[Review] Tonymoly Hello Bunny Perfume Bar in Pompom Green Tea

Good day guys! School has started for me so I'm a bit busy again but I promise I'll try to keep updating this blog. I have a whole pile of things to review and talk about, one of which I just received in the mail today, this cute little solid-stick perfume! I'm usually not much of a perfume person, since I'm sensitive to scents and gravitate instead towards body mists since they're a lot lighter (and usually have nice fruity scents, like those from The Body Shop). But after I saw this cute little bunny perfume from TonyMoly (which incidentally is one of my favorite Korean brands), I had to try it.

I got mine from http://www.eopenmarket.com/ since it was sold out everywhere else LOL. This site offers free shipping (though you have to pay $2.50 for a tracking number) and what appears to be reasonable prices on most of their products. Prices seem a little bit higher than some other vendors I know of, such as Jolse or RoseRoseShop, but this site carries some products that are occasionally a little hard to find in other ones. 

There are 5 scents in this line available:
1) Bebe Powder : soft baby powder scent
2) Momo Fruity : sweet peach scent
3) Dodo Rose : floral-fruity rose scent
4) Coco Floral : feminine, elegant floral scent
5) Pompom Green Tea : clean scent of lotus and green tea

I got mine in Pompom Green Tea, since I'm attracted to clean, light, refreshing scents (and some of the other scents conjured up weird images in my head, like Bebe Powder. I can't shake the mental connection of baby powder and diapers.) Momo Fruity sounded good to me too, though. Such a hard decision D:

The packaging is in a solid, fairly sturdy-seeming plastic container with the solid perfume housed in a twist-up mechanism. 
The perfume description from the site apparently denotes that these are the scents of Pompom Green Tea:
Top Note : Lemon, Bergamot, Tangerine
Middle Note : Lotus, Green Tea, Osmantus, LilyBase Note : Amber, Musk (floral)

To use, you're supposed to roll the perfume stick over your skin and apply a bit of pressure. Application is easy and mess-free (and you don't have to worry about applying it in the wrong place, since you have lots of control with this method of application). Application is really similar to putting on stick deodorant LOL. 
The staying power seems to be maybe a few hours, mine faded after maybe 3-4 hours (though I don't mind reapplying since it's easy and fast). 

there's a little cap that comes on top of it for sanitary purposes I suppose

The scent is really, really nice. It's a very clean, refreshing floral and green tea scent with just a bit of fruitiness. The green tea kind of smells like it takes a backseat compared to the lotus and lily for me though, and unlike the description on the site, I don't really detect the lemon or tangerine. The fragrance is very elegant, and isn't overwhelming or obtrusive in any way to me. I was pleasantly surprised, actually, since the it smells a lot more sophisticated than the $7.60 + $2.50 shipping I paid for it. It's a lovely light perfume and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes clean, light fragrances with a bit of elegance. 

Overall: 9/10 (the staying power isn't that long but I can deal)
Would I repurchase? 
I don't see this little stick running out anytime soon. Although it's small, I feel like it would last quite a few applications. But I definitely would. Maybe next time I'll try Momo Fruity instead, just because I'm curious. 

[Review] The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Treats

Hi everyone! I got a little held up with my planned posts because I was busy during winter break (and also some of my hauls I ordered got delayed from Christmas shipping times) but I'm back in business now! Let's kick off the year with a The Body Shop review!

The Body Shop was having a huge sale on their website around and after Christmas time, so you can guess who ended up buying way too much stuff ahah ;;;;; I'll try to get around to reviewing everything I got eventually. This is the Frosted Cranberry Treats box, which contains mini/travel-size versions of the seasonal limited edition Frosted Cranberry shower gel and body butter.

The amount of shower gel they give really doesn't feel like a lot LOL;;; but as it turns out, you only need a little bit to cover a lot of area so it should last maybe 10-15 washes?

The body butter also doesn't look like a lot at first sight but a little goes a long away here as well, so this little mini tub of body butter should actually last quite a few applications.

