2016, how did you just flown by so quickly?

Well, it's officially the second month of 2017 and honestly, I wouldn't say I'm ready or anything because everyday passes by quite monotonously for people around my age. Everyday is like a routine - you wake up in the morning, you do your stuff and then, you head to work for 9 hours before heading home for the night.

Does that sound familiar to you?

Anyway, I'm gonna share some of my 2016 best products with you today. These are the products that I tend to reach more almost every day of my life. In 2016, I kinda stopped dolling myself up to work because I found out that in my line of job, it's kinda unnecessary to even put effort to make-up. However, there were still days when I woke up, feeling like putting some make-up on.

In no particular order, these would be my picks.

Mary Kay® Mineral Eye Colour Quad in Sandstorm

These shades are not exactly your most pigmented shades but for an everyday look, I definitely think this quad does it's job well. It's not overly on the top for work and if you want to wear this for functions, yes, just layer them up and you're good to go!

I love the fact that you can easily bring this on-the-go. I used to pack a big palette if I ever go traveling but ever since I bought this earlier in 2016, I found myself reaching out for this quad every time when I travel around. It fits easily in my handbag too!

Maybelline Hypersharp Power Black Eyeliner

I have always been using Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in the past but due to unforeseen circumstances, I decided to switch to cheaper alternative. I had tried so many liquid eyeliners in the past that promise being waterproof and smudge-proof but more than often, I ended up being a panda. Until when I almost gave up, I discovered Maybelline's liquid eyeliners. These eyeliners are cheap and best of all, they're waterproof!

I especially love the one in Power Black (red packaging) because it is really black and yeah, it's waterproof, baby!

IOPE Air Cushion XP Cover 

Honestly, I started using cushion foundation sometime around November 2015 and decided to love it as the application is easy. Over the duration of one year I have tested out a lot of cushion foundations yet, I still find myself reaching for this particular cushion foundation from IOPE.

The coverage is just nice - not too thin and not too thick. If you need more coverage on certain days, you can still layer it up to suit your make-up.

Missha Tension Blusher in Lavender Basket

Ever since I jumped onto the bandwagon of using cushion foundations, I have started to test out cushion blushers as well. Out of a number of cushion blushers I have tried, I have fallen in love with this particular formula and shade from Missha.

The product, although is not very, very pigmented, does leave a healthy glow on my skin whenever I use it. I did try layering the product to make the blush shade shown, yeah, it worked - every single time!

SKII Facial Treatment Advanced Protect Loose Powder UV

I received this loose powder from my brother as my birthday gift 1.5 years ago and have been using this ever since then. This is by far the best loose powder I have ever tried and I have eliminated other loose powders ever since this baby came into my life. The powder is finely milled and it always leaves my skin feeling smooth whenever I use this powder.

Although I did make-up every single day, there is still a whole lot of product left! The only downside to it is that it is not travel friendly as it it quite bulky.

True Dimensions® Lipstick in Pink Chérie

This is my go-to lipstick whenever I go to work or even if I have any function to attend to. I don't really wear a lot of pinks but this particular shade of pink from Mary Kay really kills it! It is not overly pink to the point it is difficult for Asian skintones to wear this color.

I am a MAC NC20 to NC25 and this shade looks beautiful on my lips!

Biore Micellar Cleansing Water

Biore has always been my No. 1 make-up remover brand. I started using Biore make-up remover in my early 20's and been loving it so, so much even up to now. Quite some time back, they actually introduced micellar cleansing water and ever since then, I've been using this one.

This particular cleansing water removes even the most stubborn mascara but with a few tries, of course! This is water based after all.

banila co. clean it ZERO 'PURITY' for Sensitive Skin

On those days when I use waterproof and smudge-proof make-up, this product will be my saviour! It removes even the waterproof mascara without much effort needed.

Do bear in mind that this make-up remover isn't exactly cheap, that's why I don't really use it all the times.

Burberry Brit Sheer Eau De Toilete

No matter how many perfumes I have tried in the past, I found myself always going back to this particular perfume from Burberry for more.

I don't know how to describe the smell but well... elegant? It's not fruity nor flowery. I'd say it's close to musky but it's not so heavy to the point that it's overpowering.

Laneige Firming Sleeping Pack

For lazy nights when I don't feel like using any sheet masks, this is what I've been using and by far, the best sleeping mask I've used. 

