myKbeauty Sample Pack - Review and first impressions!

Hi everyone!

If you're located in Australia, you might have seen a facebook post floating around about the  free "MyKbeauty Korean cosmetic sample pack". All you had to do was like and share a post, and then message their facebook your address.

Frankly I was very impressed with how this giveaway was carried out, so I'm going to be blogging about it!


Look at these very clear instructions! I love it!

The promotion went from Feb 8 - Mar 8. (It's ended now, but if I see another one come up I'll definitely tweet it out!)

On the 19th of March I received a facebook message telling me what samples I would receive, as well as links to their website in case I liked my samples and wanted to purchase them. Excellent!

Then today, on the 25th of March, it arrived!



(The Hello Kitty didn't come with it, it's just covering my address :P)

Am I just in an impressed mood, or is it cute how their logo is up in the corner?



The little booklet inside had a handwritten message!

I'm a sucker for handwritten messages guys. They're giving me free stuff, and they're thanking ME. What is going on?!




Opening the booklet, I see my samples! They're samples for some pretty nice and expensive brands, so I got very excited to use them and immediately got to it!



[Sum 37] Secret Programming Essence 
According to their website:
– The 1st place of re-buying rate among prestigious essences.
– Sold in a single item per every single minute and 99% of consumers were satisfied with this essence.
– 80 kinds of natural vegetable fermented ingredients.
– Absorbed inside of skin and displays fancy & radiant skin.

After reading all of this I was excited to try it in my routine!

My impressions:
♥ The sample was a very generous 
♥ It really did smell like fermented vegetable! (Take that as you will)
♥ My skin loved it! It was very moisturising compared to my usual (more mid-range) essence!



[Sulwhasoo] Goa Ampoule

– The ampoule for intensive nutrition to fortify yout skin for a fine skin texture.
– Six ampoules are provided for six weeks of intensive care with freshness.
– The scent of prunus mume of Sulwhasoo Goa line is used at sulwhasoo spa and the most preferred scent to relieve stress and fatigue and leave you in composure.

My impressions:
♥ The scent was apparently stress-relieving but I didn't enjoy it at all - I can't put my finger on what it smelt like... The closest thing I can think of comparing it to right now is Chinese herbal medicine but I don't think it's right... Regardless, I didn't enjoy it, but it was a bearable scent.
♥ It was really thick for an ampoule! The thickest I've used. The colour and texture was actually almost milky.
♥ I couldn't explain the feeling on my face after I had applied it... Rather than the soothing feeling the Sum 37 essence gave me, after I applied this I really felt like it was doing something to my skin! Is this a feeling anyone else ever feels from their korean skincare at first time usage...? It really usually only happens to me when I apply a facial mask, so I take it as a good sign!

The morning after using these two products in my routine instead of my usual essence and ampoule, my skin actually looked a lot clearer and more radiant! I was very impressed - I'm not sure which product it was doing it since I used both (oops)... But either way, I should probably only use one each night for a while to figure out which amazing item did this...

None of my Korean skincare is currently this high end so this sample pack is actually making me re-think my Korean skincare decisions... :O

I have never purchased from myKbeauty before so I can't say anything about their service, but I love how professionally this giveaway was conducted and I can't help but feel like it would reflect on their company in general! An online retailer that's Australian based would definitely save us all on long waiting on shipping times, the heartbreak when we realise that the shipping on our $200 order adds at least another $50... Did I mention that shipping is free on myKbeauty?

I had a look at some of the prices and they are more expensive than TesterKorea - but if you consider shipping and shipping time, it's a little like paying a small premium for your items to arrive faster :) And you'd be supporting Australian kbeauty retailers so that they can hopefully become cheaper and have more of them located in Australia!

This little giveaway has definitely convinced me to trust this retailer, but of course before 100% endorsing them I'll do a haul for myself and let you guys know how that goes. I just thought I'd share my experience with this pack, as well as mini first impressions for the samples I got!
(PS. I wasn't paid to do this post and this giveaway was open to literally anyone that liked and shared - these opinions are 100% my own! :D)

Thanks so much for reading and I'll talk to you guys again soon!

With love,

pynkbunny xx

Collective Haul ♥ Nail Polish, Makeup, Skincare, Kbeauty... at a reduced price!

Hi everyone!

In a desperate attempt to fill the void in my life since Memebox left, here's what I've been spending my money on...



