Memebox Fiddy Snails Set!

I'm a big fan of Fifty Shades of Snail, so when I heard about the Memebox that would be put out, I simply had to pick it up! The box contains two full size(!) COSRX snail products, a Ciracle snail hydrogel mask, and stickers! 

The set is $34, and the value of the products in total is $50.50 (with Memebox's pricing.) On RoseRoseShop I was able to get the products at $35.81, but the mask comes in a pack of four, so that would be a little more expensive buying the four pack of masks. I liked the idea of the box set, because I enjoy Fiddy's blog and have no issues supporting her, plus it has a cute theme and was shipped super quickly! (Unlike ordering from Korea, just saying.)

The cream and essence I did a spot test of first, to make sure there would be no adverse reaction. After that, I went ahead and started using the products full time to help flesh out my (already complex) skincare routine. 

COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence - Personally, I'm a fan of snail slime for my face. I didn't have to get past the fact that it was snail slime, I just slap products on my face. However, if you're iffy about the whole snail thing, this product may not be the best for you, strictly because the consistency is, well...thick and mucus-y. The pump is able to dispense product with no issue, but it does feel somewhat slimy in my hand. I found about two pumps to be enough for my whole face. Although the essence seems super thick, once spread onto the skin it absorbs very quickly. I found my skin feeling instantly hydrated after applying. Another bonus - it has no scent! I've been using this for about a week and I'm liking how my skin is looking.

COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream - I have oily skin, so somewhat heavy moisturizers aren't something I'm too well versed in. To me, this moisturizer is heavy. A tiny bit goes a loooooong way for me, but you may be different. Because this is heavy for me, I use it at night as an occlusive to hold all other moisture in. The container has a screw top and comes with a tiny spatula on a seal within the jar. I've kept the seal in there just to keep track of the spatula. I don't even need an entire spatula's worth for my whole face when I use this. I feel that this cream takes longer than I'd like to sink in - I can't put it on then hop right into bed, otherwise my pillow will end up very well moisturized. But it does sink in eventually, and my skin feels wonderfully hydrated in the morning. The cream also has no scent, which is nice. 

Ciracle Snail Hydrogel Mask - This is my first Ciracle product. I don't know if I'm totally in love with hydrogel masks yet, but I'm always happy to try a new mask! The fit of the mask wasn't great for me, the sides were too wide and it didn't come down on my jaw enough. I wore this mask for an hour, and I found it lightly hydrating. My skin was noticeably brighter after wearing, and any redness I had was gone. I wish it was a bit more moisturizing, since I love that plump skin feeling after a mask, but I was super happy with the reduced redness!

I'm really happy with my first Memebox purchase! So far, COSRX has yet to let me down with a product. My skin seems to like snail slime and it's been looking very good as of late, I'm so happy! How do you feel about snail in skincare - would you put it on your face?

Kat von D Lolita Lip Duo - Review

Kat von D Beauty has been teasing this duo for ages. I immediately ordered it the day it came out, mostly because my Lolita had gone missing a while back, and I didn't want to buy another full size. I don't even remember which iteration I had - but now I have these two!

Lolita is listed as "chestnut rose." The shade is definitely on the browner side of a brown/pink combo. It's a mostly neutral shade, leaning slightly warm. On me, it pulls more brown than pink, but it doesn't look like a 90s super brown lip. Application was smooth, needing one swipe for full coverage. Drydown took about a minute, going from tacky to fully dry. While still tacky, applying more product is easy and it doesn't cause what is already applied to ball up or anything like that. I found that this shade transferred a little bit, but nothing horrible like a full lip print. The product did not flake off, and I did not find it too drying - but I wore a lip primer underneath. Around 3-4 hours I noticed cracks where lines in my lips are, but I was able to press my lips back together and "smoosh" it back into place. I had to reapply after eating lunch, but reapplication over what was left over looked good. 

