Be Chic Be Beautiful: New Brand I like -

Reviews

It started with the Korean dramas (My Girl, Da Chang Jin) when you realize that the Koreans have really good skin. My 'love' with all things Korean begun because when you watch Korean shows, you can't help but fall in love with it. It is not violent and fast paced like American dramas that revolves over sexual themes most of the time. There's the certain gentle quality in all the Korean stuff - faces, dramas and love stories, people, dressing.

The power of subtleness is prevalent throughout. Delicate features, stylish and creative but not overtly so (the Japanese can be a bit too much, especially their Harajuku girls and kawaii cuteness that can be too sweet) in their dressing, good skin that looks translucent and fair, lovers who peck each other on the cheek and don't show affection inappropriately (so oppose to the I-want-to-take-off-your-clothes Americans), love that grows slowly over time in a funny way.

From there, the media/and people like me started to look towards Korean products for their naturalness of the ingredients and gentleness of the fragrance. The products feels mild and pampering towards the skin, while prices remain affordable. And all these made me love Korean skin care shops like Skin Food (cutest packaging) and The Face Shop (less cute but everything feels natural, not artificial).

PK104 - $2.90

My first buy from TFS (The Face Shop) is a pretty ballerina barbie pink nail polish that costs $2.90!! For such a low price, the quality is good, and i especially love the glossy finish that dries fast. Layer 2-3 times for best effect.

Second buys from TFS another day...

I got a base coat (left) and a nail polish with glitters inside. $2.90 each and as usual, the quality is fabulous.

Then, I got my boyfriend to use more skin care products and we went there to take a look 3 days ago.

Herb and Relief for Homme Pore Foam Cleanser - $24.90
Pore Minimising Toner for Homme - $28.90

Men's range for combi-oily skin. A foam cleanser and a powder pore minimizer toner because he have enlarged pores. I tried the cleanser too and i love how smooth and clean my face felt after using it! There's white clay in the cleanser to deep cleanse the skin, so lather up and massage it in for 1 minute before rinsing off. I didn't try the powder toner but i think it should be quite good too.

Sunblock SPF35 PA++ for guys for $22.90

The SA (shop assistants) at Parkway were really nice and helpful and recommended all those products to him while I was happily shopping for my own TFS stuff. :D They told me that if i accumulate $80 worth of receipts over a month, i can be a member enjoying 5% off all products, and they also have this promotion that for every $68 purchased, we can spin this wheel to get free gifts such as eyeshadows, liners, masks, nail polishes and so on.

So, naturally, i bought a lot of things. I wanted a fresh start to taking better care of my skin! :)

Sake Nourishing Body Lotion $25.90
Su Hyang Snow Maximizing Gel Creme $53.90 (extreme right)

The SA said that the Sake Lotion improves blood circulation and is more nourishing than the milk body lotion i wanted to get, and since the magazines did say something about Sake being good for skin.. I was pretty impressed by the lovely silky feel of my skin after using it. I feel a slight glow to the skin after using it for 3 days.

Su Hyang Snow is a range for combination-oily skin, hence the products are light as snow and non-oily at all. I bought the Maximizing Gel Creme as a moisturizer for day and night as the Loreal Lightening Day Lotion is giving me problems. :( I had 2-3 bouts of inflammation after using it but i'm not sure if its the Loreal or this green clay mask i got from Taiwan that expires in 2008. Anyway, this snow gel is sooooo good it's the best i've tried!! So light with a delicate fragrance it absorbs quickly into the skin, my face feels thoroughly hydrated and brighter it's even better than my expensive Beaute De Kose Emulsion because that was too oily. Ultimate MUST BUY. This range is really expensive though as they use nano technology, gold and many precious herbs. It is a worthy splurge though. If i can, i'll want to get more stuff from the range.

We chalked up a $150+ bill in the end and were entitled to the membership, as well as 2 lucky spins.

Each mask cost $4.50 on its own or 3 for $10. These are my 2 freebies.

I've tried the grape one yesterday and woke up to radiant skin though it feels slightly oily. I heard that the more expensive range of masks is better and got many good reviews from forums, haven't tried but i still feel that Dainty Design masks works better and is cheaper. DD masks from Australia costs only $1 if i purchase online and it hydrates very well, is thick and works super well.

The next day, i went to TFS again wanting to get some eye cream because the Niu Er Cucumber one i bought from Taiwan is not as effective. Due to long hours in front of the computer, sleeping very late and wearing contacts, my eye circles are really bad now every SA from any brand comments on it. :(

White Tree Vita Force Eye Serum $46.90
The Flower Shimmering Pearl Makeup Base/ Highlight with crushed pearls $38.90

The Eye Serum is light and brightening in my opinion, and after using it for 2 days, my eyes feels slightly brighter. Texture is good and easily absorbed.

Okay, this makeup base is expensive but after reading newspapers and magazines (Again, i always listen to them) that preaches about the importance of makeup base over the last 1 year... and that i read that Japanese and Koreans have good skin also because they never skip the makeup base, i got this. I love the shimmery texture and that it doubles up as a highlighter that can be used to make your features more 3D, which I am looking for. It also doubles up as skincare and it's truly a 3-in-1 product and i think its another MUST-BUY because my skin really looks more radiant after using it. Usually, at mid day my makeup will feel dull and my skin feels a bit dry but after using this as well as the Su Hyang Snow gel, my face still looks radiant instead of yellowy dull at mid day!

Copied from TFS website

Concept
The name ‘THE FLOWER’ comes from its ingredients. Made with mineral-enriched edible flowers such as Rose Jasmine Chamomile and more these flower petals have been grinded into micro-pigments with an advanced technology to provide flawless moisturized and luminous skin.

Description
Love the glow on skin? This shimmering makeup base can be used on entire face before foundation to give all-over glow Or can be used as a highlighter on cheekbone nose chin and under-eye to give more lift to a face.