Korean Summer Survival Makeup Favorites

Summer in Korea. 

I wake up in the morning to 30°C in my bedroom-office aka coolest part of the house. It will only get worse. Air-conditioning sucks our wallets dry. 

We persevere. My makeup mostly doesn't.  ( ╯°□°)╯ ┻━━┻

After some trial and error over the last few years, I think I've got my makeup routine for 95% humidity levels down.

Most of the days, it begins and ends with sunscreen, lip tint and eyebrows.

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.

I've got two sunscreens on rotation, one being the the Nature Republic California Aloe Sun Block in SPF50 PA+++. It's one with a glowy finish but slight white cast. I like to use it on its own, since it has any base makeup layered on top melt right off again. The glowy finish does look a bit oily after a while, but for the first two to three hours, my skin looks radiant and evened-out. Perfect for stints in the garden or quick trips outside. Careful though - this sunscreen has a habit of making my eyes tear up if I get too close to that area.

The second one is the Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Sunblock in SPF50 PA+++. This one is the opposite of the Nature Republic one above, with a matte, slightly drying finish that absorbs into my skin really well. It works well on its own, but also works really well as a makeup base. While it's too drying for me normally, it's perfect for the months of July and August.  It helps keeping moisturizing or glowy foundation formulations in place.

On days when I'm moving about a lot, I powder my eyelids/eyebrow area, my nose and forehead with the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder (the loose version). This works like a charm for everything, even as a quick-fix dry shampoo and improvised eye shadow base. You probably already heard of this powder from just about every beauty blogger, ever...? It's that good and cheap!

Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder (*) -
 the loose version makes for an even more invisible finish than the pact version! 

For additional staying power (especially if I'll be applying some sort of foundation/cushion) I prime with the Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Primer. Some previous pore-hiding primers that I've tried were a bit of an over-kill, drying out my skin to a point where the foundation on top looked flakey and overly dry. This one strikes a nice balance of evening out skin texture, keeping oil under control but not making a desert out of everything.

If I don't finish with a cushion (normal days), but want something that looks good all day long without touching up, I reach for this wonderful thing:

The Espoir Nude Fit Liquid Foundation. This one is magical for summers. It doesn't dry out (stay away from the 'Powder' version of this product if you tend to have dry skin, though: That one's way more heavy-duty), has better coverage than cushions but looks really natural all the same, with a satiny finish. It's the perfect foundation for long days outdoors, in the city, hopping from overly air-conditioned places to the humid air outside and back. It stays put. No budging. Hair doesn't stick to it.

I've had this for a year, and I'd use this every day if it weren't a bit too expensive.

Espoir in general has great foundations with a lot more shades available than other Korean brands. This particular one comes in five shades, but their Pro Tailor Foundation, for example, comes in eleven shades total.

I use 'Porcelain', which is lighter than even the #13 option by Innisfree, but with yellow undertones.

For color, I've got two recent favorites I reach for all the time for daily makeup.

The first is my trusted Vivid Rouge Tint by Innisfree (favorite for years and years), in a new 2016 shade #11 called 'Sun-dried Peach'. It's a slightly muted, 'dried out' pink-coral that looks good with just about anything. In summer, when I go away from my usually gray-black-white wardrobe, matching lipstick colors to shirt colors becomes an actual thing, and this one is a safe bet. It brightens up my complexion, looks cute while still being work-appropriate.

My other daily choice is a shade from the Innisfree autumn release of 2015, the Real Fit Lipsticks. I went to swatch their five new shades released for the Spring/Summer season, but fell in love with #6 Latte Cup Coral instead. Similar to my #8 Rosy Latte, this one is a muted version of a coral shade, walking the line between a beige and orange for the perfect hint of color that doesn't overwhelm. It's perfect for a put-together work look, combined with beige or yellow clothing, and for sleek looks that focus on just eyeliner (I've been doing these a lot lately when I'm trying to actually look my age...).

