W2Beauty Haul and Review

Annyeong!!
     Okay so, I have a slight medical condition. Yeah it's this new disease called "MUST HAVE KOREAN EVERYTHING" disorder. So far, It hasn't changed my life too much, except now I parooz the internet, looking for new products to try. I love the aegyo style of Etude House, the sleek, refined, yet natural look of Innisfree and Nature Republic, and lets not even get into the summertime feel of The Face Shop and the wonderful naturalness of Skinfood, just to name a few. I'm also a big Tonymoly fan, as well as Laneige, A'Pieu, and all the others. But this most is not about naming all the brands that make my heart skip a beat, Its about showing ya'll my new purchases!!

Experience:
     So I have been trying out this new seller W2 Beauty. So far I'm really impressed. The girl who runs it, Alice, is so nice! She got back to me really fast about some questions I had and I definitely think I'll be using her as a shipper again. I ordered the products about 2 weeks ago and they arrived in a little brown cardboard box. Each thing was neatly wrapped in bubble wrap (which I then proceeded to pop. All. of. it.) even the samples (which I'm going to have to fangirl about one of them super hard!). Everything was in great condition and in its original packaging, so I'm a happy camper right now. They also threw in a piece of candy which I'm pretty sure is called: Cheng Pudu. It's either that or Cheng Podo. Not really sure. I'm still learning Korean soo forgive me if I got it terribly wrong. Check the bottom of this post for a code to use when you're filling out the registration form, so that you can get some awesome deals!

The Products:
     Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know this is the part you really care about. Anyhow, lets get started:

Face:

A'Pieu NonCo Tea Tree Emulsion

     I know I talked about this in my skincare post, but this is actually a really new product of mine. So far I'm loving it. I really enjoy the smell of tea tree oil, don't ask me why, I just do. So far I'm pretty impressed with it.

Skinfood Rice Concealer Tip

     This product, I'm actually really excited about, and I know that it looks really orange, but in person when you blend it in and apply BB cream over it, it looks really nice.

     And it even has a tiny bit of shimmerish flakes in it too. It's barely noticeable, but I though it made this really unique. So yeah, I'm probs going to use this a ton in upcoming tutorials ;)

The Face Shop Lovely Me:Ex Blusher in Peach Pink

     I'm really feelin these light peachy pink colors right now. Some how it just looks magical with the bronzer and highlighter combo I've been doing recently. I dunno, sometimes you find the right combination and your just like: Score! So yeah, pretty excited about this one too.

Eyes:

Skinfood Black Bean Eyebrow Pencil

     I tried this out earlier today and it's pretty dark, but if I use my Etude House Perfect Brow Kit and use that in the front and subtly fade into this eye pencil. Ooh plus it looks really nice on the under-eye tail as well so I'm pretty sold. I think this will also come in handy for my Park Shin Hye make tutorial that's coming up... oh yes, be excited (:

Innisfree Eco Tools Natural Lashes

     F.Y.I I'm not one of those false eyelash type of girls.... but my school winter dance (which is a lot like homecoming) is coming up on Feb 1st so I figured eh mine as well. So I searched for the most natural ones I thought were nice, and I'm going to cut them in half to make it so uber natural, well as natural as you can with falsies. 

Etude House Lash Perm Shockcara

     Okay, let's all just take a moment to appreciate Etude House packaging. Seriously, When I live in Korea, I'm probably going to die of happiness when I walk into Etude House. Everything is just so princess-y, it makes me smile. Anyway, I tried on this mascara earlier and let me tell you, when they say water proof, they seriously mean it. Haha my cleansing oil was having a hard time with it, but hey, I love me some water proof mascara. Here's why: I'm in highschool, I feel like its a good thing to be prepared to get wet for one reason or another. Pretty darn logical, right?

Samples:

     Ok allow me a minute to fan girl over this Nature Republic Argan 20 face mask packaging:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! It's my boys EXO!! 

     Sorry, I had to get that out of my system. Anyway, I hope you guys like this kind of post, I'll be reviewing more shippers in the future and also be sharing my purchases with you as well. See ya next time!!

Grace

                                                       How About You?

   Who is you favorite EXO member? Can you even pick?

Song of this post:

Hot Summer- FX

p.s. here is a link to the website so you can check it out for yourself (: http://w2beauty.com/?s=31619412 

Also make sure to this code on the registration form so that you can get killer deals like 5% of every purchase you make (; Your Welcome.

