Angela in Wonderland: Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 575 Wonderland

Dior Wonderland, that is.  Dior's latest lip product is the Dior Addict Fluid Stick, a glossy stain with pigmentation buildable to the equivalent of a lipstick. 

I have the color Wonderland (575), a warm and bright pink-red.  It's definitely a look-at-me shade.  Because it sticks around (ha, see what I did there)--fading evenly to a soft, satiny stain after 2-3 hours--I like this for a bright or deep lip that's low maintenance once it's on.  On the lips, it feels like a smooth, cushiony, and thick lip gloss and gets tacky over time.

 

Now there are some high-maintenance aspects to this.  First, when applying, it's hard to apply an even layer along the lipline using the doe-foot applicator.  I recommend using your finger to smooth out the color along the lipline.  Just remember to wash your hands because that stuff gets everywhere.  Second, spend the first 5 minutes after application wiping excess off your teeth and checking the mirror obsessively.  After that, you're good to go for several hours.  Note that it's definitely a gloss: it never dries down, so beware of eating, drinking, and wind.

Here I'm wearing one coat, which actually looks brighter in real life:

And here I'm wearing two coats for maximum impact:

 

Speaking of wonderland, here is my current favorite thing in wonderland . . . Choo Choo Cat!

Snow Water & Sleeping Beauty - Laneige Snow Water Sleeping Pack_EX

So on my cross-country flight back from LAX-JFK, I merrily dove into experimentation with Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX. I had seen this advertised in Asian malls and supermarkets before but the name never stirred excitement until now. Phoebe from Image Cosmetics (inside that Asian plaza on 500 N. Atlantic) said it is awesome, and I tend to believe and like her as a salesgirl. For those unfamiliar, the term “pack” means a mask. Not all masks are made alike. Some are wash-off, some are peel-off, some are actually leave-in moisturizers. Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX is pretty much a light moisturizer made to be left on overnight.

It has over a thousand reviews on Amazon at 4.5 stars. This is a significant achievement for a beauty product due to the vast degree of variance between different people’s skin. Also, bad skin can be like obesity. Few products will cure it completely and the afflicted have a tendency to blame their troubles on anything they try, unless it delivers a miracle like the birth of Jesus.

So I had the luck & pleasure of spreading out across three plane seats with my Squadew mist and Laneige jar. I washed off all makeup, sunblock, and moisturizer before misting with Squadew and applying the Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX. 

The verdict? Skin is extremely smooth and it has an overall firming effect. However, it is…not as moisturizing as I’d hoped for an airplane ride. The altitude and the extreme drying effect of cabin air has countered the awesome snow water sleeping beauty effects. So I applied it again after three hours. Soaked up fast, firming and smooth, still not as moisturizing.

Now…I had put the Laneige on last night as the last step before my regimen and my skin had the best feeling EVER. My skin was supple, soft, smooth but firm, and NO OILY T-ZONE which I’d gotten every morning since I hit puberty. I also have tiny (barely noticeable) bumps along my jaw line; a condition known as keratosis pilaris which is caused by genetics. The bumps shrunk to imperceptible size in the morning.

So I am convinced that this should the last step as a “sealer” after the other lengthy layering steps. If you have oily skin this is a nice light hydrator for summer. But for combination skin and for the winter, it won’t be enough. These were the steps last night:

1.       History of Whoo oil cleanser

2.       Skinmedica Foaming ABA/HBA exfoliating cleanser

3.       Moritaya Yogurt Mask

4.       Skinmedica Lytera lightening cream (I’d been trying to get rid of freckles for years and this was prescribed by the dermatologist)

5.       History of Whoo toner

6.       History of Whoo balancer

7.       History of Whoo lotion

8.       History of Whoo eye cream

9.       Laneige Water Sleeping Pack_EX

Pros: Great for oily T-Zones. It has no oil in the ingredients and no allergens I know of for my skin. Beautiful softening, firming, smoothing effects that all moisturizers strive for. Cheap at $23 compared to my other cosmetics.

Cons: Not all-in-one solution for night time moisturizing or for those who need a little extra help with dry skin. The product is in a scoop-out jar set up which can harbor bacteria (but I like being able to clean out the product to the last drop).

Ps: this is an obvious suggestion, but gel masks and leave-in moisturizing masks are great for long flights which cause oily T-zone and dry skin. I also pack a small face mist (like Squadew or any softener from SANA) to hydrate and refresh. A couple of sprays can make your transcontinental coach seat feel like an express spa.

P.s: behold (most, but not all) of my haul from the California Asian cosmetics mecca known was Alhambra/Monterey Park area.

My Lips from the Star (Using Laneige Serum Intense Lipstick in LR07 Love Me Pink and Tony Moly Tint in Cherry Pink)

While Renee works her way through the animal kingdom, let me share some lip looks that I'm drawn to lately.

I was briefly am still obsessed with the Korean drama "My Love from the Star" (also known as "My Love from Another Star" and free on Hulu and DramaFever).

