Cosmetics sample inferno

I think the above is a familiar image to anyone who's a big fan of buying Korean cosmetics online (or shopping at Sephora's webstore). Korean companies seem to be very generous when it comes to doling out samples, and I think I've received some with every purchase I've made. I always hold on to the ones I find interesting and squirrel them away to try them out later... but then I never do. I have a little drawer that, until recently, was filled to the brim with all kind of little sachets.

Alternative uses to unwanted skin care samples: Floor collages? A match up game?

I decided to finally do something about it, starting with actually looking at what I have stored up. I'm pretty sure I could have done several variations of a full 10-step Korean skin care routine with everything I had piled up. 

Unfortunately for me, a lot of the sample packages didn't have the ingredients printed on them. I had to suck it up, sit down and check each product on CosDNA. I eliminated everything that contains alcohol, which turned out to be quite a lot. It's kind of weird to see how many products contain it. I also decided to chuck everything that I thought might not work for dry skin, regardless of their ingredients.

I'm not sure if my curation efforts were entirely successful. But it's a start! Now I'll just have to talk myself into actually using them. Don't be surprised if you start seeing some of these guys making appearances on this blog.

Do you end up stock-piling your cosmetics samples, or do you just use them or throw them out? 

Empties from August and September

My last empties post also covered two months. I kind of like the idea of making this a bimonthly thing! Anyway, here's my most recent report of all the stuff I've managed to use up.

Lumene's Waterproof Eye-Makeup Remover makes yet another appearance. They changed the packaging earlier this year. Here you can see the old and the new bottle side by side. I like the new version a lot. I think it looks a lot sleeker and more current than the old, slightly tapered one. The old packaging on the right appears a bit bigger, but they actually hold the same amount of product.

These three make up my usual cleansing routine! I've talked about The Saem's Healing Tea Garden Green Tea Cleansing Water in my previous empties post. It's one of my favorite skin care discoveries this year. I usually get Nivea's Moisturizing Cleansing Milk for removing whatever makeup and grime remain after using micellar water, but last time I picked up the Gentle Cleansing Milk in stead. I don't notice much of a difference between them. This one is maybe slightly creamier, if that's possible? My last cleansing step is Nivea's Soothing Toner, as always. 

When I die, I want my body to be preserved in a 90 percent snail mucin filtrate. In the mean time I slather my face with Mizon''s Snail Recovery Gel Cream. It's another one of my staples! I wrote more about it here.

I regret purchasing Missha's Super Aqua Ice Tear Essence. I got it last winter when my skin was really drying up from the cold air. It seemed like a nice light moisturizing essence based on its description. Unfortunately, it contains alcohol, and I didn't notice it when I was reading the INCI. In the end, I used it up as a foot cream, haha. At least the experience taught me to always Ctrl+F for ingredients I want to avoid.

Benton's Snail Bee High Content Masks are my favorite sheet masks. I feel like I can actually see the difference before and after using one. My skin looks so plump and refreshed afterwards! I like to get the 10 mask pack.

Pore strips are kind of a controversial beauty product. Some people swear by them, others worry they might cause skin damage and permanently widen pores. I tend to use Nivea's Refining Clear-up Strips once a month or so, because I find it helps to keep me from otherwise attacking the sebaceous filaments on my nose. It's not something I'd recommend, though.

I got a few strips of A'Pieus NonCo Tea Tree Spot Patches some time ago, but they didn't really work for me. In fact, I think the tea tree oil in them just irritated my skin further. This was my packet of them, and I won't be purchasing them again. I'll just stick to CosRX's Pimple Master Patches, because I've had much better luck with them.

You can tell it was the end of the summer from these next items. I don't usually purchase Calypso's SPF 30 Sun Lotion or LV's SPF 30 Sun Screen for sensitive skin. My current preferred product is the Satin Protection Sun Lotion SPF 50+ by Hawaiian Tropic, but I didn't have access to it or it was out of stock when I got these two. They were fine, I guess. Both felt kind of sticky and a bit heavy, so they're not something I'd jump to buy again. Plus I prefer a higher SPF.

