Author: The Beauty Wolf (Page 17 of 28)

Coco Park, mismiki nashoba

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL DINOPLATZ CINEMA CITY MULTI CC REVIEW

June 9, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

Too Cool For School roars into the CC cream game with their Dinoplatz Cinema City Multi CC. The multi in the name refers to several things in the claims, but most notably a multifunction cosmetic product included in the lid of the packaging. This is one of my favourite things about Too Cool For School, in addition to their amazingly cute and creative packaging, they’re always so innovative with their all in one products. I’ve raved about their products before, I especially loved their After School BB Foundation Lunchbox and this seemed like it would be a great complimentary product to that.

Back to the multifunction part of this product, although the CC cream itself is only available in one shade, you get the choice of either a cheek/lip, highlighter, or a concealer ball that detaches from the cap. I chose the cheek product since I already had the concealer and highlighter included in my foundation lunchbox. The shade is a red coral-ish shade and it’s a great compliment to the orange and bronze shades that are so hot this summer. It’s a lot more subtle than you might expect so don’t let the bright red looking ball intimidate you. The little ball is creamy and blends very easily. I have not been able to try this as a lip product because I’m still recovering from the bad reaction I mentioned in my last review 🙁 Sorry Beauty Pups 🙁 But the shade itself would make for a really cute lip colour and I look forward to trying it out as one.

This CC cream is very watery compared to all of the others I’ve tried. It’s not grey or pink, nor is it one of the white colour adjusting beads kinds. It comes out a peachy beige colour so if you’re not within the restrictive as hell shade range you’re screwed. I’m normally an NC15/20 but I do get tanned pretty easily thanks to a mixed heritage so I’m currently sporting about an NC25 right now and this was a little too light for me. I think they made it this way on purpose, as this claims to be “whitening” which usually just means “brightening” in Korean cosmetics. Personally I’m not a fan of it and don’t need it but if brightening is your thing this is definitely for you. For a CC cream this went on surprisingly matte, another thing I’m not personally a fan of. My skin is on the dry side and I’m a big fan of the ultra dewy look. The grass is always greener, ect. Again, that is just a personal thing so I can’t deduct any marks for this being more matte. The finish is going to be a big plus for the oily skinned folks out there I think, especially in the heat of the summer, as it’s extremely light and airy. If you hate the feeling of being suffocated by heavy product you’re going to like this one. The coverage is extremely sheer, only the best of skins are going to want to wear this alone. It does however lay down a good foundation for your other products and tone correct slightly (and “brighten” like crazy). I’m really sorry I don’t have any pictures of this on my face, once again I’m still recovering from lupus related BS so all of the pictures I tried to take were horror shows. I do however have these swatches on the back of my hand that give you an idea of how this performs. What you see on the hand is pretty much exactly what you get on the face. Here it is just out of the tube on the left, and then blended on the right (as well as a blush swatch).

With an SPF of just 30 PA++ I would not recommend using this in place of your regular sunscreen like their ad copy suggests. This also claims to stop moisture loss and put up a moisture barrier once applied, that might be true for a different skin type but that wasn’t really the case with my dry skin. I really think this is best suited for an oily skin looking for a brightening effect, I think it would be especially nice when used in conjunction with the Pudding Aqua Shaking BB Cream if you’re going to the perfect matte face. Drier skins, especially those with flakes as this really highlighted mine, should search for other options. Too Cool For School Dinoplatz Cinema City Multi CC cream gets 3 out of 5 turtles, I really like the little multifunction cap at the end (and love the packaging!) but this just did not work for my skin type.

EDIT: NOW AVAILABLE AT SEPHORA!
http://www.sephora.com/dinoplatz-cinema-city-cc-cheek-blusher-P399209?skuId=1733385

Available on ebay here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOO-COOL-FOR-SCHOOL-Dinoplatz-Cinema-City-30ml-/400855519594?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item5d54d9d16a

SHISEIDO HADA SENKA MINERAL UV GEL SPF50 PA+++ REVIEW

June 5, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

Ahh, the never-ending quest for good sunscreen. I really wish the world at large would have figured out just how horrible the sun’s rays are sooner, so we wouldn’t be scrambling like we are now (many of us having gone through skin cancer, premature aging, and childhoods peppered with sunburns). I think I’ve talked about it before, but it was the removal of skin cancer from the tops of my ears that really made me sit up and get serious about the sun. I grew up in the south in a time where people coated themselves in butter to get as dark as possible and sunblock was only for the palest of non-tanning white kids. Nowadays you’ll find me in long sleeves in the dead of summer cursing the beaming rays and testing out a non-stop revolving door of sun products. That very activity is what lead me to today’s product, Shisedo’s Hada Senka Mineral UV Gel SPF50 PA+++

If we take a look at the ingredients on the Cosdna site we see a couple of things here, the most important being that this protects from both UVB and UVA rays. UVB rays are the one that will burn you up like a steamed hotdog, UVA rays are what make you look like an old leather crypt keeper. It’s very important that whatever product you ultimately choose, that you make sure you’re protected from both kinds of UV rays. If you’re curious about the “PA” you typically see on Japanese and Korean sunscreen offerings, wikipedia solved that mystery for me:
“PA system
Asian brands, particularly Japanese ones, tend to use The Protection Grade of UVA (PA) system to measure the UVA protection a sunscreen provides.

The Protection Grade of UVA (PA) system is based on the PPD reaction and is now widely adopted on the labels of sunscreens. According to the Japan Cosmetic Industry Association PA+ corresponds to a UVA protection factor between two and four, PA++ between four and eight, and PA+++ more than eight.”

After finding that out I’m always on the look out for that sweet, sweet “+++”.

Now, let’s get down to business. This bottle is a lot smaller than North American sunblocks if that’s what you’re used to. As you can see in the picture above, the whole thing almost fits in my hand, and I have tiny itty bitty hands. Before use, be sure to shake the bottle vigorously to mix everything together. You’ll hear a little mixing ball inside helping things along. Once you squeeze out the desired amount you will see how liquid-y this is, which is a texture I love for my sunblocks. The consistency is extremely light. When you first apply this to your skin there is a slick feeling and a sheen, but it quickly dissipates and dries nearly matte (I guess this is thanks to the inclusion of alcohol in the ingredients). This makes it easy to layer your product to get the best coverage. It’s suggested you use 1/4 tsp to get the maximum benefits from sunblock. That’s quite hard to do with heavier formulations. This is extremely easy and user-friendly. That is probably the greatest selling point for this particular product. Another thing that I really liked was that it did not cause me any breakouts.

Now, back to that alcohol. I normally don’t worry much about alcohol in products personally. But for some reason, this time around, the alcohol really did a number on me. However, I wouldn’t take my experience as typical, I have some factors that are pretty rare. I have a disease called lupus (let me take this time to say, seriously, f*ck lupus) and it’s been bothersome lately. During the first half of the month I starting testing this, everything was just perfect. But recently I’ve been dealing with some lupus related flare-ups and for me that usually manifests on my skin, mostly on the soft tissues. The alcohol in this coupled with the lupus crap made for a horrible reaction around my eyelids and mouth. I had huge red puffy flaky skin around those two areas. I’m steal dealing with the fallout from it now, which is why I haven’t been able to take photos and do reviews lately, I apologize for that! But like I said, that is a rare circumstance and I don’t think for a minute this product would do this for a regular user. It’s a really good sunblock, especially for oiler skins and the for the summertime. The almost matte finish it leaves you with makes for a good base to put your bb cream or foundation on top of without any interference. The high SPF and PA+++ rating is also another plus. I’m not exactly sure how to rate this product, do I base it on my personal experience or how I think it would fare for someone else? I’m just going to have to go with a middle of the road 3 out of 5 turtles. Drier skins and skins going through any sort of irritation or trouble should probably avoid this particular product and opt for something more moisturizing, but I encourage oiler skinned people looking for something light and layer friendly to check it out.
You can grab yours here on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SHISEIDO-Hada-Senka-Mineral-Water-UV-Sunscreen-Gel-40ml-SPF-50-PA-FREE-SHIP-/181762255798?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a51dfebb6

and here on Amazon with Prime shipping
http://www.amazon.com/Shiseido-SENKA-Sunscreen-Mineral-Water/dp/B004Q1WT58/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434120105&sr=8-1&keywords=SHISEIDO+HADA+SENKA+MINERAL+UV+GEL

SPIDER PUFF CLEANSER REVIEW

May 27, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

I would be lying if I said it wasn’t the name alone that got me interested in this product. As I’m sure you can tell by my review of the silk cocoon peeling balls, just about anything with even a hint of weird catches my eye. I think it almost goes without saying that something called The Spider Puff Cleanser was certainly going to have a home with me.

Fear not arachnophobes, there isn’t actually any spiders contained within this neat little bottle. I’m pretty sure it’s called Spider Puff because they’re trying to impart to you that this is a delicate yet strong product, like a spider’s web. They say in the Korean ad copy that being rough with your skin causes damage and aging, and that this product is a gentle but through way to clean. Whatever the reason it’s called Spider Puff Cleanser, it sure makes for a great packaging and or branding.

This little bottle comes with a soft textured pink top. It feels exactly like velour, who knows, this might have had a home as J Lo tracksuit in another life.

A quick look at the instructions tells us how to use this pink wonder. It’s fairly straight forward, wet the sponge, then turn it to the ‘on’ position, squeeze a bit, then go to town on your face, massaging in a circular motion. The textured top actually feels really nice on the skin and makes a hell of a great lather. It’s very gentle but feels like you’re actually getting clean, like a super duper soft manual alternative to a Clairsonic. The scent is a typical soapy smell, very fresh and pleasant. The lather is gentle and non-drying yet did give a thorough clean as promised. It was refreshing, mild, yet still effective. I also appreciate the fact that it’s self contained and very travel friendly. Mama ain’t got no time for mess. I got this product on a novel whim but found that I actually quite liked it! It’s a nice, fun, easy way to cleanse! It was a pleasant surprise, a phrase not often associated with anything that has the word spider in it.

4 out of 5 turtles for you Spider Puff.

You can get this cleanser at Memebox, which is the only place I’ve seen that currently has it for sale available to North America.

TONY MOLY MY LOVE CURE BALM REVIEW

May 17, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

Confession: I totally bought this for the packaging. Horses? Yes ma’am, need it. Basing a purchase on a cute package could have gone really wrong for me, but thankfully it did not! Because of the packaging being my sole motivation, and there not being hardly any English information out there about this adorable little product, I was kind of flying blind when testing it out. All I could gather initially was that this is a multipurpose balm type cream containing avocado. With a little digging (and begging for some Korean to English translations) I found that this not only contained avocado oil which is an antioxidant, but also carrot extract, and portulaca extract. Portulaca extract is also an antioxidant in addition to being a source of vitamins A, C, and E, and co-enzyme Q-10. Pretty sweet jackpot of ingredients for a whimsical purchase.

The balm is about the constancy of a hard pomade at first, but it warms with your fingers and becomes more of cream with massage. You get 30 grams of product in the tin and it’s roughly the size of a travel aromatherapy candle, fitting because it has a lovely smell that I really like, clean and somewhat like a floralish perfume. I keep sniffing it whenever I open the tin like

It says that this can be used anywhere, including the lips, but with the strong fragrance I found it to be a little too much for that area. Where this product really shines for me is as a cuticle and hand balm!

I absolutely love it rubbed into the hands and around the nails, especially overnight while wearing sleeping gloves. You wake up with super moisturized glowing hands. It’s helped a lot with my end of winter, dry, brittle cuticles. It’s also good on the feet used the same way overnight. Plus the smell is enjoyable so it’s a nice aromatherapy type scent to sleep with. This balm is limited edition, so hurry and pick yours up soon if you’re interested in one! I got mine at W2Beauty here and don’t forget you can enter my sponsor code 071087605 at sign up to get five dollars off your first purchase!
I give this delightful little surprise of a balm 4 out of 5 turtles, I only wish it were a permanent item!

SULWHASOO CONCENTRATED GINSENG RENEWING CREAM REVIEW

May 13, 2014 / The Beauty Wolf

Once upon a time, I used to be a counter manager for a higher end cosmetics company. I would have this inner soul cringe every time I had to sell a woman some b.s. cream upwards of $100 that I knew good and well wasn’t going to deliver on anything that it promised. They would send us away on these “business meetings” which were just corporate brainwashing sessions about the latest skincare product. I’d sit there hating life because I knew from the first cursory glance at the labels that these products were no better than going home and just putting $5 vaseline on your face. But in between photoshoots and makeup gigs I needed a day job so I had to grin and bear it. It left me pretty jaded when it came to high end skincare. I said it would have to take something pretty dramatic to get me to cave in and try those waters again. Well guys, something pretty dramatic happened, and it’s name is Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream.

This cream is like the most luxurious, melt into your skin, slap your mama, butter souffle from heaven. I love it. Why? Let’s have a look at the description of this cream and the ingredients:

“Formulated with the roots, berries, and water of rare five-year-old Korean ginseng, this treatment stimulates cell regeneration to revitalize and ultimately restore youthful looking skin. Additional Korean herbs such as milk-vetch and white mulberry promote an ageless complexion, as jojoba, avocado, mango seed, and sunflower oils moisturize and condition for soft, smooth skin.”

