Asia Nitollano

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Lioele Jewel Mix Shading

This is my first Lioele product! :D Needed some contour for le chubby face and nose~ ^o^

This product contains 5 different shades of bronze, plus a bit of highlighter, providing a very natural contour and sparkle. The baked formula comprises various natural gem powders including pearl, tourmaline, ruby, and more. It is talc-free and non pore-clogging, making it suitable for sensitive skin.

There is a thin layer of protection on the pearls, so you'll have to roll them around a bit more the first time you apply.

Don't fret about the English side in the gif; I've already mentioned all of it--well, except for the ingredients--in the previous section.

[ Width: 5.6cm | Depth: 5.6cm | Height: 5.3cm ]

Packaging for the product itself:

[ Circumference: 7.8cm | Height: ~5cm ]

The inside gets slightly dusty once the pearls begin rolling around, which goes to show that the pigment is not difficult to pick up or apply:

Tucked under the cap is a powder puff that sits ontop of a rubber lid:

Under that is a foam cushion to keep the pearls in place during transit. Without the cushion, you can see there’s actually much less product than is advertised!

Honestly? My first thought was old lady! But it also smells like baby powder, so we'll go with that. :D The scent is medium-strong.

Now onto the pearls themselves! In all the previous photos, the plastic container washed out the colors. Here’s how they actually look. Colors are mostly accurate, though it might be a tad duller in real life:

Here’s a lineup of the 5 individual colors, alongside my descriptions for them:

(That crusty, shiny exterior you see is the aforementioned “protective coat”.)

(*Not much difference between natural and indoor lighting.)

All that was to give you an idea of the various shades you can achieve, depending on which pearls you selectively swatch. Now onto the face swatches!

Please note that I have applied A LOT in these swatches, so it's really exaggerated! For a sheerer application, look towards the edges of the swatched area!

A few things to take away from these photos:

1.) Color: It's really not as dark cocoa brown as in the product photos! Overall, it's more of a copper or bronze-like color, with a definite hint of orange in it. If you want a flatter brown or more orangey glow, you can just swatch selectively. :)

2.) Pigmentation: As you can see, color payoff varies greatly with skintone! But for me, I find it plenty pigmented. One thorough brush application is more than enough for a natural jawline contour on both sides. (I am pale though, and I think it would look much more natural on someone tanner.) It's also very buildable.

3.) Finish: There is a bit of shimmer, but I find it to be quite subtle unless I apply a ton or am under bright light. I normally don't notice it when I contour my face.

I don’t find it chalky. When I swatched the pearls, they glided across my skin. It also applies very easily, even with my mega cheap Daiso brushes! The downside is that I need a very light and careful hand.

I should admit this is only the second bronzing product I’ve tried, but I do like it! The last one I had was a pressed bronzer from Benefit. It was a flat dark brown and hard to apply. In comparison, this one applies very easily and is much more versatile color-wise, since you can mix and match the pearls! I do think it's a little dark for my jaw, but it's great for my nose! Now if only there were a bit more inside...Lioele products are not exactly cheap!

☆*:;;;:**:;;;:*☆*:;;;:**:;;;:*☆*

Many many thanks to Koreadepart for sponsoring my first Lioele product! It's currently on sale for 40% on their site, so click here to check it out~

Hmm...I wonder what other Lioele/contour products I should try next! Any recommendations? What do you look for in contour products? ^o^

Monday, July 16, 2012

Tony Moly Intense Care Syn-ake Eye Mask

You read correctly: Syn-ake! As in…snake! Say hello to Mother Nature’s Botox Surgeon, the Temple Viper!

Simply put, Syn-ake is a synthetic imitation of a peptide found in the venom of the Temple Viper. Just like Botox, Syn-ake works to smooth skin and reduce wrinkles by inhibiting muscle contractions. Creative, huh?

As with Snail mucin, many Korean brands also have some sort of Syn-ake line. Now I have way too many under-eye lines from laughing and smiling, so let’s see if this Syn-ake mask can help me!

Brand: Tony Moly
Name: Intense Care Syn-ake Eye Mask (there’s also a Snail version)
Syn-ake Concentration: 1000ppm (parts per million)
Price in Korea: 2,500KRW for 1

(*Price on Koreadepart: $11.71 for 5 pieces)

[ Width: 9cm | Height: 11cm ]
It’s basically a small stiff plastic packet, with two interconnected compartments which hold the masks and some juice—yeah, I’ll just call it juice!

Also, do you see those indentations on the back of the packaging? Those are the only parts of the package where it's actually "sealed," and they're sealed by weak glue:

Be careful, for once once the corners come off the rest quickly follow suit.

The masks are made of a soft, jelly-like material. It’s very slippery and moist when you first open it:

It's not super fragile, but fingernails will leave tiny tears in it. It is quite soft though, as you can see by how easily I left fingerprints:

(*Note, this picture was taken after I used it, which is why it's not as moist.)

