Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog: October 2013

28 October, 2013

Review: Baviphat Peach All-In-One Peeling Gel

Affiliate Links Bought It

So here's a question for all you skincare addicts out there: How often does interesting packaging entice you to buying a product that you otherwise might not have? I find that it happens with me occasionally, and the product I'll be reviewing today is one example of such behavior. I added a mini-sized jar of Baviphat's All-In-One Peeling Gel to my cart while I was placing my last TesterKorea order without really thinking that I don't using peeling gels very often... but look at it!


Baviphat Peach All-In-One Peeling Gel


Hard to resist something shaped like a tiny peach, eh? This is the mini size (about 7g), so my stupid impulses only set me back ₩1500 (about US $1.40). I won't feel too guilty about that. The full size is 100g and also comes in a peach-shaped container.

24 October, 2013

Ramblings on hobbies, neuroticism and soup

Warning: This post will be somewhat personal in nature and rather rambly. If that sort of thing doesn't interest you, feel free to not click "read more" and instead look at this picture of a swan I took:




Hello pretty bird, indeed.

22 October, 2013

Review & Swatches: Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color

Affiliate Links Bought It

So I don't know about you, but I'm loving the fact that bold, deep lip colors are so trendy right now. I used to be one of those people who never wore lipstick because I was scared of it smearing and getting all over my teeth, but lately I've been finding myself wanting to wear darker and bolder shades on my lips.

Today I'll be doing a little review and some swatches of Wet n Wild's MegaLast lipstick. These have been out for a while, but at around $2 apiece they are a very inexpensive way to expand your collection of lip colors. Perfect if you want to test out some of those fall-friendly shades without busting the budget, eh?


Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Color inPurty Persimmon 970 Vamp It Up 919B Sugar Plum Fairy 908C Stoplight Red 911D Cherry Bomb 918D Pink Suga' 900B


Wet n Wild currently has a whopping 26 shades of MegaLast Lip Color listed on their website. Today I'll be showing you six of them as pictured above:

  • Top L-R: Purty Persimmon (970), Vamp It Up (919B), Sugar Plum Fairy (908C)
  • Bottom L-R: Stoplight Red (911D), Cherry Bomb (918D), Pink Suga' (900B)

17 October, 2013

Halloween Stupidity: Fright Night Eyeliner "Tattoos" w/ Rhinestones

Bought It

Do you ever have one of those moments where you buy something on an impulse, look at it later and then think "What in hell did I think I was going to do with this? I'm an idiot!" That pretty much sums up my feelings after purchasing Fright Night's Eyeliner Tattoos with rhinestones, which I threw in my cart along with some concealers and other boring stuff I got at Ulta recently. But rather than let it be a total waste, I decided I'd use them and blog the results so you all can laugh at me.



16 October, 2013

My Scheming Bamboo Charcoal & Cryste Marine Whitening Double Lifting Mask (3D) review & photos

Affiliate Links Bought It

Hey hey hey! Special news bulletin: I've got a review for you guys today. But not just any review... it's a review of a sheet mask. I know, I know, exotic stuff. But it's not just any sheet mask, it's a 3D sheet mask. Be still, my beating heart!

The 3D mask in question is My Scheming's Bamboo Charcoal & Cryste Marine Whitening Double Lifting Mask. And the name of this product isn't nearly long enough, amirite? I picked these up in my latest Sasa.com haul.




12 October, 2013

Review: Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask

Affiliate Links Bought It

So if you've been following my blog regularly lately, you may have noticed that I've had sort of a love-hate relationship with Freeman Beauty's mask offerings. I liked their pineapple mask (except for the inclusion of microbeads), but their starfruit mask was a total disaster for me. Since I'm a crazy person, I feel compelled to press on and try every single one of their masks. For uh... research purposes.

Today I'll be reviewing Freeman Feeling Beautiful Charcoal & Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask, which I purchased in the 0.5 fl.oz / 15mL "travel size". Will it be better for me than its predecessors were? Only one way to find out!


Freeman Charcoal and Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask

10 October, 2013

Review: Reviva Labs Lindenflower & Rosewater Facial Sprays

Affiliate Links Bought It

What's up, good citizens of the internet? Today I thought I'd do a review on a type of product I'm perhaps a bit too obsessed with... facial mists. Some people are addicted to lip balm, I'm addicted facial mists. Well, and lip balm. Well, and maybe coffee too. There's definitely such a thing as coffee-flavored lip balm, but is there a coffee-scented facial mist? My mind is racing.

