Who doesn't love makeup, especially if it's from Korea? I surely do! I have been seeing a lot of April Skin posts on my feed, especially on their cushions! I was so curious but I didn't know where to get it here in the Philippines.
Good thing, I discovered a website called Early Picker. It is an online shop that offers Korean beauty products. However, I have to be honest that they don't cater to a lot of Korean brands. As of writing, they have 20 Korean brands on board. But what really got me is the fact that they are an official online partner of April Skin cosmetics. It means, they have almost every April Skin products!
Because I was so thrilled about April Skin, I almost completed the whole range! I got a box from Early Picker full of April Skin items. I was really so excited!
It's really overflowing!
WATCH THE VIDEO for the unboxing. Watch 'til the end because I also included a try-on / makeup tutorial using my April Skin goodies!
I was so excited to try the white April Skin cushion. I have come across a lot of FB and IG videos on this cushion so I can't wait to see how it works on my acne-prone, morena skin.
I'm also looking forward to trying this hair color treatment. I lot of you guys told me I look good with red hair so I might be dyeing my hair red soon! I can't wait to try if this one is good!
Early Picker shopping experience Shopping on the website was quite easy for me, probably because I was only focused on buying 1 brand. The website was also easy to understand and navigate. However, it was a downside that they only offer free shipping worldwide for orders $130 and up. Also, the parcel took longer to arrive than expected. Other Korean online shops take 5 days to 14 days to arrive. While my Early Picker package took longer than that. So that's one thing to consider when shopping. Be sure you are not in a rush to receive your item/s to avoid disappointment. But to end my statement with a positive note, the parcel was delivered straight to my home. I appreciated that because it saved me from going to the post office. Here are ALL of the items I got from Early Picker's website. Don't you just love how most of the items are in white, black and in trendy rose-gold color?
Aside from the long delivery waiting time, I was quite happy with my Early Picker haul. It's a nice addition to my growing Korean beauty products collection!
One of the things I can never have enough is LIPSTICK. It's surprising how a RED SHADE could mean 16 tubes and CORAL mean 10 different ones. If you take a look at my makeup cabinet, you will see that I have over 300 lip products while I only have 12 tubes of mascara. Because a mascara is a mascara. It's either black or brown and should volumize and lengthen the lashes. But lipstick? It could be in Fire Red, Rich Red, Russian Red, Parissian Red, Bright Red, Dark Red, etc.
I recently got 2 boxes of lipsticks from Fashion 21! Can you guess how many lipsticks there are in total? 102!!! Fashion 21 sent me 102 pieces of lipsticks! I was so overwhelmed, I decided to do an unboxing video on it!
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW You really need to see me unbox all those 102 LIPSTICKS, I am telling you!
This must be every woman's dream, don't you agree? I mean, all shades of lipsticks in red, peach, pink, orange and matte?! Who can resist? I love ALL the lipsticks and I am thinking how in my lifetime would I be able to finish all of those PLUS the other ones that I already own. Anyway, my favorite line from Fashion 21 is their ALL DAY MATTE LIPSTICK. It's the purple lipsticks I showed in the latter part of the video. One of the must-try shades is the MULBERRY. I like it because it's color rich, long-lasting and feels light on the lips. The runner-up faves are SUSHI and MADARIN!
A lot of people are requesting for another SWATCH video featuring these Fashion 21 All-Day Matte Lipsticks. I will be doing it soon so please stay tuned!
Fashion 21 lipsticks are so affordable. Each tube costs Php 175. You can buy them if you visit their outlets at leading department stores and drug stores. Don't forget to check back on this blog or SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channelfor the ALL DAY MATTE LIPSTICK SWATCH video! If you liked this post, please don't forget to FOLLOW me on my social media accounts! YOUTUBE - YouTube.com/User/RealAsianBeauty FACEBOOK - Facebook.com/RealAsianBeauty INSTAGRAM - @RealAsianBeauty
Korean makeup and skincare are so trendy, everyone wants to try them. However, not everyone can go to Seoul in a snap and shop for K beauty goodies. Good thing, internet is so efficient now! Did you know you can get authentic Korean cosmetics and skin care products right at the comfort of your home? What's even better is that you get the items in low, low prices! You also get FREE shipping! I'm talking about ALTHEA KOREA. Althea is South East Asia's largest online shop for Korean cosmetics and skin care. The products are authentic and shipped directly from Korea! Althea is my favorite online shop because they have almost every Korean beauty brand. And I can attest that their prices are cheaper compared to buying from local Korean boutiques.