The gift box also comes with a mini bath crinkle thingy. Apparently TBS's shower crinkly things are really well-known and well-liked since they're soft and gentle on the skin and exfoliate well. They're also supposed to help the shower gel lather up better. I really like the colors eheh it's such a nice shade of red <3

The scent of the shower gel is really nice and fruity, but not overly sweet. It's a sweet-tart fruity scent that smells very much like cranberries. I love fruity scents, so this was right up my alley. The scent from the shower gel didn't linger very much after the shower though ;_; it was very subtle. Felt really nice and a bit moisturizing/very gentle on my skin though, compared to soaps and other shower cleansers!

Here's the body butter! It's a very pale, pretty shade of pink and smells amazing. It's the same sweet-tart fruity cranberry scent as the shower gel, and I love it a lot. The butter kind of shifted to one side of the tub during shipping I guess. One thing I noticed was there's no protective seal on it though D: Just the lid that screws off the tub. Hmm, would've liked a seal just for hygienic purposes. 

The texture is quite thick and creamy, but it spreads well and melts into the skin fairly quickly, leaving it feeling very moisturized without being greasy or heavy. Also leaves your skin smelling wonderful~ I'm kind of sensitive to scents, and this one doesn't come across as overwhelming in any way, so I quite like it. I can't stand heavy/greasy/oily feelings from moisturizers, so the quick absorbancy of TBS body butters always wins me over hahaha. 

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the body butter. I actually bought more after trying this this small gift box ahah ;;; The shower gel though, although it's nice, it's not something I'd repurchase for the price (I bought a full-size bottle but only because it was on sale for 50% off). TBS products are a bit on the pricey side, but they do have sales and promotions quite often. At $8 a bottle for full-size shower gel and $20 a tub for full size body butter, I only buy when there are sales because I'm cheap HAHAHA. I think for the amount of body butter you get though, the price might be worth it since it'll last a long time. 

Final Ratings:

Shower Gel: 7/10 (scent doesn't linger)

Body Butter: 9/10 (pricey)

Repurchase?

I already did! :D On sale though. 

Until next time! I'll try to do a game-related post next time =P 

I'm back! + Gumi cosplay

Wow, way to go me, starting a new blog, posting for like a week and then leaving, huh? 
In any case, I plan to post here a bit more regularly/often again. I have a lot of game things to talk about, and I've bought/tried a lot of new makeup/skincare items, so please look forward to it! 

While we're on that topic, for Halloween I put together a quick Matryoshka Gumi cosplay. 

Sorry for the poor quality/bad selcas ahah ;;;; I'm not that good at taking them, and my phone camera is a little bit fuzzy. I didn't draw on the face markings for this since it was a costest, either.
Here are the products I used though, and some brief thoughts about each. Tell me if you guys want any more in-depth reviews about specific products!

-- Face Products --
*Skin79 Gold BB Cream :: This is the BB cream I've been using for everything; it was relatively inexpensive, and I like it. 
*Multi Cheek blush from Daiso:: Just a standard pink blush. It's a little shimmery, and applies nicely to give a very subtle flush to the cheeks.
*e.l.f. matte powder :: I have oily skin so I use this on top of my BB cream sometimes to help mattify it and control the oil. It can look cakey if you put too much on though.
*e.l.f. concealer stick :: A convenient, cheap concealer stick. Coverage is okay, it has a slight yellowish undertone. Tends to look crinkly/cakey if you apply too heavily, but it works well enough. 

-- Eye products --

*American eyecon eyeshadow:: I got this on sale. It's an orange-red-coral-ish shimmery baked shadow. Pigmentation is okay, nothing spectacular, and the color is nice. 
*e.l.f. liquid liner in Coffee :: Inexpensive, and surprisingly decent quality. It doesn't smudge after it dries (but rather, flakes off if you rub it too hard). The brush is really good for doing thin lines. Pigmentation can be a bit runny and inconsistent sometimes.
*LA Colors eyeshadow :: surprisingly, my go-to palette for natural browns. I just really like the colors. Texture can be a little powdery, but the pigmentation is surprisingly decent. I love the darkest shade, a neutral greyish taupe brown.It blends so nicely with the edges of eyeliner.
*false eyelashes from Daiso :: everyone and their grandma knows about Daiso's library of false lashes and their lovely low price. I like them a lot better than several American brands of false lashes, the Daiso ones look softer/more realistic and last a while.

