Happy May everyone, the weather is getting so much nicer and warmer as if summer has come early. After about half a month, I finally received my package from Etude House, I'm still kind of bitter about missing out on the Spring palette but I got the Dreaming Swan Collection to soothe that saltiness down.

Gorgeous illustrations on packaging by Kerrie Hess.

I didn't get every single item since I liked some colours more than others and don't need any more lipstick than I already have. I also did not get the nail collection, although I kind of regret it, since I changed jobs I haven't done my nails that often. The illustrations on the packaging for the entire collection are by the fashion illustrator Kerrie Hess, thus everything looks absolutely gorgeous.

Included in this haul will be (swatches will be at the end of post):

• Dreaming Swan Value Kit
• Mini Pouch
• Dear My Blooming Lips - Talk OR225
• Eye and Cheek in #02 Pointe Coral
• Dreaming Swan Shine Volumer #03 Twinkling Tutu
• Dreaming Swan Veiling Pact
• Dreaming Swan Veiling Pact Brush

First on the menu is the Value Kit which contains two makeup products from the collection and the mini pouch.

The floral pattern is very basic lining for cute Korean storage pouches/bags.

The pouch is about 10cm high and ~12cm wide, it has a mini tray fit into it so it becomes a two layer container. It's a nice pastel pink and the tutu on the top is very cute, it's a very cute Etude House-like design. Inside the pouch is a floral design and the mini tray of the same pattern.

I didn't take a photo of the lipstick by itself since the inner tube and bullet is basically the same as the original other than the extra pattern.

On top of the tray, you'll find the Dear My Blooming Lips - Talk lipstick in OR225, now sold out on the site if you wanted to buy separately or in other colours. It's in a mint coloured packaging. The difference between this version other than the outer box is that the tube is a matte texture rather than the glossy smooth of the originals. The matte tube gives it a more soft, gentle feminine feel. The bow is a different colour and the twist up part also has decals of pink toe-shoes around it. The colour of the lipstick is supposed to be coral but I found that it has a strong tinge of pink to it as well. The texture is creamy but it smoothes out with a soft gradient effect, the colour is still very pretty.

The bottom has the Eye&Cheek tin in #02 Pointe Coral, also sold out separately. The puff is designed similarly with the tulle to replicate a tutu. The tutu is not very functional and gets in the way but hey, it's cute. The colour of the product is extremely light and not very pigmented. It also has a shimmer base. I wish it had more colour payoff but I guess it could work as a slight highlighter. It's such a pity though since the texture was so soft and velvety. The brighter colours probably look nicer.

The Veiling Pact was the product I was most interested in by the way it was advertised. I also needed a setting type of powder so I thought I would try it out, I wasn't too interested in the Volumer at the time.

I eventually grabbed a Shine Volumer, which seems to be pretty popular since they're sold out on the site now. I bought #03 Twinkling Tutu, which is the pink beige colour while #01 is the white and #02 is beige. The Shine Volumer is supposed to be a cream shimmer product which you can use for your eyes or even as a highlighter. The tube packaging is just like a lipgloss package down to the applicator, only difference is the toe-shoe and ribbon pattern on the end. It is very creamy and a little goes a long, long, long shimmery way. It is amazingly sparkly. I'm going to have to be very careful applying this.

The main item of the collection (I guess) is this Veiling Pact, surprisingly still in stock. From the product description, it seems like it's some kind of setting powder with a light coverage and SPF so I wanted to get it. The compact case is also a matte texture, I love matte packaging. The compact is about the same size as the cushions but slimmer.

The puff design looks very simple and cute with the little bow, I like this more than the tulle puff of the Eye&Cheek product. Under the puff holder is the cake which also has the collection logo pressed into it. The powder is very soft and smooth, but I don't really notice much brightening or coverage. It feels like a transparent powder but it might be different on top of makeup so don't hold me to that. It also has this really slight cosmetic perfume smell.

Last but not least, I also got the Veil Pact Brush, which is the other main item of this collection. It is also a very popular product since launching so I've heard, also sold out on the site now.

I was mainly attracted by the pink bristles but after receiving it, I'm more in love because it is so soft and the handle is a soft pastel matte pink. The brush tutu is cute as well as functional, keeping the bristles in place when the brush is stored. The handle is a good size as well if you want it to be portable and comfortable.

Swatch Photo. Can barely see the Eye&Cheek colour. Each extra swipe is using my finger after the direct application.

