[Review] innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble Lotion

Heyyy, I'm back for a review! It's been so long.. Yes, yes, I know you miss me.. *delusional* *part of being me*

Ehrmm, okay. This time I'm going to talk about an innisfree product, the Jejubija Anti-Trouble Lotion! This is essentially a moisturizer, with an extra capability: to fight skin troubles! I read from other blogs that Koreans doesn't say zit or acne, they call them trouble. Well, it is trouble all right. Oh yeah, innisfree is a Korean brand (i love Korean brands, they're cheaper) whose spoke-person is SNSD YoonA! Love her. So damn beautiful.

Here's what it claims to do: "Enriched with torreya seed extract from pure jeju island, Jejubija Anti-Trouble helps control blemish for clear skin".

So the trouble here obviously doesn't include pore troubles, blackheads, etc. Just blemish a.k.a acne a.k.a zits.

Here's what it looks like.

It comes in a 100 ml tube, and I think it's quite hygienic. It doesn't leave a mess, as long as you don't squeeze the tube like you're squeezing lemons. LOL.

Here's the lotion part. Pardon the hairs >.<

It's not creamy, quite watery but not runny.


The scent is herbal-like, like lavender or something, and for me it is not disturbing. The smell pretty much disappear once you lather them onto your skin. However, fresh from the tube, the smell is quite strong.

I have a sensitive nose. I can't stand most perfume and weird smell, also dust. They make me sneeze uncontrollably. So, I guess it's safe to say that if my nose doesn't react to this smell, it most likely is safe for other people's nose. LOL.

What I really love about this lotion is that it has a cooling effect, which never hurt, since I live in a tropical country. It's hot all the time, and this really helps cool my face before I put on make-up, or before I went to sleep.

Also, it has calming or soothing effect to the skin, partly maybe because it's cooling. It doesn't sting, even if your skin is thin, or if you have some sort of wound on your face (in my experience).

As for the moisturizing and anti-trouble effect, let me just tell you about my skin first, since everyone's skin is different. Originally, I have no acne or acne trouble. I have combination skin, oily around the T-zone and extremely dry and flaky cheeks and temples.

It helps quite a bit for my dry-flaky skin, and for my oily parts it also works wonders. Sadly, it doesn't eliminate my dry skin problem though. But I have just the cream for that, I'll review them later!

For the anti-trouble part, well, at least it doesn't break me out. However, I notice I have smaller pores, but I don't know if it was really thanks to this lotion because I use a lot of products.

One other thing that I really like about this lotion is that it really smooths your skin! My skin feels really smooth and great and healthy right after I use this. I think this also helps when I put on my make-up, like it's creating a clean and smooth canvas for me to paint on. :D Oh, and it also absorbs quite quickly and doesn't leave a greasy or sticky film.

So, here's the conclusion:

(+)
for people with normal to oily skin and they who want to have fabulous skin before putting on make-up
calming, soothing, and cooling effects
not greasy nor sticky
absorbs quickly
nice smell, though maybe not for all
lots of products in a 100 ml tube!

(--)
none for me! but maybe not for people with extremely dry skin, or people who's seeking for moisturizer for winter-time. I think this is not strong enough for that job.

That all being said, this is by far my favorite maintenance moisturizer. Meaning, when my skin is not flaky and dry, I can use this and be happy with my skin.

innisfree has a whole line dedicated to Anti-Trouble therapy, such as toner, serum, etc, but I've never use the others.

I rate this 4 out of 5!

Will I repurchase? Yes! However I don't think this tube will be empty soon, since there's so many products in one tube! Love!

Iron Man 3 in IMAX 3D

Long time no blog. Since I'm too excited, I'm gonna go straight to the point.

So, I finally got to watch Iron Man 3, in IMAX! The theater at the mall near my house just opened an IMAX studio! I've never watch moviex in IMAX before, because there was only one in my country and it's a bit far. Behold!