-- Lip Products --
* Tonymoly Cat chu wink liptint in Cherry :: Tonymoly makes my favorite liptints. This one has amazing pigmentation, a lovely cherry red-pink color, lasts forever even with eating/drinking, and can be blended out to create gradient lips, or worn either very sheer or full-impact. It's very versatile and one of my favorite products.
*Megaslicks gloss :: An inexpensive lipgloss I picked up from Walmart, which blends out surprisingly nicely with a very subtle, sheer warm hint when I do gradient lips. Lasting power isn't that great, especially with eating and drinking, but it's not very sticky and doesn't feel gross when you wear it.
*Tonymoly Bunny gloss bar in Neon Yellow :: it actually changes color upon application to a nice warm pink. Another one of my favorites, the packaging is adorable, it's easy to carry around, and functions as a nice tinted lipbalm with a nice glossy finish. 

That's it for now, next time I'll see about doing a formal review, or maybe a game post! I've been playing way too much League of Legends lately =P

[Review] TonyMoly Appletox Honey Cream

Hi everyone~ How was your Valentine's Day? I spent mine more or less just skyping with my long distance boyfriend and playing lots of league together LOL;;


I have a whoooole lot of things lined up I recently got and want to review, so today we're starting with TonyMoly's Appletox Honey Cream! When I first saw this, browsing online I instantly loved the cute packaging. I really like most of TonyMoly's packaging in general because it's usually very cute, but I have a particular affinity for apples. I ordered mine from ebay for around $9.50, which is the average price for it around the internet. If you're lucky, you might score it cheaper.



I couldn't find a full ingredients list, which was kind of disappointing. But the ingredients listed that I could find included:
Malic acid: This is from apples and works as a chemical exfoliator for your skin
Black honey: it's antibacterial, antifungal, and an antioxidant. It moisturizes your skin, and also has vitamin C.
Manuka honey: known for its antibacterial properties, it's also moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, and contains many minerals and vitamins.
Royal jelly: the so-called "miracle jelly" that caused a bit of a stir in the health foods market a couple years ago; it's famed for its antibacterial properties as well as high nutritional content.


Overall, it seems to have lots of things that are really good for your skin in it.






The cream (which is actually more like a thick, viscous gel) comes in a plastic apple container about the size of a real apple. The top screws off to reveal the 80ml of product inside, with a little spatula/spoon thing included to scoop it out with. The color is kind of a soft yellow, pretty similar to the slightly yellow interior of most real apples. The smell is amaaaaazing~ <3 It really smells like real fresh apples that have just been sliced. It doesn’t smell at all like artificial apples; it has a bit of a naturally sweet smell because of the honey.


The consistency is like a thick gel that spreads very easily, so a little goes a long way. It feels a bit sticky at first when you're spreading it, but it absorbs quickly and made my skin feel super soft! Plus the subtle scent of apples still remains on your skin. I had a dry patch of skin that was developing into a nasty rash; it was all red and rough and yucky. I put some of the apple honey cream on that and after about 2-3 days, the rash which had been bothering me for weeks was gone and healed! I was pleasantly surprised.




I have somewhat sensitive combination skin, and I was able to use this almost daily for more than a week now without any breakouts or irritation, so I would say this is definitely good for sensitive skin. Probably people who have dry skin would benefit most from this, as it's very moisturizing.


Pros:
1.  inexpensive for the quantity/quality they give you! Only around $10
2. Extremely cute, durable packaging with spoon included
3. Smells lovely <3
4. Very moisturizing
5. Helped heal irritated, dry skin rashes
6. Worked on my sensitive skin


Cons:
7. I actually can't think of any cons, except for the fact that I couldn't find a full ingredients list :<


Would I buy this again?
Definitely! I will definitely buy this again once I run out (which won't be for a  while, probably, as it seems like it'll last a long time).


Overall score: 5/5


Have a great rest of the week everyone and thanks for reading!

[Review] Neutrogena MoistureShine Lip Soother :: Gleam 40

Hi again! So the other night my friend and I made a run to Walmart *#collegelyfe* and I picked up a bunch of things, including some e.l.f. products (because they were cheap AHAHA), a couple of lipglosses, and more. I'll start with one of the lipglosses today.

I picked up this cute little lipgloss from Neutrogena. It was a little over $5, which is a bit expensive considering it's only 10g, but I was attracted to the sheer light pink color in the tube. The gloss comes in a little plastic tube with a screw-off top, and to get the lipgloss out of have to squeeze it gently out of the tube while applying it. The tip is angled to better suit the shape of your lips, but honestly I feel like it didn't really help that much in applying it.