Althea just turned 2 years old. Althea fans know that this is also the time for their cute birthday box! I was one of the lucky people who got to shop at Althea just in time for their birthday box release. I was so excited when I finally got my orders! It takes as little as 3 days up to 2 weeks to receive an Althea box. Some boxes take longer to arrive depending on the availability of the items order. My first box arrived in just 4 days. While the other box took 2 weeks to arrive since 1 of the items I order was out of stock and Althea had to wait for it to be back on stock before they shipped out my box.
Althea used to just shipped to countries in Asia. But they recently expanded so now they ship worldwide! This is really a great news especially to those who may be living in countries where there aren't lots of Korean beauty shops yet.
Anyway, I decided to unbox one of my Althea boxes in a video. WATCH IT to see all of the Korean items I got from Althea!
Whenever I shop at Althea, I make sure I do a "full-face" shopping. I always buy everything from foundation, powder, to contour, to eye shadow and liners. Of course, Korean skincare is a must!
Onsaemeein Lip Tint Saemmul Pore Pact Witch's Pouch Glitter Pigment In total, I spent $100 for all the Korean items! I haven't used them as of writing but I am so excited to do so. I am looking forward to finally trying the Laneige BB Cushion since a lot of people are saying good things about it. Plus, Song Hye Gyo endorses it. So... I am also excited to try the Beauty People items and the Clio ones.
You can get free shipping if your order is Php 999 and above. That is actually a great deal since you'd be able to get a lot of items with your Php 999. Don't forget to check out ALTHEA's website for more info about their products and how to shop!
What is the right age to get married? Is it after college? Is it when you finally have stable income? Or is it when your parents and siblings have all settled? I sometimes find myself asking that question. Really, when is the right time to get married?
On the other hand, there are people who ask why they aren't married yet. There are many reasons why someone is still unmarried. Most of the time, people who remain single and unmarried when they reach the age of 30 often feel pressured. Pressured by peers, pressured by parents and pressured by the society.
In some countries, especially here in Asia, women are expected to marry early. For some, getting married is also the start of either building a family empire, unlocking a life achievement or simply being obedient to parents. For those who don't want or can't marry before they turn 30, the challenge, stress and pressure they go through are real. I recently came across a video by SK-II that aims to raise awareness about the social pressure on women to get married at an early age. The video attempted to change the destiny of women in Asia. I've embeded the video to let you witness it, too.
SK-II is a company that works with bringing knowledge to this enormous problem that I, and many women all over the world, take part in. I wasn't surprised that SK-II came up with this video. I have been following the brand hence am aware that they really contribute to uplifting women. I posted my take on the video. As someone who grew up in a broken, I know how it feels to dream of and long for a happy and complete parents. I dream of giving my future children something I never had - MARRIED PARENTS. Please watch my video below. I filmed it in English so more people could relate since SK-II is a global brand.
I personally have felt how it is to be pressured because I still am unmarried. I used to worry about my age and worry about the consequences it may bring. One of those is the fact I might have a hard time getting pregnant and giving birth because I may have passed my prime years. I also felt worried about being too old for my future children and that I may not be able to enjoy my time with them when they get older, unlike my friends and relatives who started their families early. But I realized that instead of using my time worrying, I could use it to improve myself. So, I took language classes.
I raised a pet.
I spent more time with my family.
I traveled with my friends.
I made myself closer to God.
And I also took the time to build a YouTube career.
I know some people who were still able to pursue their dreams and do the things they want even though they got married early. What I am saying is that people who still aren't married can choose to be productive instead of being idle. Instead of looking for the perfect person to be married to, why not be the perfect person? Social media also plays a huge part in adding the pressure to us. Facebook is always filled with photos of proposals, engagements, weddings and baby photos. But I believe we should not let those affect us. Think of it as something to be thankful for. You still have plenty of time to get ready and prepare for your perfect wedding, pin photos, gather ideas and of course, save money. I believe getting married and settling down doesn't have an expiry date. We make our own destiny and each of our story is unique and special. And my last piece of advice? Get married when you are READY. Not when you're lonely, not when you're pressured. Marriage is a gift and great gifts come to those tho truly wait. With that, let me leave you this photo I made over 4 years ago when I wrote my blog article entitled TRUE LOVE WAITS.
As a person who once suffered from severe acne breakout, I understand the pain and frustration one feels when dealing with acne scars. Acne scars are as difficult to get rid of as acne. They are visible and difficult to conceal, especially if you're the type who don't like too much makeup. One of the things I do to help me get rid of my acne scars is by going to Flawless for a Fractional Needling Therapy. FNT is a treatment that uses an automated micro-needling pen that stimulates the collagen and elastin production of the skin to treat multiple skin conditions such as acne, wrinkles, dark spots, large pores, stretch marks and scars.