What is IMAX? It stands for Image MAXimum, created by a Canadian company. It can display images in greater size and resolution compared to the conventional ones. Also, the screen is not flat, it's curved; which supposedly help if you're watching from anywhere but the center.

The theater itself is also different with your usual movie theater, it was more steep, like an amphitheater. It is also bigger, wider. Conclusion, it is waaayyyy cool.

I watched Iron Man in IMAX 3D and it was awesome! My jaw literally dropped. The sound, the super clear images, the shrapnel that almost hit my face (read: cool 3D effect)... All in all, for those of you who haven't got the chance to watch a movie in an IMAX theater, please do so. It's quite an experience. It IS quite expensive, but hey, you're not gonna get it at home.

I mean, you can substitute movies in theaters with home cinema, or the cheaper substitute, movies in bed with your lamps turned off. BUT, this IMAX thing.. won't happen at home! Unless you're filthy rich and can build your own IMAX studio. And since most of us are not like that, it's better to save money and watch one movie you really like in IMAX!

Happy watching!

P.S. Iron Man is so cool. I can't believe Robert Downey Jr. isn't going to play in Avengers 2. Is it finalized, though? Anyone knows?

Skin Food Milk Shake Point Make-up Remover: Review

Hi there! I'm back again with a review of a point remover which I quite like.. Behold the Skin Food Milk Shake Point Make-up Remover! So this is what it looks like.. I've used up 97% of it.. :D

Point remover means it's actually meant for eye and lip area, but I use this on my whole face.. This is a two-part remover, so you have to shake it before using them. See the layers below? It consists of light blue and darker blue layer.

 And when you shake them, you will get a yummy milkshake! Do not drink.

So you just put them on a cotton pad and swipe your eye and lip make-up off! It works with waterproof make-up, too! Here is some swatches from my waterproof makeups: Tony Moly Backstage Eyeliner and Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin (which supposedly should last around 10-20 hours).

Here's after just one swipe of Skin Food Milk Shake Point Make-up Remover:

And here's after a few swipes later. Voila!

I really like this remover because it really gets the job done. It smells a bit coconut-y, and for me it's an acceptable smell, not annoying at all.

One of the few things that I don't really like about this remover is that after application, it leaves your skin a bit greasy. This makes me feels like I need to wash my face right afterwards. I think this is a bit annoying.
Also, I don't know for sure if it's because of the remover because I use a lot of products, but I used to have an oily or combination skin, but now I have a dry skin! So after application, if I don't cleanse my face right away, my face will be soooo dry it hurts! This is definitely a minus. This started to happen around halfway through the bottle.

For price, I think it's quite cheap. It's IDR 90k for a 160 ml bottle. I used up this bottle in 5 months, and I use it almost everyday.

So, repurchase? Yes, if I don't find anything better to use soon. However, I bought Lioele Aroma Eye and Lip Remover recently, so I will be trying that out first. I'll review them later!

Thank you for reading my blog and please await my other reviews!

Christmas in March!

Hey there.. So, after a long *not really* time, I decided to do some nail art. Yaayyy!

So I bought some of the tools online, and they're actually quite cheap, about IDR 85k for everything that you need. I also bought some acrylic paint for IDR 90k, which includes 12 colors, because nail polish is so expensive..

Lemme tell you what happened the first time I tried to do nail art with acrylic paint. Disaster. That's what happened. Just so you know, I did my research before I bought the tools and the paint, and that didn't prepare me for what was going to happen. I'm no artist, but I think I have a pretty good hand control if I know the design I'm gonna make. But I was wrong. So wrong.

I used a base coat as the first layer. I then confidently dip my brush into a white acrylic paint. And lather them onto my coated nails, trying to get the shape I wanted. And guess what? Acrylic paint crumpled. Crumpled. That's a word, right? Yeah, I mean they just won't separate and just being a blob. They're blobby. LOL. They just are not smooth. They also took forever to dry.