Story aside, I loved taking in the characters' makeup looks.  Cheon Song-Yi, Korea's sweetheart, sported full-on bright lips in a rainbow of feminine colors: cherry red, deep red, orange, hot pink, violet pink, coral pink, . . . gawgeous.  Her best friend/proverbial bridesmaid, Yoo Se-Mi, sported the very-popular-in-Korea gradient lip, usually in orange or peach tones.

Here I show you three different lip looks inspired by "My Love from the Star" and all those beautiful Korean stars with hateably glowy and clear skin.

*Note: Today was overcast so all of the photos came out dull and cool-toned.  I edited them to try to show the true color, but I don't think I captured the brightness and richness of the colors. 

1. Over lightly moisturized lips, pat on a suuuuper light layer of foundation (I used a BB cushion).  Stop here if you like corpse lips.

2. Apply a bright color in a "rosebud" shape to just the inner lips: two petals on the top lip and one wide swipe on the bottom.  I'm using Laneige Serum Intense Lipstick in LR07 Love Me Pink, a clean bright pink without venturing into fuchsia territory.

 

3. Blend towards the edges with a fingertip.  The edges should remain color free.  Ta-da!  You have a skin-to-color gradient lip like Yoo Se-Mi (Look 1).  This look is meant to make your lips look smaller and cute and dainty.

 

4. But as my friend says, I've got a lot of lip real estate.  And I like to take advantage of that.  So for the next look, apply the lipstick all over, straight from the tube.  Et voilà!  You have Cheon Song-Yi's look, pouting at Do Min-joon (Look 2).

5. The next look is a light-to-dark gradient lip (Look 3).  I've heard this look attractively referred to in a Cantonese YouTube video as a "bleeding" lip.  To me, it sparks images of a freshly satiated vampire: sexy, dark, and a little rock 'n' roll depending on the degree of contrast between the colors.  For this look, choose a deeply colored lip stain in the same color family as the all-over lipstick and apply to just the inner lips.  I'm using Tony Moly Tony Tint in Cherry Pink, which looks blood red in the bottle but swatches a deep cherry red.

6. Blend the color by smacking your lips together.  Use your fingertip if you want, but it will get stained.  And shazam!  (I'm running out of exclamatory, revelatory words.  So glad there are no more looks.  I would have resorted to ::jazz hands::) 

Finally, here are the products that I used.  Again, the color and intensity are a little off.  I'd say the top photo is more accurate.

 

 

"Whoo" Let the Dogs Out? The History of Whoo's Gongjinhyang Skin Care Set

Ok I saw Ange's post and got super duper excited and I'm on vacation so I can post 15 reviews if I wanna!

As part of "field research" for this blog I bought TWO skin care sets from Artland inside the San Gabriel Superstore in LA area: The History of Whoo and the other by PURETEM. Both are from South Korea and have a long list of (mostly natural) ingredients that sound like a botanist's wet dream. Similar to dogs that can sense epileptic seizures, strange and exotic ingredients in cosmetics can work in inexplicable ways...

I will review The History of Whoo first, since it seems to be the fancy pantsy equivalent to La Mer and I'm giddy at looking at the miniature gift set. Korean cosmetics feel like bargains because you get more product at a relatively reasonable price, including lovely travel sets of miniature bottles. However, some of the high end stuff are in the same price range as La Mer or La Prairie. Thus...I am prone to thinking they are more effective because the Korean Olay equivalents are around $10 a pop.

The History of Whoo Gongjinhyang Skin Care Lotion.
I bought the lotion and received the miniature set for "free". Yeah it doesn't feel free because the lotion bottle costs $85. But from the rare and exotic list of ingredients, I decided that it's probably worth it. From what I read on other blogs (http://sulwhasoo-sulwhasoo.blogspot.com/2011/01/history-of-whoo-gongjinhyang-review.html) it is a great line for us 30-something-year-old women.

The "free" set is below. It's about 1/2 oz each by my unscientific eyeball measurement. The order of operation is:

3. Left most item is the "In Yang" lotion for morning time. You put this on 3rd
1. Second Left item is the "In Yang Balance" which is like a toner. You put this on 1st
2. Third Left item is the Qi & Jin Essence which is like a serum. You put this on 2nd
4. Top Right item is the eye cream. You put this on whenever, maybe last.
3. Bottom Right item is the night cream. You put this on 3rd at night.

I followed these steps after applying my oil cleanser and AHA/BHA cleanser. First time use is not enough data points but it's the right consistency, did not feel greasy, and absorbed very fast into my skin. Right away my skin is dewy. I'm happy that my skin is drinking fabulous deer antler, snow lotus, and wild ginseng. Eat my little one.....eaaaaat.

Here's a closeup of the lotion which is NOT a bad deal for $85 (it's 110mL which is ~3 oz). I'll come back and update when there's enough time to determine how well it's working.

Contrary to my expectations, the girl at the Asian cosmetic store was relatively helpful and offered many awesome samples and explained to me the ingredients and regimen (prolly cuz I dropped some bones on these cosmetics). I only felt a little ripped-off, not ragingly pissed and robbed like I usually do when I deal with Asian salespeople at these malls.

