/Style/ Tory Burch Small Gemini Link Canvas Tote

Hello, everyone! It's been awhile....so sorry! 2020 has been a busy and crazy year. Despite all the things going on, I've been forunate to be working full-time. I haven't been wearing much make-up these days, honestly. The last time I was wearing a full face was in February. In the mean time, I've been focusing on skincare and mental health...work is still very much stressful! Styles is another element I've shifted my focus to and I needed a durable, cleanable, and cute new bag for my daily needs. Here's what I got.

/Etc/ January Empties

Hello! It's already a month into 2019 and I'm feeling tired....I started a new course for certification! So I'm busy studying and writing papers. In addition to that new stuff, I want to incorporate this feature into my blogspace: Empties. I have been taking pictures and documenting products I've finished for a while, but I never really talked about how I felt about them. This is a mini review of them and what I liked/loathed. Let's check out the ones from January:


I'll write about products left to right, top to bottom.
First is Prada Candy body lotion: I got this when I bought the Candy perfume set. It had been sitting on my self for a while until I started using it towards the end of last year. It smells pretty much like the perfume, sweet and caramel-y. It makes you smell really tasty. I found it to a little hydrating, but sometimes the smell would be too much for me.
Would I buy it: no.

Holika Holika Good Cera cream: This was a gift with purchase. I finished the jar a while ago and I liked it. It hydrates the skin fairly well with no irritation. It kind of smells a little citrus-y. I think Holika Holika reformulated this line so I'm not sure how this compares to that. Nice travel size.
Would I buy it: yes.

Supergoop! Forever Young Hand Cream Sea Buckthorn Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 40 PA+++ : I liked that there was SPF in it and it felt silky, but it did nothing for hydrating the hands.
Would I buy it?: no.

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve: When I put this on, I felt like my hands were covered in a film/mask of hydration. It smells herbal and it's slippery to touch things for a bit. More hydrating than the Supergoop, though.
Would I buy it?: maybe.

Caudalie Grape Water: This is a recommendation from Caroline Hirons. I thought it was ok. Nothing very hydrating about it, but it's useful for spraying on clay masks and after acid toning.
Would I buy it: no.

Kiehl's Creme de Corps: I kind of enjoyed this. It made my skin so soft. The downsides were the smell and the packaging because I could hardly get any of the lotion out.
Would I buy it: maybe (in a different container).

Pixi Rose Flash Balm: Really looking forward to this, It smells amazing, it's multi-use, great for travel. I just didn't like how it worked as a moisturizer. It didn't do anything for the dull skin I had. Even as a mask it was just meh.
Would I buy it?: no.

Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Oil: This was ok. It was really lightweight and layered well. Smells nice, too. I think this would be better for someone with oily to normal skin. Also can be used in the day. It's not hydrating enough for me.
Would I buy it?: maybe.

Kate Somervile Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream: First off, this tiny tube lasted me over a month. I was only using it in the morning, but still. I liked this. It felt really light on the skin and would hydrate like no other. It has no scent, either.
Would I buy it: yes (if only it weren't so expensive).

I had so many empties for January! Do you ever save empty containers? Is this only a thing for skincare addicts? Let me know! I always like to keep track of things I finish.

/Skin/ Pixi Vitamin Wakeup Mist

this was purchased by me
I've been into mists lately. They're a great way to hydrate and cool the skin on the go. I have been using Pixi products for a while and bought this based on Caroline Hirons' recommendations for Pixi products. At the time of my purchase there was a sale going on so I took the chance and bought it. It's been a few months since I started using it. Let's see how things turned out.

/Hair/ Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Creme Hot Chocolate/Medium Nude Brown

this was purchased by me.
Even though it looks like I recently did a post about coloring my hair, that was last year. And since then I have colored a bit. This was my first time using a Garnier hair dye so I wanted to relay my experience with it.

/Fragrance/ The Body Shop Black Musk Body Mist

this was purchased by me.

