Japanese and Korean Beauty Haul: Dolly Wink, Candy Doll, Majolica Majorca, Etude House, Lioele

Hi everyone! I know I just did a haul post for my last blog entry but unforeseen circumstances sort of mixed up my posting schedule so here we are again with yet another haul. However, that's nothing to complain about considering the Japanese and Korean beauty goodies included in this haul! :D

 Seriously, I cannot be more excited to try and review these products! Some of these products have been out for some time now, whereas a couple of others are more recent. I'm sure you probably recognize some of these. Let's have a looksie! 

From left to right: Candy Doll Cheek Color in "Strawberry Pink", Lioele "Aroma Soft Peeling Gel", Majolica Mojorca Lash Expander Frame Plus, Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner

I've been getting more into Japanese makeup lately and I love how all of these gorgeous gyaru gals have such glowing dolly pink cheeks. While I've been loyal to the ever-so-wearable cult favorite, Nars "Orgasm" all of these years, the whole pink dolly cheek has been looking mighty fun for this summer. 

As for the Lioele "Aroma Soft Peeling Gel",  since my favorite one from Laniege had been discontinued, I'm in dire need of a new one. My skin has been a bit problematic lately and I'm not quite sure why. That time of the month, perhaps? Hopefully, this little baby will do the trick. 

I'm super excited to try the Majolica Mojorca Lash Expander Frame Plus. I've heard great things about this product and this is my first Japanese mascara. Crossing my fingers on this one! 

From left to right: Dolly Wink False Eyelashes No. 16, Decorative Eyelash Play Cool #3

Dolly Wink recently added three more lashes to their collection, No. 15, 16 and 17. I had a bit of a hard time choosing which one of the three to try but in the end, I settled on No. 16 Dolly Mix because I need add a few more natural lashes to my collection. 

I know Decorative Eyelashes are not as popular here in the States as Dolly Wink, but they're actually a Japanese drugstore brand of lashes, and has been endorsed by Emi Suzuki. I grabbed them because they were a bit cheaper than Dolly Wink and I don't really have many false lower lashes. Mainly because I haven't mastered the art of putting them on yet. Anyone have any helpful tutorials? 

I also managed to get my hands on Candy Doll Lip Gloss in "Macaroon Pink" and Etude House's Etoinette's Crystal Shine Lips in "PPK002".

Isn't the color lovely? I'm afraid I just might be more excited about the packaging than the actual lip color. I have many pink lipsticks but none of them are as gorgeous as this one. 

Takashimiya had these little Dolly Wink pamphlets that you could grab for free. This one features detailed descriptions of the Dolly Wink False Lash Collection, as well as information about other products in the line such as eyebrow products, mascara, eyeshadows. etc. 

For those of you having trouble picking from the false eyelash collection, this little booklet is really useful in helping you choose from the selection, depending on what you're looking for in terms of length and volume placement. Now if only I could read Japanese. 

Here are a couple more pages from the booklet, on the classic No. 1 and No. 2 false lashes. 

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post! Please stay tuned for upcoming reviews on these products! Have you tried any of these products before? What did you think of them? And if not, which products are you looking forward to reading a review on? If you have any of your own past reviews, feel free to share them in your comments below.  I'll be sure to check them out. Thanks for stopping by! ❤

With love, Tiffany

Nail Polish Haul: Essie, OPI, China Glaze

Hello lovelies! Thank goodness it's finally Friday! I don't know about you but I always like to paint my nails on Friday so that I have a fresh manicure for the weekend. Over the course of the last year, I developed a bit of a nail polish obsession where I really can't stop adding new polishes to my collection every few months. Whenever my friends come over, they always ask me, "So Tiff, any new additions to your nail polish library?" Luckily, over the past week, I was able to answer, "Why yes, there are!" Below are the new polishes that I've purchased either in stores or online. Now, I'm not going to lie. When I look at these, I feel like a kid in a candy store. Then again, when I'm actually in a candy store, I become a kid all over again. Heh. 

Aren't these colors perfect the spring and summer?! I've really been into pastels with a creme finish lately, just because they're so cute, carefree and wearable. Along with these 8 nail polishes, I also bought a glass nail file and nail dotting tools. To avoid any confusion, I have to add that the nail dotting tools were actually purchased from eBay. They're super cheap so if you're looking to make cute polka dot designs, then I highly recommend you to purchase them. Or you could just use a toothpick or the end of a bobby pin. That works too :)

From left to right: Essie's "Where's My Chauffer?", Essie's "First Timer", Essie's "Under Where?"

