okay...i haven't written anything for awhile, and some of the products that i wrote was on my holiday trials. and i haven't tried anything new.. well, not until recently, so i can't write anything yet. but... i've made a few changes on my makeup stuff. i had this sephora pret a porter kit which was cute and had sooo many colors, but i realized, that most of the eyeshadows, i didn't use it. well, and since i'm getting older, those colors looked a bit ridiculous now.. so, i decided to buy more everyday color palette, for blush and eyeshadows. fyi, i bought coastal scents revealed palette which i'm so excited about since it was dupes for urban decay 1 and 2, and nyx powder blush for the blush. i decided that i don't need a blush palette, probably just one or two individual blushes, sooo.. for the first one i decided to pick pinched.

nyx powder blush (description from their website): our pressed powder blush delivers sheer, silky color that glides on easily, blends beautifully and creates a natural glow. the formula is richly-pigmented and lasts for hours. available in 24 radiant colors.

and pinched is widely known as nars orgasm dupes, which many beauty sites and bloggers recommend as a perfect coral blush for fair/light skin.

the packaging: it's a single blush in a black plastic square with a transparent cover. inside the blush is decorated with 9-pyramids on top of it.

the texture: it was powdery, but not as powdery as my revlon blushes, but a little bit powdery than sephora's.

the color: i have to say for fair skin girls, you have to use light hand, or you will look like a clown. for me, just one swipe is enough to make the color shown. temptalia described pinches as coral pink with gold iridescence. i was hoping it was on the orange side than on the pink side coral, but it was more on the pink side. it's a medium dark pink, with gold shimmer. but it's very subtle, not that chunky.

the lasting power: for me, it lasted about 4 hours before it's faded. and it's enough since i don't work all day.

so, i have to admit i'm quite satisfy with nyx powder blush, but pinched was not the perfect color for me. i will find another one which is more on the orange side and a natural one. hopefully i will be lucky next time.

i know.. another innisfree best seller.. but what can i do? reading all those reviews made me want to try it myself. and i have to admit, those bloggers warning about what's good for them might not be good for me it's true.

the description from their global website: a moisturizing and nourishing serum with organic green tea seeds from Jeju to fill the skin with suppleness and clarity.

let me remind you that i just recently read that there's an upgrade version of this serum. i don't know the difference yet between the original and the upgrade version. so i don't know if the sample i'm getting is the original or the upgrade version one.

the packaging: the full version one should be in a green bottle with a pump. i have my sample in a combination with the green tea cream. a sample can be used up to 3-4 times since i only use a tiny bit for my whole face.

the product: it's a clear substance, a bit runny. it's absorbed not that quickly to my skin, and i feel it's a bit tacky at first, but it disappears soon. some said that it mattifies their skin, but for me, if i use it alone, without additional cream or bb cream on top of it, it does mattify my skin. but if i use it in combination, somehow after a few hour it makes my skin oilier than usual.

the smell: it smells nice, but very subtle.

the result: some say it's perfect for oily-combination skin and especially in hot weather. but for me, if i wear it alone, it will be fine, but it's not moisturizing enough. but with combination with other products, it's just not right.

okay.. so in conclusion, i don't know who suits this product, probably they were right, this could benefit those who have combination skin, but definitely not for dry skin. but for me, i'll have to pass this one.

hurray! should i say that my search for moisturizer is over? perhaps i'm too soon to conclude, but i'm so sure about this that i've ordered the full size yesterday.

this is the description from en.koreadepart.com:

product description: formulated with natural moisture ingredients, MD 101. silicon gel network system. provides moisture and maintains watery skin all day. spatula included.

FYI, i have several candidates to try: mizon watermax aqua volume gel, laneige waterbank gel cream, and nature republic super aqua max combination watery cream. so far, between laneige and mizon, i will choose mizon, since it's more non oily than laneige. but then i managed to get my hand on nature republic samples, so i try it. and luckily, i get the chance to try it on winter dan tropical weather.

the packaging: the full size product is in a tub, which i don't like, but they said they provided the spatula. it's in a green tub, the color for the combination range. the whole super aqua line consisted with 3 different formulas, for dry skin, for combination skin, and for oily skin. the green one is combination, the red one is for dry skin, and the blue one for oily skin. it makes it easier to remember which one to grab when you want to use it. hehehe.. i'm so color freak.. the sample sachet shaped like the original tub, and it's green too.

the product: it's a gel-type cream, it's greenish too. it's absorbed rather quickly to my skin. the speed of absorption between my three candidates is almost equal. and one sachet can be used twice.

the smell: it's smell like ocean.. fresh and a bit floral scent i guess. so subtle though.

the result: so, basically i'm looking for something that's moisturizing enough but can control the sebum production, so my face won't be like oil mine. so far, mizon is best on oil control, but not moisturizing enough. and laneige is moisturizing but a little bit too much. so i can say that nature republic is the winner since it's both moisturizing but not too much. at noon, the only part of my face that become oily is my nose. and i'm okay with that. but when i tried it on winter weather, it's not enough. i can notice the skin around my nose became flaky.

