Going wild shopping in Korea!

Of course, this is not all my stuff. I CPed some of those for my lovely friends back home. :) I am still in Korea...more reviews coming up!

someone's been shopping :)

Last time I went to Korea, I was so dazzled by the christmas special cosmetics that I bought a lot, so much that they can fit into my carry-on suitcase. So a coworker in Korea brought this package for me. :)

reviews coming up :) 

VOV Castledew blur shot review

This is also a part of my castledew haul. I was blown away by the cute packaging and the glowing reviews.

This is the color #1. This is a very good highlighter that looks very natural. It is a small circle of very fine shimmery powder surrounded by a pinkish light powder. I apply this by swirling my brush across the whole pact. If I want a little more shimmer, like on my nose, I just use the shimmery part. If I am looking for an ultra natural finish, I just use the outer ring of pinkish powder.

This is the color #3. The middle color #2 is a purplish highlighter. From experience, I know it will look unnaturally white, so I did not buy it. On my fair skin, this acts as a bronzer.
However, on my friend Julia who has slightly darker skin, NC 35ish, this is actually a natural highlighter. So it really depends on the skin tone.


Both compacts have a second layer under the powder. It contains a mini brush and a mirror.



Overall, I really love those products, but it seems I can't use highlighter very well. I've tried so many, highbeam by benefit, and most of the powders sold by U.S. brands, but unless I am very careful, I get the highlighter on the wrong places of my face 90% of my face, causing my face to look rounder or weird.

If anyone is interested, I am selling #1 at $7, since I used it 2x. I think I bought it at $11ish or so. I am selling #3 at $7 also, and I've used it 1x on myself and 1x on my friend Julia's face.

I used a newly washed brush both times (i wash my bobbi brown brushes once a day), so please don't worry about the hygiene.

VOV Castledew eyeshadow review

I did a huge haul recently of VOV castledew stuff, not because there was a sale going on, but because I just cannot resist the princessy packaging :)

The packaging actually looks more cute than it does in the picture. I am still waiting to get my new camera, so just bear with the poor quality pictures my three year old camera takes. As you can see, the packaging is mostly shiny metallic finish, with crystal like glass fringes surrounding it reflecting the light.

This is the inside. It comes with a huge mirror and two applicators. The colors are baked, which I vastly prefer over pressed eyeshadow (the type that is dominantly sold in the U.S.). Baked eyeshadow gives more control during application. If I want a sheer coat, I can just swipe my brush across it, but it is very layerable to a full coverage finish. Baked eyeshadow also tend to last longer on my oily lids without creasing than pressed shadows.

I love the colors. As you can see, it is designed such that the three colors lined vertically make good color trios, but I can mix and match as I wish, of course. I really like the brown color in the corner. It is a very good eyebrow color in a pinch, and lasts all day. Unlike most eyebrow colors I tried, this one does not have a reddish undertone, and when applied lightly, actually looks very natural. I think the color is very similar to the anastasia brow duo in medium ash.

Overall I really like it. I have only used all the colors 2x, and the brown color 5x. Since I've been getting into nude makeup (really natural makeup that enhances but is kind of invisible), so if anyone wants it, I can sell it for $10. 

VOV Castledew Whitening BB Cream review + samples

Summary:

Coverage: Sheer to medium, but buildable to a little more than medium without looking unnatural

Oil-control: 8 hours without powder, and 12+ with powder. I washed it off looking flawless at 12 hours

Color: conservatively, would suit NC/NW 15 (or fairer) to NC/NW 30 skins. I suspect NC/NW 35 will look good in it too.

Finish: believable glow

Special properties: slightly moisturizing, whitening, slight anti-aging, SPF 15

Overall: Happy with this product

Price:

5ml--$4 + shipping (should be below $2 within US)

10ml--$7.5 + shipping

15ml--$10.5 +shipping

20ml--$13 +shipping

Now read on if you want to hear to whole story (which is rather long)

This is the VOV Castledew Whitening BB Cream, also the first BB Cream I have tried. As I explained in my earlier post. I was traveling in May for 10 days. Because I had to fly, I did not feel like carrying on board my morning cleanser, toner, moisturizer, serum, primer, foundation, and nighttime cleanser. I also know myself well enough to know that if I did not bring any of my essentials, I would buy them wherever I was. This is when my friend Julia introduced me to BB creams. As she helped me pick out which clothes to bring, she told me that I can actually bring along BB cream to substitute my heavy glass bottles of primer and foundation. Since she did not actually suggest I do without, I was open to suggestions. She was very generous, and gave me this BB cream to try out, since it did not work out for her, it being a little pale. (The funny thing is no one said the color is too pale when she was wearing it, but she herself felt it was too pale. I thought the color match was okay...)

I was skeptical, but since there was only three days till my flight and I refuse to check in a heavy case with only my cosmetics, I tried it anyway. It was surprisingly good. The color was just right for me. (She bought the first color, bright skin beige) I am NW20 (in mac terms), while my friend was NC 30. The color worked for me perfectly. Since BB cream changes color after being on skin, I imagine it would work for people from NC/NW15 to NC/NW30.

The consistency was medium, a little thicker than an average foundation, but it was really easy to spread--much easier to spread than foundation. It gave a glowy finish that's believable, not too dewy. The coverage was good, for me at least. I would say the coverage is sheer-medium, so it was enough for me. The coverage is buildable to a certain degree. I think you can get a little more than medium coverage without feeling heavy. The SPF level was 15, which is good enough for winter, but since it was May, I applied SPF 90 under it anyway.

Applying it on my hand, I found it rather moisturizing. After a day, I found that my hand looked just fine, without any reactions, so I deemed it safe enough to put on my face. I somehow got the courage to skip moisturizer under it, since like I said, it felt rather moisturizing on my hand. Surprisingly, my skin didn't feel too dry, although I would definitely not do this in winter.

So I went on my vacation with only my cleansers, serum, and bb cream (I bought sunscreen later). After ten days of usage, my skin looked good, and more even than it was before. The whitening ingredients in the BB cream lightened my past acne spots, and I did not break out even though it was that time of the month. I was very happy with it. However, my skin did feel a little drier although it was nothing serious. After slathering on some moisturizer, my skin was as moist as 10 days ago.

However, Julia (who has found her HG) said that this is mere puppy love for me. She said that when I find my HG, I should feel like I am using advanced skincare products. I don't know. I think this is pretty good, but I didn't doubt my friend. So I'm on the quest for my HG BB Cream!