**This post is about the case and not the newly formulated cushion foundations!**

Long time no see! This blog has been abandoned for almost a year... Real life really puts you in for a spin whenever it feels like it. I've been working at the same place for the past year and life was just really up and down for me in a lot of aspects. Truthfully, it still kind of is and I don't have as much time and money to put into buying and trying new cosmetics anymore. I've had some posts written up but I didn't like them so I never posted them and just deleted them. I'm not as serious about the whole blogging thing as others but I still don't like publishing bad posts since people actually read them.

I recently came back from my three week trip to Korea, though not buying much, I ended up having to buy new cushions when I found all my favourite cushions repackaged and reformulated. Imagine my disappointment when I found out that I couldn't even buy refills for my favourite IOPE XP Cushion... I wasn't really a fan of the shape of the new IOPE cushion cases, they're very... rounded? Maybe I would've liked the new formulas but I decided not to buy it in the end (in other to buy a HERA cushion). BUT, I am thinking of purchasing one since there's a discount on them at the amorepacificmall right now...

2014 Ampoule Intense Cushion Case v.s. 2016 My Cushion Project Case

Anyway, I found out Innisfree also repackaged their cushions and cases. This change I welcomed happily because the old cushion case had this really annoying problem where changing your refill was a giant pain while the new cushion case implements what most other cushion cases already had, a hole on the bottom to push the refill out. Hallelujah.

Even with the hole in the bottom, it's still slightly tough to remove the refill.

You know what else is great about the new revamped cushion? Innisfree has made an array of patterned and coloured cases to choose from rather than a default case. It isn't so great that you have to buy the case and cushion separately now but overall, the price is the same and there are more options. The cases are a soft matte texture with innisfree printed on the top compared to the old glossy feel with the brand and cushion type text. In terms of case choices, there are twelve base colours and each colour has ~8 different designs to choose from, in total there are about 100 different cases to choose from before any special editions! (They actually have the Summer Edition ones out in Korea right now!)

The new case is about 3.5mm shorter than the old case.

There definitely weren't 100 different choices when I went to the store to buy it but there were enough to make me stand there for 10 minutes debating which one to get. Ultimately, I went for the solid pastel pink one, because it looked simple.  The case is also a bit smaller and has less rounded edges. The button clasp is also a light white gold (?) colour which makes the case even more pretty but I find the clasp a bit hard to press open since the lock is a lot more shallow now.

The bottom of the new version is a lot thinner without the extra plastic.

On top of have new cases and refills, there are new formulas. I'm not sure if it's new because I don't use the Longwear version, but there's now Longwear Waterproof as well! Each of the original three formulas now come in N-Natural or C-Cover. Natural leans more towards beige, and Cover leans more towards pink. As you can see from my photos though, I haven't opened the new formula cushion yet... I'll probably try it out in the colder months since it is slowly becoming summer in our Great North.

It is important to note that old refills will not fit into the new cushion cases as the old refills are slightly too wide for the new cases. New refills also do not fit into the old case as they aren't big enough to lock into them. So, if you're thinking of buying a new case or even just a new refill, make sure you find a posting of the version compatible to either your case or your refills.

You can check out the entire new My Cushion event on the Korean Innisfree page. You can click step three to look at all the case colours and designs!

I've been slacking on blogging ever since I started watching "The Empress of China" (武媚娘傳奇) this weekend. The costumes, make-up, and Fan Bingbing are absolutely stunningly beautiful. I don't know how historically accurate it is but, I'm still enjoying it enough to continue watching it. I mentioned that I was expecting my Innisfree haul in the previous haul post, I actually received this last Friday, the day after I finished writing that post. I didn't want to have so many haul posts up consecutively so I didn't write this until I finished the Lush review.

If you've read my first Innisfree haul post, then you would know that I was disappointed in their shipment packing and lack of new/specific products. Please consider this post as also an update of that post regarding my feelings about the whole thing. If you just want to see the haul items, keep scrolling until you see photos.

Normally, I don't order Innisfree products directly from the official site simply due to the fact that their catalogue isn't very often updated with newer products or the specific products that I'm looking for. I decided to order from the official site this time to try out their new Pantos shipping option but also because I was running out of product for my usual routines.

Pantos shipping is slightly slower than EMS but also proved to be extremely quick. I placed my order on March 1st, the order processed and shipped on March 3rd, then arrived at my door on March 6th. The package arrived within the 4~8 day estimate without a hitch and in excellent condition. The fact that they're doing free shipping for orders over 70USD right now is actually great considering that it's basically as good as EMS, I do recommend taking advantage of this event. Sometimes EMS cost less than Pantos though so it is solely up to you to choose.

Someone asked me this in my previous Innisfree post so I'll address it here too. My very first package  (100USD) sent through Standard shipping was labelled as Merchandise, however, I was not charged with any extra customs fees or taxes. This time, my package (180USD) sent through Pantos was labelled as Gift, also not charged with any extra fees. I'm not sure what the requirement is for an order to be labelled Merch or Gift, or whether they changed their shipment labelling sometime between the times I've ordered.

In terms of shipment packaging, not much has changed. I still avoided purchasing anything that may seem more fragile. The products are fitted into the box as if playing a game of tetris on a bed a packaging paper and also covered with packaging paper to make everything more fitted thus more contained. Having everything contained like that reduces movement around the box and thus reducing impact and possible damage. It's safe but it still depends how well your postal officers handle your package sometimes.

---

This is actually one of my bigger hauls price-wise. The Canadian dollar is so low that shopping is really painful but I can't stop. Spring is coming up so there will be really pretty spring collections and colours soon... But this haul is mainly repurchases this time. I just made another Innisfree purchase for some shadows and small things.

First is my Ampoule Intense Cushion set that comes with a new cushion, 2 refills, and also a puff. Unfortunately, the refills do not include a new puff so you actually have to purchase new puffs if you don't maintain your original one well. Nothing new about this, I still really like this cushion as if stays hydrated and gives a natural enough glow for daily use. I also got another Mineral Moisture Fitting Base as it really helped keep my make-up and skin moist through the day. I might have to skip out on the base when warmer or wetter weather comes around.

Since the creammellow lipstick is still not on the global website, I decided to try out the color glow line instead. The creammellow line of lipsticks are my absolute favourites, I'm not sure why Innisfree hasn't put them up on their site yet. I got some more pink based lipsticks this time. Number 11 Pink Cranberry is almost a magenta-like colour and 03 Autumn Rose is a beige-rose colour. The color glow line has a more flat herbal smell while the creammellow line has a sweeter smell. I'm not sure if I like #11 as much now that I've swatched it but it might be fitting for warmer weather.

I've been using the Orchid Enriched Cream for a while now and I'm finally at the end of the jar. I've liked it enough that I decided to repurchase it. It seems that Innisfree has renewed the formula for the cream so I'll have to see how the new formula works for me. Luckily for me, they still had the anniversary set so I grabbed it. The set comes with the 50ml cream, 20ml of the Orchid Intense Cream and the 35ml hand cream with SPF15 PA+. I actually lost my other hand cream so I'm glad this comes with one too.

Lastly, are the Whitening Pore Synergy Serum and the Perfect 9 Repair Eye Cream that I got for my mom. She was previously using some of the oriental products from thefaceshop but I decided to get her some new stuff so she can see what brands she likes better. The packaging for the Whitening Pore serum is really nice and sturdy. The pump is metal and the bottle is very hand friendly. I can't really say much about these two since I didn't open them to smell or even try them.

---

There hasn't been anything I particularly want to review lately. I'll write one up later for Etude House's Color in Liquid Lips since I do have some things to say about it and for my Play 101 Pencils collection as well. I have a couple more hauls that are going to come in later this month but work life is going to begin again so I might not have the time to write as frequently (not that I write frequently now) and also March break coming up means I have to do family things. I also might get caught up in my drama again but I'll urge myself to write as well.

The perfectly aligned February is finally over. Despite it being my birth month, February has never been one of my favourite months. Too many events, the weather is horrid, and just generally a very stressful month. The temperature dipped to extreme lows this month thus making the air even more dry and frigid than before. To be honest, this is pretty common for a Canadian winter so it didn't phase me much.

Due to the extreme cold, I tried to stay home most days catching up on my animanga. I did have some days where I went out to meet up with friends, relatives, and also for lunar new year. My make up and skincare routines stayed mostly the same this month so you may not see as many skincare favourites as last month. It's actually mainly eye make up this month.

Cosmetic Favourites

1) Innisfree Mineral Single Shadow #40 Girly Ribbon

If you've read the haul post with this item in it, you would know that this was not one of my initial favourites. However, after using it more frequently, I've come to like this soft dark neutral colour. It really matched the mood this month. As you will see in the swatch a little bit lower in the post, this colour is not very pigmented and it does fade a bit sometimes. Despite all that, it gave me a very nice mauve base that was a little bit more smokey than natural but still not too exaggerated. It became one of my go-to shades for the rest of winter.

2) Annabelle Eye Shadow #118 Golden Shine

February is the month which Lunar New Year often occurs, and what is auspicious for this event? Definitely, gold. For me and my Chinese relatives, red and gold become the staple colours during those couple of days. The occasion basically called for gold eye shadow. This gold eye shadow isn't sparkly, but it is shimmery. It is also not overly exaggerated but gave my eyes the perfect gold sheen.

3) the Saem Eco Soul Shine Jelly Shadow #02 Sexy Plum

I felt that red eye shadow might have been too much even for a special event so I went for something less bright but still gives some colour to the eyes. This shadow rose well to the occasion to give my eyes a good amount of red and sparkle. It is quite pigmented and is pretty long lasting. It is a "jelly" type shadow thus it feels similar to an ink pad and applies similar to cream shadows but not as cakey. It was really perfect this February.

Swatch for the three above shadows.

4) Nature Republic Real Nature Rose Ampoule

This ampoule was something I received at the end of January, replacing my Innisfree Green Tea Serum. So far I've been pretty impressed with this product, it has been keeping my skin quite hydrated and smooth. I do also notice my skin looking a little bit brighter and the rose scent in the product is very lovely so I would say this is a favourite this month. I haven't had any problems with it in the month that I've been using it other than somewhat disliking the dropper.

5) Lush Rose Jam Bubbleroon

Unfortunately, there won't be a photo of this product since I've gone and kind of cut it up not thinking much about it. You will see a glimpse of it in an upcoming review though so there's that. It basically looks like a large pink whoopie pie (or I think it's supposed to look like a macaron). Being a first time user of Lush products, I was pleasantly surprised by this bubbleroon (bubble bar). I don't want to say too much about it since I'm also talking about it in the next review so I'll just say this; it made my skin feel so smooth and it smelled so nice. Having a pink bath is also dream come true.

Media Favourites

1. Kang Seung Yoon - 맘도둑 (Stealer)


This was my February jam. I had this on repeat for a while because of, well, everything about this song. I'm still not quite over it, it's such a lovely, soothing song. Somewhat different from his new sophisticated WINNER image, Kang Seungyoon is super adorable in his solo videos. Although I spent my Valentine's day celebrating anything but, this song gives you the sweet lovey dovey feeling that makes you feel bubbly. If ever you need a sweet little pick me up song, I'd definitely recommend this one. (His Wild and Young single is also really good, more upbeat rock-pop type music. It Rains, his other single, is a more low tempo, relaxing song if you're more into that. Seungyoon's voice is just so refreshing to listen to.)

2. 京騒戯画 (Kyousougiga)


As I wrote in the intro, I finally had the time to go through my unfinished animanga list. Kyousogiga was one of the shows I anticipated since they released the very first ONA in 2011. At first everyone thought it was going to be a one over but I guess it attracted enough attention to garner more development. I was originally attracted to the fact that it was heavily inspired by Alice in Wonderland and by the colourful animation. As the story became more developed in the 2012 five episode back-story ONA, I got more and more interested in the characters and their stories. Finally, with the ten full episodes in 2013, the story was deliciously complete.

This show is a little hard to summarize and describe depending on which part of the series you are watching. There are themes that I think could be openly interpreted but I also feel that this was ultimately a story about some very deep messages. Definitely, you cannot judge this series by the colourful and cute animations. The story of the original ONA is not what it seems. There are stories later of love, selfishness, discovery, and other existential themes. It's definitely something one needs to experience oneself, I cannot recommend this enough. The finale is also quite satisfying, it closes the story quite well which is always an important thing for a good show. More details, here.

3. 暗殺教室 (Assassination Classroom)

This was something I randomly picked up, I saw it on the front page since it was newly updated and thought I'd give it a try. To be honest, I thought I would drop it after the first couple of chapters. I was sorely mistaken. This is an absolute gem despite the premise sounding utterly ridiculous. While usually not a fan of these shounen type manga, I actually got sucked right into it. It does have the typical "teacher helping and inspiring students to excel in life" kind of story, what keeps me going is the big mystery of Korosensei. While the story moves slowly, it gives itself a kind of deadline as well. Although I suspect that "deadline" may become the true climax of the story. For a story to keep my attention as well as this one is doing takes quite some power. It also recently got an anime adaptation, so I started watching that too. The show itself is very colourful and fun so far. If you're interested in a not very spoilery summary, click here.

4. Adult Wednesday Addams (YouTube Series)


If you grew up like I did, then you must've watched The Addams Family some time in your childhood. My family and I loved that show, although strange they let me watch it as a child with all the macabre themes subtly inserted in that show. I remember mainly watching The New Addams Family since it was the one airing on TV at the time and the 1991 movie. As if it were #tbt, I find this little gem while wandering through the internet. It's so nice to see an adaptation of a grown-up Wednesday, it's like we've grown up together. I'm not throwing this up here for nostalgia (though a big part of it) but this mini-series also throws you some modern issues and how to deal with it Wednesday's way. Nonetheless, I look forward to continue watching this mini-series as it is witty and just plain good to watch.

---

How was your February? Hopefully the cold and snow didn't get you too good, it was a frosty February. I tried to keep it short, I noticed that I tend to write too much when I'm not even trying to write a review. Let's keep marching on this March!

Guess who's been going to bed in the dead of night and waking in the middle of the day? (Hint: It's me.) My sleep schedule has been all turned around since February started. I'm staying up until 4am and waking up past noon. I mean, I've always been a non-scheduled sleeper so I guess it isn't too weird to me. However, having pulled a couple of all-nighters starting at an early age and just not sleeping well overall has earned me some pretty nice dark circles under my poor tired eyes.

I have never actually been one to take care of my eyes very well, up until last year or so. I didn't think I would need to be very wary about my eyes back then since I just barely stepped into my twenties. Working in cosmetics really teaches you a lot about self-care, especially Korean cosmetics. I've started using eye creams only last year but I honestly haven't found one that I particularly love.

Almost the only English you will see on the box.

The product review today is the Innisfree Eco Science White C Double Eye Circle Cream, that is certainly a mouthful to say. I got this in a haul I posted about not too long ago here, along with the sleeping mask in the same line. While the rest of the White C line is available on the Innisfree website, this eye cream alone doesn't seem to be listed. The text of the box itself is 95% Korean which is why it took me a while to write this review.

Much Korean, many confusion.

This eye cream's alluring point is that it contains a day and night cream. The [day] cream "corrects dull eyes to be bright and protects eyes against UV rays during day time" with SPF35 PA++, meanwhile the [night] cream "improves dull eye circle and takes care of fine wrinkles". According to the descriptions for the product, it contains Jeju organic tangerine and green tea which in turn gives double the whitening effect.

As many Innisfree products, this one has has a 5 Free System (Paraben free, animal ingredient free, mineral oil free, artificial fragrance free, and imidazolidinyl urea free). But, speaking of ingredients, there doesn't seem to be a full ingredients list on the box. I tried to use the translator on every side of the box but it only gives me a few ingredients.

Ingredients as indicated on the box:
Day Cream: Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, titanium dioxide, bemotrizinol**, arbutin, polyacrylate-13, phenoxyethanol, ascorbyl glucoside.
Night Cream: Arbutin, polyacrylate-13, phenoxyethanol, adenosine, ascorbyl glucoside
**비스에헥실옥시체놀메톡시페닐트리아진 bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine
(This ingredient gave me hell to translate.)

I looked around some more to see if there was a full list of ingredients somewhere, there usually is after all. You can find more information on CosDNA; click here for [day] and click here for [night]. I am not sure, however, how accurate this is but CosDNA is pretty trustworthy for the most part. More trustworthy than Google Translate, surely.

As of now, I've completely finished the [night] side of this eye cream. The reason is very simple, it's simply because I don't go out everyday. With the [day] cream having SPF, I find it unnecessary to apply unless leaving the house so I use the night cream probably twice as much. In the month that I've used it, I saw a slight reduction in my dark circles. The difference is very small but still noticeable. I suppose if I used it even more that it would slowly, but surely, fade the dark circles even more but with only 10ml for each side, you'll most likely have to repurchase a few times. In terms of the day cream, I mainly use that one like sunscreen for my eye area. It definitely does a bit of brightening from the shimmery white cast that it has. Neither side has done much or anything at all for wrinkles, honestly.

Dual pump, tubes are opaque so you can't see remaining product.

This product comes in a pump container which is always welcomed for it being more hygienic. I had a small problem with the pump though because it seems to pump a bit too much sometimes and it is a little harder to control the amount that comes out. For me, I had to fiddle with how much to push down to get the right amount and usually half a pump is just about enough. The pump is also not very comfortable to use and the spout is slightly problematic, personally. I think I just have a personal grudge against the design of this pump because objectively it isn't that big of a problem.

That was half a pump of [day] and the last bit of [night]. You can see the shimmer in [day].

Here's the part that explains why I have a small problem with the amount that pumps out with each pump. The consistency of both these creams are very light, almost watery when applying to the skin. This kind of consistency is really good for an eye cream because you don't want something too thick and heavy in the eye area. However, this consistency makes it difficult to know how much product you actually need when you first start using it. One full pump of product gives you more than enough for both eyes, and if you're using the day cream, it gives you a heavier white cast/shimmer. This will probably vary among person to person, but I would suggest trying half pump before going for the full pump just in case.

Both the day and night cream have a tangerine peel smell, it's a slightly herbal scent. It's hard to explain what it smells like but it's similar to a bitter citrus scent. It isn't as bad as the dried peels that you might have come across in a chinese restaurant or supermarket, but it has a very good semblance to it. The smell fades super quick and isn't very noticeable unless you are purposefully trying to smell it.

Pros:
- Gently brightens and whitens dark circles
- Very lightweight texture
- Provides UV protection for sensitive eye area
- Hygienic pump
- Convenient 2-in-1 product (day & night)

Cons:
- The day cream is shimmery?
- Herbal smell might be weird?
- Small amount of product

Overall, it is a good product and I was pretty satisfied with the results. I'm not sure about repurchasing right now since I don't really think I've made good use of the day cream. I'm mainly an indoor person so I might not even have much use for the sun protection to justify a repurchase for a 2-in-1 product. I might actually switch over to the White Tone Up version instead later on since it has the same function.

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?

Since Innisfree just recently launched their new lucky bag events (details at their site or at the bottom of this post), I thought it'd be the perfect time to finally write my review for their famous Green Tea Seed Serum set. However, because it's been reviewed by basically every blogger in existence, I'll just do a brief overview of my thoughts on it.

I actually got this set when Innisfree first opened their online shopping site; Innisfree World. It was very widely raved about in the k-beauty world so I wanted to try it out. I used this almost every day since October, but I have changed to only using it in the mornings from about December and onwards. The Balancing Skin and Lotion, however, I have only used  for a month when I got it.

When I first started using the serum, I was finishing up another essence from thefaceshop which I believe was the Calming Seed SOS Care Essence (a repurchase). My skin is slightly sensitive so I try to choose lines that are more calming and not too heavy in texture or scent. While the Green Tea Seed Serum does seem to have a pretty strong scent, it smelled very subtle. It has a sweet leafy scent to it. I used this on top of my regular skincare routine at first to allow my skin to familiarize with it and see if I'd have any reaction to it. Happily, it seems that my skin was fine with it. I phased out my other essence and only used the serum after about a week, my skin continued to feel very hydrated and calm. 

The serum pumps out not really the translucent white colour but rather a translucent yellow-brown colour. I've read some other post that said their bottle was more white but there are also those whose serum comes out the same colour as I've encountered. I'm sure both are fine and it depends on the batch that you get your bottle from. In the bottle, it looks pretty white but the colour is definitely different pumped out.

5-Free System: Free of paraben, artificial colour, mineral oil, animal by-products, and imidazolidinyl urea.

In terms of overall results of using this serum, I'd say my face feels generally more hydrated and it did quickly reduce my problematic dry areas. I can't say that my face is noticeably more clear or anything like that but it does feel more balanced in terms of hydration. Hydration is the first step to clear skin so I do really like the serum itself. At the moment, even though I've almost used it up, I'm still deciding on whether I want to repurchase it. I might actually go and try Soy Essence [light] instead since they are both something you use before a toner. I will miss the pump bottle of this GTS Serum though.

As for the Skin and Lotion that the set came with, I would say it's more recommended for summer use rather than autumn/winter. They definitely do some sebum and oil control thus being not enough for me to use during the colder more dry season that I bought them in. 

Pros:

- Light texture absorbs quickly

- Hydrating for Combo/Dry skin

- Packaging makes it easy to hold and pump out

Cons:

- Might be more suitable for Summer or more humid climates

- Slightly too light for Dry skin

---

If you are interested in Innisfree's Green Tea line, they are currently having an event for their 15th Anniversary with lucky bags! There's one for the Green Tea line and also one for the Volcanic Scoria line. Both of them seem to be more for Combo/Oily skin especially in this season, but if you are interested, now's a good time to check out a good amount of their bestselling items!

