Etude House released a new collection at the start of November, it's theme - The mysterious Universe.

I'm so late to the party! I'll elaborate a little at the end of the post.



This collection is small, but varied. I think variety always gives an illusion of making things seem more interesting than it actually is.

Let's take a look, if you haven't already!

UNIVERSE MULTI PALETTE | US$ 24.70

An eyes and cheeks palette containing 7 colours: 6 eye shadows (1g each), and 1 blusher/highlighter (1.8g).


I love their creative swatching techniques! All of the different shades at a glance.

There are 2 palettes in this collection.



#01 PINK GALAXY
Reminiscent of the glittering galaxy, this palette has a variety of soft shades, pinkish toned point colours, and sparkling glitter. I believe the swatches are done in an anticlockwise spiral, starting from the blusher shade (the biggest pan), ending with the pan in the center.

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#02 GOLDEN GALAXY
A gold shift of the previous palette now gives us the same glittery shimmery splendid, but in gold tones instead of pink.

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UNIVERSE GLITTER PIGMENT | US$ 11.05

Made to look like a glittery firework spewed by a spaceship rocket, the oil binder gives you a high shine finish. The bullet shaped rubber tip reduces glittery fall out so you can use this without worrying it'll ruin the rest of your makeup!


At a glance.

Available in 3 shades.

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PP501 Broken Rocket Flash is a pinkish purple colour, just like the glare of the center of the universe.

BK801 Starlight Dust of the Universe is a gold black colour, just like the revealing sparkling presence in the dark space.

PK002 Rocket Firework is a rose gold colour, created in the image of a charming space goddess.

UNIVERSE LASH PERM CURL FIX MASCARA | US$ 15.60

The classic Lash Perm Curl Fix Mascara gets a small face lift with this Be My Universe collection. If you look really closely, then handle now has some metallic dust that looks like what I think star dust would look like. The formula is still the same, it gives you 24 hour curls that is water, sweat, and sebum resistant! The special C-curve brush will pull up your lashes to create clump-free curled lashes.

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Available in 2 shades.

UNIVERSE DEAR MY TINT & GLOSS TINTING LIPSTICK | US$ 10.40

A small addition to their existing Dear my tint & gloss tinting lipstick (lipstick case sold separately), both the matte and glossy lipsticks glides on smoothly. The matte lipsticks delivers sharp and vibrant colours.


Again with the creative swatching! Lovely! Maximum effort!

Available in 5 different shades, of which 3 are limited colours.

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The glossy shades seem to work well as top coats!

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UNIVERSE DEAR MY LIPS TALK CASE | US$ 5.20

5 new limited edition lipstick cases for this festive season! These are extra sparkly and glittery. Holographic is trending now I suppose (wait a minute.. this is old news isn't it?).

GLOW ON OIL VOLUME BASE (UNIVERSE SPECIAL EDITION) | US$ 20.80

Formulated with luminous oil and water, this base hydrates your skin and imparts a shiny finish. The gold ingredients and ruby powder creates a luxuriously radiant skin with its subtle red capsules. Using a thin layer of this glow up base before makeup helps increase the longevity of the make-up, with the added bonus of a gentle glow.

While it sounds extremely lovely, due to its potentially sticky nature, use only if you're in a very dry country like Korea. The bottle contains 30ml of product.

COLOURFUL SCENT PERFUMED HAND CREAM UNIVERSE TRIO | US$ 19.50

This set of scented hand cream is made up of 3 different scents, each with its own unique personality.



Each tube contains 50ml of hand cream.

COLOURFUL SCENT EAU DE PARFUM SPECIAL SCENT (BE MY UNIVERSE) | 23000 WON

Inspired by the mysterious universe, this is Etude House's take on what it will feel like to fall into outer space - a charming and alluring scent. The blend of Neroli and Musk creates a charming harmony that warms and softly envelop the entire body.


A look at its different notes.

This set contains a perfume spray (50m) and a roll on (7ml). How convenient! On a side note, the perfume isn't available on the International site.

UNIVERSE BRUSH TRIO SET | USD 29.90

The limited edition brush set and pouch is inspired by the emotions of the universe, with its glittery pouch and pastel coloured brushes.


The pouch allows you to carry a variety of makeup products within, including the 3 brushes that make it easy to apply your eyes makeup, contouring, and blusher/highlighter.



Etude House is running a launching promotion now, where everything is 20% off! Prices shown above are before discount.