The mists (or "facial sprays") of the day come to you from Reviva Labs. There are two varieties: Rosewater and Lindenflower. Reviva is a "natural" brand, and perhaps you remember seeing these when I posted my iHerb natural skincare haul last month. If not, here's what they look like:


Reviva Labs Lindenflower Rosewater Facial Sprays mists ingredients


The packaging isn't especially pretty, but perhaps there's more to these humble-looking mists than meets the eye...

09 October, 2013

Review: Etude House Mascara Remover (plus comparison test against Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover)

Affiliate Links Bought It

Greetings y'all... do you like using a dedicated eye makeup remover? Because I certainly do, even on top of my cleansing oil. For me, liquid eye makeup remover + cleansing oil = 100% less panda eyes in the morning. True story.

Today I'll be reviewing "Mascara Remover", an eye makeup remover from the popular Korean brand Etude House. Want to see how it stacks up against my current makeup remover of choice? Keep on readin'!



Black lipstick: How to wear it, where to buy it

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Hello everybody... how has your autumn been going so far? I can't believe we're already almost a third of the way through October. Time flies when you're doing... stuff. October is one of my favorite months of the year because it's usually when a little bit of chill starts to creep into the air, and of course because of Halloween!

I've always been a fan of bold and costumey makeup regardless of the season, but Halloween is special because you can wear pretty much anything in public without people thinking you're insane. And October is also special because in my mind it's sort of the unofficial "Black Lipstick Month", AKA the time when these bad boys show up in the drugstores and supermarkets:




I'm going to be honest: Fantasy Makers black lipstick is certainly alright for occasional costume or photo-taking purposes, but it doesn't have the best longevity. So what's a gal (or guy) to do when they want to sport a bold black lip all day (or night) long and this is the only thing they can find in their local drugstore? Why, turn to the internet of course!

Today I'll be sharing some general tips for applying black lipstick, as well as a list of a few black lipstick shades from popular brands and where to buy them online. Whether it's for a Halloween costume or just a spooky day in July, it helps to know where to buy the stuff!

05 October, 2013

Review: Freeman Feeling Beautiful Star Fruit Purifying Facial Paper Mask

Affiliate Links Bought It

Greetings friends!

Today I'll be reviewing another mask from Freeman. I'm a little mask-crazy, I know. But this mask is actually a bit unique... wanna know why? It's an American sheet mask. Say what?

Yeah, you heard me right. Freeman Beauty recently came out with three different "Paper Facial Masks", which are indeed just sheet masks by another name. I've noticed that a few American and European brands have come out with sheet mask-like products in the past couple years, but at under $2 apiece they're the only ones I've seen so far that compete price-wise with their inexpensive Asian counterparts (such as My Beauty Diary). And Freeman is a drugstore brand, so if you're in the USA these should be relatively easy to find (I got mine at Walmart). Here are the three varieties:




One for purifying, one for hydrating and one for brightening. Seems promising, right? Today I'll be reviewing the Purifying Star Fruit variety.

04 October, 2013

Poll: What beauty products do you wish you'd known about earlier?

So the post I did earlier about cleansing oil got me wondering... what are some beauty or skincare products you wish you'd known about long before you actually discovered them?




For me one of the answers would definitely be cleansing oils and balms. I only discovered the concept of double cleansing a few years ago (I'm nearly 30 now, so derp), and before that I cursed the skies daily because I could never figure out how to get all my foundation off. Makeup wipes helped, but they dried out my skin and didn't always get everything off.

In retrospect I feel kind of dumb for not realizing that this was a good idea, because back when I was a member of my high school's drama club (aww yeah) we used Pond's Cold Cream to take our stage makeup off after performances. Cold cream is basically like a more solid form of cleansing oil, guys. Double-derp.


Anyway, what are some beauty products you wish you'd known about much earlier? Let us know in the comments - you may even be helping out me or a fellow reader! :)

Current Fave: Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil

Affiliate Links Bought It

Hey everybody!

I did a mini review of Innisfree's Apple Juicy Cleansing oil when I first bought it in July, but since I'm still totally loving it a couple months on, I thought I'd do a more detailed review with all the "Apple Juicy" details. HA HA HA! Oh my.

Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil