i have good experience with nyx felt tip eyeliner, and though it dried rather quickly even though i have put the felt tip downward as instructed, but it didn't last that long. and gel eyeliner in pencil form was quite popular around the time my felt tip eyeliner ran out, so i decided to change heart and tried the loreal gelmatic pen eyeliner. but then i found the formula is not consistent among the gelmatic. my navy one was okay, but the black one suddenly dried out halfway. very disappointing though, since it was creamy and glided smoothly, and lasted quite for a long time. but anyway, i found out that nyx released this two timer eyeliner, it's a dual ended eyeliner, felt tip on one end, and kohl pencil on the other end. what a perfect combination!

this is the description from nyx official website: having it all is possible with this incredibly edgy new makeup weapon. the combination of the precision of liquid liner with the ease of application of kohl pencil is the perfect match to create a variety of dramatic looks. when the cat eye meets the smoldering intensity of a smoky eye look, who knows where the night will take you?

so, let's talk about the product:

the packaging: it's a dual ended pen. one side is felt tip, the other one is kohl. pretty sturdy packaging even though it's from plastic. both ends are clicked top (the one that you have to push until you heard the "click" sound) so i'm hoping it's strong enough since i'll be using this one a lot.

the felt tip: it's pointed enough for me, so i can draw a very thin line near my lashes. and i can draw cat eye to perfection. yey! it's very easy to use.. and it dries pretty quickly after being applied. but i found out if you don't wear any primer, it will smudge on my lids. well, since i have oily lids and all, i guess i should wear eye primer from this day on..

the kohl pencil: it's very creamy, glided smoothly. but unfortunately, it's very brittle. when i tried it, i broke the tip easily even though i didn't use too much power. *sob* anyway, it can be smudged easily for smoky effect, and once again, it tends to smudging on my lids, so remember to use primer beforehand.

the lasting power: on my oily lids, without primer, the felt tip lasts longer than the kohl pencil. the kohl only holds for 2 hours or so. but with primer, the felt tip won't budge. while i haven't tried the kohl with primer. will update about that soon.

overall, i have no cons with this product. i'm happy since i can use kohl for everyday or my lazy day.. hahaha.. and i can use the felt tip when i feel dressy and want to do cat eye. hopefully it doesn't dry out quickly as the felt tip. and though there's no instruction on how to store the pen, i put the felt tip downwards just like the felt tip eyeliner. i will repurchase this one if it doesn't dry out as fast as the felt tip.

probably i haven't mentioned it yet, that lately, if i need ready stock korean skincare/makeup, i buy it on chicprincessa.com. and i read on femaledaily forum that the chicprincessa owner's sister manage the preorder system via email, so i ask via email to chicprincessa which then give me the email of preorderlair. if you're familiar with riebutik, i believe the brands and prices in chicprincessa/preorderlair are similar to riebutik's. anyway, i've bought 3 times from chicprincessa via their website, and twice from preorderlair, and i have to say i'm quite satisfied with their service.

okay.. now about my last haul from preorderlair..

since i bought my skincare from roseroseshop, so i bought makeup mostly...

1. nyx powder blush in mauve : i've been searching about nyx powder blush. though i wanted to try liquid blush like rimmel, i found it hard to find an online shop that sell liquid blush. and when i've already ordered nyx, i found an online shop that sells holika holika liquid blush.. *sigh* oh well, probably i'm not meant to buy liquid blush. so back to powder blush, i've bought the famous pinched shade, which tend to fall on pinker side rather than orange side. probably i'll buy coral garden or apricot which more orange than pinched.. but since pinched has subtle glitter in it, i decided to find something more matte, more suitable for daily. and something that's not as vibrant as pinched, since i have to be careful when applying pinched. i have to be very light handed, or i'll look like clown. so, when i was browsing for new shade, i was confuse whether to pick angel, natural or mauve, since all of them are similar to me. but then, i decided to pick mauve. it's cheap, so i'll get another shade sometime else.

2. nyx two timer eyeliner: i like nyx felt tip eyeliner, but unfortunately, it dried quicker than i thought. and when i wanted to buy the new one, it was sold out everywhere, and i decided to try loreal gelmatic penliner instead. but i found out that it wasn't consistent. i have two of them, one in black, and one in navy. the navy one works okay up to now, but the black one suddenly dried. i've tried to cut the tip, but it didn't help. it's hard to use, and just won't show if i put eyeshadow first. so i decided to buy the two timer. i can get the felt tip that i like, and i have the pencil if i'm in a rush. it's perfect!