The International site says the promotional period is from 6 November to 23 November, but it's still showing discounted prices now. If you're in Korea, lucky you because the promotion runs till 27 December!

Ending Note:
I actually quite like this small collection. Even though I may sound like I'm underwhelmed, it's actually quite the opposite! I am surprised how big this collection feels despite the small number of items!

Now, the eye shadow and cheek palette looks like a really convenient product, and might benefit those who don't already have massive amounts of separate eye shadow palette and blushers. But who're we kidding? If you're reading this entry, you probably are a makeup addict :P I think what might be better is if it allows you to change up that blusher shade with other blush pans. The current selection is just too narrow, don't you think? You either get a blush or a highlighter. Granted, you could use one of the shimmery/metallic eye shadows as a highlighter, but then again, you do kinda need that huge of a surface area to coat your blush brush to make sure you get a diffused and blended look.

The glossy lipsticks was a pleasant surprise too. I've seen topcoats similar to the 2 above released by mostly western brands. Seeing Etude House take the lead in the Asian market is rather nice. Now these can transform any existing lipstick you have, that's quite exciting isn't it?

Also excited about the glow on volume base, something I would love to use but probably won't because Singapore's climate is too humid for one to wear that base comfortably. The only shiny skin you get here is because you're sweating a lot, and your oils and sebum gets secreted due to the warmer weather.

That's all I have to say about this collection!

As for my extremely lateness to this entry, I feel like I'm in some sort of a ditch lately. I don't really feel like doing anything more than status quo, so blogging just went to the very back of my mind when I'm in such a state. Hoping that this storm passes soon so I can find that vitality back. If you're still reading on, thank you for your concern!

New eyeshadow but not really?

Etude House is introducing a new line of eyeshadows - aptly named the Prism In Eyes. They are designed to sparkle in a wide range of enchanting colours hidden in light. Get ready for fascinating glimmer and vivid colours.

This type of cream to powder, high intensity metallic eyeshadow isn't exactly new - Kiko released their Water Eyeshadow years ago. Catrice had the Liquid Metal Eyeshadow a few years back too. I'm sure there are other products just like these, but those 2 are what I heard of.

ETUDE HOUSE | PRISM IN EYES | 1.8G | 9800 WON

It's not available on their global site yet, so here are some details about the eyeshadow, translated from the official website:

1. Prism colour captures light from all angles with its glitter and colour pigments.
2. The innovative Prisma Shine texture reproduces colour and shimmer gorgeously.
3. The HD finish makes the eyeshadow glide on smoothly, adhering tightly to your skin to give you long lasting wear.
4. Prisma Shine has a special texture thanks to its manufacturing process. Unlike powder eyeshadows which are pressed dry, the Prisma Shine starts off as a moist gel dough. Powder, colour pigments, and pearl pigments are then added into the mix. It's then poured into molds, and left to set in a warm chamber.

Here are the swatches!


An overview of all 15 shades. Coded them for easy reference.

The colour selection consists of browns and pinks. Most of them are either yellowish or reddish, with the exception of PP502, which appears a little less yellow compared to the rest. Boy, are those pinkish/reddish shades lovely. URGH!!! (that's the sound of me trying to stop myself from buying beautiful but unnecessary things)


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From the official swatches, the product appears to apply thinly and evenly. Most of them have a pearly sheen to it instead of a frosty/metallic finish (save for BR406, crystal sugar). The pigmentation is that but not that outstanding, to be honest. The promo pictures got my expectations too high - I was expecting more shimmer and metallics.

What can I say? To each their own! Some people like subtle sheen like that. I think the only reason why one person who already has a lot of eyeshadows would want to buy this is if they want to be able to quickly apply eyeshadows with their finger evenly. A creamy product has that advantage over powder eyeshadows.

The eyeshadow can be applied with fingers, or with an eyeshadow brush. Nothing else is mentioned about using it wet or dry, so I think it's really up to you to explore how you want to play around with the product. If it's anything like the Kiko Water Eyeshadow, then do expect amazing colour payoff when used wet. In fact, I think the pearly sheen of the Prism In Eyes will complement the frosty/metallic finish of the Water Eyeshadow!

Also comes with a case where you can store trios.


This entry is clearly a case of "I got sucked into the beautiful reddish shades".

I'll update the links once it's available on the global site!

You know what time it is when you see wine shades.

