Summer Holiday Haul!

This week I finally received some goodies in the mail that were slightly delayed by the summer holiday season, but I'm glad to have got them in my hot little hands at last.

If you're as interested in beauty products as I am, you're probably just as guilty of feeling the "I've got a package" thrill, so don't judge me for already opening the prettyandcute.com package-- I got it weeks ago, in fact 2 days after placing my order, so I was just waiting on the Korean package to arrive.


If you are wondering if that fabric is decorated with little green gremlins getting tanked at a kegger, you would be correct.  It was in my fabric stash and seemed ideally suited to a Canada Day/Independence Day-themed weekend, as I am pretty sure several of my neighbours are starting to resemble these little green guys after 4 days of partying.

Read on for the contents of my mega-haul!


Be still my heart:


Look at all those goodies.  I have a few repurchases mixed in with some experiments I have been either lusting after for some time, or just impulse bought.  Not going to lie, I do that too, but it usually takes me about a day to make an order as I put things in my cart and then research them as best I can.  When it comes to researching, Google Translate is my friend a lot of the time, which is why I have this blog ;)

Below I have an image of everything still in its original packaging, which I will label for you, then I have pictures row-by-row of what everything looks like outside the box, which I will detail what it's for, and why I bought it.

A lot of haul posts/videos are just people showing the item and then droning on about what's written on the box, which is boring.  Tell me WHY you bought it, I don't need you to regurgitate what the marketing says, like some sort of perfumed penguin vomiting dinner for its young!


Everything is labeled left to right.
Top row:  Everything is from Mizon-- Mizon Snail Recovery Gel (reviewed), Mizon Snail Repair BB cream (reviewed), Mizon Let Me Out Bye Bye Blackhead 3-Step Kit, Mizon Oriental Scalp Therapy Shampoo.

Middle row: Tonymoly Latte Art Cappuccino Cream In Scrub, below it is 10 samples of the Skin79 BB Cleanser Foam 6-in-1, ElishaCoy Premium Gold Mineral BB Cream travel size, Skin Food Agave Cactus Toner & Emulsion Samples, below them is Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX in travel size, Tonymoly Tangerine Whitening Hand Cream (which I am suspicious of, but I'll get to that in the breakdown), Etude House Wonder Pore Freshner Toner (small size), Mizon Snail Repair Ampoule, 10 samples of Skin Food Black Sugar Mask Wash Off Pack, below it is Holika Holika Snail Skin Care Kit.

Bottom row: My prettyandcute.com mini haul-- Skin79 Smart Clear All In One Cleansing Gel, Holika Holika Eyebrow Shaver package because I've managed to lose the shaver having used it ONCE, Skin79 sheet masks and a random Mizon face mask that I think I got from them (I have a lot of masks floating around, okay?  Don't judge me!) Mizon Push Out Volcanic Gommage, Skin79 White Reviving Solution, and Mizon Correct Combo Cream SPF25 PA ++.  I also got these sheet masks from My Beauty Diary but I'll be darned if I can find them to photograph: Strawberry Yogurt Mask, Sake Yeast Mask, Natto Mask, and Apple Polyphenol Mask.

On to the breakdowns!  I have placed each item in its original position when it was in-box.

Top row, with products detailed left to right below.

1. Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream
What it's for:  A light gel-type moisturizer used for a final step in a heavy routine, a light moisturizer in the summer, or as a sleeping pack.  Contains snail filtrate known to speed healing. 
Why I bought it:  Repurchase! If you haven't followed my blog, you should know that not only did I get 2 of these, I have so many empty tubes of this littered around that I look like some sort of snail gel junkie, post-bender.  I have started a new two-tube buying system; as soon as I empty the first tube, it's time to buy another set so I always have at least one-tube-buffer.  If you haven't read my glowing review of it yet, you can find it here: (click)

2. Mizon Multi Function Formula Snail Repair Blemish Balm SPF32/PA++
What it's for: It's a BB cream with snail filtrate, so it contains pigment for coverage, sun protection, and snail filtrate for skin care.  Also supposedly for wrinkle care and whitening hyperpigmentation.
Why I bought it:  Repurchase! I have finally managed to use up my first tube after daily wear all winter, and it remains my favourite BB cream to date.  I'm currently testing a CC cream at home (see below) but when I go out, it's my trusty Mizon Snail BB all the way.  You can see a detailed review here (click) and how it compares to other BB shades in my megaswatch post here (click)

3. Mizon Let Me Out Bye Bye Blackhead 3-Step Kit
What it's for: 3 step process to help clear blackheads. The idea is that the first product warms and exfoliates the face to loosen the pores, the second draws blackheads out, and the third soothes the skin and tightens the pores so they don't immediately refill with goo.  Theoretically.
Why I bought it: It's something I have been eyeing for a while, but it's usually out of stock from prettyandcute.com before I need enough items to make an order.  It doesn't seem to be a magic bullet from what I've read, but it has worked for some people and I found it at a good price online directly from a Korean seller.  Plus, the fact that P&C can't keep it stock has gotten mean somethin', right?

