Drug Store Make Up: Olive Young Haul ♥ REVIEW (Part 1)

While in Korea, drug stores were one of my favorite places to purchase skin care and make up products. Two of the drug stores that I purchased many skin care and make up products from were Olive Young & Watsons (I'll save Watsons for another post =P). Korean drug stores are a great way to find American and Japanese brand products that are rarely (if ever) available for purchase in the United States. Although Watson and Olive Young also carried some Korean brand products such as Laneige, Iope, Skin 79, etc., this is one of the few places where you can find American and Japanese products.

First I will talk about Olive Young...

"Olive Young is a drug store dealing with various items from health supplements to drugs, cosmetics and cosmetic accessories. It also offers health products, foods, and sundry goods." (For More Info) 

Like drug stores in the United States, Olive Young also carries a variety of other merchandise such as health products, food, and sundry goods; however, unlike most drug stores in the United States, more than 70% of their merchandise is comprised of skin care and make up products.

There are many Olive Young's located throughout Seoul, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding an Olive Young. I know there is an Olive Young in Hongdae, Edae, and Myeongdong for sure (those are the Olive Young's that I visited), but I'm not too sure where other Olive Young's are located. However, they seem to be all over the place ^__^

See below for my review of the products I purchased:

♥ Products I'm Loving ^O^ ♥

 1) SKIN 79: Super Beblesh Balm (VIP Gold Collection) ~ Around $15.00 - $20.00

• I have been absolutely loving this concealer! After reading so many excellent reviews about this product from other make up gurus, I was very excited to purchase this product. 
• This product does not only have excellent coverage, but it also has UV protection (SPF 25/PA++) and contains ingredients that help with whitening and wrinkle improvement. 
• Since I purchased this product, I have pretty much been only using this BB cream. That's how amazing it is! ^____^
• Two of the most well known and reviewed SKIN 79 BB creams is the Super Beblesh Balm Triple Function (Pink- Left) and the Super Beblesh Balm VIP Gold Collection (Gold- Right). Since reviews for both BB creams were excellent, I had a very difficult time deciding which one to purchase.
• What is the difference between the two? Honestly there is not that much of a difference. Both BB creams have the same UV protection and both contain ingredients that help with whitening and wrinkle improvement. I was told by the sale's associate that the Triple Function is good for people with oily skin and the VIP Gold Collection is best for people with normal and combination skin. The shade of the two BB creams are also slightly different. The Triple Function BB cream is slightly lighter than the VIP Gold Collection, but not by much. Since there is only a very slight difference between the color of the two BB creams, I would decide which BB cream to buy based on your skin type rather than the shade. 
• Amount Used: A small amount, one tiny drop, is enough to cover my entire face. Since it has excellent coverage you don't need to pile on plenty of BB cream onto your face. 
• Application: Can be easily applied using a foundation brush or sponge, but you can also apply it with your fingers since it blends easily. When you first apply the BB cream, the color may look a little ashy but it quickly oxidizes to suit your skin tone.
  
  
  
  ** (Note: Although the BB cream oxidizes to suit your skin tone, it may not oxidize to suit your skin tone perfectly if your skin tone is very dark. Most BB creams are made to cater to fair to medium-light skin tones.)
• Price: Although it is a little more on the expensive side, especially in comparison to most BB creams at other Korean cosmetic stores (i.e. Etude House, Face Shop, Tony Moly, etc.), this is a fairly good price considering it's a higher quality BB cream. It's similar in price to other higher quality BB creams sold at Korean cosmetic stores. For example, the new Snail Therapy Bb cream at Nature Republic is about $20.00.
• Cons: No real cons. I absolutely love this BB cream! It would have been nicer if it had a thinner consistency, but overall it's great! I love the pump bottle container which is very convenient to use and more hygienic than using BB creams that come in jars or bottles. I also love that it helps with whitening and wrinkle improvement, since many other BB creams don't have these added benefits.  