It's fall, and wine/burgundy shades are in trend again! Etude House recently released an eyeshadow palette that satisfies that need for even more wine coloured eye shadows.

They're currently having an 30% off online promotion (from 16 August to 31 August). Instead of the usual price of US$26.40, you can get it for US$19.80 now! Click here to get it from their online store! I am aware I should have posted this 10 days ago.. Anyway, let's take a look at the palette.

PLAY COLOR EYES WINE PARTY | US$26.40

The palette consist of 10 shades: 4 existing shades from their Look At My Eyes series, and 6 brand new shades. There is a good mix of matte, satin, and shimmer.

Names of individual shades. Click to enlarge!

At a glance, you can see this palette is reddish toned (Duh! It's called Wine Party for a reason!). The browns also have a slight reddish hue to it, as opposed to a more yellowish brown. In between we have 3 reddish shades. At the bottom we have a purple shade. In the midst of the darker shades we have 2 golden sparkly shades.

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Here they are swatched on the eye individually.

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I put together the swatches and the palette into one single image. Perhaps this is easier to compare the shades' intensity as compared to what you see in the palette.

Etude House's formula has always been smooth (based on my limited experience with a few of their Look At My Eyes single eye shadows), but you can see from this official swatch that they tend to be on the sheerer side. The colour looks even, so that's a plus. I actually quite like that they apply sheer, because it makes it easier to create the soft edges that should blend seamlessly into the rest of your skin.

If you want really intense colour out of this palette, you could either use a eye primer before hand, or try using a damp brush so it picks up more pigments? Layering should help too!

I notice that the shimmer in the "not-matte" shades are rather refined. Instead of having chunky glitter or a strong frosty sheen (which sometimes looks metallic), it looks as if it's a very thin veil of golden silk - spun by the mythical gold silkworm - layered over the colours. Some people like it subtle, and maybe I'm one of them! This is the kind of shimmer that gives off a faux glossy effect, without having to smear clear lip gloss over your eyes for that wet look. It also adds a lot of dimension naturally, accentuating the natural contours of your eyes (as opposed to using a matte white shade to make certain parts of your eyes stand out).

Ending Note
This looks like a pretty great palette. If I can wear makeup right now, and if I don't already have so many eyeshadow palettes, I might get my hands on this. I don't know what's up with me, suddenly I'm really into the subtle sparkles.

Given that it's currently on offer till 31st August, it's quite a good deal at US$19.80.

Image credits: Etude House

A tonne of new products from Kate this fall!

I've been entertaining my family the past week, then spending another week to recover from the loss of sleep. After not checking beauty news for a while, imagine how overwhelmed I am when I saw SO MANY new products being released by Kate!

I counted 15 new products, not including the different colour variations. Some of them are completely new, some are additional colours, while some are reformulation of existing product lines (but given a new name, so technically new, but theoretically not). If you think about it, nothing is really new anymore, as that would require a brand new innovation that has never been seen before. So, let's just take the word "new" at face value.

1. BROWN SHADE EYES N | 1200 YEN

With the addition of a "Bronzer" shade, the new Brown Shade Eyes N sets itself apart from the original Brown Shade Eyes that comes without the extra pearly shade. The Bronzer shade is supposed to add more dimension to the eyes when used in harmony with the fake shade powder to create a strong contrast between light and shadow.

It comes in 6 colour variations.

Click to enlarge!

2. SMOOTH EYELINER PENCIL | 800 YEN

With its new and improved formula, this eyeliner pencil is smoother than ever!

Available in 1 shade:
BK (Soft black)

3. SOFT BLACK LINER | 800 YEN

A new natural black eyeliner that is super sharp and long wearing, yet it can be easily removed by warm water.

Available in 1 shade:
BK (Soft black)

4. SECRET SKIN CC BASE ZERO SPF30 PA++ | 1000 YEN

This new shade EX-2 is a light green that can colour correct any redness to create a more even out skin tone that looks brighter. The product also covers pores, smooths your skin, and enhances your original skin tone with the addition of "Beauty Up Pearl" ingredient.

Available in 2 shades:
EX-1 (Pink Beige)
EX-2 (Light Green)

5. WATER IN OIL BB SPF 20 PA++| 1400 YEN

A BB cream that covers, primes, moisturizes, protects you from UV rays, it seeks to minimize your foundation routine into a one step process. Its lightweight formula is designed to smooth out pores, leaving you with glowy and healthy looking skin.