The last new addition to my summer makeup favorites is an eyebrow product by Mamonde. They released a combination of a eyebrow tint and eyebrow mascara on a single wand - using the doe-foot like tip to fill in the brows and then the mascara brush attached below to keep everything in place. I was afraid it would be a hassle to use, but it's a quick, fuss-free if not very precise way of getting my brows done. Looks really natural and is waterproof.

That's it for my summer survival makeup favorites. I'll probably be making a review complete with swatches for the Real Fit Lipstick since the shade is just that gorgeous, but do tell me if you'd like to see some other product in more detail! Thanks for reading!

If all else fails, at least there's ice cream!


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Korean Makeup Review - Mamonde 'Vivid Touch Eyes' Eye Shadow in #8 and #12

MAMONDE VIVID TOUCH EYES - REVIEW & SWATCHES

Here comes the second part of my little eyeshadow review series. I'm focusing on my reddish-brown hues, and the first one up was the Aritaum Shine Fix Eyes in #25 Vampire Kiss. For this review, the eye shadow that takes center stage is a lot more subdued and more suited to elegant or simple daily looks.

On we go!

Mamonde has a comparably small selection of eye shadows, which might be a weak point in some opinions - especially if compared to the large selections at brands like Etude House or Aritaum. I actually quite like their available shades! The colors are easy to combine, not too repetitive, there's some stand-out shades and they do add special collections depending on seasons and festivities.

Their Vivid Touch Eyes shadows, as the single eye shadows are called, can be separated in three categories:

• Shimmer (11 colors)
• Sparkling (8 colors) 
• Matte (6 colors)

MAMONDE VIVID TOUCH EYES - #8 Dry Rose and #12 Bouquet Daisy 

The brand Mamonde as a whole is inspired by flowers, with flowery essences of all kinds being featured in their skincare, and their makeup lines especially taking their names and shades from flowers. I love their Creamy Tint lip crayons, and so I ventured on to their eye shadows last autumn.

This review features two eye shadows that go well together, with the star of the show being the Vivid Touch Shadow in Matte #8 'Dry Rose', a gorgeous deep, rosy-brown shade, that depending on the lighting can go from purple undertones to rusty hues.

Mamonde Vivid Touch Eyes Matte 08, Dry Rose

Artificial , indirect lighting.

The second shade is the Vivid Touch Shadow in Sparkling #12 'Bouquet Daisy', a toned-down rose and beige shade with colorful glitter.

Mamonde Vivid Touch Eyes Sparkling 12, Bouquet Daisy

The glitter particles are tiny, but range through a surprising variety of colors, featuring pinks (mostly), violet, mint green, gold, light blue... It's not overpowering at all (quite subtle actually) but I really love the combination of the simple basic shade and the more rainbow colored glitters.

The packaging of the Mamonde Vivid Touch Eyes shadows is square and a bit bulky. One shadow consists of 2.2 g of product, but the packaging made it look like more.
These retail for 5.500 Won here in Korea, so a bit more pricey than my normal shadows from Innisfree and Aritaum.

The swatches for #8 Dry Rose show how it can go from purple to rust in color.
On my skin it leans rusty, on paper it's purple. It depends on lighting (here direct sunlight) and skin undertone, as well. The warm, rusty hue helps, though, because straight-up purple can look sickly.

Left: #8 Dry Rose
Right: #12 Bouquet Daisy

More swatching, in indirect light.

Artificial light, no flash.

Now for the eye swatches! #8 Dry Rose can, like I feared, make me look tired and sick when applied all over the lid. I much prefer it only as an extended eyeliner or on my outer corners, but for review purposes, I went for the all-over look.

The shade does work much better with eyeliner to define the eyes, though!

This matte shadow does migrate into fine lines. I'd recommend using a primer (I didn't). Other than that, the lasting power is quite good, not budging throughout the day, and the color doesn't fade.

Mamonde Vivid Touch Eyes Matte #8 Dry Rose. Direct sunlight.

Better than on its own, the shade #8 works perfectly as a base for burgundy or red eye makeup. As it's not too saturated, it can bring down the 'swollen' look red shadows often give.

