Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence 14 day Update

Hi everyone. This is my last Benton Snail Bee High Content Essence update. It is a little late but I blame the holidays. I used the Benton Snail Bee Essence daily morning and evening along with my Clinique Gentle Face Wash, and my Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer. I have since added more steps to my skincare routine but at the time I took these photos (the 14 day mark) I had not added any other products. Here are the before and after photos (Note: I have two before and after photos of the left side of my face because I couldn’t fit them all into one collage – laughing). 

If I had to describe the effects on my face in one word I would have to say amazing. The pustules (that’s a horrible word) are gone, the redness and hyperpigmentation has decreased and I have not experienced any new rosacea symptoms. I am actually shocked that in only 14 days my skin looks so much better. Skin cells totally regenerate (i.e., new skin all over the face) in 28 days and I can only imagine that my skin will continue to improve (I do have a few areas of hyperpigmentation still). I 100% recommend this to anyone looking for something that is not only safe to use with sensitive skin but gives you results. 

I am blown away and I have to say that this is going onto my (very small) list of Holy Grail skincare products. There is one problem with this product – it’s from Korea. Since this is a Korean product and can be a little tricky to find, I’m going to link you to a few websites I trust. You can always try Amazon or EBay but there are a ton of counterfeit Korean beauty products and unethical sellers on both sites. These are tried and true and you’re going to be getting the product you order. 

The first is Memebox which is where I personally purchased the product. Here is a direct link to the Essence. 

http://us.memebox.com/snail-bee-high-content-essence#.VKRbFivF_ng

TesterKorea is another website that I have ordered from. It can be a little scary because the prices are in won but the conversion is listed at the top right (usually around 1 American dollar to 1000 won). 

http://testerkorea.com/Product/benton-snail-bee-high-content-essence-60ml

Beauteque is another good option. They ship from the US but the product is a few dollars more.

http://www.beauteque.com/benton-snail-bee-high-content-essence-60ml/

Benton has an entire line of products associated with their Snail Bee High Content line. If you would like a chance to win the Benton High Content Steam Cream check out my giveaway Korean Beauty Blog Hop Giveway (which is also part of a large Korean beauty giveaway). Have a happy New Year everyone! Here’s to a great 2015!

Memebox Blackfriday Box #5 Unboxing and Review

Well it’s time for another Memebox unboxing! I really do enjoy doing these unboxings but I think I might switch it up a bit (I’ll explain more at the end of this blog). This is my unboxing and review of the Memebox Black Friday #5 box. For those that don’t know Memebox is a K-beauty box service (like a subscription box) but the spin on this is that they curate boxes and then you choose which box you want to purchase. It’s really fun to be surprised by a box. The prices range from $20.00 - $50.00 depending on the box. They also ship from Korea so keep that in mind and the fact that shipping is $6.99 for standard and $18.99 for express. Now on to the box!

This is the Shara Shara Top Talented Skin BB Brightening & Wrinkle SPF 34 PA ++. I’m not a big fan of sunscreen combined with product. It’s just a personal preference and because of that I didn’t test any of this product in order to pass it along in the future – smile. 

I received this Hologram Collection Moisture Serum and was again blown away by the packaging. I’m a sucker for good packaging. This product contains mineral water gel and twisted moist essence. Unfortunately it also contains alcohol so I’m also not trying this product so I can pass it along. 

We all know (if you read my blog) that this is the Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream. This is a natural product (no alcohol) which contains snail mucus extract and bee venom. You use this after washing your face. Just slather it on and then remove it with warm water. I love this stuff and if you want a chance to win one take a look at my giveaway here K-Beauty Blog Hop Giveaway.

I also received the dearberry Ice Cream Hand Cream in Vanilla. I don’t like vanilla hand creams so…again I’m not opening it. 

Last but not least we have the dearberry Kiss of Berry #1 Raspberry. So…again I don’t like the flavor of fake Raspberry so I also haven’t tried to use this product. 

Overall this box was a disappointment for me. The products are good but I really will not use any of them (besides the steam cream). Which leads me to what I was alluding too earlier. I think I might be doing more purchases of single Korean Beauty products in the future. The boxes are great but the price plus the shipping and wait time takes some of the fun out of it. I haven’t decided 100% but I know I do want more control of what I’m going to receive. The next few months will help me make my decision.

Boxycharm December 2014 Unboxing and Review. Spoilers!

Hi again all! It’s very close to Christmas but I wanted to put up this review of the December Boxycharm subscription box. I have to say I love Boxycharm, you got full sized products, and I always find that I like or love most of the box. It is more pricy then Birchbox or Ipsy at $23.00 (plus tax if you live in Florida) but the extra $13.00 is well worth it. Check them out here http://www.boxycharm.com/.

