Nature Republic Shine Blossom Blusher 05 Shading Beige (Swatch and Review)

another item i picked from nature republic from my korean beauty haul. i chose this colour as i was looking for a shading/contour powder. the colour looked promising on their official website.. but.. i was mentally prepared for some slight differences between the website and the actual product.

nature republic is a lot like innisfree in my opinion, but they're packaging is a little more delicate and sweet. their price points are about the same, quality wise i can't compare much, but let's juts say the average korean cosmetic brand is already really good quality for the price i'm paying. each brand are about just as good as the their competitor.


the blush comes in a papaer box packaging (reminds me so much of the benefit blushers) and it comes with a big puff that doesn't feel too soft or fluffy. it feels like a stuffed toy to me.


i got it in 05, shading beige. they have 5 colours for this series. the rest are a series of pink and corals.


actual colour (left) compared to colour on official website (right).

from the pan, it looks like a light beige with a warm undertone (slight orange-y to me).



swatched on my hand: heavily swatched on the left and blended out on the right.


05 shading beige is a warm beige with pearly finish. the powder is very soft and smooth. blends out into the skin very well to give a slight hint of colour.


close up of swatch to show you its finish

the pearly finish is quite obvious, but not over bearing.

the product is strongly scented.

IMHO:
sadly, the colour is a little too light for my skintone to be used as a shading powder for me (unless i paint my face really fair before that, it won't work for me). i think this would be a really good item to fix any excessive whitening brought about by my foundation, but i can't depend on it to do some facial contouring normally.

i really like its texture though, the powder is extremely soft and smooth. running my brush over it will pick up a lot of product, so it'll be best to use a light hand when getting the product. the pigmentation level of this product is relatively low, i think it helps contribute to a natural look.

the fragrance is very lovely, it lingers for a while on my face before fading off.

i believe all the blusher from this line contains a pearly finish. i wish i got the other colours instead because i know i can get more use out of them. right now, i have to think of what to do with it because it's so similar to the essence sun club shimmery bronzing powder (which is also too light for me.. =_=), except this has no shimmery, just a pearlescent glow.

perhaps i can use this to create a very sunkissed look which i've attempted before!

other than that, i think this would be an amazing highlighting product for girls with darker skin tone as this won't give you that white cast that white based highlighter has.

i bought this for 6900 Korean Won.

IN A NUTSHELL:
1. soft and blendable powder
2. pearlescent finish
3. scented
4. low pigmentation level

MAKEUP LOOK:

i've used it to correct an overly fair face (due to overusing the cushion bb), as well as to use it as a blush.



applied on my forehead because i went a little too excited when applying the etude house any cushion. you can watch me turn into a ghost here.


used it as a blush and it actually resembles a bronzer! i look sun kissed :P

Nature Republic Provence Blending Highlighter (Swatch and Review)

another item from my korean beauty haul! one of the items that i was really really excited to try.

this is a liquid highlighter which can be used on its own or mixed with your foundation for an overall highlighted effect. i think it's a pretty good way to make your skin glow without making it look oily.

this isn't the most popular item from nature republic, but ever since i saw the etude house nymph aura volumer, i was bent on getting something similar. i actually noticed their blending glow from the same provence line first.i almost bought that as well but i decided that it would be insane to wear such a rich and oily thing on my skin in singapore, so i turned to the highlighter instead. i'm going crazy over highlighting products anyway.


chubby little tube fits into my hand just right.


comes in a convenient squeeze tube with a small opening.


swatched on hand: unblended

fresh off the tube, it looks like a pinkish pearly liquid.


swatched: blended out on arm

once it's blended, the colour isn't visible anymore. what's left is a subtle reflective surface that resembles a mirror. the finish is more metallic than pearly.


swatched: in different lighting, natural light vs flash light.

it gives off a slight reflective sheen that is close to the skin thanks to its liquid formula. compared to the side without, you can tell the difference!

colour: slightly pink when freshly squeezed, but blends out to nothing.
texture: very light weight, a little watery (surprise!) spreads very easily.
fragrance: has a soft floral scent, smells like the shine blossom blush



IMHO
i haven't tried mixing this with my foundation yet, but i've worn this alone as a highlighter and i love how closely it clings onto my skin.

it differs a little from my canmake highlighter as that contains some fillers to give a slight whitish colour. this is just reflective particles in a translucent base, giving you a very soft and subtle highlight instead of looking like an oily mess.

as the finish is more metallic than pearly, it may not be as natural looking as a pearly highlighter. the finish actually resembles the daiso ellefar nose highlight powder, except without that powdery-ness. both have that metallic sheen to it.

since this is a liquid product, it's best to be laid on top of the liquid foundation before setting with a powder. i think this would be perfect for the winter and it tends to be drier, but for singapore, i still end up using my powder highlighter more.

that doesn't mean i don't like this product though! just didn't have enough occasions to use it! if i'm back in hongkong during winter i'll definitely use this.

my gf bought this for me in korea for 10900 won.

