KOREAN BEAUTY | Aritaum Fair Smile Fermentation Lip and Eye Makeup Remover Review

Korean and/or Asian beauty is going to make an appearance here at least once a week because 1. I LOVE IT and 2. I have so much cool stuff that it seems selfish to keep it all to myself! The thing with trying to amass Asian beauty products is having to purchase virtually everything through online stores or eBay. Though Vancouver has quite the collection of Asian cosmetics retailers, pricing is usually much higher than their online counterparts. I have a number of online retailers that I regularly use to make my Korean beauty purchases and one thing I don't look forward to is the month long wait for my products as they make their way through customs and *hopefully* into my grabby hands. Wouldn't it be easier if I could just get my KBeauty fix through a Canadian distributor? Well, that's what Echoo Beauty is for!

As one of the largest Canadian Korean cosmetic importers, all products are shipped directly from Korea, but I no longer have to worry about waiting a month, getting hit with duty or mourning losses in transit. I received a few products from Echoo Beauty to review and I think you will all be pleased with the selection of brands that Echoo Beauty has to choose from starting with Aritaum!

MAKEUP | SEPHORA Collection Black Magic Makeup Remover Cloths Review

I feel like I have been trying for a solid YEAR to get a hold of these magical cloths! We have all seen the ad for the infamous Makeup Eraser (which I also picked up and just haven't had the chance to try out yet) and have wondered why a simple cloth is $24! Sephora's house brand is one of the few that I really love with products thatrival if not exceed the quality of "the big guys". When I saw the SEPHORA Collection Black Magic Makeup Remover Cloths for just $15 for 2 cloths, I immediately wanted them. Of course, they were sold out and why wouldn't they be? They were a great price and if they work, then why spend money on the Makeup Eraser (also sold at Sephora)?

SKINCARE REVIEW | Cleanser Wednesdays with Garnier Clean+ For Sensitive Skin Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser

I don’t think I have EVER been able to get all of my eye makeup off in one fell swoop and it’s ALWAYS the mascara. I have my showers at night so I always do the best I can before my shower and then only when I emerge do I know how good of a job I’ve done. My eyes aren’t extremely sensitive, but one thing I hate about waterproof eye makeup is needing to use an oil-based eye makeup remover. I almost always get some in my eye and then I’m left with an irritating oily film on my eyeballs that only my tears can eliminate. For those of us who would prefer NOT to cry out makeup remover from our eyes or have more sensitive eyes, Garnier Clean+ Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser* might be our saviour!

Formulated with moringa flower extract to calm skin and made without alcohol, dyes or fragrance, this makeup remover has “quick-break” technology to quickly and easily dissolve even the most ridiculously waterproof of eye makeup.

SKINCARE | L’Occitane Immortelle Oil Make-Up Remover

I used to blog about L’Occitane A LOT when I first started blogging mainly for haulage purposes (#1, #2, #3, the list goes on!) and I don’t know why I haven’t actually reviewed any of the items I have purchased since I have so many L’Occitane goodies in my office (yes, that’s where I have to keep everything). That stops today because although I am a die hard Shea Butter user (face, body and hands), I have a HUGE soft spot for cleansing oils. Although the new Immortelle Oil Make-Up Remover*($32.00 CDN) says “make-up remover” on the label, this can also be thought of as a cleansing oil effective enough to remove even waterproof mascaras.

Made without water, but with a base of sunflower seed oil (first ingredient ya’ll!) along with immortelle flower and apricot oil, this oil cleanser looks watery at first glance and easily sloshes around the bottle. Different story once it’s on your face though! There is barely a scent to this with maybe a hint of “plant” when sniffed closely.

Oil cleansers work best when applied to dry skin and become milky in consistency when water is added. This can be an odd change for those of us used to some massive foaming action from the classic facial cleanser. Foaming cleansers generally give skin that squeaky clean feel while oil cleansers leave skin feeling like well, skin and possibly even softer which was the case with this Immortelle oil cleanser! For use around the eyes, keep your eyes closed as ANY kind of oil getting in your eyes is incredibly uncomfortable and for mascara, just get a little bit on the tips of your thumb and forefinger and just gently roll your lashes. This will minimize any oil from seeping into your eyes.

Final Verdict: Imagine a cleansing liquid moisturizer because that’s what this is. The moment you begin to massage this onto your skin you can feel how thick this cleanser really is. It’s not watery at all and you can really feel how smooth the oil is over your skin. My favourite part was washing this off because your skin feels so soft and hydrated even though you’re throwing water at it! My skin felt almost…creamy in texture but clean which sounds like an odd combination, but there’s something to be said about not feeling squeaky clean. We all know that squeaky clean eventually leads to tightness, but I know that some of us are so used to that feeling that we don’t feel clean unless our skin *squeaks*. As I age (gracefully), moisture will be a fleeting friend and oil cleansers my favourite way to cleanse.

Who is terrified of using oil to cleanse their face?

SKINCARE | Amie New Bloom Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes

Already when it comes to packaging, I’m sold on the newest addition to the Amie skincare line - NEW BLOOM Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes*. It’s pink and flowery and it is at this point that I want to tear into that moisture locking seal. I use facial wipes quite often, going through a pack each month, so I’d like to think that I’m facial wipe savvy. For those of you new to Amie, they are a UK-based brand just making its entrance into Canada exclusively through select Shoppers Drug Mart stores. They pride themselves on being affordable while using skin-friendly natural extracts. 

SKINCARE REVIEW | Amie Bright Eyes Very Gentle Eye Makeup Remover

Amie’s BRIGHT EYES Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover*($8.00 CDN). Amie Skincare has been the talk of Bloggertown in the last few months for both its affordability and botanical ingredients. I wouldn’t say that I have particularly sensitive eyes, but there are two things that I look for in an eye makeup remover: that it removes waterproof eye makeup and that it doesn’t burn or leave that oily film on your eyeballs.

Bright Eyes Gentle Makeup Remover is oil-free (no oily film!) and is gentle enough for sensitive eyes while soothing the area with cornflower and hydrating, cooling and refreshing with cucumber. This makeup remover is going to be SO FUN to use in the summer when I store it in the fridge with the salad dressings.

Yay for making stars with fancy Asian star paper!