You know when you dislike a product so much you make it your mission to use it up completely to show it who's boss? I hated The Saem's Eco Earth Power Tone Up Sun Cream by the time I was done with the tube. I ended up just applying it on my hands and the tops of my feet, because it just was not right for my face. I made sure to squeeze up every drop of the sun cream, just out of spite. A'Pieu's Pure Block Natural Sun Cream is much nicer to my skin and so far my favorite sun care item. I have a full review of them both here.

I also went through another batch of Erioil's Aisti moiturizing emulsion and Batiste dry shampoo, but I forgot to take a photo of them. They're such staples that I almost take them for granted, haha. And on that note, it's time to wrap up this post. 

Fruity favorite

Do you have a make up product you reach for almost every day? I've had Skinfood's Fresh Fruit Lip & Cheek cream trio in heavy use ever since I got it at the beginning of this year. I know a lot of people prefer powder products, but I personally love the convenience of a nice cream blush. Plus it's a multi-function item! 

The trio is packaged in a tiny cute tin container with a sliding cover. I was really surprised at how small it really was when I first got it. It fits on the palm of my hand! Since it's a cream product, there's no risk of it exploding in your make up pouch, even if you drop it. It's tiny, sturdy and perfect for traveling. I bring it with me whenever I hit the road.

I'm not sure how well it comes across in this picture, but I've done quite a bit of damage, haha. There's definitely a good dent in each shade. I got the trio in the shade 5 Fruits Mix, which comes with three lovely pinks. The first color is a light peach, the second a cool hot pink and the third a warm apricot-ish color. I really can't decide which one is my favorite! I think I use the peachy pink the most, because of how natural it looks. The blush trio has a sweet, fruity scent to it. I don't think it's overpowering or cloying, and I it disappears pretty soon after application.

Here's a quick finger swatch of each shade. It's a sheer formula with a little bit of creamy sheen to it. It feels very light and moisturizing. I like to apply it with just the tips of my fingers and blend it out with a soft tapping motion. It's really easy to create that color-from-within kind of look with it! They work ok as lip colors too, but I do prefer them as a blush.

Here are the swatches blended out. You can definitely blend them into nothing, but I always think it's better to err on the side of caution when it comes to blush. It's harder to mess up with a sheer, bright-colored formula. All in all, it's a cute little blush trio that won't take up a lot of space in a travel pouch. It's one of my desert island products!

Tending to troubled skin

Hey, that's me!

I've been having some minor, but annoying, skin issues lately. It's just some breakouts, that I've attributed to seasonal change and probably a slight product overload. I've simplified my skincare routine a bit, in the sense that I'm now rotating my products throughout the week rather than just layering all of them on at once, haha. But I've also added a new item - which I know is really counter-intuitive if the goal is to make things less complicated. I think the addition of Innisfree's Bija cica balm has actually helped to improve my current issues, though.

Innisfree's Bija-line is aimed at treating, nourishing and protecting troubled skin. I first learned about this product through a review by Ammarah. I was really intrigued by the ingredient list. It contains Panthenol and Centella Asiatica (Pennywort), which has antioxidant and soothing properties. It's used in a lot of skin care and also in traditional medicine. The "star" ingredient, however, is bija or Torreya Nucifera seed oil. According to my Wikipedia-research, Bija (also known as kaya or Japanese nutmeg yew) is a corniferous tree native to Japan and South Korea's Jeju Island. Apparently they use to wood to make shogi and go boards, and the leaves and the seeds have ritual uses in Japanese esoteric Buddhism. Quite Interesting. Innisfree claims on their site that bija seed oil can help gently smooth skin and reinforce its natural defence system. Sounds good to me!