The first real post of the year is featuring The Body Shop. I've been really into perfumes and fragrances this past year. I started going to Fragratica to check notes of perfumes I was considering to buy or was just interested in. The reason why I got this body mist is because I had a sample of YSL's Black Opium that I liked. However, it was kind of expensive. I checked the Fragrantica page and so many people were saying that The Body Shop's Black Musk was pretty similar. Soooo, when they were having a sale I decided to try this out.

/Announcement/ 2019

Happy new year! I fell short of my goals for the blog this past year after promising to post weekly. I started working and it's been hard to schedule this in after a long day. Although I have been absent, there are still many things I want to blog about, not just beauty or skincare or style; I kind of want to branch into more lifestyle and personal topics kind of like what I used to do.


via pinimg
I'm at a weird point in my life right now, too, and the responsibilities are endless. Sometimes the blog doesn't have a priority, which is unfortunate. Anyway, there are still things I want to do and feature here. I'm thinking about also doing a end of the month post where I go over all the products I've finished and if I've liked them or not. I remember I wanted to do something similar with using a single brand for make up or skincare for a few weeks and see the results. Thinking about starting other projects, too. So many ideas....

I'll still try to do the weekly posting. Probably starting after this first post for 2019.

/Hair/ L'Oreal Excellence Creme Mocha Ash Brown

this was purchased by me
I haven't dyed my hair since March...so I picked up this dye form L'Oreal recently. Let's see what happened.

/Essentials/ April Favorites

Another month has passed! I haven't been posting regularly and I'm sorry for that...To make up for it, here are my essentials for April.


mostly purchased by me, the chanel was a gift from a family member
It's the usual skincare with different fragrances this time. Let's take a closer look at them.

/Fragrance/ Burberry My Burberry Blush Eau de Parfum

this was purchased by me.
I think this is a new category for my blog. I haven't reviewed a fragrance before, but I have talked about how products smell (milky, floral, sweet). I hope to review more fragrances in the future as This is something I purchased a while ago from Sephora and have recently started using. I was expecting good things from the scent description so let's see if it's as good as I hoped it would be.

/Skin/ Tony Moly Wonder Rice Smoothing Toner

this was purchased by me.
I have been suffering from so much dry skin lately. It was towards the end of winter in Korea when I purchased this from Gmarket. It promises to clarify, hydrate, brighten, and soften. Plus it was on sale so I was basically sold. After using it in my skincare routine for a few months, here's what I think.

/Etc/ Seoul ---> L.A. Again

Sorry for the lack of posts this month.
I recently moved from my officetel in Bundang, South Korea to L.A. It was a real struggle moving; had to toss so much stuff...But my dogs are safely with me and adjusting well to California life.


this is me.

I feel ok to be back. Not too excited about the political side of things and all the violence compared to South Korea. I hope to stay here for a short while and work up my credentials before going abroad again. Since it's been a week since I got back, I'll be back to making posts by next week. Please stay tuned!

/Skin/ Holika Holika Aloe 99% Soothing Gel

this was purchased by me
Since my skin has been super dry lately, I decided to add this to my routine. Aloe is known to have soothing and healing properties so I researched which aloe gels in Korea were formulated without alcohol (skin irritant). It was either this or the aloe gel from Etude House. I picked Holika Holika because it was cheaper and it came with a free gift ^^

/Make-Up/ Tony Moly BCDation+

this was purchased by me.
I go this foundation a few months ago because I needed a base that would be hydrating for my face. After browsing around Gmarket, I happened to find this on sale. The description was everything I was looking for.