31619412

→EMAIL ME @←✉BUSINESS INQUIRIES ONLY PLEASE!✉graceashipley@gmail.com

My Winter Skincare Routine

Hai
     As promised, here is my Winter Skincare Routine. First off a few little things to know: I take an antibiotic that my doctor prescribed me to that helps with bacteria and infected area of my skin. I also have a prescribed topical acne product called Adapalene, which I mix with aloe to my spots. I change my routine quarterly. In my mind, if the season is changing, so should your skincare routine. Because your skin needs different things for each season. Ok, so after that explanation, here is my winter skincare routine!

Morning:

Cleansing-

    The main focus of my skincare in the winter is to brighten my skin and to keep acne away, so in the morning I've been using the Neutrogena Visibly Bright Daily Cream Cleanser because it helps to give my tired skin a really pretty glow and makes it super soft and ready for makeup.

Toning-

     About a week ago, I shared this D.I.Y. Toner with ya'll. It is, let me tell you, AMAZING! Not to toot my own horn or anything but ah *toot, toot*. It helps to brighten, lighten, soothe, and combat acne all in one little product. Seriously guys, go check it out. My skin has been doing so great and I really have this product to thank.

Essence/ Serum-

     What would be my skincare, if it didn't have anything Korean in it. Anyway, this is the A'Pieu NonCo Tea Tree Emulsion. It helps to fight my acne with herbal-y awesomeness. I use like a pump and a half, and it completely covers my face in potent acne fighting tea tree. The best thing though is that it doesn't make my skin irritated at all, which is great.

Moisturizing-

     This is my go-to moisturizer in the morning. It wears really well underneath makeup, and controls oil. It's the Cetaphil Oil Control Moisturizer for Acne Prone Skin. It has spf in it as well, which is important even though its wintertime.

Lipcare-

     After brushing my teeth, in the morning, I like to use the Burt's Bees Ultra Moisturizing Lip Treatment. Sometimes I like to use the Burt's Bees Soothing Lip Balm, but since I'm battling a cold, I use the kind I can put onto my finger then to my lips.

Nighttime:

Cleansing-

     Ok, I know what your thinking, 2 different face washes? What? and I'm all like, I need 2 facial cleansers so I can fight acne and brighten my skin. So at nighttime, I use the Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Power- Cream Wash. I have to use cream cleanser since I have combo/dry skin. This one really helps to fight acne and soothe the skin. It has Salicylic Acid, Green Tea, and Cucumbers. It is one of my favorites. Oh and most of the time I wash my face at night while I take a shower (it seriously saves time in the morning)

Toning-

     You guys already heard about this one, you probs don't want to hear it again. but in case you do :    About a week ago, I shared this D.I.Y. Toner with ya'll. It is, let me tell you, AMAZING! Not to toot my own horn or anything but ah *toot, toot*. It helps to brighten, lighten, soothe, and combat acne all in one little product. Seriously guys, go check it out. My skin has been doing so great and I really have this product to thank (;

Essence/Serum-

     You know what I do.

Treatment-

     Finally something new!! Okay so in the beginning of this post, I told you that my treatment is called Adapalene and that it is a prescription from my doctor. I mix it with some aloe so it doesn't make my skin get irritated. So in light of that, I have to say, I seriously recommend going to see your doctor or dermatologist. They can really help your skin out a lot.

Moisturizing-

     This is the Alba Natural Hawaiian  Refining Aloe & Green Tea Moisturizer. I love this stuff and I'll tell you why. When you refine something, your getting rid of the impurities and creating perfection. So heck yeah, I'm going to love a moisturizer that does this for me.

     Okay, once I have used the Alba moisturizer, I use this Severe Dry Skin Ointment on my T-zone. I know that sounds really counter productive since I have combo/dry skin, but my t-zone can get so dry in the winter. I only take a little bit on my finger tips and blend it into the Alba moisturizer.

Lips-

      This stuff is boss at getting rid of cracking dry lips. I jsut smother some of this stuff on and in the morning I have soft supple baby lips.

so your probably wondering, what does my skin look like? well:

     Believe me when I tell you that I struggled really hard with acne and now, I only get an occasional pimple around that special "time-of-the-month". I'm really impressed with my skin which is why i decided to share with my my skincare routine. I know what its like to have bad acne, so if you have any questions, just leave in the comments and don't forget to +1 this post!

