's picture books. Makeup illustrations. Blogging as a whole.

One of the makeup illustrations I enjoyed the most! Flatlay feelings!

And a LOT of freedom, all of a sudden. I didn't have to spend every day working on a seemingly never-ending number of comic pages. There were less creative decisions I had to wrack my mind with. I had time to meet friends, to eat dinner with my husband, to study up on my Korean. I even got a cat - something I could never have imagined while drawing comics, which are just too all-consuming.

My ONLINE SHOP is open again, too. So if you don't want custom illustrations,
there's prints and stickers and mirrors....

Of course, I miss it anyway. If 2016 brings me another opportunity to work as an author or manga artist, I'll grab it very, very tightly. I just don't feel quite ready to dive into it head-first all over again, as there are too many other things I love dearly and wouldn't want to sacrifice.

For the moment, I'll continue doing illustrations for smaller and larger companies (some stuff I can never even show you here because it's either copyrighted or would bore you to tears) and hopefully expand on my whole makeup artwork thingy I've got going on here!

You can find my commission rates for social media illustrations (icons, brand logos, personalized blog headers or youtube banners) and portraits in the custom art section of my Etsy shop.

Thank you for reading this very random, picture-heavy and kind of useless blogpost. I wanted to ramble a bit before getting my serious face on for the next year! Hope you have a great 2016 ahead of you!

Review: Innisfree Creammellow Lipstick in #3 Cream Coral

One last review before the holidays roll around with full force!

Most of my Korean makeup reviews are focused on lip products - I just love lipsticks, lip tints and lip anythings. They are quite easy to review, too. Skincare and base makeup is much more dependant on individual skin and kind of hard to review, especially for someone like me who has no idea about ingredients... But if anyone is interested in reviews for other makeup products, or haul/mini-review posts, that would be something to dab my toes into in the new year!

I did smuggle the lipstick on my last flatlay illustration, though!

I'd wanted to review my Innisfree Cream Mellow Lipstick in #3 Cream Coral in my last post on my Korean Winter Makeup Favorites, but that monstrosity of a review post got a bit too long for comfort. Also, this color is more of an all-year-round favorit of mine, as it's a very natural, light coral hue that goes very well with daily, natural makeup.

The Creammellow Lipstick came out in autumn 2014. 

Innisfree has been releasing autumn lipstick ranges steadily over the last three years, with the Color Glow range in 2013, the Creammellow in 2014 and now the Real Fit Lipstick in 2015. I still have to try the Real Fit line - I couldn't decide on a color in store and I'm kinda on a no-buy for the moment. 

A kind warning: On the official Korean innisfree page, the Color Glow range is nowhere to be found right now. It's possible that they removed the line now that they came out with the Real Fit line - which is a shame, because I love the formulation of the Color Glow lipsticks! 

The packaging is similar to the innisfree Color Glow Lipsticks, but with an elegant touch thanks to the rose gold accents. The color is indicated on the end of the lipstick, which makes it easy to find shades amongst a frankly huge collection of similar designs. :')

The lipstick bullet had a pretty diamond shape in the beginning, though I've used it way too often for that to still be visible.

Left: One layer, no reflective light
Right: One layer and reflecting light (all shiny and pretty)

As for the shade: 

I've got the same lipstick in red (#8), as well, and was positively surprised that the pigmentation was as spectacular for the less-saturated shade #3.

Nudes and I don't go well together. As soon as there's hints of beige in any lipstick shade, it washes me out. I was a bit hesitant before getting this color, swayed into the direction of my usual bright oranges, reds and fuchsias. But in the end, the shade won me over when swatching in the store: It's a really nice mix of different hues, with hints of coral, warm undertones and an overall milky finish without leaning into beige territory.

Here's the total shade selection:

I hope you can understand my anxiety over which shades to choose... I've got #3 and #8 and love them both. Now I'm here, eyeing #5 or #6 (or #9) because of all the pretty. 

If warm hues don't suit you, #2 would be a good alternative! #1 was too pale for me in store lighting, but probably would go well with a smokey eye. 

One or two layers are enough for getting the shade indicated on the lipstick packaging, and for a shade as light as this it covers the lips really well! (I've got a small freckle on my lips that I use for determining lipstick coverage, if that's even a thing.)

The name is a bit misleading, though. For something that's called 'Cream Coral', the color leans a bit more towards a warm pink than a true coral. It looks more coral-orangey when swatched on my hands compared to later on the lips. So if you're not into pinks, be warned!