I've purchased two out of the four polishes offered in the Essie Spring Nail Polish Collection 2013. Contrary to what you may see, I chose "Where's My Chauffer" over the actual collection polish "In the Cab-ana" because I found these colors to be sort of similar to the point where I didn't really need both. I preferred "Where's My Chauffer" because it veered closer to the bright, light turquoise color found in Tiffany and Co. So gorgeous! "In the Cab-ana" is more of a aqua azure that would look brighter with a deeper turquoise hue than "Where's My Chauffer". 

I haven't tried "First Timer" but it's described as "an adorable, newbie green"on Essie's website, and I really loved the soft creamy green with a minty finish. It sort of reminds me of a Shamrock Shake. Mmm, Shamrock Shake. Too bad those only come once a year. Wow, I really need to stop talking about sweets in this post! My sweet tooth even comes out in my posts unrelated to food. 

Anyways, I digress. I've already tried Essie's "Under Where" and I have to say that I just might use up the whole bottle by this summer! I'm definitely looking to do a NOTW (Nails of the Week) for my blog and "Under  Where" is going to be the first one, so stay tuned for that.

From left to right: OPI's "Pink Friday", OPI's "Are We There Yet?"

"Pink Friday" is part of the OPI Nicki Minaj collection from 2012. It's a lovely bubblegum pink color with a creme finish. As for "Are We There Yet", I had been on the lookout for a creamy coral but had a little trouble finding the perfect one. However, this one seemed like the closest. It's a very pretty coral melon color with just a hint of shimmer. 

From left to right: Essie's "Good to Go Top Coat"", China Glaze's "Kinetic Candy", Revlon's "Whimsical" 

After a horrible experience with OPI's Top Coat, I decided to try Essie's "Good to Go" topcoat in the hopes of a better experience. Alas, it was definitely an improvement in terms of drying time and I didn't start to see chipping until around five days later. 

"Kinetic Candy" is such a gorgeous pale creamy blue. I plan to use it both separately and with Revlon's "Whimsical" since I think these colors will go beautifully together. For those of you unfamiliar with "Whimsical", while the polish looks colorful and sparkly, the actual polish is extremely sheer and works best layered on top of a more opaque polish. 

Another purchase that I was excited to try was my new glass nail file. I don't file my nails often but I thought it would be handy to have on hand, just in case. I've heard great things about glass nail files since apparently, they last longer and are better for your nails in general. Have you ever tried using a glass nail file or do you prefer the emery board nail files?

What's awesome about these nail dotting tools is that they come in a variety of sizes so that you can make different sizes of dots, depending on how large you want them. There is also one tool with a smaller, sharper pointed end for making other designs. My only gripe about these tools is that while they do come in a variety of sizes, between most of them when I actually put them to use, I'm not noticing much of a difference. 

It's okay though, they were relatively cheap at a little under $2. And I'm sure I'll be putting them to even more good use since I have many pastels on hand.

What did you think of these nail polishes? Do you happen to have any of these colors or are there any that you would like to buy? Let me know in the comments below! And if you have any suggestions, please let me know some of your favorite polishes because I'm always on the lookout for new colors to add to my nail polish rack. Thank you for reading! 

With love, Tiffany 

Product Rave + Review: Mac "Girl About Town" Lipstick

While I'm pretty neutral about Kim Kardashian, I think we can all agree here that she is totally rockin' the fuschia lips! 

Hot pink and fuschia lips make for a bright and fun look that is perfect for the upcoming warmer months. They're not quite as bold and intimidating as red lips but just as fun and flirtatious. You can pair them with a neutral eye for the daytime or a smokey eye for night time. The best part about this lipstick is that the color looks flattering on practically all skin tones! 

Lately, I've been all about MAC's "Girl About Town" lipstick, which is what Kim is wearing in the above picture. Before my trip to Las Vegas a couple weeks ago, I wandered into MAC and was looking to add a bright pink lipstick to my makeup collection. One of the women who worked there instantly pulled out "Girl About Town" and informed me that this was an incredibly popular shade that a lot of girls liked. Needless to say, after one look in the mirror, I was hooked. 