In 2016 alone, I have used 3 jars of this sleeping packs and yes, I am on my 4th jar now. This sleeping mask promises to firm up your skin as you sleep. Best of all, you wake up with nice skin!

However, just like any other sleeping masks, you have to wash it off in the morning. If you don't, probably you'll be prone to break outs later in the day since this is much heavier than their water sleeping pack.

Laneige Multi Cleanser

Hands down - best cleanser ever in 2016. 

It washes off make-up and any impurities on my skin every single time I use it. It's magic that the cleanser doesn't strip off my skin's natural moisture!

Those are all my HGs for 2016.

In 2017, I'm hoping to discover more gems out there if possible.

What are the products that you enjoy using in 2016?

IOPE Air Cushion® XP Cover vs. Hera UV Mist Cushion Ultra Moisture

Hi, everybody! I hope you're all well!

It's been a while since I've caught the cushion foundation craze and even to this very day, I'm still not over it yet! Obviously, the ones that I've been enjoying so far are my Hera UV Mist Cushion Ultra Moisture and IOPE Air Cushion® XP Cover. I couldn't express enough love for these two cushion foundations.

Honestly, the price for Hera's cushion foundation is a bit steep if you were to get it at Hera's counters in South Korea. There is not much difference to the price of IOPE's cushion foundation as well. However, if you were to purchase them via Althea, they're way more affordable.

If you still can't make up your mind on which cushion foundation to get, don't worry, Imma gonna enlighten you. Today, we are going to do a bit of comparison between these two foundations. Hopefully, this entry will be beneficial for those of you who are interested in either of the cushion foundations.

First up - the packaging.

As we all know, both IOPE and Hera are daughter brands of Amore Pacific. Amore Pacific owns brands like Laneige, Mamonde, Hanyul, Innisfree, Etude House, Sulwhasoo, Lolita Lempicka, Primera, Lirikos, Ryoe, Mise En Scene, Happy Bath and VB.

If you have been into Korean skincare and cosmetics, I do believe you are aware of this.

Anyway, from the picture above, you can see that the packaging of these two cushion foundations are basically similar.

The cushion themselves look similar as well, aside from the fact that IOPE's container is white while Hera's is purple. Both of the containers look pretty and solid to me. If you were to depot the cushion foundations, you can fit Hera's refill into IOPE's container or vice versa - they fit!

The shade that I've gotten for IOPE is C23 which while for Hera, I've gotten No. 23 as well. I am a MAC NC25 for your information. For Korean foundations or BB creams, shade No. 23 fits me well. No. 21 is a bit too light and fair for my liking.

I know people will ask, "So, which of these two foundations have higher coverage?"

Before I proceed, lemme just tell you - I love make-up and I think that the purpose of dolling yourself up is so that it'll boost your confidence. Confidence only comes when you feel beautiful so, for me, in order to feel beautiful, slapping on sufficient amount of make-up would be one of the ways. So, it's either you slap on enough make-up or you go out with totally none.

Back to the question - which of these have better coverage?

I actually applied just one layer of both foundations over my messily drawn black eyeliner on the back of my left hand.

You can clearly see IOPE has slighter better coverage since the one that I've gotten is the cover version, which is meant to have higher coverage. Here's foundation doesn't really cover the eyeliner well but well, that's what being natural is all about, right? I usually have to put two layers of foundations if I were using Hera's.

The sun protection factor for IOPE's cushion foundation is SPF50+/PA+++ while Hera's cushion foundation has slightly lower SPF at only SPF34/PA++. Naturally, you would know that IOPE's cushion foundation provides better sun protection.

So, yeah, lemme show you my bare face.

You can basically see my bad dark under eye circles that developed over years of years of sleeping late, stresses and well... insufficient rest.

The pores on my nose and around my cheeks are quite obvious. Although I hate them but there is nothing much I could do. Up to date, I have yet to discover any product that could shrink the size of my pores for good.

The problem that I always face when it comes to foundations - it freaking sink into my pores like there are parties in the pores!

Even when I am using a good primer like Benefit Porefessional, the parties still go on and on, the whole night! It's pretty annoying to think that Benefit Porefessional used to work well for me but now, it doesn't do much justice any longer. I needed a more hydrating primer.