The Cream Mellow Lipsticks have a very, well, creamy texture. This means they're moisturizing and very forgiving on dry, even chapped lips. I really like the texture when my lips are in a terrible condition, because these lipsticks actually hide my dry flakes.
They do feel slightly sticky in the beginning due to their glossy finish.

(You can compare the swatches of the Cream Mellow Lipstick with the Innisfree Color Glow Lipstick - the Cream Mellow ones are more moisturizing and a bit 'heavier' on the lips.)

For skin references, I'm a Innisfree Waterglow Cushion #13 (or #13 for just about anything) or Espoir 'Porcelain'. So if you're a darker shade, this could actually be way less bright in contrast with your skin and really function well as a kinda-pale-nudeish lipstick. 

Now, when I look at this on my lips, it does remind me of the Innisfree Real Fluid Rouge liquid lipstick which I've got in a similar shade. The difference lies in the finish: The liquid lipstick is much stickier, glossier and oilier, where the Cream Mellow Lipsticks adhere to the lips closely while still being moisturising and shiny.

 If I'm torn between the two on any given day, I'd choose the Cream Mellow for busy days where I won't be able to touch up, as it fades slowly and prettily, without clinging to odd spots. 

The Real Fluid Rouge is gone much more quickly, leaving behind only the slightest tint of pink, so it's a bit more high-maintenance (though even MORE forgiving on abused, chapped winter lips...)

Dopey faces, here we go. I'm getting used to seeing pictures of myself,
which was kind of the whole point for starting these. (I really, really hated pictures......)

What I really like about this shade is its versatility. It goes well with a bare face, just adding a hint of color to the lips: Just some dabs with the lipstick, and then lip balm on top. It's a go-to shade for natural 'no makeup' looks for me.

But whenever I actually do something with my eyes that involves more than tightlining, this color is still muted enough to not overpower heavy eye makeup. Kind of a fool-proof lipstick.


So, long story short:

- very moisturizing
- perfect for chapped, dry lips
- versatile color
- fades prettily
- can be applied inprecisely without looking terrible (no lip brush required - I can even use this one without a mirror!)
- good pigmentation
- warm undertone

It retails for 12,000 Won, and is well worth that money in my opinion, though I'm still waiting for a 1+1 or good ol' sale to grab some more. They won't run away.

That's it! I hope you find something that suits your skintone and preferences in the color selection they've got available! I want them all! :D

Check out my review for shade #8 Moist Dewy Red Creammellow Lipstick, too.

Creams, Flowers and Spices - Korean Makeup Winter Favorites

Winter Favorites - Korean Makeup, Chai and Spices!

Winter is here, and I did some major overhauling when it comes to skincare and makeup. I'd used up most of my summer products anyway, so skincare changes were a no-brainer towards heavier, moisturizing products.

Edit 2017.02.09 : This post contains affiliate links (additionally marked with an * asterisk in the blog post), meaning I will make a small commission from anything you buy. View my 'About' page for the full disclaimer and my review policy! All products are purchased by me.

On the makeup front, I'm into creams and reds. 'Dry Flower' makeup was quite popular in Korea this autumn, and I love the muted colors to be found everywhere thanks to that trend.

Instead of flatlay photography, I'm into flatlay illustrations!

I love trying out new ways to present makeup in drawings, and this looks promising to me, especially since I can combine the products themselves with other elements like flowers and, in this case, spices.

FAVORITE DRINK

It wouldn't be winter without chai tea! I love chai tea of all kinds, but haven't yet found the perfect mix... if anyone has a suggestion on what to buy, or even a recipe, that would be great!

SKINCARE FAVORITE

The Innisfree Ginger Oil Rich Serum has been a wonderful discovery. I got it with 40% off thanks to a birthday coupon, which makes this pricey item affordable (though I'm already debating if this would be worth to repurchase at full price...)

As the name suggests, this is a serum - but it's on the heavier, moisturizing side. I've got the 'Rich' version, but there's also a normal version (Innisfree Ginger Oil Serum (*)) for skin that doesn't need that extra moisture boost. Despite the 'oil' in its name, the serum absorbs quickly and doesn't leave any oily residue. It's been incredibly calming for my skin, made some of the early dry flakes disappear and has the nicest ginger scent.

I'd recommend this for people living in dry winter climates with a dry, dehydrated skin type. Innisfree is marketing it as a 'Winter Serum' to keep skin healthy during the cold months. I feel like this really locks the moisture in before I even move on to lotions or creams.

Trying my hand at flatlays... 