                                                    How About You?
                     

                                                 What is your Holy Grail skincare product?
Until next time, Stay warm! (no seriously, where I live it's legitly colder then Alaska, and I'm all "If I wanted to be that cold, I'd live in Canada! sigh),
Grace

Song of the post:
Please Don't Leave Quite Yet- Adam Agin

Etude House Real Art Light Cleansing Oil Review

Righto!
     Sorry its taken so long to write a post. Our Internet was down at my house for about a week, and when I did go to cafes to partake in the sweetness of wifi, it was for school. Anyhow, sorry! I promise to make it up to you with this review. Let's get into the itty- gritty details, shall we?

 The Product:

     I have been an avid user of Etude House products, as soon as I found out who they were because their Shinee Limited Edition line that I'm still in love with. All of their products just smell so great! This cleansing oil is really good quality and doesn't break me out. I know what your thinking too, "I have oily and/or combination skin, why should I apply more oil to it?". Cleansing oils are commonly used for makeup removal in one simple step. I love to use this once every night (only if i wore makeup that day though, other wise it's not necessary). I Start off with a dry face and pump this product onto my palm twice, and warm it up in between my hand a little bit. The next part is so luxurious, just massage the product into your skin. It is so great an pampering for the skin. Let it smudge your makeup everywhere as you the oil into your skin. When you rinse it off, and this is the coolest thing, the cleansing oil takes on this milky appearance and leaves your skin soft, supple, and without a trace of oil.

The Claims:
     "This lightweight cleansing oil effectively removes makeup and impurities inside pores without a greasy after-feel. Infused with sebum-controlling and soothing Lavender oil, this cleanser is ideal for normal to oily skin types and acne prone skin."

My Thoughts:
    I love this cleansing oil. It's a lot lighter than the Kose one I had been using. Since I can breakout really easily, I enjoy this version of their Real Art Cleansing Oil so much! The scent is very pleasant with a slightly floral tone to it. If your not a big fan of the oil smell, you might be slightly sensitive, but honestly, I really can't smell the oil, and I've been using this since last July.

Final Thoughts:
     I definitely applaud Etude House for this product. It's hard to be a combination skin girl in a world etched towards dry or oily, instead of both. I really like how my skin feels when I take off this product. Smooth and soft, just how I like it. I give it a Five out of Five!!!!! Ding Ding Ding! WE HAVE A WINNER!! That's not to say that I won't be buying a different one, just so I can try more out for more reviews. Probably someday, I'll come back to it and rediscover my love for it all over again.

    That's really all I have to say! I really miss blogging, and I wish my schedule were looser, but unfortunately, there is this super obnoxious thing called school, work and extracurricular, you know, the norm for an American teen. I hope to be sharing with ya my soon my makeup look that I wear almost everyday that is inspired by Lucy Hale in Pretty Little Liars, and also my Winter Skincare routine as soon as I possibly can!! I'll see you all very soon with tutorials!
Grace

                                                  How About You?
                                     

What is your favorite cleansing oil? Leave your response in the comments!

Song of this post-

Moment- 2AM

Cardio Do's and Don'ts

Hiya!
     Okay so the weekend are cardio days on my workout out schedule and today I had an hour long run/power walk (which for me means i got in about five miles roughly. Maybe more, maybe less) It struck me that a lot of people do cardio wrong, or give cardio a bad rep. Trust me when I say Cardio is essential to any workout routine. A lot of people when they hear this are like "But I don't like running", and I'm all like "There are many different ways to get in your cardio". Here are just a few:

• Swimming
• Running (my personal favorite)
• Tabata
• Skiing 
• Snowboarding
• Gymnastics
• Dance
• Zumba
• Kick Boxing

   Seriously I could go on and on. There are so many different ways to get it in. I recommend iif your a beginner, try 30 mins 3-4 days a week, intermediate 45 mins 4-5 days a week, and all my cardio junkies out there 1 hour or more 5-6 days a week. Don't mistake me though, there are a lot of things you need in your workout routine not just cardio. Strength building is very important as well so don't skimp out on that at all.
     Any lets start those do's and dont's

Dont's

• Don't stop breathing! I cannot stress how important it is. I mean it keeps you alive (;
• Don't just do one form of cardio. The cardio world is so broad. Explore each one!!
• Don't beat yourself up if your a beginner and doing 30 mins is hard for you. We all start at a small point before we get to where we are
• Don't go too crazy if you skip a cardio day. 
• Don't bore yourself. If you run, try a horse trail in your park. It's more interesting (not just because you have to dodge horse crap left and right) and its also easier on the joints.
• Don't forget that each cardio day is a gift.

