One skincare product I always make sure to apply is sunscreen and I am always looking for one that applies smoothly and doesn’t leave my face looking ghastly. After recently reading about the difference… More
JUNG SAEM MOOL Artist Make-Up Blending Tool
I am so glad that Jung Saem Mool came out with this new tool. It’s the Artist Make-Up Blending Tool. It’s nice to have a clean surface to mix products on instead of my hands or a mirror.
It comes with five surfaces, including a removable stainless steel palette.
This palette has circular patch that is textured to mimic skin.
This palette also fits inside the Artist Concealer Palettes.
One of the surfaces has a tab to hold things such as a small cotton pad or a piece of tissue. Pretty convenient to instantly clean off a tool or brush.
Two of the surfaces are smooth while the last one has a skin textured center.
I love that this tool has versatility, is compact, and snaps close.
Iconel Eye Mirror: Touchpad LED Makeup Mirror
Last week, I was looking at some of the sales and promotions online at Memebox. I came across this LED makeup mirror, thought it was neat, so I purchased it.
Besides a makeup mirror, it can be used as mood lighting as well. It’s not so small and compact but it could fit in a large makeup bag. It’s nice to have if you need to do some touch, especially in low lighting or to take with you when you go traveling. It comes with a stand, USB charging cable, and a pouch.
On the rear you’ll find the charging port, charging light indicator, the touch sensitive power switch, and the slot for the stand.
The light has three-gear dimming that is adjusted by tapping the power switch.
There were two color options; silver as shown above and pink. I think this is something that is fun and handy to have, and is at decent price point even at the regular price.
Julio-Gangnam Branch
Yesterday I went out to lunch with a friend at Julio. It’s a restaurant that primarily specializes in Mexican cuisine. There are some fusion dishes on the menu as well. It’s located near Gangnam station, up the street that is next to the CGV.
We shared an order of tortilla chips and fresh guacamole, and we each ordered a taco. The guacamole was great. It had the perfect combination of fresh avocado, tomato, sweet onion, red onion, jalepeño, and cilantro.
I ordered the Camaron Taco for myself. It comes with two tacos filled with spicy marinated shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, paprika, onion, and sprinkled with cilantro and cheese.
Meals also come with an assortment of four sauces to add for extra flavor. I tried thd very spicy and the fruit sauce. I didn’t add too much to my tacos but I could definitely taste an extra kick when I added the very spicy one.
And for a drink I ordered a limeade. It wasn’t too sweet which was great. It was a nice alternative to lemonade, something I often order.
The restaurant wasn’t packed, right when they opened at noon but I’ve stopped by several times before in the evening, and there are always people waiting to be seated. There were other dishes that I wanted to try so I’ll be visiting this restaurant again.
JUNG SAEM MOOL Refining Eyeshadow Double in Chocolate Delight and Shell Pinkbrown
Before the release of Jung Saem Mool Refining Eyeshadow Triple last month, the Refining Eyeshadow Double duos were released back in December. There are five shades available, each containing a Paste shade and a Sparkle shade. Here are two of them: Shell Pinkbrown and Chocolate Delight. Like the Refining Eyeshadow Triple, these shadows apply smoothly, have great adhesion, great fallout control, and a great color payoff. Also like the Triples, the Doubles have Sparkle shades with the same high flek concentration while the Paste shades have a sheen finish. So for this post I will just upload pictures.
JUNG SAEM MOOL Refining Eyeshadow Triple-Fuchsia Fantasy
Jung Saem Mool recently released a line of eyeshadows called Refining Eyeshadow Triple. As the name suggests, it is a mini palette that contains sections of three different finishes of eyeshadows: a sparkle, matte, and paste finish. There are nine mini palettes available. Some are a combination of varying colors while others contain a single color palette, such as the one I bought the called Fuchsia Fantasy.
The Sparkle Fuchia is a brighter fuchsia base with a high concentration of pink and bluish purple fleks giving it that high shine and sparkle.
The Matte Fuchsia is a flat fuschia color with matte finish.
The Paste Fuchsia has a lower concentration of pink fleks, giving it a beautiful sheen.
Here is a swatch of the colors.