Feel:
Really lightweight and smooth; it wasn't very thick, and it glided on pretty easily. I really liked how it wasn't sticky at all. I did notice after about a minute that my lips started to feel kind of cool/refreshed, which surprised me until I realized it said "Cooling Hydragel" on the tube and then went "oh." In any case, it was a pleasant feeling for me; it didn't feel too intense like Icyhot cream or anything. I guess this is what they meant by "lip soother". I thought it was a nice sensation, but I can see people who wouldn't like it.


Smell:
Sweet, light, a bit like a fruity gummy candy maybe? It's a nice, subtle scent that doesn't smell medicinal or unpleasant in the slightest.


Color:
The translucent pink looks SUPER nice in the tube, but once you put it on your lips it's extremely sheer. I saw little to no color difference, but then again I did pick one of the lighter/more sheer colors out of the selection the line had to offer. I personally really like that it was sheer because I don't like very dramatic colors for my lips. This color is probably meant more for just adding a very subtle pinkish shine.


Duration of wear:
It lasted a good 4-5 hours, as long as I didn't eat or drink. It doesn't really have any lasting power if you eat or drink, or I guess if you like to smack your lips a lot. You probably have to reapply it if you consume things or rub your lips.


eww AHAH I apologize my lips are really unnattractive on camera


All in all, I'm pretty fond of this lipgloss. It's small and easy to carry, and it works perfectly with the gradient lips look I like to do. (If you guys are interested in that, by the way, I'd happily do a tutorial).


Pros:
1. Easily transportable
2. Cute pink color in tube
3. Not sticky; super smooth
4. Light, pleasant scent
5. Nice cooling feeling
6. Doesn't dry my lips out; they feel pretty hydrated
7. Pleasant, not-too-dramatic sheer shine


Cons:
8. A bit expensive
9. A little difficult to apply since you have to be careful about squeezing too hard
10. Smears easily if you're not careful
11. Not very much lasting power unless you don't move your lips a lot


Would I buy it again?
Maybe; I really like it, but I also want to try playing around with more lipglosses and see what's out there.


Rating: 4/5
Thanks for reading, everyone have a wonderful rest of the week!

[Gaming] Bravely Default

Hey guys! So as I mentioned previously, I'm also an avid gamer ahaha. My boyfriend got me Bravely Default as an early Valentine's/birthday present (he's such a sweetheart), and I've been really drawn into it so far.

I'm about 4 hours into the game so far (though I did leave it running for a little bit while I got distracted with something else, and I also spent some time grinding a bit). It really is a lot like the DS remake of Final Fantasy III with the style and classic gameplay that makes me feel nostalgic. At the same time, I feel it's a lot more engaging and fun because it features several new modern twists and conveniences.

For one, level grinding isn't nearly as tedious anymore, because while walking around you can increase or decrease the encounter rate for random encounters as you please. You can even turn it all the way down so that you won't run into any monsters at all, or turn it to the point where you get assaulted every few steps if you need to grind. There's also no longer a transition/adjustment period between changing jobs during which your character is basically weaker; you can change jobs easily to test them out without having to worry about that annoying transitional period of a set number of battles (those of you that played FF3 will know what I'm talking about). The battle system also features a new mechanic where you can "save" or "borrow" turns to use. You can "default", or basically go into a defensive state to stack an extra turn for use, or you can "brave" which lets you use extra turns from future turns (or use up turns that you stacked with default). It makes battles a lot more interesting, while keeping the classic strategy turn-based system we're all so familiar with.

On the subject of characters, I thought I would like Agnes at first; I'm starting to think I was wrong. Turns out she's like a stubborn, sort of bland tsun that kind of just serves to annoy me and push the plot forward. Tiz is, as my boyfriend put it, "a dutiful shota", almost. He's not QUITE a shota but let's face it, he's got the baby face and mild but determined personality. He's cute and has his moments, and definitely serves as the core of the team's determination, but otherwise sort of unremarkable. Edea is another matter; she's blunt, loud, tomboyish, and strong-willed. I personally really like her because she manages to not be obnoxious and still retains the best parts of the unladylike character. Ringabel (or as I jokingly and fondly call him, Ringading) is like a troll. He's a ladies' man, and has the sort of higher-born, almost-but-not-quite snobbish air about him. I usually hate characters that start to follow that character pattern, but somehow Ringabel manages to be entertaining and not insufferable. His personality sits on that thin line between brilliantly lovable and obnoxiously disgusting, and that is why I can't help but think he's like a troll character.

