MacQueen New York Mineral CC Cushion Cover (REVIEW in C21)

Today i will be reviewing MacQueen New York's Mineral CC Cushion in shade C21. I have used this for around a week already and i can honestly say that I really like it. MacQueen is not a very wide known Korean brand. In fact, they are actually pretty new. Their brand description says "introduces the latest trend of New Yorkers which lead's the worlds trends and encourages women's confidence like "cat walk"... contains natural vitality and improves purifying power of pure skin and provides beauty to the inside of your skin with Pure Healing thearapy."This brand sells very affordable cosmetics from cushion pacts to eyeliners to eye shadows. I have also tried their pencil liners as well
and I think they are pretty good.

So back to the product, this cushion promises to provide moisture to the skin while cooling down the skin to control oil and minimize pores. This product also helps to provide excellent coverage, even out skin tone and gives skin a natural dewy glow. This CC Cushion also has high SPF (SPF 50PA+++) which is a big PLUS in my book. There are 2 type for this CC Cushion, one is regular with not as much coverage and then this one, a newer more updated version, with more coverage + added benefits.

The MacQueen New York Mineral CC Cushion uses a lot of natural plan extracts such as:
- Bamboo extract - Soothes, moisturizes and calms sensitive skin
- Aloe extract - soothes, moisturizes, helps inflammation, brightens scars
- Green Tea extract - anti- aging, moisturizing, soothes skin
- Chamomile Extract - soothes and moisturizes skin

I LOVE the dewy skin look, but my skin is already on the combination oily side (plus i have pores and a lot of blemishes) which if i used any products that gives a glow, after a few hours my face will look like if I just worked out. So it is AWESOME that I can find a product that helps to control oils while giving my face a subtle glow.

Another plus about this product is that it is Paraben free, mineral-oil free, benzophenone free, color dye free and free of animal oils (YAY!!!!)

In the Box

Out of the box

opened up

The sponge

Reminder, this CC Cushion DOES come with a Refill!!! The sponge on the inside that is soaked with CC cream is definitely not one of my favorites as it is a little difficult to get the product out. You have to press a little bit hard to get the product on the cushion puff.

Wondering about the coverage test? here it is

Super dark black eyeliner (from nature republic)

This is with 1 layer of the CC Cream

Here it is in better lighting, Pretty good for 1 layer!!!

The coverage looks really good already! Below is my bare face then with the cc cream on the right side of my face, then both sides.

My bare face, i have nothing on except eyeliner, brow makeup and some skincare. You can see more pores and my blemishes.

Here I applied on the right side of my face, which is your left. You can see the difference already, definitely a lot brighter looking, subtle glow and covers a bit of my dark circles.

Here it is in better lighting and you can definitely see the glow! Loving it!!

Applied on left side too~ Really loving the slight glow and my face definitely looks a lot brighter!

You really DO NOT need a lot of product for this cushion. A little bit goes a long way and it lasts for a pretty long time. I had it on from work till i got home (about 4-6 hours) and I did not need to re-apply. After a few hours my skin did get a bit oily, but you can use a primer underneath to make it last longer and I probably wouldn't recommend it to people who live in extreme hot weathers. This CC cushion did help to cover my pores though and I did not break out from it. So LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

PROS:
- High SPF
- Good Coverage
- Dewy skin
- Long lasting
- Covers pores
- Good ingredients

Cons:
- Only in 2 shades (I personally love lighter more paler shades)
- I don't really like the inside cc cream soaked sponge

Questions? Ask below!!!

You can get it here~!MacQueen CC Cushion

THE SAEM PURE WHITE BRIGHTENING LINE (REVIEW)

Hello! Back again with another review from The Saem. I really am beginning to love all of this brands
products and in my opinion this brand really deserves a bit more recognition. I will be reviewing
their whitening/brightening line. This line promises to whiten, brighten and give you dewy radiant looking skin.

It has been really hot and humid lately in San Francisco and even though I dont go out much i still feel like I have gotten darker lately.

This lines main ingredients are:

Snowflake and snowflake extract- creates clean glowing skin full of moisture
Snow pea and niacinimade- brightens and evens out skin tone
Brown algae extracts- moisturizes and soothes sensitive skin

This line does not contain parabens, mineral oil, animal oil, benzophenone, triethanolamine.

The Saem's Pure White Brightening Toner is probably my favorite of the line. From the box "The whitening toner with clear bright energy helps the absorption of the products in the next skin care step." I really like the way it smells and feels on my skin. It has a pretty mild scent and I can't really put to words what it smells like. The toner itself is not clear. It is opaque white and absorbs very quickly into the skin.

The Saem's Pure White Brightening Essence feels like a light moisturizer. From the box "The whitening essence with clear bright energy provides dazzling radiance to the skin." I also do not really like the smell of this essence and it is definitely not moisturizing enough on its own even though I have combination oily skin. To me, it kind of smells like Elmers Glue...but the effects of the serum is pretty good. My face looks brighter and less dull when I use this essence and it makes my makeup look better as well.