2) CANMAKE: Perfect Stylist Eyes Eye Shadow Palette (03) ~ Around $10

•  I'm not going to lie, the first thing that caught my attention was the extremely cute packaging. This is probably the cutest eye shadow palette I own ^_^
• Aside from the cute packaging though, I was pleased to find that this was an excellent product overall!
• All of the shadow's colors are extremely cute and lovely on my eyelids, and very pigmented (which I absolutely love)!
• This is the perfect palette to use if you're trying to brighten up your eyes in a subtle way! ~*^__^*~_v
• I also love using the "Topping Jewel" color to highlight my brows!*~ 
• Cost: A great buy especially in comparison to other palettes such as Dior or Lunasol which cost around 5 times more. Although the quality of the eye shadows in the Dior palette is still slightly better, this is still a great eye shadow palette considering the price!
• Cons: I actually didn't think there were any cons until a few weeks ago when it fell about 2 feet off my dresser onto the floor. My first thought was that the eye shadows may have cracked. Fortunately the eye shadows didn't crack, but unfortunately the case did. I was devastated to find that I was unable to repair it =( Although the packaging is super cute, the quality of the packaging plastic is horrible! Be extremely careful with how you handle this palette if you purchase it.

2) CASTLEDEW: Color Shot Lips (140) ~ Around $7-$8

• Like the Canmake eye shadow palette above, the first thing that caught my attention was the super cute packaging (I'm such a sucker for anything with a cute packaging =P); however, after testing out the product I was pleased to find again that it was another great find!
• This lipstick is fairly moisturizing (perhaps not as moisturizing as Revlon's lip butter though) and goes on super smooth.
• There was also a large variety of colors available (~*I wish I also bought a more peachy color lipstick T_T*~) 
• The lipstick color also lasted fairly long throughout the day, even after I late lunch! ^O^
• Cost: In comparison to my other lipsticks such as my Dior and Paul & Joe lipsticks, the Castle Dew lipstick is far cheaper (and maybe even a little cheaper than other popular American drug store lip products like Revlon's lip butter). Although, I don't think I love it as much as my Dior or Paul & Joe lipstick, it's was a really great buy considering how cheap it was.
• Cons: The only downside to this lipstick was that the texture didn't seem to be as light as some of the other lipsticks I've tried such as the Paul & Joe lipstick. 

How it Looks when Applied

Nature Republic & Skinfood Haul ♥ REVIEW

Finally had the time to test all of the products I purchased. Read below to find out which products I have been loving and which products I can live without ^.^v

♥ Products I'm Loving ^O^ ♥

1) Photoshot 3D Concealer (23- Natural Beige) ~ $7.70

• Recently I've been loving this concealer. It provides excellent coverage, and a small amount goes a long way.
• Amount Used: Just to give you an idea, a very tiny drop of this concealer can provide enough coverage to cover the dark circles under both of my eyes.
• Application: Although this concealer may seem thick and heavy at first, it actually has a very light and can be applied easily and naturally using just your finger.
• Price: Although the tube is somewhat small, I have been using it for almost a month now and I barely made a dent in the tube. At this rate, it will probably take me 6+ months to use up the whole tube. Considering how long this tube of concealer will probably last me, the price of the concealer seems inexpensive.
• Cons: The only downside is that the concealer only comes in 2 colors- Natural Beige and Light Beige. Currently I'm using the darker of the 2 shades of concealer available; however, I think my skin tone color may have been more suited for the Light Beige T_T If your skin tone color is much darker than mines, the color of the concealer will most likely not suit your skin tone color.

2) Painting Creamy Eyes (3- Creamy Gold) ~ $5.50

• I've been looking for a cheaper alternative to my Shiseido creamy eyeshadow (Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow in Rose Tulle) which i absolutely love since it is so expensive. I believe Shiseido's Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow is about $25.00 at Macy's. When I found this product at the Nature Republic store in Korea I decided to give it a try since it was fairly cheap. 
• The color is very lovely especially if you like natural golden colored eye shadows. This is also a really great product if you're looking for a way to brighten up your eyes.
• Amount Used: I've been using this product off and on so I haven't used too much of it yet, but a very tiny drop is enough to cover both my eyes. Since it is very pigmented and quite sparkly, you only need a small amount to brighten your eyes!
• Application: It glides on very easily and doesn't clump up too much; however, when I first applied the eye shadow it seemed a bit oily on my eyelids but the oiliness seemed to disappear within 5-10 minutes after being applied.
• Price: Although the tube is somewhat small, since you only need a small amount for each application, I imagine that this tube will last awhile. Also in comparison to the price of the Shiseido Hydro-Powder eye shadow it is much cheaper. This is a great alternative to the Shiseido Hydro-Powder eye shadow!
• Cons: The sparkles in the creamy eye shadow are not extremely noticeable or big, but it would have been nicer if the sparkles in the eye shadow were smaller and less noticeable. In addition, unlike the Shiseido Hydro-Powder eye shadow which comes in about 13 colors, this creamy eye shadow only comes in 4 colors- pink, gray, brown, and gold. Therefore, it may be difficult for you to find the color you are looking for.