4. Mizon Oriental Scalp Therapy Scalp Clinic Liquid Shampoo
What it's for:  Shampoo designed for 'troubled' scalps, so I am hoping it will soothe the savage beast that the desert has turned my scalp into.  Looking around for this product description, it seems like the same 300ml bottle is around $40, whereas I bought mine for $12, so shop around!
Why I bought it:  This my first venture into Asian hair care.  I have really long hair coupled with a very crabby scalp, so I'm between a rock and a hard place when it comes to hair products.  I either pay through the nose for expensive brands that I burn through in weeks, or I ravage my scalp with cheap shampoos that are kinder to my wallet.  This shampoo was only about $12 USD, and I adore the fact that it comes with a pointed tip applicator AND a traditional pump applicator, as the tip applicator will let me apply the precious expensive shampoo directly to my scalp where I need it to clean and not waste a bunch fighting through my hair to get to the scalp below.  Kudos to Mizon for supplying both options!

I am going to split this next one into 2 rows to avoid confusion, with the Skin79 BB cleanser samples and the Holika Holika Snail skin care at the end.


 From left to right:
1. Tonymoly Latte Art Cappuccino Cream In Scrub
What it's for: A coffee-infused exfoliating scrub.
Why I bought it:  Well, this is where I get a little pissed at the seller, if the hand cream wasn't enough. I fully admit I bought this because of the super adorable packaging that is supposed to look like a latte art heart with the little spatula as the 'stir stick', in a white 'mug'.  However, when I saw the dark swirl and the frosted mug, I did some googling and it looks like this is either an earlier/later repackaging or just an alternate style, but it is still the same product so I guess I don't need to napalm the seller.  Yet.  Dammit, I wanted the cute packaging though-- Tonymoly suckers me in with their freakin' adorable packaging every time.

2. ElishaCoy Premium Gold Mineral BB Cream 
What it's for: It's a BB cream with 'Gold Therapy', whatever that means.  Contains hyaluronic acid, amino acids, and is supposed to last 12 hours.
Why I bought it: As I mentioned in my BB cream megaswatch post (click), I got a sample of this and really liked it, but the large size is ridiculously expensive and I wasn't willing to shell out $40 for something that I might not like long-term.  I got the travel size to give it a prolonged test to see if I like it better than the Mizon Snail BB cream.

3. Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX 
What it's for: Sleeping packs are intense moisturizers meant to be worn to bed and washed off in the morning.
Why I bought it:  It was recommended in the comments of my (negative) review of the Lioele Waterdrop Sleeping Pack (click) by two different parties, so I snagged a travel size to give it a try and see if it could redeem my current opinion of sleeping packs.  Lioele, I am givin' you the stink-eye, so if you feel a chill up your spine, that's me.

4. Skin Food Agave Cactus Toner & Emulsion set
What it's for: Emulsion is a thin moisturizer, and 'toner' in Asian skin care usually means a hydrator instead of an astringent.
Why I bought it:  I've seen a lot of 'cactus' derived products floating around touted as being ultra-hydrating without being rich, which sounds like an ideal combination for me in the summer.  I've had the full size in my watch list on ebay for ages, so when I spotted this sample 2 set I figured they would give me enough to give it a few tries to see if I want the full size.

 5. Tonymoly Tangerine Whitening Hand Cream
What it's for:  A hand cream meant to lighten hyperpigmentation on the hands, such as age spots.
Why I bought it:  Repurchase for my mom!  I got her and my mother-in-law one in a stash of stuff for Christmas, and both reported that it did in fact lighten age spots on their hands, and since my mother is out of hers, I got her a replacement.  This is also a source of grievance for me, as the seal is obviously broken and there is DIRT stuck on the inside of the seal, so someone tried to re-stick it with dirty hands.  URGH.  That seller is getting a piece of my mind.  I thought I remembered the cream inside being lighter and less thick, but I googled it and it looks like I misremembered.  I am relieved, because I thought not only was it unsealed, it had been filled with a fake!

6. Etude House Wonder Pore Freshener
What it's for:  A toner that can also be used as a mist if you move it into a spray bottle.  Like most Asian toners, it's not an astringent, but it's meant to help clear pores and 'refresh' your skin so it's not a straight hydrator like others I have used.
Why I bought it:  I am still searching for my HG toner, and I'm getting low on my current Skin Food Gold Kiwi Toner.  I've seen this highly reviewed, so I wanted to give it a try and got it in a sample size.