The Saem's Pure White Brightening Cream has the best whitening power of the 3. You can immediately see that your face has gotten brighter and whiter (not a HUGE difference but you can see the difference) The cream also has a slight glue smell. From the box "The whitening cream with clear bright energy keeps the skin's protective barrier looking clear for long hours."

Normally for whitening products, you have to continue using it to see results. Normally around 3 weeks and up. I have not used it for very long so im not sure about the whitening effects but the before and after difference of using it is noticeable in the picture. My fingeres are noticeably darker than the area where I put on the skincare.

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Overall: If you would like a whitening, brightening skin care line then i would recommend this line for you. I only do not like this products scent but the benefits do seem promising.

THE SAEM THANAKHA PORE TIGHTENING LINE REVIEW

THE SAEM THANAKHA PORE TIGHTENING LINE REVIEW

Today I will be reviewing one my new favorite lines from The Saem. This line uses ingredients from natural plant extracts such as Thanakha, Evermat, Narcissus, Watergreen, Bulgarian rose water and Canadian Glacial Clay.

Thanakha tree- benefits are to tighten pores and return elasticity to pores and skin.

Evermat- Hinders and helps control oil secretion which causes large pores

Watergreen- melts oils and rids dead skin cells

Bulgarian Rose- soothes and moisturizes sensitive skin

Canadian Glacial Clay- removes sebum and bodily wastes by absorption and clears pores.

This line like most of their other products are free of the following 6:

Parabens, Benzophenone, mineral oil, animal oil, synthetic colorings and Talc.

The Saem Thanakha Pore Tightening Toner

This toner claims to clean and tighten pores by removing dead cells and sebum from the skin. Some people do not believe in toners but I personally cant do without them because I really feel that using toners DO make a difference for my skin. It helps to clean out the left over residue from all the makeup that I may not have been able to clean off, tightens my pores and makes the rest of my skin care absorb faster and better.

My pores are not that big and not that small but I most definitely worry about that the most on my face. I have an oily T-zone and I have tried many pore tightening/ oil controlling products and toners. Some tend to dry my skin out while some do not control my sebum well enough.

This is the first line by The Saem that I have tried so I did not know what to expect, since there are also no other reviews online. At first glance, the The Saem Thanakha Pore Tightening Toner comes in a plastic bottle that is easy to pore out. I find the box and color of the bottle to be very pretty and gives it a cool feel. Kind of like mint. The toner is liquidy like most toners, a watery substance and absorbs very quickly. It DOES NOT make my face feel dry. After absorption my face felt very soft and matte. A very BIG PLUS in my book so far. The scent is not strong and very mild. It smells very very mild of alcohol or some really fresh scent. (THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT CONTAIN ALCOHOL)

The Saem Thanakha Pore Tightening Essence

Next is the pore tightening essence/ serum. This product claims to tighten pores by improving the elasticity of the skin around enlarged pores.

This is not a thick essence but more of a watery gel like consistency and absorbs very quickly into the skin. Again, I am left with a very soft finish.  The smell is also very light and has a very mild scent of nature. Kind of like you’re walking through a rain forest after it has just rained. Very refreshing scent.

The Saem Thanakha Pore Tightening Cream & Pack

Lastly The Saem Thanakha Pore Tightening Cream & Pack. The word PACK in this sense is a sleeping pack. This product claims to improve pore elasticity with the firm shape memory moisture gel.

This cream is DEFINITELY a gel type cream. The color is a refreshing light aqua color. The gel consistency is not very creamy and quite light. If your face does not feel moisturized enough after the toner and essence then definitely use the cream as well. I love the scent of this cream, it is very earthy. This cream also absorbs very quickly into the skin and does not leave a sticky feel. You can apply more if you would like to use it as a sleeping pack instead. I really like this cream! Normally when I wake up, my T-Zone area would become super shiny and oily but after using this cream, my t-zone is DEFINITELY much less oily. It is not matte but it feels normal.  

Overall: 4 to 4.5/5

I haven’t used it for too long so I do not know how well it works on my pores but it is definitely good for oil control and works very well under makeup.  I love the scent of this product and I would definitely recommend this for oily/ combo skin. The price is inexpensive and I really don’t have anything bad to say about this product. I hope that you guys will give it a shot.

I got it here

http://www.mysune.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=thanakha&Submit=GO

SNP & Skin9 Korean Animal & Opera Facial Masks (Review)

Hi everyone! It has been a long time since I had blogged anything.
Recently I have just purchased a few new masks from brands SNP and Skin9.
SNP came out with really cute animal masks, such as the Panda Whitening mask, Tiger, Otter and
Dragon. Skin9 also came out with their own line of animal masks. If you have never seen or heard of these masks before, they are basically cotton masks that looks like an animals face. I believe their selling point really is just the cuteness of the masks.

I purchased the Panda whitening mask and Tiger Anti-wrinkle mask from SNP and Puppy, Opera and Leopard mask from Skin9. I bought them for myself and my friends to try. Mainly for fun and out of curiosity to see how well the masks work.