Whoops, I guess I dropped the ball with updating more frequently in 2015. I was going to write a make-up review but I got distracted as usual. Since the city is under some deep freeze today and I got a package yesterday, thought I'd type up a quick haul post. This haul came from kpoptown since I was doing my year end kpop haul for albums and calendars, and they just stocked up on some new products. To be honest, while I love that Innisfree opened up the global site, I wish they implemented a point system and add in new products more frequently to motivate me to keep buying directly from them. That's a whole other story, onto the haul items.

Recently, I got interested in trying some brightening products to lighten some dark spots I've been getting from either the bright store lights or just in general going out a lot more than I have before. While the Tone-Up line is made of berry extract, the White C line is made of Jeju tangerine peels and mint. I mainly chose the White C line over the Tone-Up line this time because I wanted to try the Sleeping Pack. I used the sleeping pack just last night and I suppose my skin did feel smoother since the pack contain shea butter as well as brightening properties, not much for brightening as of yet.

The Double Eye Circle Cream was also a more interesting choice since it comes with both a day/night cream. The day side contains SPF, which is something I've never used for my eye area before. This haul is basically a lot of "trying new things". The day side cream gives a slight white cast that "brightens" the eye area, it's similar to the effect of wearing sun lotion on your face. More in depth review after I use it a bit more.

#39 Cozy Sweater, #40 Girly Ribbon, #44 Leafy Road, #03 Sweet Vanilla, #04 Romance Burgundy

#39 and #40 are more matte/soft while the rest are more shimmer based. I was hoping for #44 to be more brown but it is more burgundy than Cream #04.

I also picked up some eye shadows from Innisfree to try them out. Neutrals and burgundy colours are really popular these days so I got a couple of them for myself. I swatched them on my arm earlier and my favourites are definitely #39, #44, and cream #03 right now. I actually also got a The SAEM Shine Jelly Shadow in #02, which is a gorgeous wine red shimmer colour.

There should be another haul post soon for some new Etude House products. I tried to get my hands on the too cool for school multibox but they were sold out, maybe next time... I really wanted to try it after my Innisfree Ampoule Intense cushion ran out. There was also the HERA cushion that I'm still debating about whether I should buy or not considering my employment situation. Either way, I'll try and finish writing that other make-up post soon!

Innisfree recently opened their Global Online Shopping Site at Innisfreeworld! Excited that I could finally purchase their products from their official site, I immediately hopped on the site and ordered a couple of their Best Sellers. They also have a couple of launching events going on with free gifts and discounted prices. Perhaps, because it is newly opened, some of their newer products are not yet listed on the site. I was hoping to get the Creamellow lipsticks and a couple more of their Lip Mousse, but they were sadly unavailable. Innisfree is known for their natural Jeju ingredients and for being eco-friendly. You may be a little surprised by the way they package your order even knowing their brand story. Below is a photo of my arrived package exactly as I lifted the one sheet of extra packaging paper off the top of this. Keep in mind that this was shipped from Korea to Canada, internationally not locally. It's not always a smooth trip on those long flights. There's being eco-friendly and there's this.

    There was a lack of protective lining or any type of protective packaging that should prevent your products from being damaged. As you might notice, I did order a bottle of their Green Tea Pure Cleansing Oil and it was just thrown loosely into the box among the other products. Luckily, the lock on the sprout stayed in tact throughout its trip so there were no spills. I did not purchase any glass container items and all the other products arrived perfectly fine. I'm simply a little disappointed in the way my order was handled. Given that they shipped very, very quickly and it arrived exactly on time (within the 5~8 days), I'm still a little wary about ordering again.  As much as I adore Innisfree products, this was a disappointing experience, safety-wise. I will most likely order again once they have the new lip products in stock, however, it is unlikely I will purchase bottle type products from their site later on. I'm not given the sense that my bottle will arrive safely and intact if the shipping packaging remains like this.  I will do a separate post for the items I bought in this haul another time. The items I purchased this time include; Green Tea Pure Cleansing Oil (feels very fresh and clean), Mineral Moisture Fitting Base (still testing out), The Green Tea Seed Serum Special Set (still testing out), and the INNI-KRA Bag-Birds of Mt.Halla.