K-Beauty straight from South Korea
Olivarrier are a relatively new company that caught my eye on Instagram with their chic and informative packaging. They very kindly sent me a range of 6 products, which I was so excited to try out (these products were provided free of charge, but all opinions expressed here are my own- see my disclaimer tab for more). I wanted to test the products properly, and decided to start with the cleansing bar- here are my thoughts.
This past Saturday was pretty wonderful- I went to the K-Beauty Expo in Seoul. The expo offers the opportunity to view all the new trends/new products/new companies (as well as older established favourites), tutorials and seminars, discount shopping, and just generally be surrounded by the most innovative and exciting K-Beauty everythaaang. I went along with my good friend Megan, blogger from Kimchi Days and Soju Nights, and here’s what we got up to!
Ooooh I’m excited to write this- after just over a months use, this is my new favourite product! The Goodal Moisture Barrier Liquid was something I’d had my eyes on for a while, and when it was on sale at Watsons, I grabbed it. Here’s the rundown.
So this post is a biggy…the Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick has been my number one cleanser for well over a year now, and to challenge that with this comparison felt like I was being disloyal to my rosey pal. However the release of the Belif stick really excited me (because if you’re a skincare obsessive these things get you going), and I have been planning this comparison post since I first saw Belif’s competing cleanser.
Piibu are a relatively new sheet mask subscription box, currently available in the US. As the website states “you will receive 8-10 korean skincare face masks in each box. The masks range from sheet masks, wash off masks, hand masks, feet masks, and eye masks.” They very kindly sent me their September box free of charge for review, and I was happy to give an honest review in exchange! (See my Disclaimer tab for more collaboration information- all opinions expressed here are my own)
On September 3rd I attended a new beauty event called After 6pm: All About K-Beauty. The organisers are trying to bring together those interested in Korean beauty, in Seoul, with monthly events. I attended their 3rd event at Mary’s April in Gangnam, and wanted to briefly let you know how it was! (Disclosure: I was provided a free ticket, but this in no way affects my review. All opinions expressed here are my own).
The location was beautiful. It was about a 10 minute walk from Gangnam station, and was in a function room. It was well organised with the ticket desk right inside the door, then a snacks and beverages table in the centre of the room, with the lights and tutorial area set up against the back wall. The vibe was relaxed, and I really liked the lighting.
When you first arrive in Seoul Whenever you’re vacay-ing in, living in, or just in breathing range of Seoul, it can be VERY easy to spend a shit tonne of money within your first day, or hour, if you’re like me. That’s money on cosmetics, accessories, electronics, stationary, clothes, and just about everything in between. I’ve finaaaally after two years figured out a strategy (you know you’ve got shopping problems when you have to come up with a strategy) to avoid buying everything every single weekend. So I’m gonna share! In other words, this is a guide on spending loads of money, but spreading the spending out, so you’re not left in shock looking at your bank account after day 1 (disclaimer: you may still be left in shock at a later time, your choices not mine).
If you follow my Instagram, I’m sure you think I’m being paid or bribed by Berrisom right now- not the case haha. I keep mentioning their products A LOT. Let me explain…Brenda from Berrisom reached out to me, offering to send me some ‘samples’, with no pressure to review. I liked her friendly, laid back vibe and lack of pushiness so I agreed. They sent me the BIGGEST box of full size products, and after trying their products, I’ve really fallen in love with a number of their pieces of makeup (products provided free of charge, but all opinions expressed here are 100% my own). The product that really interested me and grabbed my attention were the My Lip Tint Packs. I’d seen these before, and once I tried them, I realised why I’d read so many great reviews!
I recently wrote a review of the first Purpletale product I tried (you can read that here), and I really enjoyed it. Purpletale are a relevantly new K-Beauty brand, and I was pleased to get the chance to try their products. Young-ji, creator of Purpletale, was lovely to chat with, and I liked her story and brand idea about the importance of our own personal beauty. Another product I picked from their selection was this Setting the Scene Treatment Essence (product provided free of charge in exchange for 100% my own, honest reviews). I was a little dubious about one of the ingredients, but I’ll explain that later… I loved the name of the product, I saw niacinamide as a fifth ingredient, and as first treatment essences are one of my favourite steps of skincare, I decided to give it a go regardless.
Straight up: I only bought this cushion for the packaging. Literally. I knew nothing about History of Whoo cushions, had read no reviews, tested it on my hand in store to check the shade, then bought it. Can you blame me? It’s the most beautiful piece of makeup I own, and for that reason alone, I love it. But once I got it home, obviously I did want to try it and use it, and to let you guys know how it performs aside from it’s luxurious packaging.