Innisfree Malaysia GRAND OPENING Haul

If you're a K-Makeup or skincare fan, you've definitely heard of this brand, Innisfree. Innisfree is Korean Cosmetic brand that claims to sell makeup and skincare that are made mostly from natural ingredients from Jeju Island.

Innisfree compared to other korean drugstore brands

Obviously Innisfree's products claim to have lesser chemicals compared to other brands. Thus, naturally making Innisfree rather pricey. However, the price difference doesn't have a big difference from what I;ve seen previously in Korea.

Good News:

Well, being a makeup freak myself, I've always been looking for online sites that sold Innisfree products. Wait for it... and as of today Innisfree has officially opened their 1st ever Malaysian outlet in Sunway Pyramid. YAY!! Look at the queue. I lined up for almost 2 hours before being able to step in, crazy right?

P.S. The korean owner (I suppose) pitied us having to wait in such a long queue even after the store opened, ran to AEON with his men employees to purchase Minute Maid's Orange Juice and paper cups for those who were in the queue. Gotta love that Korean SERVICE culture! <3

Best part:

I honestly feel that the pricing in Innisfree is super reasonable and surprisingly cheaper than Etude House (cosmetics). Like seriously, these are so affordable plus they are supposed to have less chemicals. Really worth it!! 

And every product's description tells you about its shelf-life (in english), cool eyh?

HAUL:

So let's get straight into what I bought shall we? P.S. There wasn't any sale. REVIEW links will be added on later.

Didn't realize the comb was blocking something. You'll find out what it is later.

Innisfree The Green Tea Seed Serum Special Set

STEAL of the day. The Green Tea Seed Serum Special Set. Unfortunately, this ain't for me. But it is the No. 1 Top Seller in Innisfree. Brief description: 1 Green Tea Seed Serum (Full Size), 1 (Deluxe Sized??) Toner and Moisturizer. Here's the deal, Green Tea Seed Serum is originally RM90 but you get this set fr RM90 which technically means the toner and moisturizer was FREE!

Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask in Aloe

Okay, this? This is for me. 2 mask sheets only?! Yes. I'm currently using the Laneige Water Series so yeah.. didn't want to mix them up. GUYS!! ONLY RM4 each, not discounted. YES!! IKR?! Compared to Etude House of The Face Shop that retails for RM6.90 each w/o discounts or promotions, come on.. I think I regret only getting 2.

Innisfree Green Barley Multi Cleansing Tissue 50 sheets

This is the 2nd and last skincare product for myself. Brief description:

• 50 sheets
• removes makeup
• claims to be enriched with green barley from pure Jeju Island that helps to clear and smooth skin by effectively removing skin impurities and dead skin cells

Price: RM26 (reasonable, right?)

Innisfree No-Sebum Mineral Powder

Another Innisfree Best-Seller here. Designed for the face. Loose powder to control oil. Contains NATURAL Originated Mint and Mineral

Interesting fact: Just like how most Western girls use dry shampoo, Korean girls use this powder surprisingly for their hair and it functions exactly like the dry shampoo. They tap a little to the oil spots on their scalp and massage it in. There are dry shampoos in powder form, but who'd think of using this powder that was manufactured for the face. Cool eyh??

Price: RM24 each

Innisfree Long-Wear Cushion in 23 True Beige

Yay!! Another BB Cushion to my collection now. Great for humid weather/summer as it is supposed to stay strong even with sweat and sebum. *thumbs up*

Price: RM80 (No discount or promotion)

Re-fill price: RM49

Innisfree Wooden Dry Hair Brush

This Innisfree Wooden Dry Hair Brush claims to be a styling brush that is effective for volume hair or hair curls. This honestly was a greedy purchase. Long story short, I didn't need it. I saw it while lining up to pay, and I just took it for god knows what reason.

Price: RM10 (yes, I'm not kidding. No sale. Nothing.)

And being a Korean cosmetic brand, they can't leave out freebies right?

Today, as you sign up for their membership and depending on how much you spend, you are suppose to get some free stuff. But, they short-changed me. Having spent RM262 in total, I should be receiving a green tea balancing kit. As for membership registration, 4 samples + 1 sheet mask.