I would describe the textures of the Paste and Sparkle as creamy but a bit more solid and compact. I would be cautious to not apply too much pressure when picking up the shadows but any breakage can simply be pressed back in. It glides smoothly particularly when applied with a finger. The texture of the Matte leans slighty towards that of a powder but not as dry. The particles are finely milled that they adhere to each other, thereby preventing less fallout and giving a better color payoff. It leaves a soft and smooth finish on the skin. I really love the colors, textures, and formulas of these shadows. I definitely will purchase more shades within the next month or so.
VDL Satin Veil Finish Powder-Greenery
The 2017 VDL + Pantone collection includes a variety of base makeup including color correcting primers and cushions, fixers, blushes, and a powder. Besides a blush the only other base makeup I bought was the Satin Veil Finish Powder in Greenery.
It has the same color scheme and minimal, mirrored compact design as the blush and eyeshadow palette.
It includes a rectangular velour type puff that sits in own pocket adjacent to the powder.
The powder itself is unscented with sebum controling elements, leaving the skin with a smooth matte finish. Here is a hand swatch. I applied foundation and then the powder on the right-hand side.
I like this powder. It has fine particles and blends on the skin smoothly, without leaving a cast, or altering the underlying tone, nor does it leave makeup to appear cakey. And the compact’s design is clean and pretty too.
VDL Expert Perfume Cube Diffuser-Greenery
Here is the other fragrance product from the 2017 VDL +Pantone collection. It’s the Expert Perfume Cube Diffuser in the scent Greenery. It has the same notes as the perfume.
The product comes in a frosted pale yellow-green glass cube and includes five reed sticks. This is another product that I will purchase again. Although I put in all five sticks, the scent disperses well throughout the room without being overwhelming. It also adds a nice touch to a room’s decor. I keep mine on top of my vanity.
스바라시 초밥 : Subarashi Sushi
Earlier this month while ordering food for delivery, I was craving some Japanese cuisine having just returned from my Fukuoka trip. I found this place, 스바라시 초밥 (pronounced in Korean subarashi chobab), with a variety of noodle dishes, tempura battered pieces, but mostly sushi, and a few other rice based dishes.
스바라시 (subarashi) is a Japanese word meaning ‘great, cool’ in a complimentary manner. And indeed their food is great. Today for lunch I ordered the Salmon Roll (연어롤) and the Fried Shrimp Roll (새우튀김롤).
The Salmon Roll is like a California Roll with less caviar and a slice of smoked salmon on top. The salmon has a nice smoky taste without being dry and has the perfect amount of crisp in texture. The inside of the roll contains cucumber, crab, caviar, and sauce.
The Fried Shrimp Roll has the same ingredients with a piece of fried shrimp in the roll in lieu of the salmon on top.
I’ve also tried some of the other items on the menu before but these two are my favorite so far. You can order the roll menu in either two pieces or in eight pieces, which is a full roll. Today I ordered a full roll of each one and was easily fulfilled with eating half of the order. If you are living or visiting South Korea, and are looking to eating some sushi, I would recommend 스바라시초밥 as a place to check out.
VDL Expert Perfume Cube-Greenery
In the 2017 VDL+Pantone collection are two scented products. The one here is the Expert Perfume Cube in Greenery.
The bottle is glass with a plastic twist top and a funneled opening.
This perfume is oiled based and is applied by tapping onto the skin. The top note is citrus and comprised of lemon, basil, and eucalyptus. The middle note is fresh floral and comprised of muguet, rose, and neroli. Finally, the base note is a musk woody amber comprised of cedarwood and musk.
When initially applied a grassy scent is most prominent but quickly settles, and the heat from the skin brings forward the other base components. Because it is an oil based perfume as well, the scent lasts longer than eau de parfums. I am obssessed with fragrances and this is a scent that I not only love but it is also different from the ones I currently use.
VDL Expert Color Lip Cube-Marble Glow
Another lip product from the 2017 VDL + Pantone collection is the Expert Color Lip Cube-Marble Glow. There are three shades that inlcude a pink, coral, and the one here that is transparent, No. 03 Mint Favor. This product line is a tinted lip balm in a marbled cube stick format, hence the name.
It has a mint flavor with that cooling, tingling effect when applied on the lips. It glides so amazingly smoothly, like butter! It does not drag at all. Of all the lip care products that I have ever tried, this is one of the few that deeply moisturizes my lips and applies so smoothly. Until this collection I had never tried any VDL lip products so I was initially skeptical. This is one product that I will definitely purchase again.