All of this cost $96.90 in total! (If this was a subscription box post I would follow up with something like "for ~$150 value!" xD)
Here's a list of what I bought: (Will add pictures as I paint my nails/swatch :))

Nails

- OPI Liquid Sand - Pussy Galore
- OPI Liquid Sand - Cant Let go
- OPI Liquid Sand - Vesper
- OPI Teal the Cows Come Home
- OPI Pink Friday
- Essie Eternal Optimist
- Essie Merino Cool

Skincare samples

- Dior Capture Totale Eye Cream sample
- Indio Eye Rise
- Indio Rebuild Cream
- Nuxe Cream Nirvanesque deluxe sample x2
- Palmer's Perfecting Facial Oil
- Palmer's Cocoa Butter
- Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream

K-beauty

- Sally's hydrogel mask set (3 pieces)
- Etude House Wonder Pore Freshener
- The Skin House Aloe Water Mist

Makeup

- Mirnesse Secret Weapon Eyeliner in Liquid Gold
- Mirnesse Pencil Eyeliner in Kitty Brown
- Ecotools Skin Perfecthing brush
- Ecotools Large Powder Brush

Here's a video where I talk about everything, as usual...


Some more information on how I bought everything..

My latest obsession has been buying other people's rejected subscription box stuff :P

Being in the subscription box community, I had often heard of people talking about swapping and selling unwanted subscription box items. But I had no idea where! After lots of research, I finally found the place, and I've been having lots of fun selling my unwanted items and then recycling the money back into buying more :P

I've had only positive experiences in swap/sell/buy facebook groups but of course you have to use common sense - only use Paypal, pay for tracking, ask for lots of pictures, and if you think anything is suspicious, then don't do it!

I personally have no qualms over buying things that have been swatched once or opened so this has been a great find for me :) Of course, it's all about comfort level - I understand the hesitation to trust strangers over the internet but the admins of these groups are simply lovely and take really good care of us Australian subscription box swappers!

I can't wait to do my nails with all these polishes... And I have so much more stuff on the way gar :(

If you enjoyed this post/video, please let me know! Because I probably won't bother if it doesn't seem like anyone likes them :P

Thanks for reading everyone!

xx athy

March 2015 Bellabox - Unboxing & Review!

Hi everyone!

Today I'm here with my March 2015 Bellabox unboxing and first impressions!



The contents~



The card...

Really disappointed to be honest. The box has so much damn green in it!

The only product I'll use in this month's box is the Palmer's day cream which is worth about $1.50.

Having paid $15 for this box (and new customers would have had to pay an extra $2.95!), it's a rather bad box personally. Even overall, the value of this box is $20.

I believe two of the items (the Kerastase and the Revlon) are repeats too.

Does any of this fit the #Selfie theme? Other than the eyeliner and the bonus foundation, not really.

Grr.

The most appalling part of this box was that the product information card claims that "the Nivea Sunlight Feel Face Veil offers a veil against both UVA and UVB rays."

That seems like blatantly false information because of the lack of PA rating on the sunscreen. The PA rating (have you ever noticed sunscreens with a PA+ or PA+++ kind of rating?) indicates protection against UVA rays. If there is any protection against UVA at all, it must be negligible because of the lack of PA rating. This is blatant false information.

I emailed customer service about this since I would be very worried for those out there applying this product to their skin expecting comprehensive sun protection! In Australia sun diseases are extremely prevalent!

Six days since they have replied that they will "verify this with Nivea" and no response.

This shows a distinct lack of integrity from the company. (Did someone say - Wen conditioner making your hair fall out?)

It is obvious Bellabox does not care about their customers and will put whatever product in the box as long as the companies pay them.

You're seriously better off spending your money on buying stuff you want than this silly website. But you can click through if you want to buy one anyway. It would cost you $17.95 and I'd highly recommend a different box though. (I'm looking for options to switch to if you guys have any suggestions! The ones I know are Violetbox, The Parcel, and Lust Have It. My experiences with Lust Have It are awful so I've already ruled that one out, hahahaha.)

My unboxing and first impressions video;


with lots of love,

pynkbunny. :)

SensatioNail Fuse Gelnamel Starter Kit: A How-To-Use & Review!

Hi everyone!

Long time no blog - today's post is going to be a little different - I recently acquired this Fuse Gelnamel in a swap and I thought I would talk about it :)

♥ What is the Fuse Gelnamel starter kit?
It claims to contain all the accessories you need for the "best of gel into into an all-in-one formula... So say goodbye to that base and top coat!  You're covered – literally – with just one coat.  After 30 quick seconds in the Fuse LED lamp you've got megawatt shine that lasts.  This is this real deal.  And, it looks fab all week."

Three bold claims...

♥ How to use your kit:

♥ Here's what you get inside...



1. An instruction booklet
2. Micro usb cable
3. Powerplug
4. Fuse cleanser
5. Lint-free wipes
6. Fuse nail polish (you get one in the kit!)
7. The LED lamp!

You also get a nail buffer that wasn't included for me unfortunately - using any should be fine :)

♥ The result?


This picture actually makes my nails look good!

Some things that surprised me... 
♥ This full process took a lot longer than what I expected it to take - 61 minutes (yes I timed it for you guys! :P) This is because there was the tedious process of buffing, cleansing, applying nail polish and then blasting it with the UV. I feel like this will get quicker if I just practice, but...
♥ When you apply the polish too thickly, you feel the heat from the UV lamp. So for some nails, I applied one coat, blasted it with the lamp, and then applied a second one. So this "one coat" miracle isn't really... At least in my experience!
♥ The step where you push back your cuticles is extremely important... I learnt the hard way that it feels like your cuticles are on fire when you place your nail in and you turn it on with your cuticles exposed!
♥ The finish... is actually a lot like the professional shellac/gel manicures that you see! Of course it's not nearly as nice, but it's relatively cheap and convenient and doable from your own home.
♥ Lasting power: two of my nails chipped on day 2. So much fail, hahaha.



Look at that huge chip on the middle finger D:

My overall impressions:
I really wanted to like this, but I'm currently very much on the fence about it. This is mainly because of the amount of time it took to do this whole process.
♥ Someone can easily argue that an hour for a full manicure is really good! And it can only get faster from here. I would argue that with a normal manicure, you are only really painting your nails for five minutes tops per coat - most of the time you spend is waiting for the polish to dry. Using the Fuse Gelnamel kit takes CONCENTRATION - I was on the phone while doing my nails so I would have preferred to have just been waiting for them to dry.
♥ The kit is quite expensive, and extra polishes are also expensive... You can get a starter kit for $50. Cheap compared to other competitors out there, but the price per extra polish is $15. With $15 I could buy a new full-sized OPI! (Which I would personally prefer!)
♥ I was impressed with the almost professional-looking finish, but not with the semi-transparent coverage. It's a bit transparent/streaky, which might have to do with my application, but even then I tried to double up on coats to make up for it and you can still see the white of my nail if you are paying close enough attention to them. This can't be seen in the picture, but can be seen in person.
♥ There is the small health risk in blasting your fingers/hands with UV... I wouldn't be even slightly concerned if I hadn't felt the scorch in my cuticles. I'm not exaggerating when I say scorch by the way - it was quite uncomfortable!



Would I recommend the product? 
I would! To someone who:
♥ paints their nails at home regularly
♥ enjoy the process of painting their nails
♥ prefer the finish of gel/shellac
♥ likes to paint their nails in a small range of colours/one colour

Unfortunately for me though, I love experimenting with a large range of crazy colours!
I also don't like the finish - the polish is very thin and I feel like my nail is very "exposed" if that makes sense... That might only be me, I love putting on a good 2-3 coats and topcoating! Which I am not supposed to do with this kit.
I personally would give this product a miss - maybe my opinion of it will change as I use it more, but here's my first impressions...

I will give this an update on chipping etc as the week progresses :)

Thanks for reading guys!

Lots of ♥,

pynkbunny

Memebox Superbox #70 Thumbs up! Bloggers' Picks Unboxing & Review!

Hi everyone!!

My second last unboxing, so I'm going to spread this over two posts :)



The items all spread out :) I didn't take a picture in the box, whoops! The box was quite big though =3






For $37, the value is actually rather disappointing compared to other $30 boxes... It also doesn't follow the 'blogger pick' concept for a few various reasons... (some of the products were only released after the survey was even out)
BUT I bought the box anyway because Memebox wasn't shipping to Australia anymore, and it was still a good deal compared to buying the pink cream by itself for full price =)

The gel texture of the pink cream is really interesting and I love the sparkles inside! I can't wait to try it properly :)

I really want to try the vitamin cleaning dessert but I have so many cleansers I've tried and not finished :( Both flavours (lemon and cacao) I'm actually quite endeared to..

I tihnk the Glactomyces really did leave "Dylan's" skin glowing looking! And it's been genuinely raved about by bloggers, so I'm definitely excited to use that ^^

Overall, I'm satisfied with the box, but it's not the best thing in the world :P

As always, for more detail here's my unboxing video!



This was really fun to shoot because I had a special guest!
Let me know if you think I should do more like this :)

xoxo

pynkbunny :)