FNT uses various serums formulated for specific skin needs:
Retinol and Clearing to treat acne and excessive oiliness.
Whitening to improve skin tine and lighten dark spots.
Intensive Repair Booster with HGF Moisture Defense and Super Defense to treat early to advanced signs of aging.
Eye Care for FNT Eye to eliminate puffiness and illuminate dark circles.
iHair Pro with Peptides for FNT Hair to activate hair growth.
For each session of FNT, only 1 type of serum will be used, depending on the need of the patient. Each serum also has different price tag. I always get the RETINOL serum to treat my acne scars and excessive oily skin.
I usually get this treatment ONCE A MONTH to serve as my maintenance to achieve my dream skin. See? Not everyone has the same dreams and goals. While most people dream for fame and recognition, I simply dream of having clear and smooth skin...
This is how my skin looks before the FNT.
I can't count exactly how many FNT sessions I've had. I'm thinking this is my 16th session. To see how the treatment is done + the development of my skin, go and watch the full video below.
I have other blog posts and YouTube videos on the FNT. You may want to read the other posts as well : Post 1, Post 2, Post 3. WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE PROCEDURE? To prepare the skin for the treatment, topical anesthesia will be applied on the face. This usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.
After that, the micro-needling treatment follows. A pen-like device moves around the skin's surface and drops of the serum are applied regularly to allow the formula to deeply penetrate layers of the skin.
I may be smiling in the picture but it's quite painful in person. I don't want to just blog something and make it appear so good just to sell/promote. If you have high pain tolerance like me, then I am sure this is something you can tolerate. You would feel the needles actually going against the boney areas of your face like the forehead, cheeks, chin and jaw. In Filipino, we may refer to it as sagad to the bones. But for people who are vulnerable to pain, you really have to endure it. You would expect it to be painful, though, as the pen consists of many needles put together to form a circle.
You can ask the doctor to go easy or go all-the-way hard. Whenever I get this treatment, I always make sure I have no events or occasions for the next 7 days. And then I ask the doctor to go hard. By the word hard, I mean actually going through the whole face in several rounds. Doing so might cause the skin to bleed, thus leaving marks.
After the treatment, the skin will appear red. And will feel stingy. The Flawless attendants always deal with that by putting a fan in front of the patient. The air from the fans somehow helps soothe the stinginess. Be sure you are equipped with a jacket or cardigan.
This is how my skin looks right after the FNT.
The area treated may appear red after a few days, some clients experience exfoliation which will subside and reveal healthy and revitalized skin. A brighter and improved skin texture may be noticed in just 1 session of FNT. For best results, several sessions are recommended, depending on the skin condition. This is my skin the next day after the FNT.
On the 3rd day, you see that scabbing and exfoliation are visible. However, it's a relief that the dark marks caused by "going hard on the skin" are also diminished once they scab-off.
On the 5th day, I see my skin become evidently clearer and smoother.
On the 7th day, the redness and dark spots are all gone. The skin also appears brighter!
REMINDERS : *Do not wash the treated area for 8 hours after the FNT session *Always consult your Flawless MD for your aftercare regimen. It is advised to wear sunscreen at all times. *Adhere to the recommended number of treatments by your Flawless MD to get best results.
Here's a closer look at my skin BEFORE and AFTER the FNT. The lightness of the skin is not due to the FNT but because of the difference in lighting when I took the photos. However, it is evident that my skin on the AFTER photo looks smoother and clearer. The ugly bumps were illuminated.
HOW MUCH : Each session of the Retinol Fractional Needling Therapy costs Php 4,500. Basic facial cleaning / pimple pricking that costs Php 399 is not included in the price. Aftercare products must also be bought separately. My skin now is FAAAAR from my ultimate FLAWLESS skin but I am still happy and very much thankful. I like FNT treatment and it is my favorite to get at Flawless because I really see the difference after 7 days. However, if you would have this treatment, I really suggest planning the entire week and be sure you have no outdoor activities or special events as the skin will really be unflattering.
I recommend this treatment for people used to have acne and are now dealing with acne scars. The price may be steep for some but I assure you that you will love your skin after 7 days. However, 1 session may not be sufficient so I suggest having at least 3-6 CONSECUTIVE sessions to achieve full result. Thank you for reading our blog. FOLLOW this site for acne and skin updates. SUBSCRIBE to my YOUTUBE channelfor more acne videos and other beauty tutorials. If you liked this post, please don't forget to FOLLOW me on my social media accounts! YOUTUBE - YouTube.com/User/RealAsianBeauty FACEBOOK - Facebook.com/RealAsianBeauty
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