Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion #13 Review & Swatches

I used to hate cushions.  I didn't like the unsanitary concept, the limited shade ranges, the high price point and low product volume, the lack of samples for colour matching before purchase, and after the DIY cushion method was a hot mess, I gave up on the idea as just a runaway hype train.

I was wrong, kinda.  Like their BB cream counterparts, shade ranges are limited although there are signs that's improving, and I was relieved to hear that cushions are apparently formulated with the maximum preservative concentration possible to offset the hygiene concerns.  There are now cushions for every budget and one really shouldn't be using them for longer than a few months anyway, but unfortunately there's still a dearth of options should you want to test to see if a cushion shade will fit you before you buy.  There are adorable tiny cushions out there, but they're rare.

That means swatches are critical to the "sight unseen" buying process of cushions.  As fellow Snailcast podcaster Tracy of Fanserviced-b put it during our episode on cushions,"people who swatch cushions are first in line for heaven" so it's time for me to pay it forward.

Insert in #13 via a buying service + Limited Edition Peony cushion purchased from 11st

One of the things I love about cushions is the ability to swap in different inserts but keep the same case; I managed to get my paws on one of the 2014 limited edition Sulwhasoo Peony cushion cases last year, although I purchased it in a shade I knew was wrong for me.  That's no barrier-- I simply purchased some refill inserts and swapped those in instead.  You can read more on how to use 11st here: Level Up Your K-Beauty Obsession: a Guide to 11st + My 1st 'Real' Cushion!

In this post:

• Product details
• Ingredients
• Comparison swatches of Mac NC15, Sulwhasoo Perfecting Brightening #17, and Sulwhasoo Perfecting #13
• Cushion demo & why I shouldn't apply makeup in my bathroom
• Instagram 10k thank-you giveaway details

In an effort to be thorough, I'll be providing both arm swatches comparing the Sulwhasoo cushions I have next to Mac NC15, and also face swatches as well, so you can see the coverage, finish, and what it looks like on a real face.  When I finish this review, I'm going to try to drink away the image of my bare skin in HD.  Clearly I need to get back on the PIH (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) fading wagon after slacking off on actives for the summer.

One Shade to Flatter Them All: Clio Tension Lip #7 'Some' Review & Swatches on Fair, Medium, and Deep skin tones

Time for more fall-appropriate makeup adventures!  I'm quite excited about this post because not only do I absolutely freaking love this lipstick, thanks to the help of two lovely fellow K-Beauty bloggers, I'm going to be able to show how it looks on skin tones other than mine!

I not only love this lipstick, but it's been my go-to shade side I started using it in ... July?  (Seasonal appropriateness be damned, I love plum shades.)   I made a summer haul from Clio's official US site which included this lipstick, and was very excited about it as it was sold out on the site from which I'd been hauling, but to my sadness it didn't survive the trip.  When I opened it, the lipstick was nowhere to be found- it had melted and slid into the lid.  Nooooo!   I let Clio know about a (sunscreen) hiccup in my order which was my fault, I mentioned what happened to the lipstick, and to my delight, they offered to send me a replacement!

My pristine replacement tube, finally ready for photos.

When the weather cooled off, I contacted Clio to arrange to add my replacement lipstick to an order I was making- which is how got my hands on the new eyeshadow palette from Clio; you can check it out here: First Look & Swatches: Clio Pro Palette

In this post:

• Product Details
• Lip Swatches on NC10, NC35, and NC/NW45 skin tones
• Comparison swatches with other red/pink/purple lip products
• Final Thoughts

One of the drawbacks of looking for makeup swatches online is the swatcher may not have a similar skin tone as you- this is especially an issue with K-Beauty and deeper skin tones, which are distressingly underrepresented.  So for this post, I reached out to some friends who are both PoC K-Beauty bloggers on Instagram, and they agreed to test it out for me for comparison's sake!

Amazingly, all three of us absolutely love the lipstick despite having very different skin tones.  Swatches ahoy!