The balm has a smooth texture and it glides over the skin effortlessly when applied. I don't think it feels too heavy on the skin, but it's definitely very rich. Thankfully, the skinny nozzle on the tube makes it easy to squeeze out the right amount. I don't think it does much for redness, but I can feel the soothing effect almost immediately. I can see myself reaching for this a lot next winter! I do notice that my current foundation doesn't always apply that well over it. The moisturizing and nourishing effects are no joke, though, so I'm willing to put up with it. Plus I do notice that my blemishes disappear a bit faster since I've started using it. It's a bit on the pricier side, but I like it enough to purchase it again. 

So nice, I bought it twice

I ended up being a lot busier than I expected in August, so I didn't have much time to post. I started back at my internship after a break in July and also spent a lot of time making final corrections and adjustments on my thesis. I was finally able to turn it in on Friday! I kind of feel bad for spending so much time on it, since at the end I felt like it wasn't as big of a deal as I made it out to be in my head. But I'm glad I'm all done now. Though I have to admit, planning my next step after graduation is a bit daunting. But enough about me. Summer is already officially over where I am, but I thought I would come back with a final look at a couple of items in Etude House's spring/summer collection. Like I mentioned before, I picked up another shade of the Wonder Fun Park Dear Darling Tint, and I also got one of the Dear My Blooming Lips Talk lipsticks in a chiffon finish.

I got the lip tint in the shade PK002 Chewing Bubble Soda, which is a cool toned hot pink. The formula is the same as the one I got before: A lovely sheer gloss that can be built up to a bit more more opaque look. It also stains your lips, so your lips will stay tinted even after the product itself has worn off. 

Despite being such an electric shade of pink, I actually think it's a very wearable color. My lips are naturally pretty pigmented, so the sheer payoff creates a nice mauve-ish look on me. I like it! Even though it's part of the summer collection, I think the shade will work nicely in the fall too.

Can you tell which photos I took when it was cloudy?

I love the lipstick's packaging. It's super eye-catching and adorable! The scalloped detail and the little metallic stars on the case are cute as heck. Unfortunately I'm not too hot on the lipstick itself. 

I wasn't expecting the formula to be as sheer as it is, since it's a matte/chiffon lipstick. Though maybe I should have, considering the lip tints. If I want to completely cover my lips, I have to apply at least three layers of it. And even then, there will be patches where my natural lip color peeks through. The product feels really dry, so it's kind of impossible to put it on evenly. I have to make sure my lips are perfectly exfoliated and moisturized if I want to wear it, because it catches onto dry bits. I can kind of make it work for a gradient look if I dab it on, but I don't really think the color is right for me. It's a cute peachy pink on it's own, but it's too light for me. It just washes me out. Oh, well. I guess not all products are winners. If I had a proper vanity, I'd definitely put it on display though, haha.

Super Dew-per

You know when you live in a dark hole of an apartment that natural light never touches and can't take any decent photos for days because of it?  I think I might have to get some sort of a daylight studio lamp once the days get shorter. Anyway, I'm here with a little review of A'Pieu's Moisture Nude Foundation (SPF30 PA++).

I've been using Mizon's Hydra Full Solution Water Volume Moisture BB cream for the past year, but it recently started to run out. I really like it and might buy it again some day (unless they discontinue it), but I also wanted to try a new product, something with a little bit more coverage. After looking at several drugstore and high end options, I ended up buying A'Pieu's latest serum foundation. I got mine in the shade No. 13, which is a light beige color with a yellow undertone. 

Serum-based foundations are supposed to be more lightweight than traditional ones, but have as much coverage. Many of them also claim to have skin care benefits, which makes me think of them as a kind of a spiritual successor to BB creams. The ingredient index of A'Pieu's Moisture Nude Foundation lists several plant extracts with skin care properties: Mentha Rotundifolia or Bowles Mint leaf extract (anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial), Portulaca oleracea or Purslane extract (skin-soothing), Adansonia Digitata or Baobab fruit extract (emollient, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant), Nelumbo Nucifera or Sacred Lotus seed extract (antioxidant). What drew me to this foundation, however, was the promise of a very natural, skin-like finish. 