/People/ Winona Ryder

I haven't been feeling well this week so there won't be a review...I don't know why I'm ill, but I feel it's a combination of things at the moment.
Instead, here is a feature on one of my favorite actresses: Winona Ryder.

via hellogiggles.com
I think the first time I was her were in the Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands movies.

via nylon.com

via instyle.com
She was different from the other actress at the time, very gamine and wide-eyed with dark hair. She has an interesting intonation when she speaks that's on the cusp of being exasperated and elated. Winona makes the best expressions in her work that bring the extra to a movie and I still think she has one of the cutest faces ever. Winona also has a super relatable presence about her, in real life and on screen. In any movie she's in, I want to be her friend. Even more so after watching Reality Bites for the first time. Never have I watched such a poignant film about being an adult at essentially the same point in my life (albeit, I am not white). Winona does cherry chapstick lips perfectly in this.

via giphy.com
Although she was out of the public eye for a long time and doing questionable things, Winona has steadily been making a comeback in films and TV shows (Stranger Things was pretty much amazing). To top it off, she still looks great even though she's in her 40s now.

via indyweek.com

Here are a few links about Noni, routines & inspired by looks.

.throughout the years
.simple routine
.90s look tutorial

/Lips/ Etude House Woo Baby Plumping Tint

this was purchased by me
I'd always wanted to try these lip tints and I finally bought them on sale a few months ago. 1+1 sales are always to best^^
I was intrigued by the idea of a plumping tint and I liked the idea of it being a little glossy. On to the review!

/Skin/ CosRx Low pH Good Morning Cleanser

this was purchased by me
A few months ago, my skin was seriously dry. It was irritated and flaky; not good for all. So I went on a skin saving quest at my local Olive Young trying to find items that would ail my misery. After reading the description of this cleanser, I decided to give it a go because it's slightly more acidic and won't make skin feel tight after a wash. Let's take a closer look.

/Essentials/ January Skincare

Hello! This is a new topic for my blog, showcasing current skincare favorites for the month and writing briefly about why these are so gotdang good.

purchased by me/gifted by people i know
In the post today, I'll be featuring treatments & moisturizers that have been helping me though this dry, cold winter in Korea.

/Skin/ Etude House Genie Pure Jelly Multi Balm

this was purchased as a gift for me.
This is a recently launched product from Etude House. I found it near the register as other things were being paid for and the cashier recommended I try it. The multi balm is supposed to be used "anytime, anywhere, as needed! Skin-soothing omnipotent balm provides moisture and nourishment." That's something I definitely need during these dry winter months.

/Announcement/ 2018

It is another year.

via gonewyear.in
I'm a little worried and excited about it. So far, it's been going well. There will be many changes to my life (again) and I need to be planning things. That's the stressful part. I think I do want to go back to school and learn, it's just not the best idea to do that in the U.S....Anyway, like most people I have some resolutions I'd like to stick to throughout the year. Instead of calling it "resolutions", the term is a little daunting, I'll make this my to do list. Just for this blog.

1.Weekly posting
I want to post at least once a week. That's basically what I aimed for in the early years of this blog.

2.More content
The majority of my posts are reviews. I think many beauty blogs are like that, people want to know if something works, if it's worth the time & money. I just want to add other kinds of posts (besides the announcement thing or sales or etc) revolving around make up and skincare. Maybe monthly essentials or brand focus (so down for a brand focus series)

3. Accessibility
I have a Facebook page. I now have a style tumblr. This is my twitter. I have a personal instagram, but I'm considering getting a separate one just for this blog. (Instagram still popular?) Need more outlets to reach/inspire others.

4. Be a conscious consumer
This blog really changed my view at the end of 2017. I used to be hardcore vegetarian 2008-2015, very eco-aware. That waned a bit, especially after moving to South Korea these past few years, but I need to get back into it. It's just better for us all and we can start little by little.

That's all for now. Those would be the most major improvements for this blog. I also want to blog more about personal stuff the way I used to, but that's another blog for another time. This is dedicated to pretty and the like.

/Hair/ Hey Mix See:real Savory Almond & Brown Hair Color

this was purchased by me.

It's been a while since I colored my hair. I picked this up last weekend. My regular hair dye wasn't at the store I went to, but this was on sale and it seemed similar so I decided to try it. Was it any good?