On the fragrances of these two cushion foundations, Hera's cushion foundation has stronger flowery scent to it. Is it me or does it really smell like camellia flower? If you do have extra sensitive skin, you may want to steer away from this foundation. IOPE's cushion foundation, to me, has a powdery scent to it. The fragrance is not overpowering or anything.

It's time to slap on these foundations.

From the picture above, it can clearly be seen that the side (right) that I've applied IOPE's foundation on, has better coverage. My dark under eye circle is covered better than the side (left) where I have applied Hera's foundation on. I applied just one layer of product on both sides of my face. Hera's foundation has more natural finish comparing to IOPE's.

I'm not sure if it's just me but I do notice that IOPE's foundation has more yellowish undertone to it while Hera's foundation has less of it.

Let's do a flashy photography.

I was half expecting IOPE's cushion foundation to have more dewy and glowy finish but it appears to look quite matte on my dry skin. That is not entirely bad given there are days when I do like a more matte look. The side which I've applied Hera's cushion foundation on looks more hydrated with a bit of healthy glow.

I actually did go out with two different foundations on my face to test out the wearability of both of the products. For your information, I did not apply any powder over the foundations.

IOPE's foundation wears around 4 hours on my skin without me, touching my face or even touching up the product. The downside to it is that I did notice there are cracks on my laugh lines and corners of my nose. The good thing about this foundation is that it doesn't sink into my pores even without primer!

Hera's foundation on the other hand only lasted around 3 hours on me since it has lower coverage. I did not notice Hera's foundation cracking up on me but, but, but... I was kinda disappointed because as time went by (no matter how many times I've used it without primer), the foundation sunk into my pores for parties! I thought this foundation is supposed to be way more hydrating that IOPE's but why, why, why?!

Anyway, honestly, these two cushion foundations in my opinion, are equally good, depending on your skin type and preferences. I would recommend both but if you have similar skin type like mine, you may need to use primer if you're using Hera's cushion foundation and if you're using IOPE's, you may want to go a little light-handed to avoid it being too cakey.

Lastly, before I go, I hope this entry could enlighten your doubts and if you're ever trying any of them out, be sure to get the ORIGINAL products because I know IOPE's products are being faked and sold at relatively low prices (around RM20++). Make sure you purchase your products from reliable sellers like Althea, Hermo or KYOU Beauty. Please don't risk your skin!

IOPE Air Cushion® XP Cover

Honestly, IOPE isn't a brand that would stand out to me first off due to its packaging. I like cute stuffs with cute packaging despite getting older every year. I mean please, which girl doesn't like cute stuff, right?

When I was in Korea, I did come across an IOPE outlet in Myeongdong but I didn't bother to walk in. Even when I was at Aritaum, I didn't check out their products too. Instead, I was drooling over Laneige and Mamonde. I managed to help my BFF to get the Air Cushion® XP Cover in No. 23 for her at the price of 40000 won, which was approximately RM160 at that time.

I didn't think much about it until my BFF came back to me, telling me that she loves that cushion foundation - it has nice coverage, not oily and it lasted on her. Whatever she said did create a stir in my mind and I decided to pre-order it from Korea with the help of Althea. I was dying to set my hands on the cushion foundation.

After a week, my parcel came and I jumped into the IOPE bandwagon immediately - I love it!

I bought the cushion foundation at RM119 and I believe it is one of the best RM119 that I have spent on foundation.

Just like any other cushion foundations, IOPE Air Cushion® XP Cover comes with 15g of product and another 15g of refill. The shade that I have gotten is No. 23.

Once I took the cushion foundation of the box, I was totally awed by the pretty white packaging of the casing. I mean, how could I even not notice how pretty the white casing is when I was in Korea? Duh... I know, right?

Similar to its counterpart, this cushion foundation doesn't come with additional puff. That basically means you have to re-use the existing puff until you're done with the 30g worth of product.

Honestly, even though my shade is No. 23, I was a bit surprised how yellow or orangey that shade turned out to be in the pan.

Just for your reference, I am a MAC NC25 and for other Korean cushion foundations, No. 23 works magic on me.

Then, I proceeded to swatch the shade on the back of my hand - I realized the shade isn't as yellow or orangey as being seen in the pan. Most probably the accumulated product in the pan resulted in a yellower shade.

As being seen in the picture below, after being blended out, the foundation fixed itself onto my skin naturally.

With flash photography, you would notice the foundation is a bit dewy but don't worry, the dewiness isn't excessive. Instead, the product will give you a healthy glow once applied on your complexion.