The Mac Cosmetics website describes "Girl About Town" as a bright blue fuschia and has an Amplified Creme finish. Upon reading that, I was a bit skeptical, considering that I normally don't look good with lip colors that have any blue tones in them, but it was surprisingly flattering. 

For those of you who aren't too familiar with MAC Cosmetics, MAC is famed for their high quality makeup and wide variety of selection, designed to have a match for everyone. The packaging is sleek and simple and the lipstick is contained within a small, durable lipstick bullet. 

Here it is swatched on my skin. To me, I'm not really seeing the blue tones in the  color, and I have a pretty obvious warm skin tone. However, perhaps it looks different on someone with a cooler skin tone. Regardless, you can see that it is an incredibly fun and vibrant color. 

So these are my bare lips with nothing applied. I know they're a bit dry looking and I apologize for that ^^; My natural lips don't have a lot of color to them, which is why I always need to apply some form of lip product to complete any look. 

And here it is after I've applied the lipstick. I've paired it with Nyx's "Fuschia" lipliner. You don't necessarily have to use this lipstick with lipliner, as it applies fine without it. The lipliner just keeps it a little neater. 

As you can, the finish is very creamy and pretty much fills in all lines, leaving behind a smooth finish.The lipstick is of very good quality and is not chalky or drying at all, in contrary, quite moisturizing. And the lasting ability of this is at least for 4 hours if you don't end up accidentally wiping or washing it away. 

And of course, you'll need a full face picture to gauge how it really looks. I know the up close pictures above makes the lipstick look more hot pink, but as you can see, it is more a warm and bright fuschia pink. I kept my makeup simple by pairing the lipstick with a neutral smokey eye. I also find that this lipstick color really pops against the color blue. 

I will definitely be repurchasing this lipstick when I run out. The best part about this is how it can just complete a look without looking overboard. I love red lips and all but the occasions where I can break them out is often limited. Instead, I find fuschia lipstick to be a fun and cheeky alternative. 

What do you guys think of this lipstick? I cannot stress enough how lovely and flattering this color is! The next time you're near a Mac store, I urge you to try it on and see for yourself. Do you have any other bright pink, fuschia lipsticks that you like to use? Or do you have any particular colors that you are excited to use for the spring and summer? Please let me know in the comments below! 

With Love, Tiffany 

With Love, Tiffany's Liebster Award

First off, I would like to give a huge thank you to Nhi from Sincerely Blushaholic, Misa from Misaraisu.com , and Tianisha from Chocolate Demon-chan for nominating me for the Liebster Award. I was actually working on Nhi's questions on Monday night and then yesterday morning, I woke up to two more nominations from Misa and Tianisha! You guys are all seriously too sweet! <3

[EDIT: Although I filled this award out nearly a month ago, Tina from Be Bold Be Beautiful was kind enough to nominate me again. So in the spirit of never turning down an awesome award, I've updated this entry with her 11 questions. Thank you so much, Tina!]

I have been on Blogger for almost a month now and I understand that launching a blog takes hard work and gaining a steady following takes time. So I am super grateful to be nominated because the Liebster Award gives bloggers who have less than 200 followers more recognition in the blogosphere and to encourage them to keep blogging. Also, this award is a fun way for other bloggers to learn a little more about the one who was nominated. 

[NOTE: So this may be kind of funny but over the past couple of months, I've been nominated three more times xD This really reminds me of how I used to fill out a bunch of surveys back in those Xanga and Myspace days hahahaSo I just wanted to thank the following bloggers for the nominations and fill out their awards after the jump: every day kawaii, Krystal at Krystal Latte, and Tiffany at Sample Hime for nominating me. 

Review: Tony Moly "Tomatox Magic White Massage Pack"

Hello, readers! I know it's been a while since I've last updated but things have been a little hectic since last weekend. Not that I'm complaining--it's the good kind of hectic. I spent the weekend in Las Vegas with some girl friends and as expected, when traveling to a place like Vegas with a bunch of girls, I had a blast. 

What didn't have a blast was my skin after my trip. My skin took a bit of a beating over the past weekend from the dry desert weather, lack of sleep and the dreaded time of the month. I have relatively normal skin but it's been red and uneven this entire week, with the occasional pimple popping up in the most conspicuous of places. 

