Okay, I'm not Korean. Nor is my mum or dad. But hold your horses - some of my make-up is! I've always loved online browsing through these amazing Korean websites with unreal make-up products, that either look too scary (eye lid glue) or too cute to use (yes, talkin about you bunny lipstick!). I bought Skin79 BB cream ages ago and absolutely love it. Based on all that, I don't understand I haven't got to buying more Korean make-up ages ago - what's wrong with me?! So a few weeks ago I browsed through e-bay a little and ordered a few bits & bobs! Why don't they make such cool things over here? E.g. bunny lipsticks, kitten mascaras & florally BB creams?
Not everything on my face is Korean though. I used Topshop Cream Blush in Flush, Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair, MeMeMe Brow Arch and MUA Undressed palette. The rest is the following, made in Korea:
Holika Holika Petit BB Cream Essential
Tony Moly Petite Bunny Gloss Bar
Tony Moly Cat's Wink Mascara in Volume & Longlash
I might start off with a little rant, you know. Loads and loads of people seem to be moaning about 'western' BB creams not being real BB creams. Now my question is - have they ever tried any 'eastern' BB cream? No? Uhmmm. And why are they not same? Maybe because they are developed for different skin type? Because when you try the 'eastern' ones, they are too gray for western type of skin? Sheeeesh. *rolls eyes*
As I said before, my BB experience includes Skin79 (the 'cult' BB cream), Ginvera (ultimate love), Garnier (hot summer love) and some random samples here and there. And obviously I follow a number of Korean (and other) blogs that review BB creams on daily basis, so the picture I've got in my mind is a tad bigger than most people's I'd say. Obviously not an expert, but I think I know what to expect from BB creams. This Holika Holika Petit BB Cream Essential is definitely an interesting product to try! It comes in a 30ml tube with a cute kitten on the top of it *awww*. This particular BB is a part of Holika Holika's line of BB creams - there's about 5 (I believe) different BB creams in the line which cater for different needs of your skin - one is for oily, one is for dry etc. I picked up the most general one which is meant to works as a sort of multi-functional product - it hydrates, smooths, improves elasticity and contains SPF. You can find the whole range reviewed here. This BB cream is quite thicks, but it is really easy to work into your skin. It has got quite a strong scent to it, which I really like (it's floral), but someone could find it irritating. It comes in a pretty light shade, which does oxidize into a shade closer to your skin tone, but it still does leave a fairer tone to it. What I found really nice about this BB is that it has got quite a good coverage for a BB. On good days, I wouldn't use my under eye concealer!
The next one up is Tony Moly Cat's Wink Mascara: Volume & Longlash. After one use I fell in love. Maybe even before that - can anything beat a mascara that looks like a happy kitten? I can assure you, it can't. Using this in the morning ultimately makes you smile! And what's more - this mascara is actually pretty lush! You can choose from two types - either volume & longlash or curling & longlash. I picked the one for volume and have to say, there are a few things that I adore about this mascara. First of all, it's black. Black black! Secondly, the brush is really thin and feels really light, so it's super easy to use it. The thin wand help you get even the tiniest lashes in the corner of your eye. And finally - it says on whole day. It's (probably) not waterproof (at least I haven't noticed it being stated anywhere - but might be?) but it stays put whole day (and would probably last ever more than that!). It doesn't smudge, it doesn't flake, it doesn't clump. I can even rub my eye and it doesn't flake, how friggin awesome is that? It doesn't keep a curl, but I guess that's what the curle one is for, anyways, this one is for volume, which it does (not a massive volume, read a daily volume without looking too dramatic)! If you've tried L'Oreal Million Lashes, you know that that mascara is all about dramatic volume - don't expect Tony Moly to go this far!). I also read in one review that because this mascara contains black pearl extract, argan oil and Centella Asiatica Extract, it stimulates growth of your lashes? Not sure if that's true, but would make the whole thing a whole lot cooler! It's a bit pain to take it off, but Liz Earle does the job!
And the last pick from Tony Moly are these absolutely adorable Petite Bunny Gloss Bars in Neon Red & Juicy Cherry. There's a whole range of these, with a whole lot of colours to choose from (most of them I can imagine though will turn out to be some sort of pink/red on your lips). Apart from the immensely cute packaging (each shade has got a bunny with different facial expression on - I've got a grumpy and a happy one, haha!), I thought they were gonna be more of lip balm-y things, but hell was I wrong! I haven't used anything like this before.. imagine a glossy lip balm with colour pay off of a lip stain? They have no scent/flavour to them, and the application and texture reminds me a bit of kiddie lip balm, but the colour pay off and staying power is amazing! You can drink and eat and even after that you still have got a nice red/pink flush on your lips!
I bought all these products off E-bay from different sellers, just search for the names and they will come up. They also differ in prices, but generally I found the BB cream to cost about £4, the mascara £3-4, and the gloss bars about £5 (I got them off an auction for £3 each), and they all come with free postage! I will definitely repurchase the Tony Moly mascara (ultimate mascara love for me) and will pick up a few more bunnies (c'mooon, they are moody bunnies!). The BB cream is probably something I'll be using in winter for the coverage and lighter shade.
Have you tried any Korean brands before?