Better Than Shu Uemura? Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil Review

We know, we know. Our title is a pretty wild claim. Better than the most (in)famous cleansing oil in the whole wide world?! Well, what you'll hear from us is one big, resounding yes. If you're looking for a Shu Uemura dupe, you should definitely check out this cleanser from Kose. Like Shu Uemura, Kose is a popular Japanese company that houses and distributes a whole range of products, from high end to super affordable drugstore products. This Deep Cleansing Oil falls under Softymo, their line of cleansers.

Massive Stylenanda 3 Concept Eyes Review x Swatches

DISCLAIMER / EDIT: JANUARY 11, 2017

Before you start reading this lengthy review, I just want to preface it by saying that we wrote this review 3 years ago, BEFORE we tried some of the most popular Western brands and cult favorites (like Anastasia, Becca, Jeffree Star, NARS, etc.) so the opinions expressed here were written from the POV of people who were really into Japanese/Korean drugstore brands like KATE, Majolica Majorca, Etude House, TonyMoly, Innisfree, etc. So if you love Asian makeup and are able to get ahold of 3CE products at their original price point and not jacked up online like they do, go for it! It's worth a try. BUT! (And this is a big ol' but. Like Kim K big.) If you ALREADY love those Western liquid lipsticks, fleeky brows, and a really flawless base, you're going to be a little disappointed with some of these products, more specifically, the lip lacquers and foundation. 

Now, having said that, I understand that not everyone is willing to pay 30+ USD on a highlighter and would be perfectly happy with a product that still performs great but doesn't feel as painful to spend on. And not everyone aspires for Instagram eyebrows and Kylie Jenner lips. Anyway. So, after having tried the products we have now from the "mid to semi high end" of the Western beauty spectrum, which of these 3CE products do we still recommend? 

DO try: 

1. 3CE Highlight Beam 

2. Powdery Lip & Cheek 

3. SOME shades of their lipsticks (I still LOVE their shades Keen and Lala, though we don't review them here.) 

DON'T buy:

1. Water Glossing Foundation

2. Lip Lacquers - The formula is far from a liquid lipstick. The price is also pretty expensive for what it is, now that I've tried a lot more products. If you want a good liquid lipstick for the same price (800 pesos) I really like the Sephora Lip Cream and also Ofra. 

3. Brow Mascara - If you want a good, cheap brow mascara, try Heavy Rotation or K-Palette. 

4. Lip Pigments - They're really cheap for the amount of product and a novelty to own, sure, but better to invest in products that you'll get a lot of wear out of. 

I guess this wasn't really a disclaimer but more like a retraction? Hahaha. Our original review is still down there, and our opinions remain the same on their packaging. Beautiful packaging, still. We'll leave the original post there for the photos and swatches and if you want to see thoughts from the point of view of a K-beauty lover. (I still love Kbeauty, I'm just more discerning on which products to get now.)

--------------------------- END OF DISCLAIMER ------------------------

Hello everyone! :) If you've noticed, we're on a roll. Three reviews in 15 days?! (A big step up from our *cough* one review in every 4 months pattern *cough*) But we just couldn't hold off our excitement any longer as we've been dying to show you guys our review of our 3 Concept Eyes haul from Stylenanda.  To our surprise, there aren't many reviews online of 3CE. It's a desert out there. This made it difficult for us to choose what to buy so we decided to buy everything review these for you to make it easier for anyone who's looking to purchase these products.

Stylenanda is a South Korean brand that is not only known for their really chic and stylish clothes, but also for their extensive line of cosmetics, 3 Concept Eyes (or 3CE). Whether you're aware of Stylendanda or not, we're pretty sure you've seen this girl floating around the interwebs.  

Oh, Park Sora. Be still our beating hearts. She's the "face" of the brand and we're willing to bet that she's 90% of the reason why Stylenanda has become so popular in recent years. 

These are the products we'll be talking about in our not so little review:

— 3 Concept Eyes Highlight Beam Face and Body

— 3 Concept Eyes Glossing Waterful Foundation in Natural Ivory

— 3 Concept Eyes Eyebrow Mascara in Brown

— 3 Concept Eyes Powdery Lip and Cheek in Pink One Piece

— 3 Concept Eyes Lip Pigments in Electro Pink, Issue, Mink Beige

— 3 Concept Eyes Lip Lacquers in Backstage, Bon Bon

— 3 Concept Eyes Jumbo Lip Crayon in Neon Pink

— 3 Concept Eyes Lip Color/Lipstick in Pink Jam, Chu Chu

So are 3CE cosmetics as good as they look?

HadaLabo Face Wash, Lotion, Arbutin Whitening Essence, and Cream Review

HadaLabo is mutually developed by Rohto Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd (Japan) and Mentholatum (USA). The brand concept is "Perfect & Simple": your skin benefits from the high-quality ingredients and easy to follow skincare routine. I don’t have my actual bottles anymore but I bought a full line of HadaLabo products in 2011 because of all the wonderful reviews I read online. People kept raving about the lotion and how it really made their skin soft and supple. 

I was really excited about purchasing these products because at that time, my skin was going through a rough (literally) period. I had these tiny raised bumps on my forehead that I couldn’t classify as pimples because when I tried to squeeze them (which I did, a lot. bah.),  nothing would come out. So given my skin situation and all the amazing online reviews, I had high hopes for the HadaLabo skincare range. 

Did they live up to my expectations? 

Lens Review: Dueba Puffy 3 Tone Gray Lens / Shinny Gray

Happy New Year everyone! It's been a few months since our last post and our resolution for this blog is to actually blog. HAHA! We've got several reviews lined up, (Stylenanda 3 Concept Eyes, woohoo!) and this one is going to be the first. :D

Seto Ayumi Inspired Makeup Tutorial

Hello everyone! It's been a while but I'm back with a special post because for the first time ever, I'll be posting a makeup tutorial! I'm not a makeup artist and all I know about makeup I learned from YouTube and the internet, really, but I did my very best! XD Of course, my first makeup tutorial has to be my #1 favorite Japanese girl and Hamburger Princess Seto Ayumi. If you aren't familiar with Ayumi, she's a model for Zipper Magazine, SPINNS, and a regular on Harajuku Kawaii TV. She's pretty popular in Japan, on Tumblr and IG because, well, just look at her! XD