As always, I buy this box with my own money – so if it sucks I’ll tell ya!

I was really happy with this month’s box. The subscription boxes have been knocking it out of the park lately. If it’s because it’s December so be it! I’m getting my money’s worth – smile. Which brings me to my first item the Be a Bombshell lip Product. No seriously they’re calling it a lip product. This is full-sized and retails for $14.00. This is a long lasting color which has a high shine and smooth finish. The color I got is Hot Damn - no really, it’s Hot Damn. I am loving all the red lip products I have been getting, but I’m really jonesing for some nudes. This lipstick is going into my normal rotation though. No funky smell and it goes on very smoothly. 

Next we have Eva NYC Hair Products hairspray. This is a travel-sized product and retails from $7.00 - $12.00. I haven’t used this yet because I don’t use much hairspray. It has a perfumed smell. Not like a normal hairspray smell. It is an aerosol and not a pump which is kind of an eh for me (let’s try to save the environment). Some people don’t have that issue though. 

This product is amazing. I was looking at purchasing myself some Esquido lashes (check them out here) because I wear false lashes when I go out (my outer lashes lay flat against my upper water line). These are Lina Lashes Luxury Mink Lashes full-sized of course, and retail for $30.00. The lashes are made out of Siberian mink fur, 100% hand made, and gathered without harming the animals (YAY). I love these things. They look so natural on and the feel is just amazing. The biggest plus for me is that you can use them over and over. Huge win. 

I got another brush! This is the Mistura Beauty Solutions Retractable Beauty Brush full sized and retails for $19.99. It’s a great little brush, soft on your face, and puts on product well. Such a great travel brush for my luggage!

Now, this full sized Coastal Scents Revealed Palette is amazing. This is a full-sized palette and retails for $39.99. I’ve seen that in the past Boxycharm has included Costal Scents Palette’s but I was not sure if they were high quality or not. A full palette of garbage isn’t a great deal no matter how big it is. The Costal Scents Palette is not garbage at all. The colors are creamy, highly pigmented, and I see no fall out. I have swatched a few of the colors so you can see just how pigmented they are. It has a variety of finishes (matte, satin, shimmer) and a great selection of colors. I am so happy that I received this palette and I’ve already used it a few times. I dare to say that I’m enjoying this palette much more then my Urban Decay Naked. 

  

I was more than happy with this box. I have to say that since I’ve subscribed Boxycharm has blown me away. If you have to pick only one box to subscribe to and you enjoy full sized products, I would 100% recommend Boxycharm. 

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Also, don’t forget to check out the massive Kbeauty blog hop giveaway here Korean Beauty Blog Hop Giveaway!  Tons of product’s to win! Who doesn’t want Korean Beauty products?! 

Ipsy December 2014 Unboxing and Review. Spoilers! Giveaway Reminder

This is my review for the December 2014 Ipsy bag. Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service and for $10.00 a month you receive four to five sample sized products. You also get a new makeup bag every month. Some are cute; some are glitter traps to scratch your eyeballs. Check out Ipsy here http://www.ipsy.com/home (as always I pay for my own subscription and my reviews are my honest opinions). 

The first item I received in my bag is the Nourish Organic Renewing Eye cream. This Eye cream is for normal to dry skin, is certified USDA Organic, contains shea butter, as well as avocado and argan oil. I haven’t used this yet because I’m using another eye cream that is almost done. Since the product is sealed I haven’t smelled it and I can’t speak to if the scent is pleasant or smells like zombies. I will update this review when I have a chance to use the eye cream. 

This is the NYX Butter Lip Balm BLB03 Red Velvet. This product goes on smooth and does not have a waxy feeling. It’s a great little lip balm but not for me. I’m not a huge fan of cutely scented lip balms/flavors and this one is in raspberry. It reminds me of something a teen or tween would use. I’ll be giving this product to my god daughter. 

This tool makes the whole bag for me this month. This is a crown brush and is a double sided crease and pencil brush. As with many things lately in my subscription boxes I have been looking for new brushes. This brush is perfect. I have been waiting till after the holidays to buy myself new beauty tools and I’m so glad I did! This brush works like a charm for me (used it today) and to get it in a subscription bag is perfect. 

I also received a sample of Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara. I have wanted to try this mascara so I’m very excited to have this sample. I didn’t use it today because I’m trying out some new false eyelashes. Once that is done I'll start using a new mascara. . 

This was outside of the bag and I think is meant to be a bonus. This is the Bumble and Bumble All Style Blow Dry. It claims to add oomph (yep it says that) shine and swoosh (really?), fights frizz, prevents heat damage, and has oil-absorbing powders to help keep all styles flawlessly fresh. I’m currently using some products from an influencer box. So I have not tried this in order to give those specific hair products an honest review (look out for that review soon). I’m excited to try this though for the oil-absorbing powders statement alone. 