According to:

However, I only got 

These.. 1 Green Tea mask and a bag of only 4 samples. WHERE is the Green Tea Balancing kit? Am I suppose to collect it the next time? No, no one said anything of that sort to me.

But, it's okay. What's done is done.

So, this is my haul from Innisfree's Grand Opening in Malaysia. I hope you enjoyed reading through this. Reviews will be posted as soon as I try the products out. Thanks for reading! :)

REVIEW: The Original Beauty Blender in Pink

The Original Beauty Blender

I've always wanted an original Beauty Blender. However, in Malaysia, you can't find them in stores but I have found them online. There are many online sites that sell them and the price ranges from RM72-RM200 I'd suppose depending on which set you get.

The Beauty Blender is definitely a luxury makeup blending sponge. It's not super expensive but it's definitely on a pricier side. Therefore, I would suggest you to think it over before splurging on such a sponge. There are many dupes on the market that are way cheaper but I honestly think that they don't do the job as well.

How I decided on purchasing the Beauty Blender:

As I said, it is pricey for a makeup sponge. I have been thinking about it for over a year now and finally made up my mind when Luxola sent me a RM50 cash voucher. Yes, one of the sites which sold the Beauty Blender was www.luxola.com. It retails for RM72 for the original pink sponge on that site and once I received the cash voucher, I figured spending it on the Beauty Blender would save me so much and I'd get free shipping.So, I did that and the parcel arrived 3 days later. (For me, thanks to Luxola, the Beauty Blender came with free shipping and only cost me RM22) Thank you LUXOLA!

The Original Beauty Blender in Pink

First Impression:

It always accured to me that the Beauty Blender was quite big. But when it came, it was so small. I felt super disappointed I just needed to go online (was quite ignorant) and do my research on the Beauty Blender and then I learnt that I'd have to run it under water and it'll expand *magic*.

Here are some pictures to show you the amazing size difference :)

Beauty Blender Before

Beauty Blender After

Big difference eyh? Not to mention that the Beauty Blender is way softer than other dupes around. I did use it for my Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream and yes, it did a super great job in making my base makeup look so natural!

Questions asked:

1. Do I have to wash my Beauty Blender after every use?

Ans: Not necessarily but it is best to do so.

2. Why is my Beauty Blender growing mold?

Ans: Mold grows due to moisture and dirt in the air and also poor ventilation.

3. How do I prevent mold from growing on my Beauty Blender?

Ans: Keep your Beauty Blender where there is good ventilation. NEVER keep you damp Beauty Blender in a plastic bag or container where the ventilation is poor. 

4. How do I prolong my Beauty Blender's lifespan?

Ans: Always make sure your Beauty Blender is washed frequently and stored in an open space where it can dry properly. Also prevent using long nails to scrape and squeeze your Beauty Blender.

The pros:

1. Even makeup finish

2. Saves time

3. Uses less base makeup

The cons:

1. Pricey

2. Takes time to clean and pink dye from the sponge does come out when washing

See what I mean? 

However, WOULD I REPURCHASE The BEAUTY BLENDER? YES!!

Seoul Visit 2013 Part 3 (Korean Cosmetic Haul: Nature Republic and The Face Shop)

Hi again guys!! Here's part 3 as promised.

So here's what I got from The Face Shop in Korea. ^ ^ It's not much because I went to Korea ready to spend all my money in Nature Republic and Etude House. I visited The Face Shop in NamDaeMun, it was more like a warehouse where some stuff were cheaper than the other Face Shops around.

Jewel Therapy Damage Hair's Argan Oil Serum

 I bought this not having done any research at all. Have I heard of it? No. I bought it because it was a freaking 7,000W (RM21) for this ARGAN hair oil. The cheapest ones that I've found in Malaysia costs at least RM30. Obviously, I HAD to get it.

The Face Shop Mask Sheets in Lemon, Pomegranate and Rice)

 This outlet's face masks were by far the cheapest I came across in Korea. One packet had 10 sheets and one packet only cost me 5,000W (RM15) (I know, cheaper than the hair oil). So I just had to get 4 packets. Honestly, I wanted to get more. T___T But, I poor mah~~ No money~~ *Malaysian accent* As you can see, most of it like Lemon and Rice are for whitening. TBH, I have fairly good skin because I've never had any major acne problems like I think most teenagers would have or have gone through. I consider myself quite blessed in that sense. But unfortunately, I have uneven skin tone *cries*. I don't know why!! Not only that, but I am also fairly dark for a chinese (at least darker than my friends and siblings). P.S. No reviews will be done on this I guess because I've tried these before and yes they do get the job done quite well but of course, be consistent when using these products.

