Well well well, I said I was back and then I disappeared there for over a month. A hectic work schedule was a large chunk of the problem, but then I also frolicked off to Korea for a week and a half. Korea is a country I can't get enough of - the food, the people, the history, the scenery...and of course, the makeup.
Let's start off with the staples - yes, I'm still using the innisfree Eco Brow Pencil. I'm on my third pencil and decided to buy another one as backup. Was it necessary? Not really since Taiwan also has innisfree, but it's cheaper in Korea and I was already in the shop so why not?
I continued the brow moment with the Etude House Tint My Brows Gel. Months back, I bought this for my sister, who has trouble keeping her eyebrow on - and then I bought one for my cousin who doesn't have any eyebrows in the first place. But I never got one for myself. Don't ask me why. So this time, I finally got one for myself. This product is one of those eyebrow stains that is perfect for the lazy ones, or the eyebrow-less (plus, there's also the shock factor before you peel off the product - currently, I'm trying to avoid mirrors for the next two hours).
I had set off to Korea with finding an eyeliner as my mission. I swatched many impressive eyeliners, but the 3CE Creamy Waterproof Eyeliner won the battle. I wasn't won over by this eyeliner the first time I tried it out - I had swatched a couple of colours, but put them back down as they didn't seem that special. Fast forward to when I was about to step out of the shop, makeup wipe in hand, rubbing away the horrendous amount of swatches, and holy moly - the swatch did not budge with the water-based remover. It wasn't until I switched to an oil-based remover and did some coaxing did the eyeliner start coming off. So I u-turned back in, grabbed two colours, Caffeine (dark brown) and Les Miserables (a metallic bronze), and went straight to the till. I didn't realise how much the eyeliner names resonated with two of my favourite things until afterwards. Fate? I think so.
I also picked up two other things from 3CE - the Waterful Concealer and the Pot Eyeshadow. The Waterful Concealer in 01 is beautiful to wear under the eyes and with surprising coverage. The Pot Eyeshadow in Baby Latte - another caffeine related name - was also a surprise. It's a soft pale gold with a metallic sheen. It's a soft, almost glittery, shadow when used with a brush, but the real magic comes out when you use fingers to apply. I'm not a finger-eyeshadow kinda girl, but this, this eyeshadow I'm willing to use my fingers for.
I actually surprised myself this time by buying only one lip product - I know. But then again, my lipstick collection is horrendous. After hearing raves about the fresh Sugar Lip Treatment, it was no surprise that I had to get myself one the moment I found out Korea has the brand. I literally only had 5 minutes to grab and go, so I barely did any swatching. But, Poppy - a red berry shade - is beautiful and has taken up permanent residence in my bag. Also, the packaging!
Last but not least, I didn't expect myself to haul back a bottle of liquid, but then I went with a fragrance-freak (hi, Annie), so what did I expect. I had stumbled upon Granhand.the last time I was in Bukchon, but I resisted then. This time, I couldn't. After long sniffing sessions and chatting with the staff (in English...my Korean is limited to asking for an order of mandu), I walked out with a personalised bottle of their fragrance in Kissin - named after the Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin, not the *activity*. It's a bit spicy, a bit warm, and very very cozy. I haven't been able to stop wearing this since that day and did I mention they do international shipping? Granhand makes all their products in their shops - they also offer classes where you get to make your own soy candles, fragrances, fabric sprays...etc. All at an affordable price as well! I'm kinda wanting to do that the next time I find myself in the traditional hanok village.
What are some Korean makeup products you'd like to try?
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