MEME BOX HAUL


Today, I'm sharing with you what I got in my first ever meme box haul. If you are not familiar with meme box, they are a kbeauty online retailer who has a branch office in the US and they are also well known for their limited edition box sets.My whole purchasing experience with meme box is very pleasant and their shipping is super fast.



First, I got the Berry Bomb All in One Ampoule by SharaShara. This product is the main reason I placed this order. Berry is one of my favorite ingredients for skincare products so I'm super intrigued by this 3-in-1 product.
At the time of this order, their SharaShara box is sold out but I just found out today that the SharaShara box is restocked. If you are interesting in this product, I will definitely recommend getting the SharaShara box since it not only includes a full size of this product but many other products from the brand.


I got a little sheet mask crazy since there are so much sheet masks I want to try. Here are what I got:

Top Row(L to R)
1. Leaders Illuminating Treatment Mask
2. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack
3. It's Skin The Fresh Mask Sheet Blueberry
4. Kocostar Slice Mask Sheet Lemon

Bottom Row (L to R)
5. Tosowoong Pure Propolis Mask x2
6. Tosowoong Pure Green Tea Mask (It is a free gift from meme box!)
7. Mediheal Dress Code Mask - Blue
8. Papa Recipe Bombee Honey Mask

Hope you enjoyed reading about my meme box haul!

REVIEW + SWATCH: HOLIKA HOLIKA HEARTFUL MOISTURE LIPSTICK

Today I'm reviewing the heartful moisture lipstick from Holika Holika. I had this lipstick for quite a while now, so I thought it is time to share my thoughts on this. 

Packaging
Cute! To be honest, the packaging and the heart shape are basically the reasons I bought it at the first place. (I know, I know, I'm a sucker for cute things...) I especially like the metallic pink finish on the tube since it looks premium.

Scent
It has a very sweet, candy like scent and the scent lingers even after applied the lipstick to the lips. However, it is definitely not over powering and personally the scent doesn't bother me.

Size
The tube is skinnier and shorter than traditional lipsticks. However, the actual product amount is 0.13 oz, which is similar to a normal lipstick (Mac is 0.1 oz and Maybelline is 0.15 oz).

Holika Holika  heartful moisture lipstick in PK-121 Pink Love

Texture & Application
The texture is very creamy and soft. It is not as slippery as a tinted lip balm but glides on smoothly. Surprisingly, The weird heart shape actually makes the application easier since the top of the heart works really well with the cupid's bow area.

Performance
The color payoff is very well and the color is definitely buildable. The lipstick is fairly long-lasting but it will dry out the lips a little bit (at least for me) after wore for couple hours. 

Swatch of PK-121 Pink Love

Wearing PK-121 Pink Love

Final Thoughts
This is not a Holy Grail kind of product for me since I have other lipsticks in my collection that I love more. However, I do enjoy having it in my collection since its performance is decent and the heart shape is very cute and unique. I will not get more colors from the line though.

Overall Score: 3.7/5

ALL ABOUT HYALURONIC AID

I did a ton of reading and researching on couple skincare ingredients recently. So I wanted to put together this "ingredient wiki" series to share with you what I learned in a simple and effective way.

Here are some hyaluronic products that I'm currently trying out:







6 MUST TRY ASIAN SHEET MASKS

Sheet mask is a stable for asian skin care and it is many people's first step into asian beauty. However, there are literately thousands of different sheet masks on the market, which can be very overwhelming and confusing. So I thought it will be a good idea to put together a list to share with you some of the most popular (cult favorite) sheet masks on the market:


My Beauty Dairy




I would describe "My Beauty Dairy" as the "Queen" of the mask kingdom as this is the brand that started the sheet mask trend in the asian. Established in Taiwan in 2004, My Beauty Dairy has been the best selling sheet mask in asian for many years. The brand provides a huge range of mask selection, which makes it the go-to brand for both beginners and experts.

Cult Favorites: Apply Polyphenol Mask; Black Pearl Mask; Imperial Bird Nest Mask; Strawberry Yogurt Mask


Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask

Innisfree is a well known Korean brand not only in asian but also in the US. Their real squeeze mask is loaded with freshly squeezed plant juice and even Youtube star Michelle Phan has recommended these on her website.

Cult Favorites: Green Tea; Rice; Shea Butter 


Tosowoong Pure Mask

Tosowoong is a Korean cosmetics brand that emphasizes on KFDA ingredients and simple/pure formulations. It is not a super-hyped brand, but the pure maskl line is definitely their star product.

Cult Favorites: the hype is all about the pure propolis mask




Medical Dress Code Mask


Mediheal is a Korean brand and it highly relies on advanced clinical researches and focuses on developing treatments for the most common skin problems. These masquerade ball sheet masks are not just some gimmicky products but one of the best sheet masks on the market.

Cult Favorites: Dress Code Blue



Leaders Mask


Thanks to Ulta, Leaders sheet masks are very accessible to the US market now. According to their website: Leaders Cosmetics was founded in Korea, in 2004, by two leading dermatologists from Korea’s top university. Both their insolution and 7 wonder (exclusively at Ulta) mask series are very popular.