♥ Products I'm NOT Loving =( ♥

1) The Whiter Fermentation Whitening Essence ~ $16.90

• At first I was very excited to try this product because the sales lady recommended this product and said that this was their best whitening product that the Nature Republic store had; however, I do not feel that it was very effective in lightening my skin tone. 
• This product is very moisturizing though, and could probably be used in place of a moisturizer. Also it has a very nice light scent.
• I'm not 100% sure, but I believe that this product also slightly irritated my skin slightly. While I was using this product, I noticed that my skin was slightly irritated and I had a couple very tiny pimples appear around the edges of my face. However, when I stopped using this product a few days ago, I noticed that my skin seemed a little less irritated. 
• Although the price seems excellent, especially in comparison to Iope's Whitegen Essence which is roughly $40/bottle or to Iope's Whitegen Ampoule which is about $90/bottle, the quality of the product is clearly not as good as Iope. You definitely pay for what you get!
• I have been using this product for about a month, and there has not been any real noticeable changes in my skin tone color. If you're looking for a good skin brightening/whitening product, I still highly recommend Iope Whitegen line.
• Perhaps you will be able to see noticeable changes in the brightness/whiteness of your skin if you use this product for a longer period of time or if you use all the products in the Whiter Fermentation Line; however, I am not a very patient person and I prefer to purchase products that provide fast results even if they are slightly on the more expensive side. Therefore, I have no intention of purchasing this product again.
• If you have had a different experience using this product, please let me know in the comments. I would love to hear about your experience using this product! ^O^ 

2) Ice Jelly Primer (Blueberry) ~ $5.39

• A great product as a whole, but probably not something I would purchase again.
• I mainly wanted to try this product, because I haven't tried any primers before in jelly form. However, since it doesn't have a pump it's not very sanitary and I personally found it somewhat inconvenient to use on a daily basis.
  
• Also since it's a jelly primer, you need to be careful to close the jar tight after each use or the primer could try out .
• This primer is great to use if you travel a lot, since it's easy to transfer to smaller jars or bottles since it's not in liquid form; however, it's not the best primer to use if you're looking for a primer that's quick and easy to apply on a daily basis.
• If you're looking for a cheap primer that works well and you're not concerned about how convenient it is to apply or use, then I would highly recommend this primer. This primer is very inexpensive especially in comparison to the amount in the jar. 
• As an example, I paid $15-$20 for my Laneige primer that I currently use which contains about the about the same amount of primer as the Nature Republic primer which only cost $5.39

3) Red Orange Jelly BB (1- Light Beige) ~ $10.00

• Also a great product as a whole, but not one of my favorite BB creams.
• To be fair though, I don't think I'm a fan of cosmetics in jelly form. As I mentioned above, I don't find them to be very sanitary since you need to constantly dip your fingers into the jar, and they're not as easily to apply as liquid form BB creams (at least for me =P).
• Since BB creams in jelly form are more solid than BB creams in liquid form, I found that you need to be more careful about how you apply them. It's important that you apply it well in order to prevent it from caking up or leaving lines or streaks on your face.
• When first applied, it seemed a little too light for my skin tone, but it oxidizes well and ended up suiting my skin tone perfectly.
• It doesn't have the best coverage, so if you're looking for a BB cream with great coverage this is not the BB cream to buy.
• Also considering that it doesn't provide great coverage, I found the texture of it to be a little thick and it felt heavier than expected on my skin.
• This BB cream only comes in 2 shades (like most Korean brand BB creams) so if your skin tone is a lot darker than mines, then it may not match your skin tone well. 
• Fairly inexpensive though considering the amount of BB cream in the jar! ^.^
• I will continue to use and test this product though, and let you know if my opinion of it changes ^___^ v