okayy... for me, for now, the winner is the nature republic. but if i find out something else, something better, than i can't say that i won't change.

on my quest, i was searching for moisturizer, essence, serum, and a sunblock. though i've already owned faceshop sunblock, but that one is just an ordinary sunblock with white cast and stuff. and i was looking something lighter, more suitable for oily face with no white cast. well, i've got my eyes on etude house sunprise water essence gel and the faceshop oil cut, but since i can't get my hand on the faceshop sample, i'll just be satisfy for now trying the etude one.

description from sasa.com: etude house sunprise water essence gel spf 30++ PA which is the surprisingly lightweight watery gel provides protection against skin-damaging UVA and UVB ray without a greasy residue. 5 free formula: no parabens, benzophenone, mineral oil, talc, artificial colorant.

the packaging: the real product image just like the above, and the sample had the same picture and color, but no blue on top of the sachet.

the product: it was a yellowish gel, very lightweight indeed. and it's absorbed into my skin quickly. one sachet can be used twice for me.

the smell: i can't smell any distinctive smell, but no strong fragrance. though i can pick subtle nice smell.

the result: well, it's true about no white cast. it leaves no white cast everybody! about the oil control, i guess it's standard for me. oily on nose about 4 hours or so, and please notice that i used this on my winter vacation, and i wore no bb cream or foundation on top of the sunblock. since i only got one sachet, i can't confirm it on tropical weather. but, since i liked it, probably i'll get the full version after finishing this one.

okay.. let's just say at first i'm attracted to laneige and want to buy their basic skin care line for oily skin instantly, but unfortunately, it was out of stock for a while and by the time it was available, i'm already into something else.. the entire various korean skincare brand. and after trying the waterbank gel cream, i'm unsure if laneige is suitable for me.

okay...back to firming sleeping pack..

what make me interested in laneige is because they use song he-kyo as their brand ambassador. the girl is what? almost 40? but she still looks like the way she was when she played in full house back in 2003. so if she's really using laneige, then it must be good.

the description from laneige.com.sg: a supple and resilient sleeping pack that restore skin firmness while you sleep.

if you have no idea about sleeping pack, then i'll explain it to you. a sleeping pack in korean is basically a mask, but you can sleep with sleeping pack on your face all night long and then wash it in the morning. it's supposed to moisturize and give skin nutrients need to repair skin condition. laneige already had a very famous sleeping pack, the waterbank sleeping pack EX, and the firming one is a upgrade version of the old one. since i'm about 30 in another year, i might started anti-aging soon..

okay.. back to the review.. this firming sleeping pack formula is something called sleepPOP which is similar to sleeping pillow. when you touch it, a minute later it will back to its original shape. and the product is just like that. you can stir it, shake it, anyway you want, and then put it on flat surface, wait for a minute or two, and then it will be back smooth just like you just opened it.

the packaging: the original product size is smaller than its sibling, about 50 ml. and it's in blue pot, deep blue than the sleeping pack, which is light blue. the sample however, is in tiny pot, only 5 ml if i'm not mistaken.

the smell: i can't say for sure, but all i know, the smell is comforting.. hmmm.. it's true if they said it will make you have a good night sleep.

the product: it's a ivory white cream/gel thing.. it goes wiggle-wiggle when you stir it or shake it. hehehe.... quite funny.

the result: i am quite confuse about it though. at home, it is very moisturizing, but it doesn't make my face greasy in the morning. but when i use it on my winter holiday, it wasn't enough. hmmm... and sometimes i get breakouts, but not the day after, a day or two after using, and then something will pop out. i don't know if it's caused by the sleeping pack or other thing.

well, probably i'll keep buying the sample and try for a week to see if it breaks me out, rather than splurging on the full size product.

i'm so sorry for my long absence.. i have several posts pending because i was busy with my thesis and then holiday but now, i'll try to post the pending posts one by one..

as i said in several posts, i tried to finish my samples especially the freebies from testerkorea. and now, i tried the skinfood gold caviar collagen cream. i only got one sachet so i can't write whole review, just an impression based on one sachet.

this is what's written in eng.skinfood.com:

gold caviar collagen cream is a collagen-enriched cream with russian caviar extract, pure gold particles, and collagen extract that fill up loose, deflated skin for a firmer, tighter complexion. (cosmeceutical for wrinkle care)

the packaging: the full size product really looks like a premium thing, but unfortunately it comes in pot. the sachet on the other hand, doesn't have the premium design, just ordinary brownish sachet. for me, one sachet can be use up to three times (i don't like putting a lot of cream on my face).

the product: it's a white cream, i think it has the same consistency with the black pomegranate one. but after being applied, this one absorbed quicker than black pome, and it's not as oily as black pome (for me..)

the scent: it has light floral scent which i like more than the weird pome scent.

the result: i just feel my skin moisturized at night, and i can't say anything about the anti-wrinkle effect. probably if you have more money to spend, than you can buy this one. i guess this one is more suitable for dry skin. for combination skin to oily like me, probably you'll just want to use this as night cream only. and don't worry, it won't make your skin like oil mines in the morning. oh, and i don't experience any breakouts too..