MAKEUP FAVORITES

This time of the year is all about lipsticks for me.

The Innisfree Creammellow Lipsticks from last year are my go-to choices. I've got the #3 크림 코랄 Cream Coral and #8 촉촉 물 먹은 레드 which translates to something like ... glossy, watery red? Check out my two reviews for swatches!

Mamonde has some really nice lip pencils, and the one I've got is perfect for winter: It's the Creamy Tint Color Balm Intense in #16 Velvet Red (*). Swatches below!
Mamonde had an entire collection of 'Dry Flower' inspired makeup products (as they have 'bouquet' inspired collections - they're generally very flowery) featuring all sorts of muted colors for both eyes and lips, and the look was very popular. Youtube and Naver Blogs are full of tutorials on that - mostly the looks are titled something like 'dried rose makeup' or '말린 장미 메이크업'. I've added my own look and review for two of their shades.

Then, there's the Innisfree Creamy Tint Lipstick in #5 (*) which is called 'Midsummer Sunshine Red'. I know. Summer. But it's such a nice, matte red shade that isn't too over-the-top for daily wear (swatches below)! It stays on forever and I find it quite fitting to not only summery bright days, but autumn foliage and Christmas decorations. So sue me, this is my winter choice.

The one right there. By accident, I put a sticker on it that doesn't really fit... Wanted to put that VDL lipstick sticker on an actual VDL lipstick case, but it wouldn't show up on the black background, so I quickly grabbed the closest lipstick and put it there.

For base makeup, I'm back to my trusty Waterglow Cushion in #13. I'm already too pale for the Mamonde Moisture Mask Cushion I showed you in my last review.

Innisfree Gel Liner #8

All Time Favorite Korean Eyeliners: The Innisfree Gel Liner

A creamy and subdued eyeliner choice is the Innisfree Gel Liner #8 (*) 작은 나무 그네 which translates into something along the lines of 'swing on a small tree' or 'small wooden swing' - no idea why they went with that title, but really, it's a nice brown color that doesn't lean too bronze or glittery. Very subtle eyeliner - I use it quite thickly and blend it out a bit, it works like a creamy eye shadow! But doesn't budge after it dried, so you gotta blend quickly. Also a really nice choice for the under eye area.

These Gel Liners are my favorites since - unlike most other brands I've tried - they never dry out or get scratchy.

As for swatches:

Swatches for my current favorites! 

On the left: Mamonde Creamy Tint Color Balm Intense #16 Velvet Red

Middle: Innisfree Creamy Tint Lipstick in #5 Summer Sunshine Red

(so confusing how both products have 'creamy tint' in their name!

And to the very right, the Innisfree Gel Eyeliner in #8. 

The shade #16 Velvet Red is quite famous in the Korean Bloggersphere for being a dupe for the Nars lip pencil (in the shade 'Dolce Vita' if I'm informed correctly) but as I've never tried anything from Nars, I can't attest to that. 

I can say that I love the slight brick-red undertone, the semi-matte finish (it looks way more glossy in the photo, it's more of a matte finish in reality) and its long-lasting power! This stays on my lips even through drinking and eating, though it doesn't stain like a lip tint would. Just 'sticks' where it's supposed to be. Also really forgiving when it comes to sinking into lip lines, as long as you keep them really well moisturized before applying. 

Also, it's got a wonderful Bourbon Vanilla smell. I have to stop myself from taking a bite off the lip crayon every single time. 

Aaand it makes me look kind of like a grown-up...!?

The Innisfree Creamy Tint is a great layering color on top of the Mamonde one! 

In the following swatches I've left the base of #16 Velvet Red untouched, just added a layer of #5 Summer Sunshine Red on the inner parts of my lips. Makes the color pop more without being overbearing.

I have to be really careful with red lips - it can kind of turn me into a clown. So I like to tone down the pure, bright red of the Innisfree #5 with the more muted Mamonde #16.

I'm no fan of gradient lips, as in covering up my lip lines with concealer/foundation and only applying color on the inner parts. In all honesty, I've never actually seen anyone wear that look outside of the internet...? Gradient lips that combine two lip colors, though, are so my thing! Endless possibilities and combinations, and feels a lot like painting. :D

Another favorite product I've taken back out from the bottom of my pouch: 

This lip brush by Innisfree! It's retractable and comes in very handy when going for these lipstick-focused looks. Because it's so small, I can even use it on the go~

That's it! My look back on the month of November or the beginning of winter in general.

What are your favorites this time of the year?

Have a great December for now! Cookies and chai tea lattes for everyone!