The visuals and music for the game so far are beautiful; the characters are all adorable and chibi-like in that style reminiscent of the FF3 DS remake, but much prettier, with beautiful city art that feels classic at heart with all advantages of modern technology. The music and sounds definitely live up to my expectations.

If you think the demo was a turn-off for you for this game, don't let it be. The demo doesn't cover any of the really charming aspects of the game, and most people who've played it that I've talked to have agreed with me that it's not really remarkable or engaging. The game itself is much more vast than the demo can show you, and I think it's well worth the $40, considering people who've completed the game have clocked in with at least 50-60 hours to complete just the main storyline, and upwards of 70+ including side quests. Completionists have reported in with an average of 100+ hours of gameplay to finish the game, so I think all in all, the amount of play time you get for this game is well worth it.

I might update on this game later, if people are interested! For now, thanks for reading, and for those of you playing Bravely Default as well, let's enjoy the game!

[Review] Skinfood Watery Berry :: Emulsion and Toner

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay. I'm trying to get a few posts up right now while I can because I don't have much content on here yet, but I've been super busy with school and work. A while ago when I ordered Skin 79's Super BB cream in Gold, I got a free sample from the online store as well! So today we're reviewing the sample, which is Skinfood's Watery Berry Emulsion and Toner.

Product Information::
From the website it says:
"A dewy moisture emulsion that promotes soft, glowing skin with berry extracts and hyaluronic acid".
And "A dewy moisture toner that promotes soft, glowing skin with berry extracts and hyaluronic acid". Not very creative with the variation in descriptions I guess.


Apparently the berries used are cloudberries, lingonberries, and raspberries from Lapland, supposedly rich in antioxidants. Upon doing  a bit of quick research, I found that cloudberries do have a very high vitamin C content, which is an antioxidant. Lingonberries are rich in vitamins C, A, and B, among other things with many health benefits. Raspberries are also rich in vitamin C, so I suppose their claim of these berries making the formula rich in antioxidants isn't without some backing.


Hyaluronic acid (otherwise known as hyaluronan) is used in medicine to treat osteoathritis, and to aid in tissue healing. It's popular in cosmetics for helping improve acne scars and help fight aging of the skin.
I try to research the ingredients a bit when trying out new cosmetics and personal care things, just because I think it's kind of important to make sure the claims aren't false.


Thoughts::


The box is kind of cute, and the little glass bottles are pretty as well. Both the emulsion and the toner have a sort of very faint pinkish tint to them that reminds me of cherry blossoms.


They both smell about the same; it's a sweet, fresh scent with a light hint of berries. I really like it since it's not too overpowering; it's very light but sweet.


The emulsion feels a little runnier than regular moisturizer, and it spreads easily. It's absorbs fairly quickly. It felt just a bit sticky at first, but that feeling faded after a few minutes and just left my skin feeling really soft.






The toner is super runny and clear, like water. I had a bit of a hard time pouring some onto my hand for a swatch test :'D Like the emulsion, it absorbs fairly quickly and feels just slightly sticky at first, but then that stickiness disappears and makes my skin soft.






After using both for a few days, I noticed my skin felt much softer and more moisturized! I haven't seen any particular improvement in acne scars yet, but maybe that's just because I haven't been too diligent about applying it in those areas.


Pros:
1. Smells really nice and not overpowering
2. Absorbs easily and isn't too sticky
3. Makes your skin reaaaaally soft
4. Works well on my combination skin
5. Nice, pretty packaging


Cons:
6. Kind of expensive (when I checked the website, it's about $18 for 160 ml)
7. Scent fades after a few minutes :<
8. Kind of hard to get out of the bottle? Maybe it's because I just had the sample size bottles


Would I buy it again?
Maybe not, because of the price and because there are other toners and stuff I have yet to try. But if I ran across a sale for it, I definitely would.


Final score: 4.5/5