3. innisfree apple juicy cleansing oil: i ran out my usual milk cleanser, and i like the innisfree apple juicy cleansing oil sample, so i decided to buy the full size.

4. etude house 3 step lash perm volumecara and curling: it's a 3 step mascara. there are several version of this lash perm mascara. the volumecara, shockcara, curling, 3 step volumecara, 3 step volumecara in brown and this 3 step volume plus curling. since i have pretty thick eyelashes, usually i don't buy mascara for volume only, since it might clump my eyelashes. so i decided to buy the volume plus the curling one. and i have difficulty finding the review on this one, since everybody else seems to buy the 3 step volumecara instead. this mascara is supposed to use for 3 different outcome, the first one is the natural one, the second one is more dramatic than the first, and the third one is almost false-eyelashes-like effect. i haven't tried it yet, but we'll see if it really works as it was supposed to be.

and i bought the faceshop eyebrow pencil from chicprincessa plus my usual etude house facial wash. i want to learn to shape my eyebrow. though i have quite bushy eyelashes, but i found out when i got my makeup done for my master graduation, the makeup artist still shaped and filled my eyebrow. so probably i have to learn to do that to define my brow. actually the faceshop one is similar to etude's drawing show eyebrow pencil, but since i've read somewhere that it's going to be discontinued, so i'd rather not to try something that will vanish from the market. i'll write separate review once i've tried them all.

actually, i don't have that very dry lips, but somehow, my lips chapped when i applied some of my lipstick, especially if the lipstick wasn't that moisturizing. i could see lines on my lips after applying my lipstick. and i don't know why, but there seems to be dead skin build up on my inner bottom lips, which is annoying. i thought it's because i use lip butter/lip balm very often, but i read somewhere that they aren't the culprit, so i guess probably i should try exfoliating my lips. and i read somewhere that many people love elf lip exfoliator. it's cheap and it does what it says, sooo.. when i purchased my bio oil, fortunately the online shop has the lip exfoliator as well, so i decided to give it a go.

this is the description from their official website:

gently exfoliate lips to remove dry, chapped skin with our lip exfoliator. a sweet sugar and smoothing sensation, infused with vitamin e, shea butter, avocado, grape and jojoba oils to nourish and protect. this lip exfoliator treats and smoothes lips for a conditioned and revitalized feel.

how to: apply to clean, damp lips and massage in a circular motion to exfoliate. use a moistened cotton pad with water to gently wipe away scrub. follow with a lip balm or gloss to condition.

now.. let's move on to the product..

the packaging: it looks like lipstick, so it's easy to use. but be careful with the cap though. it's made from tin or sort of tin, and the edge is quite sharp.. i even use it to slightly chop the top surface to make it easier to use.

the smell: it doesn't have distinct smell, but probably just a hint of sugary smell.

the product: it's in a bullet just like lipstick. you just twist the bottom to use it just like lipstick. i use it like the instruction. at first, the surface is very smooth, so i can't get any scrub onto my lips. second time using it i rub it quite hard and bleed my lips. and then i read in some blog that they chopped the top surface a bit to get the product on their lips, and i did that. and i guess it works! the third time i managed to get the scrub on my lips and massage it well. and i do feel my lips smooth and no dead skin build up. but i still can't use it properly on my inner lips edge.

the result: it did what it said. great deal.

overall, this is a successful budget buy. if you're looking for a cheap lip exfoliator but making it yourself is not an option, probably you should grab this one. more over, elf often holds sales.. and this one is in their best sellers, so you might grab it only with $1.5! very cheap but delivering satisfying result.

i know i've been raving a lot about innisfree soybean energy essence, and i still love it and i will try the light version to see the difference, but since many people adore missha as the dupe of sk-ii, i might as well get my hand on the samples and try it myself. fyi, i've tried the missha time revolution new science activator ampoule and i like it, so i have no idea whether i'll love or hate the essence.

the description from misshaus.com: the very first step to your skin care regimen. contains 80% fermented yeast concentrate, which absorbs into skin instantly to energize your skin. also contains niaciamide, a vitamin b3 component, to improve skin elasticity, enhance skin barrier function, and revive skin tone and texture. DN-aid, made from cassia-alata extract, provides vitality to aging skin, protects DNA from aging caused by uv rays, and promotes restoration of damaged DNA>

the first treatment essence improves fine lines and skin tone. the miracle water hydrates, restores, rejuvenates, and gives you a glowing complexion.