IN A NUTSHELL
1. metallic reflection
2. lightweight and watery
3. blends easily
4. perfect for highlighting the nosebridge and cheek area
5. can be mixed with foundation for a dewy glow.

MAKEUP LOOK

Nature Republic Super Origin CC Cream Brightening (Swatches and Review)

my first and only CC cream, courtesy of my lovely gf who got it for me while she was in korea. i was debating with myself whether or not should i get my hands on a CC cream.

1. it is merely a sunscreen with some added skin care benefits. i've my own sunscreen, i've also got my own skin loving moisturizers/serums/toners, do i really need it?
2. the whole "colour changing" thing sounds very very gimmicky to me. not everyone knows that the product only "matches" your skin colour because of it's sheer pigmentation. that colour changing beads is like a illusion to make people believe that it really changes to match your skin. am i going to succumb to the marketer's lure?

she decided that i should give it a try and gifted me the nature republic super origin complete control cream - brightening. there are 3 different types in this selection: colour change, tint, and brightening. the other 2 has some tint in it, making them like a watered down BB cream. the one i have has no colour at all - something that i really like about it.

from its official website, it has 3 promises to deliver - dewy looking skin, skin care and sun care, as well as brightening your skin.



comes with a pump head on the tube. nifty, i like.


comes with SPF 25, PA++ and a slew of korean instruction on how to use it. it roughly says to use after your skin care. and that's all i can make out of it!


swatched on my face: fresh off tube on the left, blended into skin on the right.


colour: white but blends into nothingness.
texture: light yet creamy. feels oily.
fragrance: has a wonderful floral scent.




slight white cast along my hairline after i perspire.

white cast: no white cast on my face in general, but i can't say the same for my hairline where i tend to perspire a lot.

IMHO
this product is like a sunscreen + moisturizer to me, a 2-in-1 product that is designed for people on the go.

the formula is definitely very moisturizing as my face really gives off a shiny and dewy look (it makes my skin glow). while it's perfect for dryer climates, it may be a little too much for me (in singapore). i still like to slap this one and blend it out before i have to head out for a short while for that sun protection. i can live with a bit of that dewniess on a cooler day, but it gets kinda messy when i perspire like a pig because my face turns a little sticky.

while it's oily, it doesn't actually feel oily on the face. this works as a wonderful makeup base thanks to the moisturizing capabilities.

as for brightening, i think it's partly thanks to the sunscreen that imparts a slight and subtle white cast that can be passed off as brightening. it's looks pretty natural on me, so i'm loving it.

just don't expect this to give you any coverage because a CC cream isn't supposed to give you that much coverage in the first place. think of it as a makeup base and you won't be disappointed. ;)

my gf gifted this to me, she claims that it only cost her 5000 korean won when it was on sale. i think she lied to me.

IN A NUTSHELL
1. no coverage but it brightens
2. sunscreen + skincare
3. gives you a dewy finish
4. slightly oily but doesn't feel oily on skin
5. scented

Nature Republic California Aloe Power Lasting Sun Block SPF50 PA+++ (Review)

another item from my korean beauty haul!

i picked up this sun block because it was on 50% off a few months ago, making this 12900won for 100ml of product!!! BUY!

it comes with SPF 50 and PA+++. it is a long lasting formula, making it suitable for outdoor activities. assuming i take 10 minutes to start burning, this SPF will protect me for 500 minutes = 8+ hours!

as with most other products from nature republic, it boasts of natural botanical ingredients such as aloe and hibiscus flower and leaf extract. they make it a point to exclude 5 of the not so skin-friendly ingredients (the usual, paraben, GMO, and a few others from their website.. i can't read that much korean).



ingredient list is in english! thankfully!
the main sunscreen ingredients are ethyhexyl methoxycinnamate, zinc oxide and titanium oxide.
also contains fragrance.


comes in a convenient squeeze tube with a small opening.



colour: opaque and white when freshly squeezed, but blends out to nothing.
texture: extremely creamy and moisturizing, yet it doesn't feel heavy or oily to me at all. it sounds impossible but that's what it is.
fragrance: it smells like cucumbers!
white cast: no obvious white cast to me as long as it's well spread and blended into the skin.