Overall, I think this collection was gorgeously packaged and most of the items were really well done. I was only really disappointed in the Eye&Cheek product as the pigmentation was way off expectations or the advertised swatches. It's a shame I didn't get any of the other colours, they probably had more pigmentation.

Did any of the products catch your eyes? I'd really like to know if you guys bought the other colours of the items in the collection~

Every month from the 1st to the 5th, Etude House has their Princess Days events. The monthly Free Shipping (with $50USD purchase) is one of those events that I take advantage of most. Most of my Etude House hauls happen at around the same time because I always order at around the same time, however, this haul came a bit later than usual possibly affected by the surrounding weather that we've been experiencing on top of the lunar holidays. Nonetheless, I was really happy when my haul arrived yesterday!

(L)PK006 (R)OR201

The stars of the haul are definitely the Color in Liquid Lips lipglosses that I was excited to try out. There was also a launching event where you for a free Lip Gel mask with every Liquid Lips purchased, so I got two of those as well (not pictured above). I bought OR201 and PK006 as they looked like they'd be the most natural and cute for gradient lips respectively. The packaging is adorable and pink as usual, though knowing me, I'll probably go and buy the Innisfree version of this later on as well for the simpler packaging. I feel like there was also another brand that came out with a gloss with similar packaging but I don't remember it at the moment, if you know please let me know in the comments!

Etude House had discounts on eye make-up products in February so I decided to grab more Play pencils. I can't seem to have enough of those. I finally got my hands on #49, as it was out of stock the last time I went on a pencil haul. I also bought #11, #12, #21, and #24, but I somehow forgot why I wanted to get the red colours since it took so long to get here. Was it for more burgundy eye make-up or was I going to try them as lip products. I think I wanted to try #11 as a blush.

Being a person with sparse eyebrows I also tucked the Perfect Eyebrow Kit into my purchase. I've mostly used auto-pencils for my eyebrows these days and never really thought about going back but I thought it'd be nice to try powders out again for softer looking brows. The kit comes with brushes but they kept rattling in the palette that I had to take them out.

And lastly, I got some nail stuff. I ran out of my top coat recently, or rather, it dried up a bit and made it too troublesome to use so I got a new one. I guess gel top coats can't be thinned or something... Either way, I was really attracted to the shimmer coat (S #2) as it has these very fine pink shimmers to make your manicure just a little more glamorous.

I have an Innisfree haul that should be coming in soon but I think other than two lipsticks the haul is mainly my refills and stuff for my mom. Sorry I didn't swatch anything for this haul post, I had to run out of the house after I got the package so I didn't have the time to do swatches. I should get back to working on that review I said I was going to post.

Edit1: Forgot to format and put the colour code for the nail polish. That's how rushed this post was, orz

With a blink of an eye, January is already over and we're already into the second month of 2015. January has been somewhat of a rough month for me with dealing with post-holiday season issues and overall work issues. All that aside though, I've been slowly making changes in my life to make sure my health and happiness come first so that the stress monster can't eat me alive.

In terms of my skin condition during January, I wouldn't say that it was at its best. I got a terrible reaction from trying something once and I'm still recovering from the awful breakout I got from it. It was really disappointing because my skin was actually getting somewhat better before that happened.

Either way, on to the first favourites of the year! Since this is the very first favourites post on my blog, I'm going to be trying out a couple of formats throughout these, I hope you guys will bare with me. Also, sorry for all the different lighting in my photos, my phone adjusted to the product colours as well.

Cosmetic Favourites

1) Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion
I bought this right before the harsh winter season set in because I really enjoyed using the Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion. At the time, the Etude Cushion was doing fine for me but I could feel the weather starting to dry out my skin a lot more so I wanted to try something that was more moisturizing. Especially since the lighting at work was extremely bright and harsh, I needed something with a lot more hydrating properties than the one I had.

At first, I debated on whether I should get the Innisfree Water Glow or the Long Stay cushion as those were the ones that were really popular. But then, as if they heard my pleas, they came out with the new winter cushion we know now as the Ampoule Intense Cushion. I wasn't sure about getting it because I have combination skin and I thought maybe the WG version would be enough but thankfully I got the AI version instead at the end.

Since I have received this cushion in the mail, I used it all the time. I loved the light texture, the scent seems herbal, and it definitely keeps my skin feeling moist even through the harshest and coldest winds. The colour applies lighter than most but settles pretty close to my skin colour, and the coverage is light/medium. Despite that, it did not accentuate or create any flakiness that I might have had and the staying power is not bad. This is definitely a cushion that I am going to purchase a refill for!