Ingredients:
Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Water, Glycerin, Squalane, Cyclopentasiloxane, Butylene Glycol, Beta-Glucan, Trehalose, Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glyceryl Stearate, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Extract, Phytosteryl Isostearyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Octyldodecyl Myristate, PEG-40 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ophiopogon Japonicus Seed Extract, Licorice, Hydrolyzed Ginseng Saponins, Panax Ginseng Berry Extract, Glutinosa Root Extract, Chrysanthemum Morifolium Flower Extract, Paeonia Suffruticosa Root Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Adenophora Stricta Root Extract, Lycium Chinense Root Extract, Coix Lacryma-Jobi Ma-yuen Seed Extract, Angelica Tenuissima Root Extract, Honey, Morus Alba Root Extract, Astragalus Membranaceus Root Extract, Angelica Acutiloba Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Vitis Vinifera, Gardenia Florida Fruit Extract, Nelumbo Nucifera Leaf Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Terminalia Chebula Fruit Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Acetyl Glucosamine, Mangifera Indica, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil, Phytosteryl/Behenyl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Persea Gratissima, Jojoba Esters, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyacrylate-13, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, PEG-30 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Glyceryl Linoleate, Pantethine, Retinol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, Dimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Cyclodextrin, Tocopherol, Dimethiconol, Polyisobutene, Salicylic Acid, Polyquaternium-51, Tocopheryl Linoleate, Copernicia Cerifera Wax, Caffeic Acid, Polycaprolactone, Glyceryl Linolenate, Lauryl PEG/PPG 18/18 Methicone, Glyceryl Arachidonate, Dextrin, Polysorbate 20, Methoxy PEG-114/Polyepsilon Caprolactone, Phytosphingosine, Disodium EDTA, Benzophenone-5, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance

As you can see the first ingredient is the ginseng root extract, “rare five-year-old Korean ginseng” to be exact I guess. This ginseng’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are well established. If you want one of the most in depth breakdowns of the ingredients of this cream and what they mean (plus the best reviews ever) please check out what Skin&Tonics has to say about it. Since ginseng is the first and most prominent ingredient, do be braced for the unmistakable ginseng smell, because this cream certainly has it. Even if you’re not a fan of that particular fragrance, I’m willing to bet you’ll get over it quick once this stuff is actually on your face. It melts right in and leaves your skin pretty much instantly softer, exactly like how I wish those creams I used to sell all those years ago would have preformed. It’s extremely hydrating, and it leaves a glossy effect on your skin as you can see in the photo below:

If it’s doing that to my gross dry hand above, think of what it will do on your face. Because of that I think mature skins would particularly like this cream, especially impatient ones, because you’ll notice it doing it’s thing right away. I’m afraid that oily skin types might not care much for that aspect of it, unlike their drier peers will love and appreciate it. I’d also venture to say that combination skins would also like this cream, especially if they concentrated it just on the drier areas. It’s a pretty inclusive cream, it would do well for a variety of skin types. The only ones I would think wouldn’t care for this would be the very oily, just because I know how much they tend to hate any sort of sheen. This cream is effective without being heavy at all. Like I said before, it really just melts right into the skin, I can’t say that enough. It’s texture is such a pleasure. It manages to be extremely hydrating and give your skin a definite suppleness without being occlusive or suffocating. At no time did this cream cause me any breakouts whatsoever. What it did do was leave my skin smoother, calmer, and with insane softness. There’s a richness there that’s just so very nourishing to the skin, really it’s phenomenal and a perfect ending to your skincare routine. Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream gets a very well deserved 5 out of 5 turtles, plus an extra turtle for convincing this old jaded soul that there are some luxury creams out there that actually work.

If you’re looking to buy this cream, I’d really suggest getting it from W2 beauty. If you’re going to make the splurge not only do they have this cream discounted and on sale right now, they’re also so very generous with samples and have free shipping available worldwide 🙂 Plus if you’re a first time customer, you can get a five dollar voucher to use immediately on your purchase by entering my sponsor code 071087605 when you sign up for an account!
It’s also available on ebay here:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sulwhasoo-Concentrated-Ginseng-Renewing-Cream-60ml-Free-sample-/121108700295?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c32a41c87
And Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/Sulwhasoo-Ginseng-Concentrated-Cream-60ml/dp/B005D4Q6R4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1430700602&sr=8-1&keywords=Sulwhasoo+Concentrated+Ginseng+Renewing+CreamYou can get deluxe samples here on Amazon if you’re not yet ready to take the plunge!
http://www.amazon.com/Sulwhasoo-Concentrated-Ginseng-Renewing-Cream/dp/B00M1Y7ZEM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1430700602&sr=8-4&keywords=Sulwhasoo+Concentrated+Ginseng+Renewing+Cream

Same on ebay
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sulwhasoo-Concentrated-Ginseng-Cream-Samples-5mlx10pcs-50ml-Free-Tracking-ship-/261478038806?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ce14e3d16

In the words of Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford, “treat yo self“.

TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL DINOPLATZ CINEMA CITY MULTI CC REVIEW

SHISEIDO HADA SENKA MINERAL UV GEL SPF50 PA+++ REVIEW

SPIDER PUFF CLEANSER REVIEW

TONY MOLY MY LOVE CURE BALM REVIEW

SULWHASOO CONCENTRATED GINSENG RENEWING CREAM REVIEW

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