Skin79 Orange Super Plus BB Cream Review

This week's review is of the many-named Skin79 Orange Vita Super Plus Triple Function Beblesh Balm Cream.  For the safety of your tongue muscles and the sanctity of anyone within spit-radius, do not attempt to say all that three times fast.  I've had this BB cream for ages, but summer is in full swing in Texas and since this BB cream was supposedly designed with oil control in mind, I decided to give it another try.

This is a bit of a "retro" BB cream that hails from the Glory Days of the Skin79 Hot Pink furor, when Skin79 started experimenting with some new formulations of BB cream.  Nowadays, there are so many brands and formulas of BB (and CC) creams that's it's hard to imagine a time when your choices were more limited!

The main points of the Orange BB was to provide more coverage than its Hot Pink predecessor, along with better oil control and meant for 'troubled' skin.  (That's polite Korean-speak for ACNE UP IN HERE!)  I've heard people describe it as being more "foundation-like" in its intent, but in my case I purchased it because it was recommended as the best match to an NC15 skin and I liked the high sun protection.

Read on for my thoughts on how this BB cream rates against the Hot Pink and my favourite Mizon Snail BB.

Weekly Review: Tonymoly Catchu Wink Tony Tint in Cherry Pink

This week's review is of a simple little lip stain product: Tonymoly's adorably-named Cat Chu Wink (complete with winking kitty packaging) lip tint in #01 Cherry Pink.

I am not a cat person.  In fact, thanks to my allergies, I hate cats, because they have a sadistic affinity for anyone who will turn into a sneezing, swollen mess if they get within 5 feet, such as yours truly.  That being said, you cannot deny that the little cat face on this lip tint/stain is so cute it should come with a warning label. :3


Details:
Full product name: Tonymoly Cat Chu Wink Tony Tint #01 Cherry Pink
Purpose: A liquid lip stain, like Benetint.
Texture: Standard lip stain, very thin liquid which spreads easily and dries quickly.
Scent:  Very mild, vaguely fruity?
Quantity: 10ml and a little goes a long way.
Availability: I bought mine from ebay, it's also available several places online, and within the US it is available from prettyandcute although they were out of stock last I checked.
Price: Ranges from $4-10, so very affordable
Rating:  4/5 for better than typical stain dryness.
Repurchase: Definitely.  It's the longest-lasting and least drying lip stain I have tried.


Time for the full review, including pictures!

 But before we get to that stage, I would just like to give a shout-out to all those beauty bloggers who manage to take pictures of their lips without feeling like Quasimodo after you see how monstrous and uneven they are in close-range.   Read on if you dare!

Mizon Snail Repair Blemish Balm Review

This week's review is of the Mizon Snail BB cream, specifically their Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Blemish Balm with SPF32/PA++.  It's part of a line of snail-based beauty products from Mizon, which was a brand I had never heard of until I learned of their snail BB cream from beauty blogger PBunnieP and after her rave review, I had to try it myself.

2015 update: Wow, looking back at old photos from old cameras is painful. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Hold the phone, you did not just say SNAIL?!

Yep, I did.  More on that later.

That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard of putting on my face!  I'm outta here.

You'd be missing out on something that has a near-miraculous effect on acne.

Snail filtrate (meaning it's harvested [cruelty-free] from a species of snail farmed just for this purpose, and then filtered) is famous for it's skincare benefits, which include speeding the healing process of any wound, which means it helps heal your acne more quickly and without scarring.  Seriously, just google it.

To me, that's huge.  As long as the little guys are not harmed, I'm all for anything that will help me combat the acne that continues to plague me right into my 30's.  It is also linked to various skin benefits and supposedly it has been clinically tested to confirm that it does in fact have chemicals in it that assist with regenerating the skin, as snails rely on healing abrasions, preventing infection, and quickly reducing inflammation so they are not compromised by whatever sharp nasty things they are gliding over.

Makes sense when you think about it that way, doesn't it?  It would be like dragging the inside of your lips over any and all surfaces; you wouldn't survive if you didn't have a way to keep the ensuing abrasions and contamination from killing you.

It's not even that exotic an idea anymore; it's been A Thing in the beauty world for quite a while, including Brazil, France, and of course Asia.

On to the review!