I spent about an hour to try to fix the acrylic paint, and this is just for the first color. I watch and re-watch some tutorials on youtube, and hopelessly watching how those professionals just dip their brush into the acrylic paint and lather them onto the nails and just like that, get the result they want. Like, how in the world the gap between professional and an amateur can be THAT big? Oh, maybe I'm not an amateur, just an idiot. I gave up.

However, being someone that's not that easy to defeat by despair (eww, the language!), I tried them again this morning. I did something different with the paint first, I dilute them in water. And, drumrolls, just like that, I got the result I wanted. Granted, it's a lot messier than what it's supposed to be, but, yayyy! I did it!

Seriously, though, there's like no mention of diluting the paint with water. I seriously watched those tutorials, and those pros just dip their brush into those paints straight away! Or maybe they and most people on the face of the earth knew that paints are supposed to be diluted in water. Maybe it's just me who wasn't using her brain again. Drat. Oh, well. I did it at last anyway. So, for you guys who thinks acrylic paint is useless for nail art, here's a tip: dilute them in water first. I actually found a girl on youtube who had the same problem. Maybe I should e-mail her to read my blog for solutions? LOL.

Anyway, for the second attempt, I decided to go with a santa design, since it's so cute! And it's March, and somehow March makes me imagine the color red, so it's a match! So here's my nail, and I did them with acrylic paint and lots of perseverance and concentration:

On the other four nails:

It's pretty good, right? Considering.. Hehehe.

A few mistakes that I made was that I applied the top coat too quickly so that some of the red kind of transfer its color to the white beard.. You can't really see that in these pics tho.. Lucky!

Another difficulties I'm facing is that I can't paint with my left hand.. So my right hand is now still bare.. LOL. Whatever. This is progress!

Anyway, I think I should do a different one for Easter. Still searching for the cutest and easiest design, though..

Well, my hands are getting busy helping me eat my Chef Tony popcorn, so.. Happy Christmas in March!

my first ever make-up purchase: Etude House BB Magic Balm SPF 30 / PA +++

This is my first ever make-up purchase! My first try at BB cream, too.

So, a little history first. For y'all who is dying to read the review, just skip this paragraph and search for the sentence "anyway, BB cream" :) Here goes. People who knew me during my teen years probably know that I hate shopping, any kind of shopping. Clothes, make-up, all of those things make me dizzy. Except for grocery shopping hahaha. However, I seem to experience a late puberty, because as soon as I turn 23, I also turn into a shopaholic. At first it was just make-up, then clothes, then shoes, then anything I can buy hahaha. There's also this teeny tiny little reason that if I think about it, really maybe is the reason why I have late puberty: I just graduated from dental school. Yeah. That must be it. The stress stopped me from growing and reach my potential, for shopping. The second reason is: I have a sensei, who is my best friend from dental school, that teaches me to shop. I don't think she ever really told me to shop or anything, but the way she shopped, especially during our trip to Japan, is astonishing. HAHAHA. Sensei, if you're reading this, congratulations, I'm no longer a student, but a colleague.

Anyway, BB cream. Yes, this is my first make-up and BB cream ever.

 

It claims to be a skin protection for environment and UV damage, provides natural looking coverage that nourishes, soothes, and corrects skin tone. Includes brush for clean and convenient application that delivers pore safe oil control and porcelain smooth complexion.

There. What? It includes brush? Yay! Yeah, that was one of the main reasons I bought this product. The other reason was because this is a balm, and at that time I didn't feel comfortable using my fingers to put stuff on my face. Pic of the brush:

It comes with cover for the brush, so it's definitely cleaner. That's a plus. And inside the container looks like this:

Okay, review.

