NYC Haul.
Thursday, February 13, 2014One thing I generally try to do when I go to New York City is to stop by Chinatown to pick up a few Asian skincare and/or makeup products. Of course there's great substitute websites like Amazon, Ebay, and Sasa.com to do this, but being able to see the items firsthand is usually a lot more enthralling than gazing at a laptop screen. Also, it's nice because when I shop in person, I usually spend less... lol. Buying things online is a dangerous thing you guys. That "Add to Cart" button always gets the best of me. :(
This is what I pulled out from my small venture. One cleansing water/toner, Biore foaming face wash, hand cream, a lip gloss, and two samples given to me by the cashier.
This is the Bifesta Age Care Cleansing Lotion. Probably one of my favorite purchase out of the bunch.
I ran out of my beloved Bioderma and when I saw this, my eyes sparkled. The consistency of this is exactly like a watery toner, even when it's supposed to be a "cleansing lotion". In comparison to most cleansing waters I've used, this has been the most moisturizing. I'll even admit to sometimes substituting this to clean my face on lazy nights rather than properly washing my face with an actual cleanser. I don't need to moisturize afterwards either because the cleansing lotion legit feels as if I slapped on a thin layer lotion already. One thing though--it's does not completely remove waterproof mascara. I believe this was less than $10 which is great when Bioderma is almost close to being over $30.
Product Rating: 4/5
Pros: Moisturizing, cheap, bottle lasts you for a very long time, gets rid of all or most makeup, and has a very light and pleasant smell.
Cons: You will have a hard time removing waterproof makeup--specifically mascara.
Original Price: $10-$15 (when I bought in NYC)
Biore Bubble Foaming Face Wash.
Unfortunately I cannot read Japanese, but based on my online research, this line of foaming face wash has different types that target a variety of skin care problems. I apologize as I am not sure which one I chose. I fell culprit to the pink pump, lol.
When you shake the bottle, you'll hear the content slushing inside which means that it's more water-based. I love to use this as my morning face wash as it is very light and gentle enough to clean off any dirt that clung onto my pores in the middle of the night. It's often recommended by skin care experts to not to use abrasive products both morning and night. This foaming face wash is absolutely perfect for following such a rule! It doesn't leave my skin dry, but just clean like a baby's bottom for me to proceed with my everyday makeup routine. To be honest, I'm not sure what else to rave when it comes to this product as I think facial cleansers either work or they don't.
Product Rating: 4.5/5
Pros: Simple face wash for the mornings. Lightweight and beautiful scent.
Cons: You can use this at night as well, but I'm not too sure if it can truly remove heavy makeup.
Original Price: $10-$15 (when I bought in NYC)
Where to Purchase: I tried looking online, but could not find the same type. Here are a few other options for different skin problems--Ebay.
And now to my one makeup purchase...
Like I don't already have enough lip glosses to raid my makeup drawers... lol. Anyways, this is the Liole Enamel Lip Gloss in Tangerine Peach.
Beautiful, beautiful color. If anyone has the Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef then you will know that this color is the exact dupe of it. It is very thick in consistency and pigmented enough to color your whole lips without needing a lipstick. I'm not a huge fan of the applicator just because the shape really made it hard for me to apply. The negatives start to pile from there... I'm not sure why, but this is one of the first lip gloss that actually made my lips look patchy and stuck to the lines. I've never experienced that before! It's also quite misleading because the lip gloss itself is very creamy so you wouldn't think it would make your lips look more dry. It makes me so sad because I was really hoping this would be my new coral lover. You'll see it here in this swatch example on my lips (please ignore the nastiness that is my dry/un-exfoliated lips):
Doesn't look too shabby from a distance!
Product Rating: 2.5/5
Pros: Excellent color and pigmentation.
Cons: Not great for dry/chapped lips.
Original Price: $8 (when I bought in NYC)
I decided to not do a review on the hand cream from Liole (I got the Carry Me Hand Cream in Blueberry) because it was not that great of a product. Actually, the smell turned me off A LOT... I initially thought I put in Coconut in my basket, but I guess I must have mis-grabbed it and walked away with Blueberry scent instead. It's an average hand cream... You can do much better by sticking to your local Bath & Body Works lotion products.
Japanese skin scare is definitely my favorite! I can't wait to restock some more on my next trip to the city. :) It saves the trouble from waiting on online orders to ship.
4 comments
You know, if only god gifted me with non-dry lips. always have that problem! Had it with the Revlon lipgloss you mentioned. Everything you purchased looks better in pink.... ��
ReplyDeleteYeah :(((( lol, sad lip lyfe
DeleteYeah, online shopping always gets me to impulsive buyings :S
ReplyDeleteThanks for reviewing these products!
Love the Liole coral color lipgloss
xx,
Mitch♥︎
:) Thank you for your comment! ^_^ Online shopping is quite dangerous...
Delete