Available in 3 shades:
01 BRIGHT
02 NATURAL
04 DARK

6. STICK CONCEALER A | 800 YEN

A concealer formulated to cover acne marks, spots, and freckles.

Available in 2 shades:
LIGHT BEIGE
NATURAL BEIGE

7. FACE POWDER A | 1200 YEN

This loose powder creates smooth porcelain-like skin. Comes with puff.

Available in 2 variations:
NATURAL TYPE
GLOW TYPE

8. SLIM CREATE POWDER N | 1300 YEN

A shading and highlighting combo for contouring purposes.

Available in 2 shades:
01 NATURAL TYPE
02 GLOW TYPE

9. 3D CONTRASTING CHEEKS | 1500 YEN

A glossy highlighter combined with a pigmented blush, allowing you to easily create sharp cheek bones and lift your face. Comes with a 2 way brush that can be transformed from a small condensed brush to a wider brush.

Available in 4 shades.

10. 3D PART DESIGN | 1200 YEN

A highlight and contour combo, this is a convenient and easy to use product that allows you to sculpt your features to get more definition. The sponge tip applicator dips into the highlight/shading powder that is within the cap, making it travel friendly.

Available in 2 shades:
EX-1 (PINK WHITE + DARK BEIGE, natural type)
EX-2 (GOLD BEIGE + DEEP BROWN, deep type)

11. CC LIP CREAM N | 400 YEN

A clear lip cream that moisturizes and also add a tinge of colour. It also colour corrects, acts as a gloss, can be used as a lipstick base, and provides UV protection (SPF 8 PA+)

Available in 3 shades:
01 BEAT RED
04 ORANGE BURST
07 GRACE PINK

12. CC LIP CREAM N (TINT) | 400 YEN

A lip balm that changes from light pink to dark pink once you apply it onto your lips. Also has the same capabilities as the lip cream above.

Available in 1 shade:
06 MODE PINK

13. CC LIP OIL | 920 YEN

A new product never seen before, the CC Lip Oil is a coloured lip oil that moisturizes, colour-corrects, plumps, acts as a lip gloss, and can also be used as a lipstick base. 5 in 1!

Available in 3 shades:
01 RED SPICE
02 TRANS PINK
03 SHEER YELLOW

14. CC LIP & CHEEK CREAM N | 700 YEN

As with other products in the CC line, it has 5 functions - moisturizing, colour correcting, can be used as blusher, or as a lipstick base, and has SPF protection. Formulated with moisturizing ingredients such as olive oil, almond oil, jojoba seed oil, and sunflower seed oil, this product can be used on the lips and cheeks as the name suggests.

Available in 2 shades:
01 GLOW RED
02 CLASSY PINK

15. COLOR HIGHVISION ROUGE | 1200 YEN

A matte lipstick with high pigmentation in just one swipe, it contains moisturizing ingredients such as almond oil, jojoba oil, and olive oil.

Available in 10 shades

Click to enlarge!

Ending Notes:
Phew! That was quite a lot of products right!? What interested me the most is the light green SECRET SKIN CC BASE ZERO and the matte COLOR HIGHVISION ROUGE. Previously, only higher end Japanese brands made colour correcting primers, so having a drugstore option is a nice move. Also, as Japanese lipstick trend tend to favour glossy finishes, it really excites me (a matte finish lover) that Kate is being one of the first few to venture into the matte arena. All of my matte lip products are western brands not because I particularly like them, but because I just can't find any affordable Japanese alternatives! Now.. will Kate release more nude and berry shades in the future? I'm looking forward to this product line.

With the success of the Brown Shade Eyes when it was released a few years ago, this newer version is like.. lackluster. I imagine this scene taking place in Kate HQ.

Marketing team (M): We need something new to market!
Product development team (P): But the Brown Shade Eyes is perfect as it is!
M: Yes we understand, but the public likes new things!
P: Ok, how about.. we add 1 new blase shade into the palette?
M: Good idea!!!! We can sell it as a "Bronzer" shade that adds dimension! Just make it pearly.

Guys, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Brown Shade Eyes is loved for its simplicity and impeccable formula that rivals that of higher end brands. People loved it for its buttery smooth formula and high pigmentation. The three shades creates a beautiful gradation that even makeup beginners can easily master. Why complicate things??? I rather they add more colour variations, like greyish brown.

With that said, you can never please all. Just my 2 cents.

Image credits:
@cosme, biteki, Kate