7.  Mizon Snail Repair Intensive Ampoule 
What it's for:  It's a serum with a high-concentration of snail filtrate, with all the skin-friendly and healing benefits therein.
Why I bought it:  Repurchase! I wasn't sure if it was making a huge difference until I completely finished it and I realized that it would have been perfect for summer to boost my hydration efforts for the days when I skin was feeling more dry, and regretted not getting a second bottle before I ran out of the first. I will be reviewing this shortly.

8. Skin Food Black Sugar Mask Wash Off Pack
What it's for:  Exfoliating mask with a sugar scrub feature.
Why I bought it:  I've seen this raved about all over, so I wanted to give it a try myself.  I'm still searching for a good manual exfoliator here's hoping it lives up to the hype.  I bought in a 10 sample pack to have enough to decide if I really liked it, as getting two full-size scrubs in one haul would have been a bit excessive.

 Middle row bottom half:

Left: Skin79 BB Cleanser Foam 6-in-1
What it's for: BB creams are not easy to get off without being mean to your skin, so there are cleansers specifically designed to get them off without your skin paying the price.
Why I bought it: While looking for the BB cleanser that I bought below, I saw this was highly rated and figured I would grab some samples and give it a shot.

Right: Holika Holika Prime Miracle Snail Skin Care Kit
What it's for: A sample/travel-sized kit which includes Prime Miracle Snail Skin (cream?), Prime Miracle Snail emulsion (thin moisturizer), Prime Miracle Snail BB Cream SPF 30 PA+++ (BB cream), Prime Miracle Snail Cream (then what the heck was the 'skin' product?!  ARGH KOREA.)  Okay, it looks like the 'skin' product is actually a toner.  But since 'toners' aren't toners as we know them, they called it something else.  (ARGH KOREA.)
Why I bought it:  I figured I would give some non-Mizon snail products a try.  So far, the only non-Mizon snail product I've used was the hideous-smelling Skin79 BB cream, and we're not going to talk about that.  I liked that this little kit had decent-sized samples and a range of products for me to try in case I want to invest in a large size.

 Lastly, my prettyandcute.com mini haul.

As always, left to right:

1. Skin79 Smart Clear All In One Cleansing Gel
What it's for: A BB cream cleanser, which as I mentioned above, is specifically designed to gently clean stubborn BB cream off your face without wrecking your skin.
Why I bought it:  I finally used up my ElishaCoy All-In-One BB Cleanser which has last so long it was my first review (click) and I just barely finished it.  Technically I still have a small amount left in the bottom but I'm not about to wrangle it out (plus I was bored with it), so I was looking for a replacement.  I vaguely remembered Janie (founder of prettyandcute.com) writing a glowing blog post about this product so after some digging, identified it was this one.  I am currently testing it and will be reviewing it when it's ready.

2. Holika Holika Eyebrow Shaver, which I cannot find and thus have provided you a picture of it from P&C's site at right:
What it's for:  It's a tiny eyebrow groomer with a shaving blade on one side and a comb on the other, covered by a mirrored cap
Why I bought it: To experiment with grooming my eyebrows without accidentally plucking the wrong hair and ending up with chola brows.  (This term was introduced to me by my Mexican-American co-worker, and once I googled it, I have gotta agree.  Not a look I can pull off.)
I have very sparse eyebrows with longer-than-average hairs, so if I yank the wrong one it gives me a bald patch.  It also makes keeping them neat a nightmare, so rather than blowing $20 every few weeks to get them done, I figured I'd give the Korean preference for shaving vs plucking a try - at least if I screw up it will grow back!

3. Skin79 sheet masks, also My Beauty Diary sheet masks (not pictured)
What it's for:  Sheet masks are a strange beast, tell you what-- if you not familiar with them, you can read my reviews here and here.
Why I bought it:  They're one-use, so it never hurts to have a few of them floating around.  However, the My Beauty Diary ones I bought seem to have floated into a place where not even I can find them ... oh, and the 'placenta' one is vegetable-derived 'placenta' so please don't freak out.

4. Mizon Push Out Volcanic Gommage
What it's for: A blackhead-clearing mask with volcanic clay from Jeju island, meant to be used on the nose or other super congested areas, but not meant to be used all over the face
Why I bought it:  I reviewed the Mizon Pore Clearing Volcanic Mask (click) and wasn't thrilled with it, but I've heard good things about this product.