Cult Favorites: AC Dressing; Teatree Relaxing; Mediterranean Olive Brightening Mask

Lovemore Mask



Lovemore is a Taiwanese company that specializes in skin fit sheet masks made from silk to better lock in hydration. Sheet mask base is infused with deep ocean water for all natural goodness.

Cult Favorites: Pearl & Red Pearl Barley Whitening Mask Sheet; Rose Hybrida Whitening Mask Sheet

What are your favorite sheet masks?

BEST OF 2015 - SKINCARE EDITION



CLEANSERS

BANILA CO. CLEAN IT ZERO
This cleansing balm is one of my Holy Grail products. It goes on as a solid balm and transforms into silky oil on the skin, which makes it much easier to use and to travel with than the traditional liquid form cleansing oils.

I have tried many cleansing balms from numerous brands but always come back to this one. It takes all my makeup right off without irritating my eyes or drying out my skin. The product also has a very subtle and not overpowering floral smell, which I found very pleasant.

PHILOSOPHY PURITY MADE SIMPLE ONE-STEP FACIAL CLEANSER

This is what I usually use as my second cleanser. It is very gentle; doesn’t sting my eyes and leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped. One down side of this product is the price tag: personally I think the price is too high for the product, that’s why I only buy it when it is on sale or when it’s part of the Sephora black Friday $10 deal.

BOSCIA DETOXIFYING BLACK CLEANSER

The most unique thing of this cleanser is that it is a warming cleanser, which means it will give you a warming sensation to your face when applying it. However, the “warming” doesn’t appeal to me at all specially when the actual warming sensation will only last for couple seconds instead of the entire time the product is on skin. I like this product mainly because it makes my skin feels extremely clean and refreshed and I like to use it on the days I wore heavier makeup or when my skin is feeling a little dull.

OLAY 4-IN-1 DAILY FACIAL CLOTHS

I like to use these facial cloths instead of the normal makeup remover wipes for lazy days. These work much better at taking off all the makeup and cleansing my face. On the days that I'm super tired, instead of doing the whole night time skin care routine, I will just use one cloth to clean my face and then apply a moisturizer or sleeping mask.

EXFOLIANT

PETER THOMAS ROTH FIRMX PEELING GEL EXFOLIANT

There are tones of mix review of this product online and some people got really upset with the brand for claiming the product will "visibly roll, lift and sweep away dead skin cells". To me, I think this is a very effective product and my skin feels baby soft and bright after every use, which is what I want from a exfoliant. I do agree that the claim be can a little misleading since the clumps on your face are mainly the product itself balling up instead of your dead skin. 


TONER

SIMPLE CLEANSING MICELLAR WATER

I don't use this to remove my makeup but use it as a cleanser/toner for the morning. Since I have fully cleaned my face the night before, I don't feel the need to use an actual face wash at the morning. I will apply this to a cotton pad and wipe it all around the face to take off any oil or dirt from the night. This product works great for the purpose and my skin is left feeling clean; hydrated and ready for the rest of my skin care routine.

SERUM

INNISFREE THE GREEN TEA SEED SERUM

This is hands down my favorite skin care item for the year of 2015. It moisturizes, hydrates and nourishes my skin without leaving a sticky feel. I like how light weight this is and how quick it sink into the skin. Plus, the pump makes it very easy to use and the packaging is very sleek and modern. I literately have nothing bad to say about this product and I highly recommend it.

MOISTURIZER

BELIF THE TRUE CREAM - AQUA BOMB

This is the perfect moisturizer for layering under SPF since it is almost weightless and sinks into the skin very quickly but left the skin feeling hydrated. It is also the perfect "wake up" moisturizer in the morning. The consistency of this product is very gel-like but I found it is thicker than other true gel products. Personally, I adore the consistency and found it perfect for both summer and winter.


MASKS

As you can see from the images below, I love travel size masks because they are easy to travel with (my job requires a lot of traveling) and I can try out many different masks without having too much extra products sitting around.

LANGIGE WATER SLEEPING MASK

This is one of the Korean brands that is very accessible in the US. I have used this product even before is was available in Target. Unlike traditional overnight mask, this is very light weight and sink into the skin very fast. It will not leave a sticky feeling on the face and the product won't transfer onto pillows or blankets. On the next morning, my skin usually feels less tired and well hydrated. I used this product very constantly in the year of 2015 and will continue using it in 2016.

ORIGINS ACTIVE CHARCOAL MASK

A charcoal or clay mask is a must for my skincare routine. This year I tried the charcoal mask from origins for the first time and I really enjoyed it. It cleanse my skin really nicely and most important, the mask is very easy to apply and remove. 


FIRST AID BEAUTY ULTRA REPAIR INSTANT OATMEAL MASK

If I have to pick, I would say this is my favorite mask of 2015. I like the fact that it is very gentle and calming but provides deep and long lasting hydration to my skin. I could feel a big difference after every use. This mask also contains antioxidant-rich plant butters and oils, which is alway a plus since I'm getting older.

I hope you enjoyed reading this long post about my favorite skincare items for 2015. What's your most loved skincare product in 2015?