Unlike in the diagram, I decided to place the masks much closer to my lower lash line. (I mean, that's where all my wrinkles are...) Positioning it was a bit difficult since it’s so slippery. I had to lie down, but even so, it still kept moving around for the first 20-25 minutes or so.

It didn’t hurt to place it so close to my eyes, by the way. It's very gentle, and it doesn't feel like anything, really. Not even a tingle!

Now again, don't laugh!! I started getting these laugh lines from a very young age... Believe me, I even tried to become a serious person! (Didn't work out, obviously.) I also partially blame the macro lens for accentuating them, heh heh...

But regardless, the point is to look at the results!

As you can see, there is definitely a visible improvement! My undereye area became tighter and smoother, and my fine lines are now notably less visible. They're still very much there, but instead of fat, deep cross-hatches, they're now delicate little lines. And it looks even better in real life! (Not talking about the two major lines at the top; those I don't mind so much. It's the leathery-look that bothers me!)

Unfortunately I haven’t used it enough just yet to report on long-term results, but I’ll definitely keep this post (along with my Skinfood Egg post) updated!

I liiike it! Now, I wouldn’t say it’s a super SUPER dramatic result--again, the macro lens exaggerates things a bit--but the improvement is definitely there! I can't wait to buy a bunch more and see what happens with regular use! I'll admit that it is somewhat time consuming, considering you're literally chained to the bed for 40 minutes. But undereye skin just is too delicate to be ignored, you know? I know I will be on the hunt for more eye-masks and Syn-ake products~!

This review was generously sponsored by Koreadepart. Grab your pack of 5 for $11.71 here!

So how bout you, do you suffer from under-eye lines? Better yet, would you try a SYN-AKE product?!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

My apologies!!!

Airi wants to apologize that the next several blog posts will be sponsored reviews--not that sponsored reviews will be any different from regular reviews, though! So if you like reviews, that's great too!

I just honestly didn’t intend for my blog to be alllll reviews, you know? It can get so impersonal at times! I do have other stuff planned, but it’s always limited by time...I think many of you with blogs of your own can empathize! That recent stint of busyness never really ceased, and I've gotten really behind on everything, sigh~

Please accept my apology in the form of these kitties:

Ah, I love kitties~ ^.^ There's a stray kitty around our apartment that Oppa and I have been trying to woo lately. Not sure if it's our meowing that isn't working, or if our milk and water aren't yummy enough...tuna will be next!! >:)

Well until then, toodle-doos~!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Etude House Mini JamJam Hand Lotion

I ran out of my Snail hand lotion a few weeks ago and desperately needed some moisture on my hands...So I decided to give this cutie a little try! This review was generously sponsored by Koreadepart, the humongous Korean Cosmetic shopping mall I talked about previously!

Brand: Etude House
Name: Mini JamJam Hand Lotion
Flavor: Strawberry (it also comes in walnut, milk, and citrus!)
Amount: 35ml, 1.18fl. oz
Expiry: 12 months
Price in Korea: 4,000KRW

The material of the tube is a matte sort of plastic (rather than shiny and slippery).

If you check the dimensions, is indeed quite mini! You can see in the picture on the right that it’s not overly plump either. ►

It’s got a very sweet (artificial) strawberry flavor, reminiscent of either candy or body lotions for young girls! It’s kind of noticeable when it's on my hands, but that's hit or miss for me.

Texturally, I’d call it a medium-to-lightweight lotion: It spreads thinly and feels lighweight, but it’s not quite as thin, "liquidy", or even runny as some lotions are. It also moisturizes more like a medium-weight.

First off, I’ve had dry, wrinkly hands all my life...so don’t judge! I don’t want to show you these pictures just as much as you won’t want to see them, you know! But for the purpose of education...brace yourselves!

(*Just to clarify, I mean liquid-like *shine*, not texture!
I still wouldn't describe the lotion as actually liquidy.)

So just to reiterate: There is a slight stickiness at first, but continual rubbing makes it go away. Overall, it absorbs within a minute of vigorous—and I do mean vigorous—rubbing, leaving me with smooth and soft(er) skin.

There is a very thin veneer of residue at first, but it's so slight that I can’t tell unless I rub my fingers very hard. It's not greasy either, and most of it fades within a few minutes anyway. Of course, it's different if I apply too much!

If I put just enough on, I find that it lasts for about 2-2.5 hours before I notice my dryness reappearing. By then the softness has faded, but I still feel enough moisture that I can tolerate it for another couple hours without reapplying.

I've also noticed that on days that I diligently reapply, it lasts longer each time. After my third application it lasts for almost an entire day! (Most of the moisture does, but not softness.)

Usually I’m hesitant to buy cute hand creams because I’m afraid they won’t work well, but I was pleasantly surprised with this one! My only problem is that there’s not much in there, mainly because it wasn’t really filled it up all the way. It's not SUPER emollient, but I think it’s perfect as a portable lotion to take around: It’s small, nongreasy, has a lightweight texture, and yet still provides a very reasonable amount of moisture, especially with successive applications. Plus, no finger-dipping~!

Grab yours here for $4.10!

So how bout you, have you tried any cute hand creams that impressed you?