5.  Skin79 White Reviving Skin Radiance Solution
What it's for:  Like its companion the Skin79 White Reviving Skin Radiance Cream I reviewed (click) it's a whitening product meant to help brighten skin tone and most importantly lighten hyperpigmentation from sun damage or blemishes.  It does not bleach your skin.
Why I bought it:  Repurchase!  I wasn't sure if a double dose of the Cream and the Solution was doing all that much, but when the summer hit and the Cream was too rich to use, I figured I'd go back to the Solution and see if it could fill that gap.

6. Mizon Correct Combo Cream SPF25 PA ++
What it's for:  It's a CC cream, which seems like a load of buzzword hogwash to me, touted as the 'next evolution' of BB creams.  'CC' usually stands for 'correct and cover' and it supposed to have more skin-improving qualities and less pigment for coverage than BB creams.
Why I bought it:  I figured if I was going to try out a CC cream, Mizon's was the way to go.   I'm not a slave to branding, but I've had so many good products from them that I'm willing to experiment with new products without being terrified of the outcome on my skin.  I'm currently testing it out while I am at home, as it's ... different.  Review will be coming up when it's ready.

And that is the end of my haul!  Let me know if you have any experiences (good or bad) with any of the products I've purchased.  Let me know if there is something you're desperate to have reviewed, as I don't introduce too many products to my skin at once and like to use them for at least a month before I review them so I can give an accurate assessment.

All the best,
-Cat


*Disclaimer: All products I review are 100% purchased with my own money and my opinions are entirely my own.

14 comments

  1. Girl, I'm shocked you have so few sheet masks! Everytime I order stuff I accidently end up with 10 sheet masks because they're so cheap and wonderful. This may be the reason I have 50 sheet masks waiting to be used and reviewed. Can't waitttt to see your reviews! you're the reason I got the Mizon snail recovery gel, and I also just ordered an additional two tubes after using up my first one in a month. x

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    1. Never fear, these were just the sheet masks I got in *this* particular haul. Part of the reason I can't find the MBD ones to photograph is that they've been stashed in one of the bajilion places I keep sheet masks, because I have so many I lose track. You've topped me with 50 though, I think I might have 20 at most currently unused.

      Glad the Mizon snail gel is working for you ;)

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  2. Super excited to hear your review of the CC creams...I keep seeing them up on P&C but I wasn't sure if they were any better or worse or whatever than BB creams (which this blog turned me on to and I now love because between snail goo and BB creams my skin looks amazing alla time).

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    1. The CC cream is very weird. It's difficult to get it to adjust to my face, and sometimes it doesn't even oxidize, it just stays white! But I am still testing it out. Thanks for letting me know my blog has been helpful to you, that made my day :3

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  3. Hey Cat! I'm not sure if you know this, but Real Techniques makeup brushes now sell in Canada! For only $18 per set. Awesome right?! :D I live in Toronto though so I'm not sure...do they have WalMart in the dessert?!

    Anyway, if you have any clay mask (targetted for enlarged pores or blackhead problems) or anti-acne (spot treatment) product recommendations, please let me know! :D I have combo skin: more oily in the summer, dehydrated sometimes, and somewhat sensitive but not extremely sensitive. :P

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    1. I love my Real Techniques brushes, especially considering their cruelty-free/vegan/etc angle. I have more of them than I want to admit.

      I am really hoping that the Gommage clay mask ends up helping with my congested pores/blackhead epidemic, because up to this point I haven't really been thrilled with clay masks. I've tried a few including the Mizon one I linked above, but nothing has really wowed me yet.

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  4. This haul is amazing! I can't wait to read your reviews on the blackhead stuff.

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  5. Have you gotten to try the laneige water sleeping pack much yet? what's your first impressions?

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  6. Hello, I love your blog!!! How do I subscribe with feedly? I'm a little tech illiterate. ;)

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  7. I love your reviews and swatches. They are so thorough! Thank you so much! Can't wait to see your reviews on this haul. I'm a fellow pale girl so I just bought the Mizon BB. Next on my list is the Skin79 green BB cream! It's also suuuper pale so it may fit your complexion too :)

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  8. Awesome haul! I am a pale girl too so I read your reviews with interest. I am a snail virgin (whoa that sounds weird), I just got the Mizon gel and BB cream along with the Returning Starfish cream. I'm hoping the snail has as good an effect on me as it seems to on everyone else.

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  9. Haven't seen an update for a while! Would love to see what products you are testing right now, especially with the season change. I had to add another moisturizer in the morning.

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  10. omgggg im so jealous with your haul! ^_^ looking forward to future reviews! :D

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  11. Just found your blog and I love the reviews I've read so far; looking forward to more!

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