2) Innisfree Eco Science White-C Sleeping Pack
This was a product that I got in a haul... recently? I mentioned that it contained tangerine peels, mint, and shea butter as the main ingredients. This pack makes my skin feel really nice, and because of the mint, it also has a cooling effect. The cooling effect is really nice for winter since we always have the heat on overnight. The shea butter keeps my skin moist and soft as well. In terms of brightening, I don't notice too much of it as of yet, but it feels really nice for winter.

3) Etude House skin malgem Deep Moist Toner
I have been using this toner for some time now and only just recently finished one bottle. While it took me so long to use this toner, I must say that I really like this toner. It is a hypoallergenic product and it has a very subtle floral scent to it that is very relaxing. It's a more watery-gel type toner thus a lot more moisturizing toner compared to the others in the same line (such as the fresh, smoother, moist, etc). I started using this around the middle of summer, only at night since I also had the mist toner from TFS (read here).

It's been a toner that's been serving me well as a first step for moisturizing and just as a good base for trying new things. This is actually an overall favourite, it keeps my skin feeling mostly stable throughout the seasons and because it doesn't react to my skin, it's good to have so my skin doesn't feel too overworked from using too many new things at once. Since the summers here are still really dry, I can actually use this through all seasons and not have too many problems.

4) TheFaceShop Calming Seed Cream
As I said at the beginning, my skin started having a reaction from something I actually did at work. From recommendations from my friends, apparently the Calming Seed Cream from TheFaceShop is really good for, well, calming down the skin from reactions or allergies. I got a couple of samples to try it out for a couple of days.

It certainly did calm down my skin quite a bit. The bumps and redness would decrease the next day so it definitely isn't bad. The cream texture is very smooth and applies really coolly onto the skin even on top of your usual skincare. So, I'm adding this to my favourites for the month because it progressively helped my reaction calm down quite well. In terms of moisturizing or anything else, I can't say there was much else.

5) Revlon Nail Enamel #933 Chameleon
You guys may not know but I love nail polishes. I don't know if I'll ever do a full review on one though so for now you'll only see them in the favourites posts. This colour, at first I wasn't sure about but, I really loved it for the month. The gold was just festive enough for the new year but not so bright gold that it would be too much. Overall, Revlon nail polishes are really nice in terms of finish and application. I much prefer flat brushes compared to the round brush that Revlon has for their polishes, but the colour and pigmentation I can't complain too much.

Media Favourites

1) Jonghyun - 데자-부 (Déjà-Boo) (feat. Zion.T)


Let me just say that, I have been waiting for a Jonghyun solo ever since SM started pushing out solo projects like Henry's. With Jonghyun writing and composing songs from the beginning and more frequently as we hit the Misconceptions/Everybody era, this was going to be inevitable. His entire album is really his style, I really love it because it's his. He made it his. I definitely like Deja-Boo and Love Belt a bit better than Crazy (Guilty Pleasure) but this entire album is just so lovely. I knew I would like his album. It was opposite when Taemin came out with Ace. I wasn't sure what to think about it at first and Danger wasn't really my style (it's just really catchy though) but I came to like the rest of his album a lot. So, it goes to say, I'm really proud of them and SHINee in general for their music!

2) Lizzy - 쉬운 여자 아니에요 (Not an Easy Girl)


I'm not a big fan of After School to be completely honest, in terms of music style. I followed Orange Caramel more because I liked the more upbeat and fun title songs. When Lizzy came out with her solo, I wasn't anticipating too much, especially with the trot genre. However, I enjoyed it immensely and can't stop playing this song. The video is also really well done with the editing and her make-up.

3) ユリ熊嵐 (Yurikuma Arashi)


Last on the list is Yurikuma Arashi, an anime directed by the infamous Ikuhara Kunihiko (better known for the older Sailor Moon anime, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and the more recent Mawaru Penguindrum). Like many other Ikuhara anime, Yurikuma has a lot of symbolism and hidden themes behind the relatively cute or frilly appearance. I've been excited about this show since the teaser Penguinbear website that came up shortly after Peguindrum ended and it hasn't disappointed in the four episodes out so far.

How have you guys spent the first month into a new year?

Just a short* haul post since I got some things in the mail today. This time around, I bought mostly eye products including; eye cream, eye shadow, pencils, and remover. Trying to increase my eye product collection.