Each masks has their own benefits, SNP's Panda mask helps to whiten and brighten the face while the Tiger mask helps to prevent wrinkles and leaves skin radiant. Skin9's Super Puppy and Leopard mask helps to whiten and give elasticity to the face. It contains royal jelly and snail secretion so it really helps to moisturize and repair the skin as well. The Peking Opera mask also contains royal jelly, snail secretion and aloe which helps to moisturize, heal and soothe the face.

Here are pictures of the masks.

 After holding onto these masks for about 2 weeks I was finally able to gather a group of friends to try on the masks together. Right after opening the pouches we couldn't stop laughing for the longest time.
The first one we opened was Skin9's Leopard Mask (and also my favorite out of all the ones that I purchased). It was funny enough with just the mask already, but we cracked up even more after he put on his glass... LOL!!! (YES, men like to use masks also!)

The Opera was my next favorite, (this is me by the way) and i wasn't expecting the mask to cover the eyes AND lips. I really wanted to take pictures so i kept putting the eye flap up and down and then the essence kept getting in to my eyes...and yes it stung... lol. The fitting is a little big for this mask, or my face is just a bit small. 

 

I did not really like the panda mask very much. The pigmentation of the eyes, nose and mouth on the SNP panda mask was not as dark or noticeable as I thought it would be but the fitting of the mask would be perfect for most people in my opinion. 

  

The Skin9 Puppy mask was my 3rd favorite. Although it looks more like an otter mask. The fitting of the mask would probably be better for girls haha.. and my friend has a pretty big head anyways... (I hope he doesnt see this post)

 Last of all is the SNP Tiger mask, also not as pigmented as i thought it would be, the mask is also kind of big in my opinion.

                                                                    GROUP PICTURES!!!!

Overall, I think it is a one time kind of a thing to try out with your friends or family or at a sleepover or something. Quality wise, I personally felt that Skin9's sheet mask felt better than SNP's mask. It stayed moist longer than SNP's.

Pro's:
- Cute and fun
- Non-irritating
- Good ingredient list

Cons:
- A little bit pricy
 (can range from $1.50-$3.99 per mask)
- Fitting Varies

 Would I purchase this again? I definitely would buy them ask a gift to friends but probably not for myself unless for a sleepover or something. I definitely had a really good time using these masks, had a good laugh and definitely worth all the pictures. My guy friends definitely had more fun than I did. <3 <3 <3 

Etude House AC Clinic Cleanser, Toner, Gel Lotion Review

A new acne/ oily combination skin care line to review! I will be reviewing this lines foaming cleanser, toner and gel lotion. First glance at the packaging. The cleanser is in a plastic squeeze tube much like the other korean cleansers. This foaming cleanser is formulated with salicylic acid and claims to remove acne causing impurities to keep your skin clean all day.

 

After trying this foaming cleanser, my skin felt a bit tight, probably due to oil controlling properties, but my face did feel really clean and fresh. I do not really like the smell of this. It smells a little too artificial to me. I honestly like the smell of Naruko's tea tree line A LOT more. This product is also non-comedogenic meaning it will not clog pores, produce, aggravate acne and is dermatology tested. This is something i would use during the summer when my skin feels more oily but not during the winter when my skin is more dry. I would recommend this for oily/combination/acne type skin. 

Next is Etude House's AC Clinic Daily Toner. Also formulate with Salicylic Acid and Hinoki Cypress  (a plant that claims to relieve stress, treats skin problems such as rashes, cuts and skin irritations)

claims to deliver trouble care and remove pore clogging residues. The product is in a glass  bottle.

 

Again, I am not into this smell, but it works pretty well for controlling oils. I have combination type skin and it goes on pretty well under makeup. I would say it makes my makeup last longer. This toner also gives a fresh feeling. Not sure how well it works on acne because i currently do not have any but for sure this toner does not clog pores. (This toner is also non-comedogenic)

Lastly is  Etude House's AC Clinic Daily Gel Lotion. Gel formula's tend to be better for combination, oily type skin and does not clog pores. Also in a glass bottle but it is difficult to get the product out. This gel lotion, also formulated with Salicylic Acid and Hinoki Cypress, claims to deliver trouble care, maintain oil secretion and moisture balance to supply trouble care and prevention.

 I really do not like the packaging for this product. I find these difficult to pour out and I have to shake the product really hard to get a proper amount. This is a light moisturizer. Usually gel types feel a bit lighter compared to emulsions or milky types. Absorption is quite fast and it makes my skin feel cool and fresh.  Definitely does not feel like enough moisture for me for night time but it is perfect for morning under makeup. It does not feel greasy and oil control is just OK. 

Pros: 

- Fights inflammation, acne, prevents acne

- Not irritating, soothing

- Mildly controls oils

- Light weight, does not clog pores

Cons: 

- Packaging (difficult to pour out)

- Smell

Overall:  7.8/10

Would I repurchase or recommend? For people who want oil control and a lightweight moisturizer that does not clog pores. This product is not very intense so i would recommend this for people with sensitive skin as well. Comparing wise, I would prefer Naruko's Tea Tree line.

I will review the Red Spot Balm and Treatment next.