First, shade. I'm Chinese, but I don't have pale white skin, my skin is a bit.. yellow? tan? olive? Actually until now I still can't find the perfect word to describe my skin. Anyway, it's darker than most Chinese but definitely lighter than Adriana Lima or Jessica Alba (why I used these ladies as a comparison is beyond me). As you may all know, BB creams don't have vast shade selection like foundations. Actually with this particular product, I think there's only 1 shade to choose from. For me, this shade is a little bit too light. It doesn't make people scream ghost or think I'm playing kabuki, but enough to make my face noticeably different from my neck. And you don't want that. Ever. So, shade: meh.

Second, application. The brush is definitely helpful with this kind of product, you don't want to dip your finger into the balm over and over again; that's unhygienic. I read somewhere that the right way to put on this is by putting some of the product onto a few spots in your face, like the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin, then using the brush, even those marks with an "X" motion. It means like what it sounds, you make an X with your brush on your face to even the BB balm. This way, it will look more natural and not as cakey. I honestly think this is a very time consuming process, because as you can see the brush is not really that big, and to make the BB balm spread evenly and doesn't look cakey really is a pain. Because it looks cakey and you have to even that out really thin to make it looks acceptable.

Third, coverage. I didn't have pimples when I try it out, so I can't attest to redness coverage. But, on dark circles it... kinda blew. If anything, my dark circle got worse. It got darker, if that's even possible. I looked like a panda, or just got punched in both eyes. I had to redo my makeup and wash the BB balm off. Actually, my dark circle is not that bad, but whatever product I put on them makes them worse. I tried Etude Surprise Concealer Kit for Dark Circle once and it didn't work. I'll review them sometime later. Also, this balm makes whatever line on my face looks soooo noticeable.

Fourth, skin reaction. Okay, so my skin is a bit oily at that time, and I have never had breakouts, maybe just a pimple at one time because I didn't wash my face, or was stressed out like hell. The point is, I'm not a person who is easily got pimples. However, this BB balm has successfully break me out in less than 24 hours. At around 7 a.m. I put on this balm, and at 9 p.m. when I was about to wash them off, guess who came for a visit on my forehead? A pimple! A 1 mm red, puffy, frickin' pimple! I actually was trying to keep a positive attitude towards this BB balm, so I tried it again the next couple of days when the pimple healed. And it came. Again. Yeah, the pimple came again. So, I give up. And to top that off, the oil control in this product is not that good. I'm just a bit oily, and after 2-3 hours I gotta blot if I don't wanna look like a frying pan after frying bacon.

Fifth, scent. This balm has a smell of... I don't know, something sweet and maybe floral. It's pretty strong and might irritate some people. Irritate like annoying, not like skin rash, LOL.

Conclusion:

I don't think I'll ever buy or use this product again. I actually just use this for a little bit, the pic above is after I use them. Yeah, that's the end of this product's life in my hands. This product has a semi-matte finish, definitely not dewy though. Here's some pros and cons, according to moi:

(++): came with a brush, shade matches people with ultra fair complexion

(--): not for oily skin, breaks me out, does not cover my dark circle, have a pretty strong scent

Well, yeah, that's about it.. So, last but not least.. Here's some swatches:

Notice how the lines on my hand is more noticeable in the section with BB balm..

There you go! My first review! Please await my next reviews and posts!

Introduction: I'm a first timer!

Hi there! Introduction, introduction.. Well, my name is moni, I'm 23 years old at the moment and this is my first time creating a blog.. My English is so-so, but I like writing and thinking in English! So, sorry if you find mistakes here and there hehehe. As you may see above, I'm obsessed to beautiful things! But not in a creepy way.. Hahaha.

What I would like to post here are my makeup and skincare review and all of the new things I tried, related to beauty! I'm not by any means beautiful, but hey, at least I'm trying :p

Please enjoy your time on my blog, and I hope you find them somewhat helpful. :) So, let the reviews start!

P.S.: I'll try to dress up the blog along the way, too. But since I'm such a klutz with technologies, it may take some time. Please be patient and bear the oh-so-standard look for a while!