It also works really well with the glittery Bouquet Daisy #12 shade on top, as the purple-rust color makes the overall effect of the glitter more interesting.

#12 Bouquet Daisy goes on more buttery and blends more easily than #8.

 #12 has, except for its colorful glitter pigments, a very simple base color that blends well with the more saturated, darker #8, but looks good when used on its own all-over the lid, too.

Artificial light, no flash.

Direct sunlight, no flash.

Both eyes have #8 and #12 applied on the whole lid, but you can only see the glitter caught on camera on the far right.

I'd expected #8 especially to be a very striking shade back when I bought it, but it's actually very wearable on a daily basis - I use it in place of normal brown shadows.
The shade isn't for those who want a dramatic or evening eye makeup look, it's much too natural looking for that.

#12, too, isn't a very eye-catching shade. It's not very glittery, especially when compared to the Shine Fix Eyes shadows or other metallic, glitter pigments. The very fine glitter pieces are hard to see unless you look really closely, and the varied colors the glitter shows don't make it look fluorescent or metallic, but glossy. Thanks to that, it looks good with 'dewy' makeup finishes.

That might sound negative all in all, but despite being very understated, this is actually one of the prettiest glitter shades that I've tried! It works well on top of any color as well as alone, and the glitter pigments spread very evenly over the lid, without fall-out or clumping. It's easy to blend and, while looking very natural, brings light to tired eyes.

I do love these two shades in combination for simple but put-together daily makeup. If you have green or hazel eyes, give a rosy-brown color a go! It's not as hard to pull off as an all-out red or burgundy shade.

All in all, I'm very happy with my (first) two Mamonde eye shadows. The whole collection and brand image goes for natural, elegant and feminine looks, and the colors are very easy to work with.

I've been reaching for this combination on all the rainy days lately, and love to combine them with my newest lipstick (the rosy innisfree real fit one). Other lipstick colors are a bit tricky with that rusty-rosy color on the lids, but in general, toned-down rose and red shades go well with the colors.

Thank you so much for reading! :D Next up in this series is a brighter red eye shadow~

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!

Korean Autumn Days Makeup - Innisfree Real Fluid Rouge in #8 Review

I'm on a review roll!

This one is for a new discovery: The 'Real Fluid Rouge' liquid lipstick by innisfree, re-launched just about a week ago. It was love at first sight! I've been using this color every day because it's just so versatile and fits the warm Jeju autumn days perfectly.

Find it. :D
These mini illustrations are for a sticker set I'm planning to print soon. Autumn version up first!

As I've said, the Real Fluid Rouge line was re-launched this October. There was a previous launch (with different colors and product texture) last spring during my several months long no-buy phase, so that kinda passed me by. All the more love to give now!

The Real Fluid Rouge is a liquid lipstick product (since last spring, a variety of other Korean brands have launched their own versions of liquid lipsticks. Etude House comes to mind.) and it's available in 12 different shades.

I got shade number 8, a slightly muted pink color. 분홍 사과꽃 한 잎, which translates into something like 'One petal of a pink apple tree flower'. Soft pinks have a tendency to make me look kind of dead, so I was happy to find upon swatching that this had just the right amount of color in it to look neither nude-ish nor like a hot-pink. I absolutely love it! It goes well with nearly everything - an otherwise bare (sunscreen) face, natural makeup or even light smokey eyes. It's the perfect pink for me, seriously.

The texture is hard to describe: A thick liquid that seems sticky upon applying but settles into a nice lipstick-like texture. It reminds me of the Mellow Lipstick line with its buttery finish. I haven't loved a texture and finish this much since those lipsticks came out - you go, innisfree! Take all my money!

It does a decent job at moisturizing, too, and fades prettily (loosing the glossy effect first) over several hours. Neither transferproof nor staining, but still not that much of a high-maintenance product as it's easy to reapply without messing up the previous layer.