The Face Shop Small Facial/Pore Brush

 I don't quite remember how much I paid for this. I think it was 8,000W(RM24). Back about this product, it's not UNEVEN skin tone I have. I also have GIGANTIC pores!! Always a pain in the butt since I don't know how to squeeze my own blackheads out. I really suck at it. Every time I try, I end up hurting my own face and nothing comes out. SAD LIFE. So, I decided to give this Pore Brush a chance. ;)

FROM NATURE REPUBLIC, OMG!! Exo has become the ambassador for this brand and have I ever mentioned I'm a big FAN of k-pop EXO?! It's not K-pop actually, it's actually just EXO and I personally favor Exo-M more. WHY?? Because there's KRIS of course. I do like LuHan and the others but KRIS is just WOW... walking into each and every Nature Republic, I just felt so great because EXO's songs were blasting all over the place and their MV was on too. Not only to mention that they were then playing EXO's new song at the time, Miracles in December when the album wasn't even released yet, anyways~~ back to the topic on my haul.

Nature Republic Soothing Aloe Vera Gel

 This product is really THE BOM!! I kid you not. I first heard of this when watching a Youtube video from Teddybearkitties a.k.a. Angela. Then one day I decided to visit the Nature Republic here in Malaysia to give it a try. And WOW!! All the people that raved about this were so RIGHT!! This has become my Holy Grail. Believe it or not, I bought 10 tubs of this in Korea. I honestly forgot how much I paid for this in Korea but it came to about RM14-16 for one tub. I paid RM33 (if not mistaken) in Malaysia. And lookie at the picture, I got a free face mask with it and EXO's on it. I got many samples with their faces on it too~~ <3

Nature Republic Nail Polish

 And being the poor me I am but to give EXO some support, I just had to buy these nail polishes because they were so affordable for it's quality too. (I'm joking about buying them to support EXO, I'm not that crazy of a fan.. i think...) One bottle cost me 1,000W (RM3). The quality is really good and I bet you can find a lot of dupes for other known brands.

Nature Republic Botanical Eco Crayon Lip Rouge

I'm a real big sucker for lip products I just realized. They cost me 4,400W(RM15) each. Not bad yoh!!

So, I got this in two shades.

Nature Republic Botanical Eco Crayon Lip Rouge in No.5 Burgundy Red

Nature Republic Botanical Eco Lip Rouge in No.7 Burgundy Wine

Don't judge me. Yes, I love burgundy colors!! <3 The color pigment in these are amazing and they do last long enough. ;)

So, that's the end of my Nature Republic and The Face Shop Haul from Korea.

If you have any comments or questions, be sure to leave a comment down below or you could send an e-mail to loui_96-li@hotmail.com :)

My 2013 Chritmas Surprise!

Hey y'all!! So, on the 22nd of December 2013, my friend I've known since kindergarten joined me for a 'Driving Talk' (We had to sit through this as one of the steps to getting our driving license). And dear lord, mah friend over here surprised me with a Christmas present. Guess what?? I didn't even prepare anything for her. Yah know why? Because OUR families weren't the type to celebrate Christmas. But somehow, she just HAD this present with her for me.

The BEST part was, it was A CHRISTMAS GIFT from her mom. And OMG, I loved it. It was something I've been wanting since like forever (meaning as far as I could remember). It was a THING that was very SIMILAR to the Clarisonic (which was what I wanted).

It was a DR NANO LABCEL TIMELESS YOUTH 5 in 1 BEAUTY CARE MASSAGER.

Dr. Nano Labcel Timeless Youth 5 in 1 Beauty Care Massager

Dr. Nano Labcel Timeless Youth 5 in 1 Beauty Care Massager brush and stuff

I'm super duper hyped up and excited about using this tool!! I will try using it later. Review on this will be up soon!!