The Moisture Nude Foundation has a very thin consistency. It's definitely much thinner than any of the regular liquid foundations I've tried. But interestingly enough, it's also very pigmented. The first time I used it I ended up applying too much, which did not look good at all. If you put it on with a heavy hand, it will end up caking up and looking all weird and grainy. A little goes a long way: I think I could easily cover up all of my biggest problem areas with the amount of product shown in the picture above. It might even be enough for my entire face. The product has a medium coverage, but it can be built up a bit. It feels smooth, albeit maybe a tad tacky to the touch when I apply it. 

The swatch from the last picture blended out.

The finish is hella dewy. I'm talking dew town. My skin is mostly really dry, but even I have to set it with loose powder and blot during the day to keep it from looking too shiny. If you prefer a matte look, it's not for you, and I'm not too sure it would work for people with oily skin. I don't mind the shininess too much, though, because it's one of the most natural looking base makeup products I've ever tried. I find that I do need to spend some time on blending it out, but once I'm done, the product sits really close to my skin. I can wear it all day without it starting to separate, pill or bunch up on me. It is prone to creasing under my eyes, though. 

For me, the biggest fault with this product is the packaging. The dispensing system is terrible. Like many other serum foundations, Moisture Nude comes with a pipette. But for some reason, A'pieu chose to go with a clicky mechanical thing at the top instead of the usual rubber bulb. It makes it really hard to control the amount of product you pick up. A single click is way too much for me. I need to empty the dropper of most of its contents and then use whatever is left in the stem. Plus I've noticed that some of the foundation is starting to coagulate and cake up around the bottle's mouth. I wish they'd just put a pump on it! 

Another problem is the very limited shade range. Like a lot of other Korean companies, A'Pieu unfortunately only makes the foundation in three shades (which I guess is marginally better than just having only one shade like a lot of base products do). Based on the pictures online, the darkest of them looks like a medium beige. That's just kind of sad. 

I've been using Moisture Nude for a couple of weeks and I've really enjoyed it after figuring out how to get the right amount. The dewiness probably makes it an acquired taste, but I think it's a nice foundation overall. 

Empties from June & July

I'm back with my second ever empties post. I can't believe July is almost over! Time flies like a discount airline. 

The Saem's Healing Tea Garden Green Tea Cleansing Water is my current favorite makeup remover. It doesn't melt off mascara or eyeliner too well, but it does a good job getting rid of the bulk of my daily face paint. This big jug was a holiday release that I got around New Year's and I got almost six months of daily use out of it. I've already picked up a regular sized one for a refill. 

I've been using Nivea's Soothing Toner for dry skin for ages. I don't like to spend a lot of money on cleansing products, because I go through them pretty fast. I like this toner because it doesn't dry out my skin and it's available pretty much everywhere.

Hey, it's Lumene's Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover again! This is a GOAT-status product for me. Lumene re-did their packaging a few months back and I think the new version of the bottle is really pretty. 

I got a bunch of A'Pieu's Nonco Tea Tree Spot Patches some time ago. Sadly, I don't think they do much for me. Unlike COSRX's Acne Pimple Master patches, I didn't notice them helping blemishes heal faster. The adhesive is pretty strong, though, so they did stay on all night. Not repurchasing.

I'm a big believer in Nive Creme aka your grandma's moisturizing cream. It's a great multipurpose item! I have very dry skin, so I use it as a daily face cream. I love this stuff, but I don't think I have anything to say about it that hasn't been said before. It's one of my staples.

My second jar of Petitfée's Ruby & Bulgarian Rose Hydro Gel Eye Patch. I have a dedicated review of them here. 

A'Pieu's Pure Block is another product that I keep repurchasing. I have more written about it here.

The next two items aren't strictly speaking empties, but they've expired and I need to get rid of them, so I chose to include them in this post.

When it comes to mascaras, I tend to set the bar pretty low. All I want is that when I look in the mirror at the end of a day, I won't see two messy panda eyes staring back at me. This is my second tube of  the Double Needs Pang Pang Mascara by TonyMoly. I'm not sure that it noticeably volumizes or lengthens my lashes that much, but it's very cheap and it doesn't smudge. I'll most likely purchase it again.

