REVIEW: Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact

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The product: Etude House Precious Mineral BB Compact in Sheer Glowing Skin Price: 778pesos (~US$17-18) Rating: 10/10 Where I bought it: Etude House, Bldg. A, SM Megamall (+): Brightens the skin, controls oiliness, has SPF30 PA+++, didn't break me out, didn't cause any allergic reactions, blends on my skin easily, makes my skin look glowing instead of just oily, soft and finely milled powder (-): None for me but others might find how it looks a bit shimmery a little intimidating. I do think that contributes to the brightening effect though and they aren't noticeable when you put the product on your skin. It has sheer to light coverage, but it says so on the label so it's not really negative, right? It's just face powder anyway, doesn't claim to be powder foundation. :)

This is the my 2nd powder, a freebie I got from Etude House. Unused. The one I'm currently using has a crack in the middle because I dropped it hence no photos here.

A swipe on my hand (without flash)

Blended on my hand (without flash)

Same swipe on my hand (w/ flash)

Blended on my hand (w/ flash)

The last time I've updated my blog was over a month ago. School has been very demanding as of late, with the management course having started and is already piling on us lots of work. (The Ateneo offers a double degree, MD MBA) I've been tempted lots of times to put off studying and update my blog but fortunately my priorities were in check during those times. :))

Anyway, this product right here is my FAVORITE face powder. I bought it a week or so before Etude House's grand launch party in October without knowing that they were giving it out as a freebie after the event. I'm happy that I got it though, because now I have a ready replacement once I finish my powder up!

When I was in EH there were two shades available, Sheer Glowing Skin and Sheer Silky Skin. From what I know about their BB creams (blemish balm), the Sheer Silky Skin is the one for oily skin so I thought that it would be the same for the powder. Upon looking at it though I found it too light so I opted for the Sheer Glowing variant as it was a bit darker. Sheer Glowing Skin in BB cream is for dry skin, by the way.

I love how this truly brightens my skin, making it look healthy and glowing. On lazy and extremely busy days I just use this on top of concealer. On days that I have the luxury of time to fix myself up, I use it on top of foundation and of BB creams. Sometimes I also use powder foundation and I pat some of this powder on top of it for that brightening effect. ;)

I'm happy to say that this powder controls my oiliness too. With this on my face I blot once to twice a day. Another thing I like about it is when my skin gets oily, it doesn't look like an oil slick; it gives off some sort of a glow. It also has SPF30 PA+++ which based on my research means that it has protection for both UVA and UVB rays. PA+++ is for UVA and the three plus signs means it's the most effective form of protection right now. SPF is for UVB and the recommended daily SPF is SPF15 so this is actually good!

*Apparently, the PA+++ rating is a Japanese system. The PPD (Persistent Pigment Darkening) method, also a way to measure UVA protection, has been recommended by the European commission and has been adopted by Japan, Korea, and China. Read more about these here, here and here. Hmm, I guess a blog post regarding sun protection must be done soon. ;)

*UVA rays penetrate deeper layers of the skin than UVB. UVA is thought to be a major cause of photoaging (wrinkling, loss of elasticity, etc.) while UVB is the one causing skin reddening and sunburn. Recent studies have shown that both UVA and UVB play a major part in skin cancer. Read more here and here. :)

It's the best face powder I've tried from Etude House so far. I've tried their BB Magic Pact and Dream on Pact but this beats those two hands down. I'm definitely repurchasing. :)

This may seem off topic but I finished watching the Korean series Personal Taste starring Lee Min Ho during our semestral break. That show made me fall in love with him! It's great that the powder freebie Etude House gave out has Lee Min Ho on the cover (he's an endorser) and the statement "You are my girl" and his signature on the mirror! Definitely a keeper, hahaha. ;)

Hope I get to post reviews more often! I want to share so much! ROAR!

REVIEW: Etude House Oh~m' Eye Line and other eyeliners

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The product: Etude House Oh~m' Eye Line black liquid eyeliner

Price: CORRECTION: Based on Etude House Ph website, this eyeliner costs only 198pesos not 398pesos as I posted earlier. Sorry for that! Mianhae!

Rating: 10/10

Where I bought it: Etude House, SM Megamall Bldg. A

(+): Long lasting, doesn't smudge, good quality, waterproof (even if it doesn't say so on the packaging or I just couldn't read Hangul? Hahaha.), relatively easy to apply, comes off easily with make up removers, doesn't irritate my eyes

(-): Takes a bit of practice to apply because it is a brush-type liquid eyeliner but once you get the hang of it, it's easy to use! I really don't have any complaints about it. ;)

Eyeliners (together with eye shadows) used to intimidate me. When I was in 1st year or 2nd year college I had a pencil eyeliner which I rarely used because I found it complicated. I tried experimenting by myself but I got impatient and gave up. Come 3rd year though, I bought a felt-tip liquid eyeliner from The Face Shop. I used it more often than the pencil ones but still not as often as I do now. :) I finished up two eyeliners from TFS before I started exploring other brands.

My love for KPOP ignited my love for eyeliners. ♥

One product I tried was Maybelline's felt-tip liquid eyeliner. I loved how it was so easy to use and how it was very pigmented. It was as if I was literally just using a marker on my eyelids. It didn't smudge but it wasn't waterproof making it not suitable for hot, humid days and of course for rainy days too. I also tried their gel eyeliner which I still haven't finished up yet. It's a wonderful product--it's smudge proof, waterproof, and long lasting but I don't know why I take so much time applying it on my eyelids. >.< I also tried using a pencil eyeliner from a local brand, Ever Bilena, but it was kind of difficult to apply. It tugged on my eyelids when applying and that is a no-no when it comes to our eyes. Our eyelids are the the thinnest skin on our body and tugging on them can cause premature wrinkles.

*I'd love to talk more about some other eyeliners I've tried, but maybe I'll reserve those for future reviews. This entry is getting very long already anyway so, yeah. ;)

Etude House is a Korean make up brand that opened their first shop here in the Philippines late last year. One word to describe it is PINK. It's a very cute pink-filled shop and their products come in equally cute packagings as well. Their prices are relatively cheaper compared to other Korean make up brands. I can't comment on how their quality differs from other Korean brands though because I didn't try out enough products from other shops. Mianhe.

Anyway, I like using this eyeliner of theirs. Like I said above, I find it easy to use. It's well pigmented, smudge proof and water proof making it a good buy. ^.^

I like how eyeliners emphasize the eyes, making them seem bolder and more beautiful. And even though I have issues with my eyes (I plan on consulting an oculoplastic surgeon someday) I grew to love eyeliners so much!

Don't be intimidated by eyeliners. Go ahead and practice applying it on your eyelids and see how much of a change it can bring to your face. It will make your eyes pop, emphasizing your beautiful eyes and making it seem as though you have full, thick eyelashes. You can start with pencil eyeliners because those are the easiest to handle and mistakes aren't so obvious. ;) I'm no expert when it comes to eyeliners or eye make up but whatever I know about make up application now I credit to self experimentation and YOUTUBE videos! :)

***You can check out Etude House Philippines' website for more info and product list & prices! ♥