Do's

• Do have fun with it. If you find that the cardio your currently doing doesn't make you happy then switch it up a bit and try something different.
• Do stay hydrated. While you might feel that water will just give you water weight, honey you're completely wrong. When you're doing cardio, staying hydrated is super important.
• Do have a partner. Sometimes it's harder to do cardio my ourselves because we get bored, so get yourself a buddy to feel more motivated.
• Do listen to fast, upbeat or techno music. Music really helps to give you a pace to run to and will get you into a rhythm
• Do stretch afterwards. Your not going to slim down if you don't stretch out your muscles.
• Do make a routine and stick to it. The first couple weeks it will be hard, but after a little while, you will start to look forward to cardio days.

     Okay so this is a rather short post, but I thought you guys might like it. I really want to encourage ya'll to get into cardio. It boosts your metabolism, mood, and it gets you into crazy good shape. Like I said in the beginning, don't think that you'll get completely toned without your strength training, just like how bodybuilders suck at  cardio because they don't add it to their routine. I hope you all have a great day and I'll talk to you soon!!
Grace

                                                  How About You?
                           

What is your favorite type of cardio? Leave you response in the comments!!!

Song of this post-

Otherside- The Solutions

D.I.Y Skin Brightening Toner

Hello!
     In the wintertime, my main skin care point is making my skin look bright and moisturized. This toner does just that! Its three ingredients are extremely pampering for your skin. You simply can't go wrong with these ingredients and I'll tell you more about there properties at the end of this post. Let's get started!

Things you'll need:

      You will need a container to store the toner in. The one that I'm using is an old Body Shop Makeup Remover bottle that I had lying around. Also make sure that the bottle is clean so as not to contaminate the toner with icky germs.

     You'll need 2-3 pure camomile tea bags

     Your going to put those tea bags into 1/4 a cup of water and pop it in the microwave for 1 min and 15 seconds.

     measure out about 1 cup of rice and mix with water. Pop it into the microwave for 1.5 minutes and then remove the excess water from the rice and mix with the camomile tea.

     Do the same thing that you did with the rice to some oatmeal. Strain out the oatmeal water and mix it with the camomile tea and rice water mixture. Mix it all together and pour into your container. Fill the rest of the container with cold water until its full.

To Use:

      Apply to either a cotton pad, like what I do, or you can use a cotton ball. Apply in an upward motion along your face.

The Result

     Your skin will be so much brighter after this! The results happen so fast you barely have time to notice that your skin was dull! Alright so now that you've seen what it can do, lets talk about why its so good for you (:

Camomile- Camomile is so great for your skin. It has tons of antioxidants in it which help to cleanse and moisturize the skin. It is used to treat wounds and infections because it helps to speed up the healing process. Camomile also is a natural skin lightener giving the complexion a nice glow naturally. It soothes the skin and is great for those with acne skin or acne scarring since it has so many antioxidants. It will also defend the skin from free radicals which causes premature aging.

Rice Water- Rice Water softens the skin like crazy. It will make your skin brighter and firmer, as well as shrinks the pores, protects your skin from the sun and refreshes the skin. It helps so much with your complexion!!

Oatmeal- oatmeal is great for acne since it exfoliates the skin gently and get rid of all that dead skin naturally. In the wintertime our skin can get very dry as well and oatmeal really helps to lock in the moisture on your skin and keep it soft and supple. It also lightens the skin making the face look brighter.

     There is your information! I hope that you guys enjoy and I'll see you next time for a Kate Middleton Tutorial! If you like this post make sure to 1+ it to share with your friends (:

Grace

                                                   How About You?
                                 

What is your favorite toner? Leave your response in the comments!!