Skinfood's Salmon Dark Circle Concealer is a big cult favorite. I didn't realize it until I checked my email for the receipt, but I've had this particular jar... way longer than you are supposed to keep any makeup, let alone makeup you apply so close to your eyeballs. And it still has a ton of product left. My concealer pot runneth over! I got a replacement, so it's time for this guy to retire.

I buy Gillette's Satin Care Pure & Delicate in double packs whenever I find them on sale. It does it's job and I've got no complaints.

Nivea's Invisible Black & White used to be my go-to antiperspirant. It doesn't completely eliminate sweat stains caused by aluminum oxidization, but I think it's the least bad of similar products I've tried in the past. I often wear white tops, so I've decided to switch to a completely aluminum free deodorant in an effort to keep my clothes wearable longer.

I'm the type of a person that can't live without hand cream, but I'm not very picky about what I use, as long as it's deeply moisturizing and doesn't irritate my skin. Natusan's 24hour Hand Cream served me well. It's alright.

Kleancolor's Wizard Pads are some kind of sorcery! They wipe of my nail polish super quickly without drying out my nails. I've actually started wearing nail polish more often because of them. I was introduced to them by my bff Whitney, and she also gifted me a whole display box of them last Christmas. You'll probably see them in a lot of these posts.

That's it for the past two months! 

Colorful shimmer shades for mermaids

My birthday was recently, and I received a lovely present from my best friend Whitney. She sent me a lot of cute make up things, including the Wild & Alluring baked eyeshadow and highlighter palette by BH Cosmetics. Since I just received it, I haven't had a chance to properly get acquainted with it yet. I've been playing around with the shadows, though, and wanted to share my first impressions.

The Wild & Alluring palette comes with nine shimmery marbled eyeshadows, a pink blush and a bronze highlighter. I absolutely love the bright color selection! All the shades are very pigmented and glide on smoothly. They're not overpoweringly glittery, but they do have fine shimmer in them. I've noticed a little bit of fall out with some shades (like the teal in the second row), but not more than I would generally expect. Because it's all shimmers, I'd probably need to reach for another palette to create actual looks.

I've included some finger and brush swatches below. My apartment's pretty cold at the moment, so I apologize for my goosebumps. 😅

I applied the shadows on bare skin. For the brush swatches I used a flat synthetic eyeshadow brush. The pink shade looks a bit patchy in this picture, because it blends into my skin tone, but in person it seems to be as pigmented as the rest of the bunch. I really like the purple in the middle. 

The peachy shade in the very center of the palette might just be my favorite! 

Because the shadows are marbled, they have a bit of interesting dimension to them. 

I'm pretty fair, so the highlighter comes off more like a light bronzer on me. I think the color itself is gorgeous, though.

I probably wouldn't have thought to pick this palette up for myself, but I think it's completely delightful! If you are on the market for some pretty shimmery and colorful eyeshadows, I recommend checking this guy out. 

Glowing up with Zoeva

Summer weather has been pretty underwhelming where I live. There's been some rain and lot's of cloudy days. I haven't had many chances to wear my summer clothes! In fact, my most worn article of clothing in June was a long sleeved knit sweater. I've been trying to compensate the lack of sun with my makeup: a touch of bronzer, a pop of bright color on the lip, glowy cheeks and cupid's bow. I've been using Zoeva's Spring Strobe Spectrum palette for highlighting recently. I purchased it at the beginning of last month and I've been very into it so far! I'm in the process of replacing my old face brushes, so I also got their 105 Luxe Highlight brush too.

The palette comes with four highlighters with a kind of a metallic/pearlescent finish in pastel green, violet, pink and yellow. They are definitely the kind of mermaid or unicorn colors that have been trending recently. Not going to lie, I think the powders look pretty odd in the pan: they seem kind of chalky and washed out in pictures. When applied, however, they are absolutely lovely! The formula has a velvety texture and it feels pretty buildable. The highlighters are a bit powdery and kick up a little when I pick them up with a brush, but they apply and blend out well. I'm not sure if you can achieve a blinding tin man -level highlight with these, but you can definitely create a beautiful glow-from-within look.

From left: SP010, SP020, SP030, SP040. Finger swatches on bare skin.

SP010 is my very favorite of the four. It's a duochrome green with a slightly teal-ish shift. It kind of reminds me of shiny insects. SP020 is an interesting blue-violet shift. It almost has a blacklight-effect kind of a look to it, it's pretty fluorescent. SP030 is a light pastel pink. I don't think it works the best as a highlight on my skin tone, but I like to wear it over my blusher for some extra glow. SP040 is a very wearable light yellow with a golden reflect, and my second favorite of the bunch.

If I have one complaint about the palette, it's the packaging. The design itself nice enough. I like the holographic detail and metallic lettering against the dark background. The (very satisfying) magnetic closure feels pretty secure too. But the surface of the cardboard palette has some sort of a waxy treatment that sucks up all and any oil that touches it, so it gets easily covered in fingerprints. It starts to look really messy really fast. I had to wipe the cover of my palette down with a damp microfiber cloth several times before it looked presentable.

As for the brush, it's a very soft blend of natural and synthetic hair. I haven't had problems with picking up powder or blending with it. I really like the size and tapered shape. The very tip of the brush is great for highlighting my cupid's bow and the bridge of my nose and the sides are a nice fit for the tops of my cheeks. I haven't noticed it disturbing the makeup underneath when I use it, but it does gradually build up on foundation/blusher. It might just be the nature of the beast, or maybe I need to use a lighter hand when I'm blending. In any case, it's definitely a step up from the old EcoTools eyeshadow brush I was using to apply highlighter before, haha.

What's your favorite highlighter?

Duochromes from Looxi

I'm staying at my parents' for a couple of weeks, so no empties post for this month. I think I'll combine them with next month's batch. Instead, I have a short review for two duochrome eyeshadow pans from Looxi Beauty!

Looxi Beauty is an independent brand founded by Jessica D., and it appears to be based in Illinois, USA (or at least their Facebook lists an address in Illinois). I first heard about the brand through Lauren Mae Beauty's YouTube-channel. She swatched some of Looxi's shadows on one of her palette dupe-videos, and they looked so pretty that I wanted to try them too! She also recently did a spotlight/brand review on Looxi, which I recommend checking out.

From the left: Duperstar, Omega.

Looxi Beauty's duochrome shadows, or Auroras, as they call them, are 5 USD a pop. I'm not sure about their domestic shipping, but they charge $10.99 for shipping to Canada and $19.99 for all other international destinations. I think they use USPS First Class for all of their delivery options. Their international shipping price was kind of steep for me, so I asked my best friend, who's an American, to act as my personal shopper in order to save a couple of bucks. Thanks for the favor, Whitney! 

From the left: Omega applied with a damp brush and a finger, Duperstar applied with a damp brush and a finger-

Omega is a green with a gorgeous teal and purple shift. Duperstar, on the other hand, is a light purple that shifts pink and blue. These guys don't swatch all that well, even though the colors themselves are lovely. Or maybe I just don't know how to apply them properly. For the above photo, I applied them on top of Urban Decay's Primer Potion first with a damp flat synthetic brush, and then with my finger. I tapped my brush in the pan once, and swirled my finger in the pan once.

Like Lauren says in her video, the formula is pretty dry. It kind of threw me for a loop, because I was expecting something with a bit of a smoother texture. I also noticed that the shadows seem to crumble a bit in the pan when I pick them up with a brush. Tiny crumbs sometimes come off the surface, and I need to smooth them back in. I feel like I have to put in some work and really pack them on my lids to get them to look opaque. The end result is very nice, though. For me, they work best when I first apply them on with a damp brush and then gently tap the shadow on with my finger tip, focusing on areas that I want to pop out more.

From the left: Omega applied on top of black eye shadow and then just primer, same with Duperstar.

For this picture, I tried applying the colors on top of some black eye shadow and then on just the Primer Potion again, this time really packing on the product. I have hooded eyes, so Omega might be a bit too dark for me to wear all over the lid. I like to wear it on the outer corners of my eyes, though. Duperstar is my favorite of the two. I think it looks beautiful applied on the center of the lid, on top of a matte beige worn in a dome shape or as a contour shade near the crease. I love to combine it with Buon Fresco from the ABH Modern Renaissance Palette!

If you are looking for a super creamy formula that applies super opaquely with just one swipe, these might not be the eye shadows for you. The colors are beautiful, so I don't mind having to play around with them. I think I might want to check out more of Looxi's shades sometime in the future, but I really want to try Makeup Geek's duochromes next.

Do you have a favorite duochrome formula?

Two Sun Screens

From the left: The Saem's Eco Earth Power Tone Up Sun Cream, A'Pieu's Pure Block Natural Daily Sun Cream

Since July is fast approaching, I thought it would be fitting to do a little review of the two facial sun screens I've been using recently: The Saem's Eco Earth Power Tone Up Sun Cream (SPF 50+ PA+++) and A'Pieu's Pure Block Natural Daily Sun Cream (SPF 45 PA+++). This isn't really a comparison of the two, since they have pretty different formulas. The former is an inorganic (meaning that it contains zinc oxide and titanium oxide) and the latter an organic sun screen. I'm just too lazy to make a dedicated post for each, lol.

I have to say right off the bat that I'm not a fan of The Saem one. I tried to make it work, but I just don't think it's right for my skin. I wore it every day for two or three weeks - and probably looked like a hot mess. To be fair, this wasn't a carefully researched purchase. I bought it on a whim from a holiday sale at the beginning of this year. I had been using The Saem's Eco Earth Power Perfection Waterproof sun screen and I thought it was alright, so I wanted to try another product in their line. Plus it was discounted on top of having a very affordable price in the first place. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a bargain!

Here's swatches of both sun creams. The Saem's Tone up Sun Cream on the left and A'Pieu's Pure Block on the right.

I was expecting the Tone Up Sun Cream to have a thick texture and some sort of a white cast. I wasn't expecting it to leave me looking ghostly, though. Which it does. I think this sun screen might look really weird on someone with a darker skin tone. Once applied, it settles into a matte finish with a bit of an adhesive feeling. I wouldn't call it sticky, but it kind of feels like a makeup primer. But it still leaves behind a powdery residue on top of the skin? I don't understand how, but it makes the surface of my skin feel a bit tight as the day goes on, yet somehow it also makes my makeup break down faster. It's almost like whatever base I'm wearing on top of it shrinks and goes all patchy after a while.

Here are the swatches after a little bit of blending. You can definitely get the Tone Up Sun Cream less white if you keep patting it; this is just to give you an idea of the texture.

The sun cream seems very waterproof to me. In fact, I've had difficulties removing it properly, which might have contributed to some small break outs I've had recently. I've been trying to use the cream up by applying it all over before going out running. It's really not ideal for that either, because it leaves white powdery marks on my clothes. I definitely can't see myself buying it again. It's a bummer, because the actual sun blocking properties seem to work well. I just personally can't handle the consistency. That said, I really like a lot of The Saem's other products. Their concealers are the bomb.com and I love their Green Tea cleansing water!

The A'Pieu Pure Block is a lot nicer to my skin. I've used it much longer, so it might just be a case of my skin being more accustomed to it. It doesn't leave a heavy white cast and applies very smoothly. The consistency is more on the lighter, runnier side. The finish is definitely shiny, but it doesn't bother me. I like my base makeup dewy, plus I can always knock it back a bit with some loose powder. The Pure Block is not waterproof and it will probably come off pretty easily if you sweat a lot. I'm not sure how well this would work in a more hot and humid climate. Luckily the weather is pretty cool for most of the year where I live. I've already purchased this product again four or five times already, so I think I'm going to stick to it from now on. I actually don't have much to say about this product, even though I like it! I just think it's a nice staple in my morning routine. It's A-OK.

Which sun screens are you using this summer?