This is me right after. Yeah yeah I know, smartasses, this isn't enough time to tell but I just wanna give you a #selfie for free mmkay?

Pros: mostly natural exotic (expensive) extracts in copious amounts. This is a nice brag compared to Western brands that tout "with Eternal Youth extract" and Eternal Youth is at the bottom in 0.000001% concentration. My skin soaked the lotion up immediately. Nice consistency. English ingredient labels (this is key because I am allergic to about 15 ingredients in most products, no joke).

Cons: Expensive. Confusing regimen marked in Korean language. Some of this natural stuff can combine to make a potent allergen which nobody knows about. We'll see. The lotion itself is very thick. It's not greasy but definitely a heavier type of face lotion which can be bad for people with oily skin.

Mascara Must-Have: Anastasia Lash Genius

Hi, world and Google footprint!  Angela here.  I like to think I'm the softer side of TheDurianGray . . . we'll see.  It's the first day, and I'm still up at 1am blogging.

For my first post, and because it's freakin' 1am, I wanted to start off with something simple and easy to photograph.  So today I'm introducing you to a little known item that I can't live without: the clear waterproofing topcoat for mascara.

The title of this post is a little fib as it's not a must-have for everyone.  But it sounded better than "Mascara Must-Have for a Narrowly Defined Demographic and Just Optional for Everyone Else."  If you read on, you might recognize yourself as a member of that lucky demographic, and if so, this just might be life-changing info.

You see, the bane of my makeup existence has always been my hooded eyes.  Sometimes referred to as Asian eyes (even though many Asians don't have them) or monolids (which are actually different), hooded eyes mean that my poor lashes are constantly touching my upper lids.  The constant friction and oils from my skin inevitably cause the melting of any mascara within an hour.  Yes, even waterproof mascara.  Yes, even after applying a great eye primer (Urban Decay Primer Potion) and powdering the area. 

So what's a mascara-loving girl to do?

Enter Anastasia Lash Genius!  I literally apply this every. single. time. I wear mascara.  Just apply mascara as normal.  Comb out clumps.  Wait for it to dry.  And then lightly apply Lash Genius.  Comb out excess as needed. 

IT WORKS.  My theory is that the topcoat creates one more layer that the friction and oils must break through to reach the mascara.  With the topcoat, my mascara can last all day long and, critically, it doesn't take the curl out of my lashes.   

Even if you don't have hooded eyes, a topcoat is great for other uses:

• the intended purpose of waterproofing any mascara so you can swim, get caught in the rain, and watch "Love Actually"
• clear brow gel and mascara
• mascara primer.  It holds a curl really well.  I've used this as the first layer on clean, curled lashes.  Let dry.  Then top it with whatever crappy non-curl-holding mascara I want to use.  (Top it with another coat of the topcoat for hooded eyes/waterproofing.)  Results aren't always consistent with this method though.  Once in a while, the topcoat will take the curl out.

Lash Genius ($21) is pictured here next to what is probably the Adam & Eve of clear topcoats, Clarins Double Fix ($24).  I started using Double Fix in . . . college?  A few years ago I switched to Lash Genius when it was introduced and haven't looked back.  They're actually identical in effectiveness, but Lash Genius is easy to buy (the Clarins counter was frequently out of Double Fix) and Anastasia is cruelty free (Clarins not so much).

You've Got Snail! My Escargot Obsession - Nature Republic Solution Special Set

Angela and I are two ladies who are obsessed with skin care and beauty products (like every other lady ever). So now that we've provided that detailed introduction, WELCOME to our first blog post. After reading thousands (ok maybe half a dozen) blog posts, we've decided to come up with another one. Because that's why.

Angela works as a lawyer and I am a bitchy finance person so we will keep most of our posts short and to the point. Due to the schizophrenic information age, I personally believe that more than a few hundred words WILL bore people and lead them to miss critical information. 
So here is my first product review (not the first product I've ever loved...oh that beautiful cheapo Oil of Olay). Ange will post the next one right Ange?

Nature Republic’s Snail Solution Set: Skin Booster, Emulsion, and Cream. To be applied in that order based on decreasing concentration of snail slime.

Made from the slimy stuff that the friendly critter leaves behind (snail trail), the theory behind it is that snail mucin is anti-inflammatory and is beneficial for the skin. AND IT IS. Perhaps this is psychosomatic but my skin is supple, glowy, firm, and soft after a month of use and I still have half a container left of each!

Pros: As anyone could hope for, it’s moisturizing, seems gentle, and seems to be deliciously nutritious for my skin. Inexpensive compared to most high end products. I paid $65 for the set pictured.

Look at the glowy skin up close. If my ugliness bothers you, focus on the post-makeup picture on the right. I don't know why part of my lips are blue; it's not like that in real life and it's not caused by any skincare product so don't be fearful.

Cons: Ange thinks snails have to toil day and night on treadmills in snail sweat shops for the production of this product. I think it’s good for their exercise regimen. The containers are clunky and it's hard to pour out the booster and serum.