Lolita II is a "terracotta nude." Much lighter and warmer than Lolita, the shade has much more orange to it. Like every Kat von D liquid shade I've tried, application is smooth, and the product is pigmented. I needed one swipe for full coverage, although the swatch shows that it might be a little bit patchy. I didn't experience patchy application on the lips, however. I was able to get a nice crisp line using the included doe foot, and the formula took about a minute to go from wet, to tacky, to matte and set. I was able to apply two coats with no issues. The lipstick has an inoffensive non-scent, just smells like a lipstick. Whatever scent is there fades quickly. After about three hours (and a cup of coffee) the lipstick was still around, but was cracking at my lip lines a bit. I was able to press my lips together to redistribute the product. There was no transfer onto my cup, though! 

Pros:

• Minis! Because who uses a full size?
• Smooth application
• Little to no transfer
• Dries fully matte
• No bleeding, feathering, or flaking

Cons:

• Can be somewhat drying. Pair with a lip primer for more damage control
• Cracks on lip lines, but can be redistriuted to look good again
• Needs to be reapplied after eating

Each of these is 0.10 oz, when a full size is 0.22 oz - so they're just shy of half of a full size each. 

Kata von D Lolita Lip Duo - $19.50 for 2 x 0.10 oz

Review - 4/5

November 2015 Favorites

As promised, my favorites for November are on time! I'm excited to share the products I was most fond of over the month. I have some new items, and some tried and true staples from my arsenal of products. I don't like using new items every month for my favorites, because I find a lot of times an item will be mentioned as a "favorite" and then will never be mentioned again...was it really your favorite? But I digress. Here are my choices!

1. Lorac Unzipped palette - I am way late to the game on this palette. Tons of people rave about it, and I just didn't feel I needed it. To be fair, I just didn't want to spend money on another palette. I picked this up with Ulta points to circumvent feeling guilty. I am so, so glad I got my hands on this palette. The formula for these shadows is the same as the Lorac Pro palettes. The shadows are a little soft, but blend beautifully. If you're a fan of neutrals, rose golds, and rusts, this is the palette for you. It's a really great autumn palette, and I can see myself using it year round.
2. Givenchy Mister Mat primer - I picked this up in my modest VIB Rouge sale haul in the beginning of November. This is hands down the best mattifying primer I've used, and I have tried many. This tops the list mainly due to how smooth the application is. A lot of others I've used need a bit of work to get them smooth on the face, and too much touching or product causes it to ball up or be patchy. This one glides on beautifully. It is pricy, however, so I'm not sure how often I'll be replacing it.
3. YSL Black Opium perfume - I have been hoarding samples of this scent(I have three now, I think?) and using it nonstop. I've even added a mini spray vial to my Christmas list as well. (If you follow this blog at all, you'll realize more perfume is the last thing I really need...) This scent is light, slightly floral, slightly sweet, and feminine. I was shocked checking out the notes, as one is patchouli, but it doesn't smell like patchouli at all...and that's one of the notes I actively try to avoid. It's a sweet, strong scent, but doesn't lean towards that sickly sweet like Aquolina Pink Sugar. It's quite sophisticated, and I know a lot of people have started wearing it lately. Definitely check it out if you come across it!
4. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack  - I picked up even more of these masks in my recent skincare haul. I turn to these masks when I have something brewing under the skin, or redness I can't handle any more. This mask helps take care of those right away, while leaving my skin lightly moisturized. The mask has a fresh scent, and even has little eye flaps in case you want to get you eyelids in on the sheet mask action. The best part is these are alcohol free, so if your skin is sensitive, you don't have to miss out. I also have the Snail Bee High Content Essence, which I apply right after! (After I drain the packet of serum and smear that all on my face, as well!)
5. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence - This is my HG sunscreen. I was recently on a trip to the Caribbean and I came back the same shade that I left thanks to this. I even used it on the rest of my body after a breakout from another sunscreen. I still want to try other sunscreens, but I am glad I can fall back on this one should I need to. It's light, absorbs quickly, does not leave a white cast, and leaves a slightly matte finish to boot. If you're in the market for a chemical sunscreen, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Let me know what you were loving in November! Maybe I'll end up loving it, too.