The packaging is super prettyyy. Seriously. It's much bigger than I imagined but looks sleek and elegant. From the outside, the shade looks a bit cooler than the actual product on my lips.

As I've been wearing it every day, I thought I'd show you my daily makeup look recently. Keep in mind that my makeup skills are non-existant, though. I SUCK at eye makeup and literally everything that's not foundation. Applying my makeup next to a small window in an otherwise dark room with a propped-up hand mirror certainly doesn't help. But anyway, it's what works for me on most days, and on all other days I can just give up and relie on my fringe to at least cover up my eyebrows...

The products I've used most often recently.

There's my old (...three years and counting) 'Choco Eyebrow Powder Cake' from Skinfood. I just can't bother to buy a new one, as my brow game is a loosing battle anyway. It works just fine, the shades fit, and I still haven't used it all up. It also smells like chocolate, seriously!

For eyeliner I love the Mamonde Soft Melting Liner in black. It's precise, doesn't smudge, doesn't drag and doesn't irritate my eyes. Mostly I just use this to tight-line my eyes.

(Mamonde is a secret love of mine anyway, taking second place behind Innisfree. It's not a really well known brand internationally, but I've loved every product I've tried so far!)

... which is evident in my current foundation choice, too. I've replaced my Iope cushion with a Mamonde 'Moisture Mask Cushion' refill. That's what I love about cushion cases - buy one, then put in whatever refill you currently have. Korean brands do seem to want me to buy more cases, though, as they're releasing special edition cases left and right. This is one of the reasons I want to print some stickers - at least I can decorate my basic cushion cases myself! Hah!

I chose a darker shade than usual for this one: #21 Peach Beige.

I look like a ghost most of the time, but with this on I actually look like I've seen the sun in recent months while still looking natural overall. Also tricked my parents into thinking I wasn't too pale this time around.

It's a very moisturizing cushion foundation and perfect for autumn. I still prefer my (ghostly white) Innisfree 'Ampoule Intense Cushion' in #13, though, as it applies more thinly (less coverage, but nicer finish) and I personally prefer the color.

As for eyes, if I actually make the effort, I'm using these two Mineral Single Shadows by (take a guess) Innisfree.

One is new, one is old. Again, take a guess.

The 'Fondant au Chocolat' shade is pure love in an eye shadow pan. Buttery, matte and just such a pretty warm brown. Innisfree came out with these new versions of their Mineral Single Shadows so during the sale event, I quickly grabbed this one. It's #9 of their 'matte' line.

The other, beige color (#22 of the old Mineral Shadow lineup, though after the recent relaunch it seems to be the #3 of their 'matte' line) has been used extensively over the last year. It's the perfect base shade for me, a matte yellow brown slightly darker than my skintone. I can also use it for shading, though I'm mostly too lazy for contouring of any kind...

That's it.
Like I said, I'm terrible at makeup despite loving it. For some reason, drawing skills don't translate into makeup skills.

Also, sorry for taking pictures with a messy fringe like that. *crawls into hole because awkward*

So bored. So, so bored. :'D
Instead of a resting bitch face I've got the resting bored face.

See what I mean with the muted pink but still-not-pale-pink-or-nude-pink? It gives just the right amount of color without being over-powering. And it's shiny without being all gooey like a lip gloss. I really love everything about this.

Also visible: Putting on slightly darker, yellow-ish foundation on the face without blending towards the neck. Well done.

Fringe will never do what I want it to do...

I really love everything about this product! I'll definitely go and buy at least one more shade of this range - maybe the red one (#6) or a coral shade (#3). The texture is so good I'd take any color, really.

You can have a look at the shade selection available here. Nearly every shade is named after some form of 'apple' color, like 'apple juice'. Doesn't the red one look gorgeous?

Thanks for reading! Say 'hi' to Hedwig the cat! :D

What are your favorite products for autumn? 

Did you try the spring version of the Real Fluid Rouge lipsticks? 

Update:

You can find the illustration motive from this blog post

as stickers in my Etsy Shop~