That’s this month’s Ipsy bag and I really like it. Most of the products are products I wouldn’t have normally purchased (minus the brush). Which means I’m getting some exposure to products I wouldn’t normally use and I’m glad I’m getting out of my comfort zone. I can’t wait for next month. 

As a reminder, tomorrow the Kbeauty Blog Hop giveaway starts!! There are (at least) 12 blogs participating and you’ll have a chance to win some great Korean Beauty products. Come back and check it out! 

Massive Korean Beauty Blog Hop Giveaway!

This is it! What you've been waiting for!

Today starts the multi-blog Kbeauty blog hop. All of the blogs listed below will be participating. Please make sure you read their rules as all our rules (like where you have to live) might not be the same.What do you get if you win you ask?

You're going to get...

Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream.

If you haven't seen what the Benton Snail Bee Products have done for my face take a look at some of my previous Benton posts. This is great for sensitive or angry (grr) skin.

You like masks you say? Ok, how about two Benton Snail Bee High Content Masks? Ok, you got it!

I'm also going to include this set from I am designer so you can act like a chemist and mix up your own shade of blush/concealer/face stuffs.

Last but not least a mystery gift! I want people to be a little surprised by what they get! I promise it will be something fun.

Now, here is what you have to do. See that cool raffle thingy down there (look down) you have to use that to enter. What you must do is leave a blog comment with your type of skin and a skin concern you want to address.This is really important for that mystery prize (hint hint) so make sure you leave some info I can use! For an extra entry you can also tweet about the Kbeauty blog hop (who doesn't want an extra entry?)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck everyone! OH wait...Whats this? 

Memebox Christmas Collection #2 My Holiday Glam Unboxing and Review - Spoilers!

We wish you a Merry Christmas we wish you a (humming). It’s that time of year! I love this time of year and this year I am so happy to be celebrating my first Christmas cancer free since my diagnosis. 

That was a pretty random way to start this review huh? So, as the title says this is my unboxing and review of the Memebox Christmas Collection #2 My Holiday Glam. For those who are not familiar with Memebox they are this awesome company that puts beauty stuff in boxes and then (after you scramble to buy it) they send you said pink box (yes its pink). All of the beauty products are Korean (how cool is that – seriously) and vary from skin care to makeup to accessories. The prices of the boxes start at $25.00 and go up from there. You also have to pay shipping which varies depending on if you want standard or express shipping. Also, this stuff comes from Korean so be prepared to wait a bit for it! 

Now on to ALL THE THINGS!

BB CREAM! Do you know that BB and CC creams are what got me looking at Korean Beauty products in the first place but that this is the ONLY BB cream I have? Oh my how things went off the rails… The Deoproce White Flower B.B. Cream SPF 35 PA+++ is enriched with a blend of lotus, lily, and peony extracts. Not only is it moisturizing and protective but it also helps to perfect your complexion and balance your tone. I received shade 22 and it’s perfect for me which I find funny because normally it’s a real chore to find the right shade. Maybe…I have more of a Korean complexion then I thought.

 

Since I saw these next - I opened them up. As a side note, these things were packaged like they contained national secrets. These are the Eclipse Poppy red & Fresh Green nail polishes. I haven’t used these yet but the colors are very Christmas-esque. I’m going to do my nails this weekend so we shall see.

The Peripera Wholly Deep Jewel Pot #6 Burgundy is a multi-angle jewel glitter that contains real diamond and amethyst powder. I love this stuff. I know it might be a bold color for some but what’s life without risks right? Right. 

 

I was really excited to see a Vivito product in this box. I’ve come to love Vivito lipsticks through Memebox and was excited to try a tint. The Vivito Painting Jelly Tint RD02 Squeeze Cherry does not disappoint. I opened the box and then the container and then realized it’s like jello (starry eyes). I think it’s one of the coolest products I have seen. I love new and interesting things. It still has to work but wow if it also has something cool about it I can fall in love. 

This Dearberry Rockcat Girl Waterproof Pencil Liner in Purple scared me when I read it was in purple. I didn’t have to worry though. The color looks almost brown, goes on smooth, and is 100% waterproof. It doesn’t say this on the product card but it’s has some glitter. It’s very fine glitter and subtle but just a warning to those who aren’t fond of it. 

And the last cool and fun product from my box is this Cool Enough Studio The Mirror. It’s a cute small mirror which is perfect for checking on your eye or lip makeup or just a touch up. It’s small, light, and really rather cute. I know I’ll be using it. 

This is another Memebox that I really enjoyed. I’m not too sure about the nail polishes but we’ll see how they look once I apply them.