However, when the occasion rises, I always happen to have my trusty Tomatox Magic White Massage Pack from Tony Moly. This product is seriously a lifesaver for when my skin is acting up and I need to tell it, "Yo, calm down!" Sorry, that was lame. 

The packing is so cute, isn't it?! It looks just like a perfect tomato that's good enough to eat! 

Product Information 

According to the Tony Moly Global website, the tomato solution found in this product "delivers instant brightening, massaging and skin clearing mask effects".

• Tomato extract/solution antioxidant detox properties to clear skin 
• Lemon extract accelerates collagen synthesis, whitening, antioxidants, astringents
• Baicha extracts less irritation to skin with whitening property 
• Houstonia extract is known as a mysterious herb with 10 kinds of properties of anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, antiallergenic, whitening, activating term over to provide clear skin tone. 

Directions 

"After cleansing, apply on towel-dried face and gently massage for about 1 to 2 min. After massaging, leave it on your face for 5 to 10 min. Rinse out with lukewarm water and pat with towel. Use 2 to 3 times per week or use everyday as needed."

When opened, you can see that the product arrives with a small spoon for scooping up the product, mostly for sanitary purposes. 

The item comes with a sufficient amount of product that should probably last you around four to five months if you use this a few times per week. I use this about twice a week for when I need to calm my skin down or for when I need to go out somewhere and I don't feel like wearing face makeup. Yes, it's that good. More on that later.

The texture is sort of cool, creamy and smooth with the consistency of non-sticky glue. Or perhaps like sunscreen without the oily properties. It feels very cool and comfortable upon application; it's almost like food and nourishment for the skin. 

So here is a before of my skin. Since this is an up close picture, you can clearly see the tired redness and discoloration scattered across my cheek. It doesn't look that obvious when you're looking at me normally and not with a magnified glass, but it's still pretty obvious that my skin looks dull and tired. 

This is how the product looks applied to the skin after around the ten minute mark. When first applied, it's more goopy and smooth but after it absorbs a little, it clings to the skin and feels more like a clay mask without the feeling of tightness. 

Some other reviewers of this product experienced burning or stinging sensations to their skin when first applied. I did feel some minor stinging around the sides of my nose, since it was already peeling that day. I believe that this is mostly based on experience but you may want to be careful around areas that are already irritated.

After ten minutes, I splashed my face with cold water multiple times until all the product came off. It takes a few splashes and you really don't want to rub it off, since you'll just end up spreading goop across your face instead of getting it off. The splashing of the face with running water does the trick and  when you get towards smaller areas with remaining product, then you can rub it off. 

As you can see, my skin looks smoother, brighter and whiter than before. It didn't take away all of the redness, particularly around my nose but it did yield some significant results, albiet, temporarily. The downside to this product is that the results are indeed temporary and you're not going to magically get bright, whitened skin with constant use. I try to think of this as a face mask primer instead that works a little magic. But like Cinderella and her fairy godmother, all magic doesn't last forever.

Pros 

• Delivers what it promises to do: whiten, brighten and smooth skin 
• Smells fragrant, clean and refreshing 
• Smooth, lotion-like consistency that's gentle and comforting to the touch  
• Skin becomes clear and smooth--you can your face makeup right afterwards for a radiant finish or you can go barefaced if you feel comfortable enough
• Adorable and durable packaging

Cons

• Effects are temporary and only last for a few hours
• Product can possibly cause some irritation to certain areas of the face 

Rating: 4 ❤❤❤❤❤

Tomatoes have always had a great reputation for being good for your skin. Yogurt, oatmeal and papaya  have also been reputated to provide great nourishment for the skin when applied topically. It's no surprise that in Korea, the quality of skincare takes it up a notch from the skincare found in the US. You really will find all kinds of products using interesting ingredients advertised to transform your skin.  Some of them as simple as tomatoes, grapes or bananas while others can be a little more unusual--snail secretion has been all the rage last time I was there. Some products are just gimmicks, while others do deliver what they promise, such as this one I've reviewed here. 

Let me know what you think of this product. Do you have any particular face masks or go-to skincare products that you use when your skin is crying out for a little rest and recuperation? What other whitening and brightening products have you tried? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

With love, Tiffany