the packaging: the full size product really looks alike sk-ii, in clear glass bottle with minimal decoration. the sample also has the picture of the bottle in front of it. each sample only contains about 1 ml of product, and it can be used twice (for me).

the smell: just like innisfree, i don't smell anything. no fermented scent at all.

the product: it's clear as water, and the consistency is like water too. that's why i can't capture it without having it spilled all over. oh, and what the bloggers said about the stickiness, that's true. between innisfree and missha, the innisfree one is more sticky than missha's, so if you don't like the stickiness of innisfree, you might want to try the missha one.

the result: i've only used the sample for 10 days, and all i can say is that it doesn't cause me any purging just like innisfree, and it doesn't give me breakouts, so it's another good signs. some bloggers tested this one for more than a month, and that gives them something else. probably if you want to test korean products, you might have to try for more than a month before seeing some difference. but i can say that missha didn't give me the "glow" like innisfree.

will i purchase the full size bottle? since the price is higher than innisfree, and missha doesn't have the smaller size bottle, i don't think so. i will recommend this one though if you're having very oily skin and don't like the stickiness of innisfree soybean energy essence. once again, the result may vary on different person, soooo.. remember to try the samples first if you're sensitive, never tried fermented stuff, and on tight budget. though some bloggers prefer missha since they hold sales more frequently than innisfree.

i have to admit, reading others blogger raving about the beauty products that they love sometimes affected me. and this is one of the example. i knew that sulwhasoo is one of the premium brand of korean skincare, so i was careful not to buy any sample of sulwhasoo products since i knew i wouldn't be able to buy the full size product. not that i can't afford it, but more like better find something cheaper if i could. but somehow, i had no other option in the sleeping mask category, so i decided to buy 2 sachets of this mask.

this is the description from neiman marcus:

replenish your skin as you rest with this penetrating overnight mask by sulwhasoo, formulated with korean medicinal herbs to reawaken skin's natural glow. walnut extract creates an essential moisture layer on the skin, promoting optimal absorption of nourishing ingredients, like purifying acute lobed angelica extract and antioxidant pomegranate extract, while you sleep. white mulberry extract minimizes redness and irritation as hyaluronic acid promotes long-term hydration, restoring and revitalizing skin overnight.

the packaging: the full size product is in a brownish tube. and the sample has the similar color to the real product tube color. so it makes it easier to choose which one to pick, but make sure to read the description on the bottom part of the sachet, no need to worry since it's in english.

the smell: all bloggers said that all sulwhasoo products has distinct scent, a little bit like herbal medicine. some said it smells like ginger, some said it's like medicinated cream. for me, it did smell like a little bit like medicine, but not too overpowering. it will dissipated after a while. and after using it for couple times, i get used to it.

the product: it's a ivory white cream. pretty thick, but not as thick as innisfree orchid night cream. but it's thicker than innisfree enriched cream. though it's thick, but it's absorbed pretty quickly. and it doesn't leave sticky feeling afterwards. the sample sachet is quite big, so one sachet can be used up to 7-8 times, since i only need few small dots every time i use it.

the result: it doesn't cause me breakouts, which is hooray, since laneige one sometimes gives me breakout. some said it gave them glowy skin in the morning. i don't know about glowing, but since it was overnight vitalizing, i have to agree it do give me the glow that give the impression that i slept for 8 hours. i've tried it once when i had difficulty in sleeping and usually lack of sleeping made me look dull, but using this mask made my skin look okay. i've been using this product for almost two weeks (i use it 2-3 times a week) and i like it. though it doesn't brighten my skin or do miraculous thing in instant, but somehow i'm hooked to this mask and now i have to save my money to buy the full product.

i will say that if you're looking for rich sleeping mask that give a little bit anti-aging treatment, then you should give this mask a try. i will say all types of skin can try this mask, but probably if you're sensitive to herbal scents, you might want to try the sample first.

this is another serum from it's skin power 10 lines, the vb effector. i know, there are a lot of serums and essences in this line, but i had my eyes on 4 of them, the co, vc, vb and po. i was sceptic about co and turned out it was okay but it didn't do any miracle on me. the vc was another okay, but it was a cheaper substitution for o.s.t. serum. there's no o.s.t. sample so i can't compare them both, but i guess vc wasn't close as substitute to o.s.t. and po, though a blogger recommend it, but i can't stand the smell so i have to give that one up. the last one on my list was vb. at first, i was intended to buy the full size straight, but then my sister ordered the wrong one for me and got the vc instead, so i decided to try the sample first.