First off, the haul from Etude House! This time around, I got two more Play 101 Pencils (#50, #53 [holiday edition]), the Darling (Snail Healing) Cream, Moistfull Super Collagen Eye Concentrate, Lip&Eye Remover, and their My Beauty Tool Eye-Blending Brush (#311).

I'm a little disappointed because Etude House just recently started their Play 101 Pencils event in which you can get a free tin case with your purchase of  4 or more Play 101 Pencils. I already bought 7 of them, the colours tend to be more on the natural side so far so if I do plan on getting more I would have to get the more bright and vibrant colours or duplicates (even though I haven't even finished mine). I still wish they just came out with a set of them out right because I can't resist so I might end up having all of them in the end (except for the holiday special ones which I found were too glittery).

Snail has been all the rage with Korean Skincare for a while, good for regenerating skin tissue and fading scars or the like. I've heard decent things about the Etude House Darling Cream so I thought it'd be worth a try considering the price. I believe this is a new version because it now contains phenoxethanol which the previous version supposedly did not. It seems the new version does have a slight change in other ingredients as well according to the ingredients list on the site. (For reference: Old Version vs. New Version)

Nothing really to note about the other products that I got. Everything else was bought as back up really, just in case I run out of anything. Eye products tend to run out the quickest for me.

Next up is my small haul from Koreadepart, an online Korean department store. I actually shop quite often on their site because they carry many different brands and update rather quickly when new products come out. I didn't get too much this time and just a few things that were on sale and I wanted to try out; Nature Republic Real Nature Rose Ampoule, TheFaceShop Overgirl Edge Stick Eyes (PK101), and the too cool for school Dinoplatz Concealer. Every order gets a variety of samples from a good mix of brands as well, which is always a bonus. Shipping fees do tend to be a little bit more on the high side so sometimes it feels like it just fills in for the discounts you get.

While there are plenty of TheFaceShop stores in Toronto, I opted to buy the product online simply because many of the stores did not have stock of the newer products. I believe I've only seen new products at the original location inside Pacific Mall, however, I don't frequent there enough to just go and buy one item. Another pink shimmer eye product to my collection.

I also got my very first too cool for school product this time! I originally ordered the UFO Multi-Box as well but it was no longer in stock (now listed as discontinued) so I had to get it refunded which was disappointing. I've always really liked their packaging style so it'll be interesting to try some of their products!

The Rose Ampoule isn't my first Nature Republic product, my first was the world renown Aloe Vera Soothing Gel which was just fine. I never found it too special or amazing, it does what it says but the texture it leaves is sometimes not to my liking. I'm excited to try the ampoule though, ampoules are supposed to be the most concentrated product so it should have more results. The smell of the ampoule is definitely the smell of roses and the texture is a lot less watery than I expected.

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*This post became nothing of "short". I should start working on my January Empties post soon.

Following Innisfree, Etude House also opened up their new Global Online Store a while back. Being an avid fan of the princessy pink brand, I dove straight into making my first purchase. Although, at the time I made my first purchase, they hadn't added anything new, their lineup now is a bit more updated! You can earn points from your purchases just like the membership in the actual stores, although it doesn't look like you can connect your store membership with the online one just yet which is definitely a downfall for those who already have their membership card (myself included).

Despite not having the newer products yet, I got two of the much hyped Play101 Pencils, Puff&Brush Cleanser, Silk Scarf Hair Essence, and the skin [mal:gəm] Deep Moist toner I very much love. There were some grand opening events happening at the time; free eco-bag and sample pack (which is now closed), 10% off coupon for liking their Facebook page (until Oct. 31st), and 30% off on one of their Best Sellers every week (this is the last week and it's the Play101 Pencil!!).

Standard box with their brand name and logo in pink. Their tag line is on the side as well, in pink~

All non-flat products in glorious bubble wrap!

My order was placed October 1st, the official launch date of the site. It took about three business days to process and ship my order, a reasonable processing time. It took exactly ten business days to arrive at my house which is quite punctual for an overseas package. I should note that both Innisfree and Etude House provide a tracking number with both Standard and Express shipping.

I'm quite satisfied with Etude House's site and order process. I'm already planning my next purchase for more Play 101 pencils because they are actually absolute gems!! Since Etude House added some newer products, I'll also be trying to get some of those. The new cleansing items sure sold out really quick though, unfortunately.