Song of this post-

Is This Love? - Coffee Boy

Girl's Generation Sooyoung Makeup Tutorial

Happy New Year!
     Alot has happened in the past couple of days, starting off with a new year! A whole new time to decide who you are, what your goals are and where you want to be in the next year. It is time for a fresh start, and nothing days fresh start like a clean makeup face. Sooyoung is one of my favorite members of Girls Generation, and her look in the music video "Oh" inspired this look. I hope you all enjoy, and lets get started!

Face:
1.

     I know what your thinking "SPF, in the winter?" Well, yeah. The sun reflects off the snow and onto your face, so it is actually really important if that is you don't want skin cancer. Apply all over your face, letting it absorb into your skin.

2.

     Since I have big pores on my cheeks and forehead, I've been really gravitating toward pore primers and I love this one by Etude House. I just applied it in four places: my forehead, chin, cheeks, and nose. Then I blend it out with my fingers.

3.

     I just got this Holika Holika Clearing BB Cream and its a little too dark right now since its winter where I live. To make it match my skintone better, I like to mix my TonyMoly Pure Aura CC Cream with it to get a seamless application. I dot it on my face and then blend it out with a beauty blender.

4.

    I swear by this concealer! It perfectly covers my dark circles perfectly. Not only does it help with concealing, but it actually helps diminish them naturally. I apply a big sweep of this stuff underneath my eyes and then blend it out with my beauty blender.

5.

     I'm going to set all the foundation and concealer now with the Maybelline Fit Me Pressed Powder. I like to pat it into my skin with a kabuki and then brush off any excess with a powder brush. The patting will keep your brush from moving any of the base products.

6.

      This blush looks really natural on my face. It is such a pretty peach color and I like to apply it just on the outer portion of my hollows to use it as a contour. The really nice thing about this blush is how matte it is and how creamy it applies to the skin.

7.

     I love highlighter. Something about it just makes me happy. I never really have been a fan of matte foundation, so that could be part of that. Anyway, This is the Skin Food All Over Muffin Cake Finish. Trust me though, it's not so much as a setting powder than a highlighter. I like to take a clean foundation brush and sweep it on my cheeks starting at the inner portion of my cheeks up to the end of my cheekbone, down my nose, the little triangle on your forehead and my cupids bow.

Eyes:

1.

      I'm going to prime my eyelids with this Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer. I like to apply it straight on my eyelid and then blend it out with my ring finger. This is really good for oily eyelids as well as making every color stand out so much better.

2.

      I'm going to take MAC's Vanilla eyeshadow with a fluffy brush all over my lid. This helps to wake up my face and bring some light up in there. It's a really pretty shimmery shade and I love how it makes my eyelids look. Definitely a favorite base. 

3.

       I'm going to be using a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil and apply this all around the eye, so that mean you water line, tight line, and inner corners. Also my to you upper lash line and then blend it out with an eyeshadow brush. It will give the eyes a subtler look.

4.

     Taking MAC's Soba, I'm going to take an angled brush and make a small little wing, starting from the lower lash line, winging out and then meeting up at the upper lashline.

5.

     Next, I'm just curling my eyelashes and applying a lengthening mascara. This one is my Maybelline and it makes every lash count. It also gives the eyes a spider lash effect since it tends to clump the eyelashes together.

6.

     Create a thin line along your upper lash line into the into corner of your eyes. This eyeliner is by Skin Food and it's their Sweet Almond Eyeliner in Black.

Lips:

1.

     I'm going to be using a peach toned lip stain. This one is the Aritaum Wanna Be Lip Cushion Tint in Sugar. I apply it thickly on the inner portion and a bit lighter on the outer portions. I then take the smudger and blend out the inner portion slightly, leaving it still the most pigmented.

2.

     I'm going to be using a concealer on the outer corners to create a more gradient Ulzzang look to the lips. I'm using Artitaum's Wanna Cushion Lip Concealer in Clair.

3.

     To finish it all off, I'm going to take the Stila Lip Glaze in Peaches & Cream all over the lips. This will help to blend all the shade together to make it more day time appropriate.

Finished Look:

      I hope that you all enjoyed this makeup tutorial for the start of January! Soon I'll share with you my everyday makeup routine for January. I'll see you all soon! Make sure that you 1+ this post so that all your friends can see it too!

Gracie

                                                    How About You?

                                         

What is you favorite SNSD/ Girls Generation song? Leave your response in the comments!

Song of this post-

Oh- Girls Generation