If you have any comments or questions, be sure to leave a comment down below or you could send an e-mail to loui_96-li@hotmail.com :)

Seoul Visit 2013 Part 2 (Korean Cosmetics Haul: Etude House)

I know it's not a Saturday or Sunday. I'm late. Sorry!! Had relatives from my hometown come to visit this weekend. I was super busy!! Anyways, as promised from the previous Seoul Visit 2013 Part 1 post, I will be blogging about my purchases from each cosmetic brand in Korea. (Reviews on products and close up photos of products will be done 2 months prior to this post).

Seeing as I did mention that I spent a bomb at Etude House, therefore I'm starting off with Etude House.

The Etude House I visited on Myeong Dong Street.

The very first thing I grabbed as soon as I walked into Etude House was this baby right here,

Etude House's Wonder Pore Freshener

Yeap, the infamous Wonder Pore Freshener / known to some people as a Toner. I purchase this in Korea for 15,000W (15USD/RM47) only to realize that I should have purchased more in Korea. It's so freaking expensive here in Malaysia, I walked into an Etude House here in Malaysia and it was RM79.90 for this thing. Come on, the price here is almost doubled of the price in Korea. 

Etude House's Wonder Pore Cotton Glove

Not only that, but I also got a packet of cotton gloves from Etude House to use with the product. It was free. The cotton glove in Malaysia costs RM29.90. *DISCLAIMER* In Korea, you do have to purchase this Wonder Pore Cotton Glove but when I bought the Freshener, it was a special edition where they gave this cotton glove away with the purchase of the freshener.
The online reviews for this was really good. So I thought I'd purchase one to try it out for myself.

The next thing on my list was Etude House's famous Precious Mineral BB cream. This, I have tried the sample I got here in the Etude House here in Malaysia but the BB cream here was really expensive so I thought of buying it in Korea.

Etude House's Precious Mineral BB Cream with SPF30/PA++

I bought the one in W15 Sand Beige. I purchased it for 14,000W which is also equivalent to RM43. Let me remind you that everything in Korea was cheaper because no import tax is needed.

Always being curious and always wanting to try out their CC cream definitely made me crazy and I grabbed myself one tube and threw it into my shopping basket.

Etude House's Correct & Care CC Cream with SPF30/PA++

Again, this was the same price as the Precious Mineral BB Cream (14,000W = RM43)

Have you heard of the LANEIGE BB Cushion?? Have you seen their advertisement done by Song Hye Kyo?? That advertisement was one of the first advertisements ever in my life to get me so hyped over a product. But, I am still a student without much money so I ended up getting one similar product from Etude House. This product actually promises an air brush finish (if I'm not mistaken).

Etude House's Precious Mineral Any Cushion

Partly why I bought this product so confidently was because the BB Cream used for this compact was actually the same as the Precious Mineral series just in a different form of packaging. But the weirdest thing is, that I bought this BB in W13 Natural Beige when it was suppose to be W15 Sand Beige. I just somehow felt this Natural Beige suited my skin tone better with this product. So, remember to test out the products at all times rather than assuming that your color tone for all products are the same. Owh, and before I forget, this was 23,000W equivalent to RM71. P.S. I bought this one sale. Usually, you'd have to pay RM71 for just the BB Compact but this time it came with a free refill and pen (I know the pen's quite irrelevant but it did come together).

Here I go again, have you heard of the infamous BEAUTY BLENDER?? Yeap, I'm still too poor to purchase that so I got myself a cheaper version from Etude House. Here, in Etude House, it's called a Baby Doll Puff.

Etude House's Baby Doll Puff

Etude House's Baby Doll Puff

I've used this product and it works fine for me. I love it. A much more detailed review will be up soon. This cost me 7,000W equivalent to RM21.50.

I guess that's about all I got from Etude House.

You're most probably thinking, this ain't much but let me assure you they did cost me a bomb. I did find them a little pricey but if you're visiting Korea, bear in mind, nothing here is extremely super cheap. The price of each product basically tells you all about it's quality.

And as usual, I got fabulous free samples. Etude House gave me 1 sheet mask, 2 set of twin moistfull collagen toner and emulsion, a few sachets?? of bath wash (milky soy and some berry ones) and a hand mirror (which was super cute)!!

 The free gift I got, comes in so handy. Thanks Etude House Korea.

Once again, if you have any questions, please leave a comment down in the comment box down below. For any other further enquiries, you could e-mail me at loui_96-li@hotmail.com . Thanks :)