IMHO
i really LOVE this sunblock. i've been using the biore skin aqua for the past few years, having tried 3 of them from their skin aqua line, nothing compares to this sunblock. it's my current favourite.

firstly, i really love its texture and consistency. it is slightly stiffer than my biore skin aqua whitening. it's like comparing heavy whipped cream to light whipped cream, does that put a nice mental image in your mind?

initially i was worried that the formula may be a little too moisturizing (oily) for singapore, but NO! this is nothing like their cc cream! the formula doesn't feel oily at all, yet it feels SO hydrating and nourishing. i can't get over the feeling. just too good to be true. i let my mom try it, she's even more scared of oily products than me and she told me shyly that "the product is pretty good! so moisturizing!". :) actually, i bought this sunblock for her. but i think i'll use some of it too :P

the scent is refreshing, i like it too!

what i can't vouch for is the lasting power. i don't know how to tell if it's still on my skin or not. that's perhaps the only part i'll keep an open mind on.

my gf bought this for me for 12900 won.

Innisfree, Nature Republic, Etude House Korean Beauty Haul & Swatch (Video)

this is a rather massive haul to me because i've never spent a hundred bucks at one go just to buy a load of cosmetics. i usually collect small purchases over time! so this is definitely a first for me. i'm really excited to share all my good buys with you all!!!

i did my research and rounded down my purchases to these items. to me they are all bang for the buck, if you're a deal shopper just like me, read on (i tried to include all the information including price and size)! ANNNNND, if you don't have the time to sit through my video, below is the condensed version of the video :D but if you have 13 minutes to spare, my video could be potentially entertaining :P it's so long this time round because i swatched most of the product and i wanted to show my initial reactions to it. not scripted, not staged. just a one take video from start to finish.




the family photo :D

INNISFREE__________________________________________________________________

no-sebum mineral primer | creamy tint lip mousse 05 vitamin red | no-sebum mineral powder



unboxed: no-sebum mineral primer | creamy tint lip mousse 05 vitamin red | no-sebum mineral powder

NO-SEBUM MINERAL PRIMER___________________________________________________


no-sebum mineral primer. blended out on the right.

it mattified my hand and blurred out the lines. similar to the maybelline pore eraser in terms of texture and visible differences, but the latter don't seem to be sebum controlling. i've did a mini test the other day and it kept my forehead shine free (it was only a few hours though), WOW. heavy herb scent.

price: 10000 won
size: 25mlinnisfree official site

NO-SEBUM MINERAL POWDER___________________________________________________


no-sebum mineral powder. well blended on the right.

the powder also serves to control shine, it goes on translucent and isn't cakey at all. very smooth due to the silicones, have yet to try this out yet. has a slight herbal scent similar to that of the primer. this is the best selling item from innisfree! HAD TO TRY IT.

price: 6000 won
size: 5ginnisfree official site


CREAMY TINT LIP MOUSSE___________________________________________________


creamy tint lip mousse 05 vitamin red. worn lightly in the middle, and full on red lips on the right.

slightly scented, very pigmented and creamy, blends really well and applies very evenly. stays creamy with a touch of slight sheen as you have seen in my video (even though my video is 13 minutes long, the actualy run time prior to cutting is half an hour). definitely works better than a normal lipstick thanks to the added moisture. I LOVE ITTTTTTTTTTT. the colour is a very bright red, slightly neon in my opinion, which was what allowed the colour to stay true even on my lips. smells like candy.

price: 10000 won
size: 4.8mlinnisfree official site


NATURE REPUBLIC___________________________________________________________


california aloe sun block spf50 | provence blending highlighter | shine blossom blusher 05 shading beige


unboxed: california aloe sun block spf50 | provence blending highlighter | shine blossom blusher 05 shading beige

CALIFORNIA ALOE SUN BLOCK___________________________________________________


california aloe sun block spf50. blended out on the right.

very moisturizing, feels like a cream to me. smells like cucumber. and has a very slight white cast, good if you wanna brighten your face. bad if you have darker skin tone as this may look like an ashy cast.

price: 25800 won (but it was on 50% off at 12900 won)
size: 100ml

PROVENCE BLENDING HIGHLIGHTER______________________________________________


provence blending highlighter. half blended in the centre, fully blended on the right.

i described it as liquid-y in the video, but as you can see it actually doesn't drip or flow when it's on my hand. the moment you touch it it becomes a very light weight liquid that blends out really easily. i don't wanna know what kind of chemicals they added inside to make it blend like that. ignorance is bliss? haha! the highlighter is wonderful. it has a slight pinkish tint to it, but once you blended it out you can't tell the pink at all. just an awesome pearly product that sinks into the skin to fake the "i just woke up with this glow" look. slightly scented.

price: 10900 won
size: 40ml

SHINE BLOSSOM BLUSHER 05 SHADING BEIGE__________________________________


shine blossom blusher 05 shading beige. swatched heavily on left, blended out on right.

smells heavenly! similar scent to the blending highlighter, only heavier. it has a slight pearly finish, sans shimmer, feels like a skin toned highlighter to me that would work as a bronzer on my cheeks. i thought i could use this as a shading powder but it's too light to do that for me (aka my skin is a little dark). powder is soft, blends easily, WONDERFUL.

price: 6900 won
size:10g


if you're interested in seeing their whole range of products, you can check out their official site, it's in korean. i wanted to link the individual items here but their website are done in such a way that i can't do that. :( sorry girls.