Time for coverage test!

As far as I know, IOPE has different lines of cushion foundations and since the one that I have gotten is from Cover Line, it pretty much means it has higher coverage than other cushion foundations.

Honestly, I wasn't too awed by the coverage test because seriously, it didn't quite cover everything. Probably I shouldn't be using a black liquid eyeliner but it doesn't matter.

I believe this is a medium coverage foundation. If you do want to build it up to a higher coverage, you may do so but personally, I prefer just one layer of product on my face.

When I applied the product onto my skin using tapping motion, I was seriously taken aback.

Gosh, the coverage is quite good honestly! It does not look too cakey on my dry skin at all so, I figured out this foundation is suitable for those with dry skin.

The best part is that it looks so, so natural under natural lighting.

Aside from that, it does brighten up my dull complexion. My make-up routine is never the same with IOPE.

I can safely say that for the time being, I will stick myself to this cushion foundation until the day I'm over it but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.

Stay safe, everyone!

Shopping with Althea

I believe those of you who are beauty bloggers or if you are a fan of Korean beauty products, you must have come across Althea. The website was launched in July 2015, opening a chance for everyone to purchase Korean beauty products that are not in our Malaysian market. The best thing about Althea is that their prices are very, very affordable.

Why do I say it's affordable? Let me give you an example.

When I was in Korea last year, I purchased IOPE Air Cushion® XP Cover SPF50+/PA+++ for one of my friends. I didn't come across IOPE standalone outlet hence, I purchased it from Aritaum in Myeongdong. The price quoted was 40,000 won, which was approximately RM160.

Althea is offering the cushion for only RM119, which is like RM50 cheaper than you, going to any IOPE outlets or Aritaum in Seoul.

Even the price of  Hera UV Mist Cushion Ultra Moisture SPF34+/PA++ offered by Althea is so much cheaper than the price I've paid for over the counter in Lotte Mart.

I paid 48,000 won or approximately RM185 while Althea offers it at RM139.

How affordable is that?

Better still, you can shop in the comfort of your own home and the parcel will be delivered to you within 10 to 15 days. The postage fee will be waived with the purchase of RM150 and above. However, if your purchase is any amount below that, you may have to fork out around RM30 postage fee. So, best way is to collect orders to hit the minimum amount required for free postage.

All the items you see on Althea's website are shipped directly from Korea at the moment orders are made. This will ensure products are newly manufactured.

If you are worried about the authenticity, fret not. Let's say you are not satisfied with the products after which you have gotten them - what should you do? Don't worry, Althea promises refund within 30 days.

My first order with Althea came after 5 days of placing my order. How fast was that? I almost couldn't believe my eyes when the postman came with the pink package.

I was half expecting the delivery to take more than 14 days because shipment usually isn't that fast. Even when I ordered clothes from Singapore, the parcel usually takes around 10 to 14 days to reach my doorstep in Kuala Lumpur.

So, imagine my happiness when the parcel got here in less than a week!

Every piece of product in my first parcel was individually bubble-wrapped. In fact, they actually put in quite a number of layers of bubble wrap in the box itself.

Then, I placed my second order with Althea together with my friend - both of us are still riding the Korean wave.

We bought quite a number of products since there were good deals the day we placed our orders. Our orders came in 2 separate boxes because 1 box was not enough to accomodate all of our products. It was crazy online shopping spree for us.

My second order with Althea came after on the 6th day minus Saturday and Sunday. I was secretly thanking Althea for their speedy service!

Just a week ago, I placed my third order with Althea. I was in mask frenzy since I ran out of sheet masks and needed more.

My third parcel from Althea came on the 4th day after placing my order. I ordered the masks on Monday and the parcel got to me on Friday.

How fast can the shipping be?

The speediness of their service is insane!

Since I've missed the Christmas limited edition box, I managed to secure the CNY limited edition box!

I have to tell you guys - even though Althea uses paper box to send out parcels, the paper box is quite sturdy. I am still keeping all the boxes and using them to store some other items in my room.

Isn't that lovely?

I will definitely continue to purchase my favourite Korean beauty products from Althea. However, I do have a wishlist, hoping that Santa Althea will be adding more products of the following brands to their website.

1. Mamonde
2. Memebox
3. Aritaum
4. A'Pieu

Please grant me my wish, Santa Althea!