ETUDE HOUSE_______________________________________________________________


precious mineral any cushion W13 natural beige | look at my eyes cafe be102, br402, pk004 | look at my eyes br401, br402, or205


unboxed: precious mineral any cushion W13 natural beige | look at my eyes cafe be102, br402, pk004 | look at my eyes br401, br402, or205



PRECIOUS MINERAL ANY CUSHION W13__________________________________________

i haven't opened the cushion bb yet, i'm saving it for a first impression. i got it in W13 natural beige, it's just a tad darker than the light beige (which would make me look like a white ghost). it comes with spf 50, and pa+++.

price: 18000 won
size: 15g
etude house official site


LOOK AT MY EYES CAFE & LOOK AT MY EYES__________________________________


top row: look at my eyes cafe // be102 honey milk, br401 cafe latte, pk004
bottom row: look at my eyes // br401, br402, or205


left: look at my eyes cafe //  pk004, br401 cafe latte, be102 honey milk
right: look at my eyes //or205, br402, br401

WONDERFULLLLLLLLLLLLL EYESHADOWS! powder is buttery smooth, pigmented, and glides onto skin (without primer) smoothly. watch the video for the actual swatching, you can see that i only did one swipe for most (except for pk004, it seems to be a little less smooth than the rest). the metallic finish ones felt more velvety than the matte finish ones.

look at my eyes cafe // MATTE FINISH
pk004 - a deep purple that has a red undertone
br401 cafe latte - pinkish toned beige, perfect for blending out harsh edges
be102 honey milk - off white shade, good as a base or highlighting

look at my eyes // METALLIC FINISH (with some glitter)
or205 - metallic orange, what else can i describe? presence of glitter.
br402 - metallic copper, almost a foil finish.
br401 - metallic gold, same finish as br402.

price: 3500 won
size: 2g
etude house site for look at my eyes cafe (matte)
etude house site for look at my eyes (metallic)

hope you all found this useful! :D
let me know if you guys like my haul videos and what would you like for me to include in my videos!

xoxo
karman

Nature Republic By Flower Triple Volume Tint 05 Peony

the nature republic by flower triple volume tint is a water tint that gives you a pop of colour AND shine. this is a little different from the l'oreal shine caresse in terms of consistency, as this is definitely more watery. this is actually a lip stain with a glossy finish, after long hours of wear the shine wears off, but the colour stays.




05 peony



one swipe on the left, two swipes on the right.


the colour is more milky right off the tube, but it changes slightly after some time as it sets into a more vivid colour. these thing stain really well. i removed them with a tissue paper less than 2 minutes after application.





when applied lightly (one layer), the colour is a tint of hot pink. it was about 3 layers of the product on my lips in the photo above, what you get is a full bodied dark hot pink, and a very glossy finish (but not sticky!). i think the glossy is a very lightweight oil. there are no glitters or shimmers in this product, just pure colour.

the product is watery and spreads relatively easily. the doe foot application makes application easier as it's more precise and can get to the corners of my lips pretty well.

it is heavily scented, something that took me time to get used to. it's not unpleasant i would say, it's just too strong. i wish it's more subtle because it's actually a pretty nice fragrance.


it stains really well! this is after i wiped my lips with a piece of tissue. it's not the gentle blotting, ladies. the shine comes off but not the colour.

IMHO:
i really enjoyed its staining power and the glossy finish. the fact that it's not sticky is a very big plus point in my opinion. there's something really special about its watery formula, and that it needs time to set into the gorgeous colour. i don't know what's going on, but it feels like the gloss is changing from that milky state into a clear protective sheen. when i blot it right after application, there'll be a lot of color that comes off. but after it sets, it's just the glossy layer that comes off - i can't see any obvious lip colour on the tissue.

however, i do have a slight problem with the water formula, when i tried to use this to create a gradient lips, i realize it doesn't stain my lips evenly - i can't get a gradient with this product! it's something that my lip smacking can't correct. i think it's partly my lips too, because i seem to have more dead skin cells towards the inner part of my lips, and those are typically the cells that the stain works on. while this is a good lip stain to stain the entire lips, the formula makes it harder to control precisely where i want the colours to be more intense. therefore, i'd much prefer a more viscous formula if i wanna get a gradient lip effect.

and that scent, it takes some time to get used to.

i got